I can definitely make a nice pasta dish but then again other people are probably going to think along the same lines as well ... what can I do that would be really different? What about Maki rolls? Yeah I could do that, use  some Gorgonzola instead of cream cheese, layer some Arugula inside, niiiiice. Ok but that's using both ingredients as secondary items ... one of them needs to be a main attraction. So am I going to use Moldy cheese or bitter weeds as the main attraction? How do you make Nori? Could I make the Nori out of Arugula? And with that I present to you *drum roll and cymbal crash* Chisan, Chishou Maki with Gorgonzola Chili Sauce [singlepic id=26 w=320 h=240 float=center]  [nggallery id=2] The Japanese have a term for this desire for fresh, local food:  chisan, chishou, which means "produce local, consume local." I bought everything I could from local businesses. Arugula from the local produce store the salmon was caught this morning and I purchased it from a fish market near my wife’s work. This was fun to make. There was a bit of trial and error, a bit of money invested in it, and FEMA declared my kitchen a Disaster Area and sent me a little trailer to live in while men in yellow suits cleaned it up. All said and done I am very happy with the results. Ingredients:

• Arugula Nori (See Below for Recipe)
• Sushi Rice (See Below for Recipe)
• 1 Salmon Fillet
• Cream Cheese
• 1 Tbs Gorgonzola
• 1 Cucumber
• 1 Tbs Chili Sauce
• ½  cup Mayonnaise
• Wasabi Powder
• Pickled Ginger

Supplies:

• Bamboo Rolling Mat
• Cutting Board
• Small Saucepan
• Sharp Carving Knife (I like a Santoku for this)
• Spoon (Any spoon will do, you do have a spoon in your house yes?)
• Wax Paper or Aluminum Foil (Foiled Again! I’ll get you next time Dr Saran Wrap!)

Preparations (or “How I destroyed my kitchen”):

1. Make your Nori . If you bought your Nori then skip to step 2
2. Peal your cucumber, cut it in half, and with a spoon scrape out the seeds.  Then slice into ¼” strips the length of your Nori
3. Cut the salmon into 5/16” strips the length of, here it is again, your Nori.
4. Cut your cream cheese into ¼” strips the length of, Everyone say it with me!, your Nori.
5. Melt the gorgonzola in a small sauce pan and when melted remove from heat and add the Mayonnaise and chili sauce. Mix well and let cool. The mayonnaise and the chili sauce will keep it from getting firm.
6. Make your Sushi Rice
7. Cover your Bamboo Mat with plastic wrap or a Gallon Freezer bag.

Directions:

1. Take your Nori and lay it on your Bamboo mat
2. Spread Sushi Rice on the Nori all the way to the edges. Make sure to spread it pretty thin or you end up with something that looks like the Grande Guacamole burrito from Pepe’s Burrito Barn down the street. (Or Peter’s Burrito Barn, or Wang’s Taco Hut, or Boris’s Burrito Bell … to make sure I’m not coming across as racist)
3. Lay your Salmon, Cream Cheese, and Cucumber lengthwise on the Nori about an inch from the edge closest to you
4. Grab the closest edge of your bamboo mat and while tucking the edge of the Nori over the top and back into the fillings roll your Maki and overlap ¼”.
5. Cut off the excess Nori.
6. Unroll your Bamboo mat and your rolls will be sitting right on top holding itself together.
7. Place your roll on a cutting board and cut in half. Place both halves next to each other and make two more cuts to make 6 even pieces. (Japanese Culture considers 1 and 3 to be bad numbers so Sushi is always served in 2’s.)
8. Set out on a nice dish and garnish with Wasabi, Ginger, and a drop of your Gorgonzola sauce.

Arugula Nori First let me start out and say this is a total experiment. I’ve never done anything like this before and after reading some articles on papermaking and a vague guide how to make Nori I’ve pulled bits and pieces together and I am attempting to make this work.

• 1 Bunch of Arugula
• 1oz  of Water
• ½ Tsp of Starch

Directions: Cut the roots off the Arugula and put about half of it into your Cuisinart or blender and turn it on. Add the rest of the Arugula to the machine of your choice. Pour in your water and your starch and you’re going to end up with a pulpy mess that resembles Pond Scum, Appetizing!  Pour your mixture into a paper towel and squeeze the excess water out of it. Lay down some parchment paper and with a spatula spread the mixture pretty thin. Take another piece of parchment paper and lay it on top. Now take your rolling pin and roll that stuff super thin. Leave the parchment paper on there and bake @ 300 Degree for 45min. Pull it out and pull the top parchment paper of and let cool. Foot Note: I failed twice at ++making this before getting it right. It takes some practice. Sushi Rice I use the recipe from about.com Ingredients:

• 3 cups Japanese rice
• 3 1/4 cups water
• 1/3 cup rice vinegar
• 3 Tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt

Preparation: Take the rice and rinse it until the water runs clear. Let the rice soak in the water for 30min. Cook the rice on a stovetop or a rice cooker. Prepare sushi vinegar (sushi-zu) by mixing rice vinegar, sugar, and salt in a sauce pan. Put the pan on low heat and heat until the sugar dissolves. Cool the vinegar mixture. Spread the hot steamed rice into a large plate or a large bowl. Please use a non-metallic bowl to prevent any interaction with rice vinegar. It's best to use a wooden bowl called sushi-oke. Sprinkle the vinegar mixture over the rice and fold the rice by shamoji (rice spatula) quickly. Be careful not to smash the rice. To cool and remove the moisture of the rice well, use a fan as you mix sushi rice. This will give sushi rice a shiny look. It's best to use sushi rice right away. Makes 4-6 servings.