Thanksgiving 2015: The Day After-Increasingly Grateful

Another Thanksgiving has come and gone. For only the 4th time in the last 25 years, I did not have to work in a professional kitchen feeding the masses - just a low-key 3 people this year.  I have been fortunate that I was still able to join my family for a Thanksgiving meal most prior years, albeit at a table in the dining room of where I happened to be working.  Delicious, but far from relaxing, or "enjoyable."  Usually a few hasty mouthfuls of food, interrupted by antsy glances around the dining room; far more concerned about what the diners at other tables and the service staff were doing than with enjoying the company of my family or my meal.

Needless to say, this year I was able to relax and enjoy the day.  And as I didn't have to worry about keeping the various "plates spinning," as required by running a restaurant, I was able to focus on the holiday and my family for a change of pace.  In my pain au chocolat induced meditative state what this year's Thanksgiving really meant, hit me.

From 2006 until last spring, we had lived in northern New Hampshire, in what can only be described as the quintessential New England ski town...and in the heart of the New Hampshire ski industry.  In addition to working on the holiday, Thanksgiving had been THE day of transition; from little rural town to bustling, throbbing ski town.  I would spend the next 4-1/2 months working well in excess of 90 hours per week to feed those masses of skiers.  My wife would work 7-days a week until the first weekend of April coaching budding ski racers.  It was an exaggerated version of fishing-while-the-fish-are-biting resulting in not seeing family members for days on end.

We put our family on hold for the entire winter.

But this year is different.  For the first time in her life, my daughter has me around on the weekends, (much to her pre-teen chagrin, I assure you).  My wife has days off.  We eat dinner together, as a family, almost every night of the week.  I feel like an active participant in my family...not just a lodger or occasional visitor.

And for that I am truly grateful.

Pickled and Fermented Fennel with Cherries

Most great pickles started as a way to preserve the bounty of a harvest for the bleaker months.  In a modern sense, chefs are starting to make pickles out of the bounty of what they have in their refrigerators; either due to the bounty of harvest, or a bout of over-ordering.

These pickles evolved from the latter: somebody's shopping cart was bigger than their menu.

This method uses a combination of Sandor Katz's "sauerkraut method" (salting and pressing vegetables for lacto-fermentation) and vinegar pickles, and is super easy to prepare.  The hardest part of pickling is waiting for them to be ready!

Fennel-Cherry Pickles

1     tsp.          Whole coriander seeds
1     tsp.          Whole mustard seeds
1     Tbsp.       Whole fennel seeds

1     pound     Dark or Rainier cherries; stems removed, pits removed, and halved
1/2  head       Fennel; cored and sliced thinly (stalks and fronds included)

2     Tbsp.       Kosher salt
1/4  Cup         Sugar in the Raw

as needed       Bragg's Cider Vinegar (optional)



Place whole coriander, mustard, and fennel seeds in a small skillet; toast over medium heat, shaking the pan every few seconds, until the aroma of fennel is apparent.  Remove from heat and let cool.

While the spices are cooling combine the cherries, fennel, salt and sugar in a non-reactive bowl and toss to thoroughly distribute the salt and sugar.  Add the dried spices and mix again.  Transfer to a non-reactive container.  Using your hands press down on the mixture until it releases enough liquid to cover the mixture, (much easier than it sounds, you will want to "crush" and mash the mixture a little).  Cover with cheesecloth, or a clean-breathable cloth, and leave for an hour; after an hour if the fennel-cherry mixture has not released enough liquid to cover, top off with a little distilled water.  Cover the container with the cheesecloth/clean cloth again, and secure with a rubber band.  Let the fennel-cherries stand at room temperature for 2-3 days, or until bubbles start to form (this is good.  That means the lacto fermentation is going strong and producing CO2)

After this initial fermentation, taste your pickles (use a clean utensil to remove the pickles from the container, lest you introduce bad bacteria into you pickles).  If you are happy with the flavor, transfer to a clean container and cover tightly; refrigerate for 2-4 weeks or pressure can for long-term storage.

If you want to go "funkier" replace the cloth cover and let stand until you are happy with their flavor (using the prescribed method for taste testing above).  When you feel they are ready, cover-refrigerate, or can for storage.

This is delicious served with chili rubbed and grilled pork.

NOTE: you can adjust the acidity with apple cider vinegar, but is not neccessary

In a pickle...

Much to my delight my employer came to me last week with the request that they would like to eat more fermented foods.  While I am no Sandor Katz, fermented foods are my jam (so to speak).  And as luck would have it, I was bequeathed several bags of heirloom tomatoes and cucumbers fresh from the garden less than 24 hours earlier.

First thought: Ma' Beers' Pickles.  Sweet and sour pickles, (think bread and butter pickles with more spices and depth of flavor), that I have been making professionally for over a decade.

Done.

Then the tomatoes.  I had planned on making a salad or roasting/dehydrating them, and then I thought, "why not pickle them, too?" So I embarked upon the pickling process only to find that my vinegar supply was woefully low (I like to use rice wine vinegar to pickle tomatoes). At this point it became a "mystery basket" competition, assessing what foodstuffs I had at my disposal and creating something delicious.  I realized that I had a couple of scallions that needed to be used up, as well as a piece of fresh ginger, and a tub of organic shiro miso.  Time to create my improv version of the traditional Japanese pickle: misozuke.

While ginger-miso-tomatoes may sound a little out there, the results are delicious.  And with the onset of tomato season, everyone needs a way to process those excess fruits of summertime.  And these are K.I.S.S easy to make.

Improv Misozuke
1-1/2 pounds          tomatoes, washed, cored, and medium-diced (about 4 cups)
2        each              scallions, sliced thin (about 1 cup)
1/4     cup               shiro miso
2        Tbsp             sliced-peeled ginger root (about a 2" piece)
          pinch            crushed red chili flakes

Place all ingredients in a non-reactive container and mix to thoroughly combine.  Press down on the vegetables and make sure they are submerged below the miso/liquid that is in the container; use a clean towel to clean the sides of the inside of the container (to prevent any spills from becoming moldy).  Cover the container with cheesecloth (or breathable clean cloth) and secure with a rubber band or twine; place in a dark cool place (mine were kept at 76F) for 2-3 days or until bubbles are starting to form at the surface.  At this point remove the cheesecloth and cover the container; the pickles can be stored in the refrigerator for 2-4 weeks or canned for longer storage.


NOTE:  you can also skip the fermentation process if you prefer; miso-tomato salad is delicious too, warm or cold