Hey there Florida Foodie friends,
It’s the future president of the Self-Trepanation Society of America, Thomas Mates.
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I told you last time that I would be back and I always keep my promises.
My wonderful wife and I made a quick trip to Pennsylvania for a friend’s wedding. It was a lot of fun and we ate a lot of really good food.
The best thing we had by far was some Detroit-style pizza from Iron Born Pizza. It was great.
That being said, we recently had the owner of a local Detroit-style pizza on Florida Foodie for an upcoming episode. He was gracious enough to bring in some of his pizza and it was fantastic. So, keep an eye on your feeds for that episode, coming soon.
Alright, without further ado, let’s get into it.
Ready to retire🥟
Daniel Mercedes Jr. started his business, The Dancing Empanada, out of the trunk of his car.
He got the empanada recipe from his grandmother and started selling them at barbershops and auto garages around Central Florida.
Eventually, Mercedes brought his wife onto the team. The pair opened a food truck and now eight years later they are getting ready to retire and sell off the business.
Mercedes shared his story with Candace Campos and Lisa Bell on the latest episode of Florida Foodie.
>You can watch the episode here<
And you can also find every episode of Florida Foodie on YouTube, as well.
Small Bites🍰
Holiday help🦃: Here at News 6, we are all about getting results for our community. You may have heard us mention it once or twice. Well, one of our own took it upon himself to help out his community ahead of Thanksgiving. There is still time for you to help him make a difference this year. Here are all the details.
‘Tough act to follow🍦’: Goff’s Drive In was an institution in Orlando. It was never able to reopen after a fire at the business. Now, a new business is moving into the historic spot. The new ice cream parlor, Sweeties, is set to have its soft opening this weekend. Read all about it.
Top spots to nosh🥪: Yelp! recently put out its list of the top places to eat in Orlando. It’s an eclectic mix of restaurants with something for everyone. Check it out here.
Something to try at home 🍽️
This week, I’ve got a fun snack that I recently made for the first time — onigiri.
Onigiri is a traditional Japanese street food. It is basically a rice ball wrapped in seaweed, but it can also have a variety of sweet and savory fillings.
Here’s what it should look like, kind of.
As I said, this was a first attempt, so they did not come out perfect, but they tasted pretty darn good — if I do say so myself.
Today, we are going to look at a savory variety filled with spicy tuna.
Ingredients:
- 1½ cups Japanese short-grain rice — about 2 rice cooker cups
- 15 fluid ounces cold water
- 1 can tuna (in oil or water), drained
- 1½ tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon sriracha hot sauce
- rice vinegar
- 1 scallion finely sliced
- 3 sheets toasted nori (seaweed) cut into 2″ strips
Step 1: Prepare your rice. For the best texture, it is best to wash your rice until the water runs clear. Then add your rice and water to a rice cooker and prepare it to the manufacturer’s specifications. If you do not have a rice cooker, then prepare your rice however you normally do. The rice cooker will, again, just provide a better texture.
Step 2: While your rice is cooking, combine your tuna, mayonnaise, sriracha and scallions in a bowl and mix thoroughly. If you are using tuna that is canned in water, make sure it is drained completely. Don’t be afraid to squeeze out any excess water with your hands. You do not want your filling to be runny.
Step 3: Once the rice is cooked, place it in a separate bowl or on a sheet tray and let all of the excess steam out. Once it is done steaming, use a spatula to gently toss the rice while sprinkling your rice vinegar over the top. Be careful not to break the grains. This process will help your rice to stick together without getting gluey.
Step 4: With a bowl of water at the ready, wet your hands. Then place a disk of rice, about the size of your palm, in your hand, followed by a tablespoon of your filling. Place another disk of rice on top and gently mold the rice into a puck. You want to try to avoid having any filling poking through.
Step 5: Wrap each rice ball in a strip of seaweed. Optionally, you can also sprinkle some sesame seeds around the edge of the ball before serving.
This is a great snack and it is also perfect to pack for a quick lunch.
That’s it for today.
Please, send me your recipes so I can share them with everyone. My email is tmates@wkmg.com.
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