Challenge: Reusing fresh herbs

I can't count how many times I've bought a fresh bunch of parsley or cilantro, used a tablespoon, and had to throw out the rest because I couldn't find another use for it. Over the July 4th weekend we had an excess of mint leaves sitting around in a cup of water after using them for a dinner earlier that week. Having 8 culinary minded people at the house allowed for the mint to be quickly used up in a new dishes and cocktails that it was never intended for. Now, I may only cook for myself, but I'd like to think I can use up a bunch of mint in a week for something that it wasn't intended for. Tonight I bought fresh basil and Italian parsley for my dinner and used ~2 tablespoons each leaving me basically what I had started with. That is why I am issuing this challenge to myself: use up at least one of the bunches before it goes bad (and not just for sprinkling on the dinner it was intended for!).

I feel like I waste so much good eats with every dinner that has fresh herbs that I throw out. Hopefully this will teach me some inventiveness (and save some money!).

Ginger Beer

I don't think you can find a more refreshing and soothing drink than ginger beer. Ginger beer is, in fact, different from ginger ale. The beer has alcohol (thus the name...obviously) from yeast fermentation while ginger ale is non-alcoholic. The ale is typically made with a ginger simple syrup that is mixed with soda water, which creates a similar effect and is much quicker. The beer on the other hand relies on yeast to ferment the sugars to create the carbonation while spitting out a wee bit of alcohol (seriously...it's only ~0.5% alcohol by volume). I think ginger beer is often tastier and more ginger-ey, which is why I decided to make it over the ale.

Jessica actually sent me this recipe.

2-4 ounces ginger juice (depends on how spicy you want it).
Alternatively you could use a ~3-4 inch piece of ginger and finely mince it if you don't have access to a juicer
4 ounces fresh lemon juice
6 ounces granulated sugar
.8g or 1/4 teaspoon of baker's yeast (I used active dry)

Makes 2 liters

It is very important that you use plastic and not glass. The yeast are fermenting the sugars and therefore putting of carbon dioxide gas and ethanol...this has the possibility of creating a very unpleasant glass bomb. The plastic can still break (less likely), but it will be a much easier and safer clean up.

Combine all ingredients into either a 2L plastic bottle or two 1L plastic bottles. Fill the bottles the rest of the way up with water leaving ~1" headroom. Cap and shake to combine everything. Stash the bottle(s) in a warm spot that is ~70F for 24-48 hours. You'll know the beer is ready when you push on the plastic and it does not give anymore (another reason to use plastic bottles!). Place the bottles in the fridge for at least 4 hours before opening allowing for the fermentation to be retarded and the carbon dioxide to dissolve into the water. When you uncap the bottle be careful...it could take anywhere from 5 minutes to 15 minutes to unscrew it without the beer exploding everywhere.

Enjoy either plain over ice or with a good bourbon/rye (I used Rye 1)!

You could also add in other flavors/herbs to the beer when you mix the ingredients together to make a herb scented ginger beer. Or, maybe, one could try using honey...hmmm.

Sweet Dill Quick Pickles

Here is the recipe for the pickles that Jessica posted.

4 cups thinly sliced unpeeled cucumbers
2 cups sugar
1 medium onion, thinly sliced into rings
1½ cups white vinegar
1 Tbsp kosher salt
1 Tbsp mustard seed
Sprig or two of washed dill (chopped or left whole)

Combine sugar, vinegar, salt, and mustard seed in a non-reactive pot and bring to a boil to combine. Let the brine cool for a few minutes. Meanwhile pack cucumbers, onions, and dill into a clean jar. Pour brine into the packed jar, cap, and refrigerate. The pickles may be eaten within an hour, but are best left for a day in the fridge. They won't last a week because you'll eat them too fast.

You may also add things like red pepper flakes and whole peppers or tone down the sugar if you'd like it less sweet.

Learning from the best

Please welcome Jessica as a guest contributer!
-Alex


Living in Los Angeles I was exceptionally spoiled to have Alex around. The fridge was constantly stocked with canned goods, including my favorite pickles to date! Since moving to New York, I've had to fend for myself in that category. This weekend I made my first attempt at quick pickles. I wasn't so much worried they wouldn't turn out, rather I hoped that they would be up to standards I had been used to! I used the standard recipe, adding dill at the end with the cucumbers. They are delicious! While I very much doubt I'll venture into canning anytime soon, I would like to attempt some more recipes, like beets!




I also made a blueberry compote. Normally, I would jam, but a compote boasts the advantage of significantly less sugar! Still, quite a bit of sugar, just not the absurd amount present in jams. It's super easy. Take a pint of blueberries, and divide in half. One half in a heat-proof bowl, the other in a saucepan with about a third cup of sugar and the juice of a lemon, bring to a simmer and allow all juice to release (about 8-10 min), then bring to a boil and reduce. Then pour over the other blueberries and fold in! Thats it! The sweet compote with the whole uncooked-blueberries is a great contrast, with a sweetness that isn't as intensely dessert like, and slightly tart. I think I prefer this to jams, though I have to admit jamming has its benefits, and lends itself better to pastry applications, when placed simply on bread I think the compote wins out!

(Extremely) Hot Sauce

Hot sauce is one of those things that everyone should keep in their pantry or refrigerator. It goes great with so many things and given my love for Mexican food, homemade hot sauce is the perfect thing to make and keep around all the time. Summer has yielded many a pepper at the farmers markets so I decided to take advantage and picked up some fresh jalapenos and serranos to finally make my own hot sauce. You can easily adjust the amounts of peppers or types in the following, but be aware that changing the types will affect flavor (which isn't a bad thing).

1.5-2 lbs of peppers (I used 1 pound jalapenos and 1/2 pound serranos)
2 1/4 - 2 3/4 cups white vinegar (I found like it more on the vinegary side after making it again...experiment to your taste)
4 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons salt
2-3 garlic cloves

Makes 2 pints

Roast all the peppers either under the broil, over a BBQ, or on top of the stove. Let them cool until you are able to handle them and cut off the stem. Add all of the ingredients to a blender or food processor. Puree until it reaches a desired consistency (or do what I did and just walk away for a few minutes). Pour into a jar and keep refrigerated. It will probably last a few months if not a year, but will lose heat over time.

This makes very hot sauce so feel free to play with the amounts of serranos or replace a few with poblanos.

Quick Salt Cucumber Pickles

I visited New York City a few weeks ago and landed around 9 PM arriving at Jessica's at about 9:30 PM. We thought it would be no problem finding a restaurant open that late: it's NYC of course! However, by the time we got downtown and wandered around trying to find a place it was 12 AM and none of our choices were open (fail Lombardi's). Wait! Momofuku Noodle Bar is open to 2 AM! Score! Having only their late night menu available was no problem and we settled into a meal that included chicken wings, kimchi-pork tamale, and ginger scallion noodles. I had heard that the noodles were one of the best recipes in Momofuku's cookbook so I was excited to try them. I wasn't let down. They were delicious and came topped with vinegar-pickled mushrooms, which were FANTASTIC (likely from left over ramen broth makings), toasted nori, bamboo shoots, and quick salt cucumber pickles. Ever since trying it I have wanted to make it at home and accompany it with quick salt pickles. Tonight was the night and it was great. Here are Momofuku's quick cucumber salt pickles:

2 large cucumbers (I used one huge hot house because it was the only one I could find)

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Simply thinly slice the cucumber and toss with sugar salt letting it sit for 5-10 minutes. The cookbook says they last up to 4 hours in the fridge, but I'm going to see if they last until tomorrow night. Serve! You could also do this with radishes or daikon.

Orecchiette and broccolini with garlic and preserved lemon

Tonight was essentially left overs night, which usually is boring...until I remembered that my preserved meyer lemons were ready! Jess and I went to Jone's on Third the other day since we were in the area and picked up some really nice dried orecchiette, which we made with a garlic, maresh pepper, and sardine sauce. Some of the cooked orecchiette was left over so I decided to fry some garlic, maresh pepper, and preserved lemon until nice and tasty and then just served that over the pasta. We also picked up some broccolini, which I just pan seared then steamed with garlic and then finished on the plate with some of the preserved meyer lemon. Worked out really well, I think!