the joy of soy (milk)

I decided to temporarily go dairy-free about 3 months ago.  That would explain why my pantry currently houses hazelnut milk, almond milk, and soy milk.  The hazelnut milk I purchased is my favorite because it is roasted and creamy compared to the other nut milks.  I'm not a big fan of commercial almond or soy milk as they tend to be one dimensional, diluted, and have an unpleasant raw taste.  I figure now is a good a time as any to dust off that old knowledge of soy milk making.  I would guess that hazelnut and almond milk are made in a similar fashion.  Aside from cooking the soy milk on the stove instead of of steaming it, this is how my mom taught me to make soy milk.

Mmm...fresh soy milk!

Grass Jelly

Soy milk with Grass Jelly

Homemade Soy Milk
Yields:  Approximately 2 1/2 gallons

2 lbs dried soybeans
2 1/2 gallons or more of cold water
3 or more cups of sugar
a large strainer
a large muslin bag
a wooden spoon
2 large stock pots that will hold over a gallon of liquid

1.  Rinse your soybeans two to three times in cold water.  Add enough water to allow the beans to expand over twice their size.  Allow to soak for at least 8 hours or overnight.
2.  The next day, rinse beans and drain off all the water.
3.  Fill blender bowl with 2 cups of the soybeans.  Add water to about the 4 or 5 cup fill line and blend for 1-2 minutes on high or until your beans are a fine grind.
4.  Over a large stock pot, line your strainer with the muslin bag.  Pour raw soy milk into your clean muslin bag, twisting and squeezing to get all the soy milk out.  Dump out the grind.  Repeat until all the beans have been pulverized.
5.  Heat raw soy milk in stock pots over medium heat until it is cooked, about 1 hour.  Stir occasionally.  Do not allow the soy milk to boil since it could burn.  Add sugar to taste.  You can skim off the stuff on top or re-strain the liquid through your muslin bag if you are concerned about aesthetics.  Once cooled pour into containers and refrigerate.

I remember drinking soymilk with grass jelly as a child.  Grass jelly is similar to the canned jellied cranberry sauce, but black in color.  To me, it has a slightly bitter taste, reminiscent to rooibos tea.  Try to drink it quickly if you use grass jelly or your soymilk will turn an unappetizing gray color. 

Notes:
I think the creamier soy milk tastes so much better, so keep in mind that you can always use less water to make your soy milk.  Use your sense of smell to determine when the soy milk is done.  Soy milk has a raw nut smell at the beginning which is replaced with a different earthier smell as it is heated/cooked.

kickin' kimchi

I tried making kimchi in the past and like many of my creations, was afraid to truly eat it.  I did a little taste test and found it to be pretty good, but threw it out due to a sudden germ phobia.  Weird since I wanted to make kimchi for it's naturally occurring beneficial bacteria.  So I gave it another whirl and once again came up with pretty good kimchi.  It wasn't as tart as I had hoped, so next time I will leave it out on the counter for another day or so before refrigerating it.  It has been sitting in my fridge for over a week now but still hasn't ripened to a desired degree.  I like to eat it with a very salty or slightly sweet and salty meaty dish and rice; something like this Carmelized Shrimp and Pork Belly works good (make sure you open ALL your windows or have great ventilation when cooking with fish sauce...consider yourself forewarned!).

Here is my half gallon of kimchi made from Dr. Ben Kim's recipe. I used the Korean pepper I purchased for my first batch a year or two ago, but it wasn't as brightly colored as in the past due to oxidization from being stored.  It's still good, though.

A close up view of what it looks like.  Pretty authentic, eh?

Kickin' Kimchi

Adapted from Dr. Ben Kim

Yields: About half a gallon

2-3 lb head of Napa cabbage
1/3 cup sea salt, pickling salt, or Kosher salt
Water
1/4 - 1/2 cup fine Korean red chili flakes (do not use regular hot pepper flakes)

1 small daikon radish, sliced into thick matchsticks, optional
1-2 carrots, sliced into thick matchsticks, optional
1-2 tbps minced garlic
1-2 tbsp minced ginger
5-6 green onions, sliced
2 tablespoons anchovy or fish sauce (optional)
1/2 yellow onion
1/2 ripe apple
1/2 ripe pear

 

1. Slice cabbage in half along its length and then chop along the width into 1 1/2 inch bite-size pieces.

2. Dissolve a half cup of salt in a bowl of warm water, then pour salt water over cabbage leaves. Give cabbage a gentle toss to distribute salt water. Allow salted cabbage to sit for at least four hours.

3. Give cabbage a good rinse to remove excess salt, then transfer cabbage to a large bowl.

4. Combine a half cup of fine red chili flakes with warm water, stir gently with a spoon to create a red chili paste, then transfer chili paste to cabbage.

5. Add daikon, carrots, garlic, ginger, green onions, and fish sauce.

6. Blend yellow onion, apple, and pear with one cup of water, then add this natural sweetener to the cabbage.

7. Put on a pair of plastic gloves and give everything a thorough toss and rubdown. You want to evenly distribute all ingredients, especially the red chili paste.

8. Transfer seasoned cabbage leaves into a large glass bottle. Be sure to use firm pressure with your hands to push down on cabbage leaves as they stack up inside the bottle. 

Transfer any liquid that accumulated during the mixing process into the bottle as well - this liquid will become kimchi brine. Some liquid will also come out of the cabbage leaves as you press down on them as they are stacked in the bottle.
 

Be sure to leave about 2 inches of room at the top of the bottle before capping it tightly with a lid. Allow bottle of kimchi to sit at room temperature for 24-48 hours or longer, depending on how warm the room is.  The warmer the environment, the faster the kimchi will ferment.

9. Your kimchi is now ready to eat. Refrigerate and take out portions as needed. The refrigerated kimchi will continue to ferment slowly in the refrigerator over time. So long as you use clean utensils to take out small portions, it will keep for up to a month in your refrigerator.

I didn't add carrots this time, but I will next time.  I also tried making his Cucumber Kim Chi, which came out really good.  Unfortunately, I don't have pictures of it due to camera issues.

groovy ghee

Just like bacon, ghee makes everything taste better.  Although I am avoiding dairy products, I make an exception for ghee since the finished product doesn't really contain dairy, per se.  If you have not tried ghee melted over white and gold corn (from Target), you have not lived.  I just nuke the corn for a few minutes, then add a large heaping spoon of ghee, freshly ground black pepper, and salt then chow down like there is no tomorrow.  I have been known to eat a large bowl of this for dinner.  It's that good, peeps.  Also a dollop of this in a large mug of mulled cider or hot buttered rum is yummo (spiced buttered cider recipe below)!  I have a bottle sitting on my counter ready to cook or eat with.  Try it and you may never go back to butter again.

Here is a picture of my new batch of ghee with the older batch in the background.  The new batch is still warm and has not had time to solidify yet.  

 Ghee
Yields:  2 cups

1 lb unsalted butter
1 disposable coffee filter

Melt butter in a heavy medium-sized sauce pan over medium heat.  During the first 10-15 minutes, a light foam will rise to the top of the butter.  As it continues to cook, the foam will dissipate.  Let it continue to gently simmer/boil until the butter has turned a golden color and has developed a nutty aroma.  At this point, you should see the milk solids settle to the bottom of the pan.  Keep an eye on this stage as it could easily go from being done to burning (I've done this a couple of times, so I know).  It should take about 30 minutes total to turn the butter to ghee.  Allow to cool.

Line a small strainer with a clean disposable coffee filter and place over a jar that will hold about 16 oz of liquid.  Strain the ghee into the jar.  Cap once ghee is completely cooled.  This should keep for at least a month or more on your counter.

suck up the rum and spit out the cider

We have had a great winter with mild weather that was conducive to shorts and T-shirts.  But the cold weather finally made an appearance, beckoning our inner lushes.  It is perfect weather for hot buttered rum or mulled cider, no?  Something about these hot drinks warm the soul.  Long after the holidays, I am still drinking what I have dubbed "spiced buttered cider".

Spiced Buttered Cider

2 cups premium cider (not from concentrate)
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1 cinnamon stick
2 tbsp ghee or unsalted butter
1 oz dark rum, NOT OPTIONAL...hahaha!
maple syrup, dark brown sugar, amber agave, or orange honey to sweeten, optional
vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, optional

In a small saucepan, heat cider, ground spices, and cinnamon stick.  While cider is heating, pour rum into a thick mug or glass and add ghee.  Stir contents of saucepan, removing from heat before rolling boil, and pour contents into mug.  Add sweetener and/or ice cream or whipped cream.  Bottoms up!  Make sure to drink it while it is still warm.  If you let it cool too much, the butter/ghee will coagulate, which is not appetizing.  If this happens, just reheat in the microwave for a couple of minutes.

Notes:  I am heavy handed on the spices, so please go easy if you've not built up tolerance like I have.  I did not top my cider with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream because I am currently on a dairy-free diet.

chillin' with chili

I have never liked chili growing up.  It wasn't until this last Christmas when I was with friends at an Old Chicago in Kansas that I finally found a chili worthy of my taste buds.  Wowie!  Thereafter, my search for the perfect chili recipe ensues.  The only chili recipe post I can find from Old Chicago is for their Winter Chili, which is nothing like what they serve in their restaurant.  So yeah, I used what was given but totally bastardized the recipe since I cannot leave well enough alone.  It came out quite good!  I love the addition of bigger chunks of meat utilized in this recipe instead of just the regular ground beef we normally get with chili. 

But first, allow me to relay the adventure of shopping for ingredients.  Beer.  I had to it hunt down.  Unlike most people whom wake up for and fall asleep with beer, I am clueless.  Beer, lager, ale, stout, amber?  Whah?!?  After stalking the wall of liquor at my local Albertson's I grabbed a German variety with a picture of a girl on it.  If its a German beer with a buxom maiden on it, then it must be good, right?  Consider my beer shopping done.

Next up, flank steak.  Huh?  In chili?  Okay, I've heard of flank steak, but nothing I am looking at in the meat cooler says flank steak.  I see all kinds of words to describe various types of meat/steak, but nothing that says "flank steak" specifically.  Time to phone a friend.  Bettina, who is in the restaurant industry, thinks it must be a tough meat so she suggested I get a comparable tough meat as it probably requires a long cooking time.  Sounds good to me.  I picked up some part of a beef shoulder or something like that.

Okay, so by now I realize I am not quite the cook I tell people.  Sure I've got some amazing meals up my sleeves, but if I had to cook with beer or big chunks of meat, I am lost.  You'd think all that Food Network watching would have taught me something.  In my defense, if I had to cook with alcohol, it is normally wine, never beer.  Not saying I'm a wine connoisseur, but if it is called for in a recipe, I can usually find a bottle of pinot grigio or cabernet sauvignon.  What can I say?  I'm not as sophisticated as I pretend.

Below is the modified recipe I came up with.  Please, please, please do not triple the recipe unless you are feeding a million people.  Don't ask me how I know.

Chunky Chili  

Adapted from Old Chicago's Winter Chili
Yields: 16 servings

6 tbsp oil (I used bacon grease because everyone knows bacon is mmmmm!)
1 medium sized yellow onion, chopped
1 poblano pepper,diced

1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 1/2 lbs ground chili beef (I found this bigger ground at a Mexican grocer)
1 lb steak (thinly sliced beef shoulder or sirloin tip steak), cut into half inch pieces
2 tbsp chili seasoning

1 tsp dried oregano

2 tsp cumin

½ tbsp smoked paprika
2 tbsp garlic, minced
3.5 oz can chipotle pepper in adobo, pureed (use ¼ cup for less heat)
2 small cubes of beef bouillon
1 (12 oz)  bottle lager
3 (14 ½ ounce) cans fire roasted tomatoes

1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed

1 (15 oz) can red or kidney beans, rinsed
water as needed, optional
1 1/2 -3 tsp Kosher salt

1 tsp freshly ground pepper

Toppings:
Sour cream
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Diced red onion

1.  In a large pot, add oil, onions, poblano and green peppers. Sauté for 2 minutes or until onions are translucent.

2.  Add ground beef, cubed steak, chili seasoning, oregano, cumin, smoked paprika, garlic, and chipotle puree.

3.  When meat is browned, add beef bouillon and beer. Stir well.

4.  Add tomatoes, tomato paste, beans, and water (optional). Stir well and let simmer for 1 ½ to 2 hours. Stir occasionally.  Add more water as needed.

5.  Add 1 1/2 tsp salt and pepper, more if desired.

6.  Serve hot in bowl with sour cream, cheese, and onion.

Note:  
I did not add the toppings listed to my chili mainly because I am currently shunning all dairy products.  Oh, but how I miss cheese.