January 24th, 2010 by Dawn Becker

I have Sandor Katz to thank for encouraging me to make my own homemade sauerkraut. Sandor Katz calls himself a fermentation revivalist. I call him inspiring. He is the author of Wild Fermentation: The Flavour, Nutrition and Craft of Live-Culture Foods which some have heralded as a food classic. It’s not like I’ve met Sandor Katz but I wouldn’t be surprised if I did the way my world is so inline these days. I saw his video on how to make sauerkraut on the same day a beautiful head of firm, bright green cabbage was staring at me on my kitchen counter. What to do with you? What to do?

I’ve always been a big fan of fermented foods like sour pickles, natto (soy beans), kimchi, cheese, wine, soy sauce, miso. The list goes on. I’ve mentioned before that fermented vegetables like pickles and sauerkraut seem to open up my tummy. They definitely aid in my digestion. And you can see from the video above, Katz makes it look so easy to make fermented vegetables, talking you through every step of the way. When I tried it myself I realized he was right. It was truly easy.

As a fairly adventurous home cook, I have a list of do-it-yourself recipes I want to try, like making my own cheese (ricotta, feta, and fresh mozzarella) and my own charcuterie – my neighbour Craig just made duck prosciutto and I can’t wait to see the results in two weeks. So I wasn’t intimidated by the idea of making sauerkraut at home.

Knowing that everyone isn’t as comfy in the kitchen, I want to tell you that this one is completely beginner doable. The key is to squeeze the vegetable, cabbage in my case, till the liquids are well-released and as always when creating any edible item, taste, taste, taste. Try a piece of the cabbage to ensure that you have salted it to your preference before you bottle it. I find that one average sized cabbage will fit into one large mason jar.

For variation I’ve tried throwing in a few juniper berries to the mix and on another occasion some pickling spices that you can buy at the grocery store. I’d say keep the juniper berries to ten or less, otherwise it gets a little gin taste, which you might like. I prefer to keep my gin in a martini glass. Another time, I tried a purple cabbage with just salt that ended up having a slightly spicy note to it, which everyone loved. I’m looking forward to trying shredded carrots and daikon (Asian radish) some other day.

The best thing is that you control how long you want to ferment your cabbage. While I like it salty and slightly sour, I don’t want my sauerkraut to taste like vinegar. I find that in our climate in Toronto, within the warmth of my condo, I leave my mason jar out to ferment on the counter for two days. Then in the fridge it goes which keeps further fermentation at bay so the flavour stays where you enjoy it.

Try making this at home. It’s a gateway creation to more DIY home goodness. And even more importantly, it’s a healthy addition to your diet… as long as you don’t eat too many sausages with it.

Homemade Cabbage Sauerkraut

1 head fresh green or purple cabbage

2 Tbsp Kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon juniper berries or pickling spice, optional

Remove any old or damaged leaves from the cabbage and discard. Remove one or two extra whole leaves and set aside. Cut the rest of the cabbage into quarters and cut out the core. TIP: If the core is large, chop up the healthy bits of the core (not the stump or anything that looks old which will be bitter) and freeze to add to soup, stew or other slow cooking recipe that will allow the core to cook down.

Shred cabbage with a knife or food processor (I hate to clean so I just use a knife). Place in a large mixing bowl and add salt. Squeeze the shredded cabbage between your hands to breakdown the cabbage and release the liquid. NOTE: If your hands are sensitive you might want to wear a pair of clean rubber or disposable gloves. The salt can irritate your skin. Or use something to pound the cabbage, like a wooden rolling pin without handles.

Once the cabbage has released about a cup of liquid or brine, taste the cabbage to see if it is salty enough to your liking. Add more salt if required. Then stuff the cabbage into a large, clean mason jar and pour the brine into the jar till it reaches about two inches from the top. Fold the reserved whole cabbage leaves to make a kind of cap for the sauerkraut inside the jar. Stuff the cabbage cap into the jar pushing down to submerge the cap and to push out as much air as possible. If there is not enough liquid to cover the cabbage cap, you can make a brine of salt and water to top up the jar or just add plain water.

Place a clean lid on the jar and close lightly. Set jar aside on top of a bowl to capture any liquid that leaks out. Be sure to release any pressure that has built up in the jar by periodically opening the lid. NOTE: The purple cabbage created more gas and needed to have the pressure released more often.

Taste the sauerkraut after 48 hours to test for flavour. Once it’s fermented to your taste, place the jar in the fridge or cellar until ready to use. The cabbage cap acts like a protector from oxidization which can cause mould. I haven’t experienced any mould so like most things, I just eat the cabbage cap once the sauerkraut is ready.

January 14th, 2010 by Dawn Becker

If you’re a food person and haven’t been sleeping under a rock you’ve probably seen a copy of Saveur magazine at your local bookstore or supermarket. I’ve been reading it since 1996 and maybe earlier. At a glance, the earliest issue I can see is #11. A shelf from my collection of food magazines that I felt were worth saving whole – meaning not just a random recipe cut out here and there – is shown right. It’s mostly Saveur with a sprinkling of others.

I have always loved the way reading Saveur could transport you in scent, sight, sound and most importantly, taste, to any place they were featuring. I love back stories and as I’m reading about the place and the people and of course the food, I picture myself there. And then I start drooling and that’s actually not good if you’re already in your pyjamas, nicely tucked in. Saveur writers are so eloquent their words will literally force me out of bed to cook in the middle of the night. I have them to blame for the extra pounds accumulated from late night feasting. Thank god for low rise jeans!

I have cooked many dishes that were inspired by Saveur. And with topics that are close to home like Issue #100 where they featured Chinese Red Cooking, I know their stories are deliciously accurate. My permanently grease-stained copy of that issue sticks on page 75 where I frequently reference the recipe for hong shao rou, red-cooked pork belly.

I used to put sticky notes on the pages I wanted to remember and then I found that every other page had a sticky note on it. So now I randomly pick up any issue for inspiration. In their latest issue, Jan/Feb 2010 #126, you’ll find their new Readers Edition of the Saveur 100 where all 100 entries of can’t miss items were submitted by their readers and shown in random order. How cool is that?

So we have Peter Battaglia, Tinton Falls, New Jersey to thank for suggesting Porchetta featured as #58 of the Saveur 100. I made minor modifications to the Saveur Porchetta recipe as I am prone to do, adjusting to my taste preferences and using whatever I have on hand.

The Saveur recipe calls for crushed fennel. I knew Ozana would be coming over and she’s not a fennel fan so I switched that out for cumin. The recipe calls for 3 Tbsp of lemon zest but I only had one small lemon so I added orange zest as well. Also the pork belly I purchased was too short to wrap all the way around the pork loin so I just put the unwrapped portion at the bottom of the pan when I cooked it.

This Saveur method of assembling porchetta where you wrap the pork roast in plastic wrap, then foil, let it rest in the fridge for a day or two, and then roast at 325 degrees F for a few hours, really does produce a succulent pork roast.

I’m not sure why but the rind was bitter. I wonder if that was due to too much baking soda. For some crazy reason I read 1 Tbsp, not 1 1/2 tsp which you can see left a residue on the rind (shown whole below). Oops! By the time I realized it, trying to dust it off was futile. It happens to the best of us.

Thinking back, I did feel leery that the plastic wrap might melt, though the recipe clearly states it won’t. The plastic wrap around the rind was fine but there was some plastic missing on the sides (sorry I didn’t tell you Ozana). I think now it was more likely due to shrinkage as opposed to actual melting. To be safe, I discarded the ends when I sliced it since the ends always cook more than we like anyhow.

So here’s my version of the recipe. You will see that my pork roast is smaller than the Saveur recipe but it was perfect for 6-8 people.

Porchetta

1 Tbsp lemon zest

2 Tbsp orange zest

1 Tbsp ground cumin

8 cloves chopped garlic, more or less as you prefer

2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 3 lb trimmed centre cut pork loin (NOTE: Not tenderloin)

1 slab pork belly with rind, preferably long enough to wrap around the pork loin

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

Mix together the first four ingredients. Season the pork loin with salt and pepper and set aside. Assemble porchetta by placing pork belly rind-side down on your work surface. Score the pork belly meat and rub the garlic mixture in. Place pork loin on top of the pork belly. Roll it up and tie with kitchen string. Remember not to worry if the pork belly doesn’t go all the way around. If the pork loin sticks out on the sides, slice off the excess. (TIP: Save excess slices and use to make cutlets or cook in a stir fry.) Wrap the porchetta in plastic wrap, then foil and refrigerate for 1 or 2 days.

Remove from fridge about 2 hours before you want to cook it. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F with rack at the bottom of oven. If your pork belly doesn’t go all the way around, place the wrapped porchetta, with the side that has no pork belly at the bottom, in a roasting pan fitted with a rack. Cook until the roast reads 130 degrees F using an instant read thermometer inserted in the middle, about 2 hours for this roast, remembering that it’s smaller than the one indicated in the Saveur recipe. Remove foil and plastic being careful as the plastic will be hot and steamy. Rub baking soda on the skin and broil on high turning frequently, until the rind is crisp on all sides, about 20 minutes.

NOTES ABOUT THE OVEN RACK: The original Saveur recipe actually says the oven rack should be at the bottom third of the oven. My oven rack heights are divided into fourths so I put it at the bottom. The recipe also does not indicate whether you should raise the rack up higher during broiling so I left it at the bottom. It was taking longer than 20 minutes to broil all of the skin to crispy so far away from the element. I compromised on the skin for the sake of ensuring a juicy roast and took it out at 20 minutes, with only two thirds of the skin as crackly as I wanted. Next time, I would raise the rack up to the middle.

January 3rd, 2010 by Dawn Becker

All I can say is look at this gorgeous piece of black cod. Can food be sexy? I say yum. This black cod was begging to be bought, massaged with a light coating of vegetable oil, placed under the broiler until the skin was crisp and the meat flaked with the lightest touch of my fork.

I was at Bill’s Lobster Fish Market located at 599 Gerrard Street East just East of Broadview Avenue looking for their wild Greenland halibut which is usually a foolproof bet. The best way to score at Bill’s Lobster is to ask the shopkeeper (Bill, his wife, or whichever family member is working) what is today’s freshest selection. They’ve never steered me wrong. And as you can see, Bill’s Lobster offers so much more than lobster and crab. You can even special order what you don’t see on hand.

This time the halibut at Bill’s was skinless, not what I was looking for. The black cod beside it was calling louder “take me home – I am delicious”. So that’s exactly what I did. Depending on the thickness and the heat of your oven, you will want to keep a close eye on your fish as you broil it. My oven has a hot spot on broil so I need to move the fish around a little to make sure the skin is crisping evenly. (Oh what I would give for a commercial salamander.)

Seeing as it was an end to two weeks of holiday indulgence, I wanted some lively greens to restore my body to normal functioning. Ha. This is definitely a Chinese trait – as consumed as we are by the food we enjoy, we are equally consumed by… word choices, word choices… the release of consumed food. So to accompany the black cod, I selected some Chinese pea shoots also known as dou miao. It’s important to note that pea shoots available in Asian markets here are not like those sweet little tendrils found in the salad section of your grocer, sometimes going by the name of pea sprouts. One taste of the Chinese pea shoots and you’ll see that they are slightly tougher and closer to watercress in texture. They are best flash-fried in a hot pan with a little oil and very lightly salted. Sauce is to come.

I topped the pea shoots with the fish as you can see above. Then I heated some vegetable oil in a pan till very hot. I like grapeseed oil because it’s healthier than peanut oil and has a high burning temperature so it doesn’t smoke as fast as other vegetable oil. I tossed in some slivers of ginger, a handful of chopped green onions and minced garlic, stir frying quickly in the hot oil. Just before the garlic browns, remove from heat and add some light soy sauce. Pour this salty fragrant sauce over the fish and pea shoots while it’s still hot and serve immediately with steamed rice.

A big thanks to my sister, Belle, who purchased this ornate plate for me for Christmas, but more importantly because she kept pushing me to do this blog. You can read Belle’s blog too, aka Ms. Bookish.

Broiled Black Cod With Chinese Pea Shoots

1lb black cod filet

1lb pea shoots, rinsed and drained well

2 Tbs grapeseed oil

1/2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and sliced thin into toothpick-sized strips

4 green onions, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

1-2 Tbs light soy sauce, depending on saltiness of soy sauce

Preheat oven to broil with rack at the top, about 4” to 6” from the heating element. Lightly coat black cod filet in some oil before placing in oven-proof pan. Broil on high for 5 to 7 minutes checking regularly that skin is crisping but not burning. Move pan around on rack if you experience a hot spot. Fish is ready when the meat flakes easily with a fork or chopsticks. Remove pan from oven and set aside.

Heat 1/2 Tbs of grapeseed oil in a wok until hot. Toss the pea shoots in the oil and fry quickly until slightly wilted. Add a light sprinkle of salt. Spread the wilted pea shoots on a plate. Place the black cod filet on top of the pea shoots.

Heat 1 1/2 Tbs of grapeseed oil in a wok until very hot but not smoking. Fry the ginger slivers until fragrant. Add the green onions and garlic. Remove from heat just before garlic browns. Add soy sauce to pan – be careful, oil will sizzle. Stir gently to combine. Pour the hot oil and soy sauce mixture over the fish and pea shoots. Serve immediately with steamed rice.

December 27th, 2009 by Dawn Becker

My cousin Casey came over for dinner before he left for his holiday with Ozana in Vancouver. As they are both adventurous dining companions of mine, I thought I’d try to roast my first duck. Being a little behind schedule I was too late to pick up a fresh peking duck from T&T Supermarket. So with limited options and no time to go elsewhere I ended up purchasing a frozen duckling that I’d say was about 4 lbs.

After thawing overnight in the fridge, I decided to go simple for my first whole duck. I removed the neck and giblets and reserved for making stock later. I then cut out the fat deposits around the openings and as mentioned in a couple of recipes I pulled the skin up from the flesh to create a sort of skin sock. Just saying “skin sock” makes me laugh out loud, like right now, however it is really an accurate description.

The idea is that the skin would crisp up as the fat melted off. I suppose this is what happens when I stuff herbs under the skin when I roast a chicken and that always turns out perfectly crispy. I then seasoned the duck with a mixture of five-spice powder, salt and pepper, inside the cavity and on the skin. To provide some additional aromatics I stuffed the cavity with slices of orange rind (no white pith which is bitter), one quartered onion and some green onions. I then set the duck aside to further dry the skin as I prepared the rest of our meal.

I’m not one to follow any specific recipe to the letter preferring to use recipes as a guide. As I’m more of an intuitive home cook adjusting here and there as needed. It’s actually a challenge for me to keep track of ingredients and cooking times. This is why you’ll rarely, if ever, see me baking which demands a fairly exact scientific approach.

I cooked the whole duck breast-side down on a rack in a roasting pan at 350 degrees F for 1 hour and 45 minutes turning the duck breast-side up after the first hour and basting every ten minutes for the last 30 minutes. The duck was cooked but the skin was not as crispy as I would have liked. Then I realized that I was supposed to cook the duck at 375 degrees F which I think would have made all the difference to the skin – another thought would be to blast the skin on a higher temperature, say 425 degrees F for the last 10 minutes to crisp the skin. Overall, the duck was very tasty, definitely juicy and relatively easy to do. If you can roast a chicken, a duck will be no problem for you. As is true for anything new, you just need to keep trying until you get it the way you like it in your oven.From this photo I think you can see my duck carving skills need some work. Not like slicing a sexy canard de magret breast but hey, it’s a first. Below is an update to the recipe I used that night taking my results into account.

Five-Spice Roast Duck

1 whole duck, thawed (about 4 to 5lbs)

2 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp five-spice powder

rind of one orange with no pith (I use a vegetable peeler)

1 yellow onion, quartered

4 whole green onions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Mix together salt, pepper and five-spice powder and rub into the skin of the duck and inside the cavity. Stuff duck with orange rind slices, quartered yellow onion and green onions. Place duck breast-side down on a rack in a roasting pan. Cook 1 hour 30 minutes turning the duck so the breast-side is up after an hour and basting with the pan juices every 10 minutes for the last 30 minutes. Then raise oven temperature to 425 degrees F to crisp the skin watching closely so as not to burn, about 10 minutes. Slice and serve. (I personally think one duck is good for two people with leftovers which I would definitely want.)

December 17th, 2009 by Dawn Becker

Last night was a most delicious night with friends I am getting to know better. Karen K came to my condo to have the five cent tour and a quick snack before I met up with Richard for dinner at L’Unita. Karen is an old friend who was always traveling for work and otherwise, and a person I’ve never spent enough time with. She just bought a condo on the west end and I couldn’t be happier that she’s settling in Toronto because we’ll get to really build that friendship. Karen has many hats including publisher of Corporate Knights, director of Waterlution, filmmaker and more. She’s very dynamic and genuine and I have been quoted to say that she would make a fabulous president for the United States. No expectations here, huh?

After a quick tour we settled in with a glass of Errazuriz Wild Ferment Pinot Noir that I had chilled slightly as suggested on the label and we dished over precious girl gossip. Chilling this wine made it brilliant and even though it’s cold outside it’s always warm in here so the wine was perfectly refreshing to start the night.

Before moving on to a more luscious glass of Ngatarawa Stables Merlot, I pulled out a small round of Saint Morgon, a soft French cheese that has a creamy texture pefect on a crusty baguette which I purchased still warm from the oven earlier that day. I made a small tapas style dish of shrimp and squid sauteed with garlic and olive oil topped with capers, a sprinkle of salt and chilli flakes and finished with a fresh squeeze of lemon, dipping more of that crusty bread to soak up all the salty juices. We ate it too quickly before I could remember to photograph it. Katie is coming over Friday. I may recreate it then so I can post the photo.

Shrimp and Squid Tapas

2 tbsp olive oil

8 headless shrimp, deveined and butterflied

2 headless squid, cleaned and sliced into 1” rings

4 cloves of garlic, chopped

dried hot red-pepper flakes

salt, to taste

2 lemon wedges

1 tsp capers

Heat oil in a pan on medium-high until hot but not smoking. Sautee shrimp. Turn shrimp over and add the squid rings, garlic and red-pepper flakes, and cook until shrimp are pink and just cooked through. Add salt and squeeze the lemon wedges over the shrimp and squid. Toss in the capers and remove from heat. Serve immediately with plenty of bread.