Preserved Lemons – When TV Leaves You Feeling Sour

October 24, 2016October 24, 2016 ~ wasabiapple ~ Leave a comment

I’ve been moody since last night thanks to the season 7 premiere of “The Walking Dead.” So it’s somewhat fitting that I made preserved lemons today. I love making Moroccan food, but whenever a recipe calls for “preserved lemons,” I usually substitute it with fresh lemons instead. However, I’ve been doing some reading about how there really isn’t a substitute for preserved lemons, and you’re doing a great disservice to a recipe by either using fresh lemons or skipping it altogether.

Since I was curious about how much of a difference preserved lemons make in flavoring and thought pickling jars filled with lemons might look attractive on our kitchen shelves, I thought I’d give it a go. I’ve never made preserved lemons, but the recipes I’ve found online made it seem simple enough, and they seem versatile when it comes to adding herbs and spices.I decided to use a bay leaf, fennel seeds, peppercorns, and a small stick of cinnamon. And of course, preserved lemons, essentially being pickled or brined lemons, require A LOT of salt. Note: Initially, I started out wanting to use pink Himalayan, but I was worried that the pink might make for bizarre aesthetics so I switched it out for regular sea salt for my first attempt.You might want to make sure you’re papercut-free; cleaning up the lemon juice and salt from the counters could go from being a figurative pain to literal pain if you’re not.The most difficult part of making preserved lemons is the waiting. With the chill returning to Philly, I’ve been wanting to make Moroccan chicken in the crock-pot, but I’m going to have to wait a month before the lemons will be ready. I’ll have a follow-up post when they’re ready.

Preserved Lemons

2016-10-24 22:47:39

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Ingredients

1 pint pickling jar
3-4 small lemons (preferably Meyer or regular organic lemons since the peels will be eaten)
sea salt
fennel seeds
peppercorns
1 bay leaf

Instructions

Make sure the pickling jar has been sterilized.
Add 1 tsp. of salt to the bottom of the jar.
Slice off the pointed ends of the lemons.
Partially cut the lemons into quarters, leaving the bases intact.
Stuff the inside of the lemons with 1 tsp. of salt, also rubbing some on the outside.
Pack the lemons into the jar, cut side down, adding 1 tsp. of salt in between lemons. Squeeze the lemons a bit while packing the jar to release some of the juices.
Sprinkle in fennel seeds, peppercorns.
Add cinnamon stick and bay leaf.
Seal the jar and let sit on the counter for 3-4 days, rotating and shaking the jar 3xs a day.
Place in refrigerator to finish pickling process (4 weeks).

Adapted from Jamie Oliver's Salted Preserved Lemons

wasabiapple http://wasabiapple.com/

Next time life gives you lemons in the form of a season premiere after a crappy cliffhanger where they make you wait over 6 months to find out the ending, making you vow for the 40th time that you’re never watching another episode again*, make preserved lemons instead of lemonade. It’s far more productive therapy than throwing things at the TV.

Stacy

* I say “I’m never watching ‘The Walking Dead’ again!” on a weekly basis, but I’ve never been very good at kicking bad habits.

Wasabi Apples

October 17, 2016 ~ wasabiapple ~ Leave a comment

Whenever I give people my email, website, or username, they always ask, “What’s a wasabi apple?” or.. “You were a bi-apple?” (The latter question usually came from my previous life as an Internet dater, and withthe number of times that question came up in introductory emails, I regretted the use of it). The answer to the former is “the best ingredient to use in a sandwich.” Wasabi apples became my “gateway drug” to cooking.

In my early 20s, my cupboards used to be stocked entirely with packaged food with the words “just add water” clearly labeled on the front. There have might been a box or two of Hamburger/Tuna Helper just in case I felt like being daring. It wasn’t until I moved to Korea where I had an apartment with no counter-space and missed “western” flavors that I began wanting to experiment in the kitchen.

I spent much of my time in the kitchen during my first visit to my parents’ home after a year of living abroad. While making ham sandwiches for lunch, I tried playing around by adding sliced apples and spreading a thin layer of wasabi over them. Wasabi mayo is great and all, but I really wanted the apples to have a bite more than the mayo. It makes a difference. You end up with a spicy crunch rather than a spicy sauce.Wasabi apples also add great texture to a grilled cheese sandwich. Since we’ve a surplus after going apple picking yesterday (subject of a future post), I thought I’d make one for Graham’s lunch today. I’ve made grilled cheese apple sandwiches for him before, but this time I thought I’d also make use of the bacon jam from Skillet.As far as the types of cheeses that complement wasabi apples, I love brie, a mild harvati, gruyere (because gruyere is just amazing), goat, or a mild cheddar . Unfortunately, we didn’t have any of those in stock so I used a combination of the single slice American white cheddar Graham loves to keep on hand, swiss, and Monterey Jack.And since you know what a sandwich fascist I am with ingredient order…

buttered bread
mayo
cheese(s)
wasabi apples
bacon jam

Is there a way to photograph grilled cheese attractively without props or the cheese congealing so soon? You get the idea anyways. What it lacks in aesthetics, it makes up for in taste. It’s a perfect fall sandwich.

On a side note.. while writing up this post, I had to check capitalization rules for cheeses. I swear the rules seem rather arbitrary. And no, the irony of me, the dictator of rigid sandwich rules complaining about cheese capitalization rules is not lost on me.

Stacy

PSA: The Key To Cooking With Kimchi

October 6, 2016October 6, 2016 ~ wasabiapple ~ Leave a comment

We go through A LOT of kimchi at our house. Did you know that you can buy kimchi by the bucket at H Mart? We had to downgrade to jars when we moved to our current house thanks to smaller fridge space.

Kimchi gets used as a side dish, but more often than not, we usually end up frying it for kimchi jjigae, bibimbap, grilled kim-cheese sandwiches, kimchi fried rice, kimchi omurice, etc. I try to be careful about how much oil I use when cooking. If I can’t get by with using cooking spray, I’ll use the most minuscule amount of olive oil or coconut oil possible. Y’know.. the type of drizzle that doesn’t cover the entire pan and you swear you’re going to get tendinitis trying to roll the oil around so you give up and cover the rest of the pan in Pam instead? Or maybe that’s just me. So to sum up.. I don’t like to cook with oil.

What about when you cook kimchi?

NO OIL.

Really. Don’t do that to kimchi. Just don’t. Especially not sesame oil.. no matter what “but it’s Asian food!” sort of knee-jerk reaction you have.

But what you NEED to do..

USE BUTTER.Trust me, this is the best thing you can do for kimchi (unless you’re a bacon freak then bacon grease comes pretty close.. but I still vote butter). Oh, and if you’re vegan.. Earth Balance works just as well (as long as you don’t tell your husband you used a substitute and remember to hide the Earth Balance back in the far corners of the fridge). I know what I said about “No oil,” but Earth Balance has the buttery flavor that makes it the exception.And then you just add that to your bulgogi tacos..kimchi fried rice..bibimbap…and grilled kim-cheese..Seriously.. some bonus advice.. whenever you’re frying up kimchi.. throw cheese on top.. pizza is ideal for kimchi.. no? It’s ok.. baby steps..

Stacy

Corpse Reviver #2

August 11, 2016August 12, 2016 ~ wasabiapple ~ Leave a comment

Those who know me, know that I prefer my alcohol in the form of whiskey.. preferably a rye.. and typically not mixed with anything other than ice if anything at all. Summer’s a different story. Thanks to a friend of mine who introduced me to the glory of a Pimm’s Cup, we make sure we have a bottle of Pimm’s on hand during warmer months. However, the heatwave that tortured Philly last month had me craving something lighter and more refreshing. Maybe it was the sentimentality playing on my tastebuds – before bourbon, I wouldn’t drink anything except gin – but I found myself in the mood for a Corpse Reviver #2.

Sadly, I’ve been disappointed when ordering them at bars as there always seems to be at least one ingredient missing, but I did have some luck at Goat Hollow where the bartender wasn’t familiar with the drink but was up to the challenge.

I figured it would just be easier making it at home. Since we FINALLY got all the ingredients last weekend – tracking down absinthe was a pain, I thought I’d share the recipe on the blog.

Continue reading →

Why Cucumbers + Citrus = A Must

July 11, 2016July 26, 2016 ~ wasabiapple ~ Leave a comment

Any time a recipe calls for cucumbers, I have to squeeze a bit of citrus over them. It’s a necessity.. not in the same way I tell everyone that coffee is a necessity.. but in the way that I could otherwise go into anaphylactic shock if I don’t. It just so happens that the flavors work well together.

Let me back up.Cucumbers are on my list of allergy-triggering foods. However, I’ve never been allergic to pickles because, I’m guessing, the vinegar neutralizes the proteins in cucumber that are similar to ragweed pollen. Since citrus juice has the same effect on the proteins, I’ve been able to safely consume cucumbers now for a number of years.. which has been AWESOME since I’ve always loved the crisp, refreshing flavor.

I really wish I had similar solutions for my other trigger-foods. A tiny bite won’t kill me, just some uncomfortable oral itchiness, but as I sadly discovered after eating a whole slice of blueberry-banana bread (banana was the culprit), too much of it will make my throat swell up enough to make it difficult to breathe.

Why did I eat that whole slice of blueberry-banana bread although I knew I was allergic to bananas? Because it was soo.. sooo… goooooood. And.. I like to live dangerously.. something Graham discovered on our first date at Jack’s Firehouse where they serve you small chocolate chip cookies after dinner.

Me (To Graham): Can you tell if these have walnuts in them?

Graham: No, I can’t.

Me: Oh.. It’s just that I’m allergic to walnuts.

Graham: What happens if you eat walnuts?

Me: My mouth gets itchy, then my throat closes up, and I can’t breathe (as I take a small nibble of the cookie).

Graham watched with panicked horror, wondering if he was witnessing a cry for help as I voluntarily behaved against self-preservation.

Me: Yep. Walnuts.

For the record, I didn’t go into anaphylactic shock. I once sat down and wrote out the list of foods that cause me to break out, trying to figure out what they might have in common:

When I looked the list up and down, I suddenly realized the answer.

They were all foods that made it into the category of sexual euphemisms.

I really can’t help thinking what Freud would say.I blame being raised a Korean Catholic.

Stacy

Turkish Inspired Egg Salad Sandwich

June 30, 2016July 26, 2016 ~ wasabiapple ~ Leave a comment

Continuing with the sandwich theme from Monday, today I’m sharing what goes into one of my favorite brunch staples. When Graham and I were living in Queen Village, we usually frequented (the now closed *sob sob*) Cafe Fulya on Second and Monroe on lazy weekend mornings when we couldn’t be bothered to cook at home or get cleaned up for having brunch out. Instead, we’d each get one of their awesome sandwiches (made with pide!) and coffees to go. Once we moved to Graduate Hospital and didn’t have an easy 2-minute walk to the cafe, I tried replicating the taste and adding my own twist at home.You’ll need…

1-2 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
feta
sliced cucumbers
lemon juice (enough to flavor cucumber slices)
diced green onions
chopped fresh parsley leaves (I usually use a handful, but I’m a parsley junkie. You can also substitute with dill, but I find that parsley makes the flavor brighter, complementing the lemon)
mayo (you can substitute plain yogurt with drizzled olive oil, but I’m an American with crude preferences)
bread (ideally, pide, but if you don’t have any on hand, this is awesome on bagels, pitas, roti [pictured below] or naan)
salt & pepper

Squeeze lemon juice over cucumber slices.
Spread mayo (or plain yogurt) on both slices of bread. If using yogurt, drizzle olive oil on top.
Add egg layers to one slice.
Crumble a layer of feta on top of eggs.
Sprinkle chopped green onion over feta.
Add the lemon-flavored cucumber slices.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Add chopped parsley over cucumbers as desired.
Top off sandwich with remaining slice.

When I first started making this at home, Graham would often opt out in favor of his own breakfast sandwich (ie. egg and cheese deep-fried in butter – “It’s French cooking, Honey!”). I gave him a bite of mine one day, and now, surprisingly, he always requests one of his own.Having these for breakfast or lunch always take me back to our early stages of dating.. before he became aware of all my tics and idiosyncrasies. Luckily, when he threatened to return me to my parents a month after we got married, my mom told him his warranty on me has expired. At least he gets egg salad sandwiches out of it.

Stacy

How To Create A Perfect Ham and Swiss Sandwich… For A Fascist

June 27, 2016June 27, 2016 ~ wasabiapple ~ Leave a comment

sandwichtrio — From left to right: open-faced cream cheese cucumber radish and dill sandwich, cream cheese lox and capers bagel, and grilled kim(chi)cheese and egg sandwich

If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram, you’ve probably seen a lot of food pictures, and if you’ve been a regular reader of this blog, you’ve probably developed a lot of sympathy for Graham. Me too. Poor Graham. I’m a tyrant.. and my control freak nature comes out in full force in the kitchen. I loathe to let Graham take the reins at mealtime. He’s GREAT in the kitchen. I love it when he cooks salmon for dinner or shakshuka for brunch.. but I always have to look away. It’s better that the health nut in me not see just exactly how much oil and butter saturates the pan.

For the longest time though, the big rule in the kitchen was that Graham was not allowed to make sandwiches for me. It seems ridiculous to be so rigid about something so culinarily banal as a sandwich, but I swear there’s an art involved in the layering as well as some practicality! You want each layer to complement the ones above and below it as well as hit your tastebuds at the right time.

It’s not just in our own kitchen.. I’m a harsh critic of sandwiches whenever we go out. And burgers! Which really are just heartier sandwiches.. I will deconstruct and reconstruct a burger if possible to get the right layers together, softly whining, “Why are they doing this wrong?”. After a year of living together and playing sandwich dictator, Graham, rather exasperated, asked me what the rules were for creating a sandwich that would pass the Stacy test. I went to town with a diagram on our kitchen whiteboard which remained there until the whiteboard and us went our separate ways – us to Mount Airy, the whiteboard to the sidewalk in Graduate Hospital on trash night.

I was planning on posting my favorite egg salad sandwich recipe today, but the camera on my phone decided to be uncooperative, so I’m posting a revised sandwich chart instead..

This is for your run-of-the-mill deli sandwich. There’s variations when it comes to burgers, grilled cheese, veggie sandwiches, etc, but a lot of the basic principles still apply. I should add that these are guidelines for sandwiches I eat.. it’s all a matter of personal preference. Starting with the bottom layer and working up to the top:

Additional Info:

Bread is dry. Bread always needs a “wet” ingredient to compliment it.
Mayo should always be next to cheese.
A thin layer of mustard (if you’re using it) goes between cheese and whatever deli meat you use. Think about cheese, crackers, and charcuterie.. they always come with mustard because it goes with all 3. Note: Different rules apply to bologna sandwiches.
Pickles and tomato always stay under the lettuce. It’s visually appealing to place them on top, but think about all that pickle and tomato juice mushing up the bread.
Always place lettuce on top to safeguard against all the juices that could destroy the bread.
Mayo or dressing always goes between the bread and the lettuce because.. see rule no. 1 and also because it creates a “mini-salad” with the veggies below it.
If you’re using salt/pepper.. you add that in the layers of tomato/pickles because the liquid will ensure the spices adhere.
Once you’ve read through all the chart and additional rules and realize that your wife’s controlling nature over sandwiches remind you of another crazy Korean dictator and that it’s just too much work to make lunch, hand all ingredients over to her, put sharp objects back, and back away slowly.
Play PS4 while waiting for lunch to be made.

Stacy (Supreme Dear Leader)

Winter Seaweed Soup

January 12, 2016May 18, 2016 ~ wasabiapple ~ Leave a comment

There’s definitely no shortage of chilis, beef stews, meatloaf, root veggies, and all the other typical winter comfort foods at our house when the temperature drops, but more than anything else, there tends to be an increase in Korean dishes simmering on the stove. Usually, it’s all about the kimchi or miso-based stews, but lately, I’d found myself wanting Korean seaweed soup (miyeok guk).

I’d always left the making of this soup from scratch to the expert (aka Mom), or, if I had a sudden craving, normally, the instant packets of wakame soup from Kikkoman would usually do in a pinch. Last week though, those packets weren’t going to cut it, and with my mom 3 states away, I figured I’d try tackle the challenge of furthering my Korean domestication.Nowadays, you can find freeze dried seaweed at your neighborhood Whole Foods, which is surreal for me. I remember my family having to drive an hour away from home in our grey Winnebago a few times a month to pick up ingredients at the nearest Korean market in Kansas. It’s great to have easy access, but there’s limitations on varieties and brands. Now, Graham and I look for any excuse to make the quick trip to H-Mart located in the Korean strip mall in Elkins Park. It’s just easier for me to know exactly what I’m buying when I can read Korean labels on the products. There’s less chance that I’ll inadvertently pick up the “wrong” kind of seaweed by mistake (for this soup, koreans use “sea mustard”). Straight out of the package, not the prettiest ingredient.. the texture’s similar to kale chips… but, let it soak in water for about 20 minutes and…it unfurls into some really beautiful, pillowy greens. I love the sheen!

As far as the recipe goes, I started off using one from Korean Bapsang, but as the soup was finishing up on the stove, a quick taste test determined that, although good, it didn’t quite taste like the kind my mother makes. I did a little comparison googling and deferred to Maangchi’s recipe, since I’d often used her site for deciphering the flavors in korean dishes in the past and gotten some luck. I added a bit of fish sauce… it was perfect =)I definitely felt like i earned my “Korean cred” when I texted a photo to both my parents and they both messaged back that it made them hungry.. ok.. so it helped that I’d sent them the photo around lunchtime and neither of them had eaten yet.

It was a simple once I had the right ingredients, but that doesn’t mean that I’m going to give up those Kikkoman instant wakame soup packages in the pantry anytime soon =) Hooray for laziness!

Stacy