Sauerkraut Rules

What the hell have we been eating all these years? Whatever it’s been, it shouldn’t be called sauerkraut. Making my own completely changed the way I see and appreciate this cabbage dish. Without a doubt, sauerkraut rules.

IMG_0290 I enjoy kraut dogs here and there and I’ll enhance a bottle for a party if need be. But it’s usually underwhelming and always cooked.  Sauerkraut from a bottle is pasteurized, so in essence, it boils down to cooked cabbage, (puns are fun).  Don’t get it twisted…I like cooked cabbage, but not like bottled kraut.

I promise you, there is nothing like homemade sauerkraut, in all it’s raw glory.  I’ll take it over kimchi any day and twice on Sunday. Again, kimchi is awesome, but it doesn’t have the crunchy bounce sauerkraut has. Maybe I need to make kimchi with green cabbage instead of Napa.

The complexity you get from a few pantry ingredients is giggle inducing.  The texture is tender yet bouncy, with crunch and moisture.  Flavors are fruity, sweet, sour, earthy and awesome.  If you’ve never made it before, do yourself a flavor and get after it. 

How to make Sauerkraut rule

1 organic cabbage
2-3tsp salt
1/4tsp caraway seed
7ish juniper berries
pinch of dried dill

Wash and rinse all surfaces well and wash hands. Thinly slice or shave cabbage into a large bowl; mandolines work great. Add everything else and massage the cabbage until it goes a bit limp. I work it for 30-60 seconds, walk away for 5 minutes and work it another 10 seconds. Pour into a lidded jar but don’t cover. Place small glass bottles inside to weigh down the cabbage. After the jars are weighing it down, add some water to cover and a little salt to help the fresh water. Cover with a towel and place in a cool but non-refrigerated spot for a few days. Once you see a bunch of bubbles…you’re good!

*Notes:
– It is important to have it fully covered with liquid before letting it ferment. The acid you want is anaerobic. – If mold appears on top, just remove it and refrigerate. This is common. – I used too much caraway in mine on accident. I don’t care because it’s f’ing glorious, but it was a mistake. I used 1/3-1/2 teaspoon in the pictured kraut.

I’m sparing you all the fermentation science about lactic acid, and sauerkraut being a probiotic wonderland. There are a gazillion articles about that, I just want you to make it cuz iz good.

-Just like O’Doyle…Sauerkraut rules!

Big Parties, Small Parties…Whatever.

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Did a few cool parties around July 4th.  I had the pleasure of cooking for a proposal dinner…she said yes :-)  I also did two totally different parties for the same client.  They were in east county, which is great…cause so am I.  This busy couple decided for their much needed week off, to forgo travel rigmarole and relax at home for a staycation.  Friends, family, food and drinks in a comfortable and relaxing atmosphere; sounds lovely doesn’t it?

I had the pleasure of cooking an intimate dinner for them and their family (5 total).  I did my usual thing; 8+ courses of farm to table awesomeness.  The picture above was what I was working with.  The wild strawberries pictured below made an appearance as well and were a personal freak out moment for me.  As referenced in my last post, I had just returned from Youdapimp after experiencing my first wild strawberry.  Then, what do I find upon my arrival home?  A clam shell of wild strawberries at Specialty Produce’s farmers market cooler.  A whole friggin’ clam shell!  Got me gigitty for the party and it felt like finding gold.

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The night after that dinner, I cooked for his birthday bash.  40 people enjoying an abundance of fresh, locally farmed produce, served as a casual buffet.  Here was the menu for the big party.

Apps:
Roasted tomato, chevre and oregano baguette
Pickled turnip mini taco with avocado “salad”
Mango gorgonzola nachos

Dinner:
Grilled tri-tip
Carnitas
Basmati rice with toasted vermicelli and zaatar
Roasted cauliflower
Chile/garlic broccoli
Bacon and onion collard greens with almonds and hari cot vert
Big summer salad- romaine, water cress, herbs, cucumber, celery, carrot and red wine vinaigrette
Cherry cobbler with milk chocolate mousse

Antelope…at Sprouts

My go to local grocery mart tends to be Sprouts. Recently I noticed they had stepped up their game meat game. Antelope, bison, lamb and wild boar, all ground and frozen. I’m loving that they give an option to the standards. Eantelopespecially the boar…boar is friggin’ delicious.

I’ve been toying with game meats quite a bit the past few years.  Kangaroo is great and so are frog legs, (both found at Iowa Meats/Siesels).  Windmill Farms had some options as well.  With people looking to deviate from the mechanized meat industry, all these choices are great for the Tuesday switch up.   Although it’s great to switch it up, these meats run leaner then the normal ground round, so make sure your recipes have fat and or moisture.  

That means meat loafs and balls, which have moisture holding additives.  Although fine when cooked in a pan like tacos, I’d rather use them for something like sloppy joes or ragout.  We had broccoli, mushroom and antelope stir-fry.  It was good, but not because, of the antelope ;-)antelope 2

Notice in this picture there isn’t a whole lot of broccoli florets. This was leftover broccoli stems from a party and I put a lot of effort into not wasting any of my trimmings.

Tomatoes…The Ugly Truth





I found some gigantic, gnarly, Travelers tomatoes from the farmer’s market.  I took pics of them to blog about and made a delicious panzanella salad.  Then my phone got stolen along with the pics that told the story 10,000 words never could.  Regardless of the thievery, I still have something to say…

The ugly truth is…I don’t enjoy fresh tomatoes.  Yes, I’m “one of those people.” Like Dr. Seus;  I do not like them in a plane, or on a boat, I do not like them with a goat. Ketchup, gravy and salsa are all on the cool list. But if the salsa tastes all raw tomatoey, then no.   I am not special, and there are many like me. We lurk in the shadows, making small piles of unwanted fruit/vegetable on the side of a plate.  Our blood runs cold when we forget to hold the tomatoes on a burger or sandwich; we know the taste will spread like wildfire and engulf everything it comes in contact with. This is our plight.

Let me be clear; I can somewhat enjoy a tomato if  two things happen. The tomato is grown well with all needed nutrients. Like the volcanic soil of Greece for instance. Or, I have to brainwash myself.   Telling myself before, during, and after mastication that. “I have never tasted this exotic fruit/vegetable before, this is a new adventure, and it WILL be delicious.”  I developed this routine in Greece on my honeymoon. Knowing that if I was to enjoy a tomato, Greece, with its volcanic soil would probably be the place.  So I sacked up, stopped being a wuss and started acting like I enjoyed them. It worked :-)  

I thought I had read the science behind this but apparently not, my interwebz research came up empty. What was surprising during the research was the lack of the question.  All matters of science were discussing the nutritional change a tomato goes through when heated but nothing about the taste difference.  What is there, or not there, after they’re cooked? 

Lycopene and glutamate levels are higher in cooked tomatoes and lycopenes molecular shape changes to something more absorbable.  Maybe that changes the taste as well?  I tend to think glutamate https://www.joshsfood.com/fun-with-amino-acids/lays a major roll as well. There is a vast difference between a salted and unsalted bite of tomato.  The salt I think adds a missing link to the glutamate which then gives the taster a savory full-bodied flavor.  Like it’s sweating msg.

Making Kale Awesome

I realize this piece is 10 years late but…meh, better late than never sometimes. Making kale awesome, is easy.

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Three ideas

One: Throw it into soup; (any type strain). Cook it until the pretty color goes away. Most green veggies are great when not cooked to death, but not kale and collards. Cooking them fully allows them to relax and absorb the soup. So remember to cook out the stubborn bitterness and it’ll be great

Two:  Chips; (Lacinato/Dinosaur) Brush lightly with good olive oil, season with salt and spice.  Bake at 350 for 17ish minutes rotating halfway through.

Three: Salad. (Curly or Red Russian) To me…a maligned dish done improperly 90% of the time.  I always see it treated like lettuce and it’s sad because you only need one extra step to make it totally awesome.  Some of you have no idea about this step and think kale salads are fine as is.  Come with me child…into the light.

A good massage is always nice

Kale needs to be tenderized and broken down, which also helps it absorb/hold onto the dressing.  Tear kale from the ribs into a bowl, add a little vinaigrette; work it into the kale using a squeezing motion like you’re working cold butter into flour, or playing in mud. You remember; squeezing it as it gushed through your fingers. You don’t need delicacy in this step. I usually squeeze for a couple minutes, let sit for 10 minutes and massage again. At that point I add more vinaigrette and the remaining ingredients.  If you wanna get crazy or you have thicker kale, squeeze out as much liquid as possible before giving it the extra dressing and ingredients. 

Anything you would put in a normal salad will work, but crunch is always nice addition since the kale doesn’t give it to you like lettuce does.  Kale is a wonderful flavor foil but I’m from California, so I always add fruits and nuts. Giggity.

Fun In the Southwest

Adventure throughout America is easy, cause we’re awesome and so is our landscape. Having some fun in the Southwest was a great, quick getaway.

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Took a little mini vacation to Arizona.  

Pit tickets to Bruce Springsteen in Phoenix. Then up to Sedona for a couple days of hiking and no kids.  Sedona is known for having Energy Vortexes around specific areas that are supposed to bring the feels. Although we did not feel anything this time, the landscape is breathtaking and the hiking is phenomenal.  After hiking almost 10 miles, we were looking forward to relaxing and seeing some live music in Jerome.  Jerome is a cool, old, haunted little copper mining town north of Cornville. Which was where the yard the housed our tiny camper trailer Air bnb. As we were getting ready, I saw an add on the back of our canyon map for Puscifer the Store.   “I had forgotten about Maynards winery!” (read like a Cathy AACK!)

The Winery

One of my all time bands is Tool.  The singer (Maynard), became a wine enthusiast and started making his own wine.  He sought out grapes suited to the dry Arizona climate and set up shop in Jerome under the name Caduceus Cellars and Merkin Vineyards Tasting Room.  Merkin is the more affordable offering but still very high quality.   We settled on the Chupacabra Rosa, which was outstanding.  The Caduceus wines were the most interesting wines I’ve ever had.  The first blew me away, the rest were…challenging.  If you can picture licking a Werewolf right before mornings first light.  A werewolf that’s been running, hunting and killing all night.  Funky hairy beast…although the wine merchants described it as sweaty man, it was just so different, and so perfectly Maynard, that the experience was the memory.

As we settled in with our Chupacabra, Primus is simmering over the speaker system and the ambiance takes over and settles our tired bodies, life is good.

Unexpected treats

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As we were perusing the shop before leaving, I stumbled upon a tiny little baggy of weird. This little baggy was $18 :-|  The merchants didn’t know much but they knew it was edible, so, of course I had to buy it. After using the power of the Googlez, I read they are cactus buds.  An old school southwest food staple that hasn’t quite made it out of the region.  Labor intensive to harvest but nutritionally packed and mellow enough to flavor any way you see fit.  Once re-hydrated, they become texturally interesting chameleons. I threw ’em into a steak dish with mushrooms and sunchokes. Turned out great and got me excited about using them for parties this summer.

Cock-A-Doodle-Delicious

Cock-a-doodle no more. As last year wrapped up, I had the chance (with help and guidance from a friend,) to slaughter and butcher my own chickens.  Well almost, they weren’t chickens, they were roosters.

I plan on not using factory farmed meat for home and work this year.  We’ll set up a freezer to fill with locally raised meat in an effort to continue our own  protest of our countries food structure.  Without the time or inclination to spend my mental and physical energy toward protests and politics.  Putting my money where my mouth is is all I can do. Getting us back to basics in terms of food production is empirical for our happiness as a people and planet.  Until Organic is the norm and not the exception, there is work to be done.

Observations:
Found out what a craw is and does. It’s a pre-stomach digester.
Poultry have a scent gland on the end of the tail that is always removed.
Rooster testicles are located up in the middle of the body; and taste delicious…just kidding.
Poultry skin lets go of the feathers in specifically 150 degree water.
Roosters are built tough. Everything on them is strong and tough.
Hanging them upside down settles the bird.
They have reptilian feet.

They have no idea

Vegetarian Loveliness

An entire family of vegetarians for a multicourse dinner? No problem, vegetarian loveliness is always available on my menus.

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The Menu

Truffle herb “popcorn”

Pickled baby turnip with avocado “salad”

Beet stuffed with tangerine scented macadamia and topped with Korean chile p

Blue cheese and chive bread pudding stuffed mushroom

Flowering kale salad with apple, turnip, citrus, nuts and parsnip soubise

Sugar bear pumpkin soup with smokey collard greens, sumac and dill

Balls- Tiny Brussels sprouts, tiny potatoes and capers

Chile garlic broccolini with miso pearled barley risotto

Blackberry cobbler with guava crust, vanilla cream and fuyu coulis

I cooked for a vegetarian family the week after Christmas at a big ol’ rental up in the Escondido hills. This beautiful family was celebrating the patriarchs 70th birthday and they brought me in to get crazy for a night. The party was lively, the food brought the moans, and I even got the approval of the mom.

Not that moms usually dislike me. But, when she’s hard to please because she is the resident badass chef. It feels good making her smile.  As per usual, the menu is based on what is found at the market that day.  In this case, it was the Hillcrest Farmers market.  Happy New Year!

Your New Holiday Libation

Ever sang the Peanut Butter and Jelly song with a group of kids at your local library’s toddler story time?  It’s adorable.  You know what’s more fun then going to toddler story time? Drinking beer.  Seriously…try it for yourself and compare.

I did a party before Thanksgiving;  before the party the host and I were chatting about this and that when the conversation turned to beer.  He mentioned a concoction that I had never heard of, but for the life of me, I don’t see how that was possible.  It’s such a stupid easy idea, that it made me realize I have a long way to go as far as human development and the usage of my obviously feeble brain.  For two years or so, I’ve known about Peanut Butter Stout.  A popular and wonderfully balanced stout from San Diego’s own, Belching Beaver Brewery in Vista; with a tasting room in North Park.

The Drink

The host of the party asked me if I had ever had a PB&J beer.  An eyebrow raising “noooooooo?” was my reply.  I figured I knew the peanut butter side of it and was right.  Out comes a bottle of peanut butter stout, (the peanut butter).  Then for the jelly, he used a Belgium Kriek Lambic (cherry beer), from Brouwerij Lindemans.  I’m sure there are other beers for the jelly, like raspberry or whatever, but this one seemed like the best of what was available.  Somewhere around a 60-40/70-30 ratio of stout to lambic seems like the money spot.  

Although not a beer you can drink all night long, this combination is all things delicious, interesting and fun.  It brought a smile to my face and it was sweet without being overly sugary. Just a wonderful and different holiday libation.  When it was served at Thanksgiving, everyone was underwhelmed, but that was my fault. Serving them right outta the fridge was an error that masked the flavors.  This drink should be room temp on a cool day.  When cold, the flavors are muted and it just tastes sweet, fizzy and confusing.

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Halloween Kid Treats

Halloween kid treats for a cooking class was a hoot. I was able to bring my older son and his friend to a very involved cooking class. 15 little groms is a lot of action, especially with this many items to cook.

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Oooooooo, I’m gettin’ pumped.  This is a Halloween house.  Not only do we love the night of, but we also have a fun time with it all month.  My neighbor and I spend the entire day decorating. Which is tiring, but totally worth it and mostly fun.  Not only do the kids eyes light up once we’re done, but so do the adults.  Recently I did a cooking class for Halloween kid treats. Turned out adorable and a good time was had by all.  FYI…kids classes are exponentially harder than adult classes.  About 45 minutes into class when the sugar kicks in…oh man, look out Sally. Luckily my two kids were a great example to all and stayed on task. Teaching a cooking class as just a demo is much easier than a hands-on situation. 

We Made:
Green slime
Green slime coated popcorn
Banana ghosts
Cutie pumpkins
Halloween Oreo Stuffed chocolate cupcakes
Caramel apples
Witches’ fingers                                                                                                                                                    Zombie Twice baked potato mummies


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Now, you might be thinking, “Josh, you’re so creative, I love your wonderful Halloween kid treat ideas. I wish I was that creative.” To that I say, worry not mon frere. For I harnessed the incredible powers of the all mighty google to help me in my search for fun and tasty Halloween treats.