For the love of Produce...
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I had recently bought a red onion and found I still had one left that really needed to get used up. I realized I hadn't made quick pickle in quite some time. I fixed that.
Just a pint - pretty much one onion. For this batch I stuffed the bottom of the jar with a couple bay leaves, some black pepper corns, and a few cloves. I shoved a dried chile de arbol down the side. Garlic would have been a nice addition, but no room. Will be ready soon, and I might use some as a garnish for the split pea barley soup that will be done any minute.
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My tepache finally started bubbling the other day. My house is really too cool for any appreciable fermentation, so I put it on the stove (not on a burner that was running) a couple times when I was running the oven.
I didn't want to leave it too long, so I strained it today after letting it go for three days. Next time I will use less sugar. It's sweeter than I'd like, but full of pineapple flavor.
After I strained it into a quart measuring cup, I poured it carefully into a one liter swing-top bottle and sealed it up. I'll leave it out for another day or two to get a little carbonation, then it will be ready to drink.
Now I kind of want to get another pineapple if I can find one as ripe and delicious as the last one.
The split pea and barley soup was really good, especially with the quick pickle onion as a garnish. It was ~too~ good; I ate one of the two quarts I had set aside after having the first bowl.
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My tepache finally started bubbling the other day. My house is really too cool for any appreciable fermentation, so I put it on the stove (not on a burner that was running) a couple times when I was running the oven.
I didn't want to leave it too long, so I strained it today after letting it go for three days. Next time I will use less sugar. It's sweeter than I'd like, but full of pineapple flavor.
After I strained it into a quart measuring cup, I poured it carefully into a one liter swing-top bottle and sealed it up. I'll leave it out for another day or two to get a little carbonation, then it will be ready to drink.
Now I kind of want to get another pineapple if I can find one as ripe and delicious as the last one.
The split pea and barley soup was really good, especially with the quick pickle onion as a garnish. It was ~too~ good; I ate one of the two quarts I had set aside after having the first bowl.
Yum!
I looked up tepache.. seems like something in the kombucha family?
I’ve been seeing a bunch of pink pineapple in the grocery store lately.
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SafariGalNYC wrote: »My tepache finally started bubbling the other day. My house is really too cool for any appreciable fermentation, so I put it on the stove (not on a burner that was running) a couple times when I was running the oven.
I didn't want to leave it too long, so I strained it today after letting it go for three days. Next time I will use less sugar. It's sweeter than I'd like, but full of pineapple flavor.
After I strained it into a quart measuring cup, I poured it carefully into a one liter swing-top bottle and sealed it up. I'll leave it out for another day or two to get a little carbonation, then it will be ready to drink.
Now I kind of want to get another pineapple if I can find one as ripe and delicious as the last one.
The split pea and barley soup was really good, especially with the quick pickle onion as a garnish. It was ~too~ good; I ate one of the two quarts I had set aside after having the first bowl.
Yum!
I looked up tepache.. seems like something in the kombucha family?
I’ve been seeing a bunch of pink pineapple in the grocery store lately.
It's not at all like kombucha. It's a lightly fermented agua fresca. Kombucha is made from tea, and the fermentation involves a symbiotic culture of yeast and bacteria a.k.a., SCOBY. Tepache is more like a very mild wine. The yeast is naturally occurring, and it eats the sugar and gives of carbon dioxide and alcohol. If it gets contaminated by acetobacter, the alcohol eventually gets metabolized to acetic acid (vinegar). The wine making process is really simple - crush grapes and let 'em "rot." Or add a cultured yeast if you don't want to risk it to wild yeast. There's other steps, but that's really about it.
I used to make beer, wine, and mead. I made some really good mead. I've been finally digging out some bottles from 20, 25, and even over 30 years ago. Some is showing signs of age, and I'm expecting to open one I dump out in the not too distant future. Some is surprisingly still very good. I opened a bottle of 27 year old stuff the other day that was the last bottle of that batch. The cork was about to disintegrate; I didn't have a lot of hope. I need to look up the recipe; I could taste vanilla and ginger, but I think it may have had none of that in there. I kept really good notes. Now that I no longer have pets, I might start to make some again.
Tepache is just a fun way to make less waste from something that traveled so far. The recipe I based mine on was a little more than a quart of water and a quarter cup of sugar. I used a mix of different kinds of sugars, and next time I might use half as much or else let it ferment longer. It will get more alcoholic and less sweet. I may dilute this batch, but first I'm letting it sit a while longer in a sealed bottle to carbonate a bit. I'll open it in a day or two and assess how much additional fermentation has gone on. I don't want it to build up enough pressure to explode - it certainly could do that if the ferment picks up. Fermentation is somewhat limited by pressure, and also by temperature. The goal is to get some of the CO2 dissolved into the tepache to make it more fun.
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SafariGalNYC wrote: »My tepache finally started bubbling the other day. My house is really too cool for any appreciable fermentation, so I put it on the stove (not on a burner that was running) a couple times when I was running the oven.
I didn't want to leave it too long, so I strained it today after letting it go for three days. Next time I will use less sugar. It's sweeter than I'd like, but full of pineapple flavor.
After I strained it into a quart measuring cup, I poured it carefully into a one liter swing-top bottle and sealed it up. I'll leave it out for another day or two to get a little carbonation, then it will be ready to drink.
Now I kind of want to get another pineapple if I can find one as ripe and delicious as the last one.
The split pea and barley soup was really good, especially with the quick pickle onion as a garnish. It was ~too~ good; I ate one of the two quarts I had set aside after having the first bowl.
Yum!
I looked up tepache.. seems like something in the kombucha family?
I’ve been seeing a bunch of pink pineapple in the grocery store lately.
It's not at all like kombucha. It's a lightly fermented agua fresca. Kombucha is made from tea, and the fermentation involves a symbiotic culture of yeast and bacteria a.k.a., SCOBY. Tepache is more like a very mild wine. The yeast is naturally occurring, and it eats the sugar and gives of carbon dioxide and alcohol. If it gets contaminated by acetobacter, the alcohol eventually gets metabolized to acetic acid (vinegar). The wine making process is really simple - crush grapes and let 'em "rot." Or add a cultured yeast if you don't want to risk it to wild yeast. There's other steps, but that's really about it.
I used to make beer, wine, and mead. I made some really good mead. I've been finally digging out some bottles from 20, 25, and even over 30 years ago. Some is showing signs of age, and I'm expecting to open one I dump out in the not too distant future. Some is surprisingly still very good. I opened a bottle of 27 year old stuff the other day that was the last bottle of that batch. The cork was about to disintegrate; I didn't have a lot of hope. I need to look up the recipe; I could taste vanilla and ginger, but I think it may have had none of that in there. I kept really good notes. Now that I no longer have pets, I might start to make some again.
Tepache is just a fun way to make less waste from something that traveled so far. The recipe I based mine on was a little more than a quart of water and a quarter cup of sugar. I used a mix of different kinds of sugars, and next time I might use half as much or else let it ferment longer. It will get more alcoholic and less sweet. I may dilute this batch, but first I'm letting it sit a while longer in a sealed bottle to carbonate a bit. I'll open it in a day or two and assess how much additional fermentation has gone on. I don't want it to build up enough pressure to explode - it certainly could do that if the ferment picks up. Fermentation is somewhat limited by pressure, and also by temperature. The goal is to get some of the CO2 dissolved into the tepache to make it more fun.
Super interesting!!! Thanks! @mtaratoot0 -
So the hubby was struggling getting the printer to work on his new laptop and offered to take me to a fine dining place if I would sort out his computer. Great deal for me. We went to a place that offers a 40% discount on weeknights. My starter of confit carrots with lightly pickled fennel was one of the best vegetable dishes I have had in a while. There were toasted pistachios, some carrot puree with caramel undertones, and two astringent green gels I couldn't quite identify on the plate. Hubby's vegetable starter was mushrooms and poached egg with smoked potato puree.
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I usually don't buy asparagus until they are local and in season. I was talking to someone the other day who had just cooked some and enjoyed them, so in a weak moment at the grocery the other day I picked some up.
You know I love to roast things....
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I also got another pineapple and started a fresh batch of tepache. The last batch got better after I strained it but let it ferment another couple days.
I added a dried chile de Arbol to this batch for some interesting kick. I wonder how it will go.
I also sprouted some red clover. I haven't done clover before. It's very much like alfalfa. I will start a new batch in several days from now; takes four to six days. In the meantime, I have some radish sprouts started. They should be fast, and I'm curious about their flavor. I might stop sprouting mung beans because they do have phytohaemagglutinin. It is reduced by the sprouting process, and it's destroyed with cooking over 180F. If the goal is raw food, cooking kind of eliminates any benefit. I might sprout what I have left and use them in cooked foods and just use some other seeds for fresh raw sprouts.5 -
Roast grapes are new discovery for me. Great scattered warm on a green salad with salty cheese. Here with some cubes of feta.
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Som Tam with julienned carrot, daikon and pink lady apple as a substitute from green papaya. Happy to finally try to imitate some of the food we ate on our vacation in Thailand at Christmas. Probably a half and half substitution of julienned daikon and granny smith apple would best represent the flavour profile of green papaya or green mango which are hard to find in London.
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In the spirit of trying to reproduce stuff we ate in Thailand when we went on holiday in December. Pomelo salad was great. Must make it again before they are out of season.
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One of my fav new produce product finds.
I suppose I could slice a jicama myself…….even though that mandoline is ninja level deadly. 👀
I’ve been using these jicama slices with everything and they are so dang tasty!!
Jicama, where have you been all my life?☺️
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The only challenge for jicama is peeling it. So I just cut a flat spot on one end, and then slice off two or three slabs. Then I take a paring knife and cut around the perimeter to remove the outer layer. If you cut about 1/8 inch in from the peel, you're right where the meat starts, and it just cuts like... well, not butter.
From that it's easy to just cut julienne shapes or buttons or whatever I want that day.
Is this just jicama? I'd think it would be too brittle for a wrap. Very interesting. I'll just keep buying them whole and cutting them for salads. If I really want a taco - I'll just get a taco.4 -
The only challenge for jicama is peeling it. So I just cut a flat spot on one end, and then slice off two or three slabs. Then I take a paring knife and cut around the perimeter to remove the outer layer. If you cut about 1/8 inch in from the peel, you're right where the meat starts, and it just cuts like... well, not butter.
From that it's easy to just cut julienne shapes or buttons or whatever I want that day.
Is this just jicama?.
@mtaratoot Amazingly…. Just jicama.
I’m not sure I could get it this paper thin. I’ve been using them for little wraps for sliced chicken and such.
I’m going to have to experiment! I’ll try the paring knife! 😉
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Ideas on how to cook broccoli for a broccoli hater?
My husband only likes broccoli with Bagna Cauda, the warm Piedmontese dip of garlic, anchovy, olive oil, butter for raw veg. That's because broccoli is a very efficient means of transporting the dip (which he likes) as the florets hold onto tons of the sauce. He came home yesterday with purple sprouting broccoli because I was making Nam Prik Ong, a Thai dish in the same spirit, being a warm spicy funky pork mince and tomato sauce for dipping raw veg into.
There is quite a lot of the purple sprouting broccoli left over. I like broccoli but I am trying to think of how to make it so that the hubby finds it acceptable. The only thing I can think of is Bagna Cauda or maybe another strongly flavoured dip.
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Break into large-ish stalks/florets.
Toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, and other spices of your choosing. I like garlic powder and some kind of chile and at least one other flavor.
Place on parchment paper lined tray in a 425F convection oven, ideally on a preheated baking stone. Roast for 20 minutes. Turn once. Continue roasting until they are almost black on the outside.
Crispy and delicious.4 -
Well, the sakura tree is now GORGEOUS. The sun came out today. I harvested a bunch of blossoms. I read about preserved cherry blossoms, and I'm about to try my hand at a batch.
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I saw this broccoli recipe that may tempt a broccoli hater… so long as he likes cheese.
Parm smashed broccoli chips.
https://hungryhappens.net/crispy-parmesan-broccoli-chips-aka-smashed-broccoli/
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@SafariGalNYC,
I think I need to unsee that so I don't make a giant sheet pan of it and eat the whoooole thing.
Parmesan crisps up the nicest. Browned-up broccoli is high on my yum list. The recipe is easy.
This looks like trouble. Delicious, delicious trouble.
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Thanks for the broccoli tips.
Lately I have been trying to reproduce some of the stuff I ate on vacation in Thailand in December. Have been trying the green mango and green papaya salads with substitutions such as spiralized root veg mixed with julienned sour apple instead of unripe tropical fruit.
So this week I finally saw a green papaya and a green mango in an Asian supermarket here in London. The papaya was £14.50 (it was bigger) and the mango was £13. Wow. That's like $17-$18. I guess I will stick to my experiments with substitutions.
That said, pomelo salad can be made cheaply at home. They are still in season now, and a whole pomelo costing £2-£3 in London makes 4-6 servings of salad.4 -
So I tried a tiny sampler of both the roasted broccoli and cheese heavy broccoli chips in the air fryer. Unfortunately the purple sprouting broccoli is not ideal for roasting. Although the florets were lovely, the thin stems got leathery. I think I will try roasting when I have regular broccoli.
I am using 100g of cheddar cheese to 115g of purple sprouting broccoli.3 -
The broccoli chips were very salty from the cheddar. Next time I will use a much lighter sprinkle of cheese so it is just a lattice tuile that barely holds the broccoli together.0
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After a couple days, the salt had drawn a lot of moisture out of the cherry blossoms. I took out the blossoms and tried to recover as much salt as I could. What once filled a gallon jar now is in a small glass bowl. I added one cup of rice vinegar and put the lid on the bowl "upside down" so the lid holds the blossoms under the liquid level.
In three days I'll strain off the vinegar and keep it for other uses, and I'll then let the blossoms air dry or put them in the dehydrator. I'm looking forward to finding ways to use them.3 -
@mtaratoot, I'll be interested to hear how those turn out for you. Initially, the idea is a little off-putting to me: I don't like most flowery flavors (lavender, rose water, that sort of thing). I'm having difficulty imagining what the flavors will be for your cherry blossom experiments.
(I do like nasturtium leaves/flowers, some herb flowers.)0 -
I made a lavender tincture years ago. One or two drops (no more!) in a martini was actually really delicious. A good friend suggested I use the rest to clean floors....
I am also very curious. Suggested use is to float a flower or two on broth or as a garnish. I think it would be good with sweet things, but I don't make many of those. The vinegar might be a neat alternative to seasoned rice vinegar for making sushi rice. Worst case scenario is it's a failure, and I wasted a cup of rice vinegar and some salt. I have so far enjoyed the process; fun stuff.
Squash blossoms are tasty too. Nasturtium flowers have a nice peppery flavor.
I also have a jar of dried candy cap mushrooms - another interesting flavored thing that is quite unusual. Tastes like maple syrup. Put one or two of them in your car, and you'll enjoy the aroma for several months. Reminds me - I need to put one in my truck.
If nothing else, when I eat them maybe the memory will transport me back to where I am right this very moment - sitting under the tree on a warm, sunny spring afternoon sipping very good sake and having the blossoms snow down on me and soaking up the amazing aroma all around and talking to the birds and.... Spring in a jar!4 -
I forgot about squash blossoms: It's been a while since I had enough squash to spare some. Tasty, though.
I made marigold liqueur once. I don't need to make it again. Not ever.3 -
I made dandelion wine. Very tasty, but the amount of work was... type three fun. This is on my mind because I was talking a friend today about my experiment and he mentioned making dandelion jam once. He said it was the best jam he ever had, and he'll never make it again.
Figs are actually specialized flower clusters. I won't even mention the fact that there's often insects in there.... Broccoli is an inflorescence. Garlic scapes are flower buds, and they will be available soon. Asparagus is a whole other deal.
But yeah - I'm really not sure what these will turn into. Sometimes it is just fun to mess around with interesting ingredients. That's how I started making kimche and sauerkraut and then fermenting other things like carrots and such. People also eat cherry LEAVES. I haven't done that, but dolmas for sure. I wonder if I could make cherry leaf dolmas this year. Hey - thanks for the idea!2 -
The large local Farmer's Market is opening up for the season on Saturday!
I find I eat so much better during the weeks I go to the Farmer's Market. So I am super excited for the season to start!4
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