ChelseasDownTown

Sushi Sophistication

Even if you’ve heard about sushi and you think it sounds interesting, it can be intimidating to visit a sushi restaurant without knowing how to order. Let’s start with the menu:

You have some choices as to how you’d like your sushi to look:

- Nigri – a small piece of fish placed on a mound of rice, often secured with a small band of nori or seaweed. Some restaurants place a bit of wasabi in between the rice and the fish for added flavor.

- Maki – probably the most recognizable form of sushi, the ingredients are rolled inside rice and nori and cut into bite-size pieces.

- Temaki – cone-shaped hand rolls that include a great deal of fish and other ingredients wrapped in a large piece of nori. Because they are so large, they are eaten with hands rather than chopsticks.

Once you’ve decided what form your sushi should take, it’s simply a matter of choosing ingredients. Modern sushi restaurants in the United States pride themselves on creative rolls with interesting ingredients, so it pays to be adventurous. Below are some of the most popular types of nigri that will help you translate the menu:

Japanese English

Magura = Tuna
Tai = Red Snapper
Awabi = Abolone
Hirame = Halibut
Saba = Mackerel
Ikura = Salmon Roe
Toro = Fatty Tuna
Ika = Squid
Mirugai = Giant Clam
Hamachi = Yellow Tail
Ebi = Shrimp
Uni = Sea Urchin
Tako = Octopus
Sake = Smoked Salmon
Unagi = Eel
Anago = Sea Eel
Kani = Crab
Tomago = Egg

- Wasabi – known as Japanese horseradish, the green pasty lump is quite spicy and made from the root of the wasabi plant. Many people mix it in with their soy sauce to add a spicy kick to their sushi when they dip. A very small amount, usually one chopstick-full provides more than enough spice for a small dish of soy sauce.

- Ginger – this sweet, pickled condiment is used as a digestive aid or to cleanse the palate after the meal or in between rolls.

Crab and Cream Cheese Wontons

4 ounces of crab meat (you can use fresh or canned)
2 ounces cream cheese (solid is best, not whipped)
1/4 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt or to taste
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons chives
Small dish of water
Wonton wrappers

Mix the crab, cream cheese, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, pepper and chives together. Taste and adjust seasoning to your taste.

Put a spoonful of mixture into each wonton shell. Use water to moisten the edges and fold into triangles.

When ready to eat, heat in oil until brown on both sides.

Another of my favorite recipes using cream cheese is this recipe for chocolate cupcakes, using cream cheese to make them very moist:

Chocolate Cream Cheese Cupcakes

1 package chocolate cake mix (any brand)
1 package cream cheese (softened)
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 cup mini chocolate chips (I always use milk chocolate, as I like the cupcakes sweet)

Preheat oven to 350F. Put cupcake papers into pan. Prepare chocolate cake mix according to package instructions and set aside. In a separate bowl, mix together the sugar and the softened cream cheese until smooth. Beat egg and add to sugar mixture, mix well. Gently mix in the chocolate chips. Fill cupcake cases 1/2 full of chocolate cake batter. Then add 1 full teaspoon of cream cheese mixture to center. Top with more chocolate cake batter. Cupcake cups should be 3/4 full. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes or until tops spring back when lightly touched in center.

Note: You can use peanut butter chips instead of chocolate chips for a wonderful peanut butter and chocolate taste.

And finally, a wonderful cream cheese dip to serve with either crackers or vegetables:

Horseradish & Cream Cheese Dip

2 packages (3 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
1/4 cup mayonnaise (I use low fat)
1/4 teaspoon salt
pepper to taste (experiment using both white and black pepper)
6 slices of bacon, crumbled

Mix the cream cheese, horseradish, mayonnaise, salt and pepper. Add bacon pieces and mix. Refrigerate over night so flavors can blend.

Yoghurt and Oat Muffin Recipe

1 cup unsweetened plain yoghurt
1 cup rolled oats
1 egg
½ cup vegetable oil
½ cup sugar
1 ¼ cups self-raising flour
1 ripe banana mashed
½ teaspoon cinnamon

Alternative flavour combinations:
instead of the banana and cinnamon try adding
1 teaspoon vanilla extract and ½ cup chocolate chips or
½ cup mixed nuts and raisins
or make up your own variation with whatever berries and fruits are in season.

Mix together the yoghurt and oats and leave them to soak in the fridge for half and hour. After they have soaked, beat in the egg, sugar and the oil, and fold in the flour with ingredients for whichever flavour combination you have decided on.
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Fresh vegetables are everywhere

Israel is blessed with a variety of vegetables. As such, you will find slices of vegetables on each dining table. It might be a 5-star luxury hotel or a simple bed and breakfast motel, all you can serve a salad of fresh vegetables or salad Israeli “as we like to say for breakfast.

An Israeli salad will consist mainly tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, a few spices and herbs such as parsley or cilantro. Contrary to an “American” salad - this salad does not need to dress so than ever, if you insist, you can use a pure olive oil as a dressing for a perfect salad.

Breakfast portions are enormous

This is probably regards to the Hebrew / Jewish mentality and breakfast parties are simply too great. If you are not aware of what you’ll find yourself eating more than necessary and could lead you to win a few more pounds during your stay in Israel. Take your time, it was not until breakfast, and during the rest of the day, you discover that the Israeli street food is even better, if you need a certain margin and appetite for her.

No meat please!

For various reasons, it is almost impossible to find in all meat breakfast in Israel. “Hide” kitchen need to distinguish between dairy and meat products, that if “English breakfast” is explicitly specified, do not expect to find breakfast in Israel with all types of meat.

Breakfast around the clock

many places in Israel are now serving breakfast around the clock. It is not uncommon to see people eat their breakfast at 2:00 pm or later, you just ask for it because it is a very popular meal and Israelis tend to eat the late morning and evening too.

Something for everybody

It really depends where you going to eat your breakfast in Israel, but you should expect a wide variety of food on the table for breakfast. If breakfast is a continental breakfast, it will consist of coffee, fruit juice, toast, jam, honey, and a pastry of your choice.

If it is a “breakfast of Israel,” you will find mostly coffee, orange juice, salad vegetables, goats / cows cream cheese, fresh bread or toast, olives, butter, fried eggs and your choice.

If you stay at a luxury hotel, you find that the top of the regular variety, you can expect some fish, cereals, and many different types of dairy products because they are very popular in Israel. In general - There is something for everyone to any Israeli breakfast.

Chocolate is still considered a luxury food and therefore something nasty or unhealthy - but is this a fair assessment? With so many other things in our diet, the supposed negative or positive aspects of eating chocolate are the subject of much controversy. Whenever a new report is published, it lays the conclusions of the previous one in disarray. This is true for many other foods as well as our beloved chocolate! Perhaps the real answer is not so much in chocolate itself, but in the way, and the amount we eat. The chemical constituents of chocolate include a flavinoid and flavinoids are known to the practice there can be no argument on this aspect of the benefits of eating chocolate. Chocolate also contains antioxidants that help remove other harmful components of blood, such as free radicals-once more that is not in dispute.

That is when the opinions start to differ, as an argument for chocolate in terms of flavinoids and anti-oxidants is cancelled for many people by the presence of sugar and fat in chocolate. The potentially harmful effects of these are seen as outweighing the benefits of others, including flavinoids are available in other foods and beverages such as vegetables, fruits and tea. As for many things, common sense should play a role. All things are harmful when taken in excess, even foods that are generally regarded as beneficial to our health. Moderation is key in all aspects of life and eating chocolate is no exception.
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