Thai Inspired Refrigerator Pickles

Ingredients for about 10 servings

2 1/2 lbs cucumbers with the ends trimmed or just use yellow squash (I used a mixture of both and I actually like the yellow squash better for this recipe)

1/2 sweet onion thinly sliced

3 lemongrass stalks (peel off hard outer leaves and cut in 1/3rds and crush stem to release flavors)

2 Thai Chili’s cut in half long ways

thumb size of fresh ginger cut in slices (I removed skin)

5 garlic cloves slightly crushed

10 kaffir lime leaves

1 lime juice and zest

1 Tablespoon coriander

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

2 dried Asian red chili pods lightly crushed

1/2 teaspoon cumin

fresh nutmeg a few scrapes 4-6

1/4 cup dark brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar

2 Tablespoons Tuong gia vi (Golden Valley Soy Sauce) on Food Network a local Thai Restaurant Owner said that this sauce is essential to Thai Cookery so here it is.

2 Tablespoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon natural coconut extract

2 1/2 cups rice wine vinegar

3 cups water

teaspoon black peppercorns

Directions

Place cucumbers in a sterilized jar or container. Everything else goes in a pot that you bring to boil and reduce to timer for around ten minutes. Pour over cucumbers and set in refrigerator for at least 5 days and enjoy.

After about a week they look like this

Thai Inspired Refrigerator Pickles

They are tasty. The yellow squash that I pickled with the cucumbers is actually better than the cucumbers. They absorbed more flavors.

This is tasty and that’s The Forking Truth

Easy Spicy Brown Mustard Recipe

This mustard recipe is spicy but not too spicy and has some texture. You do need a spice grinder for this recipe.

Makes about a cup of mustard. Makes about 16 servings

4 Tablespoons of dark mustard seeds

2 Tablespoons of yellow mustard seeds (save one tablespoon to add at the end)

1 allspice berry

6 juniper berries

1/4 cup sherry

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

2 Tablespoons pulverized garlic

1/2 teaspoon espelette pepper

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

2 Tablespoons water

fresh ground sea salt about 10 turns

fresh ground black pepper about 15 turns

Directions

To your spice grinder add dark brown mustard seeds and one Tablespoon of the yellow mustard seeds, the allspice berry and the juniper berries and grind.

Get a small mixing bowl and add your ground spices, sherry, vinegar, garlic, espelette pepper, turmeric, remaining yellow mustard seeds, water, salt/pepper and mix well. Let sit for two days and enjoy.

Easy Spicy Brown Mustard Recipe

This is Forking GREAT and that’s The Forking Truth

Forking Fabulous Mini Potato Knishes

Even if you never had a potato knish before……..you will forking love them….. if you enjoy potatoes. My husband had his first potato knish at a restaurant we went to a little over a year ago and enjoyed it. With both of us growing up on the East Coast it’s hard to believe he lived his whole life never trying a knish. All the grocery stores I shopped at when I lived on the east coast all sold the knish in the deli department.

The knish is an eastern european savory hand pie. The most common filling is mashed potato. Other popular varieties include kasha (buck wheat groats), liver, and rice.

That restaurant where we tried the potato knish closed and most of the few places we tried knishes afterwards  weren’t as tasty or even good. I had some extra potatoes and some chicken fat in my freezer so I thought I’d make potato knishes. I accidentally created another masterpiece! This recipe is FORKING GOOD! Far better than any knish I ever had before….

I note in none of the grocery stores I shopped at in Phoenix carry  knishes in the deli department. I wrote before about many of the different foods sold in east coast supermarkets compared to Phoenix area supermarkets. The deli department in Phoenix grocery stores also do not carry Italian nougat, store made fruit leather, health salad, real pastrami and also aren’t equipped with bread slicers for slicing bakery quality breads. I could forking go on and on…..

Now back to the knish.

My twist is a very tasty tender but firm crust and I season the potatoes when I cook them.

This recipe makes about 20 mini potato knishes about 10 servings.

You will have about a cup of extra potato filling that you can use with the seasoned potato water for soup or just eat with dinner.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup flour plus another Tablespoon or two for rolling the dough

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 cup schmaltz

1 XL egg beaten

2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

2 Tablespoons cold water

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

2 cups sweet onions chopped fine

3 Tablespoons schmaltz

2 lbs russet potatoes

1/2 onion skin removed

1 elephant garlic clove pealed

Tablespoon (heaping) kosher salt

fresh ground sea salt to taste

fresh ground black pepper to taste

a few pinches of ground white pepper to taste

nonstick spray for pan

1 XL beaten yolk with a shelfful of water as egg wash

Directions heat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium bowl add your flour, baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add beaten egg, schmaltz, vinegar, 2 Tablespoons water, mix well roll into a ball cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

In a small fry pan fry up your onions with three Tablespoons schmaltz on medium turning down to slow heat till tender. Season with salt, black pepper and a pinch of white pepper to taste.

Cook pealed potatoes and depending on size cut in half or thirds and boil with salt, banana pepper, garlic and onion till fork tender. (about 15 minutes)

When done THROW OUT the onion banana pepper and garlic because all their flavor went into the water and potato. (optional keep the flavored water because it’s great to make soup with or add to a bread recipe)

Hand mash the potatoes and add the onion mixture. Taste and add fresh ground sea salt, fresh ground black pepper and some ground white pepper to taste.

Get your dough and a rolling pin and a mat for rolling dough. Pinch off about a teaspoon of dough and roll it as flat as you can with a slight dap of flour. (p.s. I used only that much flour for the whole recipe) It doesn’t have to be perfect and none of the dough I rolled out was in a perfect shape. It just comes out great anyway.

Use a meatball scoop  to scoop out potato mixture

Pull up ends of dough over the potato and set them on baking pans sprayed with non-stick spray until done.

Now wash them with the egg wash.

Bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees F.

Serve with home made spicy brown mustard. That recipe with be published shortly.

I think these are the best forking potato knishes I ever had. The crust is delicious and is so thin but sturdy and the potatoes are really awesome. This recipe is better than restaurant quality……not sure if I should have given it out……..

This is Forking FABULOUS and that’s The Forking Truth

Jackfruit Salsa

Cleaned Jackfruit separated into the bulbs and pulled flesh

I cooked up some Jackfruit and thought it would make great salsa.  After I worked out the salsa recipe I gave some to my husband on tortilla chips with a scant amount of shredded cheese to taste. He said “WOW” I have no idea what this is but it’s delicious. He also said it’s slightly sweet with a nice heat. “What is this?” I have no idea what it’s made with.

I cooked up a chunk of Jackfruit from the Asian Market

Jackfruit

and got 10 ounces of jackfruit bulbs and about 7 ounces of pulled jackfruit.

Jackfruit Salsa

Ingredients     makes about 8 servings

1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

10 ounce cooked jackfruit bulbs cleaned and chopped

1 jalapeno -finely chopped (you might need more or LESS depending on your taste and the heat of the pepper. (I used one small red jalapeño that seemed mild/medium)

1 garlic clove very thinly sliced

2 ounces scallion white ends (about 1/2 cup)

1/2 cup grape tomatoes (that were already roasted and were leftovers)

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1 lime (just the fresh squeezed juice)

1 cup water

1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro

Directions

Get a medium sauce pan on medium high heat and add the oil, then the garlic, jalapeño, scallion whites, cumin, black pepper and salt. Cook till fragrant and soft. Turn heat to medium and add jackfruit, tomatoes, vinegar, water and lime juice. Cook a few minutes till it thickens slightly and add the cilantro at the end. Serve warm when ready.

Jackfruit Salsa

The Jackfruit Salsa was really delicious. I think most people would enjoy it.

This is really delicious and that’s The Forking Truth

Celery Salad with Apples, Blue Cheese and Spiced Hazelnuts

I had extra celery and blue cheese at home so I built on that and prepared a tasty salad. The ingredients are simple but when you peal the celery you elevate it. You also elevate the hazelnuts by boiling the bitterness out of them and then toasting to be fragrant with spices. A basic low oil dressing ties it all together.

Ingredients for about 6 servings

1/2 bunch celery with ribs pealed and chopped into around half inch chunks

1 lemon juiced and zest (in a small bowl)

1 apple cored and chopped (put apple in the small bowl into the lemon juice)

2 scallions chopped

4 oz. blue cheese crumbled

1 cup hazelnuts (put in a microwave safe bowl with about 1 1/2 cups of water, cover with plastic wrap and microwave for three minutes) Set to side

1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 Tablespoon sugar

fresh ground sea salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

2 Tablespoons dijon mustard

1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

splash Worcestershire sauce

1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar

fresh ground sea salt

fresh ground black pepper

Directions set oven to 300 degrees F

Get your microwaved hazelnuts

and rub them well with paper towels

to take away any loose skin. 

Now put the hazelnuts on a sheet pan. Sprinkle the nuts with 1 tablespoon oil, sugar,fresh ground sea salt and cayenne. They need about 25 minutes in the oven and then remove and set to the side. You might have slightly more than you want for this recipe so just use them as a snack or to top a salad.

Remove the apple pieces from the lemon juice and add the apples in a large bowl with the celery, scallions and blue cheese.

Make the dressing in your lemon juice bowl. To the lemon juice add dijon mustard, oil, mix well and then add Worcestershire, vinegar, salt and pepper continuing to mix well.

Combine everything in the large bowl except for the hazelnuts. Add fresh ground salt and pepper to taste.

Top each serving with some hazelnuts.

Celery Salad with Apples, Blue Cheese and Spiced Hazelnuts

This is REALLY Forking Tasty and that’s The Forking Truth