Ingredients:

• 2 heads napa cabbage
• 1/8 cup soy sauce
• 1/8 cup fish sauce
• 3 tbls sugar
• 3 tbls kosher salt
• 3 bunches of scallions
• 4 large carrots
• 1 large daikon radish (2" diameter X 7" long)
• 1 habanero 
• 1 1/2 dried congo chilies from Uncle Eddie or 3 tbls congo pepper paste
• 5-inch ginger piece
• 12 garlic cloves
• Vegetable culture starter or 2/3 cup Kimchi juice from the last batch
• 1/2 cup Korean chili powder

Ingredients:

• 75 grams dried Congo chiles from St. Eddie's garden, crushed
• 11 cloves of garlic, minced
  
• 1 tbls kosher salt
• 1/4 cup Kimchi juice
• 1 bottle of Sweet Riesling

Instructions:

• Combine all ingredients in a half-gallon mason jar. 
• Add lid with airlock and store at room temperature for 3-6 weeks.

Ingredients:

• 3 heads of cabbage. I like mixing the red and green cabbage.
• 3 tbls kosher salt
• Vegetable culture starter
• 1 tbls cumin seeds
• 1 tbls caraway seeds

Instructions:

• Chop the cabbage and combine with salt and spices. 
• Vacuum seal cabbage to allow the salt to draw out the liquid from the cabbage. Let sit for 1-2 hours. 
• Once the cabbage has wilted, combine with vegetable starter in two half-gallan mason jars. Then push all the ingredients below the liquid level, seal and store for 1-2 weeks at room temperature. 
• Cook up bratwursts on the grill and serve at a campfire in the spring sunshine. 

I love how that bright pink sauerkraut dresses up an otherwise beige plate. Plus, the probiotic benefits of the condiment is awesome. I am aiming to eat fermented foods with every meal. It's a delightful shift!

This winter was dark and mild, and we were inside a lot. Adam served up a tasty Vietnamese noodle soup time and again over the months. Here is a post dedicated to the juxtaposition of Alaskan winter days and Vietnamese beef broth soup. 

Matt's ice candles are the last vestiges of the glowing sun, 
illuminating the impassive dusk that shrouds us 
all from the convalescent, radiating warmth of a far-away season.

…and then there is Pho, the belly-warming, soul-soothing broth soup, which is offered as compensation. 

Adam has adapted his recipe from Cook's Illustrated Vietnamese Beef Pho recipe, which was published this winter. We do a few things differently:

• Roll the ground beef into meat balls and keep them to serve in the final dish instead of throwing them away. 
• We add cilantro and jalapeños to the bowl. 
• We double the amount of vegetables in the bowl that we add the broth to. 

This quick, at-home broth is what I prefer to any kind of Pho I've had in restaurants. It warmed us up, and we must have served it for dinner and get-togethers for 10 meals. 

Not that we won't have it again anytime soon, but I'm ready to say thank you and good-bye to the recompensing soup and hello to the stalwart sun of spring. 

In a trial run on the Saturday before, we decided to have a free-style cooking session to learn a few lessons before T-day. 

So, we were sitting around the kitchen at the Vogel's house and we started throwing out ideas... Asian was an easy first commitment. Then, some one threw out, "Hot dogs?" ...and it was on. 

Mike and Erika made steam buns from scratch. 

Asian-style hot dog
2 lbs pork
1/2 cup shallots
2-4 chiles
1/2 cup lime juice
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup cilantro
1 1/2 tbls ginger

White fungus mushroom salad from Hot, Sour, Salty, Sweet was reminiscent of sauerkraut. Delicious.

Mike and Erika had made it for lunch that day, and we liked it so much we had it again for dinner. It's a must try. 

Adam tracked down some goose and pheasant to compose a sausage.

T-day 

We were small, but mighty… Kathy, Matt, Jason, and Adam and I set out to funkify a holiday. 

Luckily, we would have redemption on the actual Thanksgiving, but on this day it was about marching to the beat of our own drum, it was about reinventing everything, it was about gettin' funky.

Arctic sunset

Do you believe in magic? 

I do. I do when it comes in the form of this mushroom soup. Matt worked this on the stove the whole day. The alchemy that resulted was a magnificent, earthy, rich yet refreshing soup that was deeply satisfying. I don't know what went into it, and it feels right to leave it a mystery...

Goose and Pheasant Sausage

1 cup Lexington Brewing Co. Kentucky Bourbon Ale
4 tbls kosher salt
5 tbls garlic
3 1/2 tbls pepper
4 tsp dried sage (from Uncle Eddie's garden)
1 1/2 tsp ground dried thyme
1 tsp store-bought sage

The goose had plenty of fat, but the pheasant was much more lean, so we added olive oil to the pheasant sausage. 

Sides

Instead of potatoes, I thought a sweet potato and cauliflower puree would be a nice twist. I undercooked them at first, and underestimated how long to cook/how small to cut the cauliflower. So Kathy had a hell of a time, but she was MVP for side dishes that night. 

 Roasted brussel sprouts

As the sun retreated, we finished the meal. 

First of all, one must have libations. Kings Street has canned their IPA, and it is terrific. 

Equipment and ingredients

Debone, skin, and cube salmon

Soon all of these ingredients will be combined.You may want to look away for the rest of this post. 

3 lbs Salmon
1 1/2 tbls salt
3 1/2 tbls smoked paprika
2 tsp garlic granules
1 tsp anise seeds
3 tsp ground black pepper
3/4 tsp cayenne 
1/2 tsp Insta-cure #1

Since Adam broke our Kitchen Aid two years ago, we still haven't gotten a new one. Kathy's stand mixer will never be the same. Here is a before and after photo:

By the way, dinner is cooking in the background here. We picked up a porterhouse and let is sous vide during our charcuterie adventures. 

3 lbs of salmon yielded 
33 sausage links. 

We smoked the salmon sausage for 2 1/2 hours with alder. Then, we moved them to a water bath poach at 185 degrees for 11 minutes. Finally, we vacuum sealed and froze them for preservation. 

As tested by Heather and Joe, we are using the Salmon Jerky brine to make beef jerky from 11 lbs of London Broil. 

Sous vide

+

Hot grill


=


Yum

On Saturday, August 3rd, we originally set out on a 15 mile hike to loop Williwaw Lake, but once the weather turned we decided to take advantage of some of the most vibrant fireweed patches I have ever seen.

Jason, Shane, and Laura had fireweed fever and picked a ton. At some point, I knew we were going to have more than we needed, so I sat back and took advantage of some good photo opportunities. In fact, we could have all sat back and watched Jason's Iowa farming efficiency go unmatched by the three of us combined. 

With a couple of gallons of flowers collected, we headed down to Midnight Sun for a beer and a snack and then went home to make juice. 

The first step is to rinse the flowers and buds of dirt and bugs. We do this by submersing them in water and using a colander for several rinses. The dirt and many many bugs separate from the flowers easily. 

To make juice the cooperative extensions office calls for 2 cups of packed flowers to be added to 2 1/2 cups of boiling water. Every year, I have always doubled this recipe to yield about 6 half pint jars of jelly. This year, Laura's and Jason's enthusiasm yielded so many flowers that we made 3 1/2 gallons of fireweed juice. 

2 1⁄2 cups fireweed juice
3 cups sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1⁄2 teaspoon butter, margarine or oil 3 tablespoons powdered pectin

Sterilize canning jars and prepare lids. Combine fireweed juice, lemon juice, pectin and butter, margarine or oil in a large saucepan. Bring to a full rolling boil and boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add sugar and boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

To test, drop 1⁄2 teaspoon of jelly on a cold saucer and put it in the freezer for 5 minutes. If the mixture does not set to your satisfaction, add 1⁄2 cup sugar to the jelly in the pot and boil hard for 1 minute. Retest. During the test, the rest of the jelly mixture should be removed from the heat.

When test mixture gels to your satisfaction, ladle jelly into hot jars, add two-piece lids and process in a boiling water canner for 5 minutes.

Yield: 3 cups 

There is nothing more reminiscent of summer than opening a jar of Fireweed Jelly in January. The color, flavor, and aroma is the distillation of an Alaskan July. 

It takes us about two days to make salmon jerky for the year. The result is a slightly sweet, salty, dry, and smoky jerky. 

Pull pin bones and cut into strips.

Almost immediately, the brine draws moisture out of the salmon. After 12 hours, the brown sugar/salt mixture turns into a syrupy mess. 

4 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons evoo
1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves
1 cup Arborio rice
4 oz goat cheese
1 bag frozen peas
2 tomatoes chopped
2 tablespoons fresh basil

 

I'm having a lot of fun exploring Simply Organic by Jesse Ziff Cool, which my mom got me last year. This yummy salad is refreshing because of the fresh cucumber and other veggies and satisfying because of the rich feta cheese. Here is my version of this tasty delight:

2 cups cooked bulgar (cooked in salted water)
4 green onions cut on the bias
1 large cucumber peeled and diced
1 large red bell pepper diced
1 medium tomato diced

1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
1-2 garlic cloves
1/2 a jalapeño diced
2 tablespoons evoo
Juice of 1 lemon
3 oz feta cheese
Fresh ground pepper

Mix together. The longer it sits the better those flavors marry. Enjoy!

I spent the morning reading about the fundamentals of a good jambalaya. This was what Adam and I came up with after a morning of research and brewing. 

When we got to the business of cooking up this recipe, I set this scene...

New cocktail: Gumbo Fizz
Music: Alabama Shakes (Thanks Shane and Laura for the music find, so good)

Fresh Veggie Mix:
1 spanish onion
3 celery stalk
1 green bell pepper

Chipotle Mix:
2 red bell peppers
5 garlic cloves
1/4 cup chipotle peppers in adobo

Rice:
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken thighs
12 oz andouille sausage, 1/2 sliced on the bias
1/2 cup vodka
1 can fire roasted tomatoes
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 cup clam juice
2 tsp fresh thyme
1 tbls fresh oregano
2 bay leaves
1 pound crab legs

Garnish:
3 tbls fresh basil
green onions

1. Dice fresh veggie mix in the food processor, transfer to a bowl.
   
2. Prepare the chipotle mix by placing the red bell peppers and garlic on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and broil until nicely charred. Transfer to the food processor and add chipotle, puree until smooth. 
   
3. Salt, pepper, and olive oil chicken thighs. Brown in the dutch oven, but be careful not to overcook. Set aside. 
   
4. Add andouille sausage, brown, set aside. 
   
5. Add vodka and fire roasted tomatoes and cook until reduced. 
   
6. Add fresh veggie mix and red pepper flakes, cook until softened. 
   
7. Add the chipotle mix, clam stock, water, herbs, rice, chicken, and chorizo. Cover and cook in oven for 45 minutes or until the majority of the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender.
   
8. Remove from oven, fluff the rice and add the crab meat.*
   
9. Garnish with fresh basil and green onions. 
   

*Note: The first time we cooked this, we forgot to cook the crab legs while the rice was in the oven, so Adam added the crab legs right to the pot of rices after we pulled it out of the oven. 15 minutes later we sliced the crab legs open and mixed it in. 

3 tbls stone ground mustard
3 tsp ground cumin
3 tsp ground tumeric
2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt
2 tsp red wine vinegar
3 tbls olive oil
1 onion
6 cloves of garlic
3 lbs. leg of lamb
2 cans of coconut milk mixed 50/50 with water
Broccoli 
Carrots
Mushrooms
Zucchini
Bean sprouts
Snow peas
Water chestnuts 
Serve with brown jasmine rice (we mix it right in)

This morning it was 36 degrees, blowing, and raining/snowing. It's a perfect day for a big bowl of chili.

6 dried ancho chilies; roasted, seeded, and ground for homemade chili powder
1 1/2 tbs store bought chili powder
2 tbs cumin seeds; toasted for 4 minutes, then ground
1 1/2 tsp Mexican oregano
1 1/2 lb. flank steak; charred on the grill, then ground
3/4 lb. andouille sausage
2 bell peppers, charred on the grill
2 mini sweet peppers
1 large red onion
1 1/2 cups corn
1 can fire roasted tomatoes
1 can fire roasted tomatoes with chilies
1 can kidney beans
1 can black beans
The juice of 1 lime added to the pot just before serving
Top with diced avocado, tomatoes, sweet peppers, and green onions

It's that time of year when we are inspired to infuse our mid-winter days with the colors, flavors, and textures of another season. 

I'll admit, this isn't the most healthy pizza we have ever made, but it was quite delicious. 

For next time: Use less sauce and seed the tomatoes. 

Avocado
Cilantro
Salt
Pepper
Cayenne
Lime Juice












Tomatoes
Cheddar
Monterey Jack
Bacon
Chives