Episode 104: Preserving
Featured Recipe 1: "Bread & Bougie" Pickles and Dill Pickled Cauliflower
Maggie likes sweet. Josh likes spicy. Today, you get them both! Maggie creates a fancy version of bread and butter pickles while Josh makes spicy cauliflower. They are refrigerator pickles, so no need to get intimidated. These recipes are a simple way to preserve your garden-favorite herbs and veggies to enjoy year round.
Featured Recipe 2: Homemade Nduja (Maggie calls this "Nood-Ja" but it's really pronounced "N-doo-Ya.")
Chef best explains this as "spreadable sausage." It is something he always keeps on hand to dress up pasta, use for appetizers...and honestly to eat off the spoon. Your family and guests will be wicked impressed anytime you can use this spicy Italian treat in a meal.
Leftover Tip: The "Original" B & B Sandwich and Nduja Crostini
In the depression era, butter and pickle sandwiches came to be because they were filling and cheap. Maggie ups the ante by using small-batch butter, homemade pickles and Rosemont sourdough. Chef shows another way to use Nduja as a quick and impressive hors d'oeuvres topping Rosemont baguette with figs and pickles.
Chef’s Tip: Jardinière Vinaigrette
Josh loves using all parts of a vegetable. Here, he shows how to make two versions of a "veggie scrap" dressing, that allows you to keep using your favorite vegetables atop of chicken, fish, salads etc.
Pantry Tip: Drying Herbs
Drying your own herbs ensures the potency we expect--that is hard to control with store bought containers. Maggie teaches how to prep and dry your summer herbs as well as a cute way to display them, which also makes a beloved gift.
Featured Recipe 1: Bread & “Bougie” Pickles
Ingredients:
Yield: 1 medium jar of pickles
3 each large cucumbers, sliced ¼” thick
1 small yellow onion, peeled and sliced ¼” thick
1 Tablespoon kosher salt
1.5 cups apple cider vinegar
3 cups water
1 teaspoon allspice berries
1 teaspoon coriander berries
1 teaspoon cloves, whole
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 each cinnamon stick, broken into pieces
1 teaspoon kosher salt
8 Tablespoons brown sugar
Method:
Toss the cucumbers and onions with the 1 tablespoon of kosher salt. Let sit out for 20-30 min. You will see water on the outside of the vegetables, this is good.
In a medium pot bring the vinegar, water to a boil.
Add the allspice, coriander, clove, peppercorns, mustard seeds, turmeric, cinnamon stick, salt and brown sugar. Boil until the salt and sugar has dissolved.
Rinse off the vegetables and place into a glass or plastic container.
Carefully pour the hot brine mixture over the vegetables. Let sit at room temperature until cool, then place into the refrigerator.
Pickles will be ready to eat right away but will get better with time. The pickles will keep for up to 1 month.
Dill Pickled Cauliflower
Ingredients:
Yield: 1 head of cauliflower
1 each head of cauliflower, broken into bite sized
4 each cloves of garlic, peeled and cut in half
1 Tablespoon kosher salt
1.5 cups white, distilled vinegar
3 cups water
1 teaspoon dill seed
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 teaspoon dry, crushed chili flakes
1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 ½ teaspoon sugar
¼ cup dill, chopped
2 tablespoons dill blossoms (optional)
Method:
Toss the broken up cauliflower florets and garlic with the 1 tablespoon of kosher salt. Let sit out for 20-30 min. You will see water on the outside of the vegetables, this is good.
In a medium pot bring the vinegar, water to a boil.
Add the dill seed, fennel seed, peppercorns, chili flakes, salt and sugar. Boil until the salt and sugar has dissolved.
Rinse off the vegetables and place into a glass or plastic container.
Carefully pour the hot brine mixture over the vegetables. Let sit at room temperature until cool, then place into the refrigerator.
Pickles will be ready to eat right away but will get better with time. The pickles will keep for up to 1 month.
Featured Recipe 2: Homemade Nduja Sausage
Ingredients:
Yield: 1 quart
1 cup bacon, uncooked
¼ cup pancetta, diced
¼ cup pepperoni, diced
¼ cup salami, chopped
¼ cup soppressata, chopped
2-3 teaspoons Calabrian chilies, in oil
½ cup olive oil (you can also use some of the oil that the chilies are packed in)
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ cup bacon fat or extra virgin olive oil
Method:
Heat oven to 170f-200f or warm setting.
Place all of the pork product on a cookie sheet pan or a casserole dish with high sides. Put the pan in the oven and leave for 10-12 minutes. You want the pork to just render out the fat and stay warm.
Using a high speed food processor, blend the warm pork meat and reserved fat with the chilies.
While the food processor is still running, add the olive oil, salt and pepper.
Remove the sausage and place in a ceramic bowl or glass jars and smooth the top.
Top the sausage with some warm bacon fat or extra virgin olive oil.
Refrigerate the sausage. The sausage will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Possible Uses:
Add a spoonful of Nduja to the cream sauce for pasta. Because the sausage uses all cooked pork and the high fat content, the sausage justs melts into the cream sauce
Spread some chilled Nduja on a crostini and add some pickled vegetables and a sprinkle of sea salt for a quick hors d'oeuvres.
Add a spoonful of Nduja to the water of cooking rice
Spread Nduja on pizza dough before or after cooking.
Chef’s Tip: Jardinière Vinaigrette
Ingredients:
Yield: 1 quart
1 quart assorted vegetable trimmings from: peppers, onions, carrots, fennel, celery, shallots, garlic, lemongrass, herb stems, tomatoes, leeks, etc. Try to stay away from vegetables like mushrooms, summer squashes, eggplant and lettuces as it will turn the vinaigrette too soupy.
2 cups olive oil
½ to ¾ cup vinegar, experiment with different flavors like apple cider vinegar, balsamic, white balsamic, sherry vinegar, malt vinegar, etc.
To taste salt, pepper
To taste greek yogurt or sour cream
Method:
Place vegetable trimmings in a medium size heavy bottomed pot. Add the olive oil and cook on very low heat for 1-1 ½ hours. The bubbles of water will slowly stop, that is when you know the vegetables have been saturated with the oil.
Transfer just the vegetables to the container of a high speed blender. Blend the oil saturated, warm vegetables and the vinegar until a smooth emulsion is formed.
Season with salt and pepper.
At this point if you would like to add a spoonful of yogurt or sour cream to make the dressing “creamy”.
Transfer the cooking oil into a glass or plastic container and reserve for another use.
Leftovers: The Original B & B Pickle Sandwich
Ingredients:
Good bread. I love using sourdough boule from Rosemont Market.
Good butter. A cultured butter with a sprinkle of sea salt is the best.
Good sweet pickles. House made or local bread & butter pickles
Method:
Spread butter on two slices of fresh bread, sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper.
Arange pickles and top with the other slice of bread.
Pantry Tip: Drying Herbs
To dry herbs:
Choose healthy herbs that are freshly picked. Stay away from wilted or bruised herbs.
Tie the stem end of the herbs together with butcher's twine.
Hang herbs in a cool dry area, a window with sunlight is a great area for drying.
Once herbs are dried, place them in a glass jar.