I wanted to know if there was a fermented condiment similar to kimchi in Italian cooking. I asked the question, did some research and came up empty. The idea sat on the shelf for a long time. Then we received some delicious escarole kimchi from the folks at Cultured Pickle Shop. As we were eating it on top of hot dogs it clicked. Escarole is a staple ingredient in the Italian kitchen. We could season the escarole with Italian seasonings and let it ferment. The result would be kimchi. Italian kimchi. We blended the smoked anchovy salt with garlic powder, Korean red pepper flakes, fennel seed and salted capers. We seasoned sliced onions and garlic chives with Red Boat fish sauce. Then we layered the ingredients together. We packed and weighted down the kimchi base. It is fermenting in the workshop.
Years Past
January 17, 2005
