We first saw pickled asiers in the jar aisle of the supermarket ages ago - and weren't sure what they were. The picture on the label looked a bit like a cassava, the contents looked like thick-sliced peeled pears... Eventually we bought some, and S fell in love with them. Turns out they are crisp, chunky, sweet-pickled slices of giant cucumber. They are traditionally eaten on smørrebrod with leverpostej - but we like them with hard cheese like Pråst or mature cheddar.
A few weeks ago, we found some fresh ones for sale in Irma, and decided we should try pickling some ourselves. We used approximately this recipe. I'm still not sure if asiers are just a marrow version of the American kind of thick-skinned cucumbers, or a different kind of cucumber intended to be grown to marrow size - either way, they are a little different from your average pickled cucumber.
2 kg asiers (cucumber marrows)
50-75 g salt
150 g small red onions, peeled and sliced (or shallots)
2 tbsp mustard seeds
1 tbsp black peppercorns
fennel seeds
chilli flakes
1.5 l vinegar (ideally white wine or apple cider vinegar) (5%)
750 g sugar
Peel the asiers, cut them in half lengthways, scrape out the seeds and cut into 1 cm thick slices. Sprinkle with the salt, cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and set aside in a cool place for 2–3 hours.
Rinse the salted asier slices in cold water and wipe them lightly with kitchen paper. Place in sterilised jars, layering with the sliced onions, mustard seeds, black peppercorns, and fennel seeds and chilli flakes too if you like. Heat the sugar and vinegar almost to the boil in a pan, whisking until the sugar has dissolved. Pour over the asier slices in the jars until they are all covered, and immediately seal. Leave for at least a week before eating. Keep in the fridge.
There were some variations in different recipes I checked - for example, the asiers could be salted after just cutting in half and deseeding instead of after slicing; and they could be left for a day instead of just a few hours in the salt... Another option would be using 'atamon' - I had to look this up, but apparently it is a preservative with a strange label (with a caricature of a chinese face on it) that is often used in Danish pickles. So if I make them again, perhaps I'll try something a little different: with atamon+chilli (perhaps most interesting?), with atamon+star anise, and another one.
Also, these come out nice, but not really crunchy enough - should they be salted more or less? Or should I add something tannic?
Showing posts with label black pepper. Show all posts
Showing posts with label black pepper. Show all posts
Friday, September 22, 2017
Sunday, November 6, 2016
Pickled apples
Curious about apple pickling, since I had a suitable large jar from S's lupins, and obviously lots of apples. I liked the sound of the spices in this recipe.
700 g apples (approx. 4 med-large apples)
500 ml white wine or cider vinegar
120 g caster sugar
1 tsp salt
10 cm Carolina allspice bark or cinnamon stick (used cinnamon
1 tsp fennel seeds
3 whole cloves
½ tsp Szechuan peppercorns or black peppercorns (used black pepper)
1 star anise
Few sprigs of lemon thyme (used dried bayleaves)
Dissolve the sugar and salt in the vinegar in a pan over a medium heat. Add the spices, simmer for 15 min, then turn off the heat. Core, peel and thinly slice two apples as the pickling liquid cools. Place the slices in a large lidded jar and just cover the apples with spicy vinegar. Repeat with the rest of the apples. Eat within 10 days or so, or longer if the apples retain a good texture.
700 g apples (approx. 4 med-large apples)
500 ml white wine or cider vinegar
120 g caster sugar
1 tsp salt
10 cm Carolina allspice bark or cinnamon stick (used cinnamon
1 tsp fennel seeds
3 whole cloves
½ tsp Szechuan peppercorns or black peppercorns (used black pepper)
1 star anise
Few sprigs of lemon thyme (used dried bayleaves)
Dissolve the sugar and salt in the vinegar in a pan over a medium heat. Add the spices, simmer for 15 min, then turn off the heat. Core, peel and thinly slice two apples as the pickling liquid cools. Place the slices in a large lidded jar and just cover the apples with spicy vinegar. Repeat with the rest of the apples. Eat within 10 days or so, or longer if the apples retain a good texture.
Monday, March 30, 2015
Berbere lentils
I've made berbere lentils before, but at the weekend was browsing my precious weeks-old Guardian Weekend (that Y shepherded carefully over from Beccles for me), and found someone professing this berbere lentils recipe (that I had noticed then forgotten about previously) to be the best thing. And I had exactly the 250 g of red lentils it called for, so off we went.
2 medium onions, chopped
sesame oil (untoasted) or peanut oil, for frying
2–3 garlic cloves, chopped
250g red lentils
2 tbsp berbere spice mix (recipe below)
400g tin chopped tomatoes
400ml water
salt and black pepper
For berbere spice mix:
2 cloves
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cayenne
2 tbsp paprika
2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground turmeric
½ tsp each of ground allspice, black pepper, ground cardamom, and ground nutmeg
To make the berbere, toast the cloves with the fenugreek, cumin and coriander. Grind and then mix with the cayenne, paprika, salt, black pepper, cardamom, nutmeg, turmeric and allspice.
Fry the onions. When softened, add the garlic, lentils and berbere. Mix, then add the tomatoes and water. Bring to the boil, turn down the heat and simmer for 30 minutes, adding more water if necessary.
Pretty good. Was a bit salty - I've reduced the salt a little above (as well as tweaking spice levels to my taste).Very similar to the recipe I tried before (except a bit saltier).
2 medium onions, chopped
sesame oil (untoasted) or peanut oil, for frying
2–3 garlic cloves, chopped
250g red lentils
2 tbsp berbere spice mix (recipe below)
400g tin chopped tomatoes
400ml water
salt and black pepper
For berbere spice mix:
2 cloves
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cayenne
2 tbsp paprika
2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground turmeric
½ tsp each of ground allspice, black pepper, ground cardamom, and ground nutmeg
To make the berbere, toast the cloves with the fenugreek, cumin and coriander. Grind and then mix with the cayenne, paprika, salt, black pepper, cardamom, nutmeg, turmeric and allspice.
Fry the onions. When softened, add the garlic, lentils and berbere. Mix, then add the tomatoes and water. Bring to the boil, turn down the heat and simmer for 30 minutes, adding more water if necessary.
Pretty good. Was a bit salty - I've reduced the salt a little above (as well as tweaking spice levels to my taste).Very similar to the recipe I tried before (except a bit saltier).
Saturday, March 7, 2015
Dukkah
One of our best food finds in Copenhagen so far has been Sticks n Sushi. The name didn't sound that promising but there was one near work and I'd read that they had some good veggie stuff, so S and I decided to check it out one lunchtime, and call it research for the interviews he was hosting soon for people in his new lab (!).
It was empty that first time, but really really good once we got going. We ate a veggie selection (I think called the Greens Keeper), and it had a bit of creative veggie sushi, some unusual summer rolls, grilled corn on the cob and edamame in pods, and something really simple but delicious: sticks of sweet raw veg, with a miso dip and a sort of a dukkah of poppyseeds and something red - so you dunk the veggie stick in the miso stuff then the dukkah so the seeds etc stick. Really fresh and tasty...
(nb they had exactly my kind of puddings too: little tasty things. I tried a caramel covered in dark chocolate with sesame seeds on the outside and it was gooood)
So anyway, we went there again the other evening and ate that dip/dukkah thing again, and I started thinking about dukkah, and how M gave me some she'd made a while back and it was yummy and fennel seed-y and I put it on everythingggg. And then I made broccoli with miso sauce and seeds, and realised the world was telling me to make dukkah. So then I did. I thought Ottolenghi would probably have a good way of doing it, and I had hazelnuts left over from S's birthday cake, so I followed this recipe (subbing black pepper for green because I didn't have green and I think I like black better anyway).
70 g hazelnuts
2 tbsp sunflower seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp dry green peppercorns (or white... used black)
3 tbsp coriander seeds
1½ tbsp sesame seeds
½ tsp nigella seeds
½ tsp sea salt
1 tsp paprika
Heat the oven to 140C/285F/gas mark 1. Spread the hazelnuts on a baking tray and place in the oven for 20 minutes. Add the sunflower seeds to the tray halfway through, keeping them separate from the nuts. Remove from the oven and leave to cool while you toast the seeds.
Heat a small frying pan, then dry-roast the fennel seeds for 30 seconds. Add the cumin seeds and cook for another 30 seconds, or until they start to pop, then tip both into a little bowl. Put the pan back on the heat, toast the coriander seeds, and tip into the same bowl.
Toast the sesame and nigella seeds together until the sesame turns light brown, then tip into another small bowl.
Rub the hazelnuts to discard some of the skin. Crush coarsely with a pestle and mortar, then transfer to a medium bowl. Lightly crush the cumin and fennel seeds, and add to the hazelnuts. Repeat with the coriander seeds, then the sunflower seeds. Add these to the nut bowl, along with the ground black pepper, sesame and nigella seeds, add salt and paprika, and mix well.
I ate it with celeriac puree made like this, and it was truly delicious, either on bread, with pasta, or just the dukkah and the puree. After making this I remembered making dukkah once before, that time slightly different (I really wanted the fennel seeds this time), and eaten with baked squash.
It was empty that first time, but really really good once we got going. We ate a veggie selection (I think called the Greens Keeper), and it had a bit of creative veggie sushi, some unusual summer rolls, grilled corn on the cob and edamame in pods, and something really simple but delicious: sticks of sweet raw veg, with a miso dip and a sort of a dukkah of poppyseeds and something red - so you dunk the veggie stick in the miso stuff then the dukkah so the seeds etc stick. Really fresh and tasty...
(nb they had exactly my kind of puddings too: little tasty things. I tried a caramel covered in dark chocolate with sesame seeds on the outside and it was gooood)
So anyway, we went there again the other evening and ate that dip/dukkah thing again, and I started thinking about dukkah, and how M gave me some she'd made a while back and it was yummy and fennel seed-y and I put it on everythingggg. And then I made broccoli with miso sauce and seeds, and realised the world was telling me to make dukkah. So then I did. I thought Ottolenghi would probably have a good way of doing it, and I had hazelnuts left over from S's birthday cake, so I followed this recipe (subbing black pepper for green because I didn't have green and I think I like black better anyway).
70 g hazelnuts
2 tbsp sunflower seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp dry green peppercorns (or white... used black)
3 tbsp coriander seeds
1½ tbsp sesame seeds
½ tsp nigella seeds
½ tsp sea salt
1 tsp paprika
Heat the oven to 140C/285F/gas mark 1. Spread the hazelnuts on a baking tray and place in the oven for 20 minutes. Add the sunflower seeds to the tray halfway through, keeping them separate from the nuts. Remove from the oven and leave to cool while you toast the seeds.
Heat a small frying pan, then dry-roast the fennel seeds for 30 seconds. Add the cumin seeds and cook for another 30 seconds, or until they start to pop, then tip both into a little bowl. Put the pan back on the heat, toast the coriander seeds, and tip into the same bowl.
Toast the sesame and nigella seeds together until the sesame turns light brown, then tip into another small bowl.
Rub the hazelnuts to discard some of the skin. Crush coarsely with a pestle and mortar, then transfer to a medium bowl. Lightly crush the cumin and fennel seeds, and add to the hazelnuts. Repeat with the coriander seeds, then the sunflower seeds. Add these to the nut bowl, along with the ground black pepper, sesame and nigella seeds, add salt and paprika, and mix well.
I ate it with celeriac puree made like this, and it was truly delicious, either on bread, with pasta, or just the dukkah and the puree. After making this I remembered making dukkah once before, that time slightly different (I really wanted the fennel seeds this time), and eaten with baked squash.
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
Lazy vegetable and red lentil curry
Since we're subletting I haven't really felt like I settled in, foodwise, yet. The kitchen has most everything we need but not all, and I'm conscious of trying not to mess things up. And since we move again soon (to a different sublet) it feels like it would be silly to buy up lots of foodstuff. Not to mention that there is a whole lot of exciting food out there to buy / eat - baked goods especially are making us happy. And there's just a lot of adventuring / work etc to be done, so spending time doing anything very involved in the kitchen doesn't feel quite right. But then again, just eating pasta or salad all the time doesn't feel right either.
This has been my solution: simple curried vegetables, with red lentils to thicken and deepen. No weighing or measuring and minimal effort; but feels hearty and hygge (and yes not much different from that soup - just a few more spices, less varied vegetables and less liquidy).
(Note: partly inspired by our favourite food place discovery since getting here: Grød - all kinds of sweet and savoury porridge (including dal, barley-otto); perfect for a Danish winter and quite near work.)
~1 tbsp veg oil (or olive oil)
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
2 in piece ginger, peeled and chopped
1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground paprika
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon
few grinds black pepper
1 tsp curry powder
4 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
chunk of celeriac, peeled and diced
~1 cup red lentils
1 veg stock cube made up with 2 cups boiling water
smallish piece of broccoli, washed and separated into florets
~1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
~1 tsp salt
~2 tbsp chopped coriander
brown rice and skyr / yoghurt* to serve
Heat the oil in a medium lidded saucepan. Add the garlic, ginger and onion. Cover and cook until softened and slightly browned. Add the spices and mix / toast for a minute. Add the carrots and celeriac and mix. Add the lentils and stock and stir. Cover and simmer for ~15 min until the veg and lentils are nearly tender. Add the broccoli and simmer for ~5 more minutes. Check everything is done and add vinegar and salt to taste. To serve, mix through some of the coriander and scatter some more on top. We ate with brown rice and some skyr*.
This keeps well to become work lunches etc as well - perhaps even improves with a day in the fridge. Usually I would have added tinned tomatoes to something like this, but (a) I didn't have any, and (b) I found that red lentils+stock work well in their place to create a sauce as well as adding texture and earthy flavour.
*I have been having a bit of a break from veganism since getting here - it's tricky to figure out what is / isn't vegan when there's a language barrier. So I am making the best of it and eating lots of all my favourite non-vegan foods (mostly yoghurt; occasionally cheese / eggs / non-vegan baked goods) - no meat! Hence the skyr - I always loved how natural yoghurt goes with spicy curry and brown rice. But this is just fine without it too.
This has been my solution: simple curried vegetables, with red lentils to thicken and deepen. No weighing or measuring and minimal effort; but feels hearty and hygge (and yes not much different from that soup - just a few more spices, less varied vegetables and less liquidy).
(Note: partly inspired by our favourite food place discovery since getting here: Grød - all kinds of sweet and savoury porridge (including dal, barley-otto); perfect for a Danish winter and quite near work.)
~1 tbsp veg oil (or olive oil)
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
2 in piece ginger, peeled and chopped
1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground paprika
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon
few grinds black pepper
1 tsp curry powder
4 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
chunk of celeriac, peeled and diced
~1 cup red lentils
1 veg stock cube made up with 2 cups boiling water
smallish piece of broccoli, washed and separated into florets
~1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
~1 tsp salt
~2 tbsp chopped coriander
brown rice and skyr / yoghurt* to serve
Heat the oil in a medium lidded saucepan. Add the garlic, ginger and onion. Cover and cook until softened and slightly browned. Add the spices and mix / toast for a minute. Add the carrots and celeriac and mix. Add the lentils and stock and stir. Cover and simmer for ~15 min until the veg and lentils are nearly tender. Add the broccoli and simmer for ~5 more minutes. Check everything is done and add vinegar and salt to taste. To serve, mix through some of the coriander and scatter some more on top. We ate with brown rice and some skyr*.
This keeps well to become work lunches etc as well - perhaps even improves with a day in the fridge. Usually I would have added tinned tomatoes to something like this, but (a) I didn't have any, and (b) I found that red lentils+stock work well in their place to create a sauce as well as adding texture and earthy flavour.
*I have been having a bit of a break from veganism since getting here - it's tricky to figure out what is / isn't vegan when there's a language barrier. So I am making the best of it and eating lots of all my favourite non-vegan foods (mostly yoghurt; occasionally cheese / eggs / non-vegan baked goods) - no meat! Hence the skyr - I always loved how natural yoghurt goes with spicy curry and brown rice. But this is just fine without it too.
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Liquorice ketchup
S brought loads of liquorice back from Denmark, and also a little tub of liquorice powder. I have never had a particular love for liquorice, although I have grown to like it. So I was quite stumped what to do with it. Luckily the liquorice powder brand has some suggestions. I decided to try a liquorice ketchup. We'd liked the idea of making fancy ketchups before but I'd never got round to it.
1 red bell pepper
olive oil
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 apple, peeled and roughly chopped
1 tin of tomatoes (or 1/2 tin plus 2 large tomatoes, seeds and skin removed)
7 tsp liquorice powder
1 tbsp liquorice syrup (used maple syrup)
25g brown sugar
pinch of black pepper
fresh red chilli (optional), deseeded (used dried)
Grill the pepper in the oven until skin blisters and peppers softens, and remove skin (I used roasted red pepper from a jar instead). Let cool a little then chop roughly.
Heat ~2 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan. Add the onion and garlic and cook for a few min. Add the pepper, apple and the fresh tomatoes if using and cook until soft. Add the liquorice powder and the tinned tomatoes and stir. Add the remaining ingredients: liquorice (or maple) syrup, sugar, black pepper, and chilli (optional). Simmer slowly for at least 15-20min.
Finally, blend the ketchup to a purée and put in the fridge to cool. When it’s cold, it’s ready.
Ohhhh this is really liquorice-y and there's loads of it. Not sure if my liking for liquorice has graduated to this level of liquoriceyness yet.
1 red bell pepper
olive oil
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 apple, peeled and roughly chopped
1 tin of tomatoes (or 1/2 tin plus 2 large tomatoes, seeds and skin removed)
7 tsp liquorice powder
1 tbsp liquorice syrup (used maple syrup)
25g brown sugar
pinch of black pepper
fresh red chilli (optional), deseeded (used dried)
Grill the pepper in the oven until skin blisters and peppers softens, and remove skin (I used roasted red pepper from a jar instead). Let cool a little then chop roughly.
Heat ~2 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan. Add the onion and garlic and cook for a few min. Add the pepper, apple and the fresh tomatoes if using and cook until soft. Add the liquorice powder and the tinned tomatoes and stir. Add the remaining ingredients: liquorice (or maple) syrup, sugar, black pepper, and chilli (optional). Simmer slowly for at least 15-20min.
Finally, blend the ketchup to a purée and put in the fridge to cool. When it’s cold, it’s ready.
Ohhhh this is really liquorice-y and there's loads of it. Not sure if my liking for liquorice has graduated to this level of liquoriceyness yet.
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Quick fried tofu with spring onions and sesame
This is like a speeded-up version of this delicious beast. Taking advantage of TJ's super firm tofu (no need to drain, doesn't fall apart easily so can be stir fried), simplifying and using a bit less heat.
2 tbsp veg oil
1 tsp sesame oil
1 pack super firm tofu (shrink wrapped), chopped into large chunks
~5 spring onions, chopped
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tsp dried chilli flakes
generous grinding of black pepper and salt
Heat oils and then add the tofu. Stir fry, tossing regularly, for a few minutes, then add spring onions. Stir fry a little longer then add sesame seeds, chilli, pepper and salt. Keep frying until the tofu is lightly browned and the spring onions are wilted and crispy in places. We ate this with soba noodles and a quick peanut-tamarind sauce (peanut butter, tamarind paste, lime juice, soy sauce, mirin).
2 tbsp veg oil
1 tsp sesame oil
1 pack super firm tofu (shrink wrapped), chopped into large chunks
~5 spring onions, chopped
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tsp dried chilli flakes
generous grinding of black pepper and salt
Heat oils and then add the tofu. Stir fry, tossing regularly, for a few minutes, then add spring onions. Stir fry a little longer then add sesame seeds, chilli, pepper and salt. Keep frying until the tofu is lightly browned and the spring onions are wilted and crispy in places. We ate this with soba noodles and a quick peanut-tamarind sauce (peanut butter, tamarind paste, lime juice, soy sauce, mirin).
Monday, November 25, 2013
Midwestern collard greens
I'd never felt much love for collards. Compared with most of their Brassica relatives, they just seemed way less exciting in every way. Some came in the CSA last week. I remembered G saying that N made excellent collard greens, so when I saw him at Happy Hour on Friday I asked about them. He divulged his secret recipe: boil them for seven minutes then saute with garlic (he then segwayed into the best things about Michigan (where he comes from)). Makes sense - collards are tougher than your average green. So S+I thought we'd give them another chance. Turns out it's true: N does make excellent collard greens - the seven minutes' boiling was enough to make then incredibly tender without making them taste or look overcooked. We ate them all.
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Pickled quinces
The last blast of the harvesting season came via M from LUrC. L was kind enough to collect ~15 lb of quinces for her and me to share. She arrived at my place last night with a backpack rammed with quinces. As soon as she walked past me into the apartment I got a waft of their wonderful smell. We spent the evening chopping, chatting, listening to the radio, eating yellow potatoes and pickled green tomatoes, and making beautiful quince preserves. We made half of them into membrillo, and sliced half of what was left thinly to make quinces in syrup and the rest in chunks to make these pickled quinces. The pickled quince recipe we used is here - L looked it up and said she didn't find anything on American sites (perhaps quinces are not common / not commonly used here?), and she consequently got a bit confused about metric measurements...
(we doubled the recipe below to get four large jars)
250 ml cider vinegar
750 ml water
200 g sugar
4 strips lemon zest
6 cloves
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 cinnamon stick
3 bay leaves
1 star anise
2 (or 350g) quince, peeled, cut into eighths
Put all the ingredients except the quince into a large saucepan, bring to a simmer, then add the peeled, cored, halved and eighthed quinces, then turn down to a gentle heat and leave to cook for 20-25 minutes until tender.
Gently lift the quince pieces out of the liquid with a slotted spoon and put them into sterilised jars. Pour over the liquor, seal and cool. They will keep for a few weeks.
(we doubled the recipe below to get four large jars)
250 ml cider vinegar
750 ml water
200 g sugar
4 strips lemon zest
6 cloves
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 cinnamon stick
3 bay leaves
1 star anise
2 (or 350g) quince, peeled, cut into eighths
Put all the ingredients except the quince into a large saucepan, bring to a simmer, then add the peeled, cored, halved and eighthed quinces, then turn down to a gentle heat and leave to cook for 20-25 minutes until tender.
Gently lift the quince pieces out of the liquid with a slotted spoon and put them into sterilised jars. Pour over the liquor, seal and cool. They will keep for a few weeks.
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
S's Abendbrot: tomato toasts
Apparently, in Germany the evening meal (Abendbrot) is most often just bread, with cheese / meat / whatever (Abend = evening, Brot = bread). So S likes when we just have bread and whatever for dinner. It's not such a bad idea: it's quick and a good way to use up stuff. And adaptable. The other night I made a couple of dips (red lentil dip and baba ghanoush) and roasted some veg, so the rest of the week we've been eating dips with carrot sticks and toast, avocado on toast, and these - S's current fave - tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, basil, salt+pepper on toast. I'm guessing this is not exactly what most Germans eat for Abendbrot, but take a German vegetarian out of the fatherland for 10 years and look what happens. They are more like bruschetta. Really quick and really tasty, especially with our current crop of garden tomatoes (S says they are the best tomatoes he's ever had: praise indeed as he does love tomatoes), plus basil also from the pot garden and juicy CSA garlic.
4 thickish slices robust bread (he favours TJ's rustic sourdough)
1 garlic clove, peeled
1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
~4 medium-sized ripe tomatoes, chopped or sliced
small bunch of basil, washed and torn into pieces
fresh ground sea salt and black pepper
Toast the bread. Rub it with garlic. Drizzle with olive oil. Arrange tomatoes over it. Sprinkle with torn basil leaves and finish with a good grinding of salt and pepper. Cut into smaller pieces if you like, and eat straight away.
4 thickish slices robust bread (he favours TJ's rustic sourdough)
1 garlic clove, peeled
1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
~4 medium-sized ripe tomatoes, chopped or sliced
small bunch of basil, washed and torn into pieces
fresh ground sea salt and black pepper
Toast the bread. Rub it with garlic. Drizzle with olive oil. Arrange tomatoes over it. Sprinkle with torn basil leaves and finish with a good grinding of salt and pepper. Cut into smaller pieces if you like, and eat straight away.
Monday, July 22, 2013
Pickled nasturtium seeds
But actually, one of the main reasons I wanted to grow them was because I wanted to try pickling the seeds. I've heard them described as 'poor man's capers', and I couldn't resist that description. As well as tasting amazing, the seeds look incredible: they are light green and striated with curved ridges, so each one is covered with an exaggerated fingerprint pattern.
Sadly, my harvest was rather small, but I decided to go ahead and pickle them anyway. I threw a few buds in as well to see what would happen - seems like they could be closer to a true caper.
Nasturtium seeds (and unopened or just-opening flower buds)
Brine (2 tsp salt in 100 ml water)
Spiced vinegar (1 peppercorn, small bayleaf, pinch of salt in 100 ml cider vinegar)
I collected the seeds over a week or two and stored them in a plastic tub in the fridge.
When ready to start making them pickled, mix up the brine and soak the seeds in it for 12-24 hours at room temperature.
Next, warm the vinegar with the peppercorn, salt and bay, and let cool. Put the seeds in a sterilised jar. Cover them with the spiced vinegar, seal and refrigerate. They should keep pretty much indefinitely in the fridge (think they'd also be fine outside of the fridge but to be on the safe side I'm keeping them in the fridge).
The seeds ended up a bit disappointing - pale, and they have lost their spiciness. However, the plants have had a second coming and I have loads more seeds (mid-end August), so there is a chance for a second attempt - I think I will try using my faux-Grillo's brine, and perhaps add some nasturtium seeds to other pickles if I happen to get my grubby paws on more cukes or courgettes.
Following a few experiments with picking and salting I have decided it is mostly best to just keep nasturtium seeds in a loosely-covered pot in the fridge - they keep quite long (several months) and retain their crunch and pepperiness this way.
Saturday, July 6, 2013
Brown pasta with tempeh, garlic, sugarsnap peas and mint
S's go-to is pasta with some kind of veg-based sauce. He bought some brown pasta as a special concession to me: I prefer it, he doesn't. Somehow, though, today we both managed to agree that this one is weirdly good. Realised after making it that this combo is also very much inspired by N+G's picnic special pasta salad recipe: tempeh, pasta, peas and mint. The garlic scapes and sugarsnap peas came out of the CSA, and the mint is from the yard. It's the best thing about this time of year: being able to eat superfresh food.
Sufficient brown pasta for two people
water
salt
olive oil
3-4 garlic scapes, chopped
1 small punnet of sugarsnap peas, washed and trimmed
1/2 a block of tempeh, diced
1 tbsp mint, chopped
black pepper
Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, then add the pasta and simmer until done (10-20 min depending on variety). Drain.
Meanwhile, heat 1-2 tbsp of olive oil in a frying pan. Add garlic and fry until softened and starting to colour. Add peas and tempeh and fry until the peas are just tender and the tempeh is lightly golden. Add the mint, and salt+pepper to taste.
Eat the pasta mixed with the pea-tempeh-garlic mixture, and be happy about Summer despite the oppressive heat.
We mixed in some carrot green-lime stuff with some of it, and that was also good, if the above combo isn't exciting enough for you... Also good with finely grated lemon zest, avocado chunks, or grated parmesan, depending on your proclivities.
Open to variations: made some last night as a salad using brown pasta left over from this, pea shoots (from CSA), regular garlic fried with the tempeh, chickpeas, and lemon juice. And coriander instead of mint, although I think mint is better here.
Sufficient brown pasta for two people
water
salt
olive oil
3-4 garlic scapes, chopped
1 small punnet of sugarsnap peas, washed and trimmed
1/2 a block of tempeh, diced
1 tbsp mint, chopped
black pepper
Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, then add the pasta and simmer until done (10-20 min depending on variety). Drain.
Meanwhile, heat 1-2 tbsp of olive oil in a frying pan. Add garlic and fry until softened and starting to colour. Add peas and tempeh and fry until the peas are just tender and the tempeh is lightly golden. Add the mint, and salt+pepper to taste.
Eat the pasta mixed with the pea-tempeh-garlic mixture, and be happy about Summer despite the oppressive heat.
We mixed in some carrot green-lime stuff with some of it, and that was also good, if the above combo isn't exciting enough for you... Also good with finely grated lemon zest, avocado chunks, or grated parmesan, depending on your proclivities.
Open to variations: made some last night as a salad using brown pasta left over from this, pea shoots (from CSA), regular garlic fried with the tempeh, chickpeas, and lemon juice. And coriander instead of mint, although I think mint is better here.
Friday, March 8, 2013
Radish relish (and radish pickles)
Came by lots of watermelon radishes. The words 'radish' and 'relish' seemed to fit together so beautifully I had to make it happen. This also turned into an experiment in canning processing - can I can using my basic kitchen equipment?
Radish Relish
(based on this recipe)
1 lb (2 medium sized) watermelon radishes, peeled and shredded*
1 medium onion, diced
2 inch piece ginger, peeled and finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup coconut vinegar
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tbsp red Hawaiian salt
1/2 tbsp coriander seed
1/2 tbsp yellow mustard seed
1/4 tsp black peppercorns
1/4 tsp white peppercorns
Combine vinegar, sugar, salt and spices in a large pan and bring to the boil. Add the radishes, onion, ginger and garlic. Bring back to a simmer, stirring until heated through. Remove from the heat.
Spoon relish into sterile jars, leaving ~0.5cm space at the top and poking down with a clean knife to remove bubbles. Put lids on cleanly and tight. For canning process, you need a large, tall pan with enough space to place a holder in it so that the jars don't touch the bottom of the pan, and still have space for 1-2 inches of water on top of the jars resting on the holder. My tallest pan combined with a metal steamer rose and squat jars allowed me enough space to process two ~400ml jars. Fill the pan (with the steamer in it) with water and bring to the boil. Carefully place the jars in it, bring the water to the right height and bring back to the boil, then simmer for 15 minutes (covered if possible). Remove jars carefully and allow to return to room temperature. The button on the lid should pop down if a seal has been made successfully.
Radish Pickles
(based on this recipe)
2 medium sized watermelon radishes, chopped into thickish slices 1-2 in diameter*
1 cup water
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup cider vinegar
2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp honey
1/2 tsp crushed peppercorns
½ tsp brown mustard seed
3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced longitudinally
1 small green chilli, halved longitudinally
Bring the water, vinegar, salt, and sugar or honey to a boil in a medium saucepan and simmer until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Remove from heat and add the peppercorns, mustard seed, garlic and chilli. Pack the radishes in two sterile ~500g jars and pour the hot liquid over them, dividing the garlic and chilli between the jars. Put the lids on and let cool to room temperature, checking if the button on top has popped down - if it has they are sealed. They should be ready to eat after 24 hours. Whether or not they have sealed, it is probably wise to keep them in the fridge.
*could use red radishes (no need to peel then) or daikon instead
One sad thing is that the colour all leaches out of the radishes. It remains in the liquid, so there is still prettiness, but you do lose the breathtaking beauty of the freshly sliced watermelon radish. They are a lovely pink, but I don't love them. I prefer the sweeter radish relish (also prettier due to the shreds), but think the white pepper was a mistake - it smells weird. I'm trying really hard to like it as it was hand delivered to me all the way from Borneo though, so I can deal. The other one smells weird too - just a vegetably, radishy smell, but strangely offputting (I notice a similar smell from prepared horseradish, there must be some chemical reaction happening...).
Notes on water bath processing:
As far as I understand, the aim of water bath processing is to create a seal. This is particularly important when you are jarring up something that is high in neither sugar nor vinegar. So I am a little unsure about whether it is really necessary for something like this relish, which is high in both sugar and vinegar. Also, since putting hot stuff in hot sterile jars usually gives me a good seal anyway (button on lid pops down), I do wonder whether the water bath processing is needed for this or not. Plus, if the stuff has gone off it should be obvious? However, botulism is nasty, and I wouldn't want to get it or cause it. So I am still trying to figure out when water bath processing is necessary (and what for).
My pan+steamer system worked fine, but I can only process squat jars (or jars laid on their side) in the water bath as my pan isn't very tall. I could in theory process a whole lot, although only 1-2 at a time. To be really efficient about this I would need a taller pan (perhaps one day I will buy myself a proper preserving pan) and some accoutrements (tongs, rack etc). But for now I am happy to have worked out a system using regular kitchen equipment.
Radish Relish
(based on this recipe)
1 lb (2 medium sized) watermelon radishes, peeled and shredded*
1 medium onion, diced
2 inch piece ginger, peeled and finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup coconut vinegar
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tbsp red Hawaiian salt
1/2 tbsp coriander seed
1/2 tbsp yellow mustard seed
1/4 tsp black peppercorns
1/4 tsp white peppercorns
Combine vinegar, sugar, salt and spices in a large pan and bring to the boil. Add the radishes, onion, ginger and garlic. Bring back to a simmer, stirring until heated through. Remove from the heat.
Spoon relish into sterile jars, leaving ~0.5cm space at the top and poking down with a clean knife to remove bubbles. Put lids on cleanly and tight. For canning process, you need a large, tall pan with enough space to place a holder in it so that the jars don't touch the bottom of the pan, and still have space for 1-2 inches of water on top of the jars resting on the holder. My tallest pan combined with a metal steamer rose and squat jars allowed me enough space to process two ~400ml jars. Fill the pan (with the steamer in it) with water and bring to the boil. Carefully place the jars in it, bring the water to the right height and bring back to the boil, then simmer for 15 minutes (covered if possible). Remove jars carefully and allow to return to room temperature. The button on the lid should pop down if a seal has been made successfully.
Radish Pickles
(based on this recipe)
2 medium sized watermelon radishes, chopped into thickish slices 1-2 in diameter*
1 cup water
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup cider vinegar
2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp honey
1/2 tsp crushed peppercorns
½ tsp brown mustard seed
3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced longitudinally
1 small green chilli, halved longitudinally
Bring the water, vinegar, salt, and sugar or honey to a boil in a medium saucepan and simmer until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Remove from heat and add the peppercorns, mustard seed, garlic and chilli. Pack the radishes in two sterile ~500g jars and pour the hot liquid over them, dividing the garlic and chilli between the jars. Put the lids on and let cool to room temperature, checking if the button on top has popped down - if it has they are sealed. They should be ready to eat after 24 hours. Whether or not they have sealed, it is probably wise to keep them in the fridge.
*could use red radishes (no need to peel then) or daikon instead
One sad thing is that the colour all leaches out of the radishes. It remains in the liquid, so there is still prettiness, but you do lose the breathtaking beauty of the freshly sliced watermelon radish. They are a lovely pink, but I don't love them. I prefer the sweeter radish relish (also prettier due to the shreds), but think the white pepper was a mistake - it smells weird. I'm trying really hard to like it as it was hand delivered to me all the way from Borneo though, so I can deal. The other one smells weird too - just a vegetably, radishy smell, but strangely offputting (I notice a similar smell from prepared horseradish, there must be some chemical reaction happening...).
Notes on water bath processing:
As far as I understand, the aim of water bath processing is to create a seal. This is particularly important when you are jarring up something that is high in neither sugar nor vinegar. So I am a little unsure about whether it is really necessary for something like this relish, which is high in both sugar and vinegar. Also, since putting hot stuff in hot sterile jars usually gives me a good seal anyway (button on lid pops down), I do wonder whether the water bath processing is needed for this or not. Plus, if the stuff has gone off it should be obvious? However, botulism is nasty, and I wouldn't want to get it or cause it. So I am still trying to figure out when water bath processing is necessary (and what for).
My pan+steamer system worked fine, but I can only process squat jars (or jars laid on their side) in the water bath as my pan isn't very tall. I could in theory process a whole lot, although only 1-2 at a time. To be really efficient about this I would need a taller pan (perhaps one day I will buy myself a proper preserving pan) and some accoutrements (tongs, rack etc). But for now I am happy to have worked out a system using regular kitchen equipment.
Sunday, December 23, 2012
Rye and black pepper loaf
I bought some rye flour the other day and got excited about bread baking prospects. I browsed Dan Lepard's recipes on the Guardian webpage (I am in love with his recipes: they are just the right mix of adventurous, interesting, simple and downright tasty) until I came across this one. The mixture of rye, black pepper, caraway and poppy seeds sounded like something I should love 100%, and the use of coffee intrigued me.
325ml regular black coffee, warm or cold
150g rye flour
2 tsp crushed black pepper
2 tsp anise, fennel or caraway seeds (used caraway)
1 tsp dry instant yeast
1½ tsp salt
325g strong white bread flour, plus extra for shaping
fake milk and poppy seeds, to finish
Put the coffee in a saucepan along with half the rye flour, the pepper and your seeds of choice. Whisk, heat until thick and just boiling, then spoon into a mixing bowl and set aside to cool until warm. Add the yeast, mix well, add the salt, the remaining rye flour and the white flour, then mix to a smooth dough. Cover, leave for 10 minutes, then knead for 10 seconds. Cover, repeat twice more at 10-minute intervals, then leave for 30 minutes.
Line a baking tray with nonstick baking parchment. Using a little flour, pat out the dough into a 20cm square, then roll up tightly. Place the dough seam side down on the tray, cover with a cloth and leave to rise for 45 minutes. Brush the top with soy milk, sprinkle with poppy seeds, cut six diagonal slashes across the top and bake at 220C/425F/gas mark 7 for 40-45 minutes.
I had a brain freeze and got utterly confused about how long it had been proving for - there's a good chance it had not been long enough. It is still lovely though: the black pepper, caraway, poppy seeds and darkness go very well together, and very well with the celeriac and porcini soup I made at the same time.
325ml regular black coffee, warm or cold
150g rye flour
2 tsp crushed black pepper
2 tsp anise, fennel or caraway seeds (used caraway)
1 tsp dry instant yeast
1½ tsp salt
325g strong white bread flour, plus extra for shaping
fake milk and poppy seeds, to finish
Put the coffee in a saucepan along with half the rye flour, the pepper and your seeds of choice. Whisk, heat until thick and just boiling, then spoon into a mixing bowl and set aside to cool until warm. Add the yeast, mix well, add the salt, the remaining rye flour and the white flour, then mix to a smooth dough. Cover, leave for 10 minutes, then knead for 10 seconds. Cover, repeat twice more at 10-minute intervals, then leave for 30 minutes.
Line a baking tray with nonstick baking parchment. Using a little flour, pat out the dough into a 20cm square, then roll up tightly. Place the dough seam side down on the tray, cover with a cloth and leave to rise for 45 minutes. Brush the top with soy milk, sprinkle with poppy seeds, cut six diagonal slashes across the top and bake at 220C/425F/gas mark 7 for 40-45 minutes.
I had a brain freeze and got utterly confused about how long it had been proving for - there's a good chance it had not been long enough. It is still lovely though: the black pepper, caraway, poppy seeds and darkness go very well together, and very well with the celeriac and porcini soup I made at the same time.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Black pepper tofu
This is by Yotam Ottolenghi, from the Guardian. I made it for the first time a while ago and it was good, if very very spicy. That endorphin-triggering, intense heat. Addictive, I guess - I seem to be wanting more... This time I decided to reduce the heat by leaving out the chili and just using the black pepper: it's still hot, but not so mouth-blowing.
Serves four.
800g firm, fresh tofu / 200g
cornflour, to dust the tofu
Vegetable oil, for frying
150g butter / use veg oil ~ 2tbsp
12 small shallots (350g), peeled and thinly sliced / 1 medium onion
8 red chillies, thinly sliced / none
12 garlic cloves, crushed / 3 , finely chopped
3 tbsp chopped ginger / 3/4 tbsp
5 tbsp crushed black peppercorns / 1 1/4 tbsp
3 tbsp sweet soy sauce (kecap manis) / 3/4 tbsp sweet chili sauce
3 tbsp light soy sauce / 3/4 tbsp
4 tsp dark soy sauce / 1 tbsp
2 tbsp sugar / 1/2 tbsp
16 small, thin spring onions, cut into segments 3cm long / 3 medium sized, cut into slivers
Cut the tofu into 3cm x 2cm blocks and toss them in cornflour, shaking off the excess. Pour in enough oil to come 0.5cm up the sides of a large frying pan, and bring up to frying heat. Fry the tofu in batches in the oil, turning the pieces as you go. Once they are golden all around, and have a thin crust, transfer to a paper towel.
Remove the oil and any sediment from the pan and put back in 2 tbsp of veg oil. Heat and add the shallots/onions, (chillies), garlic and ginger, and sauté for about 15 minutes on low-medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the contents of the pan are shiny and totally soft. While you wait, crush the peppercorns, using a pestle and mortar or a spice grinder. They should be quite coarse.
When the shallots/onions and (chillies) are soft, add the soy sauces, sweet chili and the sugar, stir, then stir in the crushed pepper. Warm the tofu in the sauce for about a minute, then add the spring onion and stir through. Serve hot with steamed rice.
Ate it with boiled basmati rice and yellow peas.
I made various substitutions because of not having the right ingredients etc, but it still came out very tasty. Considering doing it with the addition of some sweet pepper instead of chilis another time - I do feel like it misses an element of taste without the chili somehow. Still really good though (and not as scary). Made enough for two. Would consider frying the rest of the tofu and keeping it to make something else the next day (this amount was half a regular-sized packet of tofu), as frying like this is so stinky and gross.
Serves four.
800g firm, fresh tofu / 200g
cornflour, to dust the tofu
Vegetable oil, for frying
150g butter / use veg oil ~ 2tbsp
12 small shallots (350g), peeled and thinly sliced / 1 medium onion
8 red chillies, thinly sliced / none
12 garlic cloves, crushed / 3 , finely chopped
3 tbsp chopped ginger / 3/4 tbsp
5 tbsp crushed black peppercorns / 1 1/4 tbsp
3 tbsp sweet soy sauce (kecap manis) / 3/4 tbsp sweet chili sauce
3 tbsp light soy sauce / 3/4 tbsp
4 tsp dark soy sauce / 1 tbsp
2 tbsp sugar / 1/2 tbsp
16 small, thin spring onions, cut into segments 3cm long / 3 medium sized, cut into slivers
Cut the tofu into 3cm x 2cm blocks and toss them in cornflour, shaking off the excess. Pour in enough oil to come 0.5cm up the sides of a large frying pan, and bring up to frying heat. Fry the tofu in batches in the oil, turning the pieces as you go. Once they are golden all around, and have a thin crust, transfer to a paper towel.
Remove the oil and any sediment from the pan and put back in 2 tbsp of veg oil. Heat and add the shallots/onions, (chillies), garlic and ginger, and sauté for about 15 minutes on low-medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the contents of the pan are shiny and totally soft. While you wait, crush the peppercorns, using a pestle and mortar or a spice grinder. They should be quite coarse.
When the shallots/onions and (chillies) are soft, add the soy sauces, sweet chili and the sugar, stir, then stir in the crushed pepper. Warm the tofu in the sauce for about a minute, then add the spring onion and stir through. Serve hot with steamed rice.
Ate it with boiled basmati rice and yellow peas.
I made various substitutions because of not having the right ingredients etc, but it still came out very tasty. Considering doing it with the addition of some sweet pepper instead of chilis another time - I do feel like it misses an element of taste without the chili somehow. Still really good though (and not as scary). Made enough for two. Would consider frying the rest of the tofu and keeping it to make something else the next day (this amount was half a regular-sized packet of tofu), as frying like this is so stinky and gross.
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