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!

Good and Good For You: Cilantro

 

Okay, so I haven't had a chance to get in the kitchen and play with new recipes...saving that for this weekend.  In the meantime, I thought I would do a little research into one of the ingredients that crops up in The New Southwest and many other cookbooks -- cilantro.

Now there are two predominant camps when it comes to cilantro, people seem to either love it or hate it, and I used to be in the latter camp.  But I'm slowing making my way into some middle ground with this herb.  Though it started to became very trendy in the 1990s, its been around forever.

Cilantro is the leafy part of the coriander plant, Coriandrum sativum, and is sometimes known as Chinese parsley. Cilantro is common to both Mexico and China and though Mexico sits on the border, it was actually the Chinese railroad workers in the 1860s who introduced the herb to North America.  They planted seeds by their camps to use the herb for cooking and left a trail of the herb behind them.

These days cilantro is used in wide array of ethnic cuisines in the U.S.  While some people use cilantro and parsley interchangeably (they are both members of the same family), there is a distinct difference in taste.  Cilantro has a very herby, pungent, almost astringent taste with slightly sweet undertones.

Cilantro is best used fresh and raw because it loses its aroma once dried.  In order to retain its potency, the best practice is to add cilantro at the end of your cooking process or as a garnish.  Cilantro makes a great salad green and is also good used as the main herb for pesto or chimichurri, a green sauce served with grilled meats (hmmm, may be seeing a post with that soon).

One of the interesting things about cilantro is that it's actually considered a healing herb.  The leaves have antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.  They have a positive impact on blood cholesterol levels (lowers bad/increases good) and is believed to help in regulating blood sugar levels.

Cilantro is a good source of potassium, calcium and contains high levels of lutein which is good for good eye health.  Cilantro also contains vitamins A and C, which are amplified when cilantro is consumed with carotenoids (orange and yellow fruits and veggies).

One of the properties that cilantro promotes is detoxification in the body, especially with skin, bone, and brain.  Through environmental effects and consumption of other foods, metals build up in the body and cilantro is a good way to help detox and process those metals.

So if you're like me and like the idea of eeking out your youth a little bit longer, then jump on board the kinda-like-it Cilantro train with me and let's test that puppy out.

K2's Favorite Veggie Enchiladas

 

Have you ever eaten something so memorable that at random times the idea of it will pop into your head and make you start drooling?  I don't know what it is about this particular dish, but that happens to me all the time.  It's vegetarian fare, but very filling and quite the tasty treat.  Even GP Dad, who is by no mean a huge fan of veg-only cooking, loved this.

So after years of drool-filled cravings, I FINALLY remembered to ask my friend Mara if I could get the recipe from her and here are the make-your-tastebuds-happy veggie enchiladas.

Veggie Enchiladas
based on recipe from Vegetarian Classics by Jeanne Lemlin (2001) via Mara via me, paraphrased and slightly tweaked -- makes 8

1 tbsp. olive oil
1 large white onions, diced
2 medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise and sliced thinly
1 (15 oz.) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 (4 oz.) can chopped green chiles
2 cups frozen corn
2 tbsp. fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 tbsp. fresh oregano, finely chopped
8 large whole wheat tortillas
1 cup medium salsa
1/2 cup skim milk*
1/2 cup Half-n-Half*
1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.  Cook onions until they become translucent and start to caramelize, about 7-10 minutes.

Add zucchini slices to the skillet and cook an additional 5-6 minutes.

Turn off the heat and add beans, chiles, corn, oregano, and cilantro to the pan.  Mix everything together and set aside.

In a medium size bowl, blend together the salsa, milk, and Half-n-Half.  Set aside.

Prepare two (2) 9x13" baking pans (or one big honkin' cake pan) with cooking spray, then spread a thin layer of the salsa-milk mixture in the bottom of each pan.

Take the bean mixture and divide it between the eight (8) tortillas, then fold and wrap them up.  I found the easiest way to get a more even distribution was to divide the filling mixture in the skillet, lay out four tortillas at a time and divide half of the filling mix between the four.  Wrap those and then do the next four.

Place the filled tortillas folded-side down in the pan(s).

Spread the rest of the salsa/milk mixture over them and sprinkle with shredded cheese.

 

Cover with foil and bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes.

Serve up with some shredded lettuce, sour cream and/or guacamole and some extra salsa if you want.

Ole!

NOTES

Mara's Note:  If you want your cheese to be "well done," after 20 minutes remove the cover and continue to bake until it's the texture/color you want.  Dad was chomping at the bit for dinner, so we opted out of the extended cooking option.

*You can substitute 1 cup of whole milk for the 1/2 cup milk + 1/2 cup H-n-H.  You want the higher milk fat content to give the dish some depth and flavor, skim milk by itself will be too watery.

Dad suggested adding some Monterey jack cheese in the filling to give it some more kick.  Or you could use hot salsa with the sauce.  Mom suggested adding sour cream to the filling before baking to give it some tang.  All good suggestions for the next time...and oh yes, there WILL be a next time.

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.

Summer Berry-Peach Tart

 

More fun with blackberries!

For the GNO brunch last weekend I promised to bring a fruit salad so went to the Farmer's Market that morning to gather some seasonal ingredients.  Made a mixture of blackberries, blueberries, peaches, fresh chopped mint and honey.  It came together really nicely, so nicely that I thought "you know, this would make a great pie filling too."  But instead of a pie, I decided to do a tart, with some finely chopped pecans (to give it a little crunch) and cinnamon crust...mmm mmm mmm!  Experimental cooking can be so much fun (especially when it turns out the way you crossed your fingers for).

Summer Berry-Peach Tart

crust
1-1/4 cup flour
3-4 tsp. ground cinnamon
6 tbsp. cold butter, cubed
1-1/2 to 2 tbsp. water
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
sugar to sprinkle

filling
1-1/2 cups whole blackberries
3/4 cup blueberries
1 medium peach, peeled and chopped
1 tbsp. fresh mint, finely chopped
1-1/2 tsp. honey
1 tsp. sugar
1/8 cup pecans, finely chopped

Mix together flour and cinnamon.  Add in pieces of butter and incorporate using a pastry blender or fork until mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs.  You can use your fingers, but I find the heat from my hands will start to melt the butter and make it less malleable.  Yes, I have hot hands in the kitchen.

 

Starting with 1 tbsp. of water (and adding more as needed in 1/2 tbsp. measurements), bring mixture together until it forms a soft dough ball. Will take some kneading so be patient.

Wrap the dough in plastic or wax paper and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

In the meantime mix together the fruit, mint, honey and sugar.  Set aside.

When the dough is ready, roll out and transfer to a lightly greased tart or springform pan.  If you use a springform pan make sure to press it up along the edges to form a short ridge to hold the filling.

Sprinkle the chopped pecans along the bottom and press into the dough.

Pour the fruit mixture into the tart pan and spread out evenly.  Fruit filling will be higher than the sides of tart pan when you pour it in, but not to worry, it will cook down.

Place the tart pan on a cookies sheet.  As an easy-to-clean-after precaution, I had put a sheet of foil down in case of fruit juice spillage.

Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.  Remove tart from oven and brush edges with egg yolk.  Sprinkle with sugar and bake another 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and cool tart pan on a rack.

Once pan is cooled, remove tart and place on a serving dish.  Or cutting board if you're going to jump right in on that.

Serve with your favorite ice cream or a decorative dollop of whipped cream.

NOTES

I forgot to put my cinnamon in the flour to start with, but you can fold it into the dough after it's mixed, will just give it that marbled effect.

To get my pecans finely chopped, I just threw them in a food processor for about a minute.

For the mint, rinse and dry the leaves.  Then the easiest way to chop them is to chiffonade them -- roll them together into a long "tube" shape and then cut along the short end.  Will give you small "ribbons" of mint.

You could substitute other fresh berries in this dish, I just chose blackberries because I adore them and because all my fruits are currently in season.

Whatever fruit combo you use, you want to make sure they all have the same cooking time (for example, apples take longer to cook than berries so would not work with this unless partially cooked to begin with).

I served my torte with caramel honey frozen Greek yogurt. 

Chicken and Angel Hair a la Grecque

 

I like to eat a little lighter in the summer so wanted to do something flavorful, but not too heavy on the belly.  This is a little number I threw together in my sleep last night.  Yes, I dream about food. 

For those who aren't familiar with the term, "a la Grecque" is French for "in the manner of Greece" and since this pasta dish was inspired by Greek salad it seemed appropriate.

Chicken and Angel Hair a la Grecque

1/2 box (uncooked) multigrain angel hair pasta
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
flour for dredging
1-1/2 tbsp. olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3 tsp. white balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp. fresh thyme
1/4 cup black olives, chopped
4 cups baby spinach
1/3 cup crumbled feta
salt and fresh cracked black pepper, to taste

Prepare the angel hair according to package directions.  When done, drain, rinse with hot water, drain again and set aside.  Meanwhile, back at the stove...

Cut chicken breasts into bite-sized strips and dredge lightly with regular flour.

 

In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp. of olive oil and add dredged chicken strip pieces.  Cook over medium-high heat until browned, but not cooked completely through.

Add fresh lemon juice, white balsamic vinegar, fresh thyme, and chopped black olives to the skillet.  Stir well, cooking for an additional minute or two.

Lower the heat to low.  Add spinach and drained angel hair to the skillet, cover and let sit for 3-5 minutes to semi-wilt the spinach.

 

Uncover skillet, add in add feta, 1/2 tsp. olive oil and 1 tsp white balsamic.

Mix well and serve up.

NOTE

If you are adamantly anti-olive (and I know who some of you are), you can leave them out.