The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday that extreme picky eating which follows someone into adulthood and negatively impacts their social lives will be classified in 2013’s DSM V manual, a psychiatric reference book, as an eating disorder “not otherwise specified.”  Enter Tim.

My secret project of nourishing my dear, hungry friend and terribly picky eater is going well.  A couple of weeks ago we did Korean barbeque at my place (I happily ate scallion kimchi and chili paste with mine) where I used reverse psychology - making minor orgasm noises as I sliced into a meaty head of sesame oil-sauteed bok choy and savored the first juicy bite – to get Tim to try a forkful of the dark green vegetable.  Sex sells.  Believe me, I design Facebook ads.

 “It’s okay,” he pronounced, “I like the top part better than the bottom.”

 (That’s what she said).

 Moving on, last night I decided to tackle a phobia of his I just can’t handle anymore: sushi.  We grew up here in the city, sushi capital of the world.  You know, besides Japan.  From the bodega with pre-packaged California rolls to the hole in the wall with the $7 loaded lunch bento to Nobu, New York is filled with sushi and I couldn’t be happier about it.  When Iron Chef Morimoto broke his wrist last fall, I was ready to go into deep mourning for all the beautiful nigiri that might never be.  Thankfully he’s doing fine now.  We all have hot tub accidents. 

 Tim doesn’t eat fish of any kind, no shellfish, nothing with scales, nothing from the ocean whatsoever.  I’ll hold off on tricking him into eating it at some point.  On the menu was white miso soup I made with teeny cubes of tofu like you get in Japanese restaurants so he could basically ignore them (I prefer giant chunks, but we’re taking baby steps), and Tim-tailored maki rolls I knew he would eat even though they’re wrapped in seaweed.  Why?  Because I filled them with sweet, crunchy, salty, fatty pork belly and steamed asparagus, which is one of the holy trinity of vegetables he’ll eat when presented with.   I also sneakily rolled in a few slivers of pickled ginger.

 Lo and behold, for the first time in his life when confronted with the possibility of eating Japanese food he didn’t shy away or sheepishly order chicken teriyaki.  He dug right in, seaweed wrap and all.  When he’d finished his plate, I caught him eyeing mine.  In addition to our pork belly maki I’d made a salmon skin roll for myself.  I offered him a piece with my chopsticks.  He studied it, got right up close and declined, ultimately defeated by the silvery shimmer of delectably sweet fish fat. 

 “It’s okay,” I said, “this isn’t over.”

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Pork belly maki rolls

 

Makes 4 rolls, or 24 pieces

 

For the maki:

 

½ lb pork belly, trimmed of skin and excess fat and cut to 1 inch thick (if it’s a really huge piece, filet it)

1 large takeout container of sushi rice (I’m not describing the arduous process of making sushi rice in a blog post)

1 package nori sheets

8 stalks of asparagus, trimmed

pickled ginger, if you want to be sneaky

 

Marinade:

 

4 TBS dark soy sauce

2 TBS sesame oil

1 1-inch piece ginger root, peeled and roughly chopped

3 cloves garlic, smashed

1 TBS maple syrup

1 TBS sweet mirin

1 TSP chili paste

1 TSP creamy peanut butter

 

Combine all marinade ingredients in a large plastic bag, add pork belly, shake well, and marinate overnight.  Before using, thread a bamboo skewer through lengthwise to keep it from curling up during the cooking process.

 

1.     Steam asparagus in a medium covered pan for 2 minutes or until just cooked through.  Shock in an ice water bath, then pat dry and set aside.

2.     Preheat broiler on high, broil pork belly fattier side up for 15 minutes or until the top is blistery and dark brown and the meat is cooked.  Remove from oven, take out skewers and allow to cool before slicing into long strips.

3.     With moistened hands, spread a thin, even layer of rice over the nori.  Lay strips of pork belly and 2 stalks of asparagus on one end, then, using a bamboo sushi mat, roll the maki up.  Swipe a wet finger across the sealing end, then apply firm pressure to the rolled up bamboo mat with both hands to mold and finish.  See illustrations here.

4.     With a very sharp knife, slice roll into 6 pieces and arrange pleasantly.  Serve with wasabi and pickled ginger.