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The “other” ESCABECHE

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Jalapeno escabeche! Pickled jalapenos, cauliflower, carrots, & onions in escabeche may be a more accurate description. That’s the escabeche my family knows and loves. The more commonly known Escabeche is a typical Mediterranean dish of either fish, chicken or rabbit marinated in an acidic mixture. The acid in the marinade is usually vinegar. For jalapeno escabeche, vinegar is typical as well. However, this recipe is naturally fermented, so there is NO acidic ingredient. Rather, the mildly sour flavor comes from the good bacteria that develop as the natural sugars in the vegetables ferment and are converted into various strains of probiotics. Each time you enjoy the tangy quailty of these pickled treats, your gut gets a boost of beneficial microflora! My family eats this condiment by itself and alongside many dishes. Tonight, we are eating it with burgers.

One of my sons regularly asks for escabeche in his school lunch. Fortunately, some of his classmates eat cultured foods so he doesn’t worry about offending them with the unique aroma of fermented cauliflower (a cruciferae). My older son loves this medley as well, but hasn’t yet agreed to let me pack it in his school lunch, for fear of offending his friends. For the time being, he is content to enjoy them in the privacy of his own home. I look forward to the day when he too is comfortable bringing fermented foods to school.

In our temperate zone, the ingredients for this recipe are available year round, making this a good “go to” vegetable during any season. Keep in mind, the fermentation process is much quicker during the warm summer months, so a more watchful eye is recommended. All the ingredients are readily available and they store well. mix of veggiesIngredients:
1 cauliflower head, sliced in 1/2 inch pieces
1 white onion (red or yellow), peeled & sliced in narrow strips
4 carrots, diagonally sliced
4-6 whole fresh jalapeno chiles (depending on how spicy you choose)
2 cups cool water (more or less)
4 Tablespoons of Celtic sea salt

salt mason jar

I choose to use Celtic Sea Salt. It is unprocessed, and full of the minerals and trace elements so many of us are lacking in our diets. The salt draws out vegetable liquid(s) and acts as a temporary preservative while the fermentation process gets started.

Directions:
Slice carrots diagonally 1/4-1/2″ thick (thicker=crunchier/thinner=softer)
Slice cauliflower into bite size florets
Slice onion (narrow slices)
Slice jalapeños diagonally (thicker=crunchier/thinner=softer).
Place all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix it together with your hands.
Fill glass mason jar with spring water, and add salt. Mix salt with metal spoon until dissolved. Water solution will appear cloudy. Begin to fill jar with vegetable mixture (When using bare hands, remember jalapenos can leave a lasting sting. Gloves may be used). Compress vegetables with hand or metal kitchen utensil, minimizing empty spaces between and among vegetables. Continue this process until mason jar is filled to approximately 1″ from the top of jar. Be sure salty solution (brine) covers all vegetables. It is should be an anaerobic reaction. I always “top off” the escabeche with a small handful of onions* (read note below). Secure the lid and place in a dark temperature controlled space. Optimum temperature for fermenting is between 68 – 75° F.pushing down finger tipshand w onions*Raw onions are antimicrobial in nature, so I have made a habit of placing a handful of them on the top of my escabeche to prohibit bad bacteria from developing. In the winter time, my very small laundry closet remains a constant 70° F so it doubles as my ‘fermenting closet’. In the summertime, my kitchen counter is just fine, but I do always cover the jars to create a dark environment for the cultures. laundry roomlaundry room coveredAfter a few days (4-7 depending on temp), check your ingredients to see if they are ready to move to refrigeration. Look for cloudy liquid, bubbles, jalapenos becoming a muted green color, and soft translucent onions to determine if fermentation is occurring. after ferment closeup)DSC_0007Once you are happy with the flavor (taste it at any point), and feel adequate fermentation has occurred. Move your savory condiment to the refrigerator for storage, and enjoy it every day as long as it lasts!  You can store your escabeche for up to 9 months.

Let me know how yours turns out, and what food you garnish with jalapeno escabeche.

Kim Chi dressing recipe from Michelle

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First off, I want to thank Willow and Mara for the opportunity to say anything at all about food in the presence of their culinary artistry.  Second, full disclosure, I have been eating their creations since Mara used to give them to me in little Ball jars – which I would hide from my children so I didn’t have to share.  So, I’m not just a fan but a long-time Superfan.

Okay, that said, here is an easy way to make salad dressing from the juice left over in the kim chi jar when you have finished eating it out of the container with a fork before breakfast. The juice has lots of goodies in it, so aside from drinking it straight while no one is looking – you should share the love.

All the juice left in the jar

3 Tablespoons soy sauce

2 Tablespoons rice vinegar

2 Tablespoons lemongrass, fresh, chopped

2 Tablespoons toasted sesame oil

2 teaspoons fish sauce (not necessary if you are vegetarian)

Shake it all up in the jar.

If you want to use it on a salad, here is what I do – no amounts necessary here, as it really works with whatever you have.

Lettuce or spinach

Fresh mint

Fresh cilantro

Fresh basil

Sprouts of some denomination or another

Chopped cucumbers

Grated Carrot

Dressing above

Cooked rice noodles

Protein of some kind (steak, tofu, chicken, whatever you have around)

Make a huge salad with all your veggies.  Arrange the cooked rice noodles at the bottom of a bowl.  Put as much salad as you can in the bowl.  Top with the protein of choice.  Pour the dressing over the salad and eat.

This salad originated as a recipe for Asian steak salad that my friend Jen cut out of a magazine and then I took a picture of the clipping and it was on my phone till I lost it.  This is what I came up with after all that, when I was hungry and had some of the dressing made with the kim chi juice left over in my fridge.  It fed a hungry teenage boy happily (with steak) and me (with tofu) proving universal appeal.

Mojo Recipes- kimchi, rhubarb and more!

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I have nothing but great things to say about Marcie Goldman, local nutritionist and her Mojo Mastery program.  She guides a dozen adults two or three times a year through an adventure in mindful eating.  She looks at the source of many post modern ailments such as food or stress, she does a toxin cleanse and really zeros in on causes of our malaise she spends valuable time coaching her Mojo Masters in simple life skills to make sure that we all get the nutrition we need out of our daily routine and she teaches the priceless skill of listening to our bodies, tuning in so we can truly know what doesn’t always serve us.

www.marciegoldman.com

I guest cheffed for the last three Mojos and I wanted to share with you some of the no nonsense downright good for you recipes that we covered.  I should preface my recipes with the assurance that my amounts are guides. As always I urge you to feel your way to a delicious dinner…  if you have a certain amount of something maybe that is how much you should use.  Freewheeling is always more fun besides you can dance a little when you don’t have your face stuck in a book.

Nut Free Nettle Pesto 

3cups stinging nettles, 3 tbs Lemon Juice,  1cup roasted carrots (or other veg), 1clove fresh garlic or more if there are vampires afoot, 2 tsp honey (optional I just have a sweet tooth), 1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Salt to taste.

Blend. Note: always good to start with denser and wetter ingredients and add leafier and drier ingredients as you go. Get ready to enjoy a tingly tongue 🙂

GadoGado with Boiled Chicken

In Hawaii they say “food so nice you gotta say it twice” Gado Gado is from Indonesia and this recipe is kind of a take on it.  We make the dressing from zuké and leave some things out and put some things in.  Hows about I just list all the things you COULD put in this dish, list the dressing and leave the rest up to you.

Boiled cabbage, blanched cauliflower (same as boiled really but went to a posh school on the east coast), fresh bean sprouts, fresh dark leafy greens, sliced carrot and cucumber, sliced tempeh, twice cooked tofu, nuts like peanuts or sliced almonds, shrimp chips (not for me unless I want to keel over), boiled chicken, (take big ole chicken breast…  boil in “surprise” boiling water for 10 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 170 degrees…  rest for 3-5 minutes then chop it into your salad.) and other stuffs (plural because I know that your creativity knows no bounds).

THE DRESSING so good it will wave it’s finger, shake it’s head and belt sass at your greens.

Blend zuké kimchi with nuts and olive oil. I used hand ground cashews but you could use peanut butter, almond butter, a handful of soaked brazil nuts, planter’s mixed nuts…  you get the idea, go nuts, use what’s around, wear a monocle, embarrass your kids.

DERISHIOUS RHUBARB TOPPING FOR STEAK

Rhubarb is so NOT a one trick pony. I love to see this spring vegetable in savory applications.

There’s only one way to cook a very sexy piece of meat. The fancy work has already been done, pasture fed, played to sleep every night by silver fox cowboys on banjos, butchered lovingly by a katana wielding poet.  It would be a disservice to put too much clothing on such a nubile steak and so mostly naked it _must_ be.  Seared in good oil (or animal fat) with salt and pepper, then topped with lemon and extra virgin olive oil to serve.  Think of this rhubarb topping as the neglige, serving the same purpose as some sauteed mushrooms or shavings of very expensive cheese they accentuate, leaving a little bit of space for you to discover and uncover, but unobtrusively.

2 Stalks of Rhubarb, 1/2 onion, Balsamic Vinegar, Lemon Juice, White Wine (optional), s+p, Olive Oil.  Saute onion first on medium heat.  If you insist on using the beef pan I won’t fault you. When onions start to brown add rhubarb, season with salt and pepper.  When rhubarb starts to soften you can deglaise the pan with white wine, or just add the balsamic vinegar and lemon juice.  Remove from heat, finish with good olive oil.  Dress your pretty steak.  Blow kisses at it.  Devour.

Mojo Graduates… If there are any other dishes that I didn’t cover that really inspired you let me know.  I would love to continue this foodie discourse with you.  <3 mara