Sushi rolls - or maki - are one of my favorite food items. I relish the sushi’s crisp carrot and cucumber, creamy avocado, fresh fish or shrimp, slightly salty-sweet rice, earthy-flavored nori, ginger, wasabi and soy sauce. Yum. Just plain yum. But sushi rolls have to be fresh. No, grocery store chill case packaged California rolls that have had all the flavors chilled right out of them don’t count as fresh. I mean just made, appropriately cool but closer to room temperature fresh. Homemade even.

Sushi rolls are easy to make

Of course it’s wonderful to hit your favorite sushi bar and watch the chef make you perfect sushi rolls, but it’s not always convenient. But on a summer evening when you want…something…but not necessarily something heavy, homemade sushi rolls could be just the thing. Luckily, they are easy to make.

All you need is a small bamboo mat

Sushi kits are sold in specialty and gourmet shops, but you don’t need a kit. You do need a small bamboo mat - which is easily acquired at an Asian market for much less than in a kit. Beyond that, most of the ingredients needed for sushi rolls are available in the international foods section of many markets. It takes a little practice to actually roll up the rolls, but even mistakes are tasty treats.

Homemade sushi means experimenting with different ingredients

One of the great things about making sushi rolls at home is the control over the ingredients. For those who are allergic to crustaceans (shrimp, crab, lobster), eating sushi at a sushi bar is unrealistic with the risk of cross-contamination. But just because one can’t eat shrimp doesn’t mean one can’t enjoy other varieties of sushi rolls. Many delicious rolls include fish or just veggies.

Sushi doesn’t always mean raw fish

Whether or not you use raw fish is up to you, your fish source, and how well you know your fishmonger. I personally leave the raw fish preparations to the professionals (sometimes I use cooked fish), but if you have an excellent fishmonger, the choice is yours. Just understand the risk.

Make your own sushi rolls

Sushi Rolls (Maki)

These yummy sushi rolls are great for a main course meal or an impressive appetizer for a dinner party!

Ingredients:
Sheets of roasted seaweed (nori)
Sushi rice (recipe below)
Fillings (listed below)
Sesame seeds

Fillings, such as:

• carrots, julienned
• cucumber, julienned
• avocado, sliced in thin strips
• shrimp, cooked, shelled and deveined
• crab, cooked and shredded
• smoked salmon, thinly sliced
• thin asparagus spears, blanched
• scallions
• dried shiitake mushrooms, rehydrated and julienned

For serving:
Soy sauce
Wasabi
Pickled ginger

Directions:
1. Prepare all your ingredients and lay them out around your work space.

2. On a cutting board, lay out the bamboo mat and spread rice evenly over about three-quarters of it. The area without rice should be furthest from you.

3. Just below the middle of the rice, lay your desired ingredients across the width of the nori. Using the edge of the bamboo mat, lift the edge of the roll up over the ingredients and squeeze down a little forming the roll. Continue to roll and tight up a bit with the mat until the roll is complete.

4. Cut the roll into 8 even pieces with a sharp knife. Repeat the process until you have the desired number of rolls or run out of ingredients. Serve with soy sauce, wasabi and pickled ginger.

Sushi Rice

Ingredients:
2 cups sushi rice
2 cups water
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions:
1. Place the rice in a strainer and rinse under cool water until the water runs clear.

2. Combine the rice and water in a medium saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil, uncovered. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes.

3. Whisk the rice vinegar, sugar and salt in a small bowl. Heat in the microwave on HIGH for 45 seconds. Combine the rice and the hot dressing. Allow to cool to room temperature before using for sushi.

Turnips? Really? Yes, really. Okay, so unless you are in a CSA, turnips are not what one could call a popular root vegetable. They have their place, to be sure, and they have always seemed to me to have an especially historic place in cooking. Like in a museum. When they started showing up in my CSA, however, I figured it was time to revisit the underappreciated turnip root.

Turnip roots and greens are good to eat

The turnip is a completely edible plant: both the big roundish root and the greens can be brought deliciously to the table. The turnip root is rich in vitamin C while the greens are good sources of vitamins A, C, and K, and folate.

Giving turnips another try

Like several other veggies out there, I admit I’ve had a closed mind to turnips for several decades. I decided I didn’t like them and would not try them again, no way, no how. Thing is, tastes change in adulthood. In the last several years I have taken a liking to a variety of vegetables that I would never have touched in childhood or adolescence. Could turnips fall into this category? Yes, they sure do.

Turnips are very versatile

Right now I’m getting smaller turnips; I understand that in the fall, I’ll be receiving larger ones. After several experiments, I decided I like turnips. I don’t love them, but I like them. I especially like the smaller turnips julienned as a straight snack or grated into salads. No cooking required! And it turns out that in addition to being a plant of which very little is wasted, it’s rather versatile. Raw or cooked, roasted or braised, in soups or salads, turnips are a nice nutritious addition to my culinary repertoire. They can be mashed like potatoes and roasted with other root vegetables and meats, and though I haven’t tried it yet, turnips can be grated into a rather interesting slaw. You can also saute those leafy turnip greens for a side or add them to nearly any soup.

Turnip recipes

Braised Turnips and Carrots

Ingredients:
Turnips, greens removed, peeled and chopped into large dice
Carrots, peeled and chopped into large dice
Unsalted butter
Light stock, maybe with a little white wine added

Directions:

1. Prepare turnips and carrots. In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, melt some butter. Add the turnips and carrots, and toss to coat.

2. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and let cook until the turnips and carrots are tender but do not fall apart. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Turnip Fries

Ingredients:
Turnips, peeled and cut into fry-shaped strips
Olive oil
Kosher salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Toss the turnip fries with oil and season with kosher salt. Spread out on a cookie sheet. Bake 20 minutes, turning them over once or twice during baking.

Turnip Risotto

Ingredients:
4 slices thick-cut bacon
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 to 3 turnips, peeled and finely chopped
6-1/4 cups light stock
2 cups arborio rice
Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. In a heavy saucepan, cook the bacon until crisp. Set the bacon aside and drain all but one tablespoon of the drippings.

2. Add onion to the hot drippings and saute several minutes. Add the turnips and toss to coat with the fat.

3. Reduce the heat, add rice and toss a bit. Add a ladelful of stock and stir until the stock is absorbed. Repeat this process until most the stock has been added and the rice is tender. Serve sprinkled with Parmesan and crumbled bacon.

Scalloped Turnips

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
2 large turnips, peeled and thinly sliced
6 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 cup milk
1 /2 cup light cream

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an appropriately-sized caserole dish. In a heavy saucepan, melt 1 tablesoon butter. Saute the the onions until slightly wilted.

2. In the casserole, layer in this order: a third of the turnips, a third of the onions, 2 tablespoons flour, salt, pepper, and 1 tablespoon of butter cut into smaller cubes. Repeat the layer twice.

3. Mix the milk and cream together and pour over the turnip layers. Cover and bake 30 minutes. Uncover and bake another 30 to 40 minutes.

When you think about Italy and food, you may think pasta, pasta, pasta. Or maybe you think rich and creamy risotto. But do you ever think polenta? You should! Polenta, a staple of northern Italy, is just as Italian as pasta or risotto, though maybe less known as such here in North America.

What is polenta?

Polenta is essentially cooked cornmeal, the consistency of which can vary from thinner and almost stew-like to thicker, solid forms. The texture also varies, from very fine to quite coarse. It can be cooked and eaten on its own as a breakfast or snack or served as a satisfying side to meats or vegetables. You can drape it with sauce or cook it with hearty, flavorful ingredients and enjoy it as a substantial main course meal. Cooked polenta can also be an integral ingredient for more complex recipes.

Polenta made from scratch surpasses the store-bought, ready-made variety

Like risotto, cooking polenta from scratch takes a fair bit of time, and it gives you a good arm workout with the near-constant stirring. This longer method of cooking polenta from scratch results in a delicious creamy dish as well as a tasty ingredient you can form into sticks and pan-fry until crisp or bake and cut into triangles for polenta toasts. Sure, you can opt for the ready-to-use polenta available in many American markets, but making this traditional Italian dish youself is flavorfully worth it.

Another bonus: Homemade polenta is extremely budget-friendly, as the cornmeal itself is quite inexpensive, and prepared polenta can be used in so many ways. From breakfast through dessert, polenta can be flavored easily and is delicious, hearty and filling. Here are a few of my favorite polenta recipes.

Polenta recipes

Basic Polenta

Ingredients:
9 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups coarsely ground cornmeal

Directions:
1. Bring the water and salt to a simmer in a large, heavy pot. Slowly add the cornmeal, a handful at a time, stirring swiftly and constantly to reduce lumps, until all the cornmeal is added.

2. Cook, stirring constantly, for 15 to 20 minutes for a thinner consistency and about 25 minutes for a thicker consistency. If cooking longer, the mixture will become very thick and pull away from the sides of the pot.

3. You can either serve the thinner polenta as is, or spread thicker polenta onto a cookie sheet and smooth it out, then let it cool and solidify.

To serve, try these tasty ways to dress up basic polenta:

• Use part or all stock instead of water.
• Add grated Parmesan, Romano, feta, goat or other cheeses during the cooking process.
• Add herbs, fresh or dried.
• Add a little bit of light cream.
• Pair with stewed meats, cooked vegetables, or sauces.

Fried Polenta

Ingredients:
1 recipe basic polenta, cooled and set
Vegetable oil

Directions:
1. Cut the cooled, solid polenta into rectangular logs about 1 to 1-1/2 inches on each side. Heat the oil in a frying pan until very hot. Fry the polenta until golden on each side, and drain.

2. There are many ways to serve fried polenta.

Here are just a few:

• Serve along side grilled sausages or cuts of meat.
• Ladle sauteed fresh vegetables over the top.
• Serve with fresh or jarred tomato sauce or meat sauce.
• Make thin polenta “toasts” and serve with toppings like a crostini.

Polenta Dumplings Filled with Prosciutto and Cheese

Ingredients:
1 recipe basic polenta
3/4 cup Swiss cheese, finely grated
6 ounces prosciutto, thinly sliced
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
Vegetable oil for frying
Parmesan cheese for garnish

Directions:
1. As the polenta cools, take small amounts and form it around small quantities of Swiss cheese and prosciutto. Regularly wetting your hands helps with this process. The dumplings don’t have to be any particular shape, they just have to be consistent.

2. Heat the oil in a wide, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Dip the dumplings in the egg, then the breadcrumbs and fry until golden all over. Let drain and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese just before serving.

Baked Polenta with Sausages

Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 recipe of soft polenta
1 pound sausage
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a rectangular baking dish. Cut the polenta into strips and place in the bottom of the dish.

2. Cook the sausage until done. Remove the skin and crumble. Combine with the tomato sauce and spread over the polenta. Top with the cheese. Bake about 20 minutes and serve hot.

Sweet Breakfast or Dessert Polenta

Serves 4

Ingredients:
1/2 basic polenta recipe, kept warm
Honey
Cream
Toasted, sliced almonds
Dried cherries, chopped
Lemon zest

Directions:
Serve the polenta in bowls drizzled with honey and cream, sprinkled with almonds, cherries, and a little lemon zest.

Savory Breakfast Polenta

Serves 4

Ingredients:
1/2 basic polenta recipe, kept warm
Poached eggs
Romano cheese, grated
Chives
Salt and pepper

Directions:
Place the polenta in a bowl and make an impression in it with the back of your spoon. Place the poached egg in the depression. Sprinkle with cheese, chives, salt and pepper.

Polenta Pudding with Fruit Compote

Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened
5 cups powdered sugar
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped out
4 large whole eggs
2 large egg yolks
2 cups bread flour
1 cup cornmeal
3-1/2 cups mixed chopped fruit (berries are excellent)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup grappa (liqueur)
Whipped cream

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a large round cake pan.

2. Cream together the butter and powdered sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add in the scraped vanilla bean seeds and beat some more.

3. Add in the eggs and egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition. Fold in flour and cornmeal.

4. Scrape mixture into the prepared pan and bake 1 hour and 15 minutes. The pudding should be golden. Invert onto a cooling rack and cool completely. Transfer to a serving plate.

5. In a small saucepan, cook the fruit, sugar and grappa about 10 minutes. Pour over the cooled pudding and let sit several hours. Serve with softly whipped cream.

Buying crackers in boxes at the store is so easy that homemade crackers are almost a lost art. While I don’t make crackers often (I just said it: Buying crackers in boxes at the store is so easy), when I do, they are lots of fun and a special treat. And they taste far better than anything you will find in a box.

Homemade crackers are naturally delicious

When you make crackers at home you have so much more control over ingredients and flavor. You can make crackers without preservatives, omit specific allergens, or construct them entirely with organic ingredients. You can also experiment with different ingredients to find the perfect cracker to go with your favorite dips, spreads and cheeses.

Tips for making homemade crackers:

• Do not over-mix. Overworking the dough leads to tough crackers, and we want tender, not tough.
• Take extra care when rolling out the dough so that it’s even and thin. As much as I love my tapered rolling pins for other applications, I prefer an evenly-sized rolling pin for working with cracker dough.
• Bake crackers slowly and at a low temperature so that they dry out as much as they color.
• Store airtight. Nothing worse than a moist or stale cracker when you are expecting that fresh crisp crunch!

Basic Homemade Crackers

Ingredients:
2 cups whole wheat flour, or combination of whole wheat and all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
2/3 cup warm water
1/3 cup olive oil
1 egg white
2 tablespoons water
Poppy seeds, toasted sesame seeds, flax seeds, hulled sunflower seeds, Kosher salt, herbed or flavored salt, ground black pepper, grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. and line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl and whisk for a few seconds. Add the warm water and olive oil and begin mixing; the mixture will be quite dense. Knead by hand for a few minutes until the dough is smooth and all ingredients are well incorporated. Let the dough rest about 10 minutes.

3. Roll out half the dough on a well-floured board (refrigerate the other half while you work) until the dough is very thin (1/8-inch or less) and even. Using a long knife or a pizza cutter, cut the dough into regularly-sized rectangles. Carefully transfer to the prepared cookies sheets.

4. Whisk together the egg white and the water. Lightly brush the crackers with the egg white wash and sprinkle with your choice of seeds, salt, pepper or cheese.

5. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, turning the cookie sheets every 8 to 10 minutes for even baking, until the crackers are lightly golden and crisp. Let cool completely.

Variations:

• To make super-thin and even crackers, use your hand-crank pasta machine to roll out the dough - and adjust the cooking time down accordingly. Thin crackers take less time to bake.
• Add herbs to the dough. Chopped rosemary and oregano are excellent additions.
• Try adding a few dashes of hot sauce to the dough (and slightly less water) to add a subtle kick to the crackers.
• Add some honey or maple syrup (and adjust down the olive oil slightly) to add a little sweetness to the crackers.
• Vary the kinds of flour you use: spelt flour, rye flour, pumpernickel flour, many other kinds of flours - as many flours as Harold gave Ana in “Stranger Than Fiction!” But pay attention to the relative moistness of the dough because different flours behave differently.
• Add a tablespoon (or less) of sugar to the dough and some culinary-quality lavender buds for something really special.
• Use a cookie cutter to make shapes instead of making rectangular or square crackers.

More cracker recipes

These recipes use the same basic procedure as the basic crackers, except where noted.

Cornmeal and Cheddar Crackers

Ingredients:
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt

Difference from basic directions:

Cover and refrigerate overnight before rolling out and baking.

Coffee Crackers

Ingredients:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup oat flour
1/4 cup sugar
4 tablespoons butter, softened
1/3 cup strong brewed coffee, cooled

Difference from basic directions:

Cut the butter into the dry ingredients much like when making pastry, then add coffee and continue as above.