Prof. Fusion -

by Prof. Fusion

Carolina Sushi

Collard leaves behaving like nori? I was pleasantly surprised!

Growing up in the South I’ve become fond of a few standard staples, such as: tomatoes n’ cucumbers swimming in vinegary pools of pleasantries, banana puddin’ in my wife’s belly button, and reclaiming Darwinian fusions in food. So I’ll embrace my heritage in a way that will make most neighbors cringe: sushi!

This dish comes from an idea that I’ve held onto for some time: “why not combine vinegar-based Carolina barbecue with rice in a sushi delivery system?” My food muse gave an agreeable smile through her vodka-Kool-Aid-‘stache, whereas my wife was repulsed by the idea. With the wife and kids away house-sitting for the in-laws this week, I’ve lived what she’s termed a “semi-bachelor week.” She’s right, I’ve done all those things I don’t get to do: blast classic rawk, leave my socks on the couch, revisit my forsaken porn stash (no longer shall I eighty-six the pics of sixty-nine), play Madden, and watch Tosh.0. I ran with the opportunity to create these with immunity. And guess what? Truth is, I’m miserable without her—talking to an invisible muse makes a man lonely—and I can’t wait to recreate these high-maintenance morsels when she returns.

BBQ Chicken and Collard Green Sushi

Cocktail O’Clock: Mango Ginger Margarita

We were on our third day of sightseeing benders in the world of rodent amusement parks when we ventured to “Tomorrow Land”—you know the one, with the gigantic golf-ball housing the “ride of tomorrow” that ends in some California garage? Unfortunately, the early 80’s tech-savvy scene failed to amuse our five-year-old tech genius. Nothing offered here could compete with our PS3 at home, so he decided to take his boredom out on the rest of us. Purely in the interest of self-preservation, I stumbled upon a stand selling mango-ginger-margaritas in China-land. My wife and I enjoyed 3 of these magical libations. (Yes. That’s 3 each.) I recreated these serenity slushies at home with positive results.

Mango Ginger Margarita

Indian Eggplant Parm

Editor’s Note: New contributor Prof. Fusion, an English professor, kitchen dabbler and Dora the Explorer antagonist, joins ES with pretty much our favorite thing…a new sandwich!

This is basically your classic Italian eggplant parm sub, gone Indian—although there’s no Parmesan inhabitant on this blissfully delicious breaded island, just Provolone. The inspiration behind the Indian eggplant sub spawned from the Food in My Beard’s chicken crispy masala. When I first made this, I made a few adjustments to Dan’s amazing recipe (i.e. how I breaded and fried the chicken—dusted with salt and curry powder), and this salaciously cheesy dish quickly became my wife’s favorite dinner option. One night, I planned to do the same thing to eggplant, when my food muse spoke to me in a garlic-infused whisper, “Why not make this into a sub?!” And there’s our causal chain, people.

Note: if you’re not a big fan of eggplant (my pal Russ hates its texture, whereas Caitlin finds it tolerable—she’s far too polite), then use chicken instead. I really dig the fusion of Indian/Italian flavors; these yield great pairings when using Indian spices instead of Italian ones. And what can honestly go wrong when there’s tomato sauce and cheese involved?