Roasting Obsession

It's hard to imagine I ever boiled vegetables, but I did. Like most people, I'd fill up a huge pot with water, throw in a handful of salt, let it come to a bubbling boil, and throw in the veg. Most of the time I'd end up with a slightly watery version of whatever I threw in, but I didn't know any better.

Then I discovered steam. Well, I discovered steaming. I'd put some water into a huge pot, insert the strainer/steamer, then throw the veg in. I'd end up with a slightly steamier version of whatever I threw in, which was OK but nothing noteworthy.

Then I finally discovered roasting. I'd roasted potatoes, and other root vegetables, but it never occured to me to roast any other vegetable. I can't remember what prompted me to try roasting asparagus, but I did it one day and I've never looked back. Ten minutes in a 400 degree oven and I had a bunch of wonderfully caramelized, nutty asparagus.

I now roast just about everything veg-wise. Molly, from Orangette, once had a post about roasted cauliflower, and it forever changed the way I cook one of my favorite veggies.

Roasted cauli with nice brown bits

I simply spray the cookie sheet with some olive oil, slice the cauliflower into thick slices (some crumbling occurs), then spray another layer of olive oil on top, sprinkle a good amount of sea salt and pepper on it, then bake away (400 degrees for 30 minutes for white cauli; 20 for green cauli).

Green cauli with nicely browned bits

Roasting just adds such wonderful (say it with me, Michael Chiarello) caramelization to vegetables, I can't imagine going back to water. But, not everything works; I once tried broccoli and it just singed the edges to a black crisp, and green beans don't seem to hold up well either. And I imagine kale or other leafy greens may not work well, although the thick, dense leaves of the cauliflower roast up nicely.

Roasted cauliflower with sea salt

Roasting - it's the new black.

Sunday Brunch for One, Sushi Gen

My Sunday mornings usually involve cleaning out the fridge of all the previous week's leftovers and trying to figure out how to use them up before my afternoon cooking for the current week gets going. Today I was left with some teriyaki rainbow trout, caramelized cauliflower and roasted asparagus with sea salt. What comes to mind when you have a mish mash of stuff? HASH!

Fixin's on the cutting board

I'm not sure what the exact definition of hash is, but I've always considered it a mash up of whatever you have around. I've had crab hash, sweet potato hash, vegetarian hash...and none of those hashes had a single common ingredient. It's a myth that a hash has to have potatoes in it (OK, I've written the word "hash" way too many times in that last paragraph...the editor in me is totally irritated right now).

I simply chopped up the fish, cauliflower and asparagus and threw it into a frying pan with a drizzle of olive oil. The result was a healthy, nutty (from the caramelized cauliflower - Michael Chiarello would be proud. Is it just me or does that guy say "caramelization" 500 times per episode?) and all-around fabulous h-a-s-h. Over a slice of toasted, gluten-free brown bread, this was the perfect Sunday brunch for one. Don't be alarmed by the portion size...this is 75% veggies!

I'll call this my "Caramelized Cauli and Rainbow Trout Green Hash." OK, maybe dish-naming isn't my forte. In any case, I highly recommend h-a-s-h as an easy way to rid your fridge of leftovers.

Perfect Sunday morning hash

Sushi Gen - Little Tokyo

I recently had the pleasure of going to Sushi Gen in Little Tokyo for lunch. I've heard a lot about this place - most people say it's some of the freshest, most reasonably-priced sushi in LA. There are some major haters as well, but I guess where there's lovers there's gonna be haters (especially on Chowhound).

Though I chose the sashimi omakase (boss was treating, so why not?), I couldn't help but be mesmerized by the preparation of the infamous lunch special. This is what people stand in line for: A generous plate of sashimi and braised fish, all beautifully arranged on a plate. The sushi chef who was putting this together told me he generally does about 200 plates per day! Watch him go:

The most impressive thing about the sushi plate special? It's only $12.99. Yup, you read right. I would say this is easily $25 worth of sashimi if you were to order each fish separately. From the photo, it looks like you get some tuna, toro (wow!), octopus, hamachi, salmon, braised tuna, squid and a couple of other treats.

I believe this special is also available at dinner time (I think, don't quote me on that) at a higher price - around $20, I *think.* The best part about this lunch? It completely and totally suits my anti-inflammatory dietary requirements!

Sushi Gen
422 E. 2nd Street
Los Angeles, CA
213.617.0552