Red Sauerkraut

I've read two great books on fermentation in the last few months. They are: Real Food Fermentation by Alex Lewin and Wild Fermentation by Sandor Ellix Katz. Both books are really well written and got me super excited about starting some fermentation projects. I'm the kind of person who really enjoys the processes and transformations when preparing food so fermentation is my kind of fun.

My first project was kimchi and it was delicious. Next up I made some sauerkraut. I used all red cabbage so the end result is a pretty pink. That is the recipe I'm sharing today. I followed the instructions in Real Food Fermentation. It's a really straightforward recipe and doesn't require an expensive fermentation crock. You just need some clean jars. You can make it simply with just cabbage and salt as I have or add spices. Caraway, juniper or dill seed would all be fairly traditional.

Fermentation has been used for centuries as a method of preserving food. The process gives the end product probiotic properties that make it an excellent food for digestion. This is thanks to the naturally occurring presence of the Lactobacillus bactaria. Most store bought sauerkraut has been heat treated so will have lost this natural goodness. Homemade, raw sauerkraut is really easy to make, introduces healthy bacteria into your gut and is addictively tasty.

Follow the instructions below and you'll be experiencing the satisfaction of homemade lacto fermented sauerkraut in no time.

I served mine for lunch today with some some delicious goat gouda and lightly toasted pumpernickel.

Sauerkraut  - recipe adapted from Real Food Fermentation by Alex Lewin

900g sliced green or red cabbage -core and outer leaves removed (Thinly sliced cabbage will ferment       quicker and become softer. Thicker slices will retain crunch).
 4 teaspoons for sea salt (not iodised salt)

Place your cabbage in a really large bowl. Sprinkle with all the salt.

With clean hands, firmly massage the cabbage and work the salt through. You need to keep working the cabbage until it is pliable and you are able to squeeze liquid out. Depending on how fresh your cabbage is and how firmly you are massaging this could take about 6-10 minutes.

Pack the mixture into a large jar or several smaller jars*. Use a potato masher or a smaller jar to pack the cabbage really tightly so that all of it sits under the liquid and you've gotten rid of as many air bubbles as possible. Fermentation is an anaerobic activity. It's important that the cabbage come into contact with air as little as possible to avoid introducing stray bacteria that will spoil your sauerkraut. Ensure you leave about an inch (2.5cm) at the top between the cabbage and the lid of the jar as the cabbage will expand as it ferments.

Place the lid on the jar/s and place in a cool dark place. I leave mine in the pantry so I don't forget about  them.

Check your sauerkraut every day or so. Open the jar and taste it / smell it. Use a clean fork every time and firmly pack the cabbage back under the liquid. After a few days it should get bubbly. After a few more days it will start to smell and taste sour. Your sauerkraut will get more sour as time goes on. Once it's reached a point you are happy with place it in the fridge and start enjoying.

I've let most of my recent batches ferment for 14-16 days.

*I often use a few regular sized jam jars rather than 1 big one. I like to let some of the sauerkraut ferment for longer and enjoy some younger and crunchier.

Barley risotto with honey & thyme roasted parsnips

The following recipe is inspired by the Meat Free Monday movement. A New Zealand branch has just been established and I'm really excited about it. In the last year we've cut down the amount of meat we eat to just a couple of times a week max. People choose to cut out or eat less meat for a variety of reasons. For me it's largely environmentally and health motivated. All of us eating meat heavy diets is not only bad for us healthwise, it's entirely unsustainable on a global level. 

Moving to (and enjoying) a more plant and wholegrains based diet starts with building up a repertoire of dishes that are relatively simple to make and totally delicious. 

My barley risotto with honey and thyme roasted parsnips is a nourishing midweek meal. Serve with some steamed green beans for a complete plate. You'll feel satisfied, body and mind.

Barley Risotto with Honey and Thyme Roasted Parsnips

Risotto
1 cup pearled or hulled barley (preferably soaked for 6 hours or overnight prior)
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 cup white wine
1 onion finely diced
3 large cloves garlic finely chopped
Handful of parsley
3 sprigs thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbsp butter (optional)
Olive oil

Honey & thyme roasted parsnips
3 large parsnips chopped into chunks
1 tablespoon honey 
Handful of thyme sprigs
Tbsp of rosemary leaves
2 Tbsp oil
sea salt 

Preheat oven to 180 degrees

Gently melt honey. Place parsnips, honey, thyme and oil in a large bowl and combine. Sprinkle with salt.

Place parsnips in oven and cook for approximately 25 or until golden and tender.

Heat 2 Tbsp of oil in a frypan on a medium heat. Gently fry garlic and onion until soft.

Add barley and 1 sprig of thyme. Stir.

Gently add 1/2 cup stock at a time to the pan (as you would for a rice risotto) stirring constantly. The barley will take 30-40 mins to cook.

Add parsley and 1 tbsp butter (or olive oil) and cook for a few minutes.

Serve the parsnips on top of the barley. Top with cracked black pepper and more chopped parsley if desired.

(vegetarian if vegetable stock used. Vegan if butter also omitted)

Lovely additions to the risotto would be:
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup of goat cheese crumbled over just before serving.
finely chopped kale or silverbeet added five minutes before end of cooking time.

Beetroot, walnut & dill salad

Last night was the first of my winter dining events at Golden Dawn. It was glorious. Wonderful people, exquisite food and beautiful music. There was a cosy sense of community with guests happily sharing food and chatting with strangers. It looked and felt exactly as I'd pictured it in my head. I'll share some pictures at the end of this post.

Today I woke up feeling like I'm coming down with something. A sore throat and head-achey. The busy weekend might be catching up with me. I wanted something for lunch that would feel nourishing but still super tasty. A winter salad of beetroot, toasted cumin seeds, walnuts and dill was what I came up with. 

It came together really quickly and was delicious. I love dill and it's perfect in this salad but if you don't have any on hand, a big handful of parsley would work well.

Beetroot, dill & walnut salad

2 medium / large beetroot peeled and grated

1/4 cup of walnuts roughly chopped

handful dill chopped

1 tsp cumin seeds

2 tsp tahini

juice of one lemon

pinch of sea salt

Place your cumin seeds in a frying pan over a medium heat and lightly toast. They're done when they start to get fragrant.

Place your cumin seeds in a mortar and pestle and bash roughly.

Place all your ingredients (except a little of the dill) in a bowl and combine. Stir well to ensure all the salad is dressed evenly.

Sprinkle the remainder of the dill on top just before serving.

Serve immediately or will last 24 hours covered in the fridge.

Roasted pumpkin, garlic & walnut Cream

Replace your boring old hummus with this spread. It's great condiment for just about anything. Last night's dinner was a red quinoa "risotto" with leeks and silverbeet. A dollop of this on top was perfect. Of course spread on flatbread or crackers is great too.

This is full of winter goodness. The roast pumpkin tastes nourishing and satisfying, roasted garlic is a winter food hero for me and the walnuts give a lovely nutty creaminess. Not to mention a good dose of omega 3.

A squeeze of lemon and some thyme from the garden finish this off perfectly.

Roasted Pumpkin, Garlic & Walnut Cream

1/4 small crown pumpkin (you need 1 cup cooked pumpkin)
1/2 -3/4 cup walnuts soaked overnight or for at least 6 hours
1 head garlic
3/4 cup water
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
a few sprigs of thyme
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 180 degrees

Cut the top off the head of garlic so the top of the individual cloves are exposed. Drizzle with oil and roast for approximately 45 minutes until very soft. Leave the garlic to cool enough for you to handle  it. Squeeze the soft roasted garlic out of each clove and place into food processor

Cut your pumpkin into approximately 6 manageable chunks. You can leave the skin on. Remove the seeds and drizzle with oil. Roast until tender and browned on the outside. Scoop the flesh away from the skin and measure roughly a cup of cooked pumpkin. Place in food processor.

Put the walnuts into the food processor with garlic, pumpkin, olive oil and water. Process until smooth. Add thyme and lemon juice. Process to combine well. Add salt and pepper to suit your taste. I usually add chill flakes too. Enjoy!

(dairy free, vegan, gluten free)

Kimchi - A Result

My first batch of kimchi

Im not reporting back on my kimchi making in a very timely fashion at all. Not because it was'nt successful. Because it was really successful. In fact we're already halfway through our second jar.

I used a recipe from Green Kitchen Stories (one of my very favorite blogs). It's a vegetarian site so the recipe doesn't have fish sauce. I used chilli flakes instead of powder so it did'nt take on the reddish colour I normally associate with kimchi.

I placed my fermenting jars on the kitchen bench to work their magic. While I was impatiently watching them and waiting until I could taste my finished product, I did lots of kimchi research online. There are so so many websites and forums dedicated to making kimchi - it's really inspiring. Korean families pass down recipes and get together to make huge batches. New kimchi makers spend time perfecting their technique and debating the finer points of fermentation with fellow enthusiasts online.

I'm hooked.

Fermented Kimchi (recipe taken from greenkitchenstories.com)
Day one
1 large cabbage
2 Tbsp sea salt

Pull off outer leaves off the cabbage. Remove the core. Cut into 5cm(ish) pieces.

Place cabbage in a large bowl. Sprinkle with salt and toss well to combine.

Place a small plate that fit inside the bowl on top. Stack a bowl, books or other heavy item on plate to press the cabbage down.

Set aside for 24 hours.

Day two
60 mls rice vinegar
3 Tbsp korean chilli powder
2 Tbsp honey (preferably raw)
2 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
3 spring onions, sliced into bite sized pieces

Rinse the cabbage well in cold water to remove the salt and squeeze out the excess liquid.

Combine rice vinegar, chilli, honey, ginger and spring onions in a large bowl. Add the cabbage and toss well to combine.

Place mixture in a large glass jar or a couple of smaller jars. Close the lid and leave at room temperature for 3 days.

Then place in the fridge for 4 days before you eat it.