Quick Pickled Radishes

Back when radishes were in season (and they will be again), I bought a bunch for my husband, but left them on the kitchen counter on my way to do something else.  I then forgot about them overnight, and found them the next morning horribly wilted and sad-looking.  Wilting leaves will draw moisture out of the bulb of the radish.  That's sort of the point of the bulb.  The radishes were an interesting proof of concept, but it was a bummer for eating.  Nice crisp radishes can't be beat.  And a couple were still, but most were a little shrivellier and softer.  It occurred to me that I could try pickling them.  Worst that could happen-- they weren't appealing.  And since they weren't appealing at the moment, it didn't seem like a bad idea.

I turned to the internet and found a recipe on epicurious for a quick pickle, so-called because you just mix everything together and call it good.  It's relatively quick and simple, with no hot water bath and no need for special equipment (beyond clean jars).  A quick pickle isn't going to be shelf-stable, so it also needs to be eaten a bit more quickly and kept in the fridge (most recipes are also smaller, since most of us don't have as much fridge space).  The only thing that isn't "quick"-- you [still] have to wait a couple days before your pickles are ready to eat.

Quick-Pickled Garlic Radishes
10 large radishes
10 cloves garlic
1 tsp whole black peppercorns
2 C white vinegar
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp sugar

Wash the radishes and trim the ends.  Cut them into quarters.  Peel the garlic cloves.  Place garlic and radishes into a clean 1-quart jar.  Add the peppercorns, vinegar, salt, and sugar.  Cover tightly and shake gently until salt and sugar are dissolved--just flip the jar onto its lid and back a few times.  Place in the refrigerator, and store a minimum of three days, inverting daily, before eating.

Now here is the part where I disagree with the recipe I found.  It says the flavor will mellow over time.  WRONG!  The flavor got pretty danged intense.  In my husband's words, "They got worse.  I mean, they were good; they were just strong as s***."  They were a nice munch, kind of a spicy condiment I put alongside sandwiches instead of dill pickles.  After a while, I stopped eating more than 1, and we relied on the sandwiches to balance the heat.  We also discovered they made a fabulous martini garnish, especially after the heat kicked up.  More flavor and body than a traditional olive (I can't bring myself to do an onion martini), and the gin married very well with the heat and salt.

We Can Do Dumplings!

I was recently the joyous recipient of a cookbook titled Rosie's Riveting Recipes, a collection of WWII-era recipes.  This is pretty neat.  There's something about that era that really appeals to me-- the can-do spirit and patriotism, maybe, or that balance between the modern era and traditional values…  There's something about the home front that I really think I wouldn't mind experiencing.  And at this point, I think we know I love a cookbook under any circumstances.

I got excited about the following recipe, and my husband agreed that it would be a good dinner.


Saucy Cheese Dumplings
3 Tbsp bacon fat (or butter)
3 Tbsp chopped onion
3 Tbsp flour
3 C canned tomatoes
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 tsp pepper
2 C flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 C crisco
2/3 C milk
2/3 C grated cheese


Begin by melting the fat, browning the onion, and making a roux with the 3 Tbsp flour in a large pot.  The width of the pot isn't an issue; the sauce doesn't need to be deep.  Add the tomatoes and juice, breaking them up as you do.  Mix well and bring to a boil.  Add water if needed to achieve and keep a sauce consistency.

Mix flour, salt, and baking powder.  Add 2 Tbsp of the cheese, followed by the crisco.  Blend thoroughly, a bit like pie dough.  Add milk, and knead into a ball.  Roll out (a bit like pie dough) to 1/8-inch thickness and cut into ~3-inch rounds.  Wet the rounds with cold water, then place a Tablespoon or so of cheese into the center of the rounds and pinch to seal shut.

Drop the stuffed dumplings into the boiling sauce.  Cover tightly and steam for 15 minutes without lifting the cover.  Serve hot.

Well, these were a learning experience for me.  I added above that the depth of the sauce isn't an issue. Dumplings steam, so they don't have to be in the sauce the whole time.  The sauce just needs to maintain a simmer.  I didn't use a big pot, thinking I should keep it deep enough to submerge everything.  Turns out, dumplings also expand, and my poor husband was left trying to shove the lid shut as dumplings tried to defy the laws of physics and forced the sauce out over the rim of the pot.

I also thought rounds weren't the best choice.  I had a lot of scraps (which I steamed along with the dumplings), and I had trouble getting the rounds to seal around the cheese, and wound up shorting the cheese.  That was a bummer.  It seems to me that squares would be easier to seal with more cheese in them.  

But they were DELICIOUS!  I used 4 C home-canned, whole-packed tomatoes for this, which was a wonderful choice.  They taste so much better than-store bought tomatoes (which I do also enjoy).  It's hard for me to put in words exactly the difference.  Earthier and more mellow, perhaps?  They really made the recipe for my husband and I, but I imagine it would be yummy either way.  If you use store-bought canned tomatoes, you may need to chop them before adding them; home-canned tomatoes are pretty tender, too, and easily mashed.

I also love the texture of dumplings.  These are nice and light (even if you spent the whole time shoving them down).  The cheese was also a great treat, even though I shorted it.  It would have been preferable, I reckon, to have more cheese, but life goes on.  

The dish was filling as well as tasty, and we had plenty of leftovers.  This is certainly a make-again recipe!

Return of BOB-- a chicken shepherd's pie

Once again, I turned to Rachael Ray's Big Orange Book for dinner inspiration, settling on "Chicken and Garlic Herb Potato Shepherd's Pie."  We chose this recipe because it had a lot of ingredients that we already had, and tweaked it to reflect those rather than buying a whole bunch of things for just one recipe.  Here's my version:

Chicken and Garlic Potato Shepherd's Pie
3-4 potatoes
2 chicken breasts
1 carrot
1/2 C frozen peas
1 scallion
1-2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
1/4 C white wine
1 C chicken stock
1 Tbsp mustard
2 oz. cream cheese
2 cloves garlic confit
1 Tbsp fresh snipped chives
2 egg yolks
1 Tbsp parsley

Begin by dicing the chicken into smaller-than-bite-size pieces.  Also dice the carrot, and chop the scallion.  Preheat the oven to 400˚F.

Peel and roughly chop the potatoes.  Place them in a pot, cover with water, and salt.  Bring to a boil and simmer until tender, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat some oil over medium heat in a sauté pan, then add the chicken.  Season with salt and pepper and cook to golden brown.  Transfer the chicken to a casserole dish, add a tad more oil to the pan, and sauté the carrots for a couple minutes.  Add the frozen peas and scallion, season with salt and pepper, and sauté two more minutes.  Set the veggies aside, but keep using the same pan-- melt a tablespoon or so of butter and add flour to make a roux.  Whisk in the wine, then the chicken stock (keep about 2 Tbsp back to add to the potatoes later), and cook until slightly thickened.  Return the veggies, and season with mustard, salt, and pepper.  Pour over the chicken in the casserole dish, and stir to combine.

Drain the potatoes, and mash them with cream cheese, garlic, chives, and the withheld chicken stock.  If they're still not smooth and creamy, add a bit of milk to get them to the proper texture.  Stir in the egg yolks and parsley, then spread the mixture over the chicken and veggies in the casserole.  Bake until the top is set and slightly toasted, about 15 minutes.

I really liked this!  The wine-and-mustard sauce was fantastic; I may also use it for pot pies.  The potatoes also turned out nicely on their own.  (But, if I do say so myself, I know mashed potatoes!)  The original recipe called for fresh tarragon, but I didn't feel like anything was missing.  Such a flavorful sauce.  And I love some shepherd's pie.  Tender, flavorful meat and veggies on the bottom, potatoes with just a hint of crisp to them…  This recipe and adaptation did not disappoint!