Today, we’re making a case for wilting herbs in the bottom drawers of fridges everywhere. After 6 months of quarantine, through what seems to be the longest, most excruciating year of our lifetime, cooking every day really took it out of me. I’ve been experiencing cooking fatigue lately and I find myself pivoting to relatively quick, low-effort meals. This mostly just means making jars and jars of sauces and salsas I can use in different applications and ration throughout the week.
In this newsletter, the goal is twofold:
1.) Turn sad, flaccid herbs into an all-purpose salsa. 2.) Exercise sustainability by never chucking out subpar ingredients from your fridge again, EVER.
A kitchen sink condiment—What a concept!
HERB SALSA
(Makes about 1 cup)
This herb salsa is heavily inspired by the flavors of Nuoc Cham—a ubiquitous Vietnamese dipping sauce—but boosted with a lot of chopped salvaged herbs. You can spoon it over protein, braise with it, stir in cold noodles, or slather over toasted and Kewpie mayo-ed crusty bread (five stars!!!). In this application, we’ll be using it to dress a crunchy salad. If you have stale dried herbs squatting in your pantry, bloom it in some hot oil and use it in place of the real thing.
It’s not quite a chimichurri or a salsa verde, so we’re calling it what it is: An herb salsa.
Here’s to an entire month of sending out weekly recipes! In hopes of reversing this quarantine cooking fatigue, all music selections are about food.
INGREDIENTS:
1-2 bunches of any herbs you have in your fridge, dying or alive (some favorites are cilantro, parsley, mint, scallions)
2-3 Tbsp sugar (I always use demerara or raw sugar but use whatever you have)
1 Tbsp grated ginger
1 medium shallot (or half a red onion), chopped finely
2 cloves grated garlic
3 chopped chilis or more
1-2 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds
1/3 cup lime or calamansi juice (if you don’t have citrus, use any vinegar of your choice)
1/4 cup fish sauce
1/3 cup hot water
SALAD
1 whole apple, thinly sliced into wedges(my favorite is Fuji apple)
1/2 head of cabbage or lettuce
More toasted sesame seeds
1/2 white onion, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp honey
salt and pepper to taste
a few sprigs of fresh mint
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Chop all of your herbs, stems and all, but make sure not to overdo it so you don’t bruise them. In a saucepan, heat the sugar and roughly 3 Tbsp of water and swirl it around your pan. Stir it constantly to avoid crystals to form, watch your syrup until it’s fully dissolved and you’re left with a light amber caramel. Stir in the ginger and chopped shallot until it’s softened and let cool for a bit.
2. In a mixing bowl, add the acid, chopped chili, fish sauce, water, and grated garlic and stir until well combined. Taste it and adjust according to your preference, you may have to adjust because not all fish sauce and acid are the same—Some may be stronger while others are less pungent. Trust your taste buds but be mindful of the ratios. Once you’re happy with the taste, add in all your herbs and toss until well submerged. Store in a tight container and refrigerate until cold and flavors are infused.
This is my bouquet of sad cilantro. I used every single fiber of this stalk, from leaf to root. Some flavor booster ideas: Zest of lemon or lime, chopped oregano, za’atar spice, jalapeno, serrano chilis, kaffir lime leaf.
3. While your herb salsa is chilling, let’s make the salad. Toss your sliced apples and cabbage in some apple cider vinegar, honey, salt and pepper, and some chili flakes. If you’re using lettuce for this, only dress the apples. You can submerge the sliced white onions in some water to take off the edge, but I quite like the raw bite of it so I’m not gonna do that. Arrange in a plate and tuck in each fold with your more robust herbs. I happen to have a lot of mint leaves so that’s what I used. Take out your now chilled herb salsa and spoon it everywhere. Sprinkle with more toasted sesame seeds.
That everything tastes better under moody lighting is a fact.
Having my salad with more salad (Tuna, in this case. Do we want a tuna salad recipe? Let me know!) and some toasted crusty bread from Element.
REGISTER TO VOTE!
High priority actionable item: VOTE! Register to vote in the 2022 elections and dismantle the fucking system. There are lots of helpful materials on the internet including Nolisoli’s digestible guide below. Read those instead because the COMELEC website (among other government-run things) is rubbish.
We’ve been sharing a lot of recipes over the past few months, but we’d like to cover something different this September. This recipe for people who are at least 18 years old, or have lived in the country and the area where they want to vote for at least a year before the National and Local Elections on May 9, 2022. #nolisoliph#VoterReg2020#MagparehistroKa
August 30, 2020
VISIT A VIRTUAL EXHIBIT!
Folk Superlative is a ten-year-old design collective composed of Zeus Bascon, Kat Medina, Tof Zapanta, Mica Cabildo, and AJ Omandac. Thank you, technology, for making it possible to experience beautiful virtual exhibits in the time of COVID.
Virtual exhibition now up for WE’VE BEEN TRYING TO FIND OUR WAY BACK AFTER ALL, a group exhibition by @folk.superlative at the @altromondoart Creative Space.
Link in bio
Exhibition is open for physical viewing Monday - Friday. Please contact Altro Mondo through Facebook, Instagram, or Viber/Whatsapp at 09178887872
The world is never gonna be the same again, but I hope that you all have a roof over your head, and a meal to keep you warm and healthy. If you stick around for a minute, maybe this weekly project can morph into something really special.
Neeeeeeed! ❤️