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!

Sauerbraten: The blog that has been 2 years in the making

A few years ago my dad decided he was going to work with each member of my family to prepare one of the three holiday meals (Christmas Eve, Christmas, and New Year's) that my family has.  I chose Christmas dinner, and then grabbed the German cookbook to decide what to make.  I chose German because a lot of our Christmas traditions come from Germany-- Christmas trees and "Silent Night," for instance.  I also lived for a year in Germany, and miss it most at Christmastime.  I flipped through the book, and decided on Sauerbraten.  I'd never had it, in spite of it being a German classic.  It's a sweet-and-sour dish, and, what makes it perfect for Christmas, it features a gravy thickened with gingersnaps. I've made it every year since, which has allowed me to work out some of the mistakes I made the first time.  I told my host mom about making it, and she asked without missing a beat how long I marinaded it.  A true Sauerbraten, she informed me, MUST be marinaded for days; good thing my recipe does.  I would've hated to disappoint her.

And a quick note on photos-- I started this two years ago, but didn't have half the photos I wanted; I took some more this past year, and now am able to finish.

Sauerbraten

2.5 lb Beef roast
2 onions
1 carrot
2 celery stalks
2/3 C red wine vinegar
1 bay leaf
6 cloves
6 black peppercorns
1 Tbsp dark brown sugar
2 tsp salt
1 onion
4 oz. bacon
1 Tbsp cornstarch
Gingersnaps

*This text color indicates a non-marinade ingredient, which won't be needed until 3 days after the others.

Cut the 2 onions into wedges or slices.  Slice the carrot and celery into medallions.  Place the prepared veggies and 2 1/2 C water in a saucepan.  Bring it to boil, then reduce it to a simmer and allow it to cook for about 5 minutes.  Add the vinegar, bay leaf, cloves, peppercorns, sugar, and salt.  Simmer 5 minutes more, then cover and COOL COMPLETELY.  I have found it best to make this in the evening  four days before you plan to serve the Sauerbraten and let it cool overnight.

Once your marinade has cooled, place the roast in a casserole dish and pour the marinade over.  It should be a tight fit.  Cover the dish and place it in the fridge.  You will marinade it for 3 days, flipping the roast over each day.  I've found this to be easiest if you start by scooping out marinade ingredients and maybe even pour off some of the marinade first.  Replace it all once you've flipped the meat.

After three days, dice another onion and the bacon, then remove the roast, and dry it thoroughly.  Don't throw out the marinade just yet.  Heat a couple tablespoons oil in a large pan over medium-high heat, and sear the beef on all sides.  Set it aside, then place the onions in the pan and reduce the heat to medium.  After about 5 minutes of sautéing, add the bacon, and continue to cook until the bacon is brown.

Transfer the onion and bacon to a soup pot and place the beef on top.  Strain the liquid from the marinade into the stock pot.  Slowly bring it to a boil, then cover it and simmer over low heat until the beef is tender.  The recipe says about 2 hours, but I ALWAYS need more time… probably closer to 4 hours.

While the simmering is going on, begin crushing gingersnaps.  You will need a total of 1 C gingersnap crumbs.

Once the beef is tender, take it out and set it aside.  Keep it warm, though.  Make a slurry of cornstarch and cold water, and whisk that and the gingersnap crumbs into the liquid.  Bring to a boil and continue stirring until thickened.  Slice the beef and serve with noodles (or Spätzle) and gravy, garnishing, if desired, with fresh parsley.  

I tried to make clear the mistakes I've made along the way, but just to be sure, here they are again.  I assume if I made them, others might, too.  
1) I didn't cool the marinade completely.  It cooked the meat surface a little, and that resulted in a weird texture and less-than-ideal marinading.  
2) I didn't simmer the beef long enough.  After 2 1/2 hours I was impatient and hungry, and served it.  It was tough.  The longer cook time is important, because a tender Sauerbraten is amazing!
3) I didn't whisk or stir as vigorously as I should have when adding the gingersnap crumbs.  I wound up with lumps.  Normally, lumps strike me as a cosmetic issue.  But with gingersnaps, the clumps have a weird gummy texture and a distinct, sweet flavor.  It's jarring.  

I love this.  It's got such a wonderful, Christmas-y flavor.  The gingersnaps are balanced by the vinegar so you don't get overwhelmed by sweet (or vice versa).  Instead, they just contribute some more flavor complexity.  And that gravy is what makes the dish for me.  The roast cooks down a lot, so if you're cooking for a family, there probably won't be too much left over.  If you cook it to tenderness, it's a delight to eat.  It marries well with the gravy and the whole thing just melts in your mouth.  Serving with the noodles or Spätzle is a good idea; I tried it with potatoes once and it just doesn't quite have the right texture to complement the Sauerbraten.  

Take away message: don't let the name throw you.  Sauerbraten is a delicious, festive comfort food.  It just takes a little time to do it right.

This might be what warmth tastes like…

I love soup.  There are so many varieties, hot soups, cold soups, thick soups, clear soups… There is a soup for every person.  And generally soup isn't too hard to make.  Generally.  So I had clipped this recipe for leek and cabbage soup when I saw it in the New York Times Dining Section.  I was also hoping it would be a good way to eat cabbage, a vegetable that I appreciate more than I like.  

Cabbage is in season from June to October in the northern hemisphere, but I've never lived anywhere that I wasn't able to get it year round (we won't go into that here…)  So I've always seen it.  I like it mixed into my salads, it turns out that they put it in Runzas (how sneaky!), and my oma (German grandmother) makes absolutely delicious spiced red cabbage.  Beyond that, though, I've never cared much for it.  I didn't even like coleslaw until college.

But I wanted to like cabbage.  It's such a homey vegetable.  Red cabbage looks lovely.  And it's so traditional.  A lot of European comfort foods include it.  In fact, this soup is a comfort food.  So, when I planned to make soup and had a half a head of cabbage left over from another recipe, I decided to give it a try.  I mean, that is why I clipped it, right?  

Cabbage, Potato, and Leek Soup
2 leeks
1/2- 1 head cabbage
6 Tbsp butter
2 cloves garlic
3 medium-sized baking potatoes
2 C chicken stock
2 sprigs thyme
salt and pepper (to taste)
parmesan (as garnish)

Begin by prepping your veggies.  Discard the dark green portion of the leeks, and thinly slice and wash the remainder.  (I wash after slicing; you can do so before.  Either way, make sure you get the dirt out from between the leaves!)  Shred the cabbage.  (I had about 3/4 of a Napa cabbage left, so I used that.  It doesn't go onto a grater very well, but using a knife to thinly shave off pieces from the top of the head worked quite well.)  Mince the garlic, and peel and dice the potatoes.

Melt the butter over medium-high heat in your soup pot, then add the leeks and cook until soft and barely caramelized (about 7 minutes).  Add the cabbage and garlic (it will cook down!).  Stir occasionally until the cabbage begins to caramelize, (about 10 minutes).

Add the potatoes, stock, water, salt, and thyme.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook, partially covered, until the potatoes are falling apart, about 45 minutes.  Add water if you feel the soup is too thick.  Season taste with pepper and additional salt, and serve with parmesan cheese on top.


So, I was a little skeptical.  My husband was too.  But we were both like, "Oh, if you're willing to make/try it, I will try/make it."  And you know what?  This was good!   I thought it might upset my stomach the way sauerkraut does--nope!  I thought it might have a weird, slimy texture-- Nope!  My husband was even happy to eat the leftovers, "I liked it!" he said with enthusiasm when I asked.  For only a few ingredients, there was a lot of deep, rich flavor.  This truly was a comfort food.  There are enough veggies in it that it was filling, but they're cooked soft enough that it's not too much to chew through.  It was almost creamy from the potato starch.  It didn't leave me craving anything else, except maybe more.  Luckily, it made more than just the 4 servings that the recipe described.

I Can… Apple Pie

Back in the fall, I got really excited about local apples.  My husband humored me, saying we could make apple pie filling.  He was thinking the kind that you put in the freezer.  But our freezer is always full of frozen fruit, meat, chicken stock, and leftovers.  I don't have space for something I know I can keep on a shelf.  A friend of mine had made canned peach pie filling.  Apple was clearly doable.  I found a recipe online, and so we hauled out my canning supplies one more time.  Sadly, I don't remember where I found the recipe I used; I thought the blogger was delightful.  Luckily, I found a similar recipe again on All Recipes.

Canned Apple Pie Filling

1 bushel apples

4 1/2 C sugar

1 C cornstarch

Cinnamon

Nutmeg
Ginger

2 tsp kosher or canning salt

10 C water

3 Tbsp lemon juice

Wash your quart-sized canning jars (you'll need about 7).  Peel, core, and chop the apples as you like for pie.  Pack them into 1-quart jars, leaving 1 inch of headspace on top.  This is about the time I panic and have to run to the store because I simply do not have enough jars.  Now, make syrup!  In a large stockpot, combine the sugar, cornstarch, spices (to taste--dried spices aren't going to mess up your preservation chemistry), salt, and water.  Bring to a boil and cook until thickened and bubbly.  I also threw in some of the apple cores, to infuse a little extra apple flavor.  When thick and bubbly, remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice.  For once, DO NOT use fresh lemon juice.  The pH can vary, and you need control when preserving.  Pour or ladle the syrup over the apple chunks in the jars.  I ended up ladling some in each jar, letting it settle while I filled the others, and re-filling.  You want to get the jar completely full and get out as much air as possible.  Use a knife or cake tester to help fill the tiny crevices.  Wipe the rims clean, place the lids on top, and put on the rims to "finger tightness".  Bring your canning bath to a boil, and process the jars for 20 minutes.  Allow to cool completely without messing with the jars.  After they are completely cool, tighten the rims and clean up the jars as you feel necessary.

To make pie, pour 1 quart of pie filling into an unbaked pie crust.  Top with a second crust if desired, sprinkle with a bit of sugar, and bake for 30 minutes at 400˚ F.  Alternately, bake without a second crust, and top with a caramel sauce, as pictured here.

This is really yummy, actually.  I've made it with a lattice top as well as the caramel pictured above.  I've gifted it to a couple people, and they really enjoyed it, too.  I liked that I still had control over the spices-- I went heavier on the cinnamon, lighter on the ginger and nutmeg.  I had some leftover syrup from that, which is GREAT on peanut butter toast.  The blog I adapted my recipe from recommended it on waffles.  Plus, I have a friend who likes pie filling more than pie-- this is a great thing for someone like her.  

This did get a little messy, which was frustrating.  The filling oozed out during processing, and so I wound up with a teensy bit of mold under the rims.  (The jars still sealed properly, so there wasn't anything under the seal/ in the jar.  Just on the threads of the rim.)  Which isn't really a big deal to me, because I unscrew the rim, clean it up, and I'm good to go, but it made me a little reluctant to share with some people, because it looks… gross.  Still, better to deal with that than to dislodge the seal immediately after canning.  And the filling in the jar really is wonderful.

Kohlrabi

I was introduced to kohlrabi while I was in Germany.  My host family grew them in their garden, and I loved them-- fresh or quick-cooked in the microwave-- my host mom made them so yummy.  I've always struggled though, with the kohlrabis I find in the grocery store here in the US.  They are so small an anemic-looking compared to the ones my host family grows.  Do I really want them?  Well, early in the fall, I was wandering through the farmers' market and found the mother of all kohlrabi.  It was three or four times the size of the ones in the grocery store; next to this monstrous veggie, my host family's appear dwarfish.  IT WAS ALMOST THE SIZE OF MY HEAD.

From an earlier try with kohlrabi (I had found some at the store I felt were acceptably sized), I knew my husband prefers cooked kohlrabi to raw; he thinks it tastes a bit like cauliflower.  I don't really care for cauliflower, so I disagree, but sure, I could cook it for him.

Creamy Kohlrabi Puree

Kohlrabi (half of a massive kohlrabi, 2 of a grocery store kohlrabi)

1-2 Tbsp butter

1 green onion (scallion), chopped

salt

Lawry's seasoned salt

pepper

Peel and roughly chop the kohlrabi, then place in salted water.  Bring to a boil, and cook until the kohlrabi is tender (like cooking potatoes).  Drain the water.  Add the butter and use a food processor, immersion blender, or potato masher to create a smooth, creamy texture.  Season to taste with Lawry's and pepper, and stir in the green onion.  

Super-easy, but super-yummy.  I was surprised how much I liked it, actually.  It really did have a creamy mouthfeel, and the onion gave it a bit of pop.  It doesn't necessarily look (or taste) like a typical green veggie, making it a nice way to get out of a rut.  It is still a veggie, though, and has a fresh flavor that balanced the fried onion rings we served it with.  

I think seasoning is key to developing interesting flavors with kohlrabi.  Lawry's is great that way, and pepper gives it a little more depth.  If you want an even quicker way to serve up kohlrabi try the following, which is an easy way to take it to work, too.  Peel and chop a portion of kohlrabi, and throw it in a microwave-safe dish.  Add a bit of butter, Lawry's, and pepper.  Microwave 1 minute, and enjoy.