Vietnamese Bánh mì Sandwiches with Fresh Pickled Radish & Carrots

My plate has been super full these days, but I am most fortunate to have foodie friends willing to help out. This post came about because on a recent food-filled trip to Charleston we saw a stall at the Saturday morning Farmer's Market selling Bánh mì sandwiches (Bánh mì is a Vietnamese term for all kinds of bread). Turns out my pal Deborah is a BIG Bánh mì sandwich fan and actually makes them at home (a lot). So for your eating edification, she offered to share not only the How To process but her recipe for crispy, Fresh Pickled Carrots and Radishes.

Vietnamese Bánh mì Sandwiches  

If you've ever had a Vietnamese Bánh mì Sandwich, you're probably already a fan. They are brilliantly magical! Starting with the lightly crisped bread, to the layered flavors of condiments, tangy crunchy vegetables, pungent fresh herb, the zesty bite of a chile pepper, and of course the savory protein star of the sandwich, everything about this sandwich is right.

The genius of the Bánh mì sandwich comes from its cultural fusion of French and Vietnamese flavors (from France's colonial period in Indochina). The Bánh mì sandwich pairs a sturdy French baguette, sausages and even pate with distinctly Asian flavors resulting in a portable meal that is both hearty and delicate. Bánh mì sandwiches can be made with any meat, from a thin-sliced garlicky chicken sausage or Asian-spiced pork tenderloin medallions to seasoned tofu or beef sate. You get the idea.

For many, the magic of these creations lies in the fresh vegetable pickles. Crisp and tangy, they elevate a humble sandwich into something sublime. Luckily, they are ridiculously simple to make and to experiment with. No canning or processing -- just slice up the veggies, add a hot sweet brine, wait at least an hour and voila! You've got fabulous pickles that are perfect for Bánh mì sandwiches, or to perk up any salads or antipasto plates.

Fresh Pickled Carrots and Radishes

2 large carrots (or 3 medium)
about 1 lb (16 oz.) Daikon or red globe radish both types of radish are easy to find in supermarkets
1 tsp salt preferably fine sea salt
2 tsp plus 1/2 cup sugar you can use Splenda or other substitute, you just need to experiment a bit to get the sweetness to your liking
1-1/4 cup white vinegar
1 cup water
Quart jar

Peel the daikon radish and carrots, then slice into matchsticks of roughly the same length and width. If using red globe radish, you can cut it into thin rounds vs. matchsticks. These radishes also give the pickles a beautiful pink tinge.

Place the vegetables in a bowl and sprinkle with the salt and 2 tsp of the sugar. Gently massage the vegetables for around 3 minutes. They will release some liquid and soften up.

Rinse the vegetables and drain in a colander. Then transfer them to your quart jar. You can also make these in a tupperware container if you don't have a jar.

For the brine, stir together the remaining 1/2 cup sugar with vinegar and water over medium head until the sugar dissolves. No need to boil. Be sure all bubbling has stopped, you want the brine to cool a bit before pouring into the jar. This is important because you want to brine the vegetables -- not cook them! Fully cover your veggie pickles and discard any remaining brine.

Let them sit for at least an hour and then taste to adjust for seasoning. If you want them to be a touch sweeter, add more sugar. If you like them more tart, add a bit more vinegar. Play around!

You can use your fresh pickles after an hour, but the flavor is best after at least 24 hours. These pickles will keep in your fridge for up to a month, but I bet they don't last that long.

Note: radish pickles can seem a bit stinky when you first open the jar. Don't worry! They are still good. Just let them air out a bit before assembling your sandwich.

Now it's time to assemble your Bánh mì sandwich!

BREAD -- Slice open your bread roll, lightly toast, and take out some of the crumb on one side to make room for your vegetables. The only rule here on bread choice is don't pick a bread that is going to scratch up the top of your mouth when you eat the sandwich! You know what I mean. So use what works best for you: hoagie roll, ciabatta roll, baguette, etc.

FAT -- Use a homemade mayo, salted butter, garlic aioli, mashed avocado or my favorite -- sriracha mayo. Be sure to spread from edge to edge on your bread.

CONDIMENT -- Here's where you can get creative! Use hoisin sauce, Maggi seasoning (a wonderfully flavorful version of soy sauce), Sriracha sauce, or just a light sprinkling of fish sauce. Most any Asian sauce will work, it all depends on what you like. Again, be sure to spread from edge to edge on your bread so that every bite is perfectly flavorful.

PROTEIN -- You can use just about anything that makes your mouth water, just be sure it is sliced thin so it is easy to bite through. My favorite is a flavorful chicken sausage sliced on the diagonal.

CUCUMBER -- Thinly slice the cucumber of your choice. You can use any kind of cucumber, and peel them or not, as you wish.

CHILE PEPPER -- It's traditional to use thin slices of a chile pepper, but if that's not you're thing, no worries. Think jalapeno, thai chile, Anaheim or your personal favorite. I'm not so into the hotness, so I skip this part.

PICKLES -- Now it's time to use your favorite pickled vegetables! Drain them slightly before adding to your sandwich so it's not drippy and messy.

FRESH HERB -- Think cilantro, Thai or sweet basil, mint, or any pungent fresh herb that makes you happy.

Now take a look at your colorful, savory delicious masterpiece and enjoy!

Saucy Jezebel

 

Thanks to my friend Laura, I have a new church cookbook. If you don't have one in your kitchen collection, you should rectify that. They are a great source of tried and true recipes, family hand-me-downs and family favorites.

I turned my book over to the parents for their review and selections, so tonight I am brining you the first of Dad's many choices. This is a great quick fix for a party or snack before dinner for guests.

JEZEBEL

1 (12 oz.) jar apple jelly
1 (12 oz.) jar pineapple preserves
7 tbsp. horseradish
1-1/2 tbsp. dried mustard

Blend everything together and serve up on crackers with a nice spreadable white cheese.

I used Brie on Water crackers, but you can use cream cheese on Ritz, or a Neufchâtel on whatever cracker you want.

FYI, the longer you let the spread sit, the better the flavors will blend together.

Blueberry Pineapple Salsa (with Grilled Pork)

 

Haven't gotten around to braving the Orange Pie experiment again so have something new and different for you.  Still fruit-based but inspired by what was on the shelves in the fridge when I was sightseeing in there the other day.

Again, its spring, time to dust off the grills and start some outdoor cooking.  One of my favorite things is grilled pork and since pork is a great vehicle for fruited condiments here is a light and refreshing salsa to accompany it.

Blueberry Pineapple Salsa

2 cups chopped vine ripe tomatoes
1 cup fresh blueberries, divided
1 cup chopped pineapple
2 tbsp. minced green onions
2 tbsp. pineapple juice
1 tbsp. jalapeno, deseeded and minced
1 tsp. salt

In a deep bowl, muddle half of the blueberries.  Then add in the rest of the ingredients.

Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.  Very important because the flavors need time to blend.

Grill up some thick chops or pork loin slices.  When done, top with a generous helping of salsa.

NOTE

As with everything, depending on what your flavor preference feel free to modify amounts to suit your own taste.  If you like it with a bit more bite, add more jalapeno.  If you like it with a bit more zing, add more onion.  For a softer taste, add more bluebs or p'napple.

We did thick cut boneless pork chops and to prepare them I did a really simple rub with ground sage, salt, and cracked black pepper.  Tasty!

Strawberry Butter (aka Butter Late Than Never)

 

I'm going to apologize upfront for the bad photos tonight.  Apparently Technical Difficulties is the order of the week.

As best I can tell there is nothing wrong with the TCC blog itself and if you are a subscriber, you should have no problems with the email posts.  There is something wonky that happens sometimes when you try to access the website itself, so as you do with home and work, don't click on anything that you are not familiar with.  Apologize for any inconvenience and let's get back to our usual culinary programming. Thank goodness for fallback Wednesdays, huh? (Yes, that is what I'm calling them now).

So spring is in the air and strawberries are in the market so I wanted to try something new with them.  As the Parental Tasters will attest, this one is pretty sweet (and simple to boot)!

Strawberry Butter

1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, softened
3/4 cup strawberries, chopped small
1/4 cup powder sugar

In a mixer, blend together the softened butter and fresh chopped strawberries.

Sift in the powder sugar and mix until blended together.

You can leave your final product chunky (like I did) or blend it until the strawberries break down a bit more.

I baked up some biscuits (sorry, not from scratch) and Dad slathered them with the strawberry butter.  Happiness ensued.

NOTES

The butter would go great on pancakes or waffles too. 

Should be able to store in the fridge for at least a week, well...if it lasts that long.

Herby Pork Chops with Peach Salsa

 

For those who subscribe for auto post notices, sorry about the double email on Sunday.  Got a notice the first time I hit publish that it didn't go through.  Apparently that was a big fib. :/

Anywho...still rolling with that what's-in-season thing.  Since you have to buy peaches in batches at the Farmer's Market and I had some leftover, I thought I would try to do something savory with them and this is what I came up with.

Herby Pork Chops with Peach Salsa

chops
6 thick boneless pork chops
salt and pepper to season
1 tsp. olive oil

herby mix
1/4 cup fresh chopped thyme
1/4 cup fresh chopped sage
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
4 tsp. olive oil

peach salsa
2 cups fresh peach, peeled and rough chopped
1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. fresh mint, finely chopped

Mix together the peach, red onion, lemon juice and fresh mint.  Cover and set aside to let the flavors hang out for awhile.

Rinse and dry your helps, then chop finely.

In a small bowl, mix them together with the olive oil.  Let sit while you prep the chops.

Lightly sprinkle your chops with salt and pepper.

In a hot skillet with a little bit of olive oil, brown the chops, 2-3 minutes per side, over medium high heat.

Remove from skillet and place in a baking dish.  Distribute the herby mix evenly over the tops of the chops.

Place pan in oven on top rack.  Cook at 375 degrees for 12 minutes.  Then set oven to broil and continue to cook for 3-4 minutes.

Remove from oven and let stand for 1-2 minutes.

Serve up with a generous scoop of peach salsa and your favorite sides.

NOTES

Because it is ridiculously hot outside these days, we chose NOT to grill, but you could adapt the recipe/cooking to do it outside.

You want to make sure your salsa is at room temp before serving so that you are not putting cold peaches on a hot chop (sorry Dad).

While they go great together, I was informed by my favorite guinea pigs that both the chops and the salsa would be able to stand on their own merit.

Check It Out: California Sun-Dry Tomatoes

 

So I have a new culinary staple that I wanted to share with you -- California Sun-Dry Sun Dried Tomatoes.

If you haven't tried sun-dried tomatoes before you should give them a whirl.  They're basically ripe tomatoes (traditionally plum tomatoes) that have been dried until the bulk of their water content is evaporated.  In a process similar to creating a reduction, what you are left with afterwards is a nice intense rich tomato flavor in a slightly chewy form.  Mmm, chewy food.

As much as I love them, I am very picky about buying sun dried tomatoes.  I've gotten them jarred and reconstituted with oil, but I find they tend to be very slimy.  Ick, slimy food.  I've also bought them vac-packed but they were too dry and it was more like eating tomato jerky.  Boo, tough chewy food.

And then there were these.  I bought them on a whim and fell in love.  Like the package promises, they are extra moist and very flavorful.  I chop them up and add them to my favorite dinner treat, mini veggie pizzas.  But you can add them to anything...sauces, pasta, stir-fry...or you can process them into a paste and use them as a sandwich spread.  One of my favorite breakfast sandwiches is egg whites with cheddar cheese and sun-dried tomato paste on a toasted bagel.  Seriously, it has life-changing capability.

I'll see if I can come up with something fun to make with them this weekend, but in the meantime, see if you can't find some for yourself.

And you're welcome.

Edamame Hummus

 

Okay, it's not Irish, but it is green!  Got this idea from a caterer I work with and wanted to see if I could put together my own version of an edamame spread she does.  I based the recipe on the ingredients used in making hummus so...edamame hummus, here you go.

Edamame Hummus

6 oz. shelled, fully cooked edamame (soybeans)
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp water
4 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp olive oil

Put edamame in a food processor (or blender) with the salt and pulse on low until beans are broken down.  Will be pretty grainy.

Add the water and blend on high until beans start to come together.  Slowly drizzle in the lemon juice and oil until it looks like a rough puree.

May need to scrape down the sides during the process because edamame is very mealy and doesn't blend as easily as garbanzo or black beans do when making hummus.

Serve with your favorite dipping veggies or toasted pita wedges.

NOTES

If you haven't tried edamame before, you should give them a whirl.  They are high in protein, with almost the same amount found in meat and eggs only without the cholestrol. 

The key thing to note about edamame is that you don't want to eat them raw; raw soybeans are toxic and need to be steamed or boiled before eaten.  You can find shelled ready-to-eat edamame in the vegetable section at most grocery stores.

You can eat them plain or server with a sprinkle of sea salt.  If you order them in a restaurant, they will bring out the steamed pods and you can suck or chew the beans out of their pods.

They make a great addition to salads or stir-fry, and make a mighty fine hummus as well.  Use it in lieu of hummus in a wrap or spread it on a crostini and top with your favorite seafood.

 

Lemon Rosemary Chicken with Tzatziki

I love knowing people with gardens.  If they have a good crop then they always have more produce than they know what to do with and that means treats for me!  I was given a bag of fresh cucumbers, but since they weren't really pickling cucs, I had to come up with something creative to do with them besides tossing them on a salad.  So my answer was tzatziki!  Which besides being fun to say (taht-zee-kee, say it with me!) it also super delicious.  If you're not familiar with it, it's a cucumber-yogurt dipping sauce that's very light and refreshing and goes great with grilled meats.

Since I always associate tzatziki with Mediterranean cuisine, I thought I'd whip up some lemon rosemary chicken to go with it.  I'm all about the bite-sized pieces and what's nice about this chicken is that you can cook it up stovetop or skewer it and cook it on the grill, either way works.

Lemon Rosemary Chicken with Tzatziki

marinated chicken
1 lb chicken breasts, cubed
1/2 cup lemon juice (juice from 3 fresh lemons)
1/8 cup olive oil
2 tbsp fresh rosemary, minced
1 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp fresh cracked black pepper

In a medium size bowl, combine lemon juice, olive oil, rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper.

Clean and cube chicken. Place in bowl and stir until evenly coated with marinade.

Cover and refrigerate at least 20 minutes.

stove top

Pre-heat a large skillet. Using tongs, drop the chicken cubes into the skillet to brown. After you get some nice coloring on them, drop the temperature and continue cooking until done through.

on the grill

Skewer the chicken cubes, by themselves or with some veggies – peppers, tomatoes, onions – and cook 3-4 minutes per side until done.

marinade

Once you have removed the chicken, pour the excess marinade into a small sauce pan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and use as sauce with meal.

tzatziki
2 cucumbers
salt
3 cups plain Greek yogurt
1 tbsp fresh dill, minced
2 tsp minced garlic

Peel and cut your cucumbers in half length-wise. Use a small spoon or melon baller to scoop out the seeds to be discarded.

Put the cucumber slices in a colander or strainer. Generously sprinkle with salt and let sit for 5-10 minutes. The salt will pull out the excess water from the cucumber. Rinse before using.

In a blender or food processor, mix together yogurt, dill, garlic and cucumbers.

Takes about 1-2 minutes, final product should have some texture to it but be well blended.

Zesty Black Bean Salsa Moosh

Poor black beans...they are tasty and nutritious and good for you but yet so very VERY unpretty when mashed.  I know the moosh is not attractive, but if you could taste it through the screen, you would be as crazy about it as I am.

I used it to garnish a simple chicken fajita, but it works well as a dip, too, with some crispy tortilla chips, or as a flavorful layer for a layered dip.  The beans make give the moosh a creamy texture, but the added combo of the fresh lime juice and salsa give it a light open taste.

Zesty Black Bean Salsa Moosh

1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
1/3 cup hot salsa
1/8 cup fresh lime juice
2 tsp minced garlic

Rinse your beans and put then in a small bowl.

Add in the rest of the ingredients and blend together.  I like mine a little "chunky" so I used a mixer rather than a food processor.

Ready to serve.

For my fajita, I cut simply cut some chicken strips and sautee them with a tidge of oil, threw on some chili powder, cumin and fresh cracked sea salt, then cooked until they were no longer pink.

Yum-mee.

Tailgate Treats & Eats: Spicy Ketchup

As I was flipping through my cookbook collection looking for new inspirations, I came across this recipe in one of my new favorite books, "Off the Eaten Path" (see TCC review at http://goo.gl/gE6Ex).

From the menu of Terrene (restaurant) in St. Louis, Missouri, here's a spicy little condiment that you might like to try out.  I whipped up a batch of this and it is YUM!  Of course, I think everything is better with some horseradish in it so I might be a little biased here, but think that you'll find it's a very versatile little sauce.

You can slather it on burgers, dip your deep-fried potatoes in it, generously coat your brauts, serve it up with some grilled seafood, or (wait for it) use it as a dip for onion rings (drool).  They call it Spicy Ketchup, but it's more like a ketchupy-cocktaily sauce which to me gives it a great range of use.

So try it, Mikey, you'll like it.

Spicy Ketchup

1 cup ketchup
2 1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp honey
1 1/2 tbsp horseradish
2 tsp hot sauce
1/2 tsp celery seed
1/2 tsp sherry vinegar
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

Put all the ingredients in a small bowl (or 2 cup measuring cup).

Whisk together, then cover and refrigerate for at least 30-45 minutes to allow the flavors to blend.

Ready to roll!

NOTES

I used stone ground brown mustard instead of Dijon.

You could probably use plain sherry or a red wine vinegar in lieu of the sherry vinegar, shouldn't notably alter the taste.

I'm thinking if you wanted to make it a little creamer, tossing in a tablespoon or two of mayonnaise might be do the trick. 

Straw-vocado Salsa

For those of you who have been scratching your head trying to figure out where Sunday's post went? what happened to Sunday's post? did I miss Sunday's post?  Gotta apologize, I ran into a little glitch on Sunday when a virus decided to eat my computer.  It only took three days and two people later, but I am back online and well.  And the computer has been stripped, cleaned and rebuilt so should be clear sailing from here.

So now back to our regularly scheduled program...

I am not a big fan of avocado or cilantro, so the fact that I loved this recipe idea and had to share it should speak volumes for the taste treat it is.  My friend Stacy made it for a party and said she got it from Cooking Light. I went online and found several variations of the same, so picked and choosed the bits I liked best, adjusted the amounts accordingly and voila!

Strawberry Avocado Salsa with Sweet Onion Pita Wedges

1-1/2 cups fresh strawberries, chopped
1 avocado, peeled and rough chopped
2 tbsp red onion, minced
1 tbsp jalapeno, deseeded and minced (about 1/2 of a full jalapeno)
1 tbsp cilantro
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
pinch of salt

Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl and let sit together for 20-30 minutes to allow flavors to blend.

whole wheat pitas
sweet onion sugar
spray butter

I finally found a use for one of the savory sugars I got from The Tea & Spice Shop, but you can use cinnamon sugar instead, or experiment with other types of flavored sugar.

Put the whole pitas on a cookie sheet (I used a broiler sheet).

Sprayed them with the spray butter and generously sprinkle with sugar.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes. 

Remove from oven, allow to cool for a minute or two, then slice into wedges.

NOTES

Did I mention this is SOOOO good!?!?

I ended using the juice from half of a small lime which was a bit more than 1 tbsp, but I really like lime and the way it opens up the flavor of the dish.

You can adjust the cilantro too.  I find cilantro tends to take over the flavor of a dish and like to tone it back a bit, but feel free to add more than what is recommended above.

If you want to add a bit of kick to the dish, then you can always leave in the jalapeno seeds.

Down to Basics: Vinegar

Can a person have too many vinegars?  No..they cannot.

Vinegar is a staple of any kitchen that calls itself a proper kitchen. Not too shabby for the result of a “whoops” – one good cask of wine gone bad and now it’s a household name (and speaking of names, vin aigre means “sour wine” in French).

It caught on pretty well from the start. The ancients Babylonians used vinegar as both a preservative and a condiment. They started the whole herbed and spiced flavoring craze. Roman troops slurped vinegar as a beverage (hey, it was just old wine). And the Queen of the Nile, Cleopatra herself was familiar with vinegar's use as a solvent (she dissolved pearls in vinegar to win a bet that she could consume a fortune in a single meal). Hippocrates extolled the virtues of vinegar as a medicinal aid and the Greeks used it for pickling veggies (yum) and meats (mmm, not so yum).

As you will note on your grocery isle, there are gazillions of types of vinegar, some infused, others made from various products, but all share a common make-up -- natural sugars that have been fermented to alcohol and then again fermented again to become vinegar.

Here’s some tidbittery about a few basic types that you may, or may not, be familiar with.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar is made from apple cider (I know, crazy) or apple must*. Apple cider vinegar is a golden brown in color and has a high acidity which creates a bit of a burning sensation if consumed straight.

*Must is when the whole fruit is fresh pressed and still contains all the parts of the fruit – stems, seeds, core, and the like.

Balsamic Vinegar

Balsamic is an aged vinegar traditionally produced in the Italian provinces of Modena and Reggio Emilia. It’s made from the concentrated juice (must) of white Trebbiano grapes. It’s a dark brown in color, highly aromatic and sweetly rich in taste. The finest balsamic vinegars have been aged for years in wooden casks.  A “true” balsamic is aged for 12-25 years.

Fruit Vinegar

Fruit vinegars are made from fruit wines and usually don’t include any additional flavoring because the flavors of the original fruit (like apple, raspberry, or current) remains the final product.

Malt Vinegar

Malt vinegar is produced by malting barley. The grain starch turns to maltose, the maltose is brewed into ale, the ale is left to turn into vinegar, and then the vinegar is aged. It’s usually a light brown in color (and VERY good with fish and chips).

Red or White Wine Vinegar

Wine vinegar is made from red or white wine which is allowed to become vinegar. As with wines in general, there is a wide range of variety depending on what wine is used. The higher quality wine vinegars are made from single grape varieties rather than blends and tend to be aged longer (at least two years).

Rice Vinegar

Rice vinegar is made from fermented rice or rice wine. It’s produced in Japan, China, Vietnam and Korea and comes in three varieties – white, black and red. White rice vinegar is the most similar to Western style vinegars, mildly acidic and clear to pale yellow in color. Black rice vinegar is made with black rice and is smoky in flavor and dark in color. Red rice vinegar gets its color from a red yeast rice.


Flavored vinegars are great for use on salads to add a touch of flavor to your greens.  They are also good for marinades as the acidity of the vinegar helps to breakdown cells and tenderize the meat.

If you get a chance you should check and see if there are any oil and vinegar tasting shops near you.  I found another one in Asheville this past weekend, Olive & Kickin' (http://www.oliveandkickin.com/).  They had some fabulous new flavors I hadn't seen before and I'll be trying one out for the recipe on Sunday.  I bought a sample pack (6 small bottles for $35) which is a great way to try out something before commiting to a whole bottle.