Mike Curtin from DC Central Kitchen - 05.21.15

I will be interviewing Mike Curtin, the CEO of DC Central Kitchen, a non profit, social enterprise, that runs a Culinary Training Program, and distributes food to local shelters. Mike has expanded DC Central Kitchen’s revenue generating, social enterprise catering, to include locally sourced, cooking from scratch meals, at ten DC schools and Healthy Corners, which delivers fruits and vegetables to corner stores in DC’s food deserts. They employ over 150 people, with 40% from their own Culinary Training Program. Please join me on Thursday, and learn more about DC Central Kitchen and the great work that Mike is doing there. 

Dandelion Nori Rolls

Makes 8 Rolls

Ingredients

1 package of pre-toasted Nori (seaweed sheets)

8 cups of cooked organic, short grain brown rice

2 onions, cut in half, and sliced into thin slivers

5 carrots, grated

8 cups chopped dandelion greens, washed

1 Tbsp minced garlic

1 Tbsp of fresh grated ginger

2 Tbsp organic Tamari (Gluten Free)

2 Tbsp mirin (sweet rice wine)

1 Tbsp dark sesame oil

Tahini and toasted sesame seeds- optional

Tofu strips- optional

Pickled Ginger as garnish

Procedure

Sauté onion in olive oil, for 5 minutes. Add carrots, garlic and grated ginger. Sauté for 5 minutes longer. Add dandelion greens and sauté until wilted. Add tamari and aji mirin. Simmer till soft. Add dark sesame oil. Spread 1 cup of cooked rice out evenly over 3/4ths of the sheet of Nori. Be sure to spread the rice all the way out to the edges of the nori. Add ½ cup of the sautéed dandelion green mixture in the center of the rice, and spread across rice in a 1 ½ “ wide strip. Add a thin strip of tofu across the middle of the dandelion greens, if using. Sprinkle sesame seed on top, if desired. Begin to roll from front edge. Use water or tamari, or tahini to seal nori. Cut into eight even pieces.

To make Dip

Combine equal parts of water and tamari in small dipping bowl. Add a drop of Aji Mirin to sweeten. Serve with pickled ginger.