Wild Fermented Sour Kraut (Raw)

In some ways home fermented sour kraut is very easy to make, but in other ways it's a little fussy. It's easy because all you have to do is chop the cabbage, salt it and keep it submerged in it's own liquid for about a month. It's fussy because you really do need a kitchen scale and a large crock with a lid (ceramic or glass) to do it properly, so if you don't have those things you need to go get them to make your own wild fermented kraut.

Even so, the end product is so vastly superior, in flavor and nutrition, to what you can buy in a store that it is completely worth it. Wild fermented sour kraut takes advantage of lactobacillus by using the salt to encourage an environment where it can thrive and win the battle against other harmful bacteria. Lactobacillus gives off the sour flavor characteristic of yoghurt, kraut and sour beers. It's also one of the "good bacterias" for your intestinal flora. Sadly, when kraut is pasteurized or caned by boiling all of those good bacteria are killed along with much of the delicious nutty flavor found in wild fermented sour kraut.

There is no particular measurement for how much kraut to make - make as much as you want to make. It's more of a mathematical equation. You want to have 2-2.5 % salt to cabbage ratio. It's easiest to measure in grams so if you are going to get a kitchen scale to do this, get one that measures in grams (preferably to .01 grams if possible). I'm totally nerding out now. Here's how I made it this time:

5 small heads of cabbage, quartered and cores removed (photo to follow)
Sea salt (as untreated as possible)
Other ingredients as desired (such as: garlic, onion, caraway, dill, fennel, peppercorns, mustard seeds, etc.)

1) Quarter each head of cabbage lengthwise so that you have four wedges. Cut across the bottom of each wedge diagonally so that you remove the portion of the core that is lodged there:

2) Place all of the core-less cabbage into a large bowl and weigh the cabbage making sure to write down the weight of the cabbage - in grams if possible:

3) Take the cabbage out of the large bowl (or use a second large bowl) and slice the cabbage very, very thinly placing the sliced cabbage back into the bowl.

4) To measure out the salt take the weight of your cabbage and multiply it but .02 to .025, whatever number you get weigh out that much sea salt (this is why it's easier to use grams, the small amount of salt is more accurately weighed in grams).

5) Have ready a large glass or ceramic fermenting crock. We got a large glass crock at Target for $14.00, but you can buy really fancy ceramic ones online for $200 if you want to. Working in batches, add several handfuls of cabbage to the bottom of your crock and sprinkle in some of the salt. Knead together the cabbage and salt with your hands. You want to have the cabbage covered with the salt which acts as an abrasive and starts to draw the liquid out of the cabbage:

6) Continue to add more cabbage and more salt while pressing down and turning the cabbage over to work the salt into the cabbage. You can also add any other ingredients you'd like to use (this time we tried it with about 2 Tbsp. caraway seeds and 15 very fresh garlic cloves from the farmer's market).

7) Once you have incorporated all of the salt and cabbage press down very hard to pack the cabbage as tightly as possible. This time we had very fresh cabbage from the farmer's market and it started to ferment almost immediately, you could even hear it bubbling like a fizzy pop:

8) Once the cabbage is packed tightly you must add some kind of weight to keep it pressed down and submerged in it's own liquid (in the above photo the cabbage had only been salted for about 3 minutes and was already submerged in it's own liquid. With less fresh cabbage it may take a bit longer for the juices to come out). The fancy fermenting crocks often come with weights that fit inside. We fill 2 one gallon baggies with water, double bag them to avoid leaks, and then place that on top of the cabbage and place two mason jars filled with water on top of the bags.  But we have a friend who is an artist that works with ceramics that is making weights to fit into our glass jar - I can't wait (I'll add a photo when we get them)!

9) Place the lid on the crock. If you use a glass fermenting crock, place it in a dark place (we use our hall closet) that's not too hot and not too cold. It will probably need to ferment for about a month (make sure to write down the date you made the kraut!). Take it out to check it once in a while, you want to make sure it stays submerged in the liquid. If any bits float to the top they may mold and you an just scrape them out and discard. If the cabbage does not release enough liquid to remain submerged, add a little filtered water. Once it's been fermenting for at least 20 days you can start tasting little bits, when it gets to a sourness you like you can call it done. It can then be transferred to mason jars and stored in the fridge for at least 6 months if not longer...but it will never last that long.

I posted a recipe for bangers and mash earlier that uses kraut. I also have a recipe for a tempeh reuben that is really good which I will post later. I'm going to try to ferment my own tempeh soon, so that recipe will be coming up as well. I will also post recipes that use the left over kraut juice in the future.

Spicy Kale Chips

My new favorite food is spicy lacinato (dinosaur) kale chips. It's easier to get them uniformly crispy than it is for the curly kale because they lay flat on the baking tray. However, you could just as easily make this with curly kale if you can't find lacinato kale. There are no exact measurements for this recipe.

1 (or more) bunch dinosaur/lacinato kale
Extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Black pepper
Crushed red pepper flakes

1) Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Wash the kale, dry thoroughly and cut the stem out from the middle so that you have two long half leaves.

2) Line as many baking dishes as you will need with parchment paper. For 1 bunch of kale I usually need 2 large baking sheets. You could skip the parchment paper but it makes cleaning up way easier and I have found they don't burn when I use it.

2) Place all of the kale in a pile on 1 baking sheet. Drizzle with several tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, enough so that you can lightly coat each piece of kale but not so much that they're drowning in it.

3) Sprinkle generously with sea salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes to your taste.

4) Toss the kale around in the oil and spices with your hands until they are all evenly coated and  then lay them out flat on the baking sheets so that they are not overlapping (if they are overlapping those parts will not get crispy).

5) It may sound anal, but I have found that when I bake them at 250 degrees for 23 minutes and 30 seconds they turn out perfectly. Transfer the chips to a serving dish and enjoy!

Cold Asian Noodle Salad

For lunch today we had a cold Asian noodle salad made with udon noodles. You could use soba noodles or any long, thin noodle. It was the perfect summer lunch, fresh and savory, and even my 3 picky daughters loved it. You can use any vegetables from your garden or the farmer's market - red bell peppers, sliced shallots and hot peppers are all good. I used carrots, snap peas and cilantro this time.

8-10 oz. udon or soba noodles, cooked according to package directions
1/4 c. natural peanut butter, creamy or chunky
1 clove garlic, pressed
1 tsp. grated fresh ginger
Juice of 1 juicy lime, about 3 Tbsp.
1 1/2 Tbsp. shoyu (naturally brewed soy sauce) or tamari
1 Tbsp. pure maple syrup
1-3 tsp. Sriracha hot sauce or garlic chili paste (both are Asian hot sauces found in the ethnic section of most grocery stores). You can use as much or as little as you like.
1 tsp. toasted sesame oil
1 c. vegetables of choice such as: grated carrots, slivered snap peas, minced cilantro, slivered bell pepper, etc.

1) Cook the pasta according to the package directions. When it is finished cooking strain and rinse with cold water.

2) As the water comes up to a boil and then the pasta cooks, place all of the dressing ingredients in a large bowl and whisk together until the peanut butter is dissolved and prepare your vegetables.

3) When the noodles have been cooked, rinsed until they are cold, and drained thoroughly toss them in the bowl with the sauce. Add the vegetables and toss a bit more to distribute.

Guacamole and Pico de Gallo

Posting a recipe for guacamole seems kind of like posting a recipe for a garden salad. You just put stuff, mainly avocados, in a bowl and mash it up. And yet, I've had some pretty bad guacamole. I'm always disappointed when there are too many unnecessary ingredients like garlic, dried spices or olive oil.

The best guacamole I've ever had was at a little cafe after exploring the ancient Myan ruins of Tikal in Copan, Honduras. I suppose it didn't hurt that the cafe was perched on a small mountain road overlooking a panoramic jungle-like view:

I think the reason it was so good was because it was all fresh ingredients with a little salt to flavor - no chile powder or cumin, no over powering raw garlic, and lime rather than lemon. Ever since then I've worked to perfect my recipe into what I think is the perfect guacamole.

And as long as you're going to make guacamole you might as well make pico de gallo because it's the exact same ingredients as guacamole without the avocados. Plus these are both good with the recipe for garlicky refried beans that I posted earlier. So here they both are:

Guacamole

3 large or 4 medium avocados, pitted, chopped and removed from skin
1/2 a small white or red onion, finely diced (I prefer white)
1-2 jalapenos, seeded and finely diced
1 large tomato, seeds and juice removed and diced
Large handful of cilantro, minced
Juice of 1-2 limes, depending on how juicy they are
1 tsp. sea salt

1) Chop all of the ingredients and add them to a mixing bowl. For the avocado, cut around the avocado pit lengthwise and twist the two halves apart around the pit. Whack your knife blade into the pit & twist to remove the pit. Score the flesh of the avocado with a knife and then scoop out the flesh with a spoon.

2) Add the salt and lime juice and mash the mixture with a potato masher until it is pretty smooth but still a bit chunky. Give it a stir with a spoon to make sure the ingredients are distributed evenly. Test for lime and salt and add more if necessary.

Photo courtesy of Vera Lehner

This makes about 3 cups of guacamole. I have found that if I put it into a plastic storage container, squeeze a little extra lime juice over the top, place plastic wrap over the top while forcing out any air bubbles and then place the lid over it this will keep in the fridge without browning for up to 3 days. I don't normally advocate the use of plastic wrap unless it's to protect my guacamole.

Pico de Gallo

3 large tomatoes, seeds and juice removed and 1/4" diced
1-2 jalapenos, seeds removed and finely diced
1/2 a small white or red onion, finely diced
1/2 c. fresh cilantro, minced
1/2 tsp. sea salt
Juice of 1/2 a lime

1) Chop all of the ingredients and place into a glass bowl. Stir to mix.

2) Do not add the salt and lime until just before you're ready to serve it or the mixture will become too watery.

This makes about 2 cups of pico de gallo.

To remove the seeds from the tomatoes quarter the tomatoes lengthwise, cut diagonally into each wedge slicing out the portion of the core lodged there, and then scrape out the seeds:

Garlicky Refried Beans

Refried beans from a can, especially vegetarian refried beans from a can, are just yuck. I guess when I first started eating them in college I thought they were amazing. But as my tongue gets older (because the rest of me is staying 22 forever...except my brain, that's getting older too) I've lost my taste for the refried beans in a can. And for good reason, home cooked refried beans are way better and they're relatively easy to make. It's not as easy as opening a can I suppose but probably much better for you what with the BPA in the lining of most cans.

The traditional method would be to use lard or bacon fat, but I think this version tastes just as good if not better than any authentic lardy version I've ever tried. Anyways, this is the way I like them but you could take the technique and put in any flavorings you want.

1 lb. pinto beans, sorted rinsed and soaked for 4-8 hours depending on cooking method to be used
6 large cloves of garlic, pressed not minced
1 small white onion, finely diced
5 jalapenos, finely diced
2 Tbsp. chile powder
1 Tbsp. sea salt
1 Tbsp. black pepper

1) Cook the beans in a pressure cooker with 4 bay leaves or in a large stock pot according to package directions. I use a pressure cooker and I soak the beans for about 4 hours first and then cook them on high pressure for 15-17 minutes and use the quick release method. If you're cooking them in a pot you will want to soak them for about 8 hours.

2) When the beans are tender drain the liquid reserving about 1 cup of the bean liquid. Place the beans and about 1/2 c. of the liquid in a food processor fitted with the S-blade and begin to process, adding more liquid a little at a time until they reach a creamy consistency and are fully pureed. Set aside. If you don't have a big, fancy food processor just go at them really good with a potato masher or maybe try an immersion blender.

3) In a large skillet, preferably cast iron, heat the oil over medium heat and add the garlic. Let the garlic saute & infuse the oil for about 30-40 seconds as you stir it around and then add the onions and jalapenos and saute until just tender, about 5 minutes stirring occasionally.

4) Add the spices to the vegetables and toss to coat. Then, using a rubber spatula, scrape all of the pureed beans into the skillet and fold the mixture around the pan until fully mixed together with the onions and peppers and of a uniform color from the spices. Continue to fold the mixture over in the pan and simmer for about 5 more minutes and then transfer immediately to a glass container or they will get crusty in the pan.

I serve these on corn tortillas with guacamole and pico de gallo..

This makes about 7 cups of refried beans.

Bangers and Mash with Kraut

Bangers and mash are an English concoction of sausages over mashed potatoes. And kraut, of course, is German. As it turns out I am mostly English and German by heritage (with a little Scotch, Irish, French and Italian thrown in for spice) and these quintessential English and German foods go excellently together.

I spent 4 months in England studying literature in college where I became a deep poet...no, not really (the poet part). But that is where I became a vegetarian. Organ meat was the last straw after a childhood and adolescence spent barely choking down the meat concoctions my mother tried to make me love because that's what she knew how to cook and everyone else said it was delicious so why won't I just quit being so dramatic and eat it already??

On the other hand, my German-bread husband grew up relishing the wonderful midwestern fare his mother made for him and although he deeply loves the food I cook, every once in a while he craves those comfort foods from his childhood.

Finally, a dish that brings together our respective heritages, both ancient and contemporary, in a vegan yet meaty tasting dish from the Olde Country made even better by using home fermented sour kraut (or you could use a good store bought version). Field Roast Bangers and Mash. If you can't get Field Roast brand Frankfurters....I don't know....I'd say just find the best and most substantial vegan sausage available or use real sausage if that's how you roll. I find Field Roast Frankfurters at Whole Foods or the food co-op in a little town north of where I live. They're kind of expensive, so it's a special treat. But the other ingredients are very cheap so maybe it all evens out.

1 package of Field Roast Frankfurters (6 links), cut into rounds on the bias
1-2 large onions, diced and caramelized in extra virgin olive oil
6 cloves of garlic, pressed
3 lbs. yukon gold potatoes, unpeeled and cut into 1" dice
1 c. organic sour kraut (or home fermented)
Sea salt & black pepper to taste
1/2 - 3/4 c. soy milk or other nut milk (original flavored, obviously)

Here's how I do it:

1) Start the potatoes boiling in a large soup pot & boil for about 15 minutes until tender.

2) Meanwhile saute the sausage rounds in some olive oil in a large skillet (in batches if necessary) until browned on both sides, about 4-5 minutes per side. This is something you could do ahead of time and then just keep them warm or reheat them when you're ready to use them.

3) Remove the frankfurters and set aside, add more olive oil to the pan and saute the onion until browned and beginning to caramelize, stirring very frequently once they begin to brown. This will take about 12-15 minutes, so be patient because it's worth it.

4) When the onion is almost done add the garlic and saute for a few minutes longer to cook the garlic but not brown it.

5) When the potatoes are done drain the water and return them to their cooking pot. Add the onion garlic mixture, salt, pepper and soy milk (starting with 1/2 c. and adding more if you want it to thin out and get even creamier) and begin to mash the mixture together with a potato masher.

6) Add the browned sausages and the sour kraut to the mixture and stir to incorporate. Taste for seasoning and add more salt, pepper or kraut as desired.

This should probably be consumed with an English Ale....and a German Lager.

Serves 6

Fattoush Salad with Lemon Balsamic Dressing

Earlier I mentioned that the only decent restaurant in Mankato is a Vietnamese restaurant which is run by a very nice fellow (Pho Saigon). When I said that, I forgot that there is also a great Lebanese restaurant here...actually two because the man who runs the good Lebanese restaurant also has a spot at the food court in the mall (so sad when the third best restaurant in your town is in the food court at the mall). I probably forgot about the good Lebanese restaurant because it's where my husband and I eat when we go out on a date (Olives). Next month will mark the two year anniversary of our last date, not because we don't still totally dig each other, but because we had our third daughter and she does not yet approve of baby sitters.

In any case, a lot of the main dishes at the good Lebanese restaurant in town are very meaty which is a problem for a vegan. But they have a "Fattoush Salad" on the menu that I fell in love with the first time I tried it. I know, a recipe for a salad, lame. But this salad is special. I could not duplicate it no matter how hard I tried until I figured out that the rusty red specks in the dressing were sumac. I'd never heard of it before except as a poisonous tree in the weeds behind the house I grew up in that I was supposed to stay away from. But it turns out sumac is a lovely lemony...spice? that has an almost rubbery texture.I found it at a specialty spice store but I've also seen it in various ethnic grocery stores and online.

I believe Fattoush means something along the lines of crushed up bread because you're supposed to use stale pita bread along with various other ingredients. I'm sure there are as many Fattoush recipes as there are home cooks in Lebanon, here's one from a white girl in Mankato:

For the Dressing:
1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil
juice of 1 juicy lemon
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegr
1 Tbsp. sumac
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
1 clove of garlic, pressed (optional)

Whisk together all of the ingredients in a small bowl. Don't use the garlic if you're sensitive to raw garlic or aren't in the mood for it

For the Salad:
2 whole wheat pitas
extra virgin olive oil
1-2 hearts of romaine, washed & chopped (choose the amount depending on how lettucy you want it and what you have in your fridge)
2-3 Persian cucumbers or 1 small English cucumber, diced
1 red and 1 orange or yellow bell pepper, 1" dice
1 small red onion, diced
1/3 c. pitted kalamata olives, sliced
sumac

1) Preheat the oven to 350. Split the pitas open so there are 4 thin rounds. Brush each round with olive oil and sprinkle with a little sumac. Place flat on a baking sheet lined with parchment and bake at 350 degrees for about 5 minutes, or until crispy but not burnt. Let them cool and then break them into bite sized pieces with your hands and set them aside.

2) Wash and chop all of the vegetables and toss them together in a large bowl...you know, make a salad.

3) Do not add the pita pieces until just before serving or they'll get soggy. To serve, add the pita bits and the dressing and toss.

This makes a large salad, you could bring it to a party. When I make it for just my husband and I, I mix it together with the dressing and pitas in smaller batches and we can get several salads each out of the recipe.