(Not up for the chitchat? Completely get it. Click the email title to go to a web-based version then jump straight to the recipe, or Cultural Fun.)
Are you enjoying January? I am surprising myself by loving 2024 so far, freezing cold weather and all. I feel productive and full of good intentions. Possibly because I am at peak Dry Jan. (Full disclosure: for the purposes of dryness, my Jan began on the 5th and will end on the 27th). I know from past experience, that this point, at about two weeks in, is where my skin looks great, energy levels are up and I’m sleeping really well but - crucially - I’m not bored yet. Pretty sure that phase is just around the corner the last week will be wearisome. But life is all about balance, isn’t it?
So, anyway. I quite like January. I like the reset. It’s February I find a slog. It’s important to have things to look forward to for when the novelty of quiet, cosy living has worn off but it’s still dark and cold outside with spring a lifetime away. So one of January’s more pleasurable chores is to get things in the diary for the following month. I’m looking forward to a visit to Durham to see some of my oldest friends, a feast for Chinese New Year and my niece and nephew coming to stay. Plus we’ve got tickets to see shows by Ed Byrne and Julia Masli, both much-vaunted at last year’s Edinburgh Fringe. Take that, February!
There’s also plenty of food to look forward to. Forced rhubarb. Lovely citrus. All those nice pink and purple bitter leaves from Italy. We’ll be using some of them in recipes over the next few weeks. Some fermented, some not. Subscribe so you don’t miss out!
(I can’t be the only person who would totally wear a hat made from radicchio. And yet I just Google image searched “radicchio hat” and got absolutely nothing. Absurd.)
I had a lovely afternoon today teaching a local u3a group to make sauerkraut. (I was invited, I think, at the behest of an In Good Taste reader. Thank you Stephen!) So it’s a good time to tell you about my new venture. As well as teaching ticketed workshops at The Dusty Knuckle, Borough Kitchen etc. and my private classes, I’m now offering corporate and community classes and workshops. Great for a hands-on team bonding activity, employee wellness, a novel way of client entertaining or bringing gut health to your local community and discouraging food waste. I have three different packages from quick lunchtime kraut-making to a full afternoon’s workshop with special rates for community groups.
Get in touch if you’d like to know more or please pass my details on info to anyone who might be interested.
Recipe: Winter Kraut
I know, I know, I keep promising we’re going to talk about kefir, kombucha etc. and we will. But I made this the other day and it turned out so well that I had to tell you about it.
I get a weekly veg box from Growing Communities. My local pick up point is just outside the Endymion Road Gates to Finsbury Park and, to my great surprise, I’ve stuck with the habit of going for a run every Thursday before collecting my vegetables.
This kraut came together from things that were in my first box of the year.
You’ll need a scrupulously clean jar of approximately 1l capacity.
Ingredients
½ white cabbage, cored (save the cores if you don’t have a pickle weight)
1 kohlrabi, peeled
2 apples, cored (and peeled if you like - I left the skin on)
1 fennel bulb, cored
small bunch dill, finely chopped
1 tbsp caraway seeds
salt
Method
Shred all the veg and add it to a large bowl. I did this with the slicing attachment of my Magimix but some patience and a sharp knife would work too. A mandoline would also be great (mind your fingers!) but I would discourage grating things here, especially the apple, as the texture won’t be as nice.
Add the dill and caraway seeds.
Weigh everything and calculate 2.5%. Add this much salt and toss to disperse evenly. Leave for 30 mins or so.
There should be a small puddle of brine at the bottom of the bowl. Pack the veg into your jar, tamping everything down well to remove as much air as possible. Pour over the brine.
Add a pickle weight or use the cabbage cores to keep all the veg submerged under the brine. Seal the jar.
Leave at room temperature, burping and tasting every few days, until your desired degree of tartness is reached then transfer to the fridge. I found this was delicious from about one week onwards, tart but with some sweetness left in the apple.
Notes (If Ifs And Ands Were Pots And Pans…)
This is our classic kraut method so feel free to add or subtract anything you like that feels appropriate to the season.
If left long enough, all sugar in a live lacto-ferment will eventually turn into lactic acid. The sweetness of the apples is really lovely here but eventually it will disappear and the apples, being softer than the other ingredients, will go a bit mushy too. No correctly stored lacto-ferment ever goes “off” but some go past their peak quicker than others. This is one to eat in its first few weeks rather than forget about at the back of the fridge.
Dill was what I had to hand but tarragon would have gone beautifully here too. It’s obviously a flavour partner for the fennel but is a surprisingly great match with apple too.
Since we’re eating this kraut quite young it would also make a lovely salad, dressed with a bit of olive oil and tossed through with chopped toasted hazelnuts.
Vert good just with some bread and cheese for a lazy lunch
Cultural Fun
We went to see the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition at the Natural History Museum at the weekend. There were some wonderful things. There always are. But it wasn’t one of my favourite years. I’d welcome more clarity on what the judges look for as the emphasis seems to change from year to year. Here there was seemingly a focus on photojournalism (even outside the specific categories for it) and technological novelty (drone shots, flash traps etc).
Yet, as ever, there were some stunning images. I particularly liked salamander eggs, abstract ducks and a crack in ice that looks like a tree. Also loved this picture of a coot on ice by Zhai Zezu in the under 10s (!) category. It reminded me of Henry Raeburn’s Skating Minister at the National Galleries Scotland.
I always forget what a gorgeous building the NHM is. Beautiful detailing absolutely everywhere. We made time for a poke about in the Minerals Gallery, the last still with the original wooden display cases.
Dosn’t Wulfenite look delicious? That first chunk suggests caramel chunks and chocolate crumbs and the the second was actually captioned “Butterscotch Crystals”. I feel a mineral-inspired brownie recipe coming on…
I’ve been enjoying The Rest Is Entertainment, Marina Hyde and Richard Osmond’s insider-y showbiz and media podcast. They have plenty of behind-the-scenes, how-the-sausage-is-made industry gossip about film, TV, journalism and publishing and aren’t shy of sharing it.
As of the beginning of the year they’re doing two shows a week, a regular two-hander chat and a Q&A episode which gave fascinating insights into how gameshows limit the prize money they pay out or why music streaming means we’ll never see a return of Top Of The Pops. There’s a nice, gentle but witty chemistry between them too, especially now Marina has lost the tendency she had in the beginning to step on Richard’s jokes…
Another podcast recommendation for The Economics of Everyday Things, part of the Freakonomics stable. Zachary Crockett (what a great name!) has covered topics such as used hotel soaps, human body parts (yes, apparently there’s a legit market for them…), greetings cards and super hot chilli peppers. Each episode is only 15 minutes long but they’re full of revelations.
Bye! See you next week!
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In Good Taste is a Sycamore Smyth newsletter by me, Clare Heal. You can also find me on Instagram or visit my website to find information about my catering work, cookery lessons and upcoming events.
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