Homemade Sourdough Pretzels

(Click on image for larger view.  Mustard, or nacho cheese?)

These take me back a long way.  I've always loved these chewy, salty lovelies; my first recollection of them is back to the old Busch Gardens park in Southern California, when I was a child.  I can remember sitting beside the lagoon, with all the multi-colored tropical birds, munching on these pretzels which were twice the size of my hands.

I've never been able to decide whether I like these better with cheese or mustard - so I do both!  I've just in the last couple of years realized how easy these are to make.  They are time-consuming and labor intensive (and those of you who know me best understand these are my buzz words), but SO worth the wait, and such a pleasant aroma in the house as fresh bread bakes.

 

THE RECIPE

1 ½ C buttermilk

1 T granulated sugar

1 T sea salt

1 package active dry yeast

4 ½ C all purpose flour, plus more for kneading

3 T unsalted butter, melted

1 T olive oil

3 Quarts water

3/4 C baking soda

Stainless steel or other non-reactive stock pot

Parchment paper

2 sheet pans

Pan release spray

1 egg

1 T water

Kosher salt, to taste

Yield: 12 pretzels of average size - you can play with this count if you want larger or smaller pretzels.

Note:  this recipe is based on a 70º environment.  If your kitchen / prep area is cooler than this, for the rising step, you may want to set your oven to WARM for a minute, turn off then place the mixing bowl in there.

Warm the buttermilk over a low flame, to approximately 110° Fahrenheit.  Stir in the salt and sugar, sprinkle the yeast over this mixture and set aside for approximately 10 minutes, until all the microscopic buggies have sacrificed their lives for the sake of bread and formed a foamy crust.

Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl.  Make a well in the center, then gradually stir in buttermilk mixture and butter with a wooden spoon.  Stir until a rough dough is formed, then turn out onto a well-floured surface.  Knead for approximately 10 minutes until smooth and elastic, adding more flour as necessary.

Swish the olive oil in another mixing bowl, then press the dough to conform with the bottom of the bowl; cover with plastic wrap and set aside to rest.  Let this rise until doubled in volume, approximately an hour.  

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Set oven to 425º Fahrenheit.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper and spray these with pan release spray.

Bring water to a boil (I reiterate, in a non-reactive pot; trust me on this one).

Turn the dough out onto working surface.  Cut into 12 pie-shaped wedges.

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Roll each piece out, working from thick to thin ends, into a rope of 18".  Work the rope into a flattened horseshoe shape with one third as the flat inner section.

Wrap the ends over each other.

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Wrap again into a knot.

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Fold over to the center, and round out the edges into the classic "pretzel knot" shape,

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set aside onto a plate treated with pan release.  Repeat with the other pieces of dough.

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Beat the egg and water in a small bowl.

When pretzels are all ready, add baking soda to boiling water and reduce heat to medium high.  Add the pretzels to the solution, one or two at a time.  Boil each for 30 seconds.  Add and remove these with a slotted spoon or skimmer.

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Set boiled dough onto parchment paper (6 per sheet is perfect).  

Brush each pretzel with egg wash and sprinkle with salt.

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Bake for 14 - 17 minutes, checking to ensure even cooking.  My oven has an inward bias, so I have to rotate the pans and invert levels every few minutes.  When your pretzels have achieved a nice shade of golden brown, remove and cool on a wire rack.  

ENJOY, SAVOR, SHARE and be amazed!

Homemade Sriracha hot sauce

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I am in love with this concept; this is my second batch of this spicy sauce made in my own kitchen.  I have used this as a "template" for another, Tabasco-style sauce as well; my consumers are stalking me for more (I'll elaborate on this in a future post), so I know things are progressing well.  Those who know me get my passion for spicy foods and sauces, so I have been enthralled by this mix of DIY foodstuffs and hot, spicy flavors which also utilizes the lactic fermentation process.

This is not my recipe; it is directly from The Sriracha Cookbook, 50 "Rooster Sauce" Recipes that pack a Punch by Randy Clemens.  He has chronicled the evolution of this Asian-style condiment championed and introduced by Huy Fong to Southern California and then to the world.  Plan ahead, and make a double (or triple!) batch, as this makes great gifts for all your heat-seeking friends!

If you find yourself as addicted to making hot sauces at home as I have become, feel free to use this as a base and experiment, using different peppers and herbs.

THE RECIPE

1 3/4# red jalapenos (Fresno chiles).  Stem these and quarter.
3 - 4 cloves garlic
2 T garlic powder
2 T granulated sugar
1 T kosher salt
1 T light brown sugar

1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
Water, as needed
**Regarding all ingredients from garlic to vinegar, have more on hand at the end of the process to adjust final product.**

Glass jar with metal lid

Add all ingredients except vinegar to food processor bowl; process into a coarse puree.  Pour into the glass jar and set on a counter with the lid sealed for one week.  Stir daily.

(Click on image for larger view.) Day 1 - much anticipation.

After 7 days, pour into small saucepan and add vinegar.  Slowly bring to a boil over medium heat.  Lower heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

(Click on image for larger view.)  Ready for final processing.

 Cool, then return mixture to food processor; blend for 2-3 minutes until a thick paste is formed.  Add water if necessary to cut viscosity.

Pass this paste through a fine - meshed sieve, pressing all the solids through with the back of a spoon or ladle.  Stir, taste and adjust any seasonings you deem necessary.  Store refrigerated for up to six months - if you don't run out before this.

**Bonus round**  If you want to, keep the lees (solid materials retained in the strainer) and spread out on a piece of foil, on a sheet pan, in a low oven.  Dry these, process in a spice grinder and retain for BBQ shrimp or dry rub base (again, coming up in future posts!)

Cheddar chipotle popovers with rosemary

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I wanted to revisit the Gouda popovers with black pepper of last year, but did not want to drive to the market for Gouda - OK, I still had to drive to the 7-11 for milk, but at least that's only a mile off.  I had shredded cheese on hand, and thought to make a "warmer" version with smoky, spicy chipotle powder and a pinch of fresh rosemary.  What a treat - Especially slathered with fresh butter, right out of the oven!

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THE RECIPE

1 1/2 cups whole milk
2T sweet butter
3 large eggs
1 1/4 t sea salt
1 T chipotle powder
1 T E.V. olive oil
1 t minced fresh rosemary leaves, or 1/2 t chopped dried
3/4 t freshly cracked black pepper
1/2 t ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
4 oz. shredded sharp cheddar cheese


Preheat oven to 375º Fahrenheit.  Place muffin or popover pan on a lower rack.  Meanwhile, heat the milk and butter over medium flame until warm and the butter has melted. 

Whisk together the eggs and spices until smooth; slowly stir in the hot milk and butter.  Add the flour in small increments and whisk until smooth.

Once the above steps have been completed, pull the pan out of the oven and coat thoroughly with pan release spray.  Pour the batter evenly among the baking cups and top each with a pinch of cheese in the center.

Bake at 375º Fahrenheit for approximately 40 minutes.  Check after 35 minutes.

RESIST the temptation to peek in the oven and don't, as my Mom would say when she was baking, "For God's sake, don't go stomping around the house, or it will fall!".

(Click on image for larger view) Just out of the oven; perhaps a little more batter, and 2 - 3 minutes fewer.

Serve the popovers immediately, and don't be afraid to top with some more grated cheese or butter (or both!).

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Marinated baby octopus salad

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This is another fusion / experiment / my-curiosity-got-the-best-of-me-and-I-had-to-finally-buy-this-when-I-saw-it-in-the-Asian-store recipe.  I was searching for some scallops for the Ceviche spring roll recipe I'd been tossing around (by the by, they apparently don't usually stock bay scallops in Asian supermarkets) and instead found myself in front of piles and piles of these slaughtered innocents - baby octopus.  Octopi.  Occies.

The baby octopus I found happened to be cleaned, but prepping them is similar to cleaning calamari - but rather than a mantle which can be cooked, the heads are usually discarded; your choice, they must at least be cleaned out by making a small slit, turning inside out and removing the internal organs.  Press the beak out from the inside and pluck it out as well.  Rinse the whole product.

I really, really wanted to go with a ceviche style recipe, but I found through research this is ill-advised as they will not "cook" by themselves in citrus juice and will not become tender through just this process.  The answer is to quickly steam them for just a few minutes, chill them and marinate.

So this interpretation is mostly Asian influenced, and similar to ceviche (but for the facet outlined above) or pulpo a la vinagreta, a Galician tapa.  It has both sweet and tart flavors, crisp and tender texture, crunch and a bold profile -- so much so that I found the marinade should be prepped a day ahead of the salad, and allowed to meld and mellow prior to adding the seafood.

IF you cannot picture yourself staring down the barrel of a dead octopus, then try shrimp, white fish or scallops in this prep.  I did not have any at the time, but this dish could benefit from some seaweed salad.

THE RECIPE


1# baby octopus (octopi), cleaned
steam the octopus for 3 - 4 minutes, being careful not to overcook; nip at one of the tentacles to gauge doneness.   Immediately drop them into ice water to chill them.  Once chilled, rinse and pat them dry.  Chop the octopus into small bite-sized segments.

For the marinade:
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 scallion bulbs, thinly sliced
1/2 t grated ginger
2 T kecap manis (Indonesian soy condiment)
1 T black Chinese vinegar
1 T seasoned rice vinegar
1 T mirin
1 T lime juice
1 T light brown sugar
1 T olive oil
1/2 t fish sauce
1/4 t sesame oil
1/4 t Chinese five spice powder
1/4 t ground white pepper
pinch salt, to taste
pinch red chile flakes or 1/2 minced chili pepper

For the salad:
Julienned scallions or any other green you may prefer
dash mirin
dash lemon juice

Mix marinade ingredients thoroughly and keep refrigerated overnight - allow to come up to room temperature for an hour prior to final prep.  Add octopus and stir; marinate for at least 8 hours in refrigerator.

Final prep: lightly toss the greens and dressing ingredients and plate.  Top with the marinated octopus and enjoy.

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Purple Vichyssoise with Tokyo negi

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I love making new discoveries, as I did the other day at the Japanese market.  I found Tokyo negi, which looks like a 2 1/2 foot long leek on steroids.  I asked the staff if it were more like a scallion or a leek - "Onion", "Leek", "well, kind of like both" were the responses - SOLD!  I grabbed two bunches and decided to use it as a leek; so if anyone asks you which it is, today it's a leek.

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The Negi is in the same family as the scallion and Welsh onion, in the genus Allium.  They are typically used as scallions - why my obsession with the leek-like qualities?  It is another of my rants, my opposition to the Retail-Industrial food distribution complex - you CANNOT buy large quantities of good leeks in most supermarkets!  The best one can hope for is only an inch or so of usable white bulb.  So the foot - long white bulbs of the negi were very appealing, as I have really wanted to make a batch of vichyssoise recently.

The purple potatoes - well, that's just me being weird.  I saw them at another store and had actually picked them up for mashed potatoes with a roast and changed course.

Obviously this is not the typical Vichyssoise recipe, as I have taken so many liberties and use some different ingredients.  However, it contains all the classical elements therein - rich, earthy potato, leek / onion flavor, stock and cream blended into a velvety puree.  I love to make this soup - even if I have to buy half a case of leeks (until now)!  The Negi gave this dish great flavor.  They are a bit forgiving, and as we have a purple dish, one can get a bit more of the leek-like flavor by using a bit of the light green stem above the bulb, unlike Western (commercial) leeks.

I thought to keep all the lovely color to blanch the potatoes, then plunge them into ice water and only steam them quickly and even preserve the steaming liquid to keep the color intact.  Things were going great up until this point; here reality took over the concept and the soup completely lost color.  After blending, the puree looked like poi - and I hadn't even added the cream yet!

FLUB.

I re-seasoned and tasted; this was a GREAT result - but I couldn't stand looking at it.  I ditched the original photos.  For the first and only time in writing this blog, I resulted to food coloring.   Going back to elementary school, I remembered red and blue make purple!  This cheat bought me a couple of shades on the color wheel, not too artificial a change.  I may try the purple potato in this dish again, and I have another trick up my sleeve - otherwise, back to regular spuds.

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THE RECIPE

about 6 medium purple potatoes, medium dice (approx. 4 cups)
Boiling, heavily salted water
4 stalks Tokyo negi, white bulbs cut in half lengthwise then thinly sliced (again, approximately 4 cups)
3 cloves garlic, grated
1 small shallot, minced
2 T butter
2 Quarts chicken stock
Sea salt and white pepper, to taste
1-2 cups heavy cream, based on final volume
Pinch nutmeg, to taste and for garnish

Drop potato cubes into boiling water and blanch for one minute; immediately plunge pieces into ice water.  Drain and steam potato over 1/2" water in a basket for 5-6 minutes, until just tender when pierced with a fork.  Reserve steaming water.

Sweat the negi, garlic and shallot in butter over medium heat for approximately 5 minutes.  Add to steaming liquid, potato and stock.  Season with salt and pepper.  Over medium low heat, simmer for 15 minutes.  Remove from heat, cool and blend into a puree with a blender or immersion blender.  Add a pinch of nutmeg and as much of the cream as desired.  Chill and serve cool, with another pinch of nutmeg for garnish.