Hugh Acheson: Kimchi Creamed Collard Greens

I've been ordering Korean food on a semi-regular basis, and I always get extra kimchi.  It got me thinking about what I could use that extra kimchi in, besides the usual kimchi pancakes.  I googled around a little bit, and before long, I found this fabulous recipe.  If you're not a huge fan of kimchi on its own, don't worry, the kimchi just adds spice and a background umami flavor.  This is still delicious served with warm cornbread, Southern style.

Kimchi Creamed Collard Greens
From Chef Hugh Acheson, as seen in Food and Wine magazine, December 2013

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, cut into ¼-inch dice
½ pound bacon, cut into ¼-inch dice
2 pounds stemmed collard greens, leaves cut into 2-inch pieces
¼ cup sherry vinegar
1 tablespoon sorghum syrup or pure maple syrup
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups water
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
Salt
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup kimchi, finely chopped

In a large pot, heat the oil. Add the onion and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until golden brown, 7 minutes. Add the bacon and cook, stirring, until the fat has rendered, 10 minutes. Add the collards and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until it begins to wilt, 4 minutes. Add the vinegar and boil for 1 minute. Add the syrup, stock, water, crushed red pepper, and a large pinch of salt. Cover and cook, stirring a few times, until the collards are very tender, 1½ hours.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, simmer the cream over moderate heat until reduced by one-third, 10 minutes. Add the kimchi and remove from the heat.

When the collards are done, stir in the kimchi cream. Season with salt and serve.

Makes 8 servings

NY Times Cooking: Fried Okra With Rémoulade

Earlier this year, in the spring, I got this grand idea to plant a few okra plants and see what happened.  These things were maybe six inches tall when I bought them.  Those tiny plants grew into six foot okra trees, with stalks several inches in diameter.  I've never seen anything like it.  But they also prolifically spit out new okra pods every couple of days.  You can't really argue that they aren't a good pick for the garden.  But what to do with all of that okra?  Why, fry it up into crunchy morsels and dig in.

Note: Try and use the smallest okra pods you can find, only a couple of inches long.  They are the youngest and will be the most tender.

Fried Okra With Rémoulade

Adapted from NY Times Cooking

2 quarts canola oil, plus more as needed
2 cups buttermilk
2 tablespoons hot sauce, preferably Louisiana Hot Sauce
1 pound fresh okra, stem ends trimmed, cut crosswise into ½-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup fine or medium yellow cornmeal
2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning, preferably Slap Ya Mama
¼ teaspoon ground cayenne
Kosher salt, to taste

Rémoulade (see below)

Pour oil into a large pot with high sides and a lid, to a depth of a few inches. Heat oil over medium-high to 350°F.

While the oil is heating, combine the buttermilk and hot sauce in a large bowl. Place the cut okra into the buttermilk mixture and stir to coat.

In a large bowl, stir the flour, cornmeal, Cajun seasoning, and cayenne.

Working in 4 separate batches, dredge the soaked okra in the cornmeal mixture using your hands. Shake off the excess flour and place the okra onto a wire baking rack. After one to two dredgings of okra, use your hands or a slotted spoon to sift the flour and cornmeal mixture, removing any clumps. Finish coating the remaining okra.

Working in about 4 batches, making sure to not crowd the pot, fry the okra, stirring frequently, until crispy and golden, about 4 minutes. Take care not to burn it.

Remove okra using a spider and allow the okra to drain on two plates covered with paper towels. Immediately season okra with salt. Serve immediately with the rémoulade.

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Rémoulade

1 cup mayonnaise
¼ cup ketchup
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning, preferably Slap Ya Mama
1 teaspoon white white vinegar
1 teaspoon lemon juice

In a medium bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, Cajun seasoning, vinegar and lemon juice. (Makes about 1½ cups rémoulade.) Cover the sauce and chill it in the fridge until you serve.

Omnivore's Cookbook: Mapo Eggplant

Back in the spring, I decided that it would be a good idea to plant a Japanese eggplant in my raised garden bed.  Between that plant, the okra, and the poblano pepper, they have choked everything else out.  Thank goodness they're also fruiting prolifically.  But that means I have a ton of eggplants that need to be eaten.  Thank goodness for delicious dishes like this one.  And honestly, not a ton of work.

Note: I opted to use ground bean paste (not spicy) instead of doubanjiang (spicy).  I still put the full amount of chili oil in the mixture, and it came out with a nice burn that doesn't peel the skin off your tongue.  If you love spicy, I would recommend using the spicy paste and as much chili oil as you can handle.  I also fried the eggplant pieces in some peanut oil before I started.  This was a recommendation from the blog author to keep the eggplant piece from falling apart, but is definitely not required.

Mapo Eggplant
Adapted from Omnivore's Cookbook blog

1 pound Chinese/Japanese eggplants, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tablespoon peanut oil
2 teaspoons Sichuan peppercorns
1 pound ground pork
1½ to 2 tablespoons ground bean paste or doubanjiang

4 green onions, sliced (reserve some of the green part for garnish)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch piece ginger, minced
1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
1 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon chili oil
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons water

Add the oil and Sichuan peppercorns to a large skillet and cook over medium heat. Let the peppercorns cook until they are fragrant and turn brown, about 5 minutes. Remove the peppercorns using a spatula without removing the oil, and transfer them into a small bowl.

Add the ground pork and spread it across the pan. Top with the ground bean paste or doubanjiang. Let the pork cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute until the bottom turns golden. Stir with the paste and cook until the pork is almost cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes.

Add the green onions, ginger, and garlic. Continue cooking for another 30 seconds to a minute to release the fragrance.  Pour in the Shaoxing wine. Immediately use your spatula to scrape off any browned bits from the pan.

Add the eggplant, stock, chili oil, soy sauce, and sugar. Stir gently to incorporate everything. Bring to a boil, then cover. Simmer over medium-low heat until the eggplant is cooked through, about 7 minutes. Carefully taste one piece of eggplant to make sure it reaches your desired texture. Let cook a bit longer if needed.

Mix the cornstarch and water together in a small bowl and stir until fully dissolved. Drizzle over the sauce and turn the heat back to medium. Stir constantly and cook until the sauce has thickened. Transfer everything to a serving plate. Garnish with the reserved green onion and fried Sichuan pepper.

Makes 4 servings