The Edible Bracket 2011

Last year's winners of the MNCAAPG Best Bracket contest are back. This March Madness season, we will be documenting foods associated with the competing schools. Consider it March Madness, Top Chef Edition.

UC Santa Barbara Gauchos (Santa Barbara, CA): California Rolls

UCSB california rolls

 UCSB is a member of the Big West conference, a conference made up entirely of teams from the state of California.  So to celebrate UCSB—the conference champ—we decided to make a food inextricably linked with the great state of California: California rolls. 

UCSB california rolls 2

California Rolls

1 cup sushi rice, liberally seasoned with rice vinegar

2 crabs sticks, cut into long strips

1 avocado, cut into long strips

1 peeled cucumber, cut into long strips

sheet of nori

Cover a sushi mat with plastic wrap and cover with a thin layer of rice.  Place a sheet of nori on top of the rice.  Lay one strip of crab, one strip of cucumber, and one strip of avocado on top of the nori.  Roll everything together with the sushi mat.  Cut into pieces.