Chaos Cooking and Sushi Making

Tuesday night, Courtney and I went to our first evening of Chaos Cooking, an event I randomly stumbled upon somewhere on the Internets.  It goes something like this: you sign up on the website and are given the address to a home where you’re to show up with all of the ingredients to cook a dish of your choosing for everyone to try.  All we know is that we are to go to Sarah’s home in Colombia Heights and that there’s a hot tub on the roof.   And obviously that we’re going to be surrounded with fun adventurous people who love food, since only fun adventurous people who love food will show up to a stranger’s house with groceries and their cookware.

When we arrive at 7:00, the house is already bustling with pots and pans, knives and conversation.  There’s not a surface to be found, so we’ll have to wait to get the sushi rolling (no pun intended).  We grab some brews (Brooklyn Brewery has sponsored the event as a part of their D.C. Mash tour) and split up to explore the scene.  There’s an eggplant casserole going in the oven, risotto on the stove top, stuffed figs being carefully constructed in the hallway and a heaping pile of carrots being grated in the living room.  I grab a bite of a delicious Japanese omelet and lend a hand with the final touches on some ceviche.  I also try to find the answer to my biggest question of the night: how did everyone find out about this awesome event?  Do most people already know each other, or did everyone just show up to find out what this awesomeness is all about?  I’m excited to learn that it’s mostly the latter.

After a while, Courtney scopes out a spot big enough to prepare our sushi, which I will be filling with smoked salmon, goat cheese, cucumbers, avocado and quinoa.  Did I mention I’ve never actually made sushi before?  Nope, not even once.  When cooking in someone else’s home (living room, to be precise) for forty people I’ve never met, you might think I’d have chosen something easy, like bruschetta or something.  Nope. I went with sushi.  Luckily, Kiki knows what’s up and is more than willing to lend me a hand (or both).

She shows me how much room to leave at the edge of the nori roll and how to roll the sushi tightly so that it will hold together.  I’ve forgotten to bring a good knife to cut the roll, but luckily Kiki has the perfect knife and the insight that it makes things much easier if you put rice vinegar on the knife before cutting.  Pretty soon I’ve made my first sushi roll, and it looks pretty decent.  I even make a vegetarian alternative using some of Kiki’s leftover Japanese omelet.

Courtney and I take turns rolling sushi while the other samples the dishes and meets the other chefs.  The eggplant parmesan I saw going in the oven earlier is cheesy and divine.  By the end of the night, I’ve tried arugula salad with squash and goat cheese, ceviche, two types of stuffed mushrooms, prosciutto-wrapped figs, carrot latkes, cous cous, two risottos and an apple crisp, all popped in my mouth amidst awesome conversation with new friends.  Chaotic cooking just might be my favorite way to cook, but you’ve always known that.

Quinoa Sushi with Smoked Salmon, Goat Cheese, Cucumber and Avocado

A Messy Kitchen Original

• 1 cup dry quinoa
• 1 T maple syrup
• 3 T rice vinegar
• 5 sheets of nori
• 1/2 raw cucumber
• 1 avocado, ripe but not too mushy
• 4 oz smoked salmon
• 10 oz goat cheese
• Soy sauce, for dipping
• A sushi mat and a sharp knife

1. Cook quinoa according to package, allowing to overcook slightly so it’s sticky.  Let cool.  In a small bowl, mix your vinegar and maple syrup.  Once cool, spread quinoa out in a shallow bowl and mix in the vinegar mix.
2. Slice your cucumber into thin sticks and your avocado into long pieces.
3. Unless Kiki is over, watch a youtube video on how to roll sushi, because I probably won’t describe it in enough detail.
4. Lay one sheet of nori on a sushi mat.  Spread quinoa mix onto mat, leaving about an inch and a half on each side.  You don’t want to put so much quinoa that it’s difficult to roll.  Layer with a slice of smoked salmon, chunks of goat cheese, cucumber, and avocado.  Wrap the bamboo to the edge, covering all of your inner contents and roll tightly.  Use a small amount of rice vinegar or water to seal the roll.
5. Slice carefully with a very sharp knife and serve with soy sauce!

Makes 5 rolls with 6-8 pieces each

Johanna