If you live in an apartment, or tend to let surplus vegetables die in the crisper drawer, you may think that that the do-it-yourself food movement does not apply to you. Not so. Making some of your own staples — and a few luxuries, like chocolate-hazelnut paste or better-than-balsamic maple vinegar — is possible, and enormously gratifying.
What follows is a D.I.Y. starter kit: small kitchen projects that any cook can tackle. What they all have in common is that they are simple, seasonless and a clear improvement on the store-bought version. Many books on craft food are daunting: full of advice on how to put up bushels of kale or bury an old washing-machine drum to use as a root cellar. Nothing here requires special equipment, a shed or a backyard; no canning or even freezing is involved.
Before getting underway, it's not necessary to understand lactic fermentation, or to learn the difference between bacon and pancetta.
You can't get more local than your own kitchen: use it, and produce a horseradish-spiked mustard that does justice to artisanal ham, or a batch of cream cheese with a taste that cannot be bought.
Chinese Chili Scallion Oil
This formula, adapted from the chef Barbara Tropp, yields both a fragrant, fiery oil and a brick-red chili sludge. They work as well in a wok as they do in a bean soup or meat braise, on cold noodles, or to enliven sub-par takeout.
In a large pot fitted with a deep-frying thermometer, combine 2/3 cup hot red pepper flakes; 4 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled; 3 scallions, cut into thin rings; 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger; 2 1/2 cups corn or peanut oil, and 1/3 cup roasted sesame oil. Over medium-low heat, bring to a bubbly 225 to 250 degrees, stirring occasionally. Simmer 15 minutes, making sure the temperature does not rise above 250 degrees. Let cool. Scrape the oil and solids into a glass or plastic container and store tightly covered at room temperature.
Variations: Add any or all of the following before cooking: 1/3 cup Chinese black beans, coarsely chopped; the freshly grated zest of 3 large oranges; 1 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorns.
Chocolate-Hazelnut Paste
An all-natural version of Nutella, this is spreadable straight out of the fridge. Melted, it makes a lush topping for ice cream. Toast 1 cup peeled hazelnuts in a dry pan until they are fragrant and golden, then let cool. Meanwhile, melt 4 ounces semisweet chocolate (not chips) and 2 ounces unsalted butter (4 tablespoons). Stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
Blend cooled nuts in a food processor until smooth, 3 to 5 minutes, drizzling in 1 to 2 tablespoons nut or vegetable oil. With the machine running, add the chocolate mixture, 3 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Transfer to a container and refrigerate.
Corn Muffin Mix
Way back in 1996, when the Magnolia Bakery opened on Bleecker Street, before cupcake-mad crowds packed every inch of the place, it actually served breakfast. At tables. These muffins, no longer served at the bakery, are relics from that time, incomparable in flavor and butteriness. Most mixes include lard, which I don't mind in principle, but don't want to eat in its shelf-stable form.
To make your own muffin mix, weigh out 6 ounces yellow cornmeal (if you don't have a scale, you can measure 1 1/4 cups), 5 ounces all-purpose flour (1 1/4 cups) and 3 ounces sugar ( 1/3 cup). Add 1 tablespoon baking powder and 1 teaspoon salt and mix well. Store in airtight plastic bags or containers. When you want to bake muffins, combine the mix in a bowl with 2 beaten eggs; 1 1/2 cups milk (not skim) and 1 1/2 sticks butter (6 ounces), melted. Halfway fill the cups of a buttered (or nonstick) muffin tin and bake at 350 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes.
Crème Fraîche
Crème fraîche can do anything sour cream does, more elegantly — serve it with caviar, drizzle on tacos, or dollop on berries. In fact, it's better than sour cream because it doesn't break at high temperatures: whisk a little into simmering sauces and soups to add tangy richness.
In a bowl, whisk together 1 part buttermilk with 8 parts of the best heavy cream you can find — not ultra-pasteurized. (For example, 1/4 cup buttermilk to 2 cups cream.) Cover the bowl and leave it at room temperature for 12 hours to 2 days, until it thickens and separates. Whisk together and transfer to a container; refrigerate, tightly covered.
Cultured Butter
There are many ways to make butter, but the food processor does it fastest. This formula, for a tangy butter with depth, comes from ‚"Ideas in Food," a new book by Aki Kamozawa and H. Alexander Talbot, two chefs who have a sideline in food science.
You'll need at least 2 cups crème fraîche (or more), about the same amount of ice water, and salt. Let the crème fraîche come to cool room temperature (this can take up to 2 hours). Pour it into the food processor, but don't let the bowl get more than half full. Process with the steel blade for 3 to 5 minutes: it will go through stages from whipped to broken into solids and buttermilk and finally into one large clump.
Drain off the buttermilk (you can keep it for cooking, for drinking or for making more crème fraîche). Add about 1/2 cup ice water and process for 30 seconds, then drain off and discard the liquid. Repeat two or three times until the liquid is clear. Add 1/8 teaspoon salt for each 2 cups crème fraîche you used and process to blend. Scoop out the butter, and drain on paper towels in the refrigerator until firm. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and keep refrigerated.
Fresh Cheese
Technically, this formula (adapted from a new book about self-sufficient eating, "The Feast Nearby," by Robin Mather) produces fromage blanc. But to me it is the cream cheese of dreams: delicious, without the stiffeners in packaged cheese.
To ensure good results, use real rennet for cheesemaking: not the rennet sold at the health-food store, and not the tablets sold online for making junket desserts. (Who are you, junket makers?) Order rennet at cheesemaking.com, or thebrooklynkitchen.com. If your cheese does not set, no worries: you have just made a large quantity of delicious crème fraîche.
In a wide pot set over low heat, warm 1 gallon whole milk, or a combination of half cream and half milk, to 80 degrees. The milk or cream should be as fresh as possible, and preferably not ultra-pasteurized. Remove from the heat and stir in 1/4 cup cultured buttermilk and 1 tablespoon rennet solution (diluted according to the package directions). Cover loosely and set aside at warm room temperature (about 75 degrees) for 8 to 12 hours. The mixture is set when there is a layer of thick curds, like Greek yogurt, on top of clear whey. Pull the curd away from the edge of the pot to check.
Line a colander with a large square of cotton cloth, at least 2 feet per side. Don't use cheesecloth, as the weave is too loose. A large tea towel or bandanna (even an old pillowcase, cut open) is better. With a slotted spoon, transfer the curds into the lined colander. Gather up three corners of the cloth and use the fourth corner to wrap around the others, tucking in the end to make a knot. Hang over a floor drain, bathtub or sink in a cool place and let it drip for 6 to 8 hours.
When the dripping stops, untie and check the consistency. It should be like soft cream cheese. If it is still wet, mix it with a rubber spatula, retie it, and let it drip a little longer.
When the cheese is ready, scrape it into a bowl and mix in 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Taste and add more salt if you like. Chill until firm. The cheese may be shaped into logs and rolled in fresh herbs or coarsely ground pepper (I like a combination of pink, black and red). Or it may be mixed with minced chives and a little grated garlic.
The cheese will keep, wrapped or in a container, for 2 weeks, and will become more tangy. Or it can be shaped into 4-ounce logs, wrapped well, and frozen for up to 6 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
Horseradish Beer Mustard
This mustard, from “Tart and Sweet,” by Jessie Knadler and Kelly Geary, is easy, fiery and great. In a bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup dry mustard, such as Colman's; 1/3 cup sweetish dark beer, such as Brooklyn Local 2 or Negra Modelo; 1/2 cup drained prepared horseradish (a 6-ounce bottle); and 1 tablespoon brown mustard seeds. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate overnight to let the flavors calm down a little. The next day, taste again for salt and pepper, and whisk in a little more beer if the mustard seems too thick. Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator. Use it to elevate a simple dinner of sausages, roast chicken or steak.
Kimchi
You don’t need stoneware crocks or special jars to make kimchi. You do need a large bowl and multiple containers. When you become confident, you can add radishes and turnips, but this is the basic formula, from a new book on preserving called “Tart and Sweet” by Kelly Geary and Jessie Knadler. The carrots are not strictly traditional, but I particularly like their crunch.
Cut 2 Napa cabbages, weighing 3 to 4 pounds total, lengthwise into quarters, then across into thick ribbons. Put the cabbage in a big bowl and use your hands to toss it with 1/3 cup salt. Pour in cold water to cover the cabbage. It will float, so invert a plate on top, or a zipper-lock plastic bag of water, or whatever is handy, to keep it submerged. Cover the bowl with a towel and leave it out overnight.
The next day, use your hands to lift the cabbage out of the brine and put it in a big bowl. (Keep the brine, too.) In a small bowl, make a chili paste of 2 tablespoons soy sauce; 1/4 cup fish sauce and 1 1/2 cups Korean chili powder, also called gochugaru. (Check the ingredients list to make sure you get pure chili powder, not the kind that has salt mixed in.)
Add the chili paste to the cabbage along with 2 bunches of scallions, thinly sliced; 1/4 cup minced garlic;
1/4 cup minced ginger and, if you like, 4 cups thin carrot sticks, about 3 inches long. Mix the kimchi well and pack it into hard plastic or glass containers. Pour in enough of the brine to cover the vegetables.
The work is now over. Cover the containers and leave out at room temperature (but not more than 75 degrees, or it ferments too fast). Taste it after three or four days, and every day after. As the vegetables shrink, the kimchi can be combined in ever-smaller containers; just keep it covered with brine.
Some people like their kimchi “new,” and some let it get really funky. When it tastes good to you, it’s done. Refrigerated and covered, it lasts indefinitely. I eat it many ways: finely chopped with steamed rice, fried eggs and Japanese sesame salt; stirred into chicken noodle soup; on steak, mixed with fresh watercress. In Korean food, it’s ketchup, mustard and relish, all in one.
Maple Vinegar
Vinegar can be made out of wine, beer, cider or, in this case, dark rum. This is a simpler formula than most (from "Ideas in Food," by Aki Kamozawa and H. Alexander Talbot) with no yeasty "mother" or molds to deal with. A dose of sugar (such as maple syrup, which lends a haunting sweetness here) helps the process along: it is converted into alcohol, which then ferments into the softer acetic acid. The result is like balsamic vinegar but rounder and more syrupy.
Start with 3 1/3 cups live vinegar, which contains living yeast; look for the words "unfiltered" or "organic" on a label, or get your hands on some homemade vinegar. Pour this into a large glass or plastic container with a loose-fitting lid. Mix in 3 cups maple syrup; 1 1/3 cups dark rum and 7/8 cup water. Cover the opening with cheesecloth to keep out dust and allow for airflow so that wild yeasts can find their way in. Place the lid gently on top and store in a cool, dark place for 4 weeks. When it tastes smooth, tart and sweet, with no alcohol burn (this might be in 4 weeks, or it may need more time), the vinegar is ready. Strain it into smaller containers and store at cool room temperature, or in the refrigerator.
In addition to vinegar's usual uses, this is lovely drizzled on ripe cheese or dropped into a martini.
Preserved Lemons
This is Paula Wolfert’s original recipe from her 1973 book “Couscous and Other Good Food From Morocco” but I leave out the warm spices like cinnamon and cardamom so that the flavors are adaptable. Scrub 3 to 5 organic lemons, enough to fit snugly in a medium jar with a tight-fitting lid (have 2 to 4 more ready on the side). Slice each lemon from the top to within 1/2 inch of the bottom, almost cutting them into quarters but leaving them attached at one end. Rub kosher salt over the cut surfaces, then reshape the fruit. Cover the bottom of the jar with more kosher salt. Fit all the cut lemons in, breaking them apart if necessary. Sprinkle salt on each layer.
Press the lemons down to release their juices. Add to the jar 1 heaping teaspoon black peppercorns and 2 bay leaves, then squeeze the additional lemons into the jar until juice covers everything.
Close the jar and let ripen at cool room temperature, shaking the jar every day for 3 to 4 weeks, or until the rinds are tender to the bite. Then store it in the refrigerator.
To use, remove a piece of lemon and rinse it. (Add more fresh lemons to the brine as you use them up.) The minced rind is added at the very end of cooking or used raw; the pulp can be added to a simmering pot.
The brightness of this pickle has lately elbowed its way out of Morocco’s tagines. New York chefs add the minced peel to salads and garnish fried seafood with it; the cured-lemon flavor is particularly friendly to salmon, carrots, olives, parsley and potatoes. The lemony brine is great in a bloody mary.
Tesa
Tesa, cold-cured pork belly with a delicious spice coating, is the easiest home-curing project, according to Paul Bertolli, the charcuterie guru, who provides the technique in his book “Cooking by Hand.” No special ingredients are needed except for pink curing salt, a mix of sodium nitrite and regular salt. I bought mine (marketed as Insta Cure No. 1) on Amazon.com. You supply space in the refrigerator and the ability to keep it quite cold, below 40 degrees. (If your refrigerator does not have a digital thermostat, you’ll need a good thermometer.) After two weeks my tesa had lost about 15 percent of its weight, indicating that it was ready to eat cooked. A 10-pound piece of pork belly is about as large as a sheet pan, but the recipe can easily be halved. Just take care to use exactly
1/8 teaspoon of curing salt for each pound of meat.
In a spice grinder or mortar and pestle, combine 1/4 cup black peppercorns, 1 dozen cloves, 1 dozen allspice berries, 1 dozen juniper berries1 1/2 tablespoons hot red pepper flakes. Grind until coarse.
Mix the spices with 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg; 3/4 cup kosher salt and 1 1/4 teaspoons pink curing salt.
Rub the spice and salt mixture all over a 10-pound piece of pork belly, with the skin. Peel and coarsely chop 1 head of garlic, combine it with 1/2 cup red wine, and rub this on the meat, too. The wine helps the salt find its way into the meat, kick-starting the cure.
Arrange a metal rack on a sheet pan with sides and place the meat on the rack, to allow airflow. Put it in the refrigerator and leave it for a week. Turn it over daily and pour off any liquid that accumulates in the pan. The tesa is ready when the salts have penetrated to the center, one to two weeks depending on how thick the belly is. Test after one week by tasting a thin slice cut from near an edge, crisped in a hot pan. Once cured, the tesa can be refrigerated, tightly wrapped, for a month, or frozen.
Tomato Chili Jam
If ketchup put on $300 Japanese cult-brand jeans, this is what it would taste like: global, hip, sexy. This formula — infinitely adaptable, good with cheese, with fish, with spring rolls, as a chutney, as a sambal — began with the New Zealand chef Peter Gordon and was adapted by Darina Allen, the Irish cooking teacher. It appears in her book “Forgotten Skills of Cooking,” the first book anyone interested in craft cooking should read.
Open a 28-ounce can best-quality diced plum tomatoes and drain the liquid into a food processor or blender. Reserve the tomatoes. Slice 3 to 6 fresh red chili peppers (depending on their heat) and add to the blender or processor with 4 large garlic cloves, chopped; a 3-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped; and 1/4 cup fish sauce. Blend until smooth. Pour into a pan, add the diced tomatoes and 1/2 cup vinegar, like rice, wine or cider; and 1 cup sugar. Simmer until thick and syrupy, about an hour. Natural pectin in the tomatoes gives the sauce its jammy consistency. When cool, transfer to containers or jars, and keep refrigerated.
Vin d'Orange
Oranges steeped in rosé produce a powerfully pretty house wine, with a flavor akin to Lillet or Campari. The most traditional versions from the South of France are made with bitter Seville oranges, the ones used for marmalade. This recipe, from Sally Clarke, a chef in London, is adjusted for the sweetness of American fruit.
Your citrus should be organic and clean, because anything on the peel will end up in the wine. You will need 3 tangerines or oranges with a good balance of tart and sweet plus 2 lemons or grapefruit, or one of each.
Slice them in thick wheels and place them in a clean container (glass or hard plastic) with a wide mouth and a tight-fitting lid. Now add 1 1/2 cups sugar; half of a vanilla bean, split lengthwise; a cinnamon stick, about 4 inches long;2 liters rosé; (about 2 1/2 bottles), and a cup of vodka.
Stir this well with a spoon (not wooden, as it may harbor bacteria that could inhibit fermentation) and fasten the lid. Keep the jar in the refrigerator, shaking occasionally to dissolve the sugar. After about 6 weeks, mix in 1/4 cup dark rum and strain everything through a fine strainer or several layers of cheesecloth. Store in bottles at a cool room temperature or in the refrigerator; it will last indefinitely. Lovely plain or mixed with sparkling wine or water.
