Sushi and Wine

In Vino Veritas In Sushi Veritas

History of Sushi

Please join Deo and Sharyon as they present a Food and Wine Pairing of their sushi creations with the exceptional Sonoma County wines of Veritas Ridge Winery. Please enjoy responsibly.

Most people believe sushi is a Japanese cuisine of small portions of rice traditionally served with fish or vegetables. They are served alongside dipping sauces like soy sauce and other items such as pickled ginger slices and wasabi (Japanese horseradish).

Ask where sushi comes from and the immediate answer from almost everyone would be Japan. But they would be wrong. Sushi actu-ally dates back to the 4th century BC and originates from Southeast Asia and specifically China. The salted fish was preserved with fer-mented rice and served as an im-portant source of protein. The cleaned and gutted fish was kept in rice so that the natural fermentation of the rice helped preserve the fish. This storage process took as long as several months. The fish was consumed and the rice discarded. Over time, this process spread throughout China. During later food shortages, rice became too valuable to throw away. The curing time was decreased and both the fish and rice were eaten.

It was not until the 8th century AD that it was introduced into Japan. Since the Japanese preferred to eat the rice with fish, their sushi was consumed earlier in the fermentation process. The fish was still partly raw and the rice had not lost its flavor. Sushi moved from being a food preservation system to a cuisine.

Later in its Japanese history, sushi changed again as the rice was mixed with vinegar and combined with not only fish but also with various vegetables. In around 1600, Dr. Matsumoto Yoshichi used vinegar in the rice to help the curing and give the sour flavor to the fish. Thus, the curing time was reduced to one day.

At the beginning of the 19th century, with store front mobile food stalls dominating the city of Tokyo, sushi chef Yohei Hanaya changed it again when he started the trend of a slice of fresh fish on top of a formed portion of rice.

Today, sushi is made using both raw and cooked fish. When raw fish is used, it must be from a repu-table supplier and be “sushi-grade”.

There are four basic kinds of sushi dishes which are made and presented differently-boat sushi, rolled sushi, pressed sushi and scattered sushi. In today’s presentation, we will feature rolled and scattered sushi, but all are presentations for the same ingredients. 

Rolled sushi is the most popular in the U.S. and is seen as the most complicated to make. Boat sushi is made by wrapping the nori (paper-thin sheets of dried seaweed) around a small amount of rice and topping it with various fish roe or softer toppings such as tuna tartare and tuna mayonnaise.

Pressed sushi is actually the easiest form of sushi. This is made in a 3-piece bamboo sushi pressing box. The toppings are added first and the sushi rice last and the items are pressed. The resulting sushi is the removed “upside down” which is actually right side up and then cut to bite size.

Scattered sushi is also easy to make. The presentation plate is the key. Rice is placed on the plate alongside the featured toppings. This is accompanied by the desired garnishes.

Deo and Sharyon's Basic Sushi Rice Recipe

To Begin: Sushi Rice, Rolling Sushi, Dipping Sauce

The rice is the most important part of every sushi roll. If the rice is not perfect, the rolls and other sushi will not be as tasty. Sharyon swears by this sushi rice recipe and so will you.

The Seasoning for the Sushi Rice

• ¼ cup of rice vinegar

• ¼ cup of mirin (rice wine)
• 4 tbsp of sugar
• 1 tsp of salt
• Combine all of the ingredients in a small pot and bring to a boil. Take off the heat and allow the liquid to cool. Reserve it for later use.

The Sushi Rice

• 3 cups of sushi rice (short-grain, glutenous rice)
• 4 ½ cups of water
• Lint free towel or cheesecloth, dampened
• Gently wash the rice in a large bowl under cold running water for 10 minutes. Drain the rice in a colander and allow it to dry for 20-30 minutes.

Place the washed rice and the water into a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and cover allowing it to cook for 15 minutes or until all the water has absorbed. Turn off the heat and allow it to stand for 10 minutes.

Transfer the rice to a large bowl and pour the seasoning mixture over the rice gently folding in to mois-ten all the rice.

Place this seasoned rice onto a cookie sheet and spread evenly. Do not press hard and try not to mush the rice. Cover the rice with a moistened towel to keep it warm and to prevent it from drying out. Do not refrigerate the sushi rice as it will become hard and dry.

Have small bowls of water with a few drops of vinegar ready to use for moistening hands during the sushi making process.

The Sushi-rolling Process
Cover your bamboo sushi rolling mat with plastic wrap so it can be cleaned easily. Nori (dried sea-weed) sheets have a smooth and rough side. Place the smooth side down on the rolling mat. Dip your fingers in the vinegar/water and using the fingertips only, spread a small ball of rice over most of the nori leaving a strip one inch wide at the farthest edge without rice. Spread the rice evenly and try not to overwork it. The nori is now dressed and ready for placement of the fillings for the roll. If you want an “inside-out” roll, flip the nori over at this point and proceed.

Align your fillings on the edge closest to you. Carefully lift up the side of the rolling mat nearest you. Use the mat and your damp fingers to begin rolling the nori away from you. As you continue rolling, fold the edge of the mat back toward you. Once you have the roll almost completed, dip your fingers in vinegar/water and dampen the uncovered edge of the nori. This will allow you to seal the roll as you finish it. Roll the bamboo mat over the completed sushi roll and use it to shape the roll as desired — round, square, or oval.

Dip a very sharp knife in the vinegar/water and allow the water to run down the edge of the blade. Make one smooth cut at the center of the roll. Turn one half so you have the two cut ends aligned. Then continue slicing your sushi roll. You may need to wipe your knife blade and dip the knife into the vinegar/water after each slice, depending on the filling. Cut the roll into bite-size pieces, place on a serving plate and enjoy!

Ginger-Soy Dipping Sauce

• 1 cup soy sauce
• 4-inch piece of fresh ginger
• Thinly sliced green onions, green parts only

Place soy sauce into a container with a lid. Peel the ginger and grate on a ginger grater or fine micro-plane. Gather the pulp and squeeze only the juice into the soy sauce. Close the container and shake well. Transfer the dipping sauce into a shallow serv-ing dish and garnish with the green onions.

Wasabi
Wasabi powder is reconstituted with water. Mix with a fork until the wasabi reaches the consistency of paste. 

First Course: Wontons with Tuna Tartare

Wontons

Cut purchased wonton wrappers into two-inch squares and place on a cookie sheet lined with parch-ment paper.

• Brush the wontons with olive oil.
• Sprinkle the wontons with sesame seeds.
• Bake the wontons at 350 degrees until golden brown, about 9 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.

Tuna Tartare

• 8 oz tuna steak
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 lime, zest grated
• ¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
• ½ tsp wasabi powder
• ½ tbsp soy sauce
• ½ tbsp hot red pepper sauce
• ½ tbsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ cup minced scallions, white and green parts (3 scallions)
• 2 tsp minced fresh jalapeno pepper, seeds removed
• 1 ripe Hass avocado
• 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds

Chop tuna into ¼ inch squares and place it in a very large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the olive oil, lime zest, lime juice, wasabi, soy sauce, hot red pepper sauce, salt and pepper. Pour over the tuna, add scallions and jalapeno and mix well. Cut the avocado into ¼ inch squares and carefully mix the avocado into the tuna mixture. Add the toasted sesame seeds and season to taste. Allow the mixture to sit in the refrigerator for at least an hour for the flavors to blend. Serve on the wontons.

Wine Pairing:
This course is paired with our Sauvignon Blanc. The Sauvignon Blanc shows tropical fruit and bright pear with a crisp clean finish. It is straw gold in color with tropical honey on the nose. 

Second Course: Smoked Eel and Cream Cheese Roll

Eel is glazed using a mixture of soy, mirin and sake.

• ¼ cup soy sauce
• 2 tbsp mirin
• 2 tbsp sake
• Honey to taste
• Nori Sushi rice
• 8 oz smoked eel filets, cut into strips lengthwise
• ½ of a ripe avocado, peeled and sliced lengthwise into thin strips

Put the soy sauce, mirin and sake in a pan and simmer for 5 minutes or until slightly thickened. Stir in a teaspoon of honey or enough to sweeten the sauce to your liking. Add the eel to the mixture and cook for another 2 minutes. The eel can be broken into bits as it is stirred. This mixture is then added to the cream cheese and blended well with a fork. Place the mixture into a quart-sized Ziploc bag. Snip the corner of the bag and squeeze the bag to apply the eel mixture to the sushi roll.

Lay your nori in the usual fashion and dress with sushi rice as previously described. Place the eel mixture horizontally along the nearest edge of the nori using the Ziploc bag. Add avocado slices. Roll the nori as instructed and seal using vinegar-infused water.

Garnish with pickled ginger slices and wasabi.

Wine Pairing:
This course is served with our 2009 Alexander Valley Chardonnay. This exceptional and unique char-donnay is possibly the only un-oaked chardonnay produced from Alexander Valley fruit. Crisp, light fruit caress the nostrils as the bright clean pear, mango and tropical fruit flavors wash over the palate. A comparable 100 percent un-oaked chardonnay is hard to find. 

Third Course: Shrimp and Avocado Roll  

• 1 tbsp whole egg mayonnaise sprinkled with Sashimi Togarashi
• 1 tsp lemon zestShrimp (16/20 size) cooked, shelled and deveined
• Ripe avocados cut lengthwise into thin strips
• Cucumber, peeled and seeded, cut into pieces 2 inches long and ¼ inch square
• Nori
• Sushi rice

Lay your nori in the usual fashion and dress with sushi rice as previously described. Place the shrimp horizontally along the nearest edge of the nori. Brush liberally with mayonnaise and sprinkle with lemon zest. Lay avocado slices and cucumber alongside the shrimp. Roll the nori as instructed and seal us-ing vinegar infused water.

Garnish with pickled ginger slices and wasabi.

Wine Pairing:
We are pairing this roll with our 2007 Sonoma County Chardonnay. It is rich with carmelized pears and shows tropical fruit with perfect acidity and light oak. 

Fourth Course: Duck and Hoisin Roll

You don’t need to flex your Oriental muscles by attempting to cook a duck Asian style. You can stop by your local Chinese grocery store or restaurant and pick up one of the ducks hanging in the window.

Blended Hoisin sauce recipe (divided)

• 
  3 tbsp hoisin sauce
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice wine
• 1 tbsp honey

• Barbecued or Peking duck breast and thigh meat
• 3 tbsp blended hoisin sauce
• Nori
• Cooked sushi rice
• 2 scallions halved and shredded and extra for garnish

Pull the flesh and skin off the bone in big pieces and slice into strips. The crispier pieces of skin can be used as this will add flavor. The fattier pieces of skin may be discarded. Toss the strips of duck meat and skin with half (3 tbsp.) of the blended hoisin sauce.

Lay your nori in the usual fashion and dress with sushi rice as previously described. Lay the pieces of duck horizontally across the near edge of the nori with duck skin and scallions and drizzle over a little more of the blended hoisin sauce.

Roll the nori in the usual fashion and moisten the farthest edge with a finger dipped into the water/vinegar mix to seal the roll.

Garnish with pickled ginger slices and wasabi.

Wine Pairing:
Our Veritas Ridge Pinot Noir is from the cool coastal region of Sonoma County. It is rich in berry with-out the over-intensified earthiness and smokiness commonly noted in the Pinot Noir of the American Northwest. This pairs well with the tangy, smoky hoisin flavor of the duck. 

 Fifth Course: Spicy Tuna Roll

• 8 oz tuna
• ½ tsp sashimi togarashi added to the mayonnaise and whipped
• 1 tbsp white sesame seeds
• Cucumber, peeled and seeded, cut into pieces 2 inches long and ¼ inch square

Garnish with pickled ginger slices and wasabi.

Wine Pairing:
When you are pairing a wine with a dish as rich in flavor as this, you need a varietal that achieves bal-ance with distinctive flavor of its own. We offer our Sonoma County Zinfandel. It has a fruit forward mouth that is rich in berries. It is medium-bodied and deep garnet red in color. One sip introduces your tongue to perky red raspberry and a hint of white pepper. The jammy explosion is tempered with silky smooth tannins.

 Sixth Course: Filet Mignon and Rice Scattered Sushi

The Sushi Rice is scattered onto a plate and sprinkled with sliced scallions and served with cooked asparagus spears and scalded filet mignon and horseradish sauce.

• 12 oz filet mignon
• 24 asparagus spears, blanched and cooled
• Horseradish sauce of your choice
• Sushi rice
• Heat 3 cups of beef stock in a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil.

Cut a 12 oz filet mignon into thin (1/8 inch) slices using a very sharp butcher knife. Place the slices into a warm cast iron skillet. Pour the boiling liquid over the slices in the skillet until all are covered. Wait 15 seconds and remove slices from the skillet and place onto the scattered rice. The asparagus spears are then placed alongside the mignon and a dollop of horseradish sauce is placed on the meat.

Wine Pairing:
This scattered sushi plate is paired with the Veritas Ridge Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon. You will note concentrated flavors of currant, fig and bittersweet cocoa highlighted with rich, soft and well-developed tannins. The finish brings black cherry, mocha, vanilla and solid earthy tones to the palate.