Rhubarb Pickles

This jar is already half-eaten. I am now fully addicted so I'm sure it will be empty as I finish this post. I didn't know what I was going to do with these yet I was absolutely driven to make them after realizing there was more to pickles than cucumbers. My confusion seems like a distant memory now as I just can't stop eating them...one...by...one...bye one... This pickle binge is still in full force and yet I'm already feeling the tinge of panic as I realize I only made 1 quart of these infatuation inspiring enigmatic parcels of joy. This addiction will certainly propel me back to the the vinegar aisle and kitchen before the week is out. Its a good thing they are terribly easy to make.

As culinary explorations go this one raises quite a few questions: Why the sudden need to 'preserve' such a thing? I have, after all, gotten this far in life without much rhubarb. It can't be about "preservation" if they are going to be gone within a few days? And how come supermarket checkers never seem to know what rhubarb is and have to ask someone else in order to ring it up? ("Hey Diane! Is this 'Taro Root?"....um, no.) How come something this good only merits a few stalks in the produce section? Why isn't everybody hoarding it like I am? (See above regarding so little supermarket demand.)

This particular recipe seemed to be less about rhubarb pickling for preservation (or even as culinary ingredient) and about preparing rhubarb to be eaten as its own discrete treat. A little jewel of a snack. As a snack, they are perfect. Don't fully peel the rhubarb so as to preserve the lovely red pigment. They will get a little chewier as a result but you are free to repeat the hot brine process as much as you want to get the consistency you like best. I did it twice. The original recipe called for honey instead of sugar. I substituted an equal amount of white sugar knowing that this would make the result less sweet since honey is sweeter than sugar by volume. This was fine with me as I wasn't after the desert topping result the original recipe seemed intended for. To recapture the flavor loss this substitution I added in just a taste of brown sugar. Good move. I was pleased with the result and will probably do it this way again as honey can be a bit overpowering. The original recipe also calls for grenadine which is something I don't keep on hand and since commercial grenadine is all high fructose corn syrup and artificial flavors. Instead of the poison that is HFCS I added a few tablespoons of Red Dye #4. Aren't I sensible?

Rhubarb Pickles
adapted from Johnny Iuzzini’s Rhubarb Pickles

• 1.5 lb. ripe rhubarb
• 1/2 cup sherry vinegar
• 1/2 cup rice vinegar
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 tbs. brown sugar
• 2 tbs. maraschino cherry syrup -
  
• 3 maraschino cherries - optional
  
• 1 tbs. coarse salt
• 2 star anise

Trim the rhubarb stalks, discarding the coarse inch or so at each end. Discard any leaves and peel the rhubarb sparingly to keep red pigment. Only peel what looks to be 'tough'. Cut the stalks into neat sections no more than 1 inches long and 1/4 inch wide. Place in flat-bottomed glass dish. Put the vinegars, sugars, syrup, salt, and star anise in a saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Add syrup and cherries. Turn off the heat and let cool for about 5 minutes. Pour over the rhubarb and cover with plastic wrap. Let cool to room temperature. Taste the pickles for texture. If they’re too crisp for your taste, drain the liquid into a clean saucepan, bring back to a simmer, let it cool for a few minutes, then pour it over the rhubarb again, with the star anise. Store in the refrigerator in the liquid. Serve cold.

Guess who is checking out home made grenadine recipes?

Spicy Pickled Asperagus

Sometimes after I start a project I wonder what the hell I was thinking... Internet, meet Pickled Asparagus:

I don't really like pickles. Or at least I thought I didn't. Maybe I do. I don't know. I don't really like beer either but every once in awhile, on a hot day, there is nothing better. So perhaps these are days when the stars are aligned in just the right way; causing intense cravings for the alkaline goodness of pickled foods to emerge and demand satiety. I'm all about pickling right now. I just can't seem to get enough. And no. I'm not pregnant. I've been awash in pickle projects this past week. First time out was Spicy Pickled Asparagus.

I ran across the recipe at Food in Jars a couple of months ago and filed it away as, well, I don't like pickles. I had canned jams and jellies many times before but never felt tempted to try veggies. A good friend recently gave us some pickled cauliflower that I had first scoffed at but on second try couldn't get enough of. Hmmm.... what is happening here? What has changed? I remembered my asparagus recipe but still held off. What if the cauliflower was just a fluke? When I realized that pickled asparagus would make the perfect garnish for a bloody mary I knew I had to bump this up on my project list. It doesn't hurt that I like to hoard things and this type of project really feeds into that nicely.

Like most first efforts in the culinary space, I learned some things along the way. I learned that when lifting full quart sized jars out of the water bath you should use a proper jar holder otherwise you might burn and cut yourself at the same time. Yes, I am proof this seemingly impossible cooking blunder is, in fact, quite possible. I also learned that you really can't kid yourself into thinking that you are doing something 'economical' if you are going to buy $22 worth of asparagus to satisfy your project whims/hoarding desires and only end up with 3 jars. It might have been more prudent to use many more smaller jars so as to have more distributable/storable output. I opened one jar to test things out after a couple of days (curiosity got the best of me) and quickly gave two away as gifts to 'cooking friends'. That didn't leave anything to satisfy for my theoretical pantry storage instincts. Oh well, my little house on the prairie will have no spicy pickled asparagus for our brunchtimne bloody mary's come wintertime. Sorry Pa.

Spicy Pickled Asparagus

• 4 pounds asparagus, trimmed to fit your pint jars and blanched in boiling water for approximately 10 seconds 3 cups vinegar (half apple cider vinegar, half white vinegar)
• 3 cups water
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 4 tablespoons pickling spice with cloves removed
  
• 1 tablespoon red hot chili flakes
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled
• 3 slices of lemon
• 3 quart jars for tall spears or 4-5 pint jars, smaller cuts. Your mileage may vary.
  

Sterilize your jars. Put the lemon slice in the bottom and pack the trimmed and lightly blanched (10 seconds then plunged into an ice bath) asparagus into the jars (it’s up to you to determine whether you want to go tips up or down). Tuck a garlic clove down into the asparagus spears.
Bring the vinegar, water and spices to a boil. Pour into jars on top of asparagus, leaving at least 1/2 inch of head space. Put lids and rings on the jars and process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes (you can skip this step if you plan on just putting your pickles in the fridge). Wait at least 24 hours before eating, to give the asparagus spears a chance to get sufficiently pickly.

"Indonesian" Peanut Chicken

OK. I have held out on posting this dish long enough. I must apologize to my friends and in-laws who have been begging, pleading and otherwise demanding that I turn over this recipe 'tout de suite' (or rather ر حال حاضر". ) I know I told you I would be posting it "in a day or two" but the simple truth is I have been enjoying your desperation a bit too much. I can be mean that way I suppose. This dish has been yielding these result for me for nearly 20 years so I guess I should be used to it. This last time around, however, the chorus of requests was epic. Its now time to share.


I first threw the ingredients together many years ago after a friend and I shared a peanut chicken appetizer at some after work watering hole type restaurant. You could tell it was made primarily from nothing more than Skippy peanut butter and soy sauce and while it was certainly edible (and rather ordinary - think Claim Jumper) I knew the basic idea deserved better so I set out to upgrade the dish to main course status. I scored a home run on my first effort serving it to my family, grateful I had actually written down the ingredients as their balance turned out to be quite critical. I shared the recipe with those at the table and they have all many times since throughout the years served it back to me as if I had nothing to do with it. Sometimes with a wink and sometimes with willful forgetfulness. My brother now refers to it as his "famous peanut chicken" with barely a discernible wink. My mother eventually tagged it as "Indonesian" for some of her guests -- although I'm not sure what about it pegs it specifically to those islands.


I have alluded to this familial recipe appropriation phenomenon in before in previous posts. After sharing a particularly good dinner party recipes with family they rapidly serve to just about everyone we know --including me -- before I ever get a chance to get my full play out of it among our common shared dinner party targets. Its really all in good fun of course because I really do enjoy finding something they like that much. This is the one that started it all but due to its overplay many years ago I had stopped making it. When I saw the half used jar of peanut butter in our refrigerator during 'clean out the fridge dinner party' week I realized I had yet ti maj this for my in-laws. Needing a guaranteed to impress dish as I did -- the dish had to be returned to my repertoire -- at least temporarily.

Some advice to those who want to see what the fuss is about and will actually make this...and I think you all should... Before marinating the chicken, reserve half of it to use as a dipping sauce. I always put out some bread for this purpose but you will soon see that the sauce shares the addictive qualities of heroin. Your guests will be drenching not only the chicken (which doesn't even need the help of the sauce having marinated in it for 8-12 hours) with it but also any veggies or rice you serve along with it. Your dinner party is guaranteed to become a peanut sauce orgy. Bread will only be used for scraping the last remnants of sauce from the serving bowl and plate. I cut some green onions in half to thread on each end of the skewer. The resulting display adds wow factor before the grilling begins and guests see what is for dinner. These usually cook right off the skewer so I also throw some whole ones onto the grill to serve along side for color.

Indonesian Peanut Chicken

• 1/2 cup all natural chunky peanut butter (I use Laura Scudders All Natural Chunky)
  
• 1/2 cup peanut oil
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 4 garlic cloves minced
• 8 cilantro springs, minced
• 2 teaspoons dried red pepper flakes
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh ginger

Combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend to emulsify, adding a few drops of water if the mixture is too thick. Makes 2 cups. Set aside some marinade for dipping. Marinate chicken overnight. Soak bamboo skewers for 3o minutes in water and then thread chicken tightly onto skewer. Grill on hot grill turning every 2 minutes. Serve with bread and reserved dipping sauce.

Sis. Boom: Year 1

This blog is one year old today. I have seen many food blogs feature a cake for this occasion but I'm not going to do that today. Cakes, as you have seen, just aren't my thing. To be honest -- I'm still a bit surprised that this blog thing has lasted as long as it has. It was just over a year ago that Ms. Fig suggested I start one. It was clear she was having so much fun with hers so I thought, 'why not?'. I'm really more of a a tech geek than a chef so I thought by starting a blog I would be just learn more about blogging itself: how to set one up, how to transfer a domain, how to get 'hits' through referrals, setting up advertising, etc. Over the years I had recommended blogging to many of my family and friends who own businesses or otherwise had real stories to tell so it only made sense that I know a bit more about it. Right? Well, it doesn't take a year for that and...well...I'm still here.

My usual pattern is to start some project, interest, or hobby, get enthused and obsessed, learn everything there is to know, share with everyone who crosses my path, and then move on. The latest diet, a certain tv show you should be watching, a hot gadget or website, etc. These were the types of "Everyday Explosions" I had hoped to write about and share with the wider internet audience while I figured out blogging mechanics. Sis. Boom. [blog!] had another idea for me however. Despite a surprisingly few detours through haiku, politics, and technology -- this blog turned into a year-long chronicle of my re-acquaintance with my former love for cooking. I had lost touch this passion -- and like a rekindled romance, the fire seems to have burned brighter the second time around!

I found that the real fuel for this fire wasn't really in the making of a complicated 'show piece' dish. You know the kind. The dishes that many food blogs seem thrive on almost as if to intimidate you into wondering why you even try to cook in the first place. No, I found that it was the simple things -- those that one often just forgets to consider, that really revved my cooking motor. In fact, my favorite posts of this past year were on frequently overlooked but simple things: an artichoke, a grapefruit, a gin cocktail. All of them so easy they hardly qualify to use the word 'recipe'. Yet all of them are quite elegant in their simple way. This year I stopped buying bottled salad dressings altogether! Why did I even do that in the first place? Along the way I've taken some photography classes, signed up for a CSA, figured out how to get hits on food blog referral sites, met and been inspired by many other bloggers, and even inspired a few more. I really am having fun with this so... even though I'm sure some in my world think the whole thing is silly, I'm in for Year Two.

Cooking, like blogging, isn't really that hard. It takes discipline and a will to figure it out. Thats all. Seeing as how I haven't yet learned all I care to about it I think I will direct the blog in the coming year towards my explorations rather than sharing the items I already knew how to make. Yes, I'm afraid this means more blogstalking! (If I have learned anything this past year it is that the best inspiration is right here in the blogosphere!) I've pretty much learned what I set out learn in terms of blogging itself to so I will spend a lot less time on its mechanics and more on the writing and the explosions themselves. (This is my way of saying to not expect as many posts!) I'll probably post on dinner parties some more as I'm still getting the hang of this weekly "large family feast" thing from the vantage of my small kitchen. My post on a "buffet for twelve" became one of the highest trafficked posts of the year with over 4 thousand hits so it is clear that others have the same issues I do with the whole concept. Just about all the chocolate food dishes show up in my top ten hits list. Food bloggers quickly learn that if you want a lot of hits, feature something chocolate. Despite this truism, Sis Boom blog received its most hits for a cocktail: the lovely Greyhound. (So I think it goes without saying that I will have some more cocktails during Year 2.) The most fun with a post this past year was the "blog challenge" with my friend and collegue Ms. Barrister. I hope we do more of that sort of thing this next year!

In conclusion, I no longer recommend blogging to my friends and family with something to say. I now recommend it to those who think they don't. There is definitely something narcissistic about blogging but that narcissism isn't always bad. Sometimes narcissism actually needs a little cultivating so you can discover new things things about yourself. This particularly narcissistic blog entry is not going to feature a cake. Instead I am going to sit back, reflect on "my blog voice" and enjoy a simple yet elegant pleasure. Mint tea. Join me, will you?


Fresh Mint Tea

• 3 sprigs of fresh mint
• hot water

Put fresh mint in cup. Pour hot water over mint. Steep 2 minutes. Drink.

Roasted Asperagus and Feta Salad

This half Persian household always seems to have a few blocks of Bulgarian or French feta cheese in the refrigerator at various stages of their culinary 'lifetimes'. Feta is actually a breakfast food for Iranians. Quite delicious with a piece of warm sangak flat-bread and sweet cardamom infused tea. Although it isn't really what anyone would call a full breakfast, it is just enough to get you to an early lunch. You could say it is the Persian equivalent of a Continental breakfast.

Nevertheless, we usually have several containers in the fridge. Persians are quite artful when it comes to this cheese. They are in tune with its subtleties in ways we can't imagine. They can practically smell its age and freshness, discerning not only between various brands but also those brands' batches. As the cheese gets older it reacts more with the brine and its solids actually 'dry out' giving it more crumble. When it gets to this stage I try to use it in salads to make room for my man to start using the new stuff "on deck" for his breakfasts. This was the case last week when I was seeking to clean out the refrigerator while at the same time throw a dinner party. This dish also called for one of the lemons gifted to us earlier in the week and for which I was seeking ways not to waste. Two birds with one dish.

To trim the asparagus just snap off the woody ends and the stalk will break where it is supposed to. I never trim asparagus with a peeler. This kind of grilled salad can be done well with many veggies. Tonight I'll try it out with zucchini -- cutting it in half lengthwise to grill, and then halved again afterward. Great minds must think alike as Ms. Barrister sent me this recipe last week thinking I would like it. Whats not to like? The residual olive oil from the grilling is all you need here so there is no need to add any more when assembling the salad. I prefer this to the extra unnecessary step of making a separate vinaigrette Use lemon zest from a small grater so that it distributes well. Grill an onion and throw it in there too if you want. What are you waiting for?

Roasted Asparagus and Feta Salad

• 1 bunch thick asparagus, about 24 spears
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ⅓ cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest

Put your clean grill to high and put asparagus spears in baking dish. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Put asparagus on the grill, cover and cook for about 3-4 minutes or until asparagus spears are nicely browned and tender but still retain some 'starch'. Remove asparagus from grill and place back into the dish you brought them to the grill in. (Remember, that residual oil!) Let cool and then cut into 1½" pieces. Place cut asparagus back in dish and add remaining ingredients and toss gently. Season to taste. Good room temperature or cold.

Saturday Haiku: Sunday Edition.

Life's mysterious
So live and laugh at it all
Life is like this bowl

Pesto and Peas Salad

Still seeking to rid my freezer of orphaned ingredients, (the "theme" for my last dinner party,) this easy green salad, a favorite amongst my friends, popped into my mind. Perfect for barbecues, potlucks, buffets, or whatever. This time of year I'm getting bombarded with basil. I love throwing the leaves into a salad or using in all sorts of dishes and desserts, but still can't use them up fast enough in cooking so I am furiously making batches of pesto this time of year. Pesto is like summer in a jar to me. I can't stand to not have it in the house. The problem is, I still have some from the last time I was hoarding pesto and this irritates my man. He just doesn't agree that you can't have too much of it.

If you must, you can throw this together with store bought pesto but if you do, be sure to refresh it with a few tablespoons of lemon juice. Even though my pesto was homemade I still used it to refresh a batch I had made several months ago. In addition, I drizzled some over the finished dish to give it just a bit more tang. This salad just can't fail. This time around I skipped the pine nuts as I was already using them in something else that night. Try this as a bed on which to serve grilled or broiled salmon. You're welcome.

Pesto and Peas Salad
adapted from Ina Garten

• 2 1/2 cups baby spinach leaves
• 4 tablespoons pesto, recipe follows
• 2 T lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons pignolis, toasted - optional
• 1 T grated parmesan cheese

Cook the peas in a pot of boiling salted water for 1 minute. Immediately immerse the peas in a bowl of ice cold water, and drain when fully cooled.

To assemble, place the spinach leaves in a salad bowl. Sprinkle the peas over the spinach. Add the pesto and toss. Dust lightly with parmesan, toasted pine nuts, or both.

Note: To toast pignolis, place them in a dry saute pan and cook over medium heat for about 4 minutes, until evenly browned, tossing frequently.

So here is my refrigerator just before this last dinner party. I would like to get a larger one someday. Sigh.