pickled cherries (times two)

i have never been a cherry person.

growing up, while all the other

kids were reaching for cherry

ice pops,

lollipops,

candies,

i held back because i always

knew the sour apple or grape

that i was hoping for was not

in danger of disappearing.

(oddly enough,

i had a conversation with my

sister this week about her

similar dislike of cherry starbursts.)

it wasn't until i was older

that i really understood that cherries -

fleetingly available, expensive, messy to eat cherries -

are lovely and fruity and offer the

very best of summer.

i hold true to my original belief -

i'm still not one for cherry flavored things.

but, apparently, i kind of love cherries.

last week, i, as many people i know,

came into a huge lot of cherries. i was torn

between eating them immediately or saving

and playing. ultimately, thanks to my work

schedule, i opted for the latter.

after a brief conversation with larry,

he asked if cherries could be pickled.

magic words. i recently told someone that

if i don't know what to do with a vegetable

lately, i pickle it or pesto it. i was not feeling

cherry pesto, and i was totally into making

the already tart cherries, ultra tangy.

i researched recipes and decided on something

i'm often guilty of - talking myself into making

something that i have a very good reason not to

make. (it requires a skill i don't think i can handle,

i can't find something that is vital to the recipe, but

make it anyway, or the worst

- and the culprit this time - convincing

myself that an ingredient i don't care for will be

delicious when utilized in this particular capacity.)

i haven't had five spice powder for years.

the last time i tasted it,

the mixture had been used to jazz up a sauce

for chicken. i wasn't crazy about. it was the star anise.

i'm just not a licorice person - hence my major issue

with fennel, anise and several other things.

but since then, i've sampled it in other dishes that

had not been so bad: larry's pho from mo pho,

a seafood dish on vacation, a dessert that's kind

of foggy in my memory.

when i saw a recipe that involved star anise,

i remembered the richness of the pho and i

decided to take a chance.

pickling the cherries was easy. larry poked

holes in their flesh as i mixed together the

brine of cinnamon sticks, star anise, black

peppercorns, red wine vinegar and brown sugar.

as it boiled, the house smelled delicious.

i poured the mixture over the cherries and let

them sit. an hour later, before leaving for

the evening, i sampled one. it reminded me of

something. when we returned home, i had a second

and it hit me: it tasted like medicine. and now

i had a whole big batch of medicinal cherries.

as i tried to go to sleep that night, my mind

wandered back and forth: why can't i sleep?

why did i think the star anise was a good idea?

why didn't i just go with a flavor profile

that i knew i liked? wasn't pickling cherries

risky enough? i will never be able to wake

up in the morning. i should have made them spicy!

the next night, i surveyed the chiles at the market.

i was not feeling jalapenos or serranos - and if i

had been, i have a stockpile in a pot on our deck (yay

for keeping something alive!) - nor, was i into

the other options. as i placed the habanero

into a bag, i was pretty sure i was crazy and

seriously sadistic when it came to these cherries.

at home, i tossed together the habanero, now

halved, cinnamon sticks, white

wine vinegar, palm sugar, left over

from the sriracha, and salt. i boiled the mixture

together and poked the cherries

(smarter this time - i used only a portion of my

remaining quantity). this time i notice that

when you poke holes in the cherries,

they make a mess. when the mixture

had boiled for a couple minutes and cooled

slightly, i poured it on top of the fruits

and while i was scared of the spice, i already

knew this batch was a winner.

the other ones? they're ok.

in fact, i can see how someone who

is not me would really enjoy them.

but, the spicy cherries? they're the ones

i regret not making more of - and sadly,

that's now what's on my mind late at night

when i really should be asleep.

pickled cherries (times two)

i'm including both recipes because i know that just because the first version is not my favorite, it doesn't mean it can't be yours. in both recipes, i poked the cherries about four times with a fork, a trick i learned from the internet. this makes it easier for the brine to infiltrate the cherries and helps the cherries to release their own juices into the brine.

star anise, black peppercorn and brown sugar pickled cherries

adapted from shesimmers.com

i played around a lot with this recipe, changing the peppercorns, opting for brown sugar (and less of it) and eliminating the bay leaf and the fennel seeds, just to name a few. i also halved the amount of cherries, used two-thirds of the vinegar and did not reduce the brine.

2 cups red wine vinegar

1/2 cup, plus 2 tablespoons granulated brown sugar

3 cinnamon sticks or 1 large cinnamon stick, broken into 3 pieces

2 pieces star anise

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

1 1/4 pounds cherries

in small saucepot, combine vinegar, brown sugar, cinnamon sticks, star anise and kosher salt. rub the peppercorns between your hands as you add the to the pot. over high heat, bring to a boil; reduce heat and let simmer 5 minutes. remove from heat; let cool 10 minutes.

meanwhile, using fork, poke cherries 4 times. place in bowl. pour slightly cooled brine mixture over cherries, pressing on cherries to make sure they're all under the brine. let sit at room temperature 2 hours. cover bowl tightly or transfer to a cleaned glass jar with lids. chill in fridge.

habanero, cinnamon and palm sugar pickled cherries

i will not lie - these are spicy. but, they were nowhere near as spicy as i feared they would be when i opted to use the habanero. i used one very long cinnamon stick, which i think is equivilant to about 3 normal size cinnamon sticks. this is the same amount i used for the first cherries, but because i used a lot less vinegar, the cinnamon was significantly more prominent. and, opted for palm sugar, because i had it in the fridge, but i'm sure you could use whichever sugar you have in the house. oh, and one last thing, i used two cups of cherries, but i'm pretty sure i could have used at least 1/2 cup more, if not a full cup for the amount of brine i had.

these cherries were great in a salad with arugula, pickled onions and goat cheese.

1 1/3 cups white wine vinegar

3 cinnamon sticks or 1 very long cinnamon stick, broken into three pieces

1 habanero pepper, halved

1/4 cup palm sugar

1 tablespoon kosher salt

2 packed cups cherries

in small saucepot, combine vinegar, cinnamon sticks, habanero pepper, palm sugar and kosher salt. bring to a boil over high heat; reduce to heat to low and simmer 5 minutes. let cool 10 minutes.

meanwhile, using fork, poke each cherry 4 times. place cherries in a medium bowl. top with slightly cooled brine mixture, shaking slightly to make sure all the cherries are under the brine. let sit at least 2 hours at room temperature. transfer to a clean glass jar or cover bowl tightly. store in fridge.

shiitake turkey burgers with scallion-sesame mayo and pickled korean radishes

i saw a really delicious-sounding recipe

last weekend for shrimp burgers.

on wednesday, i really wanted to use

the pickled korean radishes

that i had just made for something

more than snacking.

so, i did the only thing that made sense:

i made turkey burgers.

clearly, burgers were on my brain

and i kept thinking about traditional

cheeseburgers (why? i'm not sure):

beef,

cheese,

ketchup

and, usually, pickles.

so, instead i strayed:

korean-inspired turkey burgers

(that quickly made the leap to asian

burgers when i started tossing every

sauce in my fridge into the bowl),

enhanced with shiitake mushrooms

and topped with a

sesame-scallion mayo instead of ketchup.

skip the cheese.

and instead of the cucumber pickles,

neon pink radish wedges.

i decided to wing it,

buying whatever looked good to me

in the produce department, from

gigantic shiitake mushrooms,

to scallions, a firm jalapeno

and knobby ginger.

when i got home, i diced the mushrooms,

and reasoned that in spite of the fact

that i just didn't want to dirty another

pan, i really should saute them first.

so, i heated a bit of oil, added the

mushrooms, followed by the ginger,

jalapeno and garlic, cooking them all until they

were just tender and fragrant.

as soon as the mixture was out of the pan,

i stirred in the scallions,

sesame seeds,

sriracha,

sesame oil

hoisin and

oyster sauce.

the made-up mixture was spicy,

and even though i reasoned that

all the turkey would mellow it,

i still opted to make a very

gently-flavored spread to

smear over the burger:

mayonnaise,

scallions,

garlic

and sesame oil.

it was...fine.

yes, on it's own, it was

ok. with the burger, it

was better. is it worth it

to make again? i really

don't know. i do know that

i wanted it to be fabulous.

but, sometimes, as in life,

things just aren't.

it was a good burger.

still spicy after cooking,

moist thanks to the mushrooms

and packed with all of my favorites.

but, i wasn't as original

as i believed i was.

while assembling, i

realized that they were a

clear imitations of one of my

very favorites: turkey meatball banh mi.

but, these tasted even better because we

ate them in the daylight.

and that?

that was fabulous.

shiitake turkey burgers with scallion-sesame mayo and pickled korean radishes

i made some interesting choices with these burgers. an avid lover of sticky sweet hoisin sauce, i added a spoonful before considering the consequences. it was already stirred in before i thought about the fact that these burgers were sure to burn, thanks to the sugars in the sauce. since i had already taken a wrong turn, i thought stirring in equally sugary oyster sauce seemed like a good idea. i also added in sesame seeds, which i loved - but i'm pretty sure some of those burned, too. at that point, the more the merrier, right? if you worry that the burgers charring a few minutes before they're finished will bother you, maybe think about removing these ingredients from the turkey and instead, adding the sauces to mayo. maybe.

a note about the toasted sesame seeds. i buy them from the asian markets, toasted, in large quantities and on the cheap. totally worth it.

scallion-sesame mayo

i think it's safe to say that you will have more mayonnaise than you need. that's ok - even not-so-exciting mayo has it's uses.

3 large scallions, trimmed and sliced

2 small cloves garlic, peeled and halved

2/3 cup reduced-fat mayo

1-2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

in mini food processor, pulse scallions and garlic 10 times, or until finely chopped. add mayo, sesame oil and a pinch of kosher salt. process 30 seconds, or until well combined, scraping down sides, if necessary. taste and adjust seasoning, if desired.

shiitake turkey burgers

2 teaspoons grapeseed or canola oil

6 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and cut into 1/4" dice

1 (1-inch piece) gingerroot, peeled and finely diced

1 jalapeno, seeded and finely diced (use only half if you want to tone down the spice)

3 large cloves garlic, peeled and finely diced

3 large scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced

2 heaping tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon hoisin sauce

1 tablespoon oyster sauce

1 tablespoon hot chili sauce, like sriracha

2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

1 1/4 pounds ground dark turkey

4 buns, halved (it's a nice echo if they're sesame buns)

scallion-sesame mayo

pickled korean purple radishes, dried with a paper towel

in medium skillet over medium heat, heat oil 30 seconds, or until shimmering. add mushrooms; cook 2 minutes, or until softened, stirring often. add ginger and jalapeno; cook 1 minute, more. add garlic; cook 1 minute more, stirring constantly. remove from heat and immediately transfer to large mixing bowl. stir in scallions, sesame seeds, soy, hoisin, oyster and chili sauces and sesame oil; season gently with salt and black pepper. let cool completely.

add turkey to bowl; using hands, mix just until combined. separate into four equal patties.

heat grill or grill pan coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. add burgers. cook 10 minutes, or until cooked through and no longer pink in the center, turning once. transfer to plate. place buns on grill and cook 1 minute, or until toasted and golden brown (do yourself a favor and check them midway through in case your grill runs hot).

to assemble: place one burger on bottom of each bun. top with pickled radishes. spread top bun with mayo and place on burger. if you happen to have made baked sweet potato fries during this whole thing - all the better. put those on the other side of your plate. you may find yourself thinking the scallion-sesame mayo isn't all that bad on the tip of a fry.

pickled korean purple radish

we moved 11 months ago.

it was the right decision,

no doubt.

but, it has been a really

difficult 11 months in so many

different ways and i feel like i've

earned my share in the what

doesn't kill you, makes you

stronger belief, 10 times over.

but, last week, i started a new

phase in my life and, i really

think i'm starting to see the

proverbial light. yes, i'm still

in the midst of...stuff. i'm still

dealing, all the time. but, i took

a step toward a life more rewarding

with a new job, so much closer to home.

ok, it's the same job, but instead of traveling

1 1/2 to 2 hours each way every day, i'm now

responsible for a 20 minute trek.

and, it's so unbelievable that

when people ask me

how much i'm loving my commute,

i find myself going mute.

because how do you describe

what it's like to recover 3-4 hours

of your day 5 times a week?

how do you explain

that it makes you want to cry to

realize that you don't have to engage

in a mini marathon every morning because

for a year, you've refused to set your alarm

earlier than 5 am, even though an hour is

not enough time for you to get ready for work?

how do you explain

that you're no longer freaking

out - as much - over the rising gas prices because

you had to fill your tank 3 times a week, while

also traveling on two major toll rides, twice a day?

how do you explain

that just thinking about a job

near your home, makes you automatically think

straighter and saner?

how do you explain

that this doesn't just feel

like a fresh start, but the true

beginning of a lot of somethings?

so, i usually find myself speaking,

in a stream of conscious way, about it being great

and having to give up books on CDs and that

in the morning, the travel time is still unpredictable

because i keep getting stopped by a train.

why can't i just say it's wonderful?

because, it is, you know.

but, somewhere deep down, i'm a little sad.

when we moved last year, it was hard for me

to give up the first place we lived together,

the place we came home to the day after our wedding,

the place that we solidified that we would be us.

but, i knew that i was not really leaving.

i would still work 10 minutes from our apartment.

i would drive every day to a place that was,

surprisingly, much more familiar than our new

town was and i would still hold onto a piece

of who we were when we first started out.

i could still see the hudson river every day,

marvel daily at my proximity to nyc and

i could visit my favorite places

and people whenever i wanted.

and, now.

that part of my life is really my past.

it's good. really good.

but, i will miss things, like meeting

my former work friends for dinner,

the guy at the gas station who has

given me an incredibly friendly hello

for the past nine years and visiting

the asian markets that became

a very regular part of my life while

living in northern new jersey.

so, last week, following my second to

last day at work, i stopped in on the

korean market one last time to

pick up black garlic, some noodles,

seaweed, very firm red roe,

tiny spicy anchovies and, as

it turns out, this:

it's a korean purple radish. and this one,

at 1.25 pounds, was the smallest one there.

it was so true to the crazy impulses that i've

always experienced in these asian markets

to find something totally random,

something that i had no idea what to do with

and decide that i had to have it. (it's also true,

i also impulsively bought honey powder and

still have zero idea what to do with that.)

and last sunday, two days after my last day,

i did what i do best:

washed it,

thinly sliced it,

quartered it

and pickled it.

it was a good move. i thought that the

radish would be spicy and deeply flavored,

maybe bitter, like daikon. but, this - it was

very crunchy and tasted like nothing.

the slices were screaming for pickling.

i imagined bright purple.

but, as you can see, what i ended up with

was pink. neon pick.

this radish, though -

it's a flavor magnet, quickly sucking

up the spicy, garlicky brine.

within 10 minutes, they were already

singing a new, exciting tune and 20 minutes

later, they were nearing addictive.

in three days, the thin wedges

were extremely bright

in both color and flavor.

we've mostly been eating them as is.

wednesday, though, determined to have a reason

to enjoy them - i created an entire meal around

the pickles. (that, i will tell you about soon.)

but, what made me happy was this: i had

time - real, unrushed time - to leisurely

cook dinner without stress.

and that feeling, unrecognizable, but so welcome,

makes it ok that i may never have the

opportunity to buy another

korean purple radish again.

pickled korean purple radish

if you don't foresee yourself coming across a purple radish any time soon, i think you'll still be ok. i assume it's safe to say that any firm radish you come across can handle this treatment. i made up the recipe using whatever was already in the house, including the three leftover scallions from mashed potatoes i had made an hour earlier. when i finished, i googled korean purple radish (why hadn't i done that first?) and found this recipe, that coincidentally, also called for scallions. the point? there isn't one, except that maybe the two together offer a nice combination.

also, i didn't peel the radish, which i knew could be weird, but i wasn't sure what i would find underneath, and i wanted to make sure that there was still purple on the pickles. i washed the skin well and once pickled, i didn't mind the extra layer at all. i originally planned to pickle them in full rounds, but afterward, realized how large they would be and opted to quarter them. even though the pictures do not depict it, i'm writing the recipe in a more user friendly way.

1 jalapeno pepper, quartered and seeded

3 large cloves garlic, peeled, halved and smashed

1 tablespoon sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (i measured generously)

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander (optional)

16 ounces seasoned rice wine vinegar

1/2 cup water

1 purple korean radish (about 1.25 pounds), scrubbed

3 scallions, trimmed

in small saucepot, whisk together jalapeno pepper, garlic, sugar, salt, coriander, rice wine vinegar and water. bring to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking to dissolve salt and sugar. let boil 5 minutes. remove from heat; let cool 15 minutes.

meanwhile, trim radish. quarter radish lengthwise. thinly slice. place in large container. cut scallions into 1-inch lengths. add to container. pour vinegar mixture over radishes; stir several times or until they begin to soften and are fully submerged. let sit 1-2 hours at room temperature. cover and store in the fridge.