My local organics food store carries goat milk. For weeks I toyed with the idea of buying some, but ended with a pause, wondering what I would do with it. When I grew up, it was always a glass of milk at dinner, but these days I reach for water (or wine)– all essential to mind and body health and vitality. I use (cow) milk to silken an occasional omelette, in coffee, or to make ice cream or a milk shake. I always think, what would I do with goat milk? (Although I admit a goat milk, lavender and honey ice cream has been on my mind.)

A few weeks ago I was at a friend’s home and was offered goat milk. Really? So I tried it and all I could think of was that I was drinking liquid goat cheese, or chevre. Interesting. D suggested mixing in some honey and cinnamon. It became a deliciously sweet spiced concoction with that slight, but unmistakable goat cheese “barnyard” undertone of sweet hay and Earth.

When an opportunity arose to acquire some raw goat milk I thought I would give it a try. Not necessarily to drink, but perhaps make that ice cream, some chevre, or yogurt. I bought the cultures and when the coin toss came to pass, yogurt won out.

Though of course like anything homemade, I thoroughly enjoyed my goat yogurt over any yogurts I have had in the past, though the recipe needs some experiment.

Why?

Yogurt most of us are accustomed to on the market has added thickeners (tapioca, citrus pulp, cornstarch, or other synthetic agents) added to make them a thick and even consistency– not to mention sugars. If you have bought yogurt that does not use thickeners, you’ll notice it is much thinner, and sometimes even lumpy. To make the consistency weightier, without thickeners, producers will often drain the product, losing a lot of whey in the process.

I have heard if you heat the milk to a higher temperature before adding culture it gets thicker, but when using raw milk products, you run the risk of killing heat sensitive bacteria that makes milk digestible.

It is something that is by no means perfect. I would love a thick yogurt, without the use of heat– a more Greek style yogurt. Perhaps I need to grab a flight to Greece and learn from a grandmother.

Until then, I enjoy my yogurt with granola, a scoop of my own grandmother’s preserves, or simply as a yogurt beverage, full of all those great probiotics.

If you are interested in making your own yogurt, it is fairly simple. All you need are some cultures to get you started (recipe is dependent on the culture you use). Raw milk or a high quality organic milk is recommended.

An important garden lesson: you cannot stop a cucumber plant from going crazy– Actually, you cannot stop any vining plant from clinging and climbing wherever it sees fit. But let’s talk cucumbers.

I planted an heirloom variety known as lemon cucumber. Lemon because the resulting fruit is fairly lemon shaped and ripen from light green to a bright lemon yellow. When I checked on the plant two Fridays ago there were a number of flowers waiting to burst with fruit. I left for a week to visit D in upstate New York terrified I would miss out on a massive cucumber harvest. (Seriously, I had three different dreams about lost or unattended garden bounty.)

While upstate, I purchased a beautiful 3-gallon ceramic crock pot from a lovely antique dealer– really a gift for all those cucumbers ready to spring to life. When D and I returned Sunday we headed to the garden for our first massive harvest: corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant and ever more basil.

We’re overflowing with cucumbers now and decided to take action. Garden cucumbers head to the crock for brining and CSA cucumbers get crock treatment or turned into the great little snack you see pictured above. I’ll provide a picture of the brined cucumbers once the pickles are (hopefully) tasty and ready for the camera.

Until then, satisfy your cucumber (and tomato) bounty with this fresh and easy snack. I used a hearty cranberry-walnut bread as the base. Any other good bread will do, or go without bread, using the cucumber as a base. Top with any fresh herb and voila, a tasty garden treat.

Cucumber Bites
Serving Size= 5 piece. Prep time= 5 minutes.
5 small slices, or 2 larger slices cut small of cranberry-walnut bread
1 cucumber, sliced 1/2-inch thick
1 vine ripe tomato, sliced 1/2-inch thick
salt/ pepper to taste
5 slices, 1/4-inch thick, feta
fresh thyme for garnish (parsley, chives, parsley or cilantro will work too)
lemon spritz (optional)

Method: Toast bread until golden. Layer bread with cucumber and tomato. Season with salt and pepper then top with feta and a sprinkle of herbs. Add a spritz of lemon over top for some added zip.

The other week I mentioned my search for wontons in Chinatown that brought me to the treasured mangosteen. My desire for wonton soup must have been fate to find my true fruit love. But this pull must also mean that these little dumplings are truly blessed and a perfect treat for the Chinese New Year that started this past Thursday.

Where did this sudden desire for wontons come if not from the pull of the mangosteen?

A few weeks ago I was talking with a friend in my Community Supported Agriculture group. Many of the members are currently in a winter share, comprised of storage vegetables like beets, celeriac, carrots and cabbage. It is amazing to have the opportunity to buy local and in season in the winter, but the real challenge is finding unique ways through 25 pounds of 5 or 6 kinds of vegetables! So when this friend mentioned she was making wontons, without asking what she put in them, my mind was working and I knew they were too good to pass up. Off I ran to pick up some no-hassle wonton wrappers.

These days, wonton wrappers are available in many specialty supermarkets in the refrigerated section. I go to Chinatown because they have a larger selection from various producers, as well as shapes (circular or square). For these wonton wrappers, I found a local New York City producer that only uses flour, water and eggs to make the noodle (no MSG or other hard to pronounce additives). In addition, I picked up a young ginger and some scallions to complete the flavor profile I was after.

While most supermarkets carry fresh ginger rhizomes (not roots), young ginger is harder to find, but well worth the effort. The taste is sweeter, less bitter and has less of an astringent bite compared to regular ginger. It is also less fibrous and can be slivered into soups or salads for an extra kick. Young ginger has a smoother skin and a pinkish hue (not to be fooled with the pickled ginger you get with your sushi). Regular ginger (non-powdered) you find in most supermarkets will work in this recipe.

I made these wontons with ground pork, but you can make them vegetarian or with beef just as tasty. For a first time go I think these turned out fabulous. 50 wonton wrappers come in (most) packs so as I made them I assembled them on a cookie sheet to freeze and store for later. Now, whenever D wants some wonton soup he boils these wontons for 10 minutes, adds a little miso paste and dried seawood and voila, instant hearty wonton soup!

This soup is totally no-hassle as long as you have a few key ingredients.

Instead of a chicken stock base (which would be equally delicious) I used organic red miso paste, available at most Asian markets and health stores. Miso paste is made from fermented rice, barley or most often, soybeans. 1-2 teaspoons per cup of water makes a great fast soup base, but you can also use it to pickle vegetables! Red miso paste has a stronger flavor than white (which is used in most miso soup at Japanese restaurants). It is great to have around for fast soups, but also because it seems to last forever. But again, chicken or vegetable stock would taste equally delicious.

When you buy miso paste, don’t forget to pick up some dried (or fresh) seaweed. Experiment with different types, some are better for sushi rolls, others are meant to be re-hydrated in soups or for salads. My local health store carries all sorts of Wikame Eden brand. One package has lasted as long as the miso! If you don’t like seaweed, try bok choi, or stir spinach or even lettuce in there before serving (hey, why not).

As for the wontons, I wanted to use some of my winter storage vegetables so this was a key ingredient. All the recipes I found for wontons contained a basic meat, ginger and garlic trio, most added some soy sauce. Play around and find a flavor combination that works for you.

Wonton Soup
Serving Size= 2. Active time= 5 minutes. Inactive time= 12 minutes.

• 6-8 wontons (see recipe below)
• 4 teaspoons miso paste (available at most Asian or health markets)
• 2 strands dried Wikame seaweed
• 1-2 scallions

1) Bring 4 cups unsalted water to a boil. While the water is coming up to temperature, prepare the bowls.
2) Slice scallion into 1/4 inch slivers and cut seaweed into 1 inch pieces. Divide the scallion and seaweed between the two bowls. Add 2 teaspoons miso paste to each bowl.
3) When water is boiling, remove 1/2 cup of the liquid and set aside. Add wontons to the boiling water, cover, and boil for 8-10 minutes. Divide the 1/2 cup liquid between the two bowls and use a spoon to help break down the miso paste. Make sure the seaweed is covered. Set aside.
4) When the wontons are done, divide them between the bowls and add the boiling water over top. Serve hot.

Pork and Vegetable Wontons
Serving Size= 50 wontons. Active time= 1 hour.
This was my first time making wontons and I found once I developed a rhythm I could stuff them a little plumper and work a littler faster. I followed a technique similar to the one in this YouTube video, but you can make them by a simple one fold method and not worry about getting fancy.

• 2 carrots, shredded
• 1 celeriac, shredded
• 1/4 head of cabbage, shredded
• 4 scallions, sliced into 1/4 inch pieces
• 1 pound lean ground pork
• 2 teaspoons minced ginger
• 3-4 cloves minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons chili flakes (optional, or what you think is best)
• 50 wonton wrappers

1) Peel the celeriac and carrot and use a food processor to shred these and the cabbage. Transfer to a large bowl and add the remaining ingredients. Mix the ingredients with your hands to evenly incorporate.
2) Assemble a cutting board in front of you, the wonton wrappers, a small dish of water and a cookie sheet (if you plan to freeze the wontons).
3) Assemble wontons: Place one wrapper on the cutting board. Dip your fingers in the water and rim the edges with a little water. Place one heaping teaspoon of filling in the middle of the wrapper, fold in half once and push out the air and seal. Finish there, or push the center filling in slightly and fold two corners onto each other to form a sort of hat. Continue until all the wrappers are used, assembling them on a cookie sheet to freeze (eat remaining filling in a small burger!). Once the cookie sheet is filled, cover and freeze. Once frozen, transfer to a freezer storage bag for a tasty wonton treat (steamed or boiled) whenever you’re in a pinch for time!
Note:See the YouTube video link above for a step-by-step video of the process (not mine), but it is easier to visualize- sorry, I didn’t have additional un-porked hands to handle the camera!

A little less talking and a little more cooking, eh?

Feast your eyes on the image above. Very fresh looking, right? This meal was so good I could stare at this photo to remember it all year. I won’t bore you with nothing while I drool, so let us continue.

Before I continue, don’t forget to sign up for the Just Braise email blast. Get Just Braise emailed to your inbox every night after an item is posted. You can still leave comments, see photos and even listen to the post. Just fill your email address in the blank to the right and hit “subscribe me!” Now to the good stuff.

A few weeks back I ordered a slab of pork belly from one of the farmers associated with my Community Supported Agriculture program. The pork these folks raise is tremendous. D and I always stuck with the pork chops, frankly because they are fast and easy. Truly, I cannot remember when I have had such delicious pork. Always juicy and full of flavor, it is what pork should be. So I finally ventured into the realm of belly.

D and I had the opportunity to visit this farm over the summer. It was fabulous to see not only our pigs, but also our cattle (they also raise grass-fed beef) in action, knowing what we purchase is actually what we are told. (Rather than “free-range”– what does that really mean?!) It is also an amazing opportunity to not only speak to the person who raises your food, but see their practices. Admittedly, to see these animals and think, “I’m going to eat you next month!” is sort of twisted in our modern detachment of food systems. (Going to our CSA’s vegetable farm and noting all the vegetables soon to enter my belly was much more hilarious.)

Our gracious host had us safely in her car as we careened around the 400 plus acreage, showing off vista points, watering holes and different grasses the cattle eat. Next stop was the pig field for feeding time. As we opened the second floor to the barn we saw the pigs in the distance, racing as a seemingly wild pack out of the distant trees for their feed. “They eat a lot of grub and whatever they find in the woods,” N explained, “but we give them a little more protein and grain as supplement.”

With that, she dropped a bucket of grain from the second floor, crashing on and around the pigs, who well, went hog wild pigging out. Piglets were shoved to the outer circle picking at scraps while the more assertive animals took center stage. Once feeding had subsided the pigs headed off to a small pond to retreat in the cooling waters, “Miami Beach,” N noted.

Back to the belly of the matter…

Pork belly comes from the same cut as bacon, though bacon has been smoked or cured. Pork belly is fresh, uncured meat, just as fatty good as bacon. (Mmmm, bacon.) The cut is ideal for braising. The technique leaves the skin crisp, fat oozing and the flesh velvety soft. If you can manage all three in one bite, try not to fall out of your chair as you swoon.

For this cut I adapted a spice rub I found online and braised it about 4 hours. The pork was served as an appetizer at a dinner party that was picked at throughout the night. I was lucky enough to stash away a few pieces for lunch the next day, bulked up as you see it, with rice, pickled daikon radish, fresh carrots, scallions and cilantro. The result? Really, a picture says a thousand words. I’ll just say one more: divine.

I made the daikon radish a day prior to the dinner party. The pickled radish played the perfect part to accent the pork’s flavor and cut through the fat. The only problem? Pickled daikon radish has a horrendous smell. Think men’s used gym socks. But, like many other things that can produce a horrific funk (think some wines), once you overcome your initial fear you’ll be glad you took the plunge.

Do not be daunted by these recipes. They are simple to make and most of the involvement is inactive time. It is a fabulous dish to make on a weekend lounging around the home.

Pickled Daikon Radish
Adapted from epicurious
Serving Size= About 1 radish per 3 persons. Active time= 8 minutes. Inactive time= 24 hours.
daikon radish
equal parts plain white vinegar and sugar
1/4 part salt

1) Julienne the daikon radish (cut into matchstick thin slices) and place in a non-reactive container.
2) Add equal parts white vinegar and sugar until just covered, add 1/4 the amount of salt (to the vinegar quantity).
3) Mix, cover and refrigerate for at least 24 hours before serving.

Braised Pork Belly
Adapted from Dan Barber
Serving Size= 6 persons. Active time= 10 minutes. Inactive time= 8 hours.
1 -3 pound pork belly
4 cups chicken stock or water
2 cups cure mix:
1/4 cup fennel seeds
1/4 cup cumin seeds
1/4 cup ground coriander
1 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons whole cloves
1 cup salt
2/3 cup sugar

1) Make cure mix, using fresh whole seeds and grinding, if possible.
2) Rub mix all over pork belly, cover and refrigerate 4 hours.
3) Preheat oven to 250F. Remove pork belly, rinse the cure mix off lightly, place pork in pan and pour in chicken stock, without fully covering the pork. Cook for 4-5 hours.
4) Remove from braising pan, drain, slice and serve.

To Finish the Dish as Above
Serving size= 2 persons. Active time= 10 minutes. Inactive time=30 minutes plus pork belly
1/2 cup uncooked rice, white or brown (I used Basmati)
1 carrot, sliced into matchstick slices
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1 scallion, thinly sliced
pickled daikon radish
red chili flakes
pork belly

1) In the last half hour of cooking, make rice and prepare vegetables.
2) Assemble rice on plates, add sliced pork belly over top, a scoop of pickled daikon radish. Divide carrots, scallions and cilantro sprinkled over top. Finish with a pinch of red chili flakes.

What do you do when you realize you have ordered 20 pounds of Roma tomatoes to drop in one bountiful bulk shipment?

If you’re me, you work on cleaning out the freezer: Remove frozen soups from last year, remove lobster stock, chicken stock, bones awaiting stockage, eat through ice cream, make a plethora of Caipirinhas with that leftover bag of ice… breath.

And realize everything being done is unnecessary as long as one thing holds true: you learn how to can.

When I sat in a planning meeting with our potential farmers for my local Community Supported Agriculture Program in January (I’m not only a client, I’m also the president) a fair blond woman spoke up: “I want canning tomatoes– bulk! Can you give us that?” When the farmers responded with a “why not,” the deal was sealed and the season was underway. I walked away thinking the fair blond crazy, but bulk tomatoes did sound fun, think of all that roasted tomato soup I could make.

But the months passed and the bulk date loomed on the horizon. Was I crazy?! I planned to turn my oven on in some of the hottest days of the year. So I did the only other sensible thing and petitioned the fair blond to teach me to can:

“Well, it’s really easy, you don’t need me to teach you.”

“But I’ve only made apple sauce. That was in the third grade at school with my teacher we used to call ‘Nature Freak’ because JJ stepped on an ant and was yelled at for killing a living creature. I just need some hand holding the first time.”

So as cucumbers stacked up to 10 a week for 3 weeks (and there are only so many cucumber salads a person can happily eat) the fair blond, who will now be referred to as L, and I gathered our cucumbers for a wholesome day of pickling. This to become my re-entry into the world of glass jars beyond my grandmother’s jams.

The pickling went smooth enough, despite the burning vinegar smell that lingered in the air. I was warned a shelf time of at least three weeks and sent home with my 5 jars of pickles. Like any good student, when I returned home I gathered the remainder of the zucchini in my refrigerator and continued to pickle the night away (what else is there to do on a Saturday night in NYC afterall?).

The days were slowly checked off my calendar and I bragged to all my friends about my pickling adventures, promising all tastes of my sure success. Finally time came to pop a jar and I must admit my pickles were delicious. Adding red pepper flakes for a slight bite and coriander seeds for a twist paid off. Soon D and I were having pickle appetizers before every meal. When pickle jar one vanished in less than one week, zucchini jar one was opened as burgers cooked away.

But now is tomato season. After my pickle triumph I was ready to take on the non-pickling world of tomatoes. I found my recipe and plodded on the other night as temperatures dropped, securing the services of D, now known as the great Tomato Skin Peeler.

It is simple really. The hardest part is that the jars must remain submerged in boiling water for 85 minutes, easily avoided if you retreat to another room for a movie. The jars come out and as the night continues each “pop” of a lid brings a smile to your face, knowing you have another quart safe for the winter ahead when you will truly appreciate that reminder of summer.

At the end of the night, just for fun, I pickled 3 small jars of green beans. Afterall, with all those tomatoes a good Bloody Mary is in order as reward… in three weeks.

Canning Tomatoes
Active Time= 1 hour. Inactive Time= 1 hour 30 minutes
Roma Tomatoes
2 tablespoons lemon juice per quart jar
Jars and new canning lids

1) Fill a large stock pot with enough water to ensure quart jars standing upright will be totally submerged, bring to a boil.
2) Bring a smaller pot of water to a boil, sterilize all jars and lids in boiling water for 5 minutes. Remove and turn upside down to dry.
3) As equipment is drying, keep boil going (use same pot for next step). Prepare an ice bath and ready tomatoes and jars. Put 2 tablespoons lemon juice in each jar.
4) Blanch tomatoes (submerge in the boiling water) for 1 minute then transfer immediately to ice bath. Once in ice bath, skins should slip off tomatoes easily. Remove skins, core, and any visible bruises from tomatoes. Fill the jars with the tomatoes as you skin and core them. Push down on tomatoes to stuff in as many as possible, making sure to leave a 1/2 inch space at the top of the jar.
5) When all jars are filled, wipe the jar lips clean and cap, securing to finger-tight.
6) Submerge jars in water, standing. Boil for 85 minutes.
7) Carefully remove from water, set on racks to cool overnight. Any jars that do not pop tight should be transfered to the fridge and eaten. You cannot store these jars for long term.

NOTE: There are plenty of books and recipes online for canning if you do not like this one. Compare what is available, have fun and enjoy your reminders of summer all winter long!

This is really a “sweet”kraut and not sauer- or “sour”kraut because in the end, that is what it is: sweet. It is not the traditional sauerkraut that many think of– the kind that comes piled high on hot dogs, a classic Chicago topping– or on the side of a plate at a BBQ. This is Sweet Latvian Sauerkraut.

This is a ‘kraut that is spiked with brown sugar and slow cooked with fruit and vegetables so the natural sugars escape in the cooking. It is the kind of ‘kraut that even if the bag or jar you extrude it from states “ready-to-eat” or “warm and serve” you dare not sit and eat it until it has been subjected to your love for a good few hours.

This is the kind of ‘kraut that stinks up your whole house for days (and eventually your mother will move the cooking process to a portable stovetop in the garage, leaving you craving the smell that usually accompanies the dish). When you are younger still, you will think this dish to be a little too bitter, but you know you must love it, and will always force a little down your throat because it is the dish that your grandmother makes for every family meal, no matter the season. It is a dish that is soul warming, and smells like home. It is the dish your boyfriend will take to work, and when reheated, he will have people salivating around him, begging for a bite, praying for the recipe.

The recipe below is made with kielbasa. It is also a sweet accompaniment to my grandma’s perfect Latvian Pancake. It can be eaten on hotdogs, or hamburgers (in place of carmelized onions possibly). Or, in the preferred method of many in my family: slathered on top of real, good, Latvian bread (or the next best substitute). It is also good with a cold beer.

SWEET LATVIAN SAUERKRAUT
Serves 4. Prep time= 30 min. Cook time= at least 2 hours.
1- 32 oz bag sauerkraut (or equivalent jar)
2 medium-sized carrots, shredded
1 apple or pear (sweet and juicy apple or slightly sour: from fuji to grannysmith), chopped
1 medium white onion, chopped
3 Tbl brown sugar
1 Tbl paprika
½ cup apple cider, apple juice, or beer
1 package (2 12-inch) kielbasa (I used turkey kielbasa for this one)

1) Turn on the broiler and begin to warm a saucepot on the stovetop, medium heat.
2) Put the kielbasa on a pan with juices. Slice down the center. Broil about 10 min or until the top opens, juices bubble, and the skin darkens.
3) While kielbasa is cooking, add 1 Tbl butter to the saucepot. Add onions and sauté 5 min. Add carrots and apple. Sauté 10 min. (Remove kielbasa from oven while this is warming.) Add sauerkraut, brown sugar, paprika. Stir well.
4) Cut kielbasa into bite-sized pieces. Add to pot, stir. Turn heat to medium-low, leave slightly uncovered, allow to cook at least 2 hours. The longer you can stand, the better, allowing the aroma fill the home. Stir periodically. Serve with true hearty and flavorful rye or pumperknickle bread, preferably from Latvia, buttered and toasted.
Note: If you will be cooking this more than two hours, check at least 1 time every half hour. Add more juice if ‘kraut appears too dry.
NOTE: I have received many an angry phone call from uncles and grandma: “Where is the caraway???” Well, I don’t really like caraway in my sauerkraut. But you may add 1-1/2-2 Tbl to your dish.