CSA 2013 Partial Share #8
- 1 bunch basil
- 1 bunch leeks
- 1 bunch beets
- 1 bunch carrots
- 1 Japanese eggplant
- 1 Walla Walla sweet onion
- 1 head lettuce
- 1 zucchini
Winner: Japanese eggplant! Cause they're damn tasty (in moderation) and they're purple! :) Alternatively, leeks, because leek soup.
Challenge: basil. It's like the world is mocking me. Look! Giant, fresh clumps of basil with green leaves from plants that happily live in the soil outside with real sunlight! Ha ha, looks nothing like the spindly four-leaf plants pathetically scrabbling to survive in your window garden box, surrounded by mushrooms that SHOULD NOT BE HERE. My basil sprouts, by the way, have four leaves on them after a nearly 6 week struggle to grow. Sad.
P.S. I changed my mind about zucchini. Kind of like the stuff sliced into super thin coins and fried in butter. But that could just be the butter talking.
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
veggie triage
Late night at work
+ vegetables from last week on the verge of rotting that I TOTALLY FORGOT ABOUT (eek)
+ a new share
+ gone for the weekend
= stress
I was a super ninja and triaged the shit out of my fridge and cursed myself for forgetting about the basil and frisee hidden in the back that I forgot about. See, when frisee starts to go bad, it goes bad at the very tips and it goes bad unevenly. At least, mine did. So when I was picking out all the slimy leaves, I literally had to pick through each little tendril and pluck off the slimy bits to salvage what was left. Sure, I could have thrown it out, but I'm stubborn like that (though I do feel a little scared to eat it now after having gotten all up close and personal with the rotting tips). Besides, I felt vaguely guilty about tossing my kale salad and squash from last week. So I plucked. And plucked. And plucked some more.
Same thing with the basil, except basil starts to go bad where the leaves meet the stem, which means plucking each leaf off before stripping out the slimy part. Sigh. Fortunately, the parsley was in good shape. There were no other orphaned leftovers from last week's share to handle and I promised myself to be better about handling my CSA shares going forward.
I have to say, neglectfulness aside, I'm really impressed with myself. In under two hours, I managed to handle everything. In fact, I'm so impressed, I'm going to write down my triaging thought process so I can marvel at my ability to think on my feet later.
- Cabbage and napa cabbage: these keep forever ish. Take two seconds and store those suckers in fridge.
- Onion and fresh garlic: semi-long lived creatures. I lopped off their pretty green tops, rinsed those and tossed them in my "odds and ends" soup bag in the freezer. Tossed the bulbs in the fridge. Done. (Pro-tip: fresh garlic can be stored in the fridge for a week. Cured/dry garlic should NOT be stored in the fridge or in a plastic container, as it will sprout or mold. Store those outside in a dark location, like a paper bag or covered, ventilated basket.)
- Green beans and wax beans: Rinsed, admired their prettiness for a few moments, and stored them in ziploc bags as snack food. No prep, no cook, just rinse and store.
- Cucumbers: Washed, peeled, and sliced them into snackable sticks. No cooking (notice a trend?)
- Frisee and parsley: I debated cooking these together, but was too lazy after all that plucking, so I just googled "parsley frisee" and discovered that the internet says you can eat these together as a salad. Boom, done. I also chopped up a bit of parsley to sprinkle on some leftover hummus. I've discovered that I rather like the taste of fresh parsley on hummus and pasta. Those flecks of green are so surprising when you come across them, unlike their dried counterparts, which bear an uncanny resemblance to green paper.
- Basil and zucchini: arguably the most time consuming part of my evening. I basically followed the recipe for marinated zucchini, but spent a lot of time picking out the edible parts of the basil :/ I left the zucchini to marinate in a ziploc baggie and I made the basil-garlic-lemon dressing in advance. I'll give it a taste tomorrow and see how that went. My fingers are crossed. For once, I'm actually really excited to eat zucchini.
And that's it! My share(s) are packed into bags or containers or are safely in storage, and I am ready to face the rest of my week. Oh, I also got another chicken. I now have three chickens in my freezer and I'm running out of room. I should butcher one or roast one early next week so I have something to feed my brother when he gets here. That boy will eat you out of house and home. One time, I had to go to the grocery store twice IN ONE DAY to feed him. When you live in a five floor walkup, this is no laughing matter.
TL;DR: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, avoid cooking like the plague, and google has all the answers.
Side note: I feel like this is a weird thing to admit, but I really like the way zucchini feels when you cut it up with a super sharp knife. It's really soft, almost buttery, in texture and it looks so clean and fresh. And it's so much less messy than chopping up, say, a chicken.
+ vegetables from last week on the verge of rotting that I TOTALLY FORGOT ABOUT (eek)
+ a new share
+ gone for the weekend
= stress
I was a super ninja and triaged the shit out of my fridge and cursed myself for forgetting about the basil and frisee hidden in the back that I forgot about. See, when frisee starts to go bad, it goes bad at the very tips and it goes bad unevenly. At least, mine did. So when I was picking out all the slimy leaves, I literally had to pick through each little tendril and pluck off the slimy bits to salvage what was left. Sure, I could have thrown it out, but I'm stubborn like that (though I do feel a little scared to eat it now after having gotten all up close and personal with the rotting tips). Besides, I felt vaguely guilty about tossing my kale salad and squash from last week. So I plucked. And plucked. And plucked some more.
Same thing with the basil, except basil starts to go bad where the leaves meet the stem, which means plucking each leaf off before stripping out the slimy part. Sigh. Fortunately, the parsley was in good shape. There were no other orphaned leftovers from last week's share to handle and I promised myself to be better about handling my CSA shares going forward.
I have to say, neglectfulness aside, I'm really impressed with myself. In under two hours, I managed to handle everything. In fact, I'm so impressed, I'm going to write down my triaging thought process so I can marvel at my ability to think on my feet later.
- Cabbage and napa cabbage: these keep forever ish. Take two seconds and store those suckers in fridge.
- Onion and fresh garlic: semi-long lived creatures. I lopped off their pretty green tops, rinsed those and tossed them in my "odds and ends" soup bag in the freezer. Tossed the bulbs in the fridge. Done. (Pro-tip: fresh garlic can be stored in the fridge for a week. Cured/dry garlic should NOT be stored in the fridge or in a plastic container, as it will sprout or mold. Store those outside in a dark location, like a paper bag or covered, ventilated basket.)
- Green beans and wax beans: Rinsed, admired their prettiness for a few moments, and stored them in ziploc bags as snack food. No prep, no cook, just rinse and store.
- Cucumbers: Washed, peeled, and sliced them into snackable sticks. No cooking (notice a trend?)
- Frisee and parsley: I debated cooking these together, but was too lazy after all that plucking, so I just googled "parsley frisee" and discovered that the internet says you can eat these together as a salad. Boom, done. I also chopped up a bit of parsley to sprinkle on some leftover hummus. I've discovered that I rather like the taste of fresh parsley on hummus and pasta. Those flecks of green are so surprising when you come across them, unlike their dried counterparts, which bear an uncanny resemblance to green paper.
- Basil and zucchini: arguably the most time consuming part of my evening. I basically followed the recipe for marinated zucchini, but spent a lot of time picking out the edible parts of the basil :/ I left the zucchini to marinate in a ziploc baggie and I made the basil-garlic-lemon dressing in advance. I'll give it a taste tomorrow and see how that went. My fingers are crossed. For once, I'm actually really excited to eat zucchini.
And that's it! My share(s) are packed into bags or containers or are safely in storage, and I am ready to face the rest of my week. Oh, I also got another chicken. I now have three chickens in my freezer and I'm running out of room. I should butcher one or roast one early next week so I have something to feed my brother when he gets here. That boy will eat you out of house and home. One time, I had to go to the grocery store twice IN ONE DAY to feed him. When you live in a five floor walkup, this is no laughing matter.
TL;DR: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, avoid cooking like the plague, and google has all the answers.
Side note: I feel like this is a weird thing to admit, but I really like the way zucchini feels when you cut it up with a super sharp knife. It's really soft, almost buttery, in texture and it looks so clean and fresh. And it's so much less messy than chopping up, say, a chicken.
Marinated Zucchini Salad
This looks promising, especially since I still have a ton of basil and a half lemon living in my fridge. I'll give it a go and see how it tastes. If not, I'll stock up on baking ingredients and toss all my future zucchinis into a loaf pan.
Ingredients:
- 2 zucchini
- 1/4 cup vinegar
- 1 small spoon sugar
- pinch of salt and pepper
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/4 cup fresh basil
- 1 spoon lemon juice
- 1 spoon olive oil
Directions:
1. Combine vinegar, sugar and salt. Stir until sugar and salt dissolve.
2. Using a vegetable peeler, cut the zucchini into long ribbons (not coins).
3. Marinate zucchini strips overnight.
4. Blanch garlic and basil. Reserve a spoon of the liquid.
5. Chop garlic and basil finely and mix with the reserved cooking liquid, lemon juice, and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Drain zucchini strips and top with the basil mixture. Serve!
Ingredients:
- 2 zucchini
- 1/4 cup vinegar
- 1 small spoon sugar
- pinch of salt and pepper
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/4 cup fresh basil
- 1 spoon lemon juice
- 1 spoon olive oil
Directions:
1. Combine vinegar, sugar and salt. Stir until sugar and salt dissolve.
2. Using a vegetable peeler, cut the zucchini into long ribbons (not coins).
3. Marinate zucchini strips overnight.
4. Blanch garlic and basil. Reserve a spoon of the liquid.
5. Chop garlic and basil finely and mix with the reserved cooking liquid, lemon juice, and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Drain zucchini strips and top with the basil mixture. Serve!
CSA 2013 Partial Share #7
CSA 2013 Partial Share #7
- 12 oz yellow wax beans
- 1 bulb fresh garlic
- 1 Walla Walla onion
- 2 golden or green zucchini
- 2 cucumbers
- 1 petit green cabbage
- 1 Napa cabbage
- 11 oz green beans
Winner: This is tough. Just kidding. Obvious winner of the week is the humble yellow wax bean. I won't even pretend to understand my fascination with these, but it borders on the obsessively unhealthy. I just like the idea of waxy vegetables. Waxy beans, waxy potatoes, waxy eggplants. It's kind of like my obsession with stems. I should note that wax beans are not waxy in texture. No one really knows why they're called wax beans (or butter beans, which is equally as cute). Speculative theories point to the yellow color of the beans as a possible explanation, but I personally find that solution too easy. I will ruminate over this quandary while I ruminate on some wax beans. (Sorry not sorry. Couldn't help it. When do you ever get to use the same word in different ways in the same sentence? If you have a brain like mine, the answer is "not often." Indulge me.)
Challenge: Zucchini. Sorry I just...not a fan...I like looking at them? I will try to be creative. Also a little concerned about the sheer volume of cabbage. Too bad none of these are very freezable, except perhaps the green beans. I must say though...I'm thankful for the break from the flood of lettuce and turnip/radish/beet greens. :)
- 12 oz yellow wax beans
- 1 bulb fresh garlic
- 1 Walla Walla onion
- 2 golden or green zucchini
- 2 cucumbers
- 1 petit green cabbage
- 1 Napa cabbage
- 11 oz green beans
Winner: This is tough. Just kidding. Obvious winner of the week is the humble yellow wax bean. I won't even pretend to understand my fascination with these, but it borders on the obsessively unhealthy. I just like the idea of waxy vegetables. Waxy beans, waxy potatoes, waxy eggplants. It's kind of like my obsession with stems. I should note that wax beans are not waxy in texture. No one really knows why they're called wax beans (or butter beans, which is equally as cute). Speculative theories point to the yellow color of the beans as a possible explanation, but I personally find that solution too easy. I will ruminate over this quandary while I ruminate on some wax beans. (Sorry not sorry. Couldn't help it. When do you ever get to use the same word in different ways in the same sentence? If you have a brain like mine, the answer is "not often." Indulge me.)
Challenge: Zucchini. Sorry I just...not a fan...I like looking at them? I will try to be creative. Also a little concerned about the sheer volume of cabbage. Too bad none of these are very freezable, except perhaps the green beans. I must say though...I'm thankful for the break from the flood of lettuce and turnip/radish/beet greens. :)
Monday, July 22, 2013
CSA 2013 Partial Share #6
CSA 2013 Partial Share #6
- 8 oz green beans
- 4.5 oz baby salad greens
- 1 bunch Japanese turnips
- 1 head frissee
- 1 bunch spring onions
- 1 bunch basil
- 1 bunch parsley
- 2 patty pan squash
Winner: green beens (yes, beens. It looks cuter like that.) Why? Because they are tasty and most importantly, they require little to no prep. Rinse and eat. Boom.
Challenge: Basil and parsley. I wish I had a food processor so I could make pesto T_T I did manage to use up half the parsley in some delicious buttered pasta. Apparently, even my drunk self knows that using up perishable things in the fridge is a Key Priority. I'm proud, but I'm not sure I should be.
I'm starting to wonder how long I can keep cooked veg in the fridge without making myself sick. I've been eating the maneul jjong jangachi in small quantities and so far, so good! But I have definitely been testing the limits with some of my other creations. I sauteed patty pan squash with basil and spring onions and a hefty dose of lemon and dried lavender. It was delicious. I left it in the fridge for about a week and got scared though, so I threw half of it out :/ Ditto for some massaged kale salad :/ :/
I have a bit of frissee, the herbs, and some spring onions left. I'm simultaneously excited and nervous about tomorrow's share. meep.
- 8 oz green beans
- 4.5 oz baby salad greens
- 1 bunch Japanese turnips
- 1 head frissee
- 1 bunch spring onions
- 1 bunch basil
- 1 bunch parsley
- 2 patty pan squash
Winner: green beens (yes, beens. It looks cuter like that.) Why? Because they are tasty and most importantly, they require little to no prep. Rinse and eat. Boom.
Challenge: Basil and parsley. I wish I had a food processor so I could make pesto T_T I did manage to use up half the parsley in some delicious buttered pasta. Apparently, even my drunk self knows that using up perishable things in the fridge is a Key Priority. I'm proud, but I'm not sure I should be.
I'm starting to wonder how long I can keep cooked veg in the fridge without making myself sick. I've been eating the maneul jjong jangachi in small quantities and so far, so good! But I have definitely been testing the limits with some of my other creations. I sauteed patty pan squash with basil and spring onions and a hefty dose of lemon and dried lavender. It was delicious. I left it in the fridge for about a week and got scared though, so I threw half of it out :/ Ditto for some massaged kale salad :/ :/
I have a bit of frissee, the herbs, and some spring onions left. I'm simultaneously excited and nervous about tomorrow's share. meep.
Saturday, July 13, 2013
basil mint vodka lemonade, maneul jjong jangachi and chicken soup
A weekend of cooking!
Light Chicken Stock
Straightforward, easy, just takes a little time.
In a pot, saute onions, carrot tops/peelings, and whole garlic cloves (leave skins on!)
Add chicken and cook until meat begins to brown. Add a little salt.
Add water and simmer for a while (20 min?).
Skim foam off the top. Remove chicken pieces and let cool.
Remove chicken meat from bones and return bones to the pot. Reserve meat.
Remove vegetables when the carrots and onions start becoming mushy. Keep whatever looks edible (including garlic!) and snack on them :D.
Add herbs/seasoning of choice (I used a mix of lavender, thyme, fennel, chives).
Simmer the bones for as long as you want (1 hour?).
Salt to taste. Remove bones, discard, and let the soup cool.
Store the soup in little ziploc bags and freeze for later use.
Maneul jjong jangachi update!
Had to adjust seasoning but everything is all complete and looks and tastes yummy :) I think I have enough to last me for a full year now... 밮도독 ㅋㅋㅋ
Basil Mint Vodka Lemonade
Ingredients:
- Fresh basil
- Fresh mint
- 1 lemon
- 2 heaping spoons sugar
- water and ice
Directions:
1. Chop lemon in half and squeeze out the juice. Pick out the seeds and toss them.
2. Add 2-3 spoons sugar. Stir until somewhat dissolved.
3. Add a few sprigs of fresh mint and basil and muddle at the bottom of the glass.
4. Add chilled vodka and ice, stir.
5. Add cold water to taste. Garnish with lemon peel and mint/basil sprigs. Enjoy!
Light Chicken Stock
Straightforward, easy, just takes a little time.
In a pot, saute onions, carrot tops/peelings, and whole garlic cloves (leave skins on!)
Add chicken and cook until meat begins to brown. Add a little salt.
Add water and simmer for a while (20 min?).
Skim foam off the top. Remove chicken pieces and let cool.
Remove chicken meat from bones and return bones to the pot. Reserve meat.
Remove vegetables when the carrots and onions start becoming mushy. Keep whatever looks edible (including garlic!) and snack on them :D.
Add herbs/seasoning of choice (I used a mix of lavender, thyme, fennel, chives).
Simmer the bones for as long as you want (1 hour?).
Salt to taste. Remove bones, discard, and let the soup cool.
Store the soup in little ziploc bags and freeze for later use.
Maneul jjong jangachi update!
Had to adjust seasoning but everything is all complete and looks and tastes yummy :) I think I have enough to last me for a full year now... 밮도독 ㅋㅋㅋ
Basil Mint Vodka Lemonade
Ingredients:
- Fresh basil
- Fresh mint
- 1 lemon
- 2 heaping spoons sugar
- water and ice
Directions:
1. Chop lemon in half and squeeze out the juice. Pick out the seeds and toss them.
2. Add 2-3 spoons sugar. Stir until somewhat dissolved.
3. Add a few sprigs of fresh mint and basil and muddle at the bottom of the glass.
4. Add chilled vodka and ice, stir.
5. Add cold water to taste. Garnish with lemon peel and mint/basil sprigs. Enjoy!
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
CSA 2013 Partial Share #5
Multiple post Tuesday! Cause I got behind. Woops.
CSA 2013 Partial Share #5
- 1 bunch lacinato kale
- 1 bunch Swiss chard
- 4.5 oz salad mix
- 3/4lb shelling peas
- 1 bunch basil
- 1 bunch mint
Winner: This is tough. My first instinct is to freak out about the peas, because OMG peas and I haven't had fresh peas in years. But then, the kale. And the basil and mint! So many cool things to choose from :D This is the first time Free Bird Farm has tried growing mint and shelling peas, so I'm very excited about that. When we were up at the farm, Ken was telling us how another farmer had told him to grow some shelling peas, because us city folk go crazy for them. Ken didn't understand why, since the volume of edible food per square foot of soil is quite low (you can't even eat the pea pods!), but he figured why not? Make the city people happy with some novelty items. This is why I love my CSA. <3
Challenge: On the bright side, there's no garlic scapes or multiple heads of lettuce! I'm not the hugest fan of Swiss chard, so when I saw that someone had left a half dozen eggs in the swap box, I jumped on that and swapped out the chard for some free-range eggs. They look so lovely, all brown and different sized. :)
Today was a fantastic haul for me. I love everything in my share and I even got my hands on some eggs! I got another chicken too, so I'm planning on butchering the chicken this weekend and making some soup stock. I'll use a bit of the stock to make some light summer soup with the pea pods and garlic scape trimmings. The pea pods are pretty delicate, but the garlic scapes are also mild, so I think everything will balance out nicely. I'm thinking about throwing in the mint as well. Mint-pea soup sounds so summery and fresh :)
CSA 2013 Partial Share #5
- 1 bunch lacinato kale
- 1 bunch Swiss chard
- 4.5 oz salad mix
- 3/4lb shelling peas
- 1 bunch basil
- 1 bunch mint
Winner: This is tough. My first instinct is to freak out about the peas, because OMG peas and I haven't had fresh peas in years. But then, the kale. And the basil and mint! So many cool things to choose from :D This is the first time Free Bird Farm has tried growing mint and shelling peas, so I'm very excited about that. When we were up at the farm, Ken was telling us how another farmer had told him to grow some shelling peas, because us city folk go crazy for them. Ken didn't understand why, since the volume of edible food per square foot of soil is quite low (you can't even eat the pea pods!), but he figured why not? Make the city people happy with some novelty items. This is why I love my CSA. <3
Challenge: On the bright side, there's no garlic scapes or multiple heads of lettuce! I'm not the hugest fan of Swiss chard, so when I saw that someone had left a half dozen eggs in the swap box, I jumped on that and swapped out the chard for some free-range eggs. They look so lovely, all brown and different sized. :)
Today was a fantastic haul for me. I love everything in my share and I even got my hands on some eggs! I got another chicken too, so I'm planning on butchering the chicken this weekend and making some soup stock. I'll use a bit of the stock to make some light summer soup with the pea pods and garlic scape trimmings. The pea pods are pretty delicate, but the garlic scapes are also mild, so I think everything will balance out nicely. I'm thinking about throwing in the mint as well. Mint-pea soup sounds so summery and fresh :)
Garlic Scapes: Plan of attack! + maneul jong jangachi (마늘종 장아찌)
As I mentioned, I got a little overexcited at the farm and brought home a giant mess of scapes. Visions of scapes cooked both Korean-style and American (Western?)-style danced before my eyes and...yeah. We've been getting scapes every week too. They're a little tricky to chop because of their curly nature, but I'm going to deal with all of them tonight. No more excuses. rawr.
Also, I realized I've been spelling maneul jong wrong this whole time. FFF. It SOUNDS like 마늘쫑, but it's actually 마늘종. ㅠㅠ...
Ways to use scapes:
- Maneul jong bokkeum aka garlic scape Korean stir-fry (see below)
- Sauteed with a bit of olive oil until slightly charred
- Wash, chop, and freeze in ziploc bags (try and push out all the air from the bags before sealing). Should be fine for later use in cooked recipes or in soups.
- Maneul jong jangachi: need to translate a recipe because I couldn't find anything in English. But this is pretty much my favorite banchan except for maybe the lotus roots and kkakdugi kimchi tops (I told you, I have an unhealthy obsession with stems).
I told my mama I was going to try making maneul jong jangachi and she just was like, "wtf why would you do that? It's too much work. Just go buy it." I, of course, am not going to listen to her because I really do love these things and I already have a bunch in my fridge. But after translating the recipe, I understand what she meant by "wtf" and "too much work." Erughhh.
~~~
Maneul Jong Jangachi (마늘종 장아찌)
Note: Not sure what a good translation of this would be, but maybe "Spicy Pickled Garlic Scapes"? Ugh, sounds as bad as describing kimchi as Spicy Pickled Cabbage or soondubu jjigae as Spicy Tofu Stew (yuckyuckyuck). Whatever, it is noms.
I'm dividing ingredients into two sections. The scapes need to be brined first, so I'll list those ingredients first, followed by the marinade/sauce that they will sit in.
Ingredients (brining):
- Garlic scapes (600g of scapes = 1 large bunch of scapes, which is not very precise. Hopefully this works out okay.)
- 3 cups water
- 3 large spoons of salt (literally translates to large spoon. I think that's equal to one heaping kitchen spoon? 1 tbsp? Apparently, the salt solution is supposed to be 5%, or 50g salt per 1L water. But I don't know what that means in US measurements. buh. If this turns out tasting bad, I'll go back and do the conversions and try again.)
- 1 cup minced garlic (optional, but makes everything tastier)
Ingredients (marinade/sauce)
- 6 large spoons gochujang (hot red pepper paste)
- 1 large spoon gochukkaru (red chili pepper flakes)
- 1/2 small spoon anchovy (myeolchi) fish sauce
- 1/2 large spoon vinegar
- 4 large spoons sugar*
- small amount of whole sesame seeds
- whole or sliced garlic cloves (optional)
* The recipe I'm looking at says 1 spoon sugar and 3 spoons "oligo sugar." Wasn't sure what the heck that was, but apparently it's an artificial sweetener. The aftertaste of artificial sweeteners makes me buggy, so I'm going to adjust the recipe and just use regular sugar. Honey might be okay to use as well, but use less since honey is sweeter than sugar.
Directions:
1. Bunch the scapes together and chop off bottom ends of scapes. Discard. Working up from the bottom, chop into 2 inch segments. If your scapes are super duper curly like mine, work in small bunches of 3-4 stems.
2. The recipe I am looking at says to throw away the flower buds and tips, but we all know these are yummy to eat. Set aside and use them in a stir fry or soup!
3. Wash chopped scapes.
4. Boil water and salt in a large pot. When boiling, remove from heat and let cool slightly (to 70 deg C ish)
5. Place chopped scapes in hot salted water and make sure all the stems are fully submerged. If not, make more salt water!
6. OMG. Real time translation means real time commentary. Recipe says to let the scapes sit for 3-4 days. DAYS. I thought my Korean was just sucking and I was reading that wrong, but no. It's days. >.< Okay, let your scapes brine for 3-4 days. This probably means the salt solution needs to be measured fairly accurately to prevent weird things from growing. I believe we're supposed to leave these out to pickle at room temperature (the warmer the room, the better), so I'm going to err on the side of oversalting the water, just to be safe.
7. Wash a piece of scape and taste to see if they are ready. Apparently, if there is a "hot, biting taste" (translated literally), they are ready. They should look a bit pickled and shrivelly. I'm going to include a link to the original recipe below for picture comparison purposes because at this point, I've lost all faith in my ability to follow this recipe by itself and still succeed. T_T
8. If the scape is too salty, place the scapes in a bowl of fresh water and let some of the salt leach out.
9. Wash the scapes thoroughly in clean water.
10. Place scapes in a mesh colander and press out excess water.
11. Spread out scapes over a mesh surface and let drain/air dry for a few hours if possible.
12. Mix all ingredients for the marinade/sauce except the whole or sliced garlic cloves and sesame seeds. If you're not using cloves, add some minced garlic.
13. Adjust seasoning (sugar/vinegar/fish sauce) to taste. According to the recipe, the vinegar brings out the sweetness of the sugar and the fish sauce complements and deepens the saltiness of the dish. Makes sense.
14. Combine the sauce/marinade, whole or sliced garlic cloves, the garlic scapes, and the whole sesame seeds.
15. Mix thoroughly, ensuring that all the stems are fully coated with the marinade/sauce. Err on the side of making too much marinade/sauce*. If there isn't enough, the scapes sitting on the top will dry out and lose their flavor :( or the scapes will start to mold :O
*Tip from me: If you have extra sauce leftover when you finish eating your scapes, you can mix it with plain white rice. Om nom nom.
16. Store in the fridge! According to the recipe, scapes normally go soft in about 6 months, but with the method we used above (blanching in hot salted water), the scapes should stay crunchy and asak asak fresh for a year. O.O A YEAR.
17. As days pass, the scapes will further pickle and become more and more yums. Make some rice and eat your heart out.
I shall give it a go this week and we'll see how this turns out. I really hope I don't give myself botulism or something. Also, I wonder why the maneul jong jangachi at H-Mart always says it's expiring in 2-3 weeks if it can supposedly last so long? They always over ferment everything!!! The kimchi I get from H-Mart also goes sour in less than a month. :(
Anyways...wish me luck.
Original recipe can be found here. The pictures are so, so pretty!!! This lady (or man) is a total pro.
Also, I realized I've been spelling maneul jong wrong this whole time. FFF. It SOUNDS like 마늘쫑, but it's actually 마늘종. ㅠㅠ...
Ways to use scapes:
- Maneul jong bokkeum aka garlic scape Korean stir-fry (see below)
- Sauteed with a bit of olive oil until slightly charred
- Wash, chop, and freeze in ziploc bags (try and push out all the air from the bags before sealing). Should be fine for later use in cooked recipes or in soups.
- Maneul jong jangachi: need to translate a recipe because I couldn't find anything in English. But this is pretty much my favorite banchan except for maybe the lotus roots and kkakdugi kimchi tops (I told you, I have an unhealthy obsession with stems).
I told my mama I was going to try making maneul jong jangachi and she just was like, "wtf why would you do that? It's too much work. Just go buy it." I, of course, am not going to listen to her because I really do love these things and I already have a bunch in my fridge. But after translating the recipe, I understand what she meant by "wtf" and "too much work." Erughhh.
~~~
Maneul Jong Jangachi (마늘종 장아찌)
Note: Not sure what a good translation of this would be, but maybe "Spicy Pickled Garlic Scapes"? Ugh, sounds as bad as describing kimchi as Spicy Pickled Cabbage or soondubu jjigae as Spicy Tofu Stew (yuckyuckyuck). Whatever, it is noms.
I'm dividing ingredients into two sections. The scapes need to be brined first, so I'll list those ingredients first, followed by the marinade/sauce that they will sit in.
Ingredients (brining):
- Garlic scapes (600g of scapes = 1 large bunch of scapes, which is not very precise. Hopefully this works out okay.)
- 3 cups water
- 3 large spoons of salt (literally translates to large spoon. I think that's equal to one heaping kitchen spoon? 1 tbsp? Apparently, the salt solution is supposed to be 5%, or 50g salt per 1L water. But I don't know what that means in US measurements. buh. If this turns out tasting bad, I'll go back and do the conversions and try again.)
- 1 cup minced garlic (optional, but makes everything tastier)
Ingredients (marinade/sauce)
- 6 large spoons gochujang (hot red pepper paste)
- 1 large spoon gochukkaru (red chili pepper flakes)
- 1/2 small spoon anchovy (myeolchi) fish sauce
- 1/2 large spoon vinegar
- 4 large spoons sugar*
- small amount of whole sesame seeds
- whole or sliced garlic cloves (optional)
* The recipe I'm looking at says 1 spoon sugar and 3 spoons "oligo sugar." Wasn't sure what the heck that was, but apparently it's an artificial sweetener. The aftertaste of artificial sweeteners makes me buggy, so I'm going to adjust the recipe and just use regular sugar. Honey might be okay to use as well, but use less since honey is sweeter than sugar.
Directions:
1. Bunch the scapes together and chop off bottom ends of scapes. Discard. Working up from the bottom, chop into 2 inch segments. If your scapes are super duper curly like mine, work in small bunches of 3-4 stems.
2. The recipe I am looking at says to throw away the flower buds and tips, but we all know these are yummy to eat. Set aside and use them in a stir fry or soup!
3. Wash chopped scapes.
4. Boil water and salt in a large pot. When boiling, remove from heat and let cool slightly (to 70 deg C ish)
5. Place chopped scapes in hot salted water and make sure all the stems are fully submerged. If not, make more salt water!
6. OMG. Real time translation means real time commentary. Recipe says to let the scapes sit for 3-4 days. DAYS. I thought my Korean was just sucking and I was reading that wrong, but no. It's days. >.< Okay, let your scapes brine for 3-4 days. This probably means the salt solution needs to be measured fairly accurately to prevent weird things from growing. I believe we're supposed to leave these out to pickle at room temperature (the warmer the room, the better), so I'm going to err on the side of oversalting the water, just to be safe.
7. Wash a piece of scape and taste to see if they are ready. Apparently, if there is a "hot, biting taste" (translated literally), they are ready. They should look a bit pickled and shrivelly. I'm going to include a link to the original recipe below for picture comparison purposes because at this point, I've lost all faith in my ability to follow this recipe by itself and still succeed. T_T
8. If the scape is too salty, place the scapes in a bowl of fresh water and let some of the salt leach out.
9. Wash the scapes thoroughly in clean water.
10. Place scapes in a mesh colander and press out excess water.
11. Spread out scapes over a mesh surface and let drain/air dry for a few hours if possible.
12. Mix all ingredients for the marinade/sauce except the whole or sliced garlic cloves and sesame seeds. If you're not using cloves, add some minced garlic.
13. Adjust seasoning (sugar/vinegar/fish sauce) to taste. According to the recipe, the vinegar brings out the sweetness of the sugar and the fish sauce complements and deepens the saltiness of the dish. Makes sense.
14. Combine the sauce/marinade, whole or sliced garlic cloves, the garlic scapes, and the whole sesame seeds.
15. Mix thoroughly, ensuring that all the stems are fully coated with the marinade/sauce. Err on the side of making too much marinade/sauce*. If there isn't enough, the scapes sitting on the top will dry out and lose their flavor :( or the scapes will start to mold :O
*Tip from me: If you have extra sauce leftover when you finish eating your scapes, you can mix it with plain white rice. Om nom nom.
16. Store in the fridge! According to the recipe, scapes normally go soft in about 6 months, but with the method we used above (blanching in hot salted water), the scapes should stay crunchy and asak asak fresh for a year. O.O A YEAR.
17. As days pass, the scapes will further pickle and become more and more yums. Make some rice and eat your heart out.
I shall give it a go this week and we'll see how this turns out. I really hope I don't give myself botulism or something. Also, I wonder why the maneul jong jangachi at H-Mart always says it's expiring in 2-3 weeks if it can supposedly last so long? They always over ferment everything!!! The kimchi I get from H-Mart also goes sour in less than a month. :(
Anyways...wish me luck.
Original recipe can be found here. The pictures are so, so pretty!!! This lady (or man) is a total pro.
CSA 2013 Partial Share #4
CSA 2013 Partial Share #4
- 1 head Romaine lettuce
- 1 head broccoli
- 1 bunch beets (and greens!)
- 1 bunch Japanese turnips
- 3/4lb garlic scapes
Winner: Japanese turnips. I love these mild, tender, sweet turnips. They're white and small and thin-skinned and they're wonderful in a salad or just sliced into coins and eaten raw as a snack. In fact, I love them so much I swapped out the broccoli for another bunch of turnips. Also, I don't like broccoli. I love the swap box <3
Challenge: I...may have overdone it with the garlic scapes. I now have probably 3-4 pounds of scapes accumulated over the last few weeks. O.O I shall smell, forever. On the bright side, no mosquito bites lately! I can't tell if it's because I managed to kill enough of the pesky little guys (and their dead carcasses on my walls are warning the other ones away) or if it's because garlic blood is less tasty. Whatever the cause, I am not complaining.
* I got my extra chicken! Thawed it out overnight in the fridge and butchered it successfully. Two boneless/skinless chicken breasts pounded flat, two tenderloins, two thighs, two wings, and the carcass for soup! Plus a little bowl of chicken fat that I plan to render later. I didn't realize how much chicken smells though. After butchering and cooking, my apartment smelled like chicken meat for days and I was too chicken (ha) to open the windows because of mosquitos. #firstworldproblems
- 1 head Romaine lettuce
- 1 head broccoli
- 1 bunch beets (and greens!)
- 1 bunch Japanese turnips
- 3/4lb garlic scapes
Winner: Japanese turnips. I love these mild, tender, sweet turnips. They're white and small and thin-skinned and they're wonderful in a salad or just sliced into coins and eaten raw as a snack. In fact, I love them so much I swapped out the broccoli for another bunch of turnips. Also, I don't like broccoli. I love the swap box <3
Challenge: I...may have overdone it with the garlic scapes. I now have probably 3-4 pounds of scapes accumulated over the last few weeks. O.O I shall smell, forever. On the bright side, no mosquito bites lately! I can't tell if it's because I managed to kill enough of the pesky little guys (and their dead carcasses on my walls are warning the other ones away) or if it's because garlic blood is less tasty. Whatever the cause, I am not complaining.
* I got my extra chicken! Thawed it out overnight in the fridge and butchered it successfully. Two boneless/skinless chicken breasts pounded flat, two tenderloins, two thighs, two wings, and the carcass for soup! Plus a little bowl of chicken fat that I plan to render later. I didn't realize how much chicken smells though. After butchering and cooking, my apartment smelled like chicken meat for days and I was too chicken (ha) to open the windows because of mosquitos. #firstworldproblems
Monday, July 1, 2013
Korean-style Stir-Fried Garlic Scapes (maneul jjong bokkeum / 마늘쫑볶음)
I adore these things. So much. I think I just like stems in general, because I also love pea tips and sweet potato stems. Something about the vibrant green color and the tender but stringy texture? I have no clue.
Anyways, we did our annual farm trip on Sunday and I carted home a few souvenirs, including a giant bag of scapes that we harvested at the farm on Sunday and a tomato-red sunburn. My nose hurts a bit when I scrunch it and my entire chest, shoulders, and arms make me look like I have mad Asian glow. Oddly, my neck area remained completely burn-free. My coworker is hypothesizing that my chin shaded my neck from the sun, which has now made me self-conscious about the size of my chin.
I was perplexed that people seem to have difficulties using up all their scapes. There's sooo many ways to eat them! They can be sauteed, stir-fried, frozen, pickled, pureed into pesto, sprinkled around like mini garlic bits onto pasta and pizza, and folded into omelettes. They are also one of my favorite banchan, which I found out last year after calling my mom excitedly to tell her about this new and unusual vegetable that I found in my CSA share. She drily noted that while it was good I was excited about discovering new vegetables, I had been eating these all my life in the form of 마늘쫑장아찌 (maneul jjong jangachi).
Unlike lettuce, which gets turned into salad 99 times out of 100, garlic scapes are so versatile that I pretty much never can have too much of them. So...an ode to garlic scapes. Excpect to see a few different posts on them in the coming weeks. My goal this year is to figure out how to make my beloved maneul jjong jangachi from scratch. I was too lazy to translate recipes last night though, so I just went with maneul jjong bokkeum.
Korean-style Stir-Fried Garlic Scapes (Maneul Jjong Bokkeum)
Ingredients:
- 1 bunch garlic scapes
- Soy sauce
- Sugar or honey
- Salt
- Cooking oil
- Sesame oil (optional)
- Toasted sesame seeds (optional)
Directions:
1. Wash scapes and shake off excess moisture.
2. Chop scapes into 1 - 2 inch segments. Keep the buds! They're yummy :)
Optional step: If you want, you can blanch the scapes before stir-frying.
3. In a pan, heat some oil (add sesame oil if desired).
4. When oil is hot, add scapes and stir frequently until scapes have begun to shrivel and darken. Season with salt.
5. When scapes are dark green in color, add a few splashes of soy sauce and some sugar to taste. Not sure about the proportions, but I think equal parts soy sauce and sugar should do it. Too little is better than too much, as you can always add more of both later.
6. Cook for a few more minutes, stirring frequently to ensure nothing burns.
7. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds if desired and serve with rice. Or, if you are lazy like me, eat them with triscuits. Carbs are carbs lol.
Anyways, we did our annual farm trip on Sunday and I carted home a few souvenirs, including a giant bag of scapes that we harvested at the farm on Sunday and a tomato-red sunburn. My nose hurts a bit when I scrunch it and my entire chest, shoulders, and arms make me look like I have mad Asian glow. Oddly, my neck area remained completely burn-free. My coworker is hypothesizing that my chin shaded my neck from the sun, which has now made me self-conscious about the size of my chin.
I was perplexed that people seem to have difficulties using up all their scapes. There's sooo many ways to eat them! They can be sauteed, stir-fried, frozen, pickled, pureed into pesto, sprinkled around like mini garlic bits onto pasta and pizza, and folded into omelettes. They are also one of my favorite banchan, which I found out last year after calling my mom excitedly to tell her about this new and unusual vegetable that I found in my CSA share. She drily noted that while it was good I was excited about discovering new vegetables, I had been eating these all my life in the form of 마늘쫑장아찌 (maneul jjong jangachi).
Unlike lettuce, which gets turned into salad 99 times out of 100, garlic scapes are so versatile that I pretty much never can have too much of them. So...an ode to garlic scapes. Excpect to see a few different posts on them in the coming weeks. My goal this year is to figure out how to make my beloved maneul jjong jangachi from scratch. I was too lazy to translate recipes last night though, so I just went with maneul jjong bokkeum.
Korean-style Stir-Fried Garlic Scapes (Maneul Jjong Bokkeum)
Ingredients:
- 1 bunch garlic scapes
- Soy sauce
- Sugar or honey
- Salt
- Cooking oil
- Sesame oil (optional)
- Toasted sesame seeds (optional)
Directions:
1. Wash scapes and shake off excess moisture.
2. Chop scapes into 1 - 2 inch segments. Keep the buds! They're yummy :)
Optional step: If you want, you can blanch the scapes before stir-frying.
3. In a pan, heat some oil (add sesame oil if desired).
4. When oil is hot, add scapes and stir frequently until scapes have begun to shrivel and darken. Season with salt.
5. When scapes are dark green in color, add a few splashes of soy sauce and some sugar to taste. Not sure about the proportions, but I think equal parts soy sauce and sugar should do it. Too little is better than too much, as you can always add more of both later.
6. Cook for a few more minutes, stirring frequently to ensure nothing burns.
7. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds if desired and serve with rice. Or, if you are lazy like me, eat them with triscuits. Carbs are carbs lol.
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