Hello, foodies!
Okay, so this first blog entry was planned to talk about greens, since we'd been having exceptional weather for lettuces and such- sunny and mild, not too hot or cold, with consistent rain. Well, no sooner had I gotten two paragraphs into the entry when the mercury started rising into the triple digits, and the consistent rain turned into one of the most devastating storms B-more has ever seen! Well, shit. Apologies for the belated-ness.
So, as one of the lucky few houses not wracked with downed trees and power loss, I've decided to make this entry about some of the hardier summer veggies, refreshing and wonderful on a summer's hot-as-balls day, and some ways to use them!
1- Carrots
Okay, this is probably the best known crunchy veggie out there, seen on every veggie platter, every menu, and every healthy dip option known to man. And for good reason. However, it seems like for every tasty, sweet, juicy store-bought carrot you get, you get five bland, dry, not-so-great ones. So at the market, let's explore our options for selection-
First, greenery! Look for carrots that still have their tops, and that those tops look good. For starters, this is a guarantee that your carrots are fresh (old ones would have dead brown wilted or goopy tops.) Secondly, this has (and let me state this is completely my opinion and I have no scientific evidence to back this up) always been an indicator of a tastier carrot for me. No idea why, but so it goes.
Secondly- color and feel! If they won't let you touch the carrots, don't buy them. In fact, any farmers market vendor that won't let you touch their wares (respectfully, of course) is one you probably should avoid. Most vendors will allow for free touching, examining, or even sampling of some of their wares- these people are proud of what they've produced, and know that quality is their best selling point. Those that don't are probably afraid that you'll realize upon handling that their product falls a little short. Anyways, back onto the veggie at hand, carrots should be a vivid color, of whatever color they are supposed to be- white carrots should be a nice creamy white, orange should pop out at you, and purple should carry deep hues (though admittedly, the skin on purple carrots can make it a little tricky to discern). As for touch, carrots should feel firm, slightly pliable, and not have any give when squeezed. Wrinkly or floppy carrots need not apply. It should be noted, though- size of a carrot has no bearing on it's flavor (I'm going to skip the "size doesn't matter" joke, thanks). I'll repeat- a carrot's flavor is not dependent on its size. You are just as likely to get a sweet carrot for a large, or small, thick or thin carrot.
2- Radish
Another common contender for the crudite, radishes can get a bad rap for their spicy profile. Not all radishes are this way! More on that in a second. First, how do we select a good radish?
Basically the same way as a carrot! Though here are a couple notable differences-
-Radish greens are more tender and edible than carrot greens, but as a trade-off are also a little more delicate. A few snapped stems here and there are acceptable in choosing a bunch of radishes.
-Not all radishes are created equal! Smaller radishes are normally a bit milder (the larger the radish, the more peppery the flavor), and some small radishes, a variety called french breakfast radishes, are so mild you might not even recognize them as radishes in the first place! So, if that spicy flavor is what you're looking for (kimchi enthusiasts, look no further), buy large. If not, buy small (though sometimes you'll need to request this from your farmers, otherwise they'll always wait until they're bigger. However, If you have a stand that sells "french breakfast radishes" at some insane markup, move on. They should be worth a little more, but not $20 a pound (market goers of the JFX market in Baltimore, you know exactly what stand I'm talking about).
side note- for smaller radishes, my personal favorite way to enjoy them (along with plenty of other cooks) is to simply cut them in half, and serve them on a plate with some soft butter and sea salt. If you've never tried it before, do it now. You'll never be the same.
Other side note- Frequenters of Asian markets and certain farmer's markets may see HUGE white radishes on display. These are Japanese daikon radishes, which are all crunch and no spice. Commonly used in East Asian cuisine, these big lovelies are nice if you want something fresh and crunchy, but not obtrusive in the flavor dept. I use them often for hors devoures bottoms, layering ingredients on top of them, as little edible plates. They also make one hell of a pickle.
3- Kohlrabi
Kohl what now? This one might be a bit of an oddball for some, but believe me- this is a veggie you want in your life. It may look like some kind of alien egg, but it is, without a doubt, one of my favorite veggies. Actually a member of the cabbage family, kohlrabi, instead of the cabbage's dense head of leaves with an almost inedible core, has a tough outer layer, that, once peeled, gives way to a crunchy, juicy center, with a texture that's a cross between apple, cucumber, and raw broccoli, and a light vegetal taste. Look for firm kohlrabi (leaves not required) without any deep cracks or splits in them. The green and purple varieties both taste the same, and both look the same once peeled. The leaves can be eaten, but are a little on the tough side, and require blanching (a quick dunk in boiling water, followed by another dunk into ice water to halt the cooking process) to be tasty. As for eating, kohlrabi can be eaten raw (I cut mine into sticks, then lightly toss with a hit of olive oil, salt, pepper, and lemon juice), braised, roasted, and even takes well to grilling. Just... don't boil them. I mean, you can, but you'll lose both the flavor and the texture, and most of the nutrition as well. So do yourself a favor and eat it just about any other way.
So- while it may be obvious, one of the things that makes these veggies so wonderful is their prominent crunchy texture. We don't really want to push this to the side or make it go away via heat (and frankly, who wants to be next to a stove or oven in this heat?), so today we're going to do a bit of raw prep and make an Asian-themed slaw. Why Asian? Well, to be honest, I had a LOT of soy sauce and wasabi left over from a dinner party I crafted for a client, I figured I'd make the best of it, and it turned out pretty darn well. (NO WASTE!)
First comes the hardest part- chop prep. Every veggie you have has to be thinly sliced, then julienned. Those of you fortunate enough to have a food processor with a shredding blade, or a mandoline- These will certainly make the job easier. Those of you who have no idea what a mandoline is- check back next week. Everyone else- Get chopping, the thinner the better. Consider this as valuable time to work on your knife skills.
SOME TIME LATER...
Okay! So all our stuff is chopped, now what? Now we get out a handy dandy colander, place a good handful of our shreds in it, spread them out in an even layer (you don't need to be too obsessive about this, just don't have a mountain in the center), and sprinkle a little bit of salt over it (not too much, I'd say less than 2 tsp). Then, layer another handful of shred, then more salt, and so on and so on. What this salt does is leech out some of the moisture of our slaw, so we don't end up with a big puddle of veggie water in our serving bowl, and a watered down dressing. Giving this a good 10-15 minutes for the salt to work its magic, we then lightly rinse off the shreds, squeezing out the extra water (give it a good squeeze, these veggies can handle it) and place back in our big bowl.
OUR DRESSING-
1/3 C mayo
1/2 C soy sauce
3 tbsp wasabi (or to taste)
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp mirin
1 1/2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tsp nuac mam (vietnamese fish sauce. If you don't have this, don't sweat it, but my advice is get some for your pantry. It's AWESOME)
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp powdered ginger
mix everything in a bowl, and take a taste. Need more spicy heat? More sweetness from honey? more tang from the vinegar? Add it. Be brave! Anyways, once you have the proportions you like, pour a healthy amount (you may not need all of it, but this is a tasty dressing for just about anything, so don't sweat it if you have leftover) into your slaw bowl, and toss with a spoon (or two) to coat. let sit for a minute or two to absorb, then eat! Enjoy! Try it on burgers, in wraps, with pork, chicken or fish. This slaw has a bit more crunch and body than regular cole slaw, so use that to your advantage! These also give corned beef a nice kick in the ass.
I'll really be trying to update more often, this has been a crazy summer thus far. I'll also be adding pictures later today once my camera is finished recharging.
Until next time, It's crunch time.
No comments:
Post a Comment