IthinkIcan: It's the new waiting game that all the kids are playing

OMG!OMG!OMG! I’ve been good.  It’s been four days and I’ve not devoured my homemade pickled cukes and peppers.  I will admit I did have a taste the other day, but I think I can wait until Saturday to fully enjoy them.  I’m a little proud of my patience.  I, usually, like my jars of pickles inhaled in one sitting straight from the grocery bag.

tiny batches. Why so wee, you ask?  Well, I’ve got a tall tiny fridge.  I don’t really have the space to store copious amounts of product or produce.  So, I keep everything that needs to be fridged or frozen to a minimum.  Thus, we get the chance to explore the freshest that Mr. Grocery and Miss Market have to offer.

You say putting up is for pantry living.  And, I agree.  What I lack in the cold is more than made up for in other manners of storage.  I’m just not processing and putting up until I’ve worked out the flavor.  So, Saturday, can you hurry?(♥:Or maybe not. 2009, pls don’t leave so soon.)

the making.  I opened up The Glass Pantry and Martha’s Original Classics.  I hit up Tigress In A Pickle and Food In Jars.  Then, looked to Lebovitz and Symon’s Chilis & Ruhlman’s wisdom for help.  And I watched a few Martha & Rick Field videos, ummm, more than once.  All in the pursuit of ideas and guidance.  So with a little Rick’s Picks courage and Ruhlman Ratio Brine bravado, I set out on my way to pickle.

There are a couple of things I’ve found that got me all giggly.  First, this is EASY.  Let me say that again, so even I can hear it.  This is EASY. Second, the way Ruhlman breaks down the method for making Symon’s pickled chilis is perfect for me.  Not because I’m allergic to recipes, but because I’m always having to figure out how to make less.

The solution was sooo simple.  Like for the jar above, I just filled the jar with the produce.  Added water to the fill line.  Poured out the water in to a measuring cup.  Replaced half the volume with vinegar.  Tah-freekin-dah.  Houston, we have the start of some pickling liquid.  I need more Ruhlman’s Ratio in my life, but I’m like 13th in the queue for the book at the library.  I guess I’m learning to wait for a lot of things.

very, very nikki. In an effort to be the me-est me possible, I, mistakenly, put in a tablespoon of pickling spice, instead of a teaspoon.  Even when I try to follow a recipe, the plan often goes awry.  I’m not sure how it’s going to taste in a few days, but I noticed a spicy warmth and undercurrent of sweetness upon the first sampling.  I’ll update with the specifics after the feasting.

something my neighborhood has taught me. Be mindful of what foods and traditions other cultures and communities find important.  I live in a heavily Korean & Latino neighborhood.  If I’ve missed the farmer’s market for the week, I know that the produce at stores that cater to these two communities is so much cheaper and more abundant than that of the national supermarket chains up the street.

I’ve talked too much about the pickles.  I kinda want them now.  Must. Wait. IthinkIcanIthinkIcanIthinkinIcan.

Nikki♥

And so it began

I’ll admit it.  I’ve never made macaroni and cheese that wasn’t from a box full of pasta and powder.  I didn’t think I could make it as good my Aunt Lorna’s, so why try? I’ve been thinking about her mac and cheese since she didn’t make it at the last family gathering.  And don’t think I was the only person to ask or be disappointed.

There was another contender for the but I remember it was so good way back when prize.  Let’s call it the Uncle Sam factor.  That 5lb block of orange processed goodness called Government Cheese. (♥:I’ll let you slide on the processed goodness nonsense)

I had a thing for Gov’t cheese.  It was like my vacation fling.  I couldn’t get it at home.  Our only time together was during summers spent with family outside of Chicago.  I was so in love that I flew home one year with block in my carry-on.  For real.

It had the bite of a great sharp cheddar and melted like a good american should.  It had more body than that other block of cheese that Mommy would never buy.  You had to be careful, though, and not slice GC too thick or it wouldn’t melt evenly in a grilled cheese or would overwhelm the bread and mayo of a regular cheese sandwich.  Oh, how I get a little tingly thinking about it.

So, I have it stuck in my head that I want to make some really good Mac & Cheese.  I decided to start with a more southern trad recipe.  Hello, Miss Edna Lewis.

The making. This is a work-in-progress all-about-the-process exercise.  I’m not including the recipe.  It’s not there yet.

I used a few different recipes for ideas about flavor, texture and cooking method.  Mostly Miss Edna Lewis’ and Scott Peacock’s with a hint of Martha and Smitten Kitchen’s Ode To Martha.

I substituted and discarded a lot actually.  The only ingredients to stay from the original were the sour cream, salt & peppers and flour.  I also followed the instructions to cube half of the cheese and grate the other.  And the recipe called for using a custard.  That was it, really.  So I would probably say I used their guidelines.

Martha’s take allowed me to feel comfortable not using the Worcestershire and mustard powder.  I’m on a buttermilk kick so that went in.  I’ve been oddly fascinated by evaporated milk since Thanksgiving.  So, I used that instead of the half and half and heavy cream that Miss Edna called for.  A little Louisiana hot sauce found its way out of the fridge and into my hand to add a vinegary kick along with the heat of the black and cayenne peppers.

It was relatively quick and easy to put it all together.  It baked in 30 and rested for 15 or so before I cut into it.

The tasting. It was okay.  It wasn’t bad, actually.  There was this hot, mellow, sour flavor that I was really digging.  I would have added a bit more cheddar but I liked the mix of cheddar, Gruyère, and hint of pepper jack.

Ultimately, I didn’t like the egg-y texture.  I’ve never liked my M&C that way.  I didn’t like the way the cheese melted, either.  Cubing it left pockets of cheddar all over the place.  Eh, wasn’t feeling it.  I, also, got cute and used penne.  Ummm.  Right, I know.  Elbow, please.  Thx.

Oh, Penne.

Overall, I like knowing right off the bat what didn’t work for me.  It’s not like I’ve thrown any away.  It’ almost gone actually.  I just didn’t do a little dance.  Or get down.  Or put my foot in anything on this try.

What’s next. No more eggs.  I know that.  There’s something else it’s asking for in the balance of flavors as well.  And instead of guessing what’s in Aunt Lorna’s Lawd Help Me M&C, I just might have to ask.  I want to try the white sauce version before I go the family route.  Because honestly, if I can’t find my own way first and then I fail at hers, there will be no more Mac making in my future.

Nikki♥

Killer Lo-Fi Pork Dumplings

I’ve been working on homemade dumplings for almost a year.  It started with the Kenny Lao recipe on The Kitchn and then I watched Anita (♥:Iloveher) Lo on Epicurious.  I went to their Rickshaw Dumpling Bar site to study and stare.  A woman I worked with, Bouasone, was a great help at the beginning of my adventure.  She explained how her father cooked his dumplings.

I started googling recipes.  I took out various Asian cookbooks from the library* because everyone stuffs dough with stuff.  Just threw myself into making dumplings.  Pork with ginger and mint was my favorite, until yesterday.

What Goes In

This is my really lo-fi what’s in the house take on dumplings.  The napa cabbage at my local Korean market is huge and I end up wasting more than I use.  So, as of late, I haven’t been using it.  I will the next time I make them because I want to get a feel for how the new ingredients change the flavor and enhance the texture.

Dumpling Royalty

I’ve always liked my dumplings.  So, why was yesterday different than all the other times I’ve made them in the last year?  I did a few things.

fish sauce. I’ve had that fish sauce sitting in the pantry since the first time I made dumplings.  I wasn’t feeling it at all in the beginning.  For some reason, I just decided to try it again.  I’d read a lot about how it added a special something to everything it’s used in.

rice vinegar. I caught the pickle fever, so I picked up some rice vinegar at my local Korean** market.  With so much to choose from, I figured sugar/fructose free was a good place to start.

taste test. After everything was mixed,  I cooked up a bit of the filling to see what it tasted like.  Mmmm.  Hi, Heaven.

The making. I’m an eyeballer who likes it spicy and full of bite.  It was a little weird for me to measure and write things down.  But this helps make it easier for me when I make it next.

3/4 lb of ground pork

2 bunches of scallions, sliced

a couple of cloves of garlic, crushed

1 teaspoon of fresh ginger, crushed

3 teaspoons of sesame oil

3 teaspoons of sriracha

7 shakes of fish sauce

3 shakes of soy sauce

1/4 teaspoon of lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon of rice vinegar

1 egg

black pepper, freshly cracked to taste

1 pkg of gyoza skins/wrappers, round

small bowl of water

Add everything except skins and water to a bowl.  Mix.  Spoon a bit of the filling into the center of the wrapper.  Dip finger in the water.  Dampen edge of wrapper.  Fold in half gently like a taco without sealing.  Pinch the end… Aww, heck I can’t explain this.  Learn it they way I did…by watching Anita Lo.

Things to remember. I like it HOT. Use less sriracha if you are sensitive to the heat.  Pleating is all about practice. How much goes in each skin/wrapper is trial and error.  Try different brands of soy sauce,  sesame oil and gyoza skins to get a feel for what you like.  Just make sure that the skins/wrappers aren’t too thin or they’ll tear easily.  I usually have a little filling left over.  I freeze it for later or cook it up.  I had it in my ramen the other day.  Could be fab with your eggs.

The cooking. In a non-stick pan, add enough oil to lightly cover the bottom.  I turn the flame up to medium high.  Add the dumplings so that they sit flat in the pan.  With the top off, I let them brown on the bottom.  Because my pan is jacked and so needs to be replaced, I play a game of pick up.  I wait about a minute or so after arranging them in the pan, I pick all of the dumplings up to make sure they’re not sticking as well as to see how they are browning on the bottom.  the spike. Into my small bowl that holds 1 1/2 cups of water, I add a cap full of lemon juice.   Once the dumplings are sporting that Saint Tropez tan, it’s time to steam.  With the lid almost covering the pan, I add half of the water.  I let it steam until the water evaporates and I hear it sizzling again.  Since I don’t cook my filling beforehand, to make sure the pork is fully cooked, I do the sizzle/steam again.

The eating. I make a quick dipping sauce out of the lemon juice, sriracha, sesame oil and soy sauce.  I like most things hot and tangy.  That so doesn’t sound right, but it’s true.  In the bottom of the dish I squirt a figure 8-ish line of sriracha.  I pour in a little sesame oil, maybe 1/2 teaspoon?  I’ll add a splash or two of soy sauce and a tablespoon of lemon juice.  Tweak for taste.

What’s next. I’m still working on perfecting a recipe/eyeball method so that yesterday and today are everyday.  I’m not sure if I should care about the slightly greasy sheen to the dumplings.  They are not usually long for the table anyway.  I’m excited to make them again.  I think I’ll just wait until the new year.  Chinese New Year.  Year of the Tiger, yall.

Nikki♥

*I♥LAPL hardcore… support your local libraries.

**With the exception of the produce, the Korean market near me isn’t always cheaper than the average grocery store Asian food aisle in my neighborhood, but the variety is out of control.

Inspired by Food In Jars.  I made this over Thanksgiving.  I halved the recipe and used a combination of apple juice and fresh squeezed lemon and orange juices.

I can’t get it out of my head.  I kinda wish I made more.