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Mason Jar Quick Pickled Carrots and Daikon

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Quick pickles are cold and tangy adding crunch to prepared meats, sandwiches, noodles, rice dishes, and salads. Good with pretty much everything according to Sue Pressey a Korean food blogger sharing recipes and cultural traditions for a non-korean international audience.

The recipe below is adapted from her technique to be sized to a single mason jar and to use common kitchen tools instead of a mandolin. The sugar in the recipe is reduced also. For her exact recipe and to read about uses of quick pickles check out her blog.

She also wrote a free downloadable ecookbook on Korean BBQ and has a downloadable cookbook for purchase featuring Korean side dishes.

Mason Jar Quick Pickled Daikon and Carrots

adapted from Sue Pressey’s recipe blog My Korean Kitchen

Ingredients:

  • 1 Daikon Radish
  • 1 Carrot
  • 1/2 cup +2 TBS Vinegar
  • 1/2 cup +2 TBS Water
  • 1/4 cup white sugar
  • 1 large pinch kosher salt (about 1/3 Tsp)

Instructions:

Prepare the Brine (Juice for pickling):

  1. In a pan on the stove, combine the vinegar, water, sugar and salt. Heat till it boils then let cool.

Prepare the Vegetables.

  1. Wash the carrot and daikon. Cut off ends. Peel if you’d like or just trip off roots or rough pieces or spots.
  2. Slice into thin match sticks with a knife. It is safest to cut veggies with a flat stable side of the vegetable against your cutting board. Cut the carrot and daikon in half the long way then put the flat surface on the cutting board and cut thin slices. Set the slices flat on the cutting board and cut them into thin sticks.
  3. Put about 1 loosely piled cut of carrots and daikon sticks into a clean dry mason jar. For a quick pickle you don’t need to sanitize the jar but it may make your pickles last longer in the fridge.
  4. Pour the brine over the vegetables to fill and put on the lid.
  5. Let sit out for a few hours then refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.
  6. Pickles are best the first day or two. They will be fine to eat longer but check for off flavor and throw away if you feel unsure.

Kale Raab

Bag of the Week, How to's

How to use:

  • Best suited for both raw and cooked applications such as stir-frying, blanching, sautéing, braising, and steaming. Kale raab can be used similarly to kale leaves when raw and can be chopped into salads. When cooked, kale raab can be paired with other cooked vegetables, pasta, meats, and seafood. Can also be pureed into sauces and spreads to be put on tortillas and toasted bread.

How to wash:

  • Rinse well in cold water to make sure it is very clean (water comes out clear).
  • Spin it dry in a salad spinner, leaving just a little water clinging to the leaves. If you do not own a salad spinner, lay the kale raab out in a single layer on a towel and pat to dry with a paper towel leaving just a little water.

How to store:

  • Once harvested, kale raab should be consumed with 1-3 days for optimal flavor and stored in the refrigerator.

How to pick some out/know it is fresh:

  • Use clean scissors to pick your kale buds before the yellow flowers have opened, and include a good portion of the tender stem and attached leaves.
  • Kale raab is most fresh when it has a bright green color.

How to know if going bad:

  • The best way to tell is look at the leaves of the kale raab. When kale raab ages, it will lose its bright green color and start to turn a yellowish color.

Basic cooking strategies/techniques:

  • Popularly sautéed and flavored with garlic, light oils, red pepper, white wine, and lemon juice.
  • Kale raab pairs well with parmesan cheese, asparagus, red cabbage, purple carrots, onions, garlic, polenta, and pinto beans.

Check out:

How to Knead Dough

How to's
  • Kneading dough helps the bread you are making become chewy and elastic
  • To start kneading dough make sure you have a clean countertop to work on
  • Often you will use flour to coat your work surface and hands to keep the dough from sticking
  • Begin by placing your dough on your workspace
  • Next, you’ll use the palm and heel of your hand to push the dough forward and into the counter
  • Turn the dough 180 degrees and repeat the process
  • You can now knead dough!!

Brussel Sprouts

How to's

Select. Look for sprouts that are green and firm with tightly closed leaves. Note that while yellowed leaves may mean the sprouts are a bit past their prime, they’re still edible and safe to eat. 

Wash. Briefly soak sprouts in a large bowl of cold water to loosen any dirt or debris. Transfer sprouts to a colander and rinse clean with cold water. Pat dry. Store in a resealable container or bag in the refrigerator for up to 1-1.5 weeks.

Cut. Trim ends of sprouts if desired. The entire sprout is edible when cooked, though some find the stem to be a bit less tender and flavorful. Halve Brussels sprouts lengthwise. If serving raw, cut into very thin slices – perfect for salads or slaws! 

Cook. One vegetable, multiple preparation methods! Try roasted, sautéed, steamed, gratin, or raw. 

How to… 

Roast: halve or quarter the sprouts. Toss with olive oil. Season and scatter each sprout on a baking sheet so they don’t overlap. Put in the oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Toss every 10 minutes for 25-30 minutes or until browned and crispy. 

Steam: Halve sprouts. Fill a wide pot with a few inches of water and add a metal steamer basket. (Don’t have a basket? No worries! Visit food-hacks.wonderhowto.com/how-to/steam-food-without steamer-basket-0161815 for ways to steam food without one). Bring water to a simmer, add sprouts, season, cover, and cook until bright green and tender, about 8-10 minutes. 

Gratin: Roast Brussels sprouts for 12-15 minutes with alliums like garlic, onion, or shallots at 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove from oven and top with cream, melty cheese like white cheddar or gruyere, and bread crumbs, then pop back in the oven for another 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. 

Raw: Great for slaws and salads! Halve sprouts lengthwise and cut into very thin slices. Top with olive oil, cheese, nuts, and maybe something sweet like dried fruit.