Spicy Tuna Chirashizushi

This was a quick lunch-time riff on my daughter's favorite kind of sushi roll.  Not so much a recipe as a reminder that sushi isn't difficult!

Chirashizushi means scattered sushi- vinegared rice topped with fillings!  Super simple.

I didn't have any spicy chile sauce mixed up, and planned on putting quite a bit of toppings on my daughter's bowl and didn't want it too spicy, so I went with a mix of mayo and sweet chile sauce, mixed into a can of tuna fish.

I keep extra zumeshi, the highly seasoned rice vinegar, in my cupboard so that made this even easier.  (If you follow the link, I recommend cutting the salt way back.)

For Ernie's lunch, I served up a bowl of white rice and mixed in a few teaspoons of zumeshi.  I topped this with the spicy tuna mix, a generous sprinkle of sesame seeds, and torn up nori (this time it was actually Korean-style roasted seaweed, which is oily and salted and very brittle.)  Is it authentic?  No, probably not.  But nutritionally a step above the white-rice-and-teriyaki she loves so much, it was an easy lunch and a good reminder to keep some staples on hand!

Parmesan Puff Twists

These puffy twists taste like the best Cheez-It you've ever had.

They were a huge hit at our Christmas Eve dinner, especially with the guys- I sent a triple batch with my husband to a "family guys watching a bowl game" evening tonight, and I don't expect to get many back!

Super simple to make- lay out a square of puff pastry, season with kosher salt and pepper, and sprinkle with grated parmesan. I like to lightly roll it with a pin, to get the cheese good and stuck so it doesn't fall off!

Cut the sheet in half length-wise, then into strips, with a pizza cutter. Thin strips (1/4 to 1/2 inch) bake up crispy like a cracker, thicker strips are more tender and flaky.

Pick up each piece with two hands and twist 2 or 3 times before laying on a cookie sheet- you'll want to lightly smash down the edges so it stays stuck on the sheet. I did batches on silicone mats, and batches without- both cooked fine, but the batches without the mats wanted to stick to the trays and needed a spatula to pop them off.

Bake at 350 10-15 minutes, until puffy and golden! You can let them get a bit toasty and golden for a nuttier flavor, or pull them out when they're pale and mild. Your call, but they taste an awful lot like the best Cheez-its you've ever had!

Parmesan Puff Twists

1 sheet puff pastry, thawed (follow the directions on the package, I used Pepperidge Farms)
a large pinch of kosher salt
fresh ground black pepper
2 or 3 Tbsp grated parmesan

Lay out the puff pastry on a cutting board, and seal any cracks by pinching together with your fingers. Season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with cheese. Lightly roll with a rolling pin to push the seasonings into the dough, and then cut in half length-wise, then cut into strips. Twist each strip before arranging on a cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 10-15 minutes. Serve hot or room temperature.

(Original recipe came from a forum thread on Seriouseats.com that I can't find any more! I've modified slightly- they said to use an egg wash instead of a rolling pin.)

Pasta with Mozzarella in a Spicy Cream Sauce

 

I made this up for dinner a few nights ago when my husband was going out of town. I wanted enough to feed us for the rest of the week, so I used two pounds of pasta, but this recipe could easily be cut in half. Once you’ve mixed your pasta and sauce, everything else is just to taste. A cross between a stove-top lasagna and a risotto, this is a hearty meal, perfect for cold winter nights!

 

Aunt LoLo’s Creamy, Spicy Pasta

 

2 pounds spaghetti (broken in half) or your favorite pasta

1 jar of sauce, plus 1-3 jars of water (depending on pasta)

2 cups salsa

6 oz. heavy cream

2 cups mozzarella cheese

 

In a dutch oven, combine dry pasta, spaghetti sauce and enough water to cover the noodles. Cook over medium heat, adding water as necessary and stirring often, until the noodles are soft. (Approximately 20 minutes). Stir in salsa and a few glugs of cream. Stir to combine and cook a few more minutes to combine flavors. The sauce should be creamy and coat the noodles with very little liquid left over. The noodles will absorb a lot of water – you are cooking them almost like a risotto.

When the noodles taste nice, smooth them out and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Put them in the oven under a high broiler and cook just until the cheese is toasty, bubbly, and brown in a few spots.

 

Enjoy with a nice salad!

Nutritional Bars (Barritas Nutrivas)

These are very, very similar to the survival bars but they don't have as long of a shelf life because of the additional goodies included, and they are baked instead of steamed.  They turn out more like cookies, but are not too sweet and are very filling and yummy.  (I'm thinking these are the perfect post-baby food to have on hand: nutritious, filling, and one-handed!)

Nutritive Bars
Ingredients:
3 cups oats
2 1/2 cups powdered milk
1 cup brown sugar (not packed)
3 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp plain gelatin (2 packets)
2 Tbsp warm water
1/2 cup liquid milk, warmed

Mix all ingredients by hand in a bowl, one at a time, softly.

Add mix ins like raisins, nuts, chocolate chips, peanuts, almonds, etc.  (In class we had coconut, chocolate chips, raisins, and walnuts!)

Form into cookies, and place on a foil-lined pan.  Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes.

If you want to store these as emergency food, let cool 12 hours and wrap individually in tin foil.  Store in a cardboard box for 6 months.  1 bar can sustain a person 3 days.

Survival Bars

According to hermana Taylor, these will last 5 years, and in a desperate situation 1 bar is enough to sustain a person for 3 days.  It wouldn't be fun, though, since these are tiny!  Dense little guys though, and super tasty- they really taste like milk and honey bars, but not too sweet.  These are very filling!

She used brown paper that she found in the paint section at the hardware store, a roll of thin-ish brown paper about 8 inches high, like what a painter would tape up to block paint from splattering on the floor.  It wasn't exactly what she wanted, though.  I imagine parchment paper would work- this paper was thin but crisp, and she cut it into 8 inch squares.  And certainly cheaper than parchment, I would imagine.

Survival Bars
Ingredients:
3 cups oats
2 1/2 cups powdered milk
1 cup brown sugar (not packed)
3 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp plain gelatin
2 Tbsp warm water
1/2 cup liquid milk, warmed

Mix all ingredients in a bowl, using your hands if necessary, gently adding one ingredient after another.

Scoop out about 2 Tbsp balls, and form into bars.  Roll each in a paper square, and fold the ends in.  When all the dough is formed and wrapped, place in a large pot on a steamer basket, with boiling water underneath, and tuck a plastic grocery sack over the top of them, and cover the pot with a lid.  Steam for 30 minutes.

After they have steamed, remove the bars from the pot and unwrap- they are finished if they easily come off the paper.  They will be quite dense.

Let cool for two days on a plate covered with a towel.

Wrap each bar in a new square of paper, and then in aluminum foil.  Mark each bar with the date, and store in a cardboard box (like a shoe box.)

These will last for 5 years, and one bar can sustain a person for 3 days.  (But I imagine your children will be MUCH HAPPIER if you had three bars a day for them!!)

Survival Atole

A very nourishing whole-grain drink, served hot.  It's delicious and comforting, and perfect for a cold day!

The recipe here would make enough to serve probably a hundred!  USE THIS AS A RATIO GUIDE.  Our teacher was using Tablespoons of ground, toasted grains to make enough for everyone in the class to have a taste.

Survival Atole
4 pounds wheat
2 pounds rice
2 pounds garbanzo
2 pounds millet (or more wheat if not available)
2 pounds peanuts
2 pounds lentils

Toast each seed or grain separately in a skillet, and grind separately into powder in a blender.

Combine desired amounts of ground grain/beans/etc. in a pot with water and a cinnamon stick.  Add milk or condensed milk or powdered milk, and heat.

(I'm sorry this recipe is vague- I think it's just to taste.)

Meatball Soup (Albondigas de Trigo)

Spicy broth, and enormous meatballs.  This is a complex soup, and delicious.

Broth:
Blend chipotle chiles in adobo sauce (available canned in the hispanic section of the grocery store) with 5 or 6 medium tomatoes, and some garlic.  Pour into pot with about 8 cups of water and bring to a boil.  Add salt to taste.

Meatballs:
Mix 2 cups cooked wheat berries with:
1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup oats
a little salt
a little cumin

Form meatballs around 1/4 pieces of hardboiled eggs, and drop into simmering soup.

Let cook until  meatballs are fully cooked.