Turkey "Sushi"

Mesquite smoked turkey, avocado, cucumber and sushi rice rolled in nori seaweed. This is also a great recipe for turning leftover holiday turkey into something intriguingly new and tasty.

Recipe Ingredients:

1 pound Honeysuckle White Mesquite Smoked Turkey Breast
1 avocado
1 cucumber

2 cups Japanese sushi rice
1/2 cup sushi vinegar or use 1/2 cup rice vinegar
1 package sushi nori (seaweed sheets)
1 wasabi or use 1 can wasabi powder
Soy sauce as needed
Pickled ginger as needed
Hot chile pepper paste as needed

Cooking Directions:

1. Directions For Smoked Turkey California Roll: Cook 2 cups sushi rice per package directions. Meanwhile, if you are substituting your own seasoned rice vinegar, combine 1/2 cup rice vinegar with 1/4 cup granulated sugar and 2 teaspoons salt. Heat and stir until sugar and salt have dissolved. Remove from heat and cool while the rice is cooking. If you are using the wasabi powder, mix 2 tablespoons of the powder with enough water to make a thick paste.
2. Prepare thick-sliced smoked turkey by slicing into long strips 1/3-inch wide. Place 1/2 pound turkey strips into a dish and cover with chili paste. Set aside to marinate while you prepare other ingredients. Peel and slice the cucumber in 1/3-inch wide strips. Peel and slice the avocado. As soon as the rice is finished cooking, allow it to cool for 10 minutes. Drizzle sushi vinegar or your vinegar mixture over rice and mix thoroughly.
3. Place a sheet of nori seaweed on a bamboo mat. Spread a thin layer of rice (about 1 1/2 cups). Spread the rice near the edges and 3/4 of the way to one end of the nori. Place one slice of turkey and cucumber and slices of avocado on rice. With your thumbs, curl the bamboo mat around the sushi and begin to roll it away from you, pressing firmly. Lift bamboo mat while rolling so it doesn't get rolled up in the sushi. When you have finished rolling, gently press the mat around the roll to shape it. The art of sushi making is in trying to center the ingredients in the middle of the roll. Don't worry, it tastes the same whether or not it's centered. Place roll seam side down on cutting surface to cool.
4. Directions for Spicy Turkey California Rolls: Spread a thin layer of rice, about 3/8-inch thick, almost to the edges of the nori. Cover with a sheet of plastic wrap and flip the entire thing over, so that the rice is on the plastic, which is on the mat. Place a spicy turkey strip, cucumber, and avocado slices on the nori. Begin to roll like you did before, only this time you will be pulling back the plastic wrap as you roll, so it doesn't get rolled in with the sushi. Continue rolling until finished, and place on cutting board to cool until all of your rolls are made and you are ready to slice.
5. Slice into 1-inch thick pieces. Serve California Rolls on a platter with pickled ginger and wasabi. The pickled ginger is eaten between tastings to cleanse the palate. Wasabi paste resembles avocado dip in color and appearance. Each guest should mix a small amount of wasabi in a dish with soy sauce for a spicy dipping sauce.

Makes 4 servings.

Nutritional Information Per Serving (1/4 of recipe): Calories: 341 Calories from fat: 77 Total fat: 9 gm Saturated fat: 1 gm Cholesterol: 33 mg Sodium: 1314 mg Carbohydrate: 46 gm Protein: 24 gm

Recipe and photograph provided courtesy of Honeysuckle White, a division of Cargill, Incorporated. Used with permission.