Category: Condiments

How to Make Sauerkraut

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There is a blog I check in with from time to time written by Rural Rose. She has a farm in British Columbia, and is a font of common sense practical information on her Life Through the Cracks blog. It was there I saw a post on how to make sauerkraut. Who knew it was so easy! Then on various catalogs I’ve been seeing ceramic crocks for fermenting for sell. So last month I ordered the smallest size ,1 gallon, and began the task of making my own Sauerkraut.

I researched various methods to ferment. The key is salt, plenty of it, and keeping your shredded cabbage sealed and weighted underneath the brine which forms as water is drawn out the cabbage. You also want to be careful of your temperatures as it ferments at room temperature. Not to hot or cold. You never want your environment to be over 75 degrees as the cabbage will become soft and not ferment properly. I found this link to best most comprehensive How to ferment sauerkraut. I liked this link because its comprehensive , addressing temps, altitudes for canning, etc.Don’t be alarmed if you see a scum during fermentation. You can carefully remove that.Some people wont get that at all. The cabbage is protected underneath the brine. Make sure your utensils and vessels are clean. Keep your edges clean as you weight your cabbage with a plate that fits inside. Then add a salt water filled plastic bag or water filled jug on top top weigh the plate down and keep the cabbage covered and air tight. A brine filled bag is good in case your water leaks. The total amount of salt varies, but use NON IODIZED Kosher or Sea Salt. Most people give a guideline of 3 tablespoons of salt to 5 lbs of cabbage. In addition the salt keeps the cabbage crunchy.

There are those that will argue the decision to can or not. As sauerkraut is formed through lactic acid fermentation, it is quite healthy with pro-biotic benefits. However processing your sauerkraut will kill the beneficial nature of fresh sauerkraut, and leave you with just a tasty treat . Wild Fermentation has an excellent post on this. The choice is yours . If you keep it fresh and raw , it will keep in the refrigerator for months after the fermentation period which ranges from 1-3 weeks depending on climate. If you process it in a water bath , the shelf life is longer and can kept at room temperature. For this first trial, I went the canning route to give as gifts and just to put up.

Be creative. Use red or green cabbage. I used both. Combine with other shredded vegetables or apples even. I threw in some caraway seeds and juniper seeds while fermenting to flavor.

As Autumn approaches you will have an enjoyable side to compliment your sausages and roasted meats and vegetables. Wash it all down with a cold beer.

61st Farmers Market Demo on Canning

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I was fortunate to get invited back to the 61st Street Farmers Market to do another demo. I’m quite honored as the market attract some pretty heavy hitters in the Chicago culinary world. For this opportunity I decided to talk about canning and preserving the taste of summer . I spoke about two recipes I posted before, Giardiniera and Bread and Butter Pickles. Enjoy the videos. Each is about 10 minutes in length. Certain Someone was kind enough to film. The first frames sound is a little off but the majority of the clip is much better. My favorite part is naturally towards the end and the satisfaction and delight the people had tasting my Giardinirera and Pickles.

Fried Green Tomato Sandwich with Bacon

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Consider this a creative variation of a BLT sandwich.In this case I skipped the L (lettuce). I love fried green tomatoes with a spicy remoulade. Having purchased some , with a slab of hickory bacon , the creative juices were flowing.I posted about Fried Green tomatoes before. Paired with a sweet and spicy remoulade, this sandwich is full of tangy zip. So if you like fried green tomatoes and want an usual sandwich, try this . If you don’t eat bacon , try substituting turkey bacon instead. Enjoy.

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Perfect Fried Green Tomatoes

4 green tomatoes
1 cup buttermilk or 1 cup milk with a few tsp of vinegar/lemon juice
( allow to sit for 5 minutes or more)
2 eggs lightly beaten
1 cup corn meal
salt
1 tsp cayenne pepper
vegetable oil

  1. Prep your station with a dish of buttermilk, a dish of
    beaten egg, and a dish of corn meal .
  2. Mix 1 tsp of cayenne
    and salt in the corn meal.
  3. Slice green tomatoes into 1/2
    inch rounds.
  4. Dip each slice first in buttermilk, then egg, then
    dredge in cornmeal.
  5. Heat approx 1/2 cup of vegetable oil in a fry pan.
  6. Fry tomato
    slices until golden and crispy on each side.
  7. Drain finished pieces
    on paper towels.
  8. Sprinkle with additional salt if desired.
  9. Set aside until assembly of sandwich.

Spicy Sweet Remoulade

  • 1/3 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 teaspoon Sriracha
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  1. Combine all ingredients and mix.
  2. Chill until ready to use.

Assembly of Sandwich

Components Needed:

  1. Bread of choice ( Italian loaf, sandwich roll, kaiser roll, etc)
  2. 3 strips of crispy bacon for each sandwich
  3. 2-3 slices of fried green tomato
  4. Remoulade to spread

Spread Remoulade on each slice of bread. Place the fried green tomato slices. Top with bacon.

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Giardiniera. It’s a Chicago Thing.

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I have a co worker who is a self described Giardiniera addict. We could go on and on about it. She’s one of the few kindred spirit’s I have found, that derives pure pleasure in salty acidic relishes. What is Giardiniera you ask? Well prior to coming to Chicago over ten years ago, I had never heard of it. I would get my heat and acid kick from the East Coats versions of crushed peppers on my submarines and cheese steaks, etc.

So naturally with the Mid West’s summer bounty upon us, and my refrigerator running over with heads of organic cauliflower, peppers, celery,carrots and such, it was time to attempt some Giardiniera. For my first attempt it was pretty good. The co-worker expert said it was “Freaking Good’“and wanted some more. The beauty of this recipe, is that you use whatever you have laying around. If  you like your Giardiniera mild, add sweet peppers only. If you like some heat and spice go crazy with the Serrano’s and Jalapenos.After all Giardiniera means “Woman Gardener” in Italian.

To Process or Not?

I went ahead and processed mine in a water batch or my dishwasher method, as I was taught  last year). There is some traditional debate on whether this is safe or not (dishwasher method).If you  do a traditional water bath (the safest method), only do so for minimal time (like 3-5 minutes). At first I thought they didn’t seal, but they did the next day. The veg was still nice and crunchy. I still kept all my jars in the fridge to be safe, rather than sorry, and I’m just about out. If you don’t process, consume within 2-3 weeks and store in the refrigerator.

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Giardiniera

Makes 5-6 pint sizes

Total time 4 days to process

  • 1 head cauliflower
  • 1 bunch celery
  • 4-5 large carrots
  • 2-3 Red or hued sweet peppers
  • 4 Jalapenos or more or less to taste. Not seeded!
  • 4 Serrano’s . Not seeded!
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 tablespoon dried minced garlic
  • 1 tablespoon Italian Herbs mix (dried oregano, basil, etc)
  • 1/2 to 3/4 cup Kosher Salt
  • 1 part Vegetable or Canola oil (to cover)
  • 1 part White Vinegar (to cover)

Preparation

  1. Sterilized jars, and lids. 1 pint size
  2. Clean and chop all your vegetables.Be sure to leave seeds from the heat peppers (Jalapenos and Serrano’s). In a non reactive container with lid, our salt  on vegetables and cover with cold water. Cover and store 24 hours in the refrigerator.
  3. Drain salt water. At this point you may rinse if you find the veg salty. I  like salt, so didn’t. It was just fine. In another container mix your 1 part Vinegar to 1 part Oil with the remaining spices. Mix well and make sure its combined or emulsified.
  4. Sterilize Jars and Lids. Pack the vegetables into clean sterilized jars and cover with the oil /vinegar mixture. Seal and either process in a water bath, or store in the refrigerator.
  5. If you process, let rest after process for 12 hour until sealed. If not sealed, follow instructions from jar manufacturer to reprocess, or store immediately in the refrigerator to consume within 2-3 weeks.
  6. Either way , once complete let, the jars rest for at least 2 days until consuming to allow the flavors to merge.

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Suggested Uses:

  • Chicago Beef Sandwich
  • Relish Trays
  • Antipasto  trays
  • Pasta Salads
  • Submarines
  • Pizzas
  • Accompaniment to Charcuterie
  • Or just plain out the Jar

Good Food and Times in Toronto , And A Recipe For Grainy Oriental Seed and Honey Mustard !

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Last week I had a  week long business trip to Toronto. I hadn’t been back in a few years, since my first visit , where I was lucky to meet Peter of Kalofagas. Naturally we were destined to meet again with more outrageous T shirts and high jinks planned, free time permitting. You see, Peter loves racy T shirts and he made me promise to wear one he chose especially for me. Not being uptight and pretty free, I went with it, warning Certain Someone ahead of time. The photos speak for themselves. I wont put up Thursday nights shirt as it really pushed the limits, but all in good fun.We had agreed to meet up in a cozy Gastro pub  called The House on Parliament , in Cabbage Town ,with fellow Canadian Food  Blogger and online friend Jasmine of Cardamon Addict. Jasmine, living a distance away made the  trek into town Monday night to meet up, bearing a Canadian Specialty , Butter Tarts. She was concerned about her crusts and unorthodox use of chocolate in one version, but I thought they were superb. These rich , flaky butter tarts served as snack and breakfast during my work week, and I’m grateful. I gifted Peter and Jasmine Chicago’s Famous Garrets Popcorn, the cheese and caramel mix. The Popcorn is like Crack , and I got them hooked. My colleague Irene wolfed hers down on the way from the airport. I gave her another bag with a chocolate mix,  that was evident in the car all week , as she nibbled.
Work was pretty intense , but we had agreed to one more rendezvous with Peter Thursday night. I managed to connect with my other blogger friend Gianna, who has a blog, not necessarily devoted to food, but should be. We had met once before in Chicago, and I find her a kindred spirit. We started out with my colleague and I meting up with Peter in the St. Lawrence Market, where I sampled some Peameal bacon, and purchased a few items. It was there where I fell in love with the Kozliks Mustard stand, and learned Canada is the largest importer of mustard seed to the world. Who knew!. I purchased a bag of the extra hot Oriental Mustard seeds, to make my own. We then picked up Gianna and wound our way to the lovely Distillery District. I wish I had more more time there as this was my favorite spot. Gianna showed me Soma Chocolates and A Taste of Quebec,where I purchased more goodies and the most amazing Gelato. Once home I made Soma’s Mayan Elixir of the Gods, an intense spicy Chocolate shot which was aptly named.
Dinner was at the Miller Street Brew Pub, where I imbibed more than I ate, being full from the previous goodies.Excellent evening with Irene, my colleague, Peter, and Gianna. Irene then took me to Mas Camps. Walking Mas in Caribana is a important yearly rite of passage for many Caribbean Canadians. Caribana is the largest Caribbean festival drawing hundred of thousands of people from all over the world.Street parades, bands, food, competition, and plain good fun celebrating the Caribbean Culture . Toronto profits from this event to the tune of over $400 million . It’s that huge. And with it comes year long preparation. The Mas Camps are scattered throughout where people drop buy to make and purchase their elaborate costumes. A perfect finale to fantastic week of work, and a little fun.I do heart Toronto.

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Grainy Oriental Seed and Honey Mustard

Mustard’s are one of the easiest condiments to make. So many variations are possible.I used the extra hot Oriental Seed , softened with honey.  Use this in BBQ, Salad dressings, sauces, or as a plain condiment for sandwiches .Enjoy.

  • 1 cup Oriental Mustard Seeds
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon mustard powder
  • 1 cup white vinegar
  • 1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 6 tablespoons honey

Pour vinegars over the mustard seeds and spices( mustard powder, cinnamon, ginger) in a non reactive bowl, mix, and cover/soak overnight at room temperature. The seeds will swell and absorb the vinegar. Using a immersion blender or food processor mix while adding the honey gradually. Mix and blend thoroughly . If you feel you need to add more honey or vinegar, do so gradually until its a smooth consistency(not to thick or not to runny). Spoon into clean sterilized jars and refrigerate . The flavor will blend more after a few hours setting in the fridge.I find it tastes even better the second day as any bitterness from the mustard seed has subsided. Store for up to four weeks in the refrigerator.

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