onions pickled pink

i must admit these onions were not the only things pickled pink
this weekend.

also pickled & fermented pinkly were these beets
and this sauerkraut (which turned out amazing btw - especially the dried cherry version!)

and then there were quite a few of us who throughout the 5 hour lunch,
and many a skål later

were pickled various lovely shades of crimson.

:)

i had plans to take photos of each of the 4 courses of a traditional danish lunch -
but i am afraid the akvavit got the best of me and the photos at various stages were blurry and eventually none at all.

here let me explain:

the courses are/were as follows-

1) fish - pickled, smoked, curried & creamed. served with chopped fresh onions, sliced cukes, eggs, potatoes, radishes, & lemons, fried onions and fresh dill. this course is also served with a remoulade*


(i made it this far - first course, photo nice and crisp)

2) meat - (it was m's job to source locally and humanely raised salami and other various sliced meats) pate is traditionally served - on our table it's mushroom, which i make every year so that i and any other non-meat eater can enjoy this course. i dare say the meat-eaters do not feel the lack of liver one bit. sauerkraut, cornichons, beets & the above pickled onions are served here. the sliced veggies & eggs stay on the table, and of course the fried onions and remoulade* - because they bring just about everything up a notch.


(done by this point - i thought this was in focus, beets, sauerkraut & onions)

3) cheese - to satisfy the danes the stinkiest cheese i could find, plus local (mass & vermont) chedder, blue, goat & sheep. and this rhubarb chutney which was a hit.


(it's over for me, an out of focus m & the culprit in green to the left, 2nd bottle)

4) dessert - fresh fall fruit, citrus, whole nuts in shells, chocolate, and danish licorice. and kick ass home-made salted caramel ice cream (not traditional, made by a very good friend, and devoured quickly & cleanly despite very full bellies).

the first three courses are served with 100% rye bread aka true pumpernickel. for each course one takes thin slices of bread, cuts it in quarters on their plate and tops each quarter with whatever combination of delectables they fancy.

this goes on for hours, is all washed down with ice cold pilsner or the like. and is peppered, by joyous yells of skål, upon which everyone picks up a shot glass full of akvavit and downs it lest they be considered unfriendly or worse yet, unable to keep up.

not all of this is reckless of course, because the akvavit pairs perfectly with the richness of the food, however it will eventually have the drinker convinced they've found the true resting place of that illusive taquila worm...

(apparently he heard danish worms were beauties and in an effort to go north he stowed away with some wayward caraway, the rest is history)

just sayin'.

onions pickled pink
adapted from martha stewart magazine

1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup sugar (i use raw)
3 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon course salt
4 small to medium red onions, sliced thin

yeild: approximately 1 pint

1. stir together vinegar, water, sugar, bay leaves, peppercorns and salt in a saucepan. bring to the boil.

2. add onions and return to boil. boil just for 30 seconds.

3.take off heat and make sure all onions are pushed down fully into liquid. let cool.

4. pour into an airtight jar and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

these pair nicely with pate and meats as above, in all manner of sandwiches, grilled cheese stunningly, and simply over cottage cheese and doused with freshly ground pepper.

danish remoulade

i wasn't planning on this, but since you got jipped on the photos i owe it to you.
it's incredibly simple and will turn any fish, meat, or sandwich on it's head.

kind of like us yesterday-

3/4 cup mayonaise
4 tablespoons heavy cream, shaken not stirrred
1 & 1/2 tablespoons prepared dijon mustard
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped capers (rinsed if preserved in salt)
2-3 chopped cornichons

1. mix the mayo, dijon and cream together.

2. stir in the chopped parsley, capers and cornichons.

that's it. when serving this on sandwiches, fish or meat, if you want to go the distance, do like the danes do and serve with deep fried onions. slice them VERY thin, press between paper towels to remove excess water & toss in all-purpose flour with a bit of fine salt. fill a dutch oven with 2 inches of oil, bring to 375 degrees and fry for 1 minute. drain on paper towels.

who's yo mama??

ok, last thing: did you know about this?

and did you know you have just until tuesday night december 22nd at midnight to sign up for the most exciting canning event on the web in 2010?

just askin'

bye
:)

deee-licious beets & updates!

i just wanna eat a good beet
i just wanna, i just wanna
i just wanna eat a good beet

these are quick, easy and deee-licious!

and best of all, they'll be taking pride of place at the danish christmas lunch i'm hosting next saturday. you see, i didn't take the time to can beets this season, so i've been scrambling because most of the recipes i know advise a wait of 3-6 weeks before sampling the beets.

but these beets reach pickled perfection in a mere 7-10 hours, and last in the fridge for a full month.

which is good, 'cause when you need a beat, you need a beat...

deee-licious beets

adapted from martha stewart magazine

1 & 1/2 to 2 pounds beets (i used half red and half chioggia) roasted
1 & 1/4 cups dry white wine
1 & 1/4 cups white wine vinegar
1 & 1/4 cups water
1/4 cup sugar (i use raw)
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
4-6 fresh or dried bay leaves
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper, or cracked black peppercorns
1/4 teaspoon whole cloves
1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1 teaspoon allspice
3/4 teaspoon dill seed
1 & 1/2 teaspoons yellow mustard seeds
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
2 quart jars (or equivalent)

yields: 2 quarts

1. wash beets, wrap in tin foil and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until a fork slides easily through.

2. let cool, slide skins off and slice in 1/4" thick slices. place in jars. if you are using two different types of beets, separate types into jars. (if you mix them, they will all turn the color of the darkest beet.

3. place wine, vinegar, water, salt and sugar in medium saucepan. heat on medium high while stirring to dissolve sugar and salt. bring to the boil.

4. while vinegar mixture is heating, mix spices together in bowl. divide evenly over beets in jars.



5. once vinegar mixture comes to the boil, pour directly over beets leaving 1/4 inch head room. leave tops off jars and let cool completely.

6. when cool slide a chopstick or handle end of a stainless fork or spoon around inside rim of jar to release air bubbles. put cap on jar and place in fridge. let stand for 7-10 hours before eating.

-updates-

before we get to the can jam update let me just say right here that the kraut is fermenting very nicely my dears! i tasted it after one week at the suggestion of tara in the comment section and basically, christmas lunch, smunch, M and i could have eaten it all in one go. it was that good.

but i decided to go a little further with it, as it's ultimate destiny is to be placed on little danish brown bread sandwiches. i'm thinking a slightly softer bite is in order. so we'll do another taste test this weekend

ok...can jam!!! if you don't know then click it!



73, yes i said 73 participants so far (did we say trend people?!) and counting 10 more sign up days left! tell all your friends - let's make it a cool 100 ;)

i'm so excited - i can't wait to get into details! here's a tidbit...

i've started a flickr group - initially so the non-blogging participants can show us their stuff if they are so inclined. of course blogging participants are welcome to share photos there too. to join go to flickr and search for the group tigress' can jam. send a request to join, make it clear you are a participant and i'll click 'accept'. the flickr group is only open to tigress' can jam participants.

holiday sauerkraut 3 ways

let me start this post by saying

this is my first time out fermenting kraut.

i am not worried though because i come from good slovakian stock, i got cabbage in my bones
literally

if my great-grandmother were here today i am sure she would have plenty to tell me about the hows and whys of kyslá kapusta. and i really do wish i would have asked her more about all of the foodways that she brought with her across the big blue.

but alas, i had much bigger concerns back then...like coloring books and stuffed animals etc.

oh well, she would be proud anyway i think. if she were here now.

as you can see from the photo up there, if we're really not feeding an army, we don't need a lehmans credit card for things like gi-normous shredders, 30 gallon crocks, etc.

in fact, these are three 1 liter weck canning jars with lids from the smaller mouthed jars pushed down in there and then regular old jars-from-store-bought-stuff filled with water that fit right in to weigh it all down.

basically the whole simple contraption is done just to keep the cabbage submerged. you know what that means?

you gotta lotta choices

for the container:
any kind of quart or liter jars (or larger)
any food grade plastic container
any ceramic or glass bowl (not metal)

for the weight:
any flat glass or plastic lid (not metal)
any small plate (not metal)
a wooden round
a small jar
a food grade plastic bag filled with brine like i did here

it is ok if there is a bit of space between the lid, dish, jar and the rim of container, as long as all the cabbage is submerged.

you also need a cool place, around 65 degrees. i would be willing to bet that is easy to come by for most of us this time of year. and you know what? if it goes above that temperature at some point in the fermenting process

that's ok.

you also need about 2-4 weeks for the little cultures (i was going to say critters but i didn't want to scare you) to complete their work, so that means that if you start now, you will have delicious homemade sauerkraut to go with your holiday meal.

at least that is what i'm aiming for because i am preparing an entire danish christmas lunch for my in-laws and a few friends, an honest-to-goodness traditional holiday smorgasbord, of which surkål is an integral part.

(fyi: my mother-in-law herself came across the big blue from copenhagan in the 70's, ergo the christmas smorgasbord. isn't it cool how we inherit our in-laws foodways too? ...my mom makes a mean pasta fazul, but that's another story).

meanwhile, i will have to get back to you on how all this jars out. but for now, if you would like to start with me, then gather your supplies and keep reading!

holiday sauerkraut 3 ways

4-5 pounds purple cabbage, sliced thin or shredded
3 tablespoons sea salt
1 & 1/2 teaspoons caraway seeds, lightly crushed
1 & 1/2 teaspoons juniper berries, lightly crushed
2 tablespoons dried cherries*
equipment as above (X 3 if you are going to try all three flavors)

day 1-
1. sprinkle salt on cabbage in layers as you place shredded cabbage in large bowl. when all cabbage and salt is in bowl, toss to evenly distribute salt.

2. divide cabbage into three equal portions in mixing bowls. add caraway, juniper & dried cherries, one flavoring per bowl and toss to distribute evenly.

3. fill each liter jar or container with the cabbage mixtures. press cabbage down firmly as you go.

4. place flat lid and water filled jar on top to weight down cabbage. put in a cool place. in the next 24 hours every time you think of it press down on each jar to squeeze more liquid out of cabbage.

the goal is to have all the cabbage submerged in liquid after 24 hours.

day 2-
if after 24 hours the cabbage is not submerged completely (mine wasn't) from it's own juice, mix a brine solution of one tablespoon sea salt to one cup water. stir to dissolve salt thoroughly before pouring over cabbage. pour to cover.

note: if you are using the plastic bag method instead of a jar you will want the bags to be filled with this solution rather than plain water in case of breakage or leakage.

throw a layer of cheese cloth, kitchen towel, cotton pillowcase, anything, over it to keep any dust or unwanted particles from landing in brine. keep in a cool place.

day 3 to 2-4 weeks-
there will be a party going on in those jars and all we have to do is

chill.

there's already some bubble action in mine - see above from day 3. don't get freaked out about this - but from time to time there may be scum on top of brine. i've covered the cabbage with enough solution to easily skim it off. it won't get on cabbage as long as it is submerged.

the beauty of making your own sauerkraut is you control how you would like to eat it. i'm going for one with a little bit of firmness left and not overly sour. so i will check it at the two week point. when you deem it is done, you can put it in the fridge to retard the fermentation process, or you can keep it in your cool place and enjoy it as it goes through further fermentation.

*disclaimer: i don't know where i got the idea to add dried cherries. i've never had it before, i may have read it somewhere, but i am not sure. i think it sounds like it could come out delicious. i am only at the beginning of this process, so i won't know for sure until it's done, so please, try it at your own risk! or maybe come up with a [wacky?] idea of your own for the 3rd one!

my christmas lunch is on december 19th & i started my sauerkraut on november 30th - so i'm hoping that is enough time to yield the results i'm looking for. stay tuned in and i'll keep you updated on how things progress. and if you celebrate your holiday on the 25th december, or maybe a new year's day feast, then you have time, get choppin! ketchup!



...in other exciting news: the can jam, i'm talking about this if you don't already know,



has 37 people participating so far. that includes bloggers and non-bloggers. there's still time to sign up so check it out!

update: tigress' can jam

this is just a thought but

what if there was a who-ville at the bottom of every pickle jar?

just sayin'.

damn those dilly beans were good. were.

i wasn't even sure i would like dilly beans. only made them because they were one of the few things that actually grew in my garden this past summer.

and what do you know? i love(d) them! (i'm not the only one around here that loved them, hence their quick demise).

this is just one of the reasons why i am personally excited about all the canning that is going to be happening in the can jam. i learned that i love dilly beans because i had to make a stretch when my garden didn't produce those things i was used to. now, via my commitment to canning for all 12 months in 2010, and with main ingredients not only chosen by moi, i am looking forward to discovering some pickled or jammed fruit or veggie, or a taste combination thereof that i might not have tried otherwise!

i am also overjoyed because it's been 2 weeks since the announcement of the first ever

and the response has been amazing! so far there are 24 bloggers and 5 non-bloggers who are ready to step up to the jar, and step the jar up!

in order of sign-up the bloggers thus far are: doris & jilly at doris and jilly cook, ashley at small measure, kate at kitchenfundamentalist, marisa at food in jars, alexa at sustainable pantry, sarah at toronto tasting notes, joel & dana at well preserved, lisa at notes from zone 4, gloria at laundry etc, chloe at naturally frugal, catalina at dust bath kaela at local kitchen, julia at what julia ate kate at hip girl's guide to homemaking, jennie at food and books and stuff. fun, elizabeth at sweet and sour preserves jane at yes another cooking blog, dawn at dawnabelle's, cathy at bread experience, heather & collette at backyard farms, michelle at big black dog, kristina at on my way to gluten free, sarah at locally preserved, and michelle at michelle in colorado springs.

and the non-bloggers thus far are: diane, andrea, daisy mae, sadie and jm (does that sound like the members of an all girl indie band, or is it just me?)

some other exciting news for the non-blogging participants - in addition to letting us know how it's going for you in the comments section each month, you will be able to post photos if you are so inclined. (diane came up with this great idea!) i will be setting up a system for this so more info coming soon...

and finally!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(i know that was bad form, but i am really excited)

this just in...

(oh, maybe i should just wait and have it be a surprise)

(should i?)

(i can't!)

linda ziedrich (or as kevin at saving the season calls her, linda the great) will be stopping by the can jam one month during the challange and joining in as a guest participant! i'll nab an interview with her and post it as well!

yes i am talking about the author of the joy of pickling and the joy of jams, jellies, and other sweet preserves.

(i know, i know!)

meyer lemon pickle with nigella

if you've been over here lately, then you know how much i enjoy early mornings, and you know what a beautiful view i relish up in the berkshires, a symphony of autumnal colors as of late...

you may also know that our 2009/10 move back to the city has happened, and well, my views have changed.

this year is even more of a change due to the fact that we moved from manhattan, across the bridge to LIC earlier in the year.

this is how the sun comes up around these parts:

morning kitchen view


view from terrace; silvercup, home to the filming of, IMO, one of the greatest series of all time

(no, not sex in the city, the sopranos! get the dvds - srsly)

and if i go way out to the end of the terrace and look left, a view of my favorite building in nyc the chrysler building

it looks ethereal but its just the smun: smog + sun.

so things do look a little bit different around here than they do in the berkshires.

but

lest you feel my lack of joyousness...have no fear because

as sure as the sun shines, there's a lemonade waiting to burst forth in every lemon and perhaps more accurately for our purposes here

if the sun surely shines as long and strong as it does in this kitchen then


ain't no lemons gettin' aden around here because

this my friends, is what I'm talkin' about. sickle

sun + pickle = sickle. as in, this pickle is soooooo good it's sickle!

(i had to)



meyer lemon pickle with nigella

12 meyer lemons, preferably organic
1/2 cup sugar (i use raw)
1/2 cup salt
1/4 cup cayenne powder
3 teaspoons turmeric
1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds (toasted & ground)
1 teaspoon nigella seeds (ground)
1/4 teaspoon asafoetida powder (toasted & ground)
juice of one large lemon (doesn't have to be meyer)
1 large 2 quart jar (cleaned with hot soapy water & dried thoroughly)

1. wipe lemons with a damp cloth and dry with a clean dry cloth. make sure to get them completely dry. this is crucial because if there is any water on the lemons it could cause mold during the pickling process.

2. slice off the little scar at end of lemons. quarter them and then slice each quarter into thirds. as you are doing this remove any pits and try to capture the juice.



3. mix together the sugar, salt, cayenne powder & turmeric. fill the jar halfway with the lemon pieces and halfway with this mixture. then one more layer of each, the jar will be very full or you may not even be able to fit all in on the first try. that's ok, push it down with a spoon and keep going. it will all sink eventually.

4. heat a small dry frying pan on the stove on medium, place the fenugreek seeds, nigella seeds and asefoetida powder in the pan and toast. you will know when it is done when the fenugreek seeds get a darker shade of gold but not brown and you will smell a wonderful aroma. this should take about 3 or 4 minutes. take out of the pan immediately and let cool. once cool grind in a spice grinder to a fine powder.

note: the nigella seeds give it the authentic taste that make this pickle so special. they are very much worth sourcing and unlike pre-ground spices they will stay fresh a long time in your larder. the asefotida is in a category by itself and even though it is ground, it's strong flavor will also last quite long. if you cannot find them near you, this is a very good mail order source.

5. add this powder to the jar and add the juice of the whole lemon on top of that. give everything another push down if need be. close the jar tightly and give it a good shake.

a traditional sun pickle, with thicker skin lemons, or limes can take up to 9 weeks to soften and 'cure'. these meyers took only 3! i think the process was quickened a bit by my intensely southern exposed kitchen here in LIC. :) but i think a month would be good just about anywhere as long as you have a good sunny windowsill, and on rainy days in winter place it a foot or so from the heater.

you will need to shake it once a day, i like to turn the jar upside down every two days or so. you may notice swelling of the jar top (if it is plastic like mine). it is fine to unscrew the lid and slowly let out some air if you notice this happening.

when it gets to 3 weeks or so, open the jar and try a piece. you want the texture of the lemon to be soft enough to chew comfortably, but do not let it pickle so much that the lemon become soft and loses it's texture. you want a bit of firmness to remain.



i like to transfer them to two smaller jars. place them in fridge where they will last a very long time -up to a year or even more. a little goes a long way. always use a clean, dry spoon to take pickle out of jar, this will help them last longer.

confession: i am addicted to indian sun pickles and in any given year you will find an array of sun pickled lemons & limes in my fridge. they are the perfect condiment to any sort of flat bread or rice, and any curry, indian, or east asian inspired dish. i am prone to eating them right out of the jar...enjoy!

and now for some other very exciting news! if you don't know about this already then you better click on this!

carrot pickle

the roots, the roots, the roots are on fire


the roots, the roots, the roots are on fire


the roots, the roots, the roots are on fire


we don't need no water let the m*$%^#f&!K^r burn!
burn m*$%^#f&!K^r burn!


carrot pickle
adapted from savoring india by julie sahni

1 1/2 lb carrots
2 tablespoons yellow mustard seeds, crushed coarsely in coffee/spice grinder or with pestle
4-6 green chiles, stemmed & halved
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon jaggery, brown sugar or sugar
1/4 cup oil (canola, sesame or peanut)
3 tablespoons lemon juice
3 large cloves garlic

1. julienne carrots, slice garlic and measure out all other ingredients - set by cooktop at the ready.

2. heat oil, add turmeric & crushed mustard seeds and let them sizzle for a few seconds. you may hear them start to pop. add garlic and let it get translucent but not browned.

3. add carrots and chiles and toss in heat for 1 to 2 minutes. making sure everything gets coated in oil but not cooked. carrots should keep their crunch.

4. turn down heat. add salt & sugar and lemon juice and toss to dissolve and mix.

5. place in bowl to let cool.

6. once cool store in jar in fridge and eat within 2 weeks.

...if you like hot, very flavorful things, this will never ever last that long.

white radish pickle

if you really are committed to eating locally, and/or growing your own food
then i think you've caught on by now that in most of the country root veggies
are coming into their own this time of year.

yes i know pumpkins, winter squash, et. al. - but like i said over here you can 'put up' winter squash pretty much anywhere for a good 4 months or more if you have a cool place in your house. at around 60 degrees, they'll sit around quite comfortably getting sweeter by the day. so there is time a' plenty for squash shenanigans.

now roots on the other hand, they really need it a bit colder to keep for months. most of us, city dwellers in apartments, or with modern cellars with furnaces don't have the luxury of a proper root preserving cellar like many of our great-grandparents did.

i love the stories my dad tells me of my great-grandparent's root cellar. he used to go down there as a kid and find much more than roots. he said there were barrels of pickled everything. cukes, eggplants, peppers, eggs...and this is the best part: wine.

barrels of homemade wine in the cellar.

(sigh)

i am not quite sure that my neapolitan great-grandparents had any pickling experience with white radishes, aka daikon. it seems to be more of an eastern thing.

that, my friends is one of the many reasons i love pickling and preserving so much: pickling is the way we can experience our heritages... because let's face it, it is a rare one of us who doesn't have pickling in their family history. that's what everyone did back then! preserve - and farm. at least to some extent. and that is what makes exploring preserving foodways so rich, because everyone did it, everywhere, it is a way to experience the flavors of the world.

you see, eating locally is the perfect invitation to eating globally.

know what i mean?

dare i say it...

loco-gastro-globavore

i had to.



white radish pickle
adapted from world of the east vegetarian cooking by madhur jaffrey

2 lbs daikon (2 vary large or 3 medium)
3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons salt
4 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 quart jars

yields: about a quart and a half

1. wash daikon, take leaves and ends off and cut in half lengthwise. slice in very thin slices about 1/16th of an inch. a japanese benriner really helps. i have this one and trust me, it is way better than the more expensive ones. but if you gots mad knife skillz than forget i said anything...

2. bring sugar, salt & vinegar to the boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. once it reaches boiling, take off heat and pour over sliced daikon.

3. let cool and pour into jar/s. place closed jars in fridge and let sit for 3-4 days before eating.

this is a common condiment at many a japanese restaurant, you may not recognize it because it is sans yellow food coloring here. it is sweet and pungent. and when you open the jar it will smell like it just committed an excusable act. but that will dissipate quite quickly.

a little goes a long way. it goes perfectly of course, on the side of any japanese inspired meal, or a salted, grilled fish. for a quick lunch it is the cherry on top of a bowl of brown rice with a chopped hard boiled farm-fresh egg and a splash of soy, with or without a bit of stir fried greens.

it is a quick pickle and not enough acid to seal in a hot water bath and store at room temperature. so you will need to keep it in the fridge where it will last for months and months. you can easily 1/2 the recipe on your first time out.

enjoy!