The combination of hard boiled eggs, celery, pickle and mayonnaise was getting boring. I decided to kick it up in another direction. Staying with the hard boiled eggs and maybe the pickle and/or mayonnaise, I thought I might see what sorts of "salad" substitutions I could do. This version uses bacon for its salty smoked flavor and green bell peppers for its crunch factor. Although, if you dislike bell peppers, I suppose you could use a neutral-flavored vegetable like Jerusalem artichoke or the standard celery rib. You could probably use jicama which imparts a mildly sweet flavor to most salads; although most egg salad sandwiches are typically savory.
The true test of a good egg salad batch is if it can stand on its own or taste as good when paired in a sandwich, with crackers, or on flat bread.
The basic egg salad recipe is as follows:
2 hard boiled eggs, shelled and roughly chopped
2 tbsp organic mayonnaise
2 celery ribs, diced
1 dill pickle, diced
salt and pepper, to taste
pinch of smoked paprika, for color (optional)
Mix all those ingredients together in a container. The egg yolks emulsify the mayonnaise to make it thicker. The pickle adds some tang, but can be left out or on the side.
Here's an alternate ingredient ratio:
2 hard boiled eggs, shelled and roughly chopped
2 tbsp organic mayonnaise
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
2 slices of freshly cooked bacon, drained and diced
salt and pepper, to taste
pinch of no-salt tomato-basil-garlic seasoning
Combine all the ingredients and store in a covered container in the fridge so the flavors can mingle a bit more before using or serving with crackers or bread.
Dungeness Crab Bisque
Today I attempted to make a consommé from a dungeness crab carcass, which turned out to be an interesting way to make crab stock. I started this recipe with the ingredient ratio from Williams-Sonoma, but found that the bisque was too watery and lacked depth. I later added the other ingredients in the Food Network's crab bisque recipe, minus the whole dungeness crabs which I did not have on hand and made a few adjustments. Also omitted was tarragon, which I neither have fresh nor dried in the pantry.
Using a 5-qt programmable crockpot, I cooked a dungeness crab carcass for the better part of the day; about 6 hours on the "high" setting, and 8 hours on the "low", though I don't think it really cooked for 14 hours. In the crockpot, I also added some Shaoxing red rice wine. Use a strainer to extract just the liquid from the crockpot into a pot large enough to accommodate it and the rest of the bisque ingredients. Unlike all other crab bisque recipes, this one extracts all the crab flavor from one carcass and the meat is from canned crab; though, you could use freshly cooked crab meat if it were in season. At the moment, it is not in season in the Pacific Northwest and live crab prices have gone back up to their off-season norm of about $5/lb. This yielded roughly 3 quarts of crab stock.
Also, note if the canned crab contains added salt. If it does, like the Trader Joe's canned crab, rinse it with water to remove the excess salty water, then strain it before adding to the bisque. This will help to control how much sodium actually gets into the soup.
Ingredients
crab stock (can also substitute chicken or fish stock)
Two 6 oz cans of crab meat
2 c. heavy cream
1/2 c. sweet marsala wine
One 14.5 oz can of organic diced tomatoes (or 3 whole tomatoes)
2 tbsp organic tomato paste
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp unsalted butter
2 celery stalks, trimmed and diced
1 carrot, diced
5 garlic cloves, minced
3 shallots, minced
1 bay leaf
cayenne pepper
freshly ground black pepper
Himalayan pink salt
pinch of ground thyme
juice of 1/2 a lemon
Directions
1. Prepare crab stock by simmering a crab carcass with some dry wine (rice wine works well) in a stockpot or crockpot for several hours. Strain to remove shell particulates and other non-liquid items into a clean stockpot.
2. In a small saute pan, melt olive oil and butter together, then add shallots, carrots, celery, and garlic. Cook over low heat until shallots become translucent. Add to crab stock.
If you have a limited number of cooking pots, you may find this reversed step more optimal for the kitchen instead of starting with these ingredients in the stockpot then adding the strained crab stock to deglaze the pot.
3. Add the heavy cream, bay leaf, marsala wine, lemon juice, and spices (cayenne pepper, thyme, pink salt, freshly ground black pepper. Season to taste.
4. Add the diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Stir the bisque so that the paste dissolves into the stock.
5. Let the stock come to a boil, then simmer for at least an hour. In the last half hour of cooking (before serving), add the canned crab or freshly cooked crab meat (cut into 1" pieces).
6. In batches, pureé in a food prep or blender. In this step, you can strain the bisque so that only the liquid remains, or serve it as is while still warm.
Using a 5-qt programmable crockpot, I cooked a dungeness crab carcass for the better part of the day; about 6 hours on the "high" setting, and 8 hours on the "low", though I don't think it really cooked for 14 hours. In the crockpot, I also added some Shaoxing red rice wine. Use a strainer to extract just the liquid from the crockpot into a pot large enough to accommodate it and the rest of the bisque ingredients. Unlike all other crab bisque recipes, this one extracts all the crab flavor from one carcass and the meat is from canned crab; though, you could use freshly cooked crab meat if it were in season. At the moment, it is not in season in the Pacific Northwest and live crab prices have gone back up to their off-season norm of about $5/lb. This yielded roughly 3 quarts of crab stock.
Also, note if the canned crab contains added salt. If it does, like the Trader Joe's canned crab, rinse it with water to remove the excess salty water, then strain it before adding to the bisque. This will help to control how much sodium actually gets into the soup.
Ingredients
crab stock (can also substitute chicken or fish stock)
Two 6 oz cans of crab meat
2 c. heavy cream
1/2 c. sweet marsala wine
One 14.5 oz can of organic diced tomatoes (or 3 whole tomatoes)
2 tbsp organic tomato paste
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp unsalted butter
2 celery stalks, trimmed and diced
1 carrot, diced
5 garlic cloves, minced
3 shallots, minced
1 bay leaf
cayenne pepper
freshly ground black pepper
Himalayan pink salt
pinch of ground thyme
juice of 1/2 a lemon
Directions
1. Prepare crab stock by simmering a crab carcass with some dry wine (rice wine works well) in a stockpot or crockpot for several hours. Strain to remove shell particulates and other non-liquid items into a clean stockpot.
2. In a small saute pan, melt olive oil and butter together, then add shallots, carrots, celery, and garlic. Cook over low heat until shallots become translucent. Add to crab stock.
If you have a limited number of cooking pots, you may find this reversed step more optimal for the kitchen instead of starting with these ingredients in the stockpot then adding the strained crab stock to deglaze the pot.
3. Add the heavy cream, bay leaf, marsala wine, lemon juice, and spices (cayenne pepper, thyme, pink salt, freshly ground black pepper. Season to taste.
4. Add the diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Stir the bisque so that the paste dissolves into the stock.
5. Let the stock come to a boil, then simmer for at least an hour. In the last half hour of cooking (before serving), add the canned crab or freshly cooked crab meat (cut into 1" pieces).
6. In batches, pureé in a food prep or blender. In this step, you can strain the bisque so that only the liquid remains, or serve it as is while still warm.
Rye Bread
The one food item that I enjoy when eating out are sandwiches, especially a good pastrami on rye or grilled cheese on rye or a ham and swiss on rye. Of all the different flavors of bread, rye is one that I like for its distinct taste of caraway seeds. And yes, I really enjoy a good soup in a sourdough bread bowl.
Makes one loaf.
Ingredients
1 pkg (2 1/4 tsp) active dry yeast
1 c. warm water (about 110 degrees F)
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 tbsp caraway seeds, coarsely ground
1 tbsp caraway seeds, whole
1 tsp salt
1 1/4 c. rye flour
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp vital wheat gluten (for a softer consistency)
unsalted butter (optional)
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F, after the dough has risen and doubled in size.
1. Butter an 8" or 9" cake pan, set aside.
2. In a bread machine, combine all ingredients and set to "dough" setting. Depending on the size of your machine, you may have to remove the dough to a larger container to finish proofing. This amount of flour was apparently too much for my Mister Loaf bread machine.
3. The dough was pretty sticky and not all that elastic like what a proper dough should feel like. And, removing it from the bread machine was quite a task. Gently gather and briefly knead the dough on a lightly floured surface after it has risen for 30-45 minutes. Form it into a ball-like object and put it into the buttered pan.
4. Cover it with a plate or bowl and let the dough rise some more as the oven heats up. Score the top of the bread and dot with unsalted butter (optional).
Bake for 30 minutes, or until the top is evenly browned.
Makes one loaf.
Ingredients
1 pkg (2 1/4 tsp) active dry yeast
1 c. warm water (about 110 degrees F)
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 tbsp caraway seeds, coarsely ground
1 tbsp caraway seeds, whole
1 tsp salt
1 1/4 c. rye flour
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp vital wheat gluten (for a softer consistency)
unsalted butter (optional)
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F, after the dough has risen and doubled in size.
1. Butter an 8" or 9" cake pan, set aside.
2. In a bread machine, combine all ingredients and set to "dough" setting. Depending on the size of your machine, you may have to remove the dough to a larger container to finish proofing. This amount of flour was apparently too much for my Mister Loaf bread machine.
3. The dough was pretty sticky and not all that elastic like what a proper dough should feel like. And, removing it from the bread machine was quite a task. Gently gather and briefly knead the dough on a lightly floured surface after it has risen for 30-45 minutes. Form it into a ball-like object and put it into the buttered pan.
4. Cover it with a plate or bowl and let the dough rise some more as the oven heats up. Score the top of the bread and dot with unsalted butter (optional).
Bake for 30 minutes, or until the top is evenly browned.
Homemade Kimchi
Korean-styled Pickled Cabbage ("kimchi")
Napa cabbage is a pretty versatile vegetable. It's heart (innermost leaves and core) are slightly sweeter than the outer leaves and is often used in Asian vegetable soups. It can be fried with a bit of oil and dried shrimp as a traditional vegetable dish. And, it can be made into one of Korea's national dishes, kimchi. The price of commercially bought kimchi often reflects the current market price on napa cabbage, and can be pretty expensive for a large jar of it. Doing it from scratch means that a few notable ingredients are left out are sugar and preservatives.
The sweetness comes from other ingredients, mainly the inner heart of the cabbage, a vidalia onion, an apple, and a pear. The longer it ferments, the more sour the kimchi will become. It's still edible, but most sites that have a similar recipe recommend that you eat it within the week or at most a few weeks.
The original recipe walk-through comes from here. I didn't deviate from the original directions much. Large tongs can be used instead of gloves to mix the cabbage with the chili paste. I used a Fuji apple, a D'anjou pear, and a Vidalia onion.
When napa cabbage is in season, it should be about $0.99/lb. A healthy head will be about 2-3 pounds. Be sure to have a large cleaned glass jar with a lid on hand that is pint or quart sized. You can certainly have a large jar than that if you really enjoy kimchi. You'll know that it is fermenting when the liquid starts to bubble inside the jar.
The actual prep time for this recipe is about an hour. The additional time needed is for the ingredients to brine (4 hours) and/or ferment (24 hours).
Ingredients
One napa cabbage
1/4 c. sea salt + 1 c. water
1/4 c. ground red chili peppers + 1/4 c. warm water
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
2 tbsp fish sauce
4 stalks green onions, thinly sliced
1 c. water + 1/2 apple + 1/2 pear + 1/2 yellow onion
Directions
1. In a measuring cup, dissolve 1/4 c. sea salt in water.
2. In a small bowl, mix red chili peppers with 1/4 c. warm water to form a paste.
3. In a large metal (non-plastic) bowl, combine chopped napa cabbage and salt water. Let this sit for 4 hours. Turn the cabbage every couple hours so that the white part of the leaves brine evenly.
4. After the cabbage has finished brining in the salt water, rinse it under cold water three or four times to remove all the salt water. The cabbage will still taste salty and there is no need to add additional salt.
5. In a food prep, blend into a slurry: half an onion, half a pear, half an apple with one cup of water.
6. Transfer the rinsed cabbage to a large bowl and add the red chili paste, garlic, ginger, green onions, fish sauce, and onion slurry. Mix thoroughly using tongs.
7. Fill jars with cabbage and leftover liquid. Be sure to not fill the jars to the top since the ingredients will expand slightly during fermentation. Cap jars and let sit at room temperature for 24 hours before storing in the refrigerator.
Napa cabbage is a pretty versatile vegetable. It's heart (innermost leaves and core) are slightly sweeter than the outer leaves and is often used in Asian vegetable soups. It can be fried with a bit of oil and dried shrimp as a traditional vegetable dish. And, it can be made into one of Korea's national dishes, kimchi. The price of commercially bought kimchi often reflects the current market price on napa cabbage, and can be pretty expensive for a large jar of it. Doing it from scratch means that a few notable ingredients are left out are sugar and preservatives.
The sweetness comes from other ingredients, mainly the inner heart of the cabbage, a vidalia onion, an apple, and a pear. The longer it ferments, the more sour the kimchi will become. It's still edible, but most sites that have a similar recipe recommend that you eat it within the week or at most a few weeks.
 |
| The Foodening Blog - kimchi ready for fermenting |
When napa cabbage is in season, it should be about $0.99/lb. A healthy head will be about 2-3 pounds. Be sure to have a large cleaned glass jar with a lid on hand that is pint or quart sized. You can certainly have a large jar than that if you really enjoy kimchi. You'll know that it is fermenting when the liquid starts to bubble inside the jar.
The actual prep time for this recipe is about an hour. The additional time needed is for the ingredients to brine (4 hours) and/or ferment (24 hours).
Ingredients
One napa cabbage
1/4 c. sea salt + 1 c. water
1/4 c. ground red chili peppers + 1/4 c. warm water
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
2 tbsp fish sauce
4 stalks green onions, thinly sliced
1 c. water + 1/2 apple + 1/2 pear + 1/2 yellow onion
Directions
1. In a measuring cup, dissolve 1/4 c. sea salt in water.
2. In a small bowl, mix red chili peppers with 1/4 c. warm water to form a paste.
3. In a large metal (non-plastic) bowl, combine chopped napa cabbage and salt water. Let this sit for 4 hours. Turn the cabbage every couple hours so that the white part of the leaves brine evenly.
4. After the cabbage has finished brining in the salt water, rinse it under cold water three or four times to remove all the salt water. The cabbage will still taste salty and there is no need to add additional salt.
5. In a food prep, blend into a slurry: half an onion, half a pear, half an apple with one cup of water.
6. Transfer the rinsed cabbage to a large bowl and add the red chili paste, garlic, ginger, green onions, fish sauce, and onion slurry. Mix thoroughly using tongs.
7. Fill jars with cabbage and leftover liquid. Be sure to not fill the jars to the top since the ingredients will expand slightly during fermentation. Cap jars and let sit at room temperature for 24 hours before storing in the refrigerator.
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| The Foodening Blog: Kimchi in Jars |
Ginger Sugar, Candied Ginger, and Ginger Syrup
At different stages of this recipe, you can make everything in the title of this post. I got the idea from reading Alton Brown's candied ginger recipe. Today was just a test batch, so I used a pretty small amount of fresh ginger. I don't have a digital food scale, so the amount of ginger used is just an approximation. You can save the peeled ginger skin to flavor broths and steam shellfish and/or seafood, like fish and crab.
Ingredients
1/4 pounds of fresh ginger, peeled
1/2 c. organic granulated sugar
1/2 c. filtered water
Directions
I recommend this order of operations because you can see how much water is really needed to make the syrup. Alton's method would have you use equal portions of ginger, water, and sugar. But I'm not comfortable with boiling such a small quantity of ginger for so long in so little water.
1. Slice the peeled ginger slightly larger than 1/8" and less than 1/4" thick. I found that 1/8" thick slices come out really small after the cooking process.
2. In a small pot, add ginger slices and sugar. Then add the water.
3. Bring to a boil and stir frequently. Let simmer for 20 minutes or until the water has nearly evaporated and the ginger is tender.
When the liquid has reduced by half, the ginger syrup is ready to be put into other sauces, on top of breads, or on ice cream.
4. Carefully remove the ginger to a drying rack that has been placed over a pie dish or parchment paper-lined baking tray. This will catch the residual ginger syrup which will eventually crystallize into sugar.
5. Let the ginger cool, then store in an airtight container for a couple weeks.
6. The scrape out the leftover syrup/sugar from the pot and let it dry on the same rack. As the water evaporates, what you'll have left is ginger-flavored sugar. This can be mixed in with more sugar, if you like. Store the ginger sugar in a separate airtight container. This, like vanilla sugar, keeps for quite a while in the pantry.
Ingredients
1/4 pounds of fresh ginger, peeled
1/2 c. organic granulated sugar
1/2 c. filtered water
Directions
I recommend this order of operations because you can see how much water is really needed to make the syrup. Alton's method would have you use equal portions of ginger, water, and sugar. But I'm not comfortable with boiling such a small quantity of ginger for so long in so little water.
1. Slice the peeled ginger slightly larger than 1/8" and less than 1/4" thick. I found that 1/8" thick slices come out really small after the cooking process.
2. In a small pot, add ginger slices and sugar. Then add the water.
3. Bring to a boil and stir frequently. Let simmer for 20 minutes or until the water has nearly evaporated and the ginger is tender.
When the liquid has reduced by half, the ginger syrup is ready to be put into other sauces, on top of breads, or on ice cream.
4. Carefully remove the ginger to a drying rack that has been placed over a pie dish or parchment paper-lined baking tray. This will catch the residual ginger syrup which will eventually crystallize into sugar.
5. Let the ginger cool, then store in an airtight container for a couple weeks.
6. The scrape out the leftover syrup/sugar from the pot and let it dry on the same rack. As the water evaporates, what you'll have left is ginger-flavored sugar. This can be mixed in with more sugar, if you like. Store the ginger sugar in a separate airtight container. This, like vanilla sugar, keeps for quite a while in the pantry.
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