Food, food culture, food as culture and the cultures that grow our food

Turnip green & pumpkin
ohitashi style sushi

April 17, 2008

greenrollpumpkin-culiblog-6045.jpg
Rescued from the bin: forgotten vegetables transformed into a memorable vegan sushi

40% of all produce is wasted on the route from field to fork. The number is actually more like 60% and it’s easy to understand how the waste becomes heavier if we buy industrially produced food from far away places, highly packaged and marketed. Which is why I don’t do that. My approach to mitigating food waste is by buying less, (as if I ever had to bike to the store mid-week for some greens) and to prepare the leafy greens I get at the farmer’s market into something ’salad ready’ immediately.

For the moments when I still space out and don’t eat everything I buy, beware my Happy Hour! I’ve been developing recipes for forgotten vegetables which will also be used in a soon to open snack restaurant (currently in fetal position) run on the principle of hyper-use. Hyper use of facilities, hyper-use of restaurant expertise and available foodstuffs. The project is called Lucky Mi Fortune Cooking and I’ll be writing about it increasingly in the next few months.

Here is a vegan sushi recipe based upon the Japanese spinach ohitashi salad. It takes just a minute to make and it’s refreshing, beautiful and of course adaptable.

Turnip green and pumpkin Ohitashi-style sushi

- 1 bunch of less than perfect turnip greens (forgotten vegetable syndrome)
- 1 hand full of various sprouted seeds, leek works really well
- 1 spring onion
- 3 tbs. steamed pumpkin, cooled
- fleur de sel or seal salt, ground to a powder
- wasabi paste

01 - blanch the turnip greens: Turnip green & pumpkin ohitashi style sushi, by Debra Solomon for culiblog.org
Blanch the greens for but a few seconds, plunge with cold water. Try to keep the leaves going in the same direction, as anal as that may sound, it’s actually easier.
02 - wring out the greens: Turnip green & pumpkin ohitashi style sushi, by Debra Solomon for culiblog.org
Wring out the greens enthusiastically.
03 - spread the leaves out on the sushi mat: Turnip green & pumpkin ohitashi style sushi, by Debra Solomon for culiblog.org
Spread out the greens on your sushi mat and sprinkle with salt.
04 - place sprouts, wasabi paste and pumpkin on the matted green: Turnip green & pumpkin ohitashi style sushi, by Debra Solomon for culiblog.org
Place sprouts, wasabi paste and pumpkin on the matted green.
05 - delicately fold the matted greens to start the sushi roll: Turnip green & pumpkin ohitashi style sushi, by Debra Solomon for culiblog.org
Delicately fold the matted greens over, to start the sushi roll. Use the mat to roll the sushi tightly. Squeeze and squeeze and squeeze… in moderation.
Turnip green & pumpkin ohitashi style sushi, by Debra Solomon for culiblog.org
06 - Turn out the sushi onto a cutting board and slice carefully. Serve in or with a puddle of soy sauce, or sesame dressing: Turnip green & pumpkin ohitashi style sushi, by Debra Solomon for culiblog.orgTurn out the sushi onto a cutting board and slice carefully. Serve in or with a puddle of soy sauce, or sesame dressing.

debra at 11:35 | | post to del.icio.us

8 Comments »

  1. Looks delicious….

    Might I ask where you found your turnip greens?

    Comment by Mari — April 17, 2008 @ 16:16

  2. Mari, I live in Amsterdam and shop at the Biologische Boerenmarkt, op de Noordermarkt on Zaterdag.

    In Dutch, these are raapstelen which I have losely translated to turnip greens. They are young, baby greens, among the first greens of Spring.

    You can use anything - spinach, chard, beet leaves. Different vegetables will have different effects, but these are the most tender.

    Comment by debra — April 17, 2008 @ 16:45

  3. This is such an awesome picture - & idea! I love that you “rescued” all of these veggies :)

    Very cool (& delicious-looking), indeed.

    Comment by jd — April 17, 2008 @ 19:51

  4. What a marvelous solution - I am going to try this one soon - so colorful and appetizing! Thanks!

    Comment by greensgal — April 17, 2008 @ 19:57

  5. WOW, first time I have found your blog. It is nice to see someone with similar concerns about food miles and the wastage in the industrial food industry.

    Great looking sushi - I have never made sushi like this all.

    Comment by matt wright — April 17, 2008 @ 20:29

  6. that looks amazing! and healthy! mmmm

    Comment by diva — April 17, 2008 @ 20:34

  7. Clever, I love the presentation :-)

    Comment by Marc @ NoRecipes — April 18, 2008 @ 6:17

  8. That’s such an interesting way of using these vegetables. I really like the idea of rolling them like sushi.

    Comment by Helen — April 20, 2008 @ 21:21


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