Recipes are courtesy of The World in a Skillet; A Food Lover’s Tour of the New American South.

Little Tokyo Tuna Tartare
Active cooking time: 15 minutes
Total cooking time: 45 minutes
Yield: 1 appetizer serving

Jewels says: The amount of heat/spiciness is controlled by increasing or decreasing the amount of rayu. If you cannot find rayu, substitute with red chili oil. Ponzu can be found in most grocery stores, in the ethnic ingredients aisle.

2 ounces tuna (fresh, sushi grade)
1/4 cup cucumber, seeded (about 1/4 of a small cucumber)
1/4 cup avocado (about 1/4 of an avocado)
1/4 cup tomato, seeded (about 1/4 of a medium tomato)
1 Tablespoon ponzu sauce
1 teaspoon rayu sauce (chili-sesame oil)
3-3-inch wonton skins

For the wasabi mayonnaise:
2 teaspoons wasabi powder or 1 teaspoon wasabi paste
2 Tablespoons mayonnaise

Dice the tuna, cucumber, avocado, and tomato into 1/4-inch cubes.

Mix all the diced pieces together with the ponzu and rayu sauces. Allow the tuna mixture to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

While the tuna mixture is resting, heat the oil in a small skillet over medium heat.
Carefully lower a wonton skin into the hot oil. Allow the wonton skin to cook for 5 seconds or until the wonton skin has bubbled all over.

Flip the wonton skin over and allow to cook for another 3 seconds. Rest the fried wonton skin on a paper-towel-lined plate to drain. Repeat with the remaining wonton skins.
Prepare the wasabi mayonnaise by stirring together the wasabi powder or paste and mayonnaise until smooth.

Place 1/3 of the tuna mixture onto each wonton skin. Stack them on top of each other, each at a slightly different angle.

To serve, make a design on a plate with wasabi mayonnaise and place the stacked wonton skins on the plate.

Involtini di Melanzane (Eggplant stuffed with pasta)
Active cooking time: 45 minutes
Total cooking time: 2 hours, 20 minutes
Yield: 6 to 8 main dish servings

2 large eggplants
2 teaspoons salt
2 Tablespoons olive oil
8 ounces angel hair pasta
8 ounces ricotta cheese
12 fresh basil leaves, cut into thin ribbons
2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 cups marinara sauce, divided
8 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced thin

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Peel the eggplants and slice lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Sprinkle the slices with salt and lay them on a cooling rack over paper towels to drain for 30 minutes. This will leach out any bitterness.
Blot the eggplant slices with paper towels to remove excess moisture and salt.

Coat a baking sheet with oil. Place the eggplant slices on the baking sheet in a single layer and bake in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until the eggplant is pliable enough to roll.

Remove from the oven and allow the eggplant to cool to room temperature.

Cook the angel hair pasta to al dente according to package directions. Drain and reserve.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the ricotta cheese with the fresh basil, Parmesan and black pepper.

Spread 1 cup marinara sauce in the bottom of a baking dish.

Lay out a slice of eggplant on your work surface. Mound roughly 2 tablespoons angel hair pasta in the center of the eggplant slice. Top the pasta with 2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture. Top the cheese mixture with a slice of mozzarella.

Starting at the bottom of the eggplant slice, fold the eggplant over the filling and roll the eggplant. Place the eggplant roll seam-side down in the baking dish. Repeat until all eggplant slices and fillings are used.

Cover the eggplant rolls with the remaining marinara sauce.
Bake in the oven for 1 hour or until the sauce is bubbling and the cheeses have melted.

Jewels Quelly

Graduate of The Culinary Institute of America
Certified Personal Chef
AngelFood Personal Chef Service and Catering Company
A division of Jewels Quelly Enterprises, LLC
Washington, New Jersey 07882
Email: angelfoodpcs@verizon.net
(908) 689-9530
 
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