Carrot Kohlrabi and Arugula Salad

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The first time I tasted Kohlrabi (aka German Turnip) was in Germany. A raw piece of this green round multi stemmed vegetable was proffered like a slice of apple. I was pleasantly surprised as this was a new and somewhat foreign vegetable for me. After a heavy meat laden week with them ( it’s Germany) , this fresh offering was welcome. Certain Someones parents  have  a garden, a Scherbergartan (allotment garden) in their family for about the past 50 years.His grandfather was the original gardener, and when he died , his parents took it over. It’s hard work and the garden yields a lot of fruits and vegetables. Approximately 4 million  Germans have Scherbergartens . Originally the concept can  be attributed to Dr. Daniel Moritz Scherber and Karl Gessel.  Family gardens allowed working class city dwellers to have a plot of land  to grow fruit and vegetables . The small houses in the garden provide a weekend getaway and respite from the city. For Dr. Scherber it was all about fresh air and educating children.

After that first taste I never had Kohlrabi again unfortunately. Not  until it showed up my organic delivery box. I really didn’t want to cook it . My friends on Twitter suggested a myriad of ideas from making a gratin , pickling it, or just eating it raw. I decided to shred it like a slaw with some vinaigrette ( another brilliant suggestion) and other vegetables from the box. Paired with peppery Arugula, this salad is just perfect for summer.

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Carrot Kohlrabi and Arugula Salad

Serves 2

  • 1 Kohlrabi ( skinned and grated)
  • 2 carrots ( skinned and grated)
  • 1 red bell pepper , Julienned
  • Arugula

Vinaigrette

  • 1 part red wine vinegar
  • 1 part olive oil
  • 1/8 tsp mustard powder
  • 1/8 tsp garlic powder
  • dried herbs
  • salt and pepper to taste
  1. In a bowl mix your grated  carrots and kohlrabi .
  2. Mix up your Vinaigrette ingredients and toss.
  3. Toss in with the Arugula.
  4. Serve.

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Chicago Culinary Weekend Events…Sears Chef Challenge

If you’re in Chicago and looking for some culinary related activity check this out! Also , yours truly will be doing a live demo this Saturday at the 61st St Farmers Market at 10 am.

Here is the information for the Sears Event:

On Saturday, July 31 at 7 p.m. CT, you and your readers are invited to watch the four national semi-finalists in the Sears Chef Challenge compete head-to-head in a LIVE cooking competition at the Kenmore Live Studio to be crowned the king or queen of the kitchen. Free to the public, attendees at this event will enjoy delicious food, interactive activities and exciting recipe demonstrations from each of the competing chefs.

Following a nationwide search and online vote, America has chosen the Sears Chef Challenge semi-finalist chefs that will be competing to raise money for local charities in their hometowns, as well as earn a spot to move on to the Sears Chef Challenge Championship Final on November 6. The four chefs will represent their local cities as they compete live by completing a variety of special culinary challenges during the Semi-Final event. The semi-finalist chefs will then be scored by a panel of expert, culinary judges.

What: Sears Chef Challenge Semi-Final Event Cooking Competition

About The Sears Chef Challenge

The Sears Chef Challenge (www.searschefchallenge.com) is a nationwide contest that aims to find the nation’s next up and coming chef by inviting aspiring chefs to enter for a chance to win a newly-renovated kitchen from Sears and up to $20,000 donated in their name to a charity food bank in their hometown.

Semi-Finalist Chef Contestants:

Chef Mark Maassen — Representing Chicago

Chef Steph Krzywanski — Representing Washington D.C.

Chef Riq Glispy — Representing New York

Chef Palak Patel — Representing Los Angeles

Date: July 31, 2010 at 7 p.m. CST

Cost: Free – Open to Public

Location:

Kenmore Live Studio

678 N Wells St.

Chicago, Illinois

Rustic Pork and Rabbit Terrine

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Before we get into my terrine, I want to announce the winner of my Nordic Ware Giveaway.

The winner is….Anali!

RANDOM.ORG – List Randomizer

Congratulations  Anali and enjoy. Nordic Ware really is popular and these will be cherished tools for a long time in your baking.

Now back to the post at hand.I love the art of Charcuterie and the terrine. When I was about 12 years old I even made my own first terrine, after seeing some article in a magazine. I don’t know how or what propelled me to do it, but my mother carried it off to some office picnic, and she brought back good reviews.It was a heavy pork and garlic loaded pate.No one really believed her child made a pate , let alone knew what one was. I was precocious. I had a special Mother that encouraged my gifts and whims. Those latent forces are back at work twenty nine years later. This time I have some extra tools and gadgets to do a better  job. Like this beautiful Le Creuset Foie Gras Terrine with press. Isn’t it beautiful?

I knew pork  and some sort of liver would be a major component. But I decide to throw some rabbit in the mix. This was my first time working with rabbit and I wasn’t very good de boning it. My intent was to put large medallions of the saddle in the center, but I couldn’t get that cut. Nevertheless it all went into the meat grinder with a few chucks of larger pieces here and there. Most terrine recipes are complicated affairs. I confess , I skipped a lot of the fuss and stocks, extra wraps of fat /bacon.etc . The end result still came out with a rich , moist, and rustic terrine. Baked in a water batch slowly, and then pressed to extract the excess fat, the end result was redolent of garlic and green peppercorns, and hearty. Perfect on a hot day to serve  chilled with wines , cheese, and fruits.

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Rustic Pork and Rabbit Terrine

  • 1 rabbit
  • 1.5 lbs pork belly ( no skin)
  • 1 pint of chicken livers
  • 1/2 fist of garlic (4-5 cloves)
  • 1/2 cup cognac
  • 1 tablespoon green peppercorns
  • 1 teaspoon dried Thyme
  • Sea Salt to taste

Equipment needed:

Meat grinder or food processor

Terrine or loaf baking dish.

  1. De bone your rabbit and cut into small pieces. Leave some pieces larger  to not grind. Be sure to save and freeze your carcass for soup or stews later on.
  2. Cut up  the pork belly.
  3. In a large container with lid , add the cut up  pork belly, rabbit( not the larger pieces), and chicken livers. Add garlic, Thyme, salt, green peppercorns, and cognac. Cover and allow to marinate in the refrigerator over night.
  4. Grind all your meats including the livers, with the peppercorns  and garlic with a coarse grind.
  5. Preheat oven to 400 F.
  6. Line your terrine pan with parchment paper. Cut slashes and each corner  and insert in pan to line completely.
  7. Gently pack in you ground meat into terrine while adding a few layers of the larger rabbit pieces periodically.
  8. Pack until full. Top with another sheet of parchment paper.
  9. Cover terrine with lid. If using a baking loaf pan, wrap with heavy aluminum foil.
  10. Bake in a water bath (pan  in another larger pan with hot water) at 325  for approximately 1.5 hours.
  11. Take out.
  12. Take a  foil brick or the terrines press  and  press the terrine in the pan. If using the terrines press, place books or a brick on to weight down.
  13. Press until cooled down .
  14. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Serve with :

  • Crusty bread
  • Wine
  • Cheese
  • Gherkins
  • Pickled Vegetables
  • Mustard
  • Fruits
  • Crackers
  • On a bed of lettuce

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Fried Green Tomato Sandwich with Bacon

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Consider this a creative variation of a BLT sandwich.In this case I skipped the L (lettuce). I love fried green tomatoes with a spicy remoulade. Having purchased some , with a slab of hickory bacon , the creative juices were flowing.I posted about Fried Green tomatoes before. Paired with a sweet and spicy remoulade, this sandwich is full of tangy zip. So if you like fried green tomatoes and want an usual sandwich, try this . If you don’t eat bacon , try substituting turkey bacon instead. Enjoy.

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Perfect Fried Green Tomatoes

4 green tomatoes
1 cup buttermilk or 1 cup milk with a few tsp of vinegar/lemon juice
( allow to sit for 5 minutes or more)
2 eggs lightly beaten
1 cup corn meal
salt
1 tsp cayenne pepper
vegetable oil

  1. Prep your station with a dish of buttermilk, a dish of
    beaten egg, and a dish of corn meal .
  2. Mix 1 tsp of cayenne
    and salt in the corn meal.
  3. Slice green tomatoes into 1/2
    inch rounds.
  4. Dip each slice first in buttermilk, then egg, then
    dredge in cornmeal.
  5. Heat approx 1/2 cup of vegetable oil in a fry pan.
  6. Fry tomato
    slices until golden and crispy on each side.
  7. Drain finished pieces
    on paper towels.
  8. Sprinkle with additional salt if desired.
  9. Set aside until assembly of sandwich.

Spicy Sweet Remoulade

  • 1/3 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 teaspoon Sriracha
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  1. Combine all ingredients and mix.
  2. Chill until ready to use.

Assembly of Sandwich

Components Needed:

  1. Bread of choice ( Italian loaf, sandwich roll, kaiser roll, etc)
  2. 3 strips of crispy bacon for each sandwich
  3. 2-3 slices of fried green tomato
  4. Remoulade to spread

Spread Remoulade on each slice of bread. Place the fried green tomato slices. Top with bacon.

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Bread and Butter Pickles…My Way

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A few of you may know I volunteer at the 61st Street Farmers Market when my schedule permits. It’s been  a few weeks since my last shift and I was so happy to see such an abundance. What a difference a few weeks make in the growing season. Naturally I loaded up and went to town preserving the taste of summer with my beautiful Weck jars.

I don’t particularly care for sweet pickles. Give me a big sour Kosher dill pickle and I’m happy. But I decided to do a sweet pickle because I purchased a combination of various cucumbers. One being a beautiful sweet white variety. I looked at some recipes and played around and I decided to use all white vinegar, as I don’t like the taste of apple cider vinegar when I’m pickling. Odd, but that’s me.

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Bread and Butter Pickles

makes 4  1/5 liter jars

  • 8 or nine small cucumbers for pickles ( equivalent to 2 punnets in size) ( try to get a variety )
  • 1/3 cup salt
  • 1 onion sliced thinly in rings
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon  whole all spice
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • 2 tablespoon hot mustard seeds
  • 1 teaspoon dried garlic
  • 1 teaspoon dill
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  1. Slice cucumbers into rings , preferably with a ripple cut. Slice onion thinly.
  2. In a bowl, put the cucumbers and onions. Add salt and cover with  cold water to cover. Cover with lid and let sit for about 3-4 hours.
  3. Sterilize your jars and lids according to manufacturer instructions. Prepare your hot water bath.
  4. Drain the sliced cucumbers and onions.
  5. In a non reactive sauce pan, heat sugar, vinegar and spices.
  6. Pack your cucumber and onions.
  7. Pour hot vinegar/sugar solution with spices over the vegetables and  seal according to manufacturer instructions.
  8. Process in a  hot water bath for 10 minutes.
  9. Allow to cool on a rack  and leave undisturbed t seal overnight.
  10. Test/ check seals. Read how to see if sealed according to your jars manufacturer instructions.

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Don’t forget you have until next week to win a set of Three Nordic Ware Bundt Pans for my Housewarming Party for Coco-Cooks.com.