- Author: Lauria Watts
If were inspired by our Fermentation class and you have made some Kimchi, try some of the following recipes. If you have not made your kimchi, well what are you waiting for?:
Kimchi Fried Rice
2 cups cold cooked rice
2 teaspoons oil
1 egg, beaten
green onions, thinly sliced (whites and greens), as many as you wish
Kimchi, diced coarsely, as much as you wish (I suggest 1/2 cup diced)
salt and pepper to taste
Have all of your ingredients at the ready.
Heat a medium heavy steel or cast iron frying pan till it is HOT. Pour in 2 teaspoons oil, swirl to coat pan, toss in the rice. Cook, tossing the rice constantly until it is hot. Make a well in the middle of the rice and pour in the egg; cook, stirring the egg into the rice gradually until egg is cooked. Stir in the green onions and stir fry briefly until they turn a brighter green. Toss in the Kimchi and stir fry just until it is warmed--do not overcook. Serve immediately.
How about using some chopped kimchi in a grilled cheese sandwich to spice it up?
(Thank you Serious Eats.com)
2 tablespoons butter, cut into three even pieces
2 slices hearty white bread, such as Pepperidge Farm or Arnold [some sourdough perhaps?--L. Watts]
2 slices American, Cheddar, or Jack cheese [and a good, melty Muenster would be good! -L. Watts]
1/2 cup kimchi, drained and roughly chopped
Kosher salt if desired
Melt one third of butter in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat until foaming subsides. Add both bread slices and cook, swirling occasionally, until pale golden brown on bottom side, about 2 minutes.
Transfer to a cutting board toasted-side-up. Place one cheese slice on top of one slice of bread. Top with kimchi and second cheese slice. Close sandwich, with both toasted sides facing inwards.
Melt one more piece of butter in the skillet and reduce heat to medium low. Add sandwich and cook, swirling occasionally, until deep, even golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove sandwich using a flexible metal spatula. Add the remaining butter. Return sandwich to skillet cooked-side up. Season with salt. Cook, swirling occasionally, until second side is deep, even golden brown and cheese is thoroughly melted, about 5 minutes. Serve immediately.
And last but not least, Kimchi and Avocado Quesadillas!
(Thank you My Recipes.com )
8 flour tortillas, 7 to 8 in. in diameter
1 jar (14 oz.) kimchi, drained and chopped
2 cups shredded jack cheese
2 avocados, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
Cilantro leaves
Top 4 tortillas evenly with kimchi, then with cheese, avocados, and remaining tortillas.
Mix oil, vinegar, and sesame seeds in a small bowl; set aside.
Heat a 12-in. frying pan over medium-high heat. Toast each quesadilla until lightly browned and cheese has melted, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Slice each quesadilla into wedges, sprinkle with cilantro, and serve.
Border images on right courtesy of:
Bayartai [CC0], from Wikimedia Commons
and
푹푹이 [CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
- Author: Lauria Watts
Hmmm, I got busy and forgot to post this for last week's Teatime Class, so here you go!
A while back I wrote a post about making delicious cultured butter. This recipe is very good but maybe a little too much a time investment for some.
I was a crusin' the net and found a very FAST, easy recipe for butter with a cultured tang that I would like to share with you. This would go great with your scones for tea, for sure! It is quicker to make and would be great for a last minute addition to any holiday or special meal.
The hardest thing about this recipe is that you need to find good heavy cream, NOT ULTRA-PASTEURIZED and WITHOUT additives or thickeners. But, I have looked around and will tell you below what I have found to make this recipe in my area. Non-ultra Pasteurized heavy sweet whipping cream can be hard to find in my experience; sour cream without additives is a little easier to find. I had heard that Manufacturing cream would be great for butter, the only stuff I could find (sold by the half-gallon) had additives AND was ultra-pasteurized.
Maybe I will need to go and make a batch this week. I have been baking and it would taste mighty fine on hot, fresh, home-made bread or biscuits (or scones--with my tea in the morning!).
How to Make Homemade Butter--By Alex Guarnaschelli
Alex Guarnaschelli: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alexandra-guarnaschelli/homemade-butter-recipe-2104911
Total time: 15 min. Prep: 15 min. Yield: 3/4 pound butter. (= 12 oz, or three sticks--L. Watts)
2 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Prepare a medium-size bowl of ice water. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, gradually whip the cream and sour cream together. Increase the speed of the mixer and continue whipping until the cream separates and the mixture thickens.
Use a rubber spatula to gather up the butter and remove it from the bowl. There will be some liquid that is a natural result of this process. That liquid is actually buttermilk. Gather the ball of butter together into a double layer of cheesecloth or a thin kitchen towel and plunge it into the ice bath to wash any buttermilk off the surface. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, to taste. Pack the butter into a bowl or roll it into a ball or log shape using plastic wrap. Use immediately or store in the refrigerator.
Note from Alex Guarneschelli:
When I make breakfast on my day off, I always use the opportunity to get back to the basics. I love making my own butter and jams for toast. I have found its very important to use a natural sour cream that doesn't have any thickeners (like Guar gum) when making this recipe.
My notes: This butter will not keep very long in the refrigerator as it is not really washed of all buttermilk—so keep it refrigerated and use it fast--feed it to family or a party of guests! It will not keep like commercially made butter. You could divide it into smaller portions, package separately and freeze them to keep fresh all that you are not using (defrost in refrigerator)--if you have any left!
As an alternative to freezing, or perhaps in addition to: Scoop the butter out, pressing out as much buttermilk as possible and place in a clean bowl. Then, wash the butter with as much ice-cold water as needed until the water runs clear; more than a few rinses may be needed. Butter washed this way will keep longer in the fridge and may, of course, be frozen for longer storage. In any case, do not expect your butter to keep at room temperature -- keep refrigerated or frozen at all times for good food safety.
After washing, you may salt your butter (or not) to taste as desired; try 1/4 tsp, taste and work up from there if you wish.
- Author: Lauria Watts
I was cruising the Agriculture and Natural Resource (ANR) blogs and found this nice article about growing saffron crocuses in your yard: Grow Your Own Saffron! Such a pretty flower with delightfully tasty seasoning included!It is a little late to plant these little beauties around here, but you could put an order in for some corms and plant them when shipped to you, which is usually in the fall.
How about a recipe to use some home canned broth and home grown saffron?
Quite a while back I bought one of those little boxes of Sahara Brand Rice Pilaf. We all liked it but it was expensive. My sister and I got together to try to concoct our own version. The following is what we came up with and we like it much better than the boxed stuff. It is now one of our family's favorite recipes it is as follows.
A few tips for this recipe: make sure to toast the rice, then the pasta, almonds and you will get a great flavor and texture to your pilaf. Have you made any home canned chicken broth? It will serve you well in this recipe.
You can make this without the saffron, but the spice adds a very nice, rather exotic aroma and a wonderful color to the dish. Try to find some real Spanish saffron and use it--you won't be sorry.
Rice and Orzo Pilaf with Saffron--Use some Home-Canned Broth here!
Recipe may be doubled if you wish.
1 cup chicken broth, home canned if possible
1-1/4 cups warm water
10 strands or so of Saffron (a small pinch; be careful, too much or it may be bitter)
1-1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup rice
1/4 cup orzo or broken vermicelli (if using vermicelli, break it into little pieces into the measuring cup)
1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted
1/2 cup finely diced onion
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for adjusting seasoning when pilaf is finished
Mix the broth and warm water then sprinkle the saffron over the top. Set aside.
Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large saucepan. Pour in rice, stirring constantly to avoid burning until it loses its translucency and all the rice is opaque, much more white and some of the grains are beginning to get browned.
Add the orzo/vermicelli and almonds and continue to stir constantly until the pasta browns; this should happen pretty quickly.
Place the onion and salt in the pot and stir until the onion is translucent and soft.
Add the broth, water and saffron and give everything a quick stir. Cover, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about 15-20 minutes. Test for doneness of the rice; it should be firm, but not chalky or hard; if it is, add tablespoon or so of water and cook for a few minutes. Remove from heat and let stand about 5 minutes. Taste for final seasoning then add salt if needed, stir lightly but thoroughly to fluff and serve.
- Author: Lauria Watts
Interesting fruit, no? Our blood oranges were supposed to be Cara Cara Navels, but we got a dark, dark blood orange; it is mostly darker than the one pictured here. Ours definitely has a "red" taste to it, sorta like berries or raspberries, and are generally much darker than the orange at right--that pigment is what gives them that berry flavor.
Now is the time of year a lot of citrus comes ripe all over southern California. That's when the significant-other-hubby-type-person starts to gently urge (read "nag"here) me to do taste the blood oranges and do something with them. For a semi-dwarf tree, it sure bears well. And for some reason, the wildlife ignores the fruit, so we always have plenty.
He usually picks them a little too early. When I taste them they have flavor but are much too sour to eat right then. If I wait, they never seem to get so ripe that I really want to eat them out of hand, but they make a great jelly or marmalade. I think they would make a great syrup too.
Here is a recipe from the National Center For Home Food Preservation for some spiced orange jelly. I leave the spices out so the flavor of my blood oranges shines through.
Spiced Orange Jelly with powdered pectin (Omit items below and will have plain Orange Jelly)
http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_07/orange_jelly_spiced.html
Yield: About 4 half-pint jars
2 cups orange juice (about 5 medium oranges)
1/3 cup lemon juice (about 2 medium lemons)
2/3 cup water
1 package powdered pectin
2 tablespoons orange peel, finely chopped (omit for plain orange jelly)
1 teaspoon whole allspice (omit for plain orange jelly)
½ teaspoon whole cloves (omit for plain orange jelly)
4 sticks cinnamon, 2 inches long (omit for plain orange jelly)
3½ cups sugar
Procedure: Sterilize canning jars and prepare two-piece canning lids according to manufacturer's directions.
To make jelly. Mix orange juice, lemon juice, and water in a large saucepan. Stir in pectin. Place orange peel, allspice, cloves, and cinnamon sticks loosely in a clean white cloth; tie with a string and add to fruit mixture. Place on high heat and, stirring constantly, bring quickly to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down. Add sugar, continue stirring, and heat again to a full rolling boil. Boil hard for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Remove spice bag and skim off foam quickly.
Pour hot jelly immediately into hot, sterile jars, leaving ¼ inch headspace. Wipe rims of jars with a dampened clean paper towel; adjust two-piece metal canning lids. Process in a Boiling Water Canner.
Process in a boiling water canner, for half pints or pints:
At 0 to 1000 ft. -- 5 minutes.
At 1001-6000 ft. -- 10 minutes.
Over 6000 ft. -- 15 minutes