Shhhh, Don’t tell NY

I love you, California.

Stick It To the Pan

(This is a late post.)

Every once in a while, I poke my nose into a magazine to see what is going on out there in the crazy world of restaurant food, of which I know next to nothing about because I am either stuffing my cheeks with $3.50 kim bap from Woorijip in Koreatown, or wandering the streets of Hell’s Kitchen in search of that 99-cent fried chicken stand.

According to NY Mag, a new West Village restaurant is stirring things up among NY food snobs for not stirring things up. They specialize in risotto alla pilota, a low-maintenance working man’s version that is not stirred. But, according to the magazine, “there is no such thing as a quickie risotto.” I guess they figure that if you don’t stir it, then it’s just rice, and how cute is that?

I have made (what I comfortably refer to as) risotto a bunch of times and even though I just grab whatever kind of rice happens to be in my cupboard, it always comes out sumptuous and tasty. As long as you add some parmesan at the end to make it gooey, it looks and taste like risotto. It is great to snack on because you can make it from whatever you have around the kitchen. In the following recipe I used basmati rice and some veggies from the fridge.

20-Minute Asparagus and Tomato Risotto

1 tbp. butter
4 tsp. vegetable seasoning
1 c. rice
1/3 c. minced onion
½ c. grated parmesan cheese
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ bunch asparagus (about 1/3 lb.), chopped
1 plum tomato, chopped
1 tbp. olive oil
1 tsp. dried oregano
½ tsp. balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Fill a medium pot with water, bring to a boil on the back burner, and leave simmering. Put 1 teaspoon of vegetable seasoning in a heat-proof bowl.

Melt the butter in a medium skillet. Sauté the onion and garlic until soft, and stir in the rice.

Pour one cup of the water over the vegetable seasoning, swirl to combine and pour over the rice. Stir, cover, and reduce heat to low. When liquid has been absorbed, repeat the process 4-5 times until rice is very soft.

Stir in the oregano, asparagus and tomato. Last, add the parmesan, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. Season to taste and divide between bowls. Top with grated parmesan, if desired.

A tip for keeping asparagus fresh: Store them, refrigerated, like flowers: in a wide glass filled with 1/2″-1″ of water. Cover with a small plastic bag and secure (around the glass) with a rubber band. Right now, To The World Farm on Grand Street in Williamsburg has fresh asparagus for $1.00 a bunch!

You can also use regular vegetable broth and ladle it out as needed, but I prefer the individually measured batches because it doesn’t waste broth and it helps you control the flavor and saltiness. (And cheepiness).

Time Out Of Brine

One of my fondest memories of Japan was visiting a pickle shop in Kyoto. The dark, wood-paneled walls and hand painted signs gave the place a mysterious and ancient feel. Though curious, I was turned-off by all the squishy-looking pink, purple and yellow things that, to my fifteen-year old brain, did not= pickle.

Suddenly, the store was mobbed by uniformed school kids. With uncharacteristic abandon, they ran amok through the rows of pickle barrels, shouting to friends, and searching out their favorite briny treats. Tiny hands plundered the barrels and emerged with treasures of all shapes and colors. All I could do was stand there and ponder, “but they’re just pickles, and they’re weird pickles.”

To my surprise, I observed as those pickles brightened more faces than any Snickers bar or pack of Twizzlers ever could. Seriously, it was the closest I have come to the Candy Man scene from Willy Wonka.

Those few minutes of the day were precious – a chance to let loose between school (known to be super tough in Japan) and homework – and kids chose to spend them at the pickle shop. Being present at their moment of joy really opened my eyes to the possibility of a world beyond Vlasic kosher dills and hot dog relish.

Living in New York, I’ve more than redeemed myself for that day. A bowl of chickpea curry at Punjabi would not be complete without a scoop of mango pickle. Where would tofu custard soup be without kimchee? And how excited would I be about my falafel pita without that little gherkin poking out?

I’ve even made my own pickles, the old-fashioned way, with fumes from a pot of boiling vinegar burning the inside of my nose. But, by the time the recommended three to five days came around, there were only two left in the jar. If pickles were originally created to keep food edible over long periods of time, why are they so good? The problem is that when I get hungry, time-tested processes and ancient recipes are useless. So, today, I created this recipe for instant, Korean-style pickles that are ready in one minute. Instant gratification with no oak barrels necessary.

Instant Pickles

6 kirby cucumbers, sliced
½ c. rice vinegar
½ c. water
1 tbp. salt
1 tbp. crushed chili flakes (2 if you like it spicy)*
½ tsp. ground coriander
½ tsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. sesame oil

Whisk together everything but the cucumber slices. Add the cucumber slices and toss to coat. Adjust seasoning as necessary and serve. Refrigerate any leftovers in a sealed container.

*a note about chili flakes: I used “ground chili” from Singapore that is halfway between chili flakes and chili powder. There are no seeds in it so if you are using the kind with seeds you may need to add less.

P.S.- Pickle Day 2008 is coming! Stay tuned for an update in March. To read about last year’s event, click here and here.

Update: I found my half-breed ground chili at Kalustyan’s! It’s labeled “Korean Chilli Powder” and is $9.99/lb (you can buy as little as 1/4 lb).