i hope you eat good food, grow beautiful things, and have more love than you know what to do with.
Colds blow through our house like a tornado, and despite the fact that neither of the kids go to daycare, the husband-unit often brings something home with him. While his immune system seems to be impervious to the viruses that ravages the winter seasons, myself …
One of the plants I was super excited to get my hands on this year was Crocus Cartwrightianus, otherwise known as Cartwright’s crocus or wild saffron. It’s widely accepted as the wild ancestor of our modern saffron, before it mutated into the sterile triploid form …
The last of the dandelions are holding on as the cold weather moves onto Long Island. I saw them as I worked in the yard yesterday, and knew that if I didn’t nab them now, I wasn’t going to see them until next spring. They are the tender new growths that come out during the fall, making them much less bitter than their summer counterparts.
In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve been on a fermented, pickle binge lately and decided that making dandelion kimchi would be the perfect way to say goodbye to this healthy treat. I paired it with apple for some sweetness to balance the bitter greens and the hot, spicy pepper flakes.
Recipe
1. Rinse dandelions under cold water to remove any sand/dirt. Drain and salt generously and set to the side as you prepare the other ingredients. This leeching process will further reduce the dandelion’s bitterness.
2. Combine garlic, ginger, chopped apples, and quarter onion in a blender and puree. Mix with Korean hot pepper flakes, fish sauce/soy sauce, salted shrimp/crab paste until well combined. Then toss the spring onions, matchsticked carrot, daikon, and remaining apple and set to the side.
3. Check on the dandelions. They should be somewhat wilted with water drawn out of them. Rinse under cold water and then squeeze and remove as much moisture as you can.
4. Toss and combine with the pepper mixture and place in a container. Allow to marinate for at least an hour before using.
You never have kimchi when you need it–especially when you’re craving kimchi fried rice and all the other things you could make with it! This week I set out to make my own from scratch, as I think the work and love I put into …
When we get deep into the fall and almost winter, I start dreaming about saury. It’s one of the fish that most symbolizes the Autumn, when it migrates outward into the ocean. In Asia, it’s a delicious treat, while in other parts of the world, …
I had some radishes left over from making the perilla kimchi and wanted to use it up before it went bad. Our whole family loves pickled radish, especially as a side dish. Traditionally, it’s said to improve digestion and clear your palate. Normally it’s done with daikon or another asian radish, but american radishes (or turnips) are great this way too. Sweet and crunchy, the bitter mustard pungency is mellowed out and makes for a great accompaniment to anything grilled or fried.
You can add other spices to it (purple shiso, peppercorns, garlic, bell peppers) or keep it plain. The brine can be used to pickle a lot of things–carrots, cucumbers, garlic cloves etc.
By the way, I’m sure you’ve noticed the jars by now–I’m starting to remove as much plastic as I can from our lives and that means moving from tupperware to glass. One thing I haven’t been able to find is glass containers that don’t use steel (which rusts) as a cover or without silicone as a seal. Then I found these jars at Home Goods and bought them–while they are not water or airtight, they keep pickled things and sauces/gravies very well. If you wanted to seal them without plastic, a piece of beeswax cloth under the cover works. I bought all the ones that they had and might go back to check for more when I have time, but so far I’m very please with them. If they break and get thrown out, they simply return to their original form over time–sand.
Recipe
1. In a saucepan (or in the microwave), combine the vinegar, sugar, salt and heat until the sugar and salt have dissolved.
2. Place the sliced radishes into a jar or container, and pour the vinegar mixture over until everything is covered. Refrigerate. Pickle for at least an hour before using.
Apple cider vinegar will make a cloudier brine, which looks less beautiful than refined rice wine vinegar but that’s okay. It tastes delicious either way.
I brought my pot of shiso indoors before the first below freezing temperatures to see if I could extend the growing season for just a bit. I had transplanted a few of each variety that had self sowed in my garden into a pot for …
And the race to use up the pumpkin spiced puree is on. I thought, what’s the easiest way to use it up? Pumpkin pie has been done to death and quite honestly, it’s gotten to the point where I can’t tell the difference between that …
I always have Ahi tuna steaks in the deep freezer, for those days I just want sashimi/sushi but don’t have the desire to go out and buy it. The first time I saw the packages in Aldi, I did a double take and knew I had to get it, especially since the individually wrapped portions were just right, the meat looked good, and best of all, it was a great price! (Costco also has them but I haven’t done the weight/cost comparison yet.)
Tuna and scallions are a match made in heaven, from negitoro (scallion and fatty tuna) to tataki, it’s a refreshingly simple combination!
Make sure you choose tuna that has been deep frozen (saltwater parasites cannot survive freezing) and that is rated to be eaten raw/rare, as Ahi tuna is. This recipe uses a shortcut to chop the tuna into small pieces–if you guessed food processor, you’d be right!
Ingredients
1. Let the package of frozen Ahi tuna sit in cold water until it has defrosted slightly–about 7-10 minutes. Chop into cubes with a sharp knife and place in the food processor–pulse until it has reached your desired consistency (I prefer it very smooth, some people like it with pieces). Alternatively, if you feel up to it, you can hand mince the tuna instead. The hot rice will defrost the rest, and this ensures the tuna is as fresh as possible when you take that first bite.
2. Scoop the hot white rice into a bowl and add sushi vinegar. If you don’t have sushi vinegar, rice wine vinegar with a pinch of salt and sugar will work too. Place tuna tartare over the hot rice.
3. Garnish with scallions, pickled ginger. Mix soy sauce and wasabi and drizzle over the whole bowl. Once the tartare has fully defrosted, enjoy! Alternatively, I sometimes enjoy it still slightly frozen–the change in texture and temperature, changing from firm to melt in my mouth is a fun gastric adventure.
You can actually use any sashimi grade fish for this particular meal. Or even several!
Remember when I made the spiced pumpkin spread? Well, what I didn’t tell you was that I ended up making a huge batch of it–about half a gallon to be exact. Who knew one pumpkin could produce so much? Anyway, it’s been a race to …