Kimchi for all seasons

My husband has discovered that he loves kimchi. We ate at a Korean restaurant and it was the most memorable part of the meal. Since then, I bought a couple different brands of kimchi at the food co-op, and then someone there said, It’s nuts to buy this stuff when it is so easy to make.”  Really?  Yes, actually, if you can get your hands on the authentic “red pepper powder” which comes in various sizes of flake (we used the smaller flakes imported by Hansung Sikpoom Trading Corp), kosher salt, a good sized head of Napa cabbage, radishes of almost any description, onions, carrots, garlic, ginger, and brown rice flour, miso (or you can use the real fish sauce but we don’t), add slant-cut scallions, and you’re all set! We now dream of an authentic ceramic kimchi pot … but that’s another story.

It takes time to make kimchi. The vegetables salt soak for at least 4 hours, and then the whole thing gets put together and sits out for 24-48 hours (we’ve always done at least 48), with occasional checking for bubbling. THEN it sits in the refrigerator for as long as it takes for you to eat it up. We’ve kept the tale end of a batch for 5- 6 weeks and it still tastes great, but sometimes it doesn’t last even 3 weeks because we love to share it.

Here’s how we make our kimchi – and be advised that the pepper glows slowly as it ferments. One recipe called for 1/2 cup, another for 4 cups (yes, 4 cups) of red pepper powder. Some use two medium heads of Napa cabbage, we like to either use one big one or one medium and 1/2 of a different cabbage for texture. 

You will need 2 chunks of time: the first is about an hour to get the vegetables organized into their salt bath. The second is at least an hour for the rinsing out, making the pudding/sauce, preparing the additional ingredients and then assembling the kimchi in its fermentation container. Don’t plan to leave town while you are fermenting kimchi, because it is also critical that after the first 24 hours you do check on it. Depending upon how much head space it has in your fermentation container, it can bubble up quite a bit once it gets started, and you will need to open it and compress it down – perhaps sticking a chopstick into the sides along the inner edges to release the bubble build-up. Your house will begin to smell like a kimchi batch at this point. Stick it out for another 24 hours and you will have a marvelous kimchi for weeks to come. (You can dole it out into smaller jars with good lids to store it or give it to friends, or to eat up a jar at a meal and still keep the others closed.)

Equipment to have on hand:

A medium saucepan to make the “sauce/pudding?

A large bowl (big enough to hold everything)

A large wide baking pan (enamel, ceramic or glass is good) to salt the cabbage

A good sized wide serving bowl to salt the radish/carrot mix

A colander (draining rinsed veggies)

A whisk (stirring sauce)

A fermentation container that closes tightly – either a cookie jar or flour contaner type thing, a large pasta storage container or other glass or ceramic tightly lidded container (not plastic)

A good knife or two (I use one large chopper and one paring)

Long handled wooden spoon

GLOVES – you can use dishwashing gloves

Measuring cups (1 cup, 1/2 cup, 1/4 cup, 1/3 cup)

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 cup Kosher salt

1 large head Napa cabbage

8-10 big red radishes or 1 good chunk Daikon or Korean radish

4-6 carrots

“Pudding” SAUCE:

3 cups water

1/2 cup brown rice flour

1/2 cup sugar

Add to Sauce Before Adding Veggies:

1/3 cup Korean red pepper powder (you can adjust this to taste)

1 cup onion chopped finely (2-3 slices of large Vidalia or 1 medium sized regular)

1/2 cup smashed garlic, chopped roughly

1/4 cup finely chopped ginger

1 cup white miso – (1 tablespoon miso in 1 cup water)

6-8 scallions slivered slantwise

REMEMBER THAT AFTER PREPARING THE VEGETABLES, IT TAKES MINIMIMUM OF 4 HOURS OF SALTED SOAKING.

Preparing the veggies:

Rinse the cabbage well, cutting off the biggest part of the stem but leaving part of it to hold the leaves together. Slice the whole head in half LONGWISE, through the stem core so it opens into two parts like a book. This way you can rinse between the leaf layers. If it is a huge head, you can slice it one more time though NOT through the core so the 1/4 parts stay connected. Then spread the kosher salt between the layers, carefully getting inbetween the leaves and let this sit in a large pan for 2 hours. (Use about 1/2 cup salt)

Once you have the cabbage organized, wash and peel the radishes and carrots, slicing them any way you want to run into them in your kimchi. We have made little cubes, and we have sliced in rounds and slants… We like all of this, so make your own choices. Put these peeled pieces (it will be about 2-3 cups of each) into a wide bowl and sprinkle and toss with kosher salt. Let sit 2 hours as well. (Use about 1/8 cup salt)

IN 2 HOURS: you will turn the cabbage pieces and add a little salt in between the layers making sure to get to the parts that are less softened or not salted from the first side. Also turn and stir the carrots/radishes and add a little fresh salt. (Use 1/8 cup salt for all of this or less)  LET SIT ANOTHER 2 HOURS.

At some point you can make the pudding/sauce and leave it quietly cooling – OR you can do this in 4 hours and set the bowl in a sink or bowl full of cold water to cool it faster while you prepare the other materials that go into the mixture.

4 HOURS AFTER STARTING:

Put 1/2 cup brown rice flour (or use sweet rice flour if you can find it) in a saucepan with 3 cups water. Turn on medium heat and stir with the whisk, calmly and continuously. When you first start to see bubbles, add the 1/2 cup sugar and cook, stirring, for another minute. This will really start to look like pudding!  Remove from heat, pour it into a large bowl (big enough for everything to fit into it) and let it cool.  YOU CAN ALSO COOL IT IN THE PAN, putting the pan into a larger pan of cold water.

While the pudding is cooling, finely chop the onion and ginger, measure out the pepper and smash and chop the garlic. You can sliver the scallions too if you are using them (these are optional). Dissolve a tablespoon of white miso into one cup of cool water.

RINSE THE VEGGIES:

Take the cabbage out of the pan, dumping out the salty water. Run cold water through the cabbage leaves, then leave it soak a few minutes in the pan with cold fresh water. Take the cabbage out of the pan, rinse it under cold water, then let it soak AGAIN for a few minutes in fresh cold water in the pan. While it is soaking, DO THE SAME THING with radish/carrot mixture.  Dumping them into the colander and run cold water on them, rinse the salty water out of their bowl and then let them soak in the bowl of fresh water. DO THIS TWICE TOO. After rinsing for a 3^rd time, you can let the radish/carrots drain in the colander, while you RINSE THE CABBAGE a 3^rd time. Then squeeze out the water from the cabbage (you can squeeze it like you would doing a handwash … it’s so limp!)

Shake all excess water off the radish/carrot mixture.

COMBINE THE PUDDING with SPICES

Add garlic, onion, ginger, miso, and pepper flakes to the cool pudding and stir it with a long wooden spoon until it is one strange red-flecked substance.

Take the cabbage and rough chop it into 2-4 inch chunks of various shapes. Add this to the bowl of spicy mix, then add the well shaken carrots and radishes, and scallions if you are using them.  Stir gently until everything is coated well.

Put your container in the sink and put on your gloves.

Handful by handful, stuff the spiced veggies into the jar, carefully pouring the last of the spicy juices in as well. Close the lid, and set this somewhere visible but out of the way for 24 hours. You will want to make note of how high the ingredients start out in the jar, making sure there are several inches of air space above that level when you leave it to ferment.

CHECK YOUR KIMCHI after 12 hours and push it down if it has started rising. CHECK YOUR KIMCHI every 3 hours after the first 24 hours. I’ve come home from teaching a class to find kimchi juice all over the kitchen counter and a hissing screw-top lid!! We left more head space for the next batch and used an even larger container. 

ENJOY YOUR KIMCHI. 

There’s every reason on earth to take a tiny sample taste after the first 12 hours just to taste what’s going on.  Remember, though, that all the flavor melds and changes as it ferments so it may be surprising in the end that you don’t taste the salt so salty or the pepper so distinctly. 

WARNING:  Making kimchi may be habit forming, and can lead to interesting experimentation! You might find yourself serving rice noodles smothered with kimchi to guests! (We do!) 

Quick 2 Dish Spring Meal: Asparagus, Mushrooms & More

When the asparagus begins to come in it seems that it appears at every meal for a while. I had been thinking about cabbage rolls, but the weather turned cooler for a spring day and a hot meal felt right. So the asparagus went together with the leftover cannelloni beans and tang of tomatillos, not a common combination but delicious. Then the cold temperatures prompted me to impulse-buy Brussels sprouts, and so the sauté evolved to round out the plate.

ASPARAGUS CANNELLINI TOMATILLO CABBAGE ROLLS with Bean Threads!
4-5 large unfurled cabbage leaves
2-3 cups asparagus cut in 2-3 inch lengths
1/2-2/3 cup canned Cannelini beans ( or other beans)
4-5 sliced tomatillos
Mung Bean Threads
3 cloves garlic crushed & diced
Tblsp Bragg's Liquid Aminos
Tsp oregano

1. Start by steaming the cabbage leaves and set them aside. Don't worry if they aren't intact, you can use 2-3 for each serving to form an informal wrap. This is not finger food after all is said and done. You can soak the bean threads in the cabbage leaf water OR you can use the Brussels sprouts steaming water (I used the same water for everything). After the bean threads soften, put them in a strainer and run cool water on them to keep them separated. They will heat again when you throw them all together in the next step.
2. In a good sized sauté pan, put asparagus, garlic, beans, and sliced tomatillos with a little water and the Bragg's Liquid Aminos, cover and steam (about 6 minutes). Add the bean threads and stir all together.
3. Lay out overlapping leaves, fill with veggies, and gently roll up, pouring any pan sauce over them. This could also have some heat if you add some red pepper flakes.

BRUSSELS SPROUT MUSHROOM SAUTÉ
4 large white mushrooms
2-3 cups Brussels sprouts, halved
1 cup rough chopped onion (I used Vidalia)
Water for sauté (1/4 cup)
5-8 pitted black olives
2-3 cloves garlic, diced
Tsp thyme
Tsp rosemary
1/4 tsp salt
Pepper if desired

1. Lightly steam the cut Brussels sprouts in the cabbage water.
2. Saute the sliced mushrooms, garlic and onions in a bit of water with the thyme and rosemary and salt.
3. Combine the Sprouts into the saute, adding the black olives chopped into big pieces.
4. Stir together and add salt and pepper as desired.

SERVE -- with some rough chopped fresh tomatoes drizzled with Balsamic Vinegar ... What a beautiful quick meal!

Chick Pea Burgers (with secrets)

I haven't eaten hamburgers in years, accompanying my husband's occasional grilled beef burger with a companionable portobello mushroom on a roll. In times past I ate turkey burgers as well. So I know how easy and satisfying it is to pile up the pickles and relish, onion and sliced tomato on something filling, chewy and tasty between the bread slices. The black bean & beet patty was better on the plate, so today I wanted something to eat on bread that was crisp on the outside, dense and flavorful on the inside and could stand up to my husband's relish and chili sauce. I started with a can of chick peas and a handful of ... are you ready? peanuts! It ends with a coating of crushed Ryvita sesame rye cracker and all's well!  I broiled them on both sides before baking them for 20 minutes.

Chick Pea Burger (no oil)

1 can chick peas (about 1.75 cups, drained)
2 Tblsp peanuts (dry roasted low salt)
1 medium carrot, grated
1 medium parsnip, grated
1/2 cup raw spinach, chopped
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
3/4 tsp parsley
2 Ryvita Sesame Rye crackers

1. Smash the chick peas with the peanuts in a bowl. Chop the spinach, grate the carrot and parsnip and mix in with the chick pea mixture.
2. Combine all the spices and herbs in the bowl, mashing and stirring. If this feels too wet, add just a little flour of your choice (brown rice or chick pea flour) perhaps up to a tablespoon. You don't want this to feel dry though. Moist is good but not wet.

3. Crush the two crackers on a plate. Form 4 burgers, rolling their surfaces in the crumbs (this should just cover all four).
4. Place on a piece of tin foil on a baking sheet or pan and put under the broiler for about 5 minutes on each side, turning carefully with a spatula.  Turn down the stove to bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes.
Serve as you wish! One was plenty for me on a piece of Ezekial sprouted whole grain bread with pickle slices, onion and lettuce and our fresh cole slaw. My husband had two, one with double bread and the works, the other more simply.  As always, put more spice or heat into these if you want them that way. Good nutritional content from the combination of legumes and vegetables for 170 calories!

Chickpea burgers Nutrition Facts Serving Size: 1 Serving (112g) 1 burger Amount Per Serving % Daily Value* Calories 169 8% Total Fat 5g 8% Saturated Fat 1g 3% Trans Fat Cholesterol 0% Sodium 400mg 17% Total Carbohydrate 25g 8% Dietary Fiber 3g 10% Sugars 2g 0% Protein 7g 14% Vitamin A 11% • Vitamin C 7% Calcium 5% • Iron 8% * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calories needs. courtesy of cronometer.com using my data.

If you want to make up your own slaw, I recommend that you use what you have. Here's what I used.

Cleaning the Fridge Again Cole Slaw
leftover nub of cabbage
leftover nub of radicchio
one remaining stalk celery
1/4 of a red pepper, finely chopped
two slices dill pickle finely chopped
dash- 1/8 tsp celery seed
splash of pickle juice
squeeze of fresh lemon juice

Made about 3.5 cups - which disappeared between 2 of us. Very satisfying crisp, crunch, tart and sweet flavors, contrasting well with the warm, chewy textures of the chickpea burgers.

Cabbage Rolls - Stuff em' & Sauce 'em up

It was lunch time of our second day of whole grain/veggie/fruit eating. Sandwiches were no longer in the equation (especially since we had eliminated all the bread from the house and had not yet found the Ezekial sprouted grain breads or the dark rye whole grain flat breads). So I thought, how do I make a lunch that's not a soup or a salad? I thought of those delicious Vietnamese spring rolls, and saw the cabbage in my fridge. This is what happened! With sauces and fillings, these have infinite possibilities. Make this sweet, salty, spicy, nutty, etc. That part is up to you, as is basically ANYTHING you want to put inside a steamed rolled cabbage leaf. There are a few sauces below -- and ideas to get you started.

 Meanwhile, I ransacked the fridge and made variation 1.

CABBAGE ROLLS, variation 1
6 large cabbage leaves
1 cup watercress
bunch of cilantro
1 package enoki mushrooms
some thinly sliced red onion
some thinly sliced red pepper
one dill pickle, thinly sliced, in strips
GARI (pickled ginger - can be bought or follow the recipe to come)

1. Peel 6 large leaves carefully off a head of cabbage, placed them curl side down around a steamer basket in a pot, and steamed them (lid on of course) until the were just soft enough.
2. Lay out one leaf at a time on a plate, curl side up, placing some of each ingredient  along one side of the stem.
3. Roll the leaf edge up and around the ingredients tucking under close to the stem and then roll to the opposite edge. Place on a plate rolled side down! Decorate with a couple thin slices of onion or red pepper or sprig of cilantro -- whatever pleases your eye!

And then for a more substantive meal, Variation 2.
CABBAGE ROLLS, Variation 2


Same exact process, except I cooked the stuffing:
1 sweet potato, peeled & steamed in slices
approx. 1 cup of snow pea pods
approx. 8 shiitake mushroom caps, sliced
clump of fresh parsley
1 TBLSP tamari

1. Steam the sweet potato slices. Steam the cabbage leaves.
2. In a small saute pan, put 1/2 cup water and after de-stemming the snow peas and muhsrooms, place t them in the pan with 1 Tblsp tamari, cover and cook, stirring a bit, until ready to eat.
3. Construct same as above, plopping sweet potato and some of each of the snow peas, mushrooms and parsley inside, and rolling.

SAUCES: Make What You Like! Use these sauces on the Cabbage rolls, but also pour them over plain vegetables, use Peanut Sauce them to make Brussels sprouts into satay ... or the Lemon Savory Sauce to turn Green Beans into a heavenly side dish. All can be used for dipping, or to make leftovers into a party. In fact, making Cabbage Rolls out of small leaves, you can stuff them with anything you like for a party -- olives with mushrooms, curried sweet potato, crunchy edamame and sunflower seeds... what ever you like.  For kids, you can put together small bowls of ingredients and have them roll their own!  Turn cabbage leaves into the new tortilla to lose weight, filling them with your favorite beans, rice and hot sauce!

Mushroom broth:  Use the cooking water from the snow peas and mushrooms and add Black Vinegar.
Peanut Sauce: This is a great addition to nearly any plan vegetable.  1/4 cup peanut butter (we use crunchy with a little salt), 2 Tablespoons Tamari, 1 tsp Black Vinegar, 1/4 cup water -- stirred until well mixed. You can dip in this, or pour it over brussels sprouts ...
Lemon Savory Sauce: Another great one for vegetables (we love it on green beans). Juice of 1/2-1 whole lemon plus about 2 tsp Ume Plum Vinegar -- add garlic if you like -- top veggies with slivered roasted almonds, or just dip your cabbage roll!
Dumpling Style Sauce:  2 Tbsp Tamari, 1 tsp Black Vinegar or white wine vinegar, 1 clove garlic finely chopped, 1/4-1/2 tsp fresh grated ginger root, 1/4 cup water
Miso-ChickPea Creamy Sauce: 1 Tbsp white miso, 3 tsp chick peas (cooked soft or canned), 2 scallions finely chopped, fistful of cilantro finely chopped, 1/2 cup water (hot if you want it on hot veggies)

Savoy Slaw Steals the Show

Last night during the Superbowl, my husband made the salad. I should say up front that he is an artist so although he doesn't do much of the cooking nowadays, when he sets his hand to it, his eyes are right there too... I'm not saying that my food doesn't look beautiful... but when he made the slaw to go with our Chili & Chard Mac (recipe to come), well, it stole the show.  We make our own tarragon vinegar by putting sprigs of fresh tarragon into a dark wine bottle and adding distilled vinegar. It only takes a few days for the flavor to infuse and it keeps on the counter for months. We also make our own herbes de Provence, but you can use any combination of herbes you like, about 1/4 tsp crushed between your fingers as you sprinkle it in.

Here's what he did:


Superbowl Savoy Slaw
5 medium leaves savoy cabbage
3 large leaves radiccio
2 shredded carrots
1/3 red pepper, shredded
daikon slices (about 2 inches)
handful cherry or grape tomatoes
2 Tblsp tarragon vinegar
splash of Balsamic vinegar
Tbsp Dijon mustard
salt & pepper to taste
1/4 tsp crushed herbes de Provence

Finely chop the cabbage and the radicchio. Shred the carrots and red pepper. Mix together vinegars, mustard, add a shake or two of salt and pepper, and herbes. Layer the cabbage, with carrots, peppers on top and add halves of cherry tomatoes and diakon slices around the plate, pouring the dressing over all. You can see from the images that how you put it together can make all the difference!

Savoy Slaw Nutrition Facts Serving Size: 1 full recipe (393g) Amount Per Serving % Daily Value* Calories 128 6% Total Fat 1g 1% Saturated Fat 0g 1% Trans Fat Cholesterol 0% Sodium 492mg 21% Total Carbohydrate 24g 8% Dietary Fiber 8g 34% Sugars 11g 0% Protein 4g 9% Vitamin A 76% • Vitamin C 157% Calcium 10% • Iron 7% * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calories needs. courtesy of cronometer.com data supplied by me