A while back I made a batch of Traditional Korean Kimchi.   It came out beautiful and SUPER spicy.  Like, definitely too spicy for the kids an me.  My husband and one of our friends decided that it was best enjoyed on hotdogs and they devoured quite a bit of it that way.  HAH!  I think that it would also be really well suited to flavoring different things... Hot and Sour soup comes to mind.

I decided to do an  Americanized version of White Kimchi in response to the SUPER-HEAT of the other variety.  I wanted something more slightly spicey and mostly sour and I'm pretty sure this is going to hit it right on the head.    Again, I switched up some of the traditional ingredients to include things that are easily accessed in most Grocery stores in the U.S.A.

• 1 large nappa cabbage
• ⅓ cup, plus 2 tbsp  kosher salt
• ½ bunch radishes, sliced
• 2 medium carrots cut into matchsticks
• 1 bunch chives, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 5 fresh chestnuts, peeled and cut into thin strips
• ½ of red bell pepper cut into thin strips
• 1 medium pear, peeled, cored and cut into matchsticks
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 inches fresh ginger, peeled and chopped

Core and chop cabbage into small pieces.  Put in a large bowl and sprinkle 1/3 cup of salt evenly between the leaves. Fill the bowl with enough water to submerge the leaves, and then weigh them down with a plate.  Let sit on the counter for 24 hours.

Drain and rinse the cabbage lightly, retain about 1 cup of the brine.


Assemble some mason jars and lids (I had various sizes this time, my daughter  helped and she was the one who picked them out of the cupboard).  Wash the jars and caps thoroughly and set aside.

Prepare the remainder of your ingredients and toss them together in a large bowl.

Ani peeling a chestnut

Sprinkle 2 tbsp of salt on the veggie bowl  and toss.  Then add the veggies to the cabbage and toss again.   Pack your veggie mixture hard into  the mason jars ( I used a rolling pin) so that water starts to be extracted from the veggies.  Top off the jars with enough brine to cover the veggies.  Cover and seal with caps and rings.

Fermentation station!

Wait about 7 days before trying.  And then transfer to the refridgerator.  Eat it all right away, or wait until the sour  "pickle" flavors develop further.

Enjoy!

Indian cuisine is something that I have had very little experience with outside of the occasional off-handed addition of curry powder to various things.  The more I look into creating my own favorites from scratch, the more I realize that there is SO much variation it's a little silly to think of any one flavor or texture as being quintessentially "Indian".   And with that said,  an extremely common ingredient used in Indian food is Ghee, or clarified butter. Easily replaceable in the kitchen at home, but hard to avoid when it is being cooked for you by others.  And this, I suppose, is my main excuse for having never gotten familiar with Indian food.

Until now!  I put a shout out on social media and was met with a couple of different favorite dishes:  Khichdi, and Biryani.  There are so many variations out there to choose from, and I went with a highly aromatic vegatarian version of Khichdi, and will be trying out a Coconut milk-based version of Biryani sometime in the very near future.

The Khichdi I made turned out to have a gorgeously balanced flavor combination, with warming green chili and a beautiful rizzoto-like texture.  Perfect for a chilly late-autumn evening.

 

                                               1/2 cup green peas

 Soak lentils and brown rice in a bowl with enough salted water to cover them for 30 minutes.

 Heat olive oil  on medium heat  in a large pot and add spices. 

 

 Stir until fragrant (2 minutes) and then add garlic, onions, and chilli paste. Cook for another 2-3 minutes and then add your veggies.  Stir and cook for another 4-5 minutes.

Drain the lentils and rice and put them in the pot.  Stir everything to combine.  Add salt to taste and 4 cups of water.  Stir, cover and cook on low until most of the water is absorbed (around 30 minutes).  

Serve and enjoy!

Continuing on with the theme of winter squash, I put together a kabocha-kale tart.

First, roast your kabocha squash.  Then, put together a single pie crust.

• 1.5 cups kabocha squash
• 2 cups kale, rinsed and chopped
•   2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 tablespoons soymilk
• 1/4 cup firm tofu
• 1tsp lemon juice
• seasalt to taste 
• 1/4 cup pecans, chopped 
• olive oil 
• 3/4c Daiya cheddar (optional) 

Preheat oven to 400f. 

Scoop out squash into a large bowl.  Heat some olive oil in a pan.  Add garlic, salt, and kale to the pan and saute until the kale is wilted.

 

Combine egg, soymilk, lemon juice, and tofu in a bowl.  Salt to taste.

Mix the tofu-mixture in with the squash.  Add the kale to the squash mixture and fold together.  

 

 

Fill the pie crust  and then top with chopped pecans and Daiya cheddar shreds. 
 

Bake the tart in the oven until the crust becomes golden brown and the pecans are toasted (30-45 minutes).

Serve and enjoy!  

I've been meaning to try out this project for a while now, but every time I go to the store there's 1 or more ingredients that I can't find in order to make a *truly* traditional Korean Kimchi.  So I thought, why not do it anyway?  With ingredients that are readily available to most anyone in the United States?

I'm glad I tried this out because it's a really fun and dynamic ferment with a lot of bubble action to keep everyone entertained!


Cut the cabbage in half lengthwise, then crosswise into 2-inch pieces, discarding the core end. Place in a large bowl, sprinkle with the salt, and toss with your hands until the cabbage is coated. Add enough cold water to just cover,  making sure the cabbage is  completely submerged  Cover/weigh down with a plate and let sit at room temperature for 24 hours.



 Place a colander in the sink and drain the cabbage retaining about 1/4 cup of brine in a seperate small bowl.  Gently squeeze out the excess liquid and transfer to a medium bowl; set aside.

Assemble your radishes, scallions, pepper mix, ginger, garlic, and sugar in a bowl.

"The Fermentation Station" from left to right:  Kimchi, Apple Scrap Vinegar, and Sauerkraut

The outdoor farmstand down the street closed up shop this weekend.  What popped into the grocery store was local cabbage and the first pomegranates of the season.  Cabbage... hmm.   Not the most show-stopping vegetable in the world. But it's widely available, inexpensive, super fresh, and loaded with great stuff like vitamin A, B, C, E, calcium, magnesium, iodine, iron, and phosphorus.   Ok.  I'll bite.

I brought home 2 different kinds of cabbage.  (American) standard green cabbage and Nappa cabbage.  I'm currently in the process of fermenting a batch of kimchi with the Nappa cabbage, and I made a (BIG) batch of Nasi Goreg out of the Standard cabbage.  I also have 2 quarts of Traditional Sauerkraut fermenting away right now that will be ready right around Thanksgiving time.

My recipe for Nasi Goreg comes to me, oddly enough, from my German grandmother.   As the story goes, after WWII my grandma met my grandpa and moved to the Netherlands.  Then Grandpa was drafted into the Dutch marines and was sent to Indonesia.  This was one of the recipes he brought back with him!  My version has a decidedly European flare but to me that's what makes it so wonderful and accessible. There's no need to go to a specialty store for the ingredients.