itinerant foodies

I cooked way too much food for a Monday night.

I’d had my eye on the beautiful Korean banchan spread from Gourmet‘s March issue since the magazine arrived in my mailbox months ago. I’m a sucker for pickles, and this menu included several—a cucumber-apple number, and, the one that really sold me, salty-spicy soy-pickled jalapeños. Plus quick kimchi, and sesame-soaked quail eggs, and sautéed oyster mushrooms, and grapefruit soju cocktails. There was a mouth-watering photo of warm tofu with garlic sauce and delectable-sounding shrimp and scallion pancakes.

What, oh what, to make?

All of the dishes sounded so appetizing, I couldn’t narrow down the list any further. I’ve always had this problem: I’m the annoying one at the table who makes everyone else order first, because I just can’t make up my mind about what I want. A familiar dilemma calls for a familiar solution: I chose to try everything. Sure, you could call that overkill, but if nothing else, I figured we’d have enough leftovers to last us a few days.

I made the romaine salad, the cucumber-apple pickles and the jalapeños on Sunday, figuring it’d be a breeze to whip up the last few items when I got home from work the next evening. Ha. Famous last words.

The quick kimchi, while still speedy by kimchi standards, turned out to be a bit more involved than I expected—again, my failure to read directions properly worked against me. After it was tossed with salt, the cabbage needed to stand for two hours; excessive, given the already late hour. Disappointed, I crossed that one off the list. (Temporarily, don’t worry. I have all of the ingredients, so I’ll be making it soon and will report with the results.)

And the quail eggs. I lovelovelove marinated or pickled eggs: Red-beet eggs (or pink eggs, as I’ve always called them) are one of my favorite things in the world to eat, so there was no way I was skipping this miniature variation.

The damn things were such a pain to peel, though, that I was ready to throw the whole batch at the wall; if they hadn’t turned out to be so tasty, I might’ve done just that with the finished product. I can’t even think about it without some residual frustration surfacing, but then I remember that subtle flavor, creamy yolk, and just-too-cute tininess of those little guys, and my stomach starts rumbling all over again.

On the whole, and with the obvious exception of those two snafus, each dish was a cinch to prepare. Even the Carnivore was pleased with the mostly vegetarian menu.

Hearts of romaine, lightly dressed with a garlic-and-ginger–accented vinaigrette, were satisfyingly crunchy even when made a day ahead, especially next to the simply sautéed oyster mushrooms.

Finished with a dash of cider vinegar, these meaty beauties have a versatility that could easily work as a side dish for a more heavily flavored main course, or as a topping for pizza or pasta.

Cucumber-apple pickles, marinated overnight, were tartly sweet palate-cleansers—the perfect bite to offset what were, for me, the highlights of the meal:

An unbelievably silky block of gently warmed tofu, its melting richness cut with a dousing of sesame, soy, spicy chile flakes, garlic and scallions….

Crispy pancakes, punctuated with tender red peppers, chunks of shrimp, and even more scallions…

…best when dunked in the liquid from these addictively tasty pickled jalapeños, perfectly delicious when combined with the pancakes but even better on their own. After we were finished eating, in the process of clearing the table, I spilled the container holding the leftovers all over the floor and very nearly broke out in tears, I was so upset to lose them. They’re that good.

In the end, I did wind up cutting just one item from the menu, and it’s the one I’d normally be least-likely to neglect: the grapefuit soju cocktails. I couldn’t bring myself to make a special trip to the liquor store, and, besides, I needed something to look forward to next time around.

**All recipes by Lillian Chou, from Gourmet, March 2009.**

Cucumber Apple Pickle

1. Slice cucumbers crosswise 1/8 inch thick and toss with sea salt. Let stand 30 minutes, then rinse well and squeeze out excess liquid with your hands.

2. Halve apple half lengthwise and cut out core. Slice crosswise 1/8 inch thick.

3. Toss apple with cucumbers and remaining ingredients and marinate, chilled, turning occasionally, at least 1 day.

Cooks’ note:
Pickles keep, chilled, 3 days.

Soy-Pickled Jalapeños

1. Combine all ingredients in a small heavy saucepan and bring to a boil.

2. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally. Marinate, chilled, at least 8 hours.

Cooks’ note:
Pickled jalapeños keep, chilled, 3 days.

Korean-Style Romaine

1. Cut romaine crosswise into 2-inch pieces and put in a bowl.

2. Cook garlic, ginger, and red-pepper flakes in sesame oil in a small heavy skillet over medium-low heat, stirring, until garlic begins to sizzle, about 30 seconds. Stir in soy sauce and water and bring to a boil.

3. Pour hot dressing over romaine and toss to coat. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Marinate, stirring occasionally, at least 30 minutes.

Cooks’ notes:
Romaine can be made 1 day ahead and chilled. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Warm Tofu with Spicy Garlic Sauce

1 (14-to 18-ounces) package soft tofu (not silken)
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1/4 cup chopped scallion
2 teaspoons sesame seeds, toasted and crushed with side of a heavy knife
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon Asian sesame oil
1 teaspoon coarse Korean hot red-pepper flakes (Used regular chili flakes here, too.)
1/2 teaspoon sugar

1. Carefully rinse tofu, then cover with cold water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then keep warm, covered, over very low heat.

2. Meanwhile, mince and mash garlic to a paste with a pinch of salt. Stir together with remaining ingredients (except tofu).

3. Just before serving, carefully lift tofu from saucepan with a large spatula and drain on paper towels. Gently pat dry, then transfer to a small plate. Spoon some sauce over tofu and serve warm. Serve remaining sauce on the side.

Cooks’ notes:
•Sauce can be made 1 day ahead and chilled. Bring to room temperature before using.
•Tofu can be kept warm up to 4 hours.

Sautéed Oyster Mushrooms

1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Sauté mushrooms with 1/2 teaspoon salt until golden, about 8 minutes.

2. Add vinegar and sauté until evaporated, about 1 minute. Season with salt, then transfer to a plate to cool. Serve at room temperature.

Cooks’ note:
Mushrooms can be made 4 hours ahead and kept at room temperature.

Sesame Quail Eggs

1. Generously cover eggs with cold water in a small heavy saucepan and bring just to a boil. Remove from heat and let eggs stand, covered, 5 minutes. Drain off water, then run cold water over eggs, cracking shells against side of pan.

2. Peel eggs and return to saucepan. Add water (1/2 cup), soy sauce, and sugar.

3. Simmer, shaking pan occasionally, until most of liquid has evaporated, about 20 minutes.

4. Remove from heat and stir in sesame oil. Serve at room temperature.

Cooks’ note:
Sesame quail eggs are best the day they are made but can be made 1 day ahead and chilled.

Shrimp and Scallion Pancakes

1. Preheat oven to 200°F. Set a rack in a 4-sided sheet pan and put in oven. Mince and mash garlic with 3/4 teaspoon salt, then whisk together with water, eggs, and sesame oil. Whisk in flour until smooth. Stir in scallions, bell pepper, and shrimp.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Stir batter, then cook pancakes in batches of 4 (2 tablespoons each, with some vegetables and 1 or 2 pieces shrimp), pressing down lightly with a large spatula to flatten and evenly distribute vegetables, turning once, until golden and cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes per batch. Drain on paper towels, then transfer to rack in oven to keep warm. Add oil to skillet between batches as needed.

Cooks’ note:
Pancakes can be kept warm up to 1 hour.

Tags: Gourmet magazine, korean, vegetarian

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