The heart of pickling

Pickling is one of the oldest methods of food preservation, and has been around for thousands of years. It has been a form of food security, ensuring people that there would be food, even throughout the harshest seasons.

People from Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, and Ancient Rome were known to pickle fruits and vegetables—serving these to soldiers in particular—as they had a long shelf life. While the cucumbers from India are the oldest known pickles (preserved in brine), there are records in China of fermented and pickled cabbages that were preserved for the long winters, ensuring people still had leafy greens throughout the winter. In fact, kimchi, a staple in Korea, is traditionally made before the winter season sets in.

In the Philippines, pickling has existed since the pre-colonial era, where Filipinos pickled fish, fruits, and vegetables in vinegar (due to the abundance of it from sugarcane). The green papaya atsara, with its sweet and salty taste, came about during the Spanish colonial era when the Spanish brought papaya from the Americas to the Philippine shores.

The sour and salty taste of pickles are a welcome palate cleanser from greasy food, which is why atsara is often served with lechon—another delicacy that came to the Philippines via Spain.

Pickling a fruit or vegetable can also completely change the nature of an ingredient. One can easily forget that a dill pickle is actually a cucumber, or that atsara is a green papaya. Artichokes are one of my favorite vegetables, but are expensive in the Philippines, especially when fresh, so bottled or canned artichokes are what you come across more often.

I was peeling a puso ng saging one day and realized that its texture was similar to an artichoke. Fresh artichoke can be hard and sinewy, just like a puso ng saging. I decided to pickle it, letting the acids break down the fibers. The result is a pickled puso ng saging, which can be used in the same way as artichokes.

Pickled puso ng saging

Ingredients

2 white puso ng saging or banana flowers

1/2 cup white vinegar

1 tablespoon salt

2 cups water

1 sprig thyme

Procedure

1. Peel the white puso, around 3 to 4 layers deep, until you get to the core, which should be soft. Slice the puso into 1/4-inch rounds.
2. Boil water in a pot. When water is at its boiling point, put the cut puso rounds in the pot and blanch for 3 minutes.
3. Strain the water out and set the puso rounds aside.
4. In an airtight container, combine the vinegar, salt, and water. Stir.
5. Add the cooled puso rounds and a sprig of thyme.
6. Seal the container and let sit for three to five days before using. You can keep the pickled puso for up to three weeks in the refrigerator.

Creamy cashew pasta with pickled puso

Cheese and cream are admittedly two of the hardest ingredients to replicate successfully when on a plant-based diet, especially if you love dairy. I happened to find a wonderful cheese and artichoke pasta recipe, but wondered how I could recreate the dish without dairy—which our family avoids for several reasons, including allergies.

The trick is to really change what your palate is used to and explore other alternatives. As a substitute for anything creamy, cashews have become my go-to ingredient because of their smooth texture when blended. But while they have a mild milky taste, similar to that of freshly made cheese, plant-based cheese lacks the fermented and aged flavor of real cheese.

To make up for this, I use nutritional yeast, which, when fed with glucose, creates new proteins that lend it more complex flavors. The combination of cashews and nutritional yeast creates a flavor profile that is very similar to cheese.

In this recipe, I provided an option where you can add oil to the cashew cream sauce for a smoother consistency. But if you are watching your oil intake, opt for plant-based milk instead. Removing all the excess water before blending also helps to keep the cashew cheese sauce for a longer period.

Ingredients

Cashew cream sauce

2 cups raw cashews, soaked overnight and drained (if using roasted cashews, soak in hot water overnight and drain)

See Also

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2 tablespoons nutritional yeast, divided

1 cup unsweetened plant milk or 1/4 cup light olive oil (not virgin or extra virgin, as the flavor should be as neutral as possible)

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Salt, to taste

Pasta

4 servings pasta, any shape

2 cups pickled puso ng saging

Salt and pepper, to taste

Chopped parsley, for garnish

Procedure

1. Combine soaked cashews, nutritional yeast, plant milk or olive oil, lemon juice, and salt in a blender and blend until smooth. Set aside. This cashew cheese can keep in the refrigerator for up to a week.
2. Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Make sure the pasta remains hot while putting together this recipe.
3. In a large pan, combine cooked pasta with 2 cups of cashew cheese. Mix together on low heat.
4. Strain the pickled puso. Using your hands, push out all the excess liquid.
5. Add in the dry pickled puso. Mix in the pan over low heat to gently warm the pasta and puso, but not to cook it.
6. Sprinkle more nutritional yeast on the pasta for added cheesy flavor. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
7. Garnish with chopped parsley before serving.