Piquillo Shio Koji Marinated Beets, Preserved Orange, Herbs, and Labneh

Buckwheat Piquillo Shio Koji Marinated Beets,
Preserved Orange, Herbs, and Labneh

At work I typically go through a couple of large-sized fire-roasted piquillo peppers cans per week in preparation for our shakshouka sauce. I love saving the pepper juice for my own cooking, as it almost always gets poured down the sink. Roasty, viscous and sweet, the juice can easily complexify a soup base, and more. I started using it in place of water when I cook up a vegetable tagine.

Shio koji is a fermented grain marinade starring—you guessed it—koji! At it’s most elemental, shio koji is made up of equal parts koji grain, water, and 5% salt. Shio koji lets the magic of mold-based fermentation come to life, literally. This is all thanks to the protease and amylase enzymes found in koji. Protease enzymes break down the proteins inherent in whatever you're marinating into umami-rich amino acids. Amylase enzymes break down starches into simple sugars, helping to make the food more digestible. In this way, you’re not just marinating something; you’re literally transforming it into something inherently better!

As usual, I made this shio koji before I knew what to do with it. I subbed out the water for the piquillo pepper juice I salvaged from work. I threw one final treat into the mix: tarragon ash.

I made the tarragon ash from the tarragon stems I salvaged from work. I simply roasted them in the oven at 350 for about 45 minutes until nearly carbonized, then pounded them in my mortar and pestle (a spice grinder will also work). The resulting ash was quite savory and complex.

The day I set the shio koji aside to ferment, I received a text from a good friend from out of state who wanted to know whether I could get together in a week’s time. I started planning our future meal—I imagined that beets might take to a piquillo shio koji quite nicely; gradually, a Lebanese-esque dish appeared in my mind. Yogurt to pacify the spicy heat; herbs to freshen up the complexity; savory preserved oranges to mystify and surprise…

The dish went over well with my dinner guests. The shio koji marinated vegetables weren’t overwhelming or unnecessarily complicated—they simply tasted pure. I think that made for optimal enjoyment, allowing other components of the dish to lend their unique attributes equally.  You should be left with enough buckwheat piquillo shio koji to use in other projects. I really think you will enjoy this recipe for it’s uniqueness and pureness of flavor.

For the buckwheat piquillo shio koji:
(Makes approx 1 cup)

• 100g buckwheat koji
• 100g fire-roasted piquillo pepper juice (from a can or bottle)
• 10g sea salt (i.e. 5% of the total weight)
• 2 teaspoon tarragon ash (see description above)

For the vegetables:
(Serves 3-4)

• 3 large golden beets, peeled and cut into eighths
• 1 large celeriac (celery root), peeled and cut into 1-inch thick coins
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• A dash of sea salt and pepper
• Olive oil, to coat

For everything else:

• 1 preserved orange wedge (preserved lemon also OK), flesh removed, finely diced
• 10 mint leaves, chiffonade
• 3 sprigs dill, de-stemmed
• Labneh, skyr, or greek yogurt
• Olive oil, to season
• Salt and pepper, to season
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• Spinach, to garnish
• Caramelized buckwheat koji, to garnish

To make the buckwheat piquillo shio koji: In a mixing bowl, use your hands to massage the sea salt into the koji. Mix in the tarragon ash. Transfer the seasoned koji to a jar and pour the fire-roasted piquillo pepper juice over the grain. Very loosely screw a lid onto the jar. Let ferment at room temperature for 1 week before using.

To roast the vegetables: Preheat the oven to 500F. Season the vegetables with the spices and a little olive oil. Transfer the seasoned vegetables to a baking pan along a dash of water (to help the vegetables steam cook) and cover with aluminum foil. Roast until the beets are cooked through and soft to the touch, about 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the strength of your oven. Let cool completely.

To marinate the vegetables: While the vegetables are cooling, blitz the fermented shio koji with an immersion blender or in a food processor. Place the cooled vegetables in a 2-gallon Ziploc bag. Add in 2 tablespoons of the blitzed shio koji and toss to coat evenly. Close the bag and allow the vegetables to brine in the fridge overnight. Transfer the excess shio koji to a container and store in the fridge for another use.  

To assemble the dish: Preheat a large skillet over medium-high flame. Meanwhile, Dollop a generous spoonful of labneh into a serving bowl. Use a spoon to spread it around. Sprinkle over some sea salt and pepper, diced preserved orange, chopped herbs, and olive oil. Drizzle olive oil into the hot pan. Next, add 1 tablespoon of butter to the pan. When the butter has melted, add in the shio koji marinated vegetables. Sauté the vegetables for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they are heated through and caramelized.

Add the contents of the pan to the center of the serving bowl. Sprinkle with additional fresh herbs, spinach, and caramelized koji. Serve warm.