Clay’s Mushroom Sushi

3 cups prepared sushi rice
2 cups large format mushrooms
10 pieces of nori
Bunch of chives, washed
Package of fresh radish or bean sprouts
Cucumber peeled, cored and cut into long ¼ inch thick strips
Avocado sliced in thin strips (optional)
Also:
Sushi rolling mat
Tall glass with water and 3 tbs. vinegar
Sharp knife that will fit in glass
Rubber spatula

Slice the mushrooms to try to get long thin strips, no more than ¼ inch thick. Fry the mushrooms in a pan with a little flavorless oil in it until they are tender. Then cool.
Toast nori sheet by holding well above a hot burner. You can see it change color slightly as you do this. When color has changed all over the sheet, it’s done.
Lay the sheet, rough side up on the mat. With the rubber spatula spread a thin even coat on the nori. The rice should cover the nori from the side closest to you to a point ½ to 1 inch from the far side, all the way out to either side edge. At the edge closest to you place a row of the mushroom ¼ inch away from the edge. Then moving away from you place a cucumber strip next to the mushrooms. Follow up with the sprouts. Place them along the cucumber in a strip about ¼ by ¼ inch. You can then follow with the avocado and 3 or 4 pieces of chives. Use your finger to lightly dampen the exposed nori edge with the vinegar water. Grasp the mat at the side closest to you and roll the edge over the ingredients so that the nori, rice, etc. rolls around itself while the mat stays on the outside.  Use a sharp knife to slice the roll into about 8 pieces. Keep your knife from sticking and tearing the roll by dipping it into the vinegar water and shaking it off well.
Usually this is served with a shallow bowl of soy sauce for dipping and a bit of wasabi to flavor the soy sauce.

To prepare sushi rice: Take 3 cups of sushi rice (a short grain rice) and rinse in a colander until the water runs clear. Place in a large covered pot for 30 minutes to rest. Add 3 ½ cups of water and (optional) a piece of konbu seaweed. Bring the pot to a boil. When the water comes to a boil, remove the seaweed.  Reduce the heat to low and cover. The water should be absorbed in 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow rice to cool for 10 to 15 minutes.  Pour 1/3 of a cup or more (to taste) seasoned rice vinegar (must be seasoned--if you can’t get that, mix 1/3 cup of rice vinegar with 1 ½ tbs. sugar and 1 tsp. salt, heat to dissolve all and cool) over the rice and stir. Have someone fan the rice as you stir. Do this for around 3 minutes. When the rice is cool you can use it. Keep covered so that it does not dry out.
 

Clay’s Cherry Tomato and Mushroom Bruschetta
1 loaf French bread cut into 1 inch thick slices
6 to 8 large cloves garlic
2 cups mushrooms sliced
¼ cup fresh basil thinly sliced
2 tbs. chopped fresh oregano
½ cup fresh parsley chopped
4 cups yellow cherry tomatoes chopped
6-8 tbs. virgin olive oil
2 red onions sliced
Salt and pepper to taste

Toast the bread and then rub the top with pieces of garlic, drizzle with olive oil. Chop rest of garlic fine. Place 2-3 tbs. oil in hot skillet, add onions and sauté until onions are slightly caramelized. Add the mushrooms, salt and pepper. Sauté until mushrooms are tender. Keep the heat high so that water does not form in the pan. Set aside. In a hot skillet put 2 tbs. oil and tomatoes. Sauté for a few minutes, then add salt, pepper, herbs and garlic. Sauté for a few more minutes until tomatoes start to break down. To serve,  place a ¼ inch thick layer of tomato mixture on a piece of the bread, and top with some of the mushroom mixture. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.
 

Clay’s Turkey Rolls Provence

2 lbs. turkey breast (chicken can be used)
16 fresh sage leaves
4 tbs. fresh thyme
2 tbs. fresh lavender
2 tbs. rosemary
4 tbs. fresh parsley
2 lbs. mushrooms chopped
2 stalks celery chopped fine
1 medium carrot chopped fine
1 large onion chopped fine
4 tbs. butter
2 tbs. lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

In a skillet melt butter and add celery, carrot, onion, salt and pepper. Sauté until onion is clear. Add mushrooms, lemon juice and herbs except the sage. Cook until mushrooms are tender. If mix looks too wet, add a pinch of flour and cook a minute more. Set aside to cool.  Split turkey breast into two or 3 flat pieces. Place a piece between two dampened plastic wrap sheets. Use a flat meat pounder or a heavy pot to further flatten meat until it is less than ¼ inch thick. Cut meat into squarish pieces 5 inches wide and shorter than a piece of tin foil, about 7 inches. Length is not as important as width. When you roll the meat you want it to overlap itself so it holds the stuffing better. Place 3 or 4 sage leaves in the middle of a piece of tin foil about 10 inches wide. Place a piece of the turkey over the leaves. Salt and pepper the turkey. Place some of the mushroom mix down the middle of the meat close to the side you  will be rolling from. Optionally you can add a few dots of butter to make the rolls richer. Use the foil to roll the turkey around the mix, then fold seal at the long edge, rolling to tighten up on the turkey roll in the middle. Then twist the ends tightly closed. Drop the rolls into a pot of boiling water for around 10-15 minutes. Cooking time will depend on the thickness of the rolls. To serve, you can unwrap and slice, or just slice the ends off the rolls and cut into serving size pieces, leaving the tin foil on. You can optionally make a sauce to serve with the rolls. Deglaze the frying pan with some white wine, reduce it by two thirds and add a little chicken stock and reduce till thickened (or thicken with arrowroot, cornstarch or flour).