Today's 2nd (real) entry: soft pretzel bites, yawl.

I dedicate this blog entry to Christy, who scoffed at my previous entry of "TWO LINES?!?!"

Last night, I stayed up till 8am writing a 10 page paper on the possibilities and limitations of German-speaking Jewish women's domestic power derived from their roles in the observance of kashrut, or Jewish dietary laws, in the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Perhaps it was all the pages I came across during my research that discussed bagels, challah and other carby delectables, or the fact that I was haggard and starving after turning the paper in, but in any case I had a hankering for some bread.

As I walked from Nau to Clemons library, I did two things: I sweated like a menopausal woman because I had dressed for cold rainy weather when in reality it was 70 degrees with 80 percent humidity, and I thought about how dang hungry I was. Alas, I had to go to Clemons for a different class to watch Journeys with George, which is a really crappy home video-style documentary on George Dubya Bush's 2000 Presidential campaign. Nancy Pelosi's daughter filmed it with a camcorder, and she was kinda-sorta-really awkward and obnoxious throughout the film. I was simply reminded of how campaign rallies rallied around nothing and how the traveling press, endearingly referred to as "The Pack," were miserable and submissive. I learned that political campaigns could be likened to a bologna and cheese sammich (George's meal of choice on the road), for what it's worth.

After wasting 79 minutes of my life, my stomach started to growl like it was about to hurt somebody if I didn't feed it soon. I could've gone for a bologna and cheese sandwich, but I'd bookmarked a recipe for soft pretzel bites while watching the documentary. I knew exactly what I was going to do when I got home.

For cinn-sugar pretzel bites, simply brush bites with butter while hot and dip in cinnamon and sugar in ratio of choice (maybe even add a pinch of salt to bring the flavor out). For garlic-herb bites, brush bites with a combination of melted butter and your favorite herbs + garlic powder (or freshly minced garlic).

Photo credit: Loosey

I used the same dough to make cinnamon sugar pretzel bites and garlic-herb pretzel bites. They were really good! The taste and pillowy but chewy texture remind me of Auntie Anne's pretzels, which are exactly how I think good soft pretzels should be. The recipe was super easy as well.

Photo credit: Loosey

While these pretzel bites would be deemed non-kosher, or trefah (treif or treyf in Yiddish), they were a delicious ending to my late-night, self-induced suffering that was my HIEU/RELJ/GETR research paper. I guess I'm blessed to be Christian because butter really makes the pretzels. Lawl.

Thank God I'm done with the paper! The rest of the week will be easier. Mazel tov :D


Random food fact of the day: While researching in a Jewish library in Paris, Claudia Roden was approached by a Jewish man from Alsace. He claimed that Alsace had the best Jewish food in France and gave her several recipes, including one for a creamy onion tart (tarte aux oignons d'Alsace). The tart is now one of Roden's favorite recipes. If you want it, let me know.


T

kimchi bokkeumbap with kalbi (김치 볶음밥 with 갈비)

taken by my new droid incredible :D my point and shoot had no juice.

ask people who've eaten korean food before, and i can almost guarantee that they will recognize kimchi and kalbi (galbi). kimchi, as most of you know, is a fermented vegetable dish that is most typically made with cabbage and red chili peppers. kalbi is soy sauce-marinated short ribs, often prepared on the grill. combine these two delicious korean staples in a fried rice and your mouth is bound to water. right before spring break, all of my food (about $70 worth of new groceries) went bad when my fridge shut off while i was out. i told myself that i'd go grocery shopping at home before returning to the univ this past weekend, but that didn't pan out. luckily, my mom packed me two different kinds of kimchi (homemade. my mom's B.A.), kalbi and japanese curry. ergo, i've been living on that janks since monday. it has been a delicious few days, but i'm gonna have to run to the grocery store soon. who wants to take me?! no, really. i'm carless. please post in the comments or text me. HAHAH.

kimchi fried rice is salty, spicy, and full of texture (slight crunch of kimchi, chewiness of the rice, and tender short ribs that still have a bite). it's extremely savory and packed with umami. i topped mine with a sunny-side up egg because i'm a naughty fatty like that. mixing in the runny yolk = priceless. the recipe is stupid easy to boot.

kimchi bokkeumbap (kimchi fried rice or 김치 볶음밥)

• sesame oil or vegetable oil. better yet, a combo of both (veg oil will raise smoking point of the flavorful sesame oil)!
• kimchi, chopped into bite-sized pieces
• cooked kalbi or other meat of choice (spam is classic. i <3 spam)
• cooked rice, preferably a day old (basically, chilled/cold rice-- short to medium grain works well, but so do long-grain varieties such as jasmine)

1. Heat a pan (preferably a wok) on medium-high to high and add enough vegetable oil, sesame oil or equal parts of both to barely cover the bottom.
2. When hot, add kimchi and saute till slightly translucent and less raw. Add kalbi and saute until warmed through.
3. Feel free to add a few teaspoons of gochujang or kimchi liquid at this point if you want more flavor and/or moisture, but remember that you don't want to make your rice soggy. Then, add rice and stir-fry till liquid is absorbed and everything is combined.

Optional: top with an egg, roasted seaweed (gim gui, or 김구이), furikake, etc. also, play around with adding diff veggies or even tofu!
Note: if your kimchi isn't overripened or flavorful enough, feel free to saute minced garlic with the kimchi and adjust salt content after adding rice.


random food fact of the day (via wikipedia): Gim (Korean-style seaweed) that has been grown for 50 days is considered best for consumption, as the color and flavor are at their best.

cheerioooo,
t