Pickled Green Tomatoes

All my pickled cucumbers have been eaten. They brought happiness to a lot of pickle loving people! Those pickles were so good Tasty Good Times planned a potluck around them! His sliders were the perfect accompaniment. Now that my cucumber plant has dried up for the winter it's on to pickled green tomatoes! I used the same brine but instead of dill I threw in some dried oregano. I'll let y'all know how they are in a couple of weeks! You may recognize this jar. I think it has special pickle making powers.

Ramen Setagaya

Good luck getting a seat at Ippudo on Friday night. It doesn't even matter that it was raining. So instead I opted for the next best ramen joint, Ramen setagaya. The wait was only 10 minutes, any more than that for ramen is ridiculous. So what did I think? Not bad, broth was thick and rich with umami flavor, toppings of fatty pork and soft boiled egg were perfect, and the noodles were nice and al dente. How do they make those eggs so good? The yolks had the texture of honey! Too bad the gyoza weren't better.

It's not as good as Ippudo but seriously it's just ramen...why would you wait 2 hours for it? I'll just have to return to Ippudo for lunch on a weekday like Tuesday when it's not busy.

Ramen Setagaya
141 1st Ave
(between 9th St & St Marks Pl)
New York, NY 10009
(212) 529-2740

Momofuku's Spicy Sausage Rice Cakes

I really like David Chang's Momofuku Ssam Bar. However their dishes are hit or miss. Some are phenomenal, like there spicy sausage rice cakes, and some not so much. This is my rendition of his recipe. I don't have his cookbook so I had to improvise and I think it was pretty spot on. First boil some frozen rice cakes until soft, drain and set aside. Boil some brussel sprouts until soft and set aside. In a pan saute half Italian spicy sausage and half ground pork meat. Take meat out and add some extra oil. Pan fry the rice cakes until they get slightly crispy on the bottom. Add a lot of chopped garlic, the cooked sausage and pork meat, brussel sprouts, and some Korean gochujang mixed with some water. Stir and cook until everything gets coated with the sauce. Drizzle in a little sesame oil, stir in. Top with sliced scallions and fried shallots. Ooooh it was good!

my PICKLES are ready!

I made a total of 3 jars from the cucumbers that grew in my backyard and shared them with friends and family. I didn't realize how many people love pickles!

I used this recipe before but this time I changed it up a bit. Here is my new version:

Perfect Pickles
makes 1 jar

1/2 quart of boiled, cooled to room temperature water
1/2 cup white vinegar plus another 1/4 cup
3 1/2 tablespoons salt
1/2 tablespoon pickling spice
1 1/2 tablespoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon dill seeds
1/2 teaspoon chili flakes
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
2 garlic cloves, sliced
half a bunch of dill, slightly chopped
5 persian cucumbers, cut in half lengthwise

1. Boil water, add salt, and allow to cool. Add vinegar.
2. Place all of the spices into the bottom of the jar with the dill.
3. Pack the cucumbers into the jar..
4. Cover the cucumbers with the brining liquid until the jar is filled.
5. Place in refrigerator.
6. Pickles are ready to eat anywhere from 2 days to a week depending on how sour and salty you like them.