Month: March 2016

Korean Pancake with Wild Garlic, Scallions & Zucchini (Pajeon)

On By cooking at hinterbergIn Korean, StartersLeave a comment

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One of the first signs of spring for me here in Switzerland is wild garlic (Bärlauch in German). As soon as the snow starts to melt and we have a few warmer days at the end of the winter, you can start to spot wild garlic. And as soon as it really feels like spring, you see these leaves pop up everywhere and in abundance!

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Wild garlic or Allium ursinum can often be found in shady and moist areas. And if you see them growing somewhere once, they will most likely be growing there year after year. The best time to eat this wild garlic is in the first half of spring before they start to flower. And when picking your own wild garlic, go for the younger and smaller leaves as they are more delicate in taste. As you pick these leaves, you can instantly smell garlic and that garlic taste is stronger when eaten raw.

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For some reason, today was the first time I ever thought of using wild garlic in Korean food. I have no idea why it took me so long considering Koreans use garlic in almost every dish! So I thought to myself, why not pick some wild garlic today since the season is coming to end soon and add it to Korean Scallion Pancakes (Pajeon)? I added lots of wild garlic, green onions and zucchini to make this very green and very delicious pancake (Jeon in Korean) on this beautiful spring day.

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INGREDIENTS (makes 1 large pancake)

1/2 cup white flour (70 g)

1/2 cup rice flour (60 g)

1 cup cold water (235 ml)

3/4 tsp salt (4-5 g)

pinch of sugar

1/2 tsp fermented Korean soybean paste (optional or can substitute miso)

1 cup julienned zucchini (90 g)

1 cup roughly chopped wild garlic (20 g)

1 cup roughly chopped green onions length-wise (40g)

vegetable oil to fry pancake

For the Soy Dipping Sauce

2 1/2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp rice vinegar

1 tbsp mirin

few drops of sesame oil

freshly cracked pepper

green onion slices for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. In a large bowl, mix the white flour, rice flour and cold water and mix well. Whisk in the salt, pinch of sugar and soybean paste until well mixed. Let the batter sit for 5 minutes or so.
  2. Add in the zucchini, wild garlic and green onions and mix to make sure the vegetables are evenly distributed.
  3. Heat a large frying pan on high and add in approx. 2 tbsp of vegetable oil. When the pan is piping hot, pour all of the pancake mixture and spread evenly on the pan.
  4. When the edges start to brown, flip your pancake over and fry the other side until golden brown. Add a bit more vegetable oil if necessary.
  5. Once both sides are crispy golden brown, slice and serve hot with soy dipping sauce.
  6. For the dipping sauce, mix soy sauce, rice vinegar, mirin, sesame oil, pepper and green onion slices in a small bowl.

 

NOTES

  • For an extra crispy pancake, make this ahead of time and when ready to serve, heat and fry the pancake on both sides again.

 

Morrocan Carrot Dip w/Feta, Kalamata Olives & Capers

On By cooking at hinterbergIn StartersLeave a comment

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This past weekend, we celebrated my husband and his twin sister’s birthday along with my beautiful mother-in-law and a couple of dear friends in Basel. Since I moved to Switzerland over 6 years ago, visiting my sister-in-law has always been a special treat for me and has become a bit of a monthly ritual. We always arrive on a Saturday afternoon and everytime we walk into her house, we are always greeted with so much love, the most beautiful flower arrangements and of course wonderful food, wine and company. What makes these weekends even extra special is that we spend most of our time in the kitchen, where we always cook together, enjoy delicious food and simply have a great time together. And on Sundays, our routine is to start off with a homemade brunch that always includes soft-boiled eggs since my sister-in-law is the master and then a Sunday stroll to the zoo or a museum.

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I decided to make this Morrocan-inspired Carrot dip for this occasion because of course, there is always an apero to start the evening and I was just recently introduced to this dish a few weeks ago when we were invited to some friends’ house for dinner. This dip was so good that I have made my own version of it 3 times in the last 3 weeks… This recipe is very easy and the combination of carrots, cumin and feta is just delicious!

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INGREDIENTS (approx. 6 servings)

6-7 carrots

1 medium-sized white onion

2 tbsp (30 ml) plus 1/4 cup (60 ml) extra virgin olive oil

6 garlic cloves

1 tsp (6 g)  salt

2 tbsp (30 ml) balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp (6 g) ground cumin

1 squirt of harissa (optional and more/less to your heat liking)

1 packet of good feta cheese (7 oz. or 200g; break into crumbled pieces with your hands)

handful of Kalamata olives (pitted and sliced)

small handful of capers

small handful of chopped raw walnuts

a sprinkle of Pul Biber (optional or you can add normal crushed red pepper flakes)

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Peel 6-7 carrots and slice them approx. 1/4 inch thick.
  2. Place sliced carrots in a medium-sized saucepan and add water until all the carrots are fully covered. Boil until the carrots are tender (15 minutes or so).
  3. Finely chop the white onion and saute in 2 tsbp olive oil on medium-high until transluscent. Add in 3 chopped garlic cloves and stir for about 30 seconds and then set aside.
  4. Once the carrots are tender, drain the water and place carrots into a food processor. Add in the sauteed onion and garlic, 1/4 cup olive oil, salt, balsamic vinegar, ground cumin, harissa and 3 remaining whole garlic cloves. Blend on high until the mixture is silky and smooth.
  5. Spread the carrot puree onto a platter and top with crumbled feta, sliced kalamata olives, capers and walnuts. Sprinkle some Pul Biber on top and a last drizzle of good quality extra virgin olive oil.
  6. Serve with crackers, flat bread, baguette slices, or pita bread slices.

 

NOTES

  • Buy good quality feta cheese and I prefer to buy the block of feta and then hand crumble it myself.