You’ll want to add this ginger, star anise and bird chili infused asian hot pepper vinegar to everything! It is so good and can jazz up the plainest of dishes or fill the empty space when a dish just needs a certain je ne sais quoi. I love it in stir fries, with a touch of sugar and tamari, you’ve got yourself a full on yummy sauce. Its delicious added to thai soups and curries, added to salad dressings, sautéed vegetables, the list goes on. You can try infusing vinegar with different hot peppers and spices for a different effect. Garlic, peppercorn, and habanero infused white wine vinegar is great for more South American style. Get creative! Hot pepper vinegars are a chefs bestie!
These pickles are infuriatingly beautiful. Our distinctly red exterior white interior radish has made love with it’s brine and they have become one. Why am I always giving vegetables human tendencies? Probably the same reason everyone I meet gets associated with an animal. I’m a pro at this, go ahead send me your photo to analyze, not my fault if your totem is a turkey. My infant son has no animal, so far hes gone from alien to peanut. Really why do little babies resemble peanuts SO. Much. I digress. Love these purdy pink pickles, they are some special and unique. Coriander, all spice, habanero chile. Zing! Jamaican jerk spice inspired pickles to the core. I hope you love them as much as I do, and desire to eat them on everything. They are quite satisfying with any fattier cut of meat or something rich and cheesy.
Apple cider vinegar was my choice as it is so healing and delicious. In the past when I was vegetarian I suffered from low HcL (hydrochloric acid) which is the healthy stomach acid that does the great initial job of breaking down our food. Funny enough, the condition of acid reflux is typically cause by low HcL. Products like (insert chalky sweet candy like substance here) actually exacerbate the condition and make matters worse over time. The best remedy is truly, apple cider vinegar, with each meal until your stomach acid is able to regulate itself to a point where you don’t experience the reflux effect. Tantalizing stuff right? Long story short, that’s just one of the therapeutic uses ACV has.
Now I know you must be wondering if you could pickle these using the wild fermentation technique, aka, substitute vinegar and sugar for a salty brine and allow to ferment at room temperature for several weeks, resulting in a delightfully probiotic super powerful veg substance. The answer is yes. But you need to consider the intensity of the spices won’t be quite the same since they aren’t heated in any matter. However an equally flavourful addition would be some fresh garlic and pepper corns or caraway seeds or hot chilis. Today I am hooking you guys up with 2 recipes for these spicy pickled radishes, one wild-fermentation version and one quick pickled vinegar version, yeehaw!
Mix together the water and salt until the salt is dissolved, mix in habanero.
In a large mason jar or 2 smaller mason jars, add the radishes, distribute the peppercorns evenly.
Cover with the salt water brine mixture, leaving a bit of space at the top but making sure the radishes are completely covered with brine.
My habit it to bang the bottom of the jars on a table a few times to force any air bubble to rise to the surface. Seal well and allow to sit at room temperature anywhere from 2 days to 2 weeks. Check them often to taste and see if they are "ready" for your palates perspective.
Today is just another one of those days where I really shouldn’t be on pinterest looking at any food that isn’t ‘whole 30’. For some reason all I want is a donut. I don’t even eat donuts, unless pregnant. AH! I just don’t want to eat another piece of dried fruit. There’s no sugar in the house aside from a little container of cinnamon sugar that is sounding mighty appealing. Oh dear, I hope this starts getting easier. (more…)
Today I thinned some of the arugula and swiss chard in my garden. The result of this is heaps of delicate, delicious little gems also known as ‘micro greens’. These are the epitome of cute vegetables. One of these, beside my baby boys face and no adorable puppy snuggling a pigeon can compare in cuteness. On top of that, little bitty micro greens make a fine salad, from something most people toss to the side! The radishes were also ready for harvest, big cherry bells full of spice. Purslane starting to crawl it’s across all shady spots, a common weed, filled with succulent omega-3 goodness. I can’t tell you how happy it makes me to dig my hands in to the earth. Something in my soul just feels so completed, so content, so filled with wonder and hope for the future. Gardening can seem daunting to some, but I feel it is a really therapeutic and fulfilling use of free time. My dream is to someday have a huge garden with so much extra to give away. That’s what it’s all about, sharing the bounty, spreading the seeds.
Cheese making is more of an art than an exact science. No matter how sterile and by the book, the home cheese maker will never reproduce the same cheese twice. Because there are various different bacteria floating around which will inherently change the taste of your cheese. The amount of humidity in your home can also play a part. In hot countries people don’t typically eat much cheese because it ripens too fast. Mexico is famous for the simple cheese queso fresco, India for paneer, both of which can be made very quickly. (more…)
This is pure green goodness with a wicked name. It’s origin is Argentinian and is typically served on grilled meats. On it’s own you would think chimichurri is uber intense, but on rice, or meat or in a dressing it is lovely. (more…)
Hey I'm Chantelle, my alter ego would be a mermaid if I wasn't such a terrible swimmer. I love writing authentically and cooking in my pyjamas. My favourite pastimes include eating avocados, travelling the world and hanging out with a toddler.
