Paganistan: Notes from the Secret Commonwealth
In Which One Midwest Man-in-Black Confers, Converses & Otherwise Hob-Nobs with his Fellow Hob-Men (& -Women) Concerning the Sundry Ways of the Famed but Ill-Starred Tribe of Witches.
Boss Warlock's Really Stinky, Burn-Your-Butt, Half-Moon Baby Turnip Kimchi
If the witch-hunters are to be believed (!), when we're not eating babies at our Sabbats, we're busy relishing food that's half-rotten and stinks instead.
Just goes to show that even witch-hunters can get something right every now and then.
Even the part about the babies.
Boss Warlock's Really Stinky Half-Moon Baby Turnip Kimchi
1 lb. baby turnips
4½ teaspoons salt
2-3 teaspoons crushed red pepper
10-12 minced scallions
10-12 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon sugar
Top and tail turnips. (There's no need to skin them; that's the advantage of using baby turnips.) Cut each turnip in half; slice each half into thin half-moons.
Toss the turnip slices with 3 teaspoons of salt. Turn out into a bowl, cover, and allow to drain overnight.
Next day, drain the turnips—the salt will have drawn a substantial amount of liquid—and rinse well. Mix in the rest of the ingredients, including the remaining 1½ teaspoons of salt, and turn out into a quart jar. (Use one with a plastic lid. Seriously, this stuff will eat its way through metal. No, I am not kidding here.) Add water until the turnips are covered.
Cover the jar loosely, and let it ripen, unrefrigerated, for 6 to 8 days. When it's sour enough to suit you, cover and refrigerate.
If you start now, you can have a batch ready by Lúnasa: just the thing to take the gamey edge off that yummy, but oh-so-rich, enfant rôti.
For M.G. and M.S.
With thanks for the turnips
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