FOOD ON THE FOOD

The Cabbage Chronicles Continue

Today marks a return to my sauerkraut obsession, which has been neglected for far too long.  Oh, you thought I had given up?  Never!  I will not rest until sauerkraut perfection is achieved once again as it was the very first time I attempted it in 2008 when I had no idea what I was doing.

Feel free to play along with your own cabbage.  In 3-5 weeks, when our sauerkraut is ready, we can compare notes/swear words and if you blog about it, I’ll do a sauerkraut roundup linking over to your posts.  Okay?  Here ya go:

 

Sauerkraut

The technique is from Sandor Ellix Katz’s book Wild Fermentation.  A similarly good method can be found in The Joy of Pickling by Linda Ziedrich.  I like to add garlic and other flavorings, but using only cabbage and salt is great, too.

5 lbs. cabbage, cored, shredded thinly
3 Tbsp. sea salt
3 cloves garlic, peeled, crushed
1 Tbsp. juniper berries
2 tsp. caraway seeds
1 tsp. fennel seeds
1 tsp. celery seeds
1 bay leaf

In a large bowl, mix the cabbage with the salt and other flavorings with your hands.  The salt draws the water out of the cabbage and creates a protective brine in which the cabbage can ferment and sour.   Pack it all into a large crock as tight as you can, a little at a time, with your fists or a potato masher.  Set a plate on top of the cabbage.  It should fit snugly inside the crock without getting stuck.  Set a clean jug of water on top.  The weight will help force more water out of the cabbage as well as keep the cabbage submerged as the water level rises.  Cover the whole crock with an old pillowcase to keep out flies and dust.  Check the cabbage over the next 24 hours to make sure it has released enough water to be completely submerged.  If not, add more liquid in a ratio of 1 Tbsp. salt to 1 cup of water (stirred until salt is completely dissolved) until the cabbage is completely covered. 

Let crock sit in a cool dark corner for 3-5 weeks, checking every couple of days to skim off any foam and rinse the plate.  Check the brine level.  Water will evaporate over time, so you may need to add some fresh water to keep the cabbage submerged and prevent it from rotting.  During the fermentation period, do NOT add salt water—only fresh.  To find out why, read here.  When sauerkraut, reaches the desired flavor, use on reubens, make bacon and sauerkraut strudels, bake with bratwurst or pork chops, or eat it all by itself.  Get it right and it's worth the wait!

Local Ingredient Sources:
Cabbage, garlic: Waltham Fields Community Farm, Waltham, MA

A Pickle A Day

It should come as no surprise that chemo isn’t sitting well with me.  I’ve heard of people who hold down full-time jobs during chemo.  Who go to the gym during chemo.  Who have sex during chemo.  Possibly.  To all of you out there, I salute you.  You are made of stronger stuff than I.  Chemo is my kryptonite, and my superpowers are suspect as it is.

Many of the side effects of chemo remind me of the first trimester of pregnancy, although the killing of cells rather than the nurturing of them gives the process an altogether different patina.  There’s the nausea, of course.  The fatigue.  Heartburn that feels like a chemical spill from your diaphragm right up to your chin.  The aversions to certain tastes and smells.  And weird cravings for things like pickles.

Luckily, though, it’s cucumber season and we’re getting them in our CSA by the bushel.  If you, too, are going through chemo, are pregnant, or just happen to love pickles, do I have the recipe for you.  Bread and butter pickles: an oldie but goodie.  Quick and easy refrigerator pickles that are perfect for burgers, sandwiches, or snacking.  And unlike some of the other pickles I’ve made this year (I’m looking at you, butternut squash), these will not languish in the fridge for months on end, tying up a perfectly good jar.  No, these will be eaten in a flash.

Bread and Butter Pickles

These can theoretically hold in the fridge for at least a month, but please don’t insult the pickles like that.  Dig right in and pretty soon you’ll be putting them on everything. 

3 lbs. pickling cucumbers
2 medium onions, peeled
3 Tbsp. kosher or sea salt
3 cups cider vinegar
2½ cups brown sugar
1 Tbsp. yellow mustard seed
1 tsp. celery seed
1 tsp. turmeric
¼ tsp. allspice (optional)

Trim thin slices off both ends of the cucumbers.  Cut cucumbers and onions into ¼-inch thick rounds.  Toss them with salt in a non-reactive bowl, cover, and refrigerate 1-2 hours.  Drain well, rinse, drain again, and set aside.

In a nonreactive pot, combine vinegar, brown sugar, and spices, and bring to boil over high heat, stirring occasionally to dissolve sugar.  Reduce heat to low, simmer for 3 minutes, and then pour hot liquid directly over cucumbers and onions.  Let cool to room temperature, then jar and refrigerate.  Makes 8 cups.

Source: Adapted from Quick Pickles by Chris Schlesinger, John Willoughby, and Dan George.

A Pickle For Your Thoughts

First, crock-fermented sauerkraut.  Then, pickle brine martinis.  This pickling stuff is clearly going to my head. 

To keep the good buzz going, I turned to Quick Pickles, a nice little book by Chris Schlesinger (of East Coast Grill and Back Eddy fame), John Willoughby (Executive Editor of Gourmet), and Dan George (who, I’m sure, also rocks). 

John was a former editor of Cook’s Illustrated, where we crossed paths, and he also taught a food writing class that I attended many years ago.  This does not mean, in any way, shape, or form, that Cook’s Illustrated or Gourmet somehow endorse this blog, just to be clear.  Quite the opposite, I’m sure.  It just means that John tried to teach me some writerly things once upon a time, while I tried desperately not to learn them.  (I think it’s obvious who won that tug of war.)

But, I’m willing to learn about pickles.  I’m willing to eat them.  And, most importantly, I’m willing to use up all these extra CSA carrots I have lying around.  So, let’s get down to business.

These pickles are awesome.  They taste nothing like your standard pickle for obvious reasons (just look at them), but also because there’s no vinegar in the brine.  In fact, there’s no brine at all.  The vegetables are preserved in oil, and what you taste are sesame and ginger and, well, carrots, all bright and cheerful.  You also get some heat from the red pepper, which builds as the weeks progress.  And while the carrots are crisp like pickles, I tend to forget that's what they are and end up eating them like they’re a side dish rather than a mere garnish.  Like some kind of unshredded Asian slaw. 

I can’t be sure, but I think that’s what the authors intended all along.

 

Sesame-Pickled Carrots with Ginger Strips

Save this recipe for your summer CSA, then grill some fish alongside it.

3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 lb. carrots, peeled and thinly sliced (about 4 cups)
3 Tbsp. Asian sesame oil
3 Tbsp. peeled, slivered fresh ginger
2 Tbsp. orange marmalade (the more tart, the better)
Grated zest of 1 orange
2 Tbsp. black and/or white sesame seeds
Pinch red pepper flakes
1 tsp. kosher salt

In a medium sauté pan, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking.  Add the carrots and half of the ginger and sauté, stirring frequently, until the carrots are crisp-tender, 3 to 4 minutes.  Remove to a bowl.

Toast the sesame seeds in a small, dry frying pan over medium heat for a few minutes, shaking frequently, until fragrant (careful: they burn quickly).  Add to carrots along with the remaining ingredients, and toss well to combine.  Cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate.  The flavor will develop after a full day in the fridge.  They will keep for a month in an airtight container, shaking occasionally to redistribute the oil.

Source: Slightly adapted from Quick Pickles by Chris Schlesinger, John Willoughby, and Dan George.