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Cook your beans and meat together under pressure, blending flavours and sterilizing simultaneously. An easy meal on a cold day waiting in the pantry. See recipe at the end of the post!
Beans Beans the musical fruit…you know the rhyme, but it is true that the more beans you eat, the better you feel, maybe not for every meal….beans are best eaten in the morning when your body is building for the day and you have time to digest them.
I’m sorry, but this is the anti-food porn post. In fact, it’s just straight-up bean recipes with no photos, but these really are my favourite bean recipes of all-time.
Baked Lentils
2 c. of lentils of choice
3 bay leaves
3 g sprigs of thyme
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbsp of brown sugar
2 tbsp of molasses or maple syrup
1/4 c. of cider vinegar
1/4 tsp of cloves
1/4 tsp of ginger
1 tsp of dried mustard
Salt and Pepper
Mix everything together in a baking dish. Put in enough water to cover the lentils. Cover tightly with a lid or aluminum foil and bake at 325 °F for 2 hours. Serve.
Black Bean Dip
1 15 oz can of black beans
3 tbsp of fresh chopped cilantro
1/2 c. of finely chopped onions
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp hot peppers, chopped
A pinch of cayenne pepper
2 tbsp of lime juice
1/4 c. of cottage cheese (optional)
salt
1/4 c. of toasted pumpkin seeds
Combine all of the ingredients except the pumpkin seeds in a food processor. Garnish with the pumpkin seeds.
Korean Mung Bean Pancakes
¼ c. of mung beans, soaked for 2 hours, drained and puréed with 2 tbsp of water
3 eggs, beaten
1 c. of bean sprouts
½ c. of kimchi, finely chopped
1 tbsp, of onion, finely chopped
1 green onion in 1 inch pieces
1 tsp of fresh ginger, minced or grated
1 tsp of sesame oil
1 tsp of salt
Black or white pepper
1 tbsp of wheat flour
1 tbsp of rice flour
2-3 tbsp of vegetable oil
Dipping sauce :
3 tbsp of soya sauce
1-2 tbsp of rice vinegar, or vinegar of choice
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp of toasted sesame seeds
½ tsp of korean chili powder or a mix of cayenne and paprika
black pepper
½ tsp of sesame oil
Mix the sauce ingredients and set aside. Mix the pancake ingredients. Heat a frying pan over medium heat with the oil. Cook 2 inch diameter pancakes in the oil a couple minutes on each side or until golden. Serve with the sauce.
Lentil Soup
1 onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp of olive oil
10 c. of water
1 c. of lentils
4 c. of greens of choice chopped (swiss chard, spinach, chickory, kale, etc)
salt to taste
pepper and 1 tsp of cinnamon
juice of 1 lemon
Heat the olive oil in a pot. Put in the onions and sweat until translucent. Add the water, lentils, salt and greens and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer 45 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, cinnamon and add lemon juice just before serving.
Lamb and Salt Pork Cassoulet cooked in the mason jars
200g of dried pink or romano beans, soaked overnight
2 shallots, peeled
2 cloves of garlic, peeled
2 carrots, peeled and in quarters.
100g of salt pork or smoked lard or smoked ribs, cut into 4 pieces
4 lamb shanks
1 tbsp of tomato paste
2 cloves
1 pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Salt and pepper
1 sprig of parsley, thyme and a bay leaf, or herbs of choice!
If using salt pork, sweat until it renders its fat. Add the lamb shanks and brown over medium heat. Add the carrots and shallots Cook 5 minutes. Add the garlic, tomato paste, salt pepper and clove and nutmeg. Wet with 750ml of water. Bring to a boil and simmer 25 minutes. During this time, change the beans’ water and boil 10 minutes. In sterilised jars, put a piece of lamb and pork, some vegetables, a sprig of each herb and enough juice to cover. Close th jars, wrap them each in a cloth
Meat (beef), starch (fresh rice noodles), greens (chinese brocoli), eggs and onions (the essentials for many) and the seasonings: All ingredients for Phad See-ew Thai Noodles!
When I went to Wing’s, they gave me a variety of products to play around with. One was their fresh rice noodles, made with rice they grind themselves. I decided to make Phad Sew- Asian comfort food- starch (rice noodles), meat (beef) and greens (Chinese brocoli) and fried egg (essential to complete any meal!) all cooked together in a wok- with some soya sauce and onions for good measure! Here’s how to make it; it’s easy peasy!
You need:
300g of fresh rice noodles
300g of chinese brocoli, cut into 2 inch lengths
2 sliced onions
200g of beef, like faux filet, in 1 1/2 inch strips
2 tbsp of dark soya sauce mixed with a bit of brown sugar
1 tbsp of tamari
1 tbsp of fish sauce
oil
2 eggs, beaten
pepper (mix of white, black and Szechuan in my case)
Cook the beaten egg in oil over high heat. Turn it once, take it out and set aside.
Chop your eggs into strips
Sauté onions and then set aside
Seize your beef strips over high heat and then set aside
Sauté your chinese brocoli quickly because you don't want it to get overcooked (30 seconds)
Put the beef, brocoli and onions back together in the wok.
Put the noodles in boiling water just long enough to separate them and then put them in the wok with the other ingredients. Work fast! You don't want your noodles or brocoli to overcook as mine did while I was trying to get nice photos!
Season your Phad See-ew with fish sauce, pepper and soya sauce
Here it is with some peanuts, hot peppers and stir-fried baby bok choy (more greens for me!)
So much cabbage, so little time
The dinner club’s canning session was a success, but we also decided to do the first fermenting session. I took on the task of fermenting the cabbage, beets and kale as we couldn’t really spend 6 weeks together watching the process. I made real sauerkraut with the cabbage and did the same thing with the beets. For the kale, I made kimchi.
Kale Kimchi, Sauerkraut and beet sauerkraut
Kale Kimchi - The New Kimchi
Sauerkraut was first recorded by the Romans but came from the Orient. The method, however, was lost in Europe, but then re-introduced in Austria in the 13th century by the Tartar hordes, who had acquired it from China.
No those are not oompa loompas- they're life-size Germans in a celestial-size bucket of sauerkraut making sauerkraut in...a sauerkraut factory! This is from Time Life's Book about "The Cooking of Germany" (1969)
Sauerkraut is old, and fermentation older. Fermentation helps digestion, it preserves nutrients and food and produces delicious and pungent results. Doing it yourself doubly preserves the vitamins and beneficial live cultures that result from fermentation, as when store-bought, products are often pasteurized (heated to high enough temperatures to kill the good stuff). Micro biodiversity also gives our immune-system the challenges it needs to come up with more complex solutions, ie, live cultures keep our immune-system on its toes and in-shape.
Beet and cabbage sauerkraut veiling their most sensual trait- their microbiodiversity.
Here are the instructions for straight-up sauerkraut made with cabbage or beets, fast sauerkraut (the cheater way, not as nutritious, but still delicious), a sauerkraut soup recipe, my great Grandma’s sauerkraut salad recipe, British pickled cabbage, and, lastly, a video I made explaining how to make kale kimchi.
Sauerkraut
3 tbsp of salt per 2 kg of cabbage (you could also use beets, carrots or other root vegetables)
You will also need:
a container to put it in
a plate that fits snugly in the container
Something to weight it
A Tea towel
A Sterilized or well-scrubbed weight (A big jar of something)
Mandolin to shred, salt to preserve, cabbage for vitamin C
Shred the cabbage, put it in a food safe, non-reactive receptacle with the salt. Put the plate on top, weight it and cover it with a tea towel. After 24 hours add enough salt water (1 tbps of salt for 1 cup of water) to cover the plate. The brine keeps the kraut from the air and spoilage. Check every few days and skim off the “bloom” (usually mold).
Sauerkraut weighted and in brine with a bit of "bloom".
Beet sauerkraut- exactly the same process. I highly recommend Sandor Ellix Katz's Wild Fermentation on the subject of fermentation.
Cheater Sauerkraut
Fast sauerkraut- Just about like the real thing
If you’re not up for 6 weeks of fermenting cabbage, this is the cheater way. You will not get the health benefits, but it will still taste really good.
1 onion, cut in half and then finely sliced
1 head of green cabbage, shredded
2 tbsp of salt
1 c. of cider vinegar
1/2 c. of cider, beer, or white wine
1 tsp of caraway seeds
Mix the cabbage and onion with the salt and let it sit covered for at least 2 hours, up to 24 hours. Drain. Put in a pot and simmer 45 min.
This one was made with beer, but I like it even better with cider
Sauerkraut Soup Recipe
This recipe was sent to me by Melissa Denecke in Germany, who is a member of two dinner clubs in Germany! I met her on a cycling tour of Montreal with Fitz & Follwell. The soup is very original and surprising. Although I don’t have the food porn to convince you, I really recommend you try it.
300g of sauerkraut
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp of butter
1 small can of mandarin oranges and its juice (I used fresh mandarins and 2 tbsp of freshly squeezed lemon juice)
500 ml of chicken stock
salt
pepper
1 tsp of dried ginger (I used 1 tbsp of fresh ginger)
1 tbsp of honey
300g of crème fraîche (or you can use a mix of cream and sour cream)
Sauté the onion with the butter until soft. Add everything but the crème fraîche. Simmer on low heat for 45 min. Add the crème fraîche and purée with a hand mixer.
The photo is very non-chalant, but this soup isn't! It's very unique, and provides an unearthy sensation
Sauerkraut Salad
I worked as a cook in a tree-planting camp in the summer of 2010. It turns out that my Great Grandma Elsa Lamarr was a logging camp cook for many years and this was one of her recipes.
A 1 kg jar of sauerkraut, rinsed
1/2 c. of chopped celery
1/2 c. of chopped peppers
1 c. of chopped onions
1 c. of honey (I use 1/2 c.)
1 c. of vinegar (I use 1/2 c. of cider vinegar)
salt and pepper
Rinsing the sauerkraut gets some of the the salt and acidity out
Combine all of the ingredients and let it marinate at least 45 min before serving. This is really good with a hot dog.
Pickled Cabbage
Canned Pickled Red Cabbage
This is yet another fast way to conserve cabbage. It is delicious. You can serve it with a roast, fish, or use it as you would sauerkraut. It is a British recipe, but I put a lot more water to make more of a vinegar brine than a straight-up vinegar marinade. Do it as you prefer.
2 red cabbages (about 3kg), shredded
6 tbsp of coarse salt
1 L of malt vinegar (I use 500ml of malt vinegar and 500ml of water)
1/4 c. of sugar
2 tbsp of pickling spice (Here I also improvise, using a variety of seeds and herbs: coriander, cumin, dried chilies, juniper berries, whole all-spice, mustard seeds, peppercorns, bay leaves)
Arrange the cabbage in three layers in a non-reactive container, putting 2 tbsp of salt between each layer. Cover it and let it sit for 2 days, stirring it a few times each day.
Salting the layers of cabbage
On the third day, combine the marinade ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil briskly for 5 min. Meanwhile, drain the cabbage. Put the cabbage in sterilized jars. Strain the marinade or leave the spices in if you like the look of it in the jars. Pour the hot marinade over the cabbage and close the jars. Wait at least 3 days before eating.
Pickling liquid- make it more vinaigary or less and use the spices you fancy, but please keep the malt vinegar.
One more idea….
Pineapple sauerkraut!
Rinse your cabbage and simmer it with pineapple juice for about 2 hours
Add pineapple in before serving
Pinepple sauerkraut is delicious with...a homemade ham!
Brine the ham with red wine, salt and spices, zest, fresh ginger for 3 days
Strain the brine mix, sear the ham, and then braise at a low temperature in the strained liquid for a few hours.
Enjoy the pineapple sauerkraut and ham your-style.
Kale Kimchi
Kale Porn Picture - See video below for unsexy clinical instructions
After salt- Dripping with sweat- More kale porn- please consult video
Just as a side note – I’m a lot spunkier than that in real life, but I was nervous. It was my first experience on film, and it was for a contest to win a trip to Korea. I was trying to look really Canadian with my sweater, but I just made Canadians seem really awkward….Enjoy! The video is below:
