19 chef's corner PICKLE The A unique kind of life saver! To those of you fond of taking shots as a method of enjoying an alcoholic beverage, a recent fad called the “pickle back” has emerged on the drinking scene. It is a secret agent that helps prevent the so-called “hang over” or impending misery of varying degree depending on the level and duration of shot taking the night before. The way it works is that you take a shot of whiskey or a shot o f vodka, and immediately follow with a shot of pickle brine. The point is that the brine acts like a chaser and as legend has it your hangover is manageable as opposed to unbearable. Serious shot connoisseurs swear by this trick, but as it turns out, this is not the fi rst time the pickle has saved us from sickness. When it comes to survival, it seems we have the pickle to thank. Pickling, as a method of food preparation and preservation, has survived for over 4,000 years. We now have pickle festivals all over the country and the world, but when picking up a jar at your local market or canning some at home, we rarely consider this condiment a necessity of daily life. However, pickled foods including pork, fi sh, eggs, beef, as well as vegetables, were a necessary part of daily diet. In the 1400s through 1800s most travelers on a long journey carried a full supply of pickled foods. A well-produced brine or fermentation process will preserve food for years. My grandfather, who was a 17-year-old soldier in WWII, has a great pickle story he likes to share with me each winter, and now I will pass it on to you. One of the most common ways to feed the massive Soviet army in the dead of winter with no resources in terms of army kitchens or produce was to feed the soldiers sauerkraut and honey. Honey was also not easy to come by, but sauerkraut could be produced in massive amounts. The soldiers would dig out huge pits, fi ve feet deep and fi ve feet wide in the frozen earth and snow. They would pack it fi ve feet deep with shredded cabbage and salt. The salt melted the snow briefl y and the cold froze the melting snow instantly, forming the pit into a giant snow jar, fully sealed. As the salt mixed with the cabbage, it fermented and pickled itself without any human intervention. When it was time to open the pit, he would jump inside and shovel the kraut out into barrels so it could be served to the soldiers. The fermented pickle brine was saved and used to drink as a chaser for vodka or in fermented soups. Something about that story always makes me want to take cold vodka shots and eat sauerkraut. Chef Natasha Pogrebinsky Executive Chef and Owner of Bear Restaurant 12-14 31st Avenue, Long Island City www.bearnyc.com CHEF NATASHA POGREBINSKY Fast-Track Kraut and Pickle Recipe: Shred 1 quart of white cabbage. Crush by hand until it reduces in size by a half and produces some juice. Place the cabbage back into the quart container. Fill the rest of the container with sliced cucumber (slice into circles about ½ inch thick.) Fill the container to the top rim with water. Empty the water into a medium pot, add 2 cloves of sliced garlic, 1 bay leaf, 5 pepper corns, 2 sprigs of dill, 2 sprigs of parsley, ½ teaspoon of mustard seed, ½ teaspoon of coriander, ½ tea spoon of caraway seeds, ½ cup of kosher salt. Bring the brine mixture to a boil and let simmer for about 10 minutes. Add ¼ cup of white vinegar to the brine. Add the hot brine to the cabbage and cucumbers and let cool, cover and refrigerate for at least 48 hours.
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