Oatcake Fiction

 
    Nathanael and I enjoy reading to each other in the evening while dishes are being washed or pecans being cracked. Most of the time the book captivates us enough that we find other times to read, like having one person brush their teeth at a time, which is one of the current methods as we read Sir Gibbie by George MacDonald. It is best if there is some activity going on, because if we choose to read while just sitting, especially before bed, Nathanael needs to watch me carefully to make sure I am legitimately awake...actually even if I am the one reading, I may in fact be sleeping. During graduate school I read an entire chapter of Harry Potter to my roommate Lucy while she knitted, and despite the pages having been full of excitement I could not recall a single thing that had happened once I stood up to get ready for bed.
     Most of the books we read together are classic literature, and we especially enjoy the unabridged works of George MacDonald. His novels are the epitome of fiction which does not leave your brain to sit idly by, but engages it to play with philosophy, expand vocabulary, and envision situations and scenes rich with detail and feeling. I know some people who only read non-fiction, but I think they would appreciate a book such as Sir Gibbie, The Castle Warlock or Malcolm as evidence that edifying truth can often be more poignantly delivered through substantial fiction than through biography or historical reflection (though no author conveys the whole truth of course; some are much closer than others).

A friend gave us a neat little notebook where we record the books
we've read and movies we've watched...with ratings of course.

 
     Since George MacDonald was Scottish, his books are mostly set in Scotland with characters who enjoy Scottish fare, and quite often oatcakes. Nathanael would probably have made a good Scotsman back in the day. Of the 30% of Nathanael that is not water, about 60% is oats. We enjoy our oats in many forms around here. We nearly always have hot cereal, often have granola around for a snack, and sometimes we sprinkle oats into the crackers or sour dough bread. And whenever Nathanael needs to pack a lunch and we have no bread or convenient eaten-cold foods, he packs oatcakes and goes merrily on his way. Oatcakes are a plain food, and very healthy tasting, which I enjoy and Nathanael could eat every day. They're not junk food. I think they are an excellent medium for butter and jams, or savory spreads, but Nathanael delights in them just as they are with their roasted oat essence as the main attraction.

Scottish Oatcakes
from A Feast of Scotland by Janet Warren
1 1/3 cups Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
1/4 tsp baking soda
a pinch of salt
1 Tablespoon of Butter or Lard (Oil would probably work out alright)
6 Tbs hot water (approximately)
A bit of flour to dust the rolling surface; any variety will do.

1. Mix the oats, soda, and salt together.
2. Melt butter and pour into the center, then add enough water to make a stiff dough. Stir briefly with a wooden spoon.
3. Turn the dough onto a flour dusted surface and knead well. Divide in half, and roll each into an 8-inch circle about a quarter of an inch thick.
4. Cook the oatcakes in a dry, heavy based frying pan. They should take about 3 minutes on each side and be golden brown and slightly crisp. Alternatively they can be baked at 325F (160C) for about 30 minutes.
Serve with butter, honey and marmalade for breakfast or with soup and cheese for lunch.



Do you read to each other in your family (or with your roommates)?
What's on your summer reading list?
I would love some good recommendations! (And yes, we read non-fiction too!)

A bounty of Dill

Nathanael and I have been having a very fun time sharing our harvest with our friends and neighbors. When we have given them beans, peas, carrots, spinach or even beets, everyone is ready to share with us how they plan to use them. When it comes to herbs, however, particularly dill, most people have looked in the bag and said, "So how do I use this one?"

   I have to admit I am sort of in the same boat. I love dill, but I don't have a plethora of ideas to utilize it. My first thought is always pickles, but I do have a friend who always makes dill omelets. Our neighbor from Romania recommended tossing dill with other vegetables in a salad, and my dear walking partner from Iran told me she makes dill rice to go with fish (which I recommend by the way, especially with a flavorful brown rice and butter). But, despite the beloved fish and dill combination, I was really looking for a dish to recommend to everyone that would use things they already had...because we really have a ton of dill.

  

If I were a Black Swallowtail Butterfly (also known as Parsley caterpillar), I might spend my whole life surviving on the stuff, and wandering around looking resplendent. 

Papilio polyxenes asterius

These guys were rawists...dill-ists in fact, but had no recipes to share with me.

Inspired by the enormous bunch of dill I gave her, my friend Hannah discovered just the thing I was looking for. A very basic dill potato recipe from Veg Recipes of India. It is simple and quick, but also a perfect way to really appreciate the flavor of dill. The amounts are imprecise; you could spice it up, or add other root vegetables if you wanted to be creative*, but leaving it basic will also please your palate.  

Dill Potatoes yield 4-6 side servings
2 Tbsp canola oil
1 big bunch of fresh dill leaves, chopped (about 1 cup or more when hard stems are excluded) 
3 to 6 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/8 inch rounds
5-6 medium cloves of garlic, crushed or chopped
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
salt and black pepper to taste

1. Heat a large, heavy bottomed pan. Add the oil, and once heated add garlic and saute for one minute.

2. Add potatoes and saute for a few minutes until they begin to soften, perhaps 6-7 minutes.

3.  Add dill leaves and spices, mix well. Then, add salt and 1/2 cup to 1 cup water, cover, and cook gently for 8 to 10 minutes. If the water dries up add more.

4. Remove the lid and cook until liquid has evaporated and potatoes are very tender.

Serve as a side dish, or with dal and rice or chapatis.

*Dill and carrots are related so they are also a delicious combination. Prepare them similarly, adding about 1/2 tsp of cumin seeds to the oil at the beginning, a bit of ginger with the garlic, and some powdered cumin and coriander with the other spices.

What recipe comes first to your mind when you think about having boatloads of fresh dill?

Lately.

 So on Wednesday, I had planned to download my camera and make a post to share with all of you like normal, but when I began the download my computer told me it was full. No longer hungry for my photos. Alas. Over the last two days I have been doing my best to work its appetite back up by deleating about 800 MB worth of Java updates, compressing files, and moving old photos off of my hard drive...and I figured while I was at it I might as well install virus software and do all those kinds of scans too, right? It was a good plan, and still is...still is being worked on that is. I will outsmart it yet. My good old desktop computer may be 8 years old, and I know computer years are even longer than dog years, but I have no plans to be utilizing Dell's new mushroom packing material any time soon.

What else have I been up to lately?

Gardening...of course. Nathanel and are still having our ordinary Saturday garden days, but we are still not getting much rain, so a friend and her daughter (the most adorable little girl, the one who made the orange snake) took a trip to the garden mid week to water and plant a few things.

The seeds for the winged beans were so smooth and even. I could envision making a necklace out of these.

The New Zealand Spinach on the other hand had rough and angular seeds which look more like things that would inspire Japanese cartoon characters.

The dill is smelling wonderful and the plants are super healthy. Do you have any great dill recipes to share? I am mostly wishing the cucumbers were ready, though I do have a dill potato soup recipe.

 The beets are a little on the small side still, but many of them will be ready soon...and then I will turning everything I cook pink just for the fun of it! (You know that's why I like beets, right?)

The snow peas surprised us by pulling through and producing wild amounts this week, despite the low rain and temperatures very far from snow.

The mystery plant continues to grow and look more like itself. Come on, take a guess. What do you think it could be?

And I continue to become more allergic to fire ants. Despite wearing shoes and high socks with shorts (you only wish you could be so fashionable) they manage to reach me. This was just one bite/sting on my right ankle, a day after the ant got me. The red itchy patch continued to spread and swell...two weeks ago I got four bites on each ankle and that was really a sight, they looked like they belonged to the Michelin  Man. I think my reactions are getting slightly worse...what do you think I should to to build up immunity? Ant smoothies perhaps? Sneak ants into my baked goods?

I am also a guest blogger on After Nine To Five with a recipe for Blonde Brownies  (no ants included)! They're golden, but will not be appearing here, so catch 'em while you can! (Really. They are so delicious.)

Golden: Sweet Potato Black Bean Mole

When we lived in Wisconsin, dairy was a bargain; cheese, mustard, cranberries, and honey were plentiful, and there was an enormous employee owned grocery store where food was priced so that even graduate students could eat. In our new home grocery shopping and I are not as good friends. 
I have always liked the idea of buying local and seasonal produce, but now that I am out of my home climate and apples are $1.89/lb on sale in the fall, I've realized I should take an even harder look at the whole thing and make an effort to cook like a southerner....though perhaps with fewer sticks of butter.

Golden: Candied Lemon Peel

I have always loved lemons.
My Mom says it has some correlation to how she always wanted lemons while she was pregnant with me, but I'm not sure which way the lemon love would have been moving; from me to her, or from her to me. A mother's experience during pregnancy has been shown to affect a child's tastes in some ways, like salt preference (read that article, it's so neat!), but I don't think fruit cravings have been researched yet.

Golden: Mug Nu Saak--Mung Beans With Yogurt

Do you recognize these lovely olive green legumes?

Weekend Links: Things you didn't think you could make

This weekend, I have been thinking seasonal foods.
Nathanael and I spent the day in our garden yesterday, hoping that our produce will step it up and start growing...but alas, it is only March after all.

tiny beets

 

 

A neat little pink rock I found in the garden. Completely unrelated to the subject at hand.

But not all seasonal foods are produce.

Last week I saw a couple of girls standing on the side of the road waving posters at cars speeding past, and one of the girls was dressed as a giant cookie. Know what I'm talking about? Somehow the girl scouts in our area never got around to knocking on our door. So, I was thinking of making some of those delicious minty cookies myself, and did a little searching. I have not made them yet, but I figured I should not wait to share with you how to make your own girl scout cookies. Plus, the tutorials and pictures on the website are super (here are two of them).

And with Easter approaching, Marshmallow Peeps are hitting the shelves. 

If you're ok with plain, marshmallows are pretty cheep, but Alisa Burke's blog has pictures which makes homemade ones look special and delicious. But, if you want to go all the way to the peep stage, you might have to choose bunnies or chicks.

With all of this dessert making you might want to make some vanilla. Or start a bunch of it now, and give it as Christmas gifts.

And if you don't have a garden, but are in the mood for some sprouting, why not try tempeh?(And even a tempeh video with relaxing Indonesian music in the background.) Once it's ready, you may even want to season it with some home smoked chipotle peppers....but if you're wanting to use homegrown peppers you're going to have to wait a little bit longer.

And in case you missed them, here are some things you might not have realized you could make from past posts this blog (not necessarily spring foods): Yogurt,  Refrigerator Pickles, Kimchi, and Trail Bars

Golden: Candied Grapefruit Peels

**At the end of February I won a sponsor spot on the fun and creative blog Cross My Hooks, and today I am the featured sponsor!

 Go check out the post, and have a look at my mini button in the right column of her blog. If you like it, and think your blog readers might enjoy Harmless Color, you can grab the html for it at the very bottom of my blog.**

Candied Grapefruit Peel is a great way to use something which would otherwise be wasted: the grapefruit rind. I know a choice few people who use the zest of a grapefruit in recipes instead of lemon or orange zest, but for me the wonderful grapefruit essence is often (depending on the recipe) overwhelmed by its bitterness.

Red: Grapefruit Cranberry Marmalade

I have always loved grapefruits. But grapefruits also play a small part in our love story, so Nathanael and I enjoy them a little bit extra. 

Remember how the first installment of the story ended with me not jumping to conclusions, and then Nathanael calling my Dad? That was the beginning of the fall semester of my senior year of college, and in my strong efforts to not jump to conclusions about him liking me or not, I hadn't mentioned Nathanael or his letters to anyone...so my Dad didn't actually know he existed until he called that day and asked to pursue me in a relationship headed the direction of marriage. Needless to say, my Dad was a little surprised. He told him he'd get back to him.

Red: My Quick Meal

I could not have a red series on the blog without sharing my recipe for tomato sauce with you. First because it is a great quick meal, and is exceptionally adaptable. Second, because this is one of my top three go-to meals when I'm not feeling creative (I always have the ingredients). And third, because if you are eating pre-made sauce you're just missing out.

I am biased, yes, because as I grew up my Mom (who has completely Italian ancestry on both sides) was constantly making sauce and creating some delicious dinner for us with it. Pasta, homemade pizza, calzones, lasagna (the only casserole she made), and even homemade crepe-like manicotti a couple of times. And now that we're not small picky children anymore she's been telling us about eggplant Parmesan, polenta, and rice lasagna.

My first taste of pre-made sauce was at my grandma's house, and my little self didn't know what was wrong with the meal, but I knew something was missing, just like something was up with the bread because the "butter" was actually margarine...

Red: Cape Cod Cranberry Pie and The End of an Age

 

Remember how I told you of my love for cranberries?

Well, I have more to tell.

New Look and Strawberry Cake!

I am not sure which is better, so it's a good thing I don't have to choose.Last week, and a little before, I was hard at work redesigning the blog, making it more streamlined and reader friendly, while still keeping it lively and colorful. How did I do? What do you think?
If you usually read the Harmless Color posts through a subscription, take a minute to come on out to the blog and check out the new pages I have put up. And, a little assignment for all of you: comment.
Leave me question to put up on my FAQ page, to answer in a post, or just say hi and tell me you're reading! I have readers over Thirty Countries, but I have only received comments from three countries, ever. Take a minute and say hello no matter where you are from!
And what better way to have a grand opening for the blog's new look than to share with you the cake I have had for my birthday since I was twelve? I can think of few things more delicious. (And for those of you wondering, I turned 25 in January, so that is more birthdays with this cake than without it!)

The story with me and the cake goes like this...

Red: Fruit Bowl Rejects

 I love fruit, I really do, but if you stayed with us for a few days or weeks you might notice that there are always one or two runt fruit neglected in the fruit bowl. I am not sure how it happens, and it doesn't seem to be caused by the initial appearance of the fruit, but slowly, after an apple or pear has been sitting just longer than it should have, both of us lose all desire to eat the given fruit and the remaining ones sit until they're ugly.
My solution to this problem is to cook that fruit! Usually into a breakfast food. In the past couple of weeks our hot cereal has contained both spiced apples and pears, and in the past I have put an old apple or two into a soup with wonderful reviews from tasters. Bananas usually end up in bread or peeled, in the freezer, waiting to become smoothies.
   The last time I had extra granny smith apples around, however, I really wanted to do something memorable and scrumptious, so my vote was muffins. And cranberries. I have had a magnetic attraction to cranberries all my life, and I just love eating them any way I can....as you will see as our red series progresses. When I was little, my grandmother always bought two kinds of canned cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving: jelly and whole berry. I usually ate most of the can of whole berry myself, until grandma began making the cranberry sauce homemade each year as her contribution. How could I go back after tasting that freshness? I now make cranberry sauce for myself multiple times a year to eat on my yogurt, in sandwiches with peanut butter, on toast, or just on a spoon.
    Cranberries are not only beautiful, tart and magical, but they are also recommended to help maintain your urinary tract health. (This is where I took a ten minute detour from writing to explore the Ocean Spray website and its recipes.) And did you know that Wisconsin, and not New England, is the world's top cranberry producing region? I didn't realize how much less popular cranberries would be after moving away from those places. But alas.
 

To make these even more red you can use red skinned apples, but choose a tart, firm variety if you can. Do not use red delicious. Actually, a large portion of fruit bowl neglect can be avoided if you just don't buy red delicious in the first place. If you have neither apples nor cranberries, you can substitute just about any non-citrus fruit into this recipe, but if they are frozen do not defrost them before baking or they will taste funny and  you will end up covered in goopy muffin. This was the first time I used cupcake wrappers on muffins, and I recommend it particularly because the high fruit content makes these a little...not crumbly, but having more perforations lets say.

Best Ever Apples-Cranberry Muffins  yield 12 muffins
(Based on Best Ever Muffins by Better Homes and Gardens)
1 3/4 cups sifted all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 well beaten egg
3/4 cup milk (or yogurt and a tiny bit of water)
1/3 cup salad oil or melted shortening
1/2 cup diced tart apple (cut to berry size)
1/2 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, rinsed (do not defrost if frozen)

Sift dry ingredients into bowl; make well in center. Combine egg, milk, and oil. Add all at once to dry ingredients. Stir quickly just until dry ingredients are moistened. Add fruit and gently mix until just combined, do not overbeat. Fill greased muffin (or cupcake wrappers) pans 2/3 full. Bake at 400F for 20 to 25 minutes (at a slightly lower temperature if you or your oven tend to overbake things).

Enjoy.

Dark Chocolate Traditions

 In March I posted one of my family's favorite cookie recipes. This one is the other favorite, and was also passed down to my mother from her Italian maternal grandmother. These chocolate cookies are perhaps a little less suitable for breakfast than the fennel seed ones, but that may not stop you (or me) from eating them for breakfast when they are available. I made them on Monday night because Nathanael and I had a long car ride in front of us on Tuesday, and not only did I want to eat them all the way there, but I also wanted to share them with the family members waiting for us on the other side. As it turned out there was more than enough food when we arrived, so we still have most of the cookies, but that is alright with both of us.

  I remember making these cookies with my mom, sisters, and a family friend one year when we had an all day Christmas cookie bake. There are no eggs in these cookies and the dough is quite delicious; I ate so much of the dough that even our family friend told me to stop. I tried, but I think I ended up still having a few more bits of it. I recall we also made some kind of sugar cookies where you mix 2/3 of the dough with pistachio pudding and they ended up looking like little green UFOs with tan domes.

This cookie recipe has you do some unusual things, which might dissuade you if you are picky, but I would recommend that you be brave and branch your chocolate cookies into this new and gourmet realm. (Just make sure you read the recipe from start to finish before beginning. You will need almost a whole box of cocoa, and probably most of a bag of confectioner's sugar to frost.)

 You will chop not only the nuts, but also the raisins. This will keep them from cracking the cookies as they bake. The recipe calls for coffee, and even though I don't EVER drink coffee, these cookies are one of my favorites. The coffee will not only give richness to the chocolate, but since it is warm it will soften the raisins and melt the shortening. These cookies are the only reason I brew coffee (well, them and Nathanael).

These cookies have no eggs, and the original recipe calls for vegetable shortening, so in their traditional form they are vegan. However, shortening is falling out of style because of hydrogenation, so if you are an adventurous vegan go ahead and try some combination of oils. I typically use some butter and some oil. 

  Sifting your dry ingredients will ensure the cocoa is mixed well with the flour.

 I roasted my cloves in the oven to make them slightly easier to grind with the mortar and pestle, and it made our house smell wonderful until we returned from our trip three days later. However, roasting is not necessary.

 The dough is a scrumptious mixture that is easy to work with and not dangerous to eat. What more could you ask for?

The only thing missing is the almond frosting. Then they will taste really Italian.

Italian Chocolate Cookies  yield 4 dozen
Wet ingredients
1 cup of hot coffee
1 cup shortening (I usually use 3/4 butter, 1/4 canola oil)
1 cup raisins, chopped
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup sugar

Dry ingredients
4 cups flour
1 1/4 cups cocoa
3 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cloves (you can add up to 1 1/2 tsp, but my family usually keeps it on the low end)

Later addition
3/4 to 1 cup of chopped walnuts
1/2 to 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional and not in original recipe, try to balance them out with the walnuts to equal no more than 1 1/2 cups so that the cookies don't crumble)

 In a medium glass bowl pour the hot coffee over the shortening/butter to melt it completely. Once melted also add raisins (to soften them), vanilla, and sugar. In a separate bowl sift together dry ingredients. Mix wet and dry mixtures together and add walnuts and chocolate chips. Mix with your hands until all ingredients are mixed evenly. Let dough rest for 5 minutes. Roll into 1 inch balls, place on greased cookie sheets, and bake at 375°F for ten minutes only. Remove carefully to a wire rack and cool fully. If desired (and you will desire it once you taste it) frost with confectioner's sugar frosting.

Confectioner's Sugar Frosting
2 cups powdered sugar (sifted if possible)
1/2 tsp pure almond extract (or vanilla if you must, but almond is better)
10 tsp milk (2% or whole)

Place sugar in a bowl and add flavoring. Measure the first 5 tsp of milk into the bowl and then stir the mixture into a paste (this reduces lumps). Slowly add the remaining milk, one teaspoon at a time, stirring after each addition. You will probably use all 10 tsp, but it may depend upon your sugar. Resulting frosting should be somewhere near the thickness of Elmer's glue. Dip cookies in completely, scraping off excess, and set on a wire rack to dry. Allow frosting to harden before storing cookies.
This will frost about 2 dozen cookies, more if you scrape up the drippings.

L.L. Bean Trail Bars: Two Ways...or Maybe More

 Nathanael is taking a wetland plant taxonomy class this semester. They have field trips on many of the weekends, which is a little bit of a bummer for Nathanael's cramped schedule, but he enjoys the interesting excursions nonetheless. The students are required to collect and press 25 herbarium quality plant specimens by the end of the course, but Nathanael has already collected more than enough even though they are not yet halfway through the semester. Preserving species is pretty invigorating once you get into it, and I know that sounds very nerdy, but it isn't really. It is more of a pleasure in understanding your surroundings I think.
  When Nathanael goes on these all day trips into the southern heat we are nearly always out of bread. So he usually requests oat cakes and I fill a container with fruit and vegetables, but I also make him a more outdoorsy snack to satisfy his hunger. So far trail bars have been just the thing.
      Today I would like to share with you this recipe, which is rather drab in terms of color, and probably also not the most healthy thing you have ever eaten...but that is what makes it tasty. Alright, it does involve prunes and an assortment of grains, so it has those things going for it at least. The real reason I am posting this recipe is because various members of my family have been searching for it at a given time, and since I have finally found it, I want others who are looking to be able to find it too. (There are other versions on the internet, but they are not all alike.)
My Mom cut this recipe out of an L.L. Bean catalog some time in the nineties, which I think is unusual because I don't think I have ever seen recipes appear in that catalog on any other occasion. There was a picture, which made the baked trail bars look like granola bars, but when my mom made them they looked like fiber filled brownies. However, when I (at long last) rediscovered the recipe I made one batch that looked like hers, and one batch that looked like granola bars. But, both were delicious and each one accompanied Nathanael as he collected plants. (I include the instructions for each outcome below.)
   You may be skeptical of prunes, but I would like to assure you that prunes complement chocolate wonderfully without being loud in their own flavor. If you are a big fan of original powerbars, make the brownie-like variation (they are not just like power bars, but reminiscent of them), and if you are more of a chewy granola bar person, make the original version. I have substituted almost all of the ingredients at one time or another, so just make these with what you have or see my ideas below.

 

L.L. Bean Trail Bars (original recipe)
Dry Ingredients

1c. quick oats
1 c. flour
1/2c. wheat germ
3 Tbs sesame seeds
1/4 c. sunflower seeds
1/4c. chopped walnuts

Wet ingredients
1/4c. sunflower oil
2 Tbs. maple syrup
1/2 c. honey
2/3c. chocolate chips

Later addition
1/4c. baby food prunes

In one bowl mix wet ingredients thoroughly, in another mix the wet ingredients. Combine wet and dry mixtures, and the baby food prunes. Spread into a greased 8 by 8 inch pan and bake for 20 minutes at 375 F.
Cut into bars while warm.


Brownie-like variation

Heat wet ingredients together in a saucepan until the chocolate chips are melted. Cool slightly, add to dry mixture and stir in baby food prunes. Spread into a greased 8 by 8 inch pan and bake for 20 minutes at 375 F. Cut into bars while warm.

Alternate ingredients
old fashioned oats instead of quick
the addition of any puffed or rolled grains instead of portions of the oats
whole wheat flour instead of all purpose, or gluten free flours because rising is not important here
flax meal instead of wheat germ (or just skip the wheat germ)
your choice of nuts instead of sunflower seeds, sesame seeds and walnuts
canola oil instead of sunflower
additional honey instead of maple syrup
chocolate chunks instead of chips

Chromatic Kimchi

     Until I went to college I did not realize the diversity of my Dad's palate. The fact that he regularly consumed and incorporated international ingredients never really occurred to me. The dried anchovy snacks in the car, the 12 inch pieces of stretched dried bean curd in the cabinet, the "crab crackers" that inflate when you deep fry them; all seemed a little random, but exotic wasn't really a word that occurred to me. Since then international students have been continuously surprised at my knowledge of ingredients from their homeland. Unfortunately, I can't say being familiar with these things has always eliminated my being intimidated by them.
    Enter kimchi. A smell that will drive you away, like sauerkraut only spicier and more complex, and more nose crinkling. Dad ate kimchi, but he did it alone while we all wondered why.
     As I got older I figured one day I would probably like it, but I was in no rush, and it seemed more fun to tease than to be daring. One day Dad finished the last bits of cabbage in his kimchi jar after dinner and left it on the table while Melissa and I were cleaning up. I was in a silly mood (Melissa and I always have fun in the kitchen together), and I began acting out something ridiculous with an altered voice and dancing around the kitchen shaking the kimchi jar. Only when I realized Melissa couldn't possibly think I was that funny did I notice that the lid of the jar had been screwed on crookedly...and that I was covered in garlic rich, deep orange kimchi sauce. Melissa and Mom were merciful (and didn't want to smell me) and let me skip out on dishes to go shower.
     Last year was a big turning point in my relationship with kimchi. My friend Young Wha and I began cooking together once a week; she would teach me to make Korean food and I would help her fine tune her English. Our times together were always amazing and delicious. I am sure there are phrases she would still like to learn, but it seems as though we talked about all of life without any hindrance. Still, cooking words not being on the top of the ESL list, we had a lot of moments that made both of us laugh.
"Sarah! What am I doing with the noodles?"
"You are tossing them."
"Ah! Toss!"
She could probably have a cooking show now.
Kimchi and anchovies were ingredients I was skirmish of at first, but she convinced me.

Despite kimchi being the most ubiquitous thing in Korean kitchens, not everyone makes their own. Young Wha's mother made a big batch every so often and sent it to her daughter (and perhaps other family members). But, curious as I am, I thought I would attempt it. The recipe I chose is from the Momofuku cookbook. Momofuku is a noodle bar owned by the Korean-American chef David Chang. He shared this recipe on NBS's The Today Show, but in case of dropped links I have copied it here. (Orange notes are my own.)

Momofuku Napa Cabbage Kimchi (aka Paechu kimchi)
Yields Makes 1 to 1½ quarts
Ingredients
1 small to medium head Napa cabbage, discolored or loose outer leaves discarded
2 tablespoons kosher or coarse sea salt
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
20 garlic cloves, minced
20 slices peeled fresh ginger, minced
1/2 cup kochukaru (Korean chile powder)
1/4 cup fish sauce
1/4 cup usukuchi (light soy sauce)
2 teaspoons jarred salted shrimp
1/2 cup 1-inch pieces scallions (greens and whites)
1/2 cup julienned carrots
Cut the cabbage lengthwise in half, then cut the halves crosswise into 1-inch-wide pieces.

 

Toss the cabbage with the salt and 2 tablespoons of the sugar in a bowl. Let sit overnight in the refrigerator.
Other recipes recommended placing the cabbage in a large colander to prevent it from sitting in the water that drains out of the leaves. I didn't have one big enough, so I placed a cereal bowl upside down in my big mixing bowl to lift the cabbage off the bottom.

 

The next day, prepare the sauce.

One of my favorite cookbooks taught me the easiest way to peel ginger. Believe it or not, the edge of a spoon peels off the skin, but very little extra. Try it. It's magical.

After peeling it is best to slice ginger into rounds and then smash the rounds with a mortar and pestle, or with your garlic press.

Combine the garlic, ginger, kochukaru, fish sauce, soy sauce, shrimp, and remaining ½ cup sugar in a large bowl. If it is very thick, add water 1/3 cup at a time until the brine is just thicker than a creamy salad dressing but no longer a sludge. You can see that kochukaru (Korean chile powder) is not the same as other varieties found in the United States. I found mine at a Korean food market. The owner told me to let her know how the kimchi turned out. Despite having a lot of kochukaru, the resulting kimchi is only medium spicy, and not especially hot.

Stir in the scallions and carrots.
Drain the cabbage and add it to the brine. Cover and refrigerate. Though the kimchi will be tasty after 24 hours, it will be better in a week and at its prime in 2 weeks. It will still be good for another couple weeks after that, though it will grow stronger and funkier. Some people leave their kimchi at room temperature for 24-48 hours before refrigerating in order to encourage fermentation. This recipe does not call for it, but it is really up to you.