Category: Cooking

After working through three batches of Sauerkraut we finally got down to business and made what we bought the fermenting crockpot for. That would be, to make Suan Cai, which literally means "sour vegetable". Of course, being that the Missus is from QingDao, this was the napa cabbage version with three main ingredients:

Napa Cabbage

Salt

And time…….

Actually, this was really easy. You look for fairly hefty napa cabbage. Half or quarter, use 8 grams of kosher salt per kilo, stuff into the crock, press down hard, and place the stones on the cabbage. Cover and use the water seal. There wasn't enough liquid to cover, so we did a check after the 5th day, pressed down more….by the 10th day things were really getting good….and pretty smelly in our hallway. We checked and found that enough liquid had now been drawn out of the cabbage to cover the whole batch. At 15 days, things looked pretty good……the Missus tore off a piece and handed it to me, telling me to "eat….eat"….. With some trepidation I had a taste and you could tell it was on it's way…at which time the Missus decided that I wasn't going to drop dead and had a taste Herself. The Missus' Aunt told Her it would take 22 days….why 22 days, I haven't a clue, it just seemed so random. When we opened the crock to check at 20 days, you could just tell by the color of the liquid and cabbage that it was ready. I had a bite and….it really tasted good; I mean really good, a sour-nutty, but not too salty flavor, the texture was perfect, with a nice crunchiness to it. It doesn't have that too salty-metallic twinge of the stuff you get at the market, loaded with nitrites and other preservatives…this one is salt, cabbage, and a lot of help from mother nature.

We shared some with "YZ" who said it was plain delicious. Folks that have read our blog over the years know that I love Suan Cai Yang Rou and Chao Suan Cai….strange because I wasn't raised on the stuff, but there's just something about those dishes I love. It's a bit too hot right now to make those dishes…..but I better get on it soon……we've been just eating the suan cai straight up with various dishes like Red Cooked Chicken, it helps to cut the richness and fat….plus, we're getting the benefit of the fermentation. If we keep going at this pace, there won't be anything left to cook. Luckily, there's another crock of the stuff bubbling away in our hallway.

Strange as it seems, dishes made with suan cai have become comfort food for me. Which leads me to my question. What food items or dishes that you hadn't had until you were an adult have become comfort food for you?

I don't often watch "food television", as much of it has become an extension of Reality TV, which doesn't relate to any "reality" I know of; could be because I don't get out much, or perhaps I'm not hip….but I have a problem watching shows that seem to reward bad and outrageous behavior…..much of what's on is either heavily character based; or competition television. For me, when I'm able to, which is not often enough, I'd rather turn on PBS during a lazy Saturday…..though some of those shows don't really inspire or keep my attention either. There are exceptions; like the one Sunday I flipped stations to PBS and watched a show called A Chef's Life. I'd never heard of this program, and even though I enjoyed the back story, it was the subject that I loved……collard greens. I called the Missus over and having some wonderful, fresh collards in the fridge, She was fascinated as well….especially the part on collard kraut. Then came the segment on making collard green dolmades and we were sold. Though not quite in the manner of the show, we were inspired to make something akin to Turkish Dolmars. Dolmar mean literally to "stuff"…..in fact, the tiny buses around Cappadocia are called "Dolmars", because of how you stuff folks into them. We teamed the stuffed collards with a tangy tomato based sauce, halfway between shakshuka and marinara.

You might find it interesting to note that our favorite way of eating collards is not the typical Southern style long simmered variety, but a hot saute of the greens with a nice, flavorful fat…..bacon or duck will do, though guess what we did with all that Grieben Schmalz? It's something we first had years ago at Jayne's, which I just didn't feel like posting on.

Anyway, all you need to make a batch of these are four or five large, fresh(still pliable), leaves. You remove the spine, blanch for a minute or so, remove to an ice bath, and then let dry. You then use the leaves to roll your meat mixture….you can make 4-6 with each leaf, depending on the size….of both the filling and the leaf.

Other things to take into consideration. I grate my onion on a box grater then squeeze out about half the liquid, this gives the filling a better flavor and texture. I grate my garlic on a ginger grater. I use full fat Greek Yogurt which I don't drain. You can adjust the salt based on your sauce, I'm not going to tell you what kind of sauce to use….I think you'll figure something out. The Smoked Spanish Paprika, which we get from Penzy's added a nice mild smoky flavor to the dish. As for the meat……go for it, but consider tenderness, moisture, and of course flavor. This will make at least 12-15 medium sized one's……

Stuffed Collard Greens:

5-6 Large, fresh, collard green leaves, blanched, iced, and drained

1/3 lb ground lamb

1/3 lb ground veal

1 1/2 Tb ground cumin

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper

1/2 cup grated, then partially drained onion

2 Tb grated or finely minced garlic

1 Tb granulated garlic

1 Tb Turkish Oregano, rub to break apart and release the oil when adding to meat

1/2 tsp Thyme (see above)

1/2 tsp Smoked Spanish Paprika

1/4 tsp dried mustard

2 Tb full fat Greek yogurt

– Combine all ingredients except collard leaves.

– portion out into oblong meatballs as desired.

– Wrap in collard leaves.

– Steam for 10-15 minutes.

– Drain excess liquid and serve with sauce of your choice.

A pretty simple recipe, thanks to some inspiration from a show I'll try to watch when I can……