Before you go "What the hoot?" at the title of today's post, I have to tell you something!
Coming from a faux meat hater (that's me), I didn't expect in a million years that something like this would happen in my kitchen -- and end up being one of the most amazing things I've eaten in a very long time. I really hope you'll read on...
All this week I've been in extreme Holiday food mode, focusing primarily on Apple Recipes with an emphasis on entertaining and feeding loved ones. I wanted to end this week on a savory note, still including Apple of course. My mind sort of got stuck on Apple and Sauerkraut, but I didn't want to give you a salad or a highly acidic dish, I wanted it to be different. That's when I started to think about one of my favorite aspects of Holiday food:
The buffet.
A typical Christmas day for my Family usually involves a big spread of food, ranging from deli trays, cheeses, mixed nuts, olives, dips, fruits and veggies. You name it, and it's probably there. Today's recipe is what I'd like to call "Christmas in a Bite". It symbolizes all of my favorite flavors and textures coming together, resulting in the most harmoniously tasty bite.
The Pastrami Squash slices are the true star of this dish!
I honestly had no idea it was going to be such a success until that first "taste-test"...holy cow you guys, I wish I had more adjectives to describe how amazing it is. It's almost overwhelming.
The best part about this entire post?
Depending on what Cheeze you decide to make, you don't need a Food Processor OR a Dehydrator!
Important Note About This Recipe
Okay, so there is one catch about the possible ease of making the Pastrami Squash. It calls for an ingredient that you may not have in your pantry, but if you don't I promise it's worth it to either hunt down, or purchase online.
Lapsang Souchong Tea
After you've got your Tea Leaves the rest of the process is so simple you won't believe it.
I'll be breaking this down in steps, starting with the Pastrami Squash, followed by the Components of the Ruben.
Now let's make the perfect Holiday bite...
Pastrami Squash & Mini Ruben Cracker Bites
Step 1.
Pastrami Squash
This yields roughly 1.5 cups of Pastrami Squash, enough for entertaining a modest group of people
Start by Brewing:
3 Tbsp of Lapsang Souchong Tea Leaves
with
3/4 c Water
You can brew this cold, warm or hot - it's up to you. Your Tea Water will be ready when it's a lovely Amber color.
Add to your Tea Water:
3 tsp Date Paste //or// 2 tsp Coconut Crystals
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Cracked Black Pepper
1/2 tsp ground Caraway
Mix the above ingredients into Tea Water and set aside.
Slice up 2 to 3 Yellow Squash (you can also use *peeled green Zucchini instead):
For aesthetics and texture I recommend thinly slicing your Squash into rounds
Place your Squash Rounds into a ziplock baggy and add the Tea Water
Remove as much of the air from the baggy as you can, and place the bag (with Squash) into your fridge. Let it sit/marinate for up to 3 hours (you can let it go overnight it you want to).
...
After you've finished letting your Squash rounds marinate, remove them from the fridge and separate them from the marinating liquid:
Then choose from one of the following steps:
Drying your Pastrami Squash
You only need to dry them for a very short period of time using one of the following methods. Your goal here is remove some of the soaking liquid so they're not sopping wet.
Oven Method: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, spread your Pastrami Squash out onto the baking sheet. Transfer into your oven set at it's lowest heat - leaving the oven door cracked open about 5 to 6 inches. Let your Pastrami Squash warm/dry for about 15 minutes, or until it's no longer dripping wet - a little moist is just fine!
Dehydrator Method: Follow the same idea as noted in the Oven method, checking to make sure you aren't removing all of the moisture, just most of the wet liquid from the marinating process.
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Step 2.
Apples-Onions-Sauerkraut
This is a very important component to the perfect bite, however if you want to sub the Sauerkraut for Pickle or Tomato that would be fine. Not everyone is cuckoo for Kraut like I am.
Make as much as you like, depending on how many people you will be serving.
In a mixing bowl combine the following in Equal Parts:
julienned Apple
thinly sliced Yellow Onion
Sauerkraut
Salt and Pepper to Taste
Mix everything together!
Let it sit for 15 minutes or longer so the flavors can bounce around together. It's amazing how the acid and sweetness from the Kraut and Apple tone down the bite of the raw Onion.
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Step 3.
Making your Cheeze
Make one of The following Cheezes:
Food Processor Required:
No Food Processor Required:
Encrust your Cheeze with a mix of Sesame Seeds, Lemon Pepper and dried or fresh minced Parsley...
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Final Step.
Making The Perfect Bite
Let me note that I'd love to include a recipe for the amazing Almond-Sesame-Flax Cracker seen in today's photos, however I'm still working on perfecting it. If you don't already have a favorite cracker recipe then get your little tukas to the grocery store and buy some. Who really has time to make everything from scratch all of the time?
Even if you don't make these in the form of mini Ruben Bites, I hope you'll give the Pastrami Squash a try. I'm sure I'll be marveling over it for a while, and you can expect to see it in upcoming AtV recipe posts.
A very happy and very tasty weekend to all of you!
xoxo,
Posts
Wow! That looks amazing!
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to try this.