Refrigerator Pickles

These won't last long!

Today at the office someone passing by my door said, "refrigerator pickles." Looking back, I am confident there were a few other words involved in some greater statement surrounding those two words, but it was those two that stuck with me. And I now know that the words we speak are powerful, because those two words changed the course of my day. 

Shortly after, in an email from Farmer Pete, I received an old family recipe for (you guessed it!) refrigerator pickles. And that's when I knew this was meant to be.  So after pick up at the farm, and a quick nap (because I have been feeling under the weather), I did some swift slicing. 

This is one of the simplest recipes ever.  I think the hardest part is waiting to eat them!  Here is the recipe:

Combine the following ingredients in a glass bowl, let sit for 1+ hours. Enjoy!

• 2 cups sliced cucumber
• 1 medium onion sliced
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup Cider Vinegar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon dry mustard

The finished product was tart and delicious -- it even tasted pretty familiar.  We decided that the flavor reminds us a lot of Subway's sweet onion sauce.  And it tastes great on a salad!  I cut up some fresh lettuce from the farm, along with green pepper and purple carrots (they are orange on the inside) also from the farm.  Then topped it with some onion and cucumbers from the pickle jar, and a bit of ranch. 

Farm Fresh Food

This blog was happily brought to you by guest blogger, Kristin Porter.

Confessions of Mediocre Cook: Pad Thai Edition

Pad Thai by Kristin

I am fearless in the kitchen. If I am missing an ingredient for a recipe, I throw caution to the wind and throw in something else instead. Unfortunately, these experiences have often produced a less-than-spectacular product (just ask Rachael about my experiments with brownies!). Thankfully, when I am hungry, I am not a picky eater. If the dish turns out more or less okay, then I am okay with eating it. 

My Pad Thai last weekend turned out to be a classic example of my mediocrity in the kitchen. I actually considered titling this blog "Why Carrie Needs to Come Back!" As you've seen in Carrie's previous posts, she can put anything together randomly and have it come out spectacularly.  If it is possible to be gifted in recipe acrobatics, she definitely has that gene.

A friend shared a quote with me today, and it has given this mediocre cook hope to press on. In the words of Twyla Tharp, "It takes skill to bring something you've imagined into the world: to use words to create believable lives, to select the colors and textures of paint to represent a haystack at sunset, to combine ingredients to make a flavorful dish. No one is born with that skill. It is developed through exercise, through repetition, through a blending of learning and reflection that's both painstaking and rewarding. And it takes time."

So, here is my rendition of Pad Thai, along with some reflections on how to improve the dish for next time:

The Ingredients

I included in my Pad Thai: kohlrabi, green cabbage, spring onions, green beans, carrots, a pepper, bean sprouts, egg, garlic, peanuts, rice noodles, Pad Thai sauce, and for a garnish, cilantro, lime wedges and more chopped peanuts.  

First, I put water on to boil and soaked the rice noodles according to the directions on the package. 

Next, I chopped up garlic, onion, carrots, and the pepper, and fried them in a bit of oil in the wok.

Next, I chopped the kohlrabi. It was my first time using this ingredient, which I discovered is less like green cabbage than I expected. Actually, inside the texture reminded me more of an apple than the leafy cabbage I am accustomed to -- but the taste is definitely like cabbage. 

Kohlrabi  - chopped on left, whole on right

Since I know I like green cabbage, I chopped up a bit of that as well, and put the kohlrabi, cabbage and green beans in the wok to cook. 

When the veggies were softened, I drained the rice noodles and added them to the wok. 

This is where I really went wrong. With my attention on the wok, I'd neglected to watch the noodles sitting in my hot water -- I let them sit a minute or two too long, which meant that they got mooshy as they cooked even more in the fry pan with the vegetables.  Learn from my mistakes and under-cook your noodles.  You can always add more water later if you want them to soften. 

After mixing the rice noodles, I added the packet of Pad Thai sauce to the wok, along with a handful of chopped peanuts and a couple handfuls of bean sprouts. 

Then, because my wok was so full, I took out a separate pan to scramble two eggs. Usually, for a recipe like this, I would push the noodles to the side and fry the egg in the same pan (I hate washing unnecessary dishes!)

After a few minutes, the egg was cooked and ready to be added to the wok.  

Finally, I dished out a serving, and garnished with chopped peanuts, cilantro, and a wedge of lime to squeeze over the dish right before eating.

As I enjoyed my Pad Thai (remember, I'm not a picky eater, so overcooked noodles do not discourage me), I considered how well this recipe may have turned out in the hands of a more skilled cook / blogger. But then again, if what Twyla says is true, there is hope for me yet, and my cooking skill may just need time and repetition before it can be perfected. 

This recipe was gladly brought to you by guest blogger, Kristin Porter.

Un Sueño de México

Fish Tacos!

This week, Carrie is visiting a place in Mexico that is equally dear to both our hearts, the orphanage Hogar de Amor y Protección al Niño. While part of me is extremely happy for Carrie’s travel opportunity (as well as excited that she has honored me with the chance to serve as “guest blogger” here!), I will admit (just between me and you and the world wide web) that I feel at least as much jealousy as I do joy over her trip.

With that on my mind, it was inevitable that my first blog carry a “south of the border” flavor.  Ariel Porter (a good friend, but no relation, although we share a last name!) happened to be available this week, and is one of the most amazing amateur chefs that I have ever known. She shares my love for foreign foods, and makes the most fantastic fish tacos I have ever tasted!  A big thanks to her for bringing the salmon, seasonings, and skills to the kitchen – I really enjoyed spending the afternoon with you!

I have one disclaimer before we go further: I decidedly cannot vouch for the authenticity of this dish (in all my journeys to Mexico, I have never been offered a single fish taco), but all the same I think you will agree with me that these fish tacos are "muy deliciosos."  And in my case, they are a small consolation for remaining home while others go abroad :)   

A few of the necessary ingredients for salsa verde

First, I began by preparing a homemade Salsa Verde (this recipe is straight from a friend’s mom in Mexico and will make you never want to use store bought salsas again).

I started with one pound of Tomatillos and a Serrano Pepper. If you like your salsa hot, feel free to add extra peppers here. For those unfamiliar with Tomatillos, they are tomato-like, but have a soft husk on the outside that you remove before cooking. The skin under the husk is sticky, so I rinsed them well before putting them in the pot of water and on the stove to boil. 

I can almost taste it already!

After boiling (you will notice a color change in the Tomatillos when they are ready), I removed the Tomatillos from the water and put them in the food processor, along with: 1/4 of a sweet onion, 2 fresh cloves of garlic, and half a bunch of cilantro (washed and the leaves removed from the stems). I like my salsa very mild, so I removed the seeds from the Serrano before adding it in the food processor. 

Ready to blend

After blending, I fried the blended sauce mixture in a bit of oil in the fry pan, then added salt and Knorr brand Chicken Flavor Bouillon to taste. After a few minutes cooking, it’s ready to eat hot or can be cooled and refrigerated for later.

Where are those tortilla chips?

Now for the tacos!

Ariel brought along fresh salmon from Lake Michigan, so we enjoyed the best this state has to offer! First, she covered the fish with Ancho Chile Pepper Powder. We skipped the salt because the salsa had plenty already, but you may prefer to add salt to the salmon as well. Next, we pan fried the fish in a bit of olive oil (4-5 minutes per side).  We put the cover on the pan after we flipped the fish to help it cook all the way through.

Ready to pour!

Cooked to perfection!

While the salmon cooled a bit, we set to work cutting up the toppings: Cabbage and a Serrano Pepper (from Delano Farms CSA), along with cucumber, sweet onion, cilantro, and lime wedges for squeezing juice over the tacos.

Cabbage, Cucumber, Onion, Cilantro, Serrano Pepper, Lime

Next we got our hands dirty (one of Ariel’s signature cooking methods!) and broke the cooked salmon into small pieces, while also being careful to take out any bones that lingered in the meat.

Careful, it's hot!

We warmed the tortillas...

Set the table…

Compiled our tacos…

And scraped the plate clean! 

 

This blog was gladly brought to you by guest blogger, Kristin Porter.  Thanks for reading!