Pressed Salad

[jpanuthos]

As you can tell I am a newbie and readin several books. I keep seeing things I don't reckonize. Things like pressed salad and agar agar. I hope you do not mind my asking questions; I am reading Hip Chick's book and have already read "Making the Transition to a Macrobiotic Diet".
By the way, in case you do not know, Jessica Porter's mother passes away Thursday.

[Klara]

Hi jpanuthos,

Death is quite a mystery, as is life - but it's so inspiring sharing Jessica's insights on her blog as she goes through this intense time of life.

Be careful if you try cooking with agar agar - follow the recipe exactly. If you use too little of it, the food won't jell right, if too much, it's not edible.

As for pressed salads and many other foods you will find new, perhaps the best way it to find yourself a cooking class - so you can also watch it being done, also get some insights, and best of all taste the end product.

But if that's not doable, there are classes over the net, and videos and Christina Pirello's classes on tv, if you get the stations where you live. I found a cooking mb video in a public library in Las Vegas, so you can try libraries. There are several short u-tubes also showing different dishes. But all those ways you won't be able to taste the end result :<(

Hope you can find a teacher - that's really a good way to start.

Klara

[Bruce Paine]

jpanuthos,

You may read that I suggest people read The Self-Healing Cookbook: A Macrobiotic Primer for Healing Body, Mind and Moods With Whole Natural Foods by Kristina Turner. first, if a macrobiotic newbie but in your case, I recommend that you finish reading Jessica's book before you start on Kristina's because it is usually important to finish one thing before starting another.

Posting that about Jessica's mom, threw me for a loop because I did not know where to find out more or how Jessica was taking it, so I Googled "Jessica Porter" (I have her website in my links Bookmarks, but I forgot that she has a blog!) and found out that way!


Kristina Turner in The Self-Healing Cookbook says about Agar-Agar ("The Jello Maker") "A natural gelatin, these white flakes have no taste or aroma, and simply need to be heated until they dissolve (in a liquid) to make fruit jellos, pudding, or vegetable aspics. Agar agar provides good bulk for regulating the intestines, amd is also beneficial for loosing weight, as it contains no calories"

The cookbook also contains two recipes, one Carrot Aspic and one Strawberry or Peach Custard, both containing agar agar.

Unfortunately, the book contains no information on pressed salads nor any form of pickle making, so I go to another great macrobiotic cookbook, American Macrobiotic Cuisine: A Macrobiotic Celebration of America's Ethnic Cooking by Meridith McCarty :

"Pressed vegetable salads are made of several vegetables (as compared with quick pickles which usually focus on one) which are sliced thin, mixed with a little good quality sea salt (or pickled plum or shiso leaves), and pressed with a weight for several hours. The salt and pressure draw out the liquid in the vegetables and break down the hard cellular structure. The raw taste is neutralized and the vegetables become slightly pickled. Much of their fresh, crunchy quality is retained, making this an ideal daily food for that texture. Depending on how long the vegetables are salted and pressed, fermentation occurs, developing enzymes to aid digestion further.

To make pressed vegetable salads, a bowl or a plate with a lip works well to hold the vegetables and expelled juices. A glass bowl is nice for watching the process. For pressure, put another plate on top of the vegetables and weight it down with a jar of grains or beans or a heavy stone.

A pickle press is a useful kitchen utensil. After combining and arranging the vegetable salt combination, transfer the mixture to the pickle press container or, if the volume is small, simply combine and arrange in the press. Put the top on, lock it into place and screw down the pressure plate as far as it will go. Either way,you'll be astonished by the large volume of liquid which comes out. If you don't measure the salt and you find that the vegetables aren't pickling, you haven't added enough salt. Pressed salads are ready to eat when the juices cover the vegetables, from one hour onward, but may be pressed longer-up to about three days.

Beautiful color combinations are part of the fun of making pressed salads. Any vegetable may be used, but you'll soon see that hard roots such as carrots, turnips, and daikon break down much more slowly than leafy greens. Cabbage is usually a staple vegetable in pressed salads, especially round and Chinese cabbage or even bok choy, all of which break down easily. Kale and mustard or collard greens break down more slowly, so I often use them for color accents, the light green offset by varying shades of dark green. A hint of red from thinly sliced radish rounds, or bright yellow from summer squash in season, adds an element of delight.

Pressed vegetable salads are usually served as is after the liquid has been poured off. Many cooks just sprinkle in salt rather than measuring, then taste the vegetables before serving to determine whether they need to be quickly run under cool water, then squeezed, to remove some salt. Don't soak the vegetables in warm water or the nutrients will be lost and the taste spoiled. However, even with the maximum amount of salt called for here-one level teaspoon per cup of vegetables, well packed-the flavor is not salty. Taste for yourself. Most of the salt comes off in the liquid, leaving a tasty vegetable you can simply fluff up and serve. For extra flavor, the same seasonings which enhance steamed or boiled vegetables may be used: umeboshi vinegar or rice vinegar, or lemon or lime juice, served alone or mixed with an equal part of soy sauce.

Figure about one-quarter cup of salad per serving."

This book has two recipes for pressed salad.

and a little bit of information on aspics made with agar agar

Aspics are gelled salads. Agar sea vegetable flakes substitute well for standard gelatin, which is made from horse or cow hooves and other bone parts. Agar flakes are easy to use. Figure two to three tablespoons per cup liquid to be gelled, more for gels which contain other ingredients such as vegetables. Agar gelled salads firm up in about two hours at room temperature, quicker in the refrigerator. Aspics are known as kanten in Japan where the use of sea vegetable flakes for gelling developed.

There are two recipes: a Cucumber Aspic with Tofu Sour Cream, and Sesame Aspic.

And to make sure that you get to tryout making a pressed salad soon before getting a cookbook or two, here's a recipe available at no cost from Macrobiotic Dietary Recommendations by the Kushis and friends:

" Pressed Salad

A method to remove excess liquid from raw vegetables.

1. Wash and slice desired vegetables into very thin pieces, such as 1/2 cabbage (may be shredded), 1 cucumber, 1 stalk celery, 2 red radishes, 1 onion.
2. Place vegetables in a pickle press or large bowl and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon sea salt and mix.
3. Apply pressure to the press.
4. If you use a bowl in place of the press, place a small plate on top of the vegetables and place a stone or weight on top of the plate.
5. Leave it for at least 30–45 minutes.
6. You may leave it up to 3 or 4 days, but the longer you press the vegetables, the more they resemble light pickles."

Maybe this will satisfy you for until you get some more books.

Thank you, very much.

Bruce Paine

P.S., you can vote at the second poll, Read macrobiotic books or magazines, Part 2!!!

[jpanuthos]

Thanks Bruce for all the infomation. If Agar is an aminal product, isn't that off limits to MB's?
I went to take your second poll, but I have not read any of those. I am almost finished with Hip Chicks.
Again thanks for responding.

[Bruce Paine]

jpanuthos,

Agar agar is a sea vegetable not a "animal" product like gelatin

Thank you, very much.

Bruce Paine