Pickled Red Cabbage

Sometimes I wonder why pickled (braised?) red cabbage isn't more popular here in the States. I'll see it occasionally, like when I visit Ikea, but otherwise it's not something I run across very often. Sauerkraut, on the other hand, is more commonplace. Strange. I prefer pickled red cabbage over sauerkraut any day.

Around this time of year we eat a lot of this zingy stuff. It goes perfectly with hearty, cold weather foods, like pork roast or schnitzel. There's no shame in buying it, and I will do that occasionally (like when I visit Ikea ☺). However it's so much better when you make it yourself. For the most basic version, you only need red cabbage, sugar and vinegar, but there are so many ways to spruce it up (see the tips below).

Method: Cut out and discard the core from 1 small (or 1/2 to 2/3 of a large head) red cabbage and thinly slice the remainder. Do it as finely as you like; it's a matter of personal preference. In a large non-reactive pot over medium heat, add roughly an equal volume of granulated sugar and vinegar. For a small head of cabbage, that's about a 1/2 to 1 cup of each. Once the sugar dissolves, add the cabbage and bring to a boil. Then turn down the heat to low, cover and simmer until it reaches the desired texture, about 45 minutes to an hour. About 20 minutes through the cooking process, taste it. Then you'll know whether you need to add more vinegar or sugar or maybe even a little water if it's too acidic. Store refrigerated in a glass or plastic container, being sure to keep the cabbage submerged in the liquid. I've kept it for up to 2 weeks (we usually finish it off in that time).

Tips: It's okay to start out with less sugar. You can always add more as it's cooking if it doesn't taste balanced. I use white vinegar and a little apple juice (or lingonberry concentrate, also available at Ikea ☺). You can use a mixture of white and apple cider vinegar if you like. A little balsamic would probably work. I also throw in a cinnamon stick or two, a few cloves and a dash of salt. I've seen an old Danish recipe that recommends cumin seed. Fennel seed and allspice berries are an option. Some people add red wine. Some add shredded apple. Clearly this can be taken in a lot of different directions.

Wondering what to eat with pickled red cabbage? As you can see in the photo above, it goes great with Danish-style pate and Danish rye bread (guess where it's available ☺). It also goes well with Swedish or Danish meatballs, pork roast, bratwurst, roasted duck or confit, just to name a few. You could even serve it instead of cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving (blasphemy, I know!)

I'm submitting this post to Weekend Wokking, which is being hosted by Erbe in Cucina. The theme ingredient is cabbage. If you've got a cabbage recipe you're dying to share, send your submissions to scrivi(at)ilmeglioincucina(dot)it by 11:59 Nov 1st.

SE Asian Pilaf

Hey, guess what?! I like delicious food and I bet you do too, right? I don’t care if it’s *authentic* or not. I’ll be the first to admit, I don't cook authentic food. It's not that I can't, I just like experimenting (I'm a woman of science, didn't you know?). As long as it tastes good, I’m happy. I guess this must really drive the purists out there crazy (hi, mom!).

This picture really doesn't do this rice justice. The herbs make it so fragrant and the shrimp paste gives it so much flavor. You'll just have to try it for yourself to see.

Since I’m in a bit of a mood, I’m going to make those purists really nuts with this recipe for SE Asian rice pilaf. It’s not really a classic Thai dish, but has classic Thai flavors. I could have called it fried rice, but when I think of fried rice, I think one-wok meal, complete with protein and vegetables. This is more of a side dish— a pilaf to accompany grilled fish or chicken. It’s also good for breakfast served with a fried egg on top and a couple squirts of fish sauce. And yes, I’m completely serious about the breakfast thing. So there you go, something that’s not authentic but totally delicious anyways.

SE Asian Rice Pilaf
Serves 4

• 1 stalk lemongrass, white part only, finely sliced
• 2-3 cloves garlic, smashed
• 3 kaffir lime leaves, finely sliced
• 1 to 2 tbs shrimp paste in soy bean oil
• 1 shallot, thinly sliced
• ½ tsp brown sugar
• 24 oz cooked, cold rice (about 5 cups)
• fish sauce, to taste

Note: Shrimp paste in soy bean oil can be found at any Asian market that has SE Asian items. Or you can order it online. It's not fermented, which means it's not stinky, but the oil has a way of leaking out and staining stuff red-orange, so be sure to store it in a plastic Ziploc bag or similar. Don't let the fact that it contains the "buttery substance in shrimp heads" turn you off. You wouldn't have known if no one had mentioned it. :-)

In a mortar, combine the lemongrass, garlic and kaffir lime leaves and pound until you get a uniform paste. Put some elbow grease into it, otherwise the lemongrass won't break down enough and it'll be unpleasant to chew and swallow. Transfer the paste to a bowl and mix in the shrimp paste.

Heat a wok on medium-high heat. Add about 2 tbs oil for stir-frying. When hot, but not smoking, add the seasoning paste and the shallots. Stir-fry for about 30 seconds to release the flavor of the herbs. Be careful not to let the paste burn. Add the brown sugar and incorporate. Add the rice and stir-fry until well coated with the seasoning paste and heated through. Add fish sauce to taste. Serve as a side dish with simple grilled fish or chicken.

The Humbling Potato

If there is one vegetable that can evoke the biggest sense of uselessness in me, it is the potato. I just don’t know what to do with the damned thing beyond the standard boiling or mashing. For the last couple of weeks, I’ve been trying to come up with a dish to submit for Weekend Wokking that would showcase the potato in all its glory. I thought maybe I could do them up Asian-style, but there really weren’t many recipes that inspired me. The one Thai dish that I would have loved to do was massaman curry, but I’ve already done that (and you should too, if you've never had it). There was a Korean dish with potatoes and pork loin that briefly piqued my interest. And of course Indian spiced potatoes would have fit the bill. Yet I couldn’t motivate myself for either of these.


The thing about potatoes is that they're humble, almost too humble. They're never the star of the show, but can certainly save a meal. Think about it, if the main attraction sucks, like an over cooked steak or a dry pork chop, at least the potatoes will be satisfying. So with that in mind, I decided on an easy potato salad with smoked trout and dill. The smoked trout gave it a complex flavor and the dill added that extra bit of freshness. It’s the type of potato salad that brings a bit of sophistication to the humble potato.

Note: For this dish, I used just your average, run of the mill potatoes. They work just fine, but for a little more interest, try using unpeeled fingerlings or small new potatoes. Red potatoes would be very pretty as well.

Fresh smoked trout is difficult to find. So here’s a secret: use the canned stuff. I know some people would balk at this, but it worked beautifully. I got mine at Trader Joe’s, but any respectable brand will do. Just make sure it’s drained well before using. Dab it with paper towels or a clean kitchen towel, if necessary, to remove the excess oil and liquid.

Potato Salad with Smoked Trout and Dill

• Approx 1. 5 to 2 pounds potatoes, peeled, boiled and cooled
• 3 oz smoked trout (hot smoked salmon works beautifully as well)
• 1 to 2 tbs finely chopped sweet (red or white) onion
• 2 to 3 tbs chopped fresh dill
• 1 tbs mayonnaise
• 2 tbs sour cream (crème fraiche or crema will also do the trick)
• lemon or lime juice, to taste
• salt and pepper, to taste

In a bowl, combine the mayonnaise, sour cream and lemon juice. Add salt to taste and set the dressing aside until needed.

Depending on how you like your potato salad, dice or coarsely mash the potatoes. In a large bowl, combine the potatoes with the onion and dill. Add about 2/3 of the dressing and some salt. Gently mix the salad until well combined. Taste and adjust seasoning by adding more dressing, salt or lemon juice and pepper. Serve chilled.

I’m still going to submit this dish to Weekend Wokking, which was created by Wandering Chopsticks. Despite the name of the event, the submissions don’t need to be Asian or cooked in a wok. They just have to showcase the (seasonal) theme ingredient, which happened to be the potato this month. If you want to participate in the next round, visit White on Rice Couple to see the round-up and what they’ll choose as the theme ingredient. Once they announce the ingredient, you can send your delicious submissions to me for the August round-up. To see who else is hosting in the future, click here.

Added: Check out the round-up here.

Grow Your Own!

One of the things that gives me a great sense of satisfaction is eating the vegetables and herbs that we grow. My wish is to have enough space to grow a lot of the produce we eat, but it’s challenging living in a city and finding enough space to have a productive garden. Some people would laugh if they knew my vegetable garden is only 2’ wide by 8’ long. What’s the point with such a small space?? How about you? What are you growing? I want to know! Leave a comment with a link (to a post or your blog) so I can find you!

My garden. I know it looks like a random mess, but it's quite productive. This year I'm growing 3 or 4 varieties of tomatoes, tomatillos, peppers, sugar snap peas, cilantro, mint, basil, oregano, strawberries.

As it turns out, you really don’t need that much space to produce a healthy bounty. The key is to be selective. Before I planted, I thought long and hard about what we like to eat and what would give the most yield for the space. Things like sugar snap peas, peppers, and tomatoes were naturally at the top of the list. Squash and cucumbers are also good bets. Still, 16 square feet just isn’t enough space, and until Hubby builds me a second vegetable bed, I also have to use containers.

Sonny wanted to grow strawberries this year. I've never grown them, so it will be interesting to see how many we get.

I've got 3 pepper plants going: 2 hot and 1 mini bell.

This is the reason I grow my own mint. Cherry mojitos!

Sugar snap peas are so easy to grow. They like cool weather so you can plant them in early spring. And they produce a ton of pods that are so sweet, you can eat them raw right off the vine. You can eat the young tendrils too! They're also supposed to be nitrogen-rich, putting nitrogen back into the soil.

Send positive thoughts for my dwarf nectarine tree. It seems to have come down with a case of leaf curl and the fruit might not be able to mature. I also have a dwarf cherry tree and Meyer lemon tree, but they have yet to bare any fruit.

I encourage everyone to grow something edible. Even if it's just herbs, it's still worthwhile. Fresh herbs are so easy to grow in containers. Every time you pluck the leaves, it encourages the plant to produce even more. You'll have basil for pesto or mint for mojitos all summer long!

The herb I use the most is cilantro. Sure, it's cheap enough to buy, but I want the roots as well and it's impossible to find cilantro with the roots. I use the roots to make Thai curry pastes and in stir-fries. I'll post a stir-fry using the roots soon. In the meantime here's a simple rice recipe using the leaves and stems. Cumin and lime (or lemon) juice give it a nice freshness. It's very versatile too; perfect with Mexican, Middle Eastern or Indian food.



Cilantro Rice
Feeds 4 as a side dish

• 2 cups Basmati or other long grain rice, washed and drained
• 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth (water is also fine)
• Juice from 1 lime or lemon (about 3-4 tbs)
• 1 tsp cumin seed
• 1 large bunch cilantro (about 1/2 cup or more to taste), finely chopped and divided
• salt to taste, if using water

In a medium pot, heat a tablespoon or two of oil over medium-high heat. Add the cumin seeds and allow them to fry for 10 to 20 seconds. When they start to pop add the rice and half the chopped cilantro. Turn the rice in the oil to distribute the cumin seeds and cilantro. After about a minute, add the citrus juice and broth or water. (Alternatively, you could add the citrus in at the end when you fluff the rice for a more pronounced citrus flavor. ) Bring to a boil. Once it boils, cover and turn the heat down to low. Simmer until the water is absorbed, about 10 to 12 minutes. Turn off the heat, fluff the rice with a fork and allow to steep for an additional 10 minutes. Add the leftover cilantro, fluff again and serve.

I'm submitting this to Weekend Herb Blogging, which is being hosted by Paulchen's Foodblog this week.

The Tastiest Tomato Pickles Ever!

The air in the morning is crisp and the days are getting shorter, yet my tomato plants have managed to hang on. Sure, I only pluck a pint of cherry tomatoes every 3 or 4 days now (opposed to at least 2 pints per day at the height of the season), but they are still surprisingly sweet and juicy. Even my larger heirloom varieties are continuing to slowly ripen. But the rains have started and I think all this goodness won't last much longer.

This year, we’ve been able to produce so many tomatoes I had to give a lot away. That's after making sauces and soups to last into the winter months. Since I’m pretty much stocked up on the basics, I wanted to try some different things with the tomatoes. My favorite was this recipe. I could tell it was going to be good before I tasted it. The spice mix was so aromatic when it was cooking up. It complements sweet tomatoes so well, but I think it would be just as good with green tomatoes. Next time I’m going to make a big batch and can some of it so I can crack open a jar whenever I want.

Tomatoes Pickled with Indian Spices

• 1 ½ lbs tomatoes (cut larger tomatoes into wedges)
  
• ½ red or yellow onion, cut in thin wedges
• 5 serrano chilies, sliced lengthwise
• ¾ cup white vinegar
• ¼ cup dark brown sugar
• 1 tbs kosher salt
• 2 tbs grated ginger
• 1 whole head garlic, minced
• 1 tbs cracked black peppercorns
• 1 ½ tbs cumin seeds
• 2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 x 3 inch cinnamon stick
• ½ cup neutral oil (canola, grapeseed, etc)
• 2 tbs mustard oil

If you are using larger tomatoes, cut them into wedges. Cherry tomatoes can be used whole. Combine the tomatoes with the chilies and onions in a large Pyrex bowl. Set aside.

In a saucepan, dissolved the sugar and salt in the vinegar. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a saucepan or small frying pan, heat the oils over medium heat until hot. Add the cumin seeds, black peppercorns and cinnamon. Fry for about 30 seconds. Then add the garlic, ginger and cayenne. Cook until nice and fragrant, about 2 minutes (it should look like this). Turn off the heat and add the vinegar solution and mix well. Pour the warm mixture over the tomatoes and mix well. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let the mixture sit in the fridge for at least 3 days. If the tomatoes are not submerged in the pickling solution, give the mixture a stir every day.

I Dreamt about Hummus

I must have been spacing when I looked at a two-pound bag of dried chickpeas and decided that would be sufficient for a couple portions of hummus. I soaked all 2 pounds overnight and woke up to about 20 pounds of chickpeas. Even after making 3 different types of hummus and one portion of falafel, I had to freeze a few cups. I don’t know if that’s advisable; I guess we’ll see when I thaw them.

The basic hummus recipe I use comes from my first cookbook (and still one of my favorites). A couple variations include using sun-dried tomatoes and roasted sweet peppers.

Basic hummus recipe (from Moosewood Cookbook)

• 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• handful of Italian parsley
• 2 green onions, roughly chopped
• 3 cups cooked chick peas (about 2 cans worth)
• 6 tbs tahini
• 6 tbs lemon juice (or more to taste)
• 1 tsp salt (or more to taste; probably less if using canned)

If you want to use dried chick peas, they must be soaked overnight first. Then boil them in plain water. DO NOT add salt, otherwise the chickpeas will not get tender. I learned this the hard way.

Put all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until you have a smooth paste. If the paste is too dry, you can add a little water or olive oil while it’s blending. I like to add a drizzle of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon and a dash of cayenne just before serving.

Variation #1: add 1 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes (the kind stored in oil).

Variation #2: add 2 roasted red, orange or yellow bell pepper. I don’t recommend green, as they aren’t as sweet. Sometimes I buy roasted bell peppers in a jar, but I occasionally do it myself because I have a gas range top. I put the peppers directly on the burner and allow each side to char. It takes maybe 10 minutes. The I throw the peppers into a large Ziplock bag and allow to cool enough to handle. The skin then peels right off. Remove the seeds before using.

It Only took 32 Years

I had dirty rice for the first time about a month or so ago. How I went 32 years without ever tasting it is beyond me, considering I love Creole/Cajun food. The version I made was thrown together from several recipes (out of a gazillion) I found on the Internet.

Dirty Rice

• ½ to ¾ lbs chicken liver
• 1 lbs pork sausage (not in casing)
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 bell pepper, finely chopped
• 3 stalks celery, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbs Creole seasoning*
• ¼ cup chicken stock
• 6-8 cups cold cooked rice (preferably long grain)
• oil for cooking
• salt and pepper to taste

This recipe makes a lot of rice, enough for 6 adults. That means you’ll need a very large skillet. It’s probably easier to start in a skillet, then move to a large stockpot when you mix in the rice. A large Dutch oven would also work well. I used my wok, which is perfect for this kind of dish because you can toss and mix without stuff flying out of the pan.

In a large skillet (or Dutch oven) over medium-high heat, add 2 tbs oil. When hot, add the livers and sauté until almost done, about 4-5 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool slightly. Chop the livers finely and set aside again. (Alternatively, you could chop the livers before cooking, but I have had an aversion to handling raw liver since freshman biology)

To the skillet, add the sausage and cook, breaking up the clumps, until the meat is browned. Add the livers back in, along with the onion, bell pepper, celery, garlic, bay leaves and Creole seasonings. Cook until the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add the stock and continue to cook for a couple of minutes to bring everything to the same temperature. Add the rice and mix thoroughly, breaking up the clumps. Cook until the rice is heated through. Season well with salt and pepper.

The first time I had dirty rice, it was served with a steak. I served it with Creole-spiced tilapia fillets and sautéed zucchini. I imagine it can be served with just about any meat or fish or even eaten alone.

*For the Creole seasoning, you can buy it at any grocery store in the spice isle. I make my own using Emeril’s “formulation”: 2 ½ tbs paprika, 2 tbs salt, 2 tbs garlic powder, 1 tbs each black pepper, onion powder, cayenne pepper, dried oregano, and dried thyme.