Ugh, football or how to feel decidedly Un-American on a cold Sunday night.
Darlings,Sometimes I tell le hubs that one of the biggest reasons I married him was so that I wouldn't have to watch Football every Sunday. Now, this is of course a gross hyperbole, but not entirely false.I will never understand the appeal of football. I'm sure there is something to it, given so many people love it, but to me it's just a bunch of crazies running back and forth across a field, with pads in all the wrong places.I spent every Sunday (between August and February) of my first real relationship (a solid 4 seasons) pretending to understand what a fumble was and how points were actually scored. I usually bought myself at least an hour of time by volunteering to put the Dominos order in, but otherwise was completely bored and without understanding of when to cheer and why everyone was SO OBSESSED with this 3 hour period.So when I met le hubs, he who did not grow up spending his Sundays watching grown men in tights and helmets jump on top of each other, it was just a perk that he preferred the football that I could at least understand - Soccer.So for me, the superbowl is a non-starter. In fact, I couldn't understand why the supermarket was so crowded today until I got to the checkout and the nice young gentleman asked if I had any plans for the superbowl today.I also just can't get behind the hoopla surrounding it. Which in my line of business is blasphemous. But honestly, the amount of money that goes into this game of man crunching is insane. Also, what's with the Vegas act in the middle of the game? It doesn't make any sense - how do football and Coldplay or Paul McCartney go together?And the commercials. What once was a night of biblical proportions for the ad world to showcase big, branded, watercooler chatter worthy mini films is now mostly just a pissing match to see who can out-weird each other.And darlings, I definitely had plans for the superbowl - cook my first meal at home in two weeks, catch up on back episodes of SVU with le hubs and get some much needed snuggles with the pup.And darlings, I mean, to honor the fact that I am American and that this is like such an American event, the least I could have done was make something like chicken wings or chili or 7 layer dip. But instead I decided to go decidedly un-American, because that's kind of how I feel on a night like tonight.Sesame Tuna Tartare Bowl with Vegetables three ways. IngredientsFOR THE TUNA1 pound sushi grade tuna, cubed1 jalapeno, minced1/2 red onion, minced1 tbsp. soy sauce2 tbsp. sesame oil1 tsp grated ginger1 tsp grated lemongrassSesame seeds for garnishFOR THE CUCUMBER SALAD 2 pickling cucumbers, seeded and sliced into batons1 avocado, sliced1/4 red onion, sliced thin1 tsp. sesame oil1/2 tsp. red pepper flakesjuice of 1 limeFOR THE ROASTED VEGETABLES2 lbs baby bok choy8 oz shittake mushrooms, sliced2 tsp. Shaoxing wine1 tablespoon neutral oil, like grapeseed or vegetableFOR THE SEAWEED1 c. Seasoned Wakame salad (yea, you heard that right. I bought it pre-made. I had to do SOMETHING American tonight, right?)FOR THE RICE 1 1/2 c. sushi rice2 c. water3 chives, sliced2 tsp. rice wine vinegar2 tbsp. Furikake, optional (Furikake consists of various ingredients such as nori, sesame seeds, dried tuna flakes, ground shiso leaf, salmon flakes, powdered soy sauce or miso, and dried egg)METHOD
- Make your tuna. Combine all ingredients. Yea, it's that easy. Cover with plastic and refrigerate for no less than an hour, but no more than three (just kidding, you can even let this go overnight, but it's not going to be as delicious)
2. Make your cucumber salad. Combine all ingredients. Cover with plastic and let sit at room temp for at least an hour.
3. Make your roasted vegetables. Preheat the oven to 430 degrees. Spread your shitakkes and bok choy on a cookie sheet and coat with oil and wine. Cook for 30 minutes - the outer leaves and mushrooms should be cruchy and the interior of the bok choy, tender.
4. Make your rice. While things are marinating and cooking, combine your rice and water in a medium sized pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. When the rice is tender, add your chopped chives, Furikake and vinegar.
5. Open your tub of Wakame.
6. Look at all of your beautiful work.
7. Now. Build.