Extra Schmaltz!

Too many peppers! Well, it's that time again! Those peppers you have nurtured all summer, waiting for them to turn a seductive shade of red (or deep green) are coming in fast. Here on the prairie, we seem to have skipped our warm intro to fall, and landed smack dab in the middle of dank, misty rain. Buckets of peppers (and tomatoes) line our kitchen floor, waiting to be turned into something we can enjoy in the deep, dark winter months. One solution is PICKLED PEPPERS ,  a favorite of my youth. My Yiddish grandmother with my mother alongside her would fill gallon jars with these mouth-watering delights, and most years my brother and I could not keep our hands off them for the full time. I am honored to have my mother's hand-written recipe, in her lovely Catholic school handwriting. It is a little dim from time, so I have transcribed it in detail: Cook peppers (roast)* on top of stove over flame (till black all over) Dunk in water and peel (or put in plastic bag w...

This hearty soup can miraculously turn bits and bobs from your winter larder into a satisfying, savory meal. This is one of the few examples of cooking with pickles--don't turn your nose up! Their zingy flavor blends pleasingly into the soup and adds some delightful crunch. The soup is made with a variety of meats, especially cured ones such as ham, smoked turkey, bacon, mild salami...whatever you have on hand. You can also add uncured pork, beef, or chicken. Garnished with capers and jalapenos. Also suggested are: olives, lemon slices, pickled mushrooms, smetana/sour cream. Use 3 lb of a variety of smoked and fresh meats, such as: Cubed pork shoulder Bone-in stew beef cut, such as round or chuck Slab bacon Smoked turkey Ham hock Smoked sausage (Krakovska from Kramarczuks is good for this) 2 medium onions 3 large carrots 1 c. dill pickles, chopped 1 c. frozen green beans (optional) 4 roma tomatoes, or 1 can crushed tomatoes 1/2 c. pickled mushrooms, or fresh mus...

These sweet-and-sour pickles are a wonderful accompaniment to many dishes, and are an especially nice contrast to meat-heavy or fried main dishes. I also like to add them to salads, sandwiches, and even instant noodles. You can also make them with red radishes, which turns out beautiful and zingier than if you use daikon. These are best made at least an hour ahead, and they stay good for several weeks in the fridge. For 1 lb combined peeled carrots and radish: 1 lb. carrots and radish, julienned 1 tsp. Kosher salt 1/3 c. rice vinegar 2 heaping Tbsp. brown sugar After cutting the carrots and radishes, toss them with the salt and allow them to sit for 10 minutes. Drain the excess liquid and gently squeeze out the rest. Dissolve the sugar in the vinegar and pour this mixture over the carrots and radishes. Allow to sit for at least one hour before serving. Can be stored in a clean container in the fridge for several weeks.

The first harvest of my garden has arrived, in the form of red radishes! The variety I grew is called Shunkyo Semi-long and I chose it because it matures quickly. Unfortunately (or so I thought) these radishes are too spicy for comfortable snacking or use in salads. I couldn't let them go to waste, but I just didn't know what to do with them! Fortunately, though, I emailed the wonderful Maangchi , who runs a fantastic Korean cooking blog and whom I've corresponded with in the past. She responded right away with a recipe idea: water-style kimchi ('mul kimchi'), which she recently made with similar radishes. Take that , rabbits! This style of kimchi has more liquid than what you find in the most common style of kimchi available in the store, though it is made in a similar way: a short and simple fermentation. The recipe that Maangchi sent me doesn't use red pepper flakes, which is a nice change from the usual red kimchis you find. The results are boldly spicy, cr...

It's grill season and I think it's time to post a fantastic marinade recipe from my former roommate JiJY. She brings this sweet, sticky, Asian style marinade from her homeland, Thailand. It can be used on any meat, but is particularly good on fatty pork. I recommend cooking it on the grill, but in a pinch you can use a George Foreman grill or even cook it as a stir-fry. I try to marinate overnight with this recipe, but it's still good if you can only get a few hours in. At some point I'll scan this in, but for the time being you should click on the photo for big: Innit cute, folks? The marinade should be pretty sticky and heavy on the sugar and black pepper. I like to use pork or beef on skewers and serve it with sticky rice and: Thai Quick-Pickled Cucumbers Equal parts: rice vinegar water sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt dash fish sauce (optional) Asian cucumbers, sliced thinly red chile peppers, minced shallots, chopped dry roasted peanuts, ...

Pink Pickled Onions Pickled onions are great to have on hand, since they make everything more delicious and are also nice to munch on as an accompaniment. Apparently they are the hip new thing, but the recipe has been around basically as long as onions have, which is to say a long time. 1 large red onion or 2 mediums, sliced into rings 2-4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed 1/4 to 1/2 c. water (depends on how zingy you want them) 1/4 c. white or red wine vinegar 1 tsp. salt optional seasonings: 2 tsp. cracked black peppercorns 1/2 tsp. whole allspice pinch oregano bay leaves sugar Place the onion slices in a large bowl and cover with boiling water. Let sit for 1 minute and then drain. Clean a jar or tupperware well and put the onions and garlic into it. In a small saucepan, simmer your vinegar, water, salt and seasonings for 1 minute. Pour the hot mixture over the onions, cover the storage container, and shake the onions around to combine. Allow to marinate for at least 4 hrs. Can be st...

I cooked up a storm this weekend! I got a nasty cough/cold last week and even though I probably should have been taking it easy, I got bored and decided to mix up watching The Sopranos and hacking my lungs out with cooking. Also, I picked up the farm share on Saturday and had a ton of raw materials to work with. First, I made Lebanese Pickled Eggplant Stuffed with Garlic, from The Joy of Pickling. These little guys were just so cute at the farm that I took home a huge bag of them, knowing I'd find a way to use them. These ones are white with purple streaks and are smaller and more tender and mild than the ones we're used to. Also, the fresh garlic I've been getting from the farm is killer. It's a pretty simple recipe (makes one quart): Fresh and steamed eggplants 1) Wash and trim 1.25 pounds small (4-5") eggplants (about one quart) 2) Crush the cloves of one bulb of garlic into a dish, add 1 tsp. cayenne pepper and one Tbsp. of pickling salt. 3) Steam the eggplants...

You may or may not know that Dan and I are splitting a CSA (community supported agriculture) share with our friend Kristine. It still seems to be 'springtime' at the farm, so we're deluged in greens of all sorts. One nice break from those, though, are the sweet little Hakurei turnips we get. Unlike the big, tough, purplish turnips you get from the store, these are small and tender. As you are probably not surprised to know, I just read the book " The Joy of Pickling " from cover to cover and now I'm completely inspired. I've made a number of recipes already, but I thought I'd sharea few photos to test out our new blog. Here are the turnips themselves, nice and clean. A few weeks ago none of them were more than 1" across. Now they're growing. This time I pickled them thusly: Wash and peel one pound baby turnips, make X-shaped cuts in each end. Soak in brine of 1.5 c. water + 2 tsp. pickling salt for one hour, drain. Add one fresh jalepeno (i...