tigress in a pickle

salt & pepper preserved kumquats

2012-01-29T22:30:00.002-05:00

this is so simply a play on the ubiquitous preserved lemons. those same preserved lemons that i rinse, chop, and throw on everything with either a grain, green or bean all winter. yes, the ones that everyone does with just salt, but my favorite version has a bit more oomph than that. of course.

feeling a bit oomph deprived lately, and having just gotten my paws on 10 lbs of the most wonderful kumquats i think i've ever tasted. i've come up with this:

salt & pepper preserved kumquats

2 pounds kumquats (preferably organic)
1 tablespoon black peppercorns, ground
3 whole cloves, ground
scant 1/2 cup sea salt
1 & 1/2 tablespoons sugar (i use raw)
juice of 3 meyer lemons (or regular lemons)
1.5 liter or half gallon jar

1. make sure kumquats are clean and completely dry. slice the little button off the end and cut in half lengthwise. no need to discard the seeds, you can eat them!

2. in a bowl mix together the halved kumquats, ground pepper and cloves, salt and sugar. stir until the kumquats are well coated with the salt and spice.

3. place kumquats in jar, pour lemon juice over and cap the jar.

4. store at room temperature, shake once a day for 10 days to 2 weeks, or until they reach the desired softness. be sure not to let them get too soft - you want them to have a bit of heft between the teeth. once you've determined them done, stick them in the fridge where they can last for a year or more.

to use: lift out desired amount with a clean, dry spoon and rinse under cold water. chop, or serve whole and use just as you would preserved lemon; over all manner of grain, green or bean dishes.

how's that for a winter staple?

pasta frittata

2012-01-15T22:00:00.002-05:00

this is so incredibly simple - and good - that as M and i were polishing off yet another bit of leftover-pasta-turned-awesome-brunch, i realized i can't keep this from you any longer. this, peeps, is no more than yesterday's pasta plus farm fresh eggs, and no less than an age-old italian staple. that's right. the kind you most definitely need to know about.

you see, when it comes to just-made dinner time pasta, around my crib, it's al dente or bust. but what to do with the leftovers? because warmed again pasta will never have the toothsome edge that makes a pasta good.

this easy classic is, and has been, the answer. toothsome be gone. in it's place a bed of eggy goodness packed with flavor and texture. moist on the inside, slightly crispy on the out.

i'm not tellin' a lie when i say it's just eggs.

and pasta.

this one happens to be made from our winter staple pasta; a play on arrabbiata, this time with spaghetti, that includes olives and capers (remind me to tell you about it sometime). but trust me when i tell you that it works equally as well with a pesto'd penne, an angel-haired seafood, a garlic and oil linguini, a fusilli with broccoli rabe...

you name it, it'll work.

pasta frittata

any amount of leftover room temperature pasta, any kind
6-8 large eggs
salt and pepper
olive oil
10 inch oven proof skillet

serves 4

1. the number of eggs depends on the amount of pasta you have leftover. if it's close to a good 1/2 pound, 6 is enough. much less than that and 8 it is. whatever number you go with, put them in a big bowl and whisk. add salt and pepper, again use your judgement based on the pasta sauce. add the room temperature pasta, and stir gently allowing the egg to loosen up the pasta.

2. drizzle olive oil to film the bottom of the skillet and warm on medium. once warmed add the egg and pasta mixture. use a wooden spoon or spatula to even out the pasta and tuck it underneath the egg as best you can.

3. turn the heat to low and cover. let cook for approximately 5 minutes or until the egg begins to puff and cook around the edges. while the frittata is cooking, preheat the broiler.

4. when the egg is cooked around the edge but still runny on top, place under the broiler. broil for 2-3 minutes or until the egg on top is cooked. you can let the pasta get slightly crispy, or not. it's a matter of personal taste. i like it crispy.

when having a friend stop by for lunch, either someone you know, or yourself, flip it onto a plate and then back again on another. so that the pretty side is on top. if you're plain hungry and would rather put the niceties aside, flip it once, and chow.

ciao!

shizzles with picklz: shallot pie

2011-12-31T14:43:00.002-05:00

the holiday season is in full swing and i've been feeling kinda generous. (have you noticed?) i mean, perfect pie crust over there, fried shallots over here. i've been giving away some of my most prized secrets. why stop now i say!

look at these instigators. they always look like they're ready to rock and roll, don't they?

or is it just me? :)

i love shallots. they are the pièce de résistance of my allium bed each summer (not that i'd kick the onions, leeks or garlic out of it for eating crackers) and it's not only because of the above mentioned fried shallots, oh no! it's because i love shallot pie!

but before we get into the recipe let me explain why i'm roarin' about shizzles with picklz in the title of this post.

hint: it's about the mustard.

i learned a little trick a while back from sarah raven and her lovely cookbook in season. basically, she slathers mustard all over her tart crusts. it's a wonderful way to add flavor, and to use lotz of your homemade mustard.

please, do not be deterred from making shallot pie if you don't have homemade mustard at the ready. just make it with the best dijon you can get your paws on this time. and next time when you find yourself in your kitchen with your right (or left if you're left handed) index finger resting politely on your bottom lip, saying to yourself, "hmmm, should i make me some homemade mustard like ms k does from the amazing blog local kitchen?" i bet i know what your answer will be.

shallot pie

1/2 recipe perfect pie crust (i like to use whole wheat flours for this pie)
3 cups sliced shallots*
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons dijon mustard
4 large eggs plus 2 yokes
1 & 1/4 cup cream or half and half
6 ounces chévre (fresh, soft & crumbly goat cheese)
salt & pepper

makes one 10 inch pie

1. roll out crust and place in 10 inch pie-dish. put in the fridge for 30 minutes. preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. warm the oil in a fry pan on medium heat. add shallots and fry until they just begin to color, about 8 minutes.

3. after 30 minutes take pie out of fridge and prick the bottom in several places with a fork. place a sheet of parchment paper over the crust and spread pie beads or dry beans over it to weight down the crust. bake for 20 minutes or just until lightly golden. remove parchment and beads or beans and let cool a bit. keep the oven heated at 350 degrees.

4. while pie shell is cooling, whisk together eggs, yolks and cream, and add salt and pepper to taste.

5. spread mustard over the bottom of the cooled crust. i like to use a pastry brush. add the shallots first, then crumble the goat cheese over top of them. pour the egg mixture gently over the whole lot.

6. bake for 25 minutes, or until the center of pie is set (which means just firm).

eat warm or at room temperature.

oh and BTW, this is the perfect pie to have around if you happen to have a hangover (not that i'm sayin' you're planning to have one anytime soon).

...so there, you get another one of my tricks.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

*pawnote: *i love shallots so i often use them in this pie, but you can do an onion pie - with a gutsy brown or beer based mustard, leeks with a honeyed dijon, or ramps with something spicy like this. i have! there's a kazillion ways to mix and match your favorite allium with your favorite mustard in this pie.

shizzles with picklz: a here and there series exploring the salty sides -
i'm talking about the best pickle pairings (and just because it's damn fun to say)!

crispy fried shallots and happy holidays

2011-12-24T09:40:00.001-05:00

some year, i swear, i will take decent photos after the fish course. it just never seems to go as planned.

so, let me make it up to you:

cute catz wishing you happy holidays

holiday disco ballz

crispy fried shallots (oh, what the hell - shallotz)

these are the crème de la crème of our holiday danish smørrebrød, if you ask me (and many others at my table it would seem, by the rate at which they disappeared behind chomping, smiling holiday teeth).

but scattering them atop an artfully assembled danish open sandwich is just the tip of the fjord. because these crispy fried shallots make everything better. in fact, they are quite commonly strewn across all manner of indonesian dishes. those spicy, coconut-broth based soups and curries are the perfect match.

i make these and keep 'em around to add a bit of deeply flavored crunch (and umami) to just about anything; pastas, soups, sandwiches, egg dishes. i really cannot think of a savory dish that would not be made better by a dusting of these.

you will need:

1 pound (or more*) shallots, or onions
flavorless high-heat vegetable oil
a wide bodied shallow pan, at least 9 inches in diameter
2 plates, and some paper towels

1. peel and slice shallots; cut into barely 1/8th inch slices crosswise. meaning, your slivers will be rings, or half rings. if using onions, slice them in half lengthwise first and then across for half rings.

2. fill your shallow pan with oil up to a solid 1/8th of an inch and warm on medium. as the oil is warming, place a double layer of paper towels on two plates.

3. when the oil is heated, add shallots. stir and fry until they just begin to brown on the edges - about 10 minutes. turn heat down to medium low and continue to stir and fry - they should get golden all over within another 3-5 minutes. turn the heat to low and keep stirring and frying until they are browned all over. this will take another 3 or so minutes.

4. once all or most of the shallots are brown (but not burnt!) take off the heat and lift them out with a slotted spoon. take care to leave as much of the oil as you can in the pan. spread shallots in a single layer on one of the paper towel covered plates. after 3 minutes transfer to the other plate and spread once again in a single layer.

5. let cool completely and transfer to a glass jar with tight fitting lid.

make a big batch, 'cause you can keep them in a jar on your larder shelf for a good 2-3 weeks or more. that is, of course, if you don't crunchy-munch them all up in one go. which you probably will.

pawnote: *i make a lot at once, 2-3 pounds of shallots usually. if you up the ante, make sure your frying pan is big enough so that they are more-or-less in a single layer when first put into the pan. increase the plate and paper towel combo too. you'll need two dinner-sized plates with two layers of paper towels for each pound of shallots.

happy holidayz!

tigress' best books of 2011 & a holiday give-away + cookie party on facebook!

2011-12-05T12:50:00.001-05:00

i've been so excited about my holiday list of fave preserving and d.i.y books of 2011 that i decided to have a big ole' cyber party on facebook and give 'em all away!

it's true!

i gotz so much to say; about the party, about the books, about how-we-gonna-have-one-of-those-holiday-cookie-parties in cyberspace?

let me start with the books - the books that would totally be on my holiday wishlist (and should be on yours!) if i didn't already have every last one. i love these books!

can it, bottle it, smoke it by karen solomon is chock full of beautiful photos and clear instruction on things like plum catsup, carrot almond jam and pickled grapes (right?). but the best part of karen's book is that she goes even further afield in her d.i.y. kitchen. there's a 'stalk it' section with tortilla chips, a 'smoke it' section with chipotles in adobe sauce, and 'munch it' with crunchy lentil snacks. need i say more?

the hip girl's guide to homemaking kate payne and i go way back. i've been following her blog since it's inception, and we even u-picked strawberries together once. even if those facts weren't true, i would still say that kate has written a gem of a book. there isn't a thing about homemaking left uncovered; hip-decor on a budget, composting, d.i.y and environmentally friendly cleaning products, entertaining with style (while on a budget) canning, bread-baking, button-mending. i'm like, how does she know all this? she's got the martha gene, but cooler, much cooler. even pilgrim me, whose had my house for quite some time now, learned a thing or ten from kate. this book should be on your holiday gift list for anyone learning how to build a (hip) home.

canning for a new generation by lianne krissoff has been out since 2010. i'll be perfectly honest, it got lost in the shuffle of a kazillion preserving books that launched in 2010. but now that i finally have it in my paws, i can tell you it is definitely a cut above the rest. it delivers exactly what it promises; bold fresh flavors for the modern pantry. and, you gotta love a book that ends with a chapter entitled 'baked and creamy things to put preserves on' no?

the urban farm handboook by annette cottrell and joshua mchnichols is more than just a resource for city folk who want to take control of what they eat, it's an inspiration. i've been following annette's blog since she began her journey in 2009 and all is can say is, wow! she did it - in the city! yes, you can grow your own food - and a lot of it - on a little plot of city land. if you're serious about getting closer to your food source, buy this book. but please, don't take my roar for it, you can view the first 50 pages on the urban farm handbook website.

we sure can! by sarah hood is a fun book loaded with great canning recipes. what's different about sarah's book is the spotlight she puts on the on-line canning and preserving community. which, in case you haven't noticed, has exploded in the last three years. you'll find a short interview with yours truly (that would be moi) and a couple of my recipes too. i'm not the only one - many of your fave canning and preserving bloggers are featured here. check out the list of contributors on the publisher's website. see what i'm sayin' - fun!

tart and sweet by kelly geary and jessie knadler hasn't left my kitchen since i received a copy last spring. like i said way back in april, out of the 101 recipes, there's like 99 that i want to try. it's been a joy to dig into this book and play with the modern flavors presented by these two talented preservers. and with a winter chapter that contains things like grapefruit honey jam and candied kumquats with cinnamon and star anise this book is not leaving my kitchen anytime soon.

homemade living series - yes, i'm giving away ashley english's entire series to one lucky winner! another one of my blogging-buddies, i've been diggin' ashley's blog since the beginning. this is a set of gorgeous hardback books - a great gift for anyone interested in small-scale homesteading. all four of the books are so well done; canning and preserving covers the classic recipes every beginner wants, and then offers up things like rhubarb and amaretto chutney. the home dairy book is one of the absolute best on the market - and has replaced my old stand-by. if you are thinking of dabbling in dairy, you want this book. while i don't have my own just yet, keeping bees, and keeping chickens has me longing for that day. and i know i'll be prepared, 'cause i've been pining over these books.

ok now about the party where i'm gonna give away one copy of each of these beauties:

what: tigress' cyber holiday party
where: hungry tigress facebook page
when: thursday, december 15th, 7:30-8:30pm EST
what to bring: your fave cookie recipe
why do we have to bring our fave cookie recipe? (say you): 'cause it's the holidays and its time to make cookies, and also because tigress is a cookie monster. COOKIES!

here let me explain; since we can't all meet up and bring real cookies i thought it would be fun to share our favorite recipes just in time for the holidays!

bring cookie recipes! link to a recipe you know is good or want to try, or cut & paste your own in one of your comments at the party. if you're a blogger, have extra fun and post a new recipe on your blog between now and december 15th and come on over and link it up at the party!

if you don't have a cookie recipe, you're still invited! just come! we'll be talking about things like our favorite holiday preserves for eating and for gift-giving, sweet ways to use up our preserves around the holidays, and what's going on our holiday table that we've grown ourselves. you know, fun stuff!

you could be the lucky winner of one of the amazing books above! i'll use that handy random number generator throughout the party to pick the winners (please note, i can only send to addresses in the US).

full disclosure; i'm a wee bit nervous as i've never done a cyber party before, but you know what? it's the holidayz peeps! let's party! give a roar below if you're gonna be there, you know, just so i rent enough chairs and shizzle!

see you on december 15th, at 7:30pm EST on facebook!

morning on a bhutanese farm

2011-11-19T19:40:00.004-05:00

yes i know i've been gone a long time, but look where i've been:

in bhutan, on farms!

well, on aum's farm one morning. we met her at 7:30am when she was milking her two beauties as she does every morning. i tried my paws at it, but i think it takes practice.

after milking, aum invited us into her kitchen for a traditional bhutanese breakfast.

her kitchen, typical of bhutanese farmhouses, is powered by this all-purpose wood stove. (see that handmade wooden pasta maker hanging up high towards the left? i want one!) there's an electric cook top with two burners on the right, and check it; a microwave. i think that's a rice cooker there also.

a traditional breakfast; salted butter tea, or sweet tea, buckwheat pancakes, fresh raw butter, wild strawberry jam, fried fresh cheese with chiles and butter, potatoes with chile and cheese, eazay (a kind of fresh chile chutney with cilantro, fresh cheese and a wild spice called local pepper) and rice.

after breakfast we made butter with the morning's milk plus the milk from the last couple of days. butter made from fresh raw milk, straight from the cow!

aum makes butter and fresh cheese twice weekly. with a family of 4 and two good milking cows, there's often times enough surplus butter to sell at the market or to use for barter.

she also sells her wild strawberry jam at the market (seen in breakfast photo above). last year she made 400 jars (!). this year she's planning on making 600 if she can harvest enough wild berries. go aum!

next we made the ubiquitous bhutanese cheese - it's in everything! and it's basically buttermilk ricotta.* after the butter is made, whatever is left over - i.e. the buttermilk - goes into a big ole' pot. and the big ole' pot - quite possible the biggest one i've ever seen - goes on top of the very hot wood stove.

nothing else was added except some very hot water as aum was trying to get the buttermilk to heat up enough to start the separation of curd and whey.

once the separation started, she had a deft stirring technique that gathered the curd into a neat clump. (read: no need for cheese cloth, butter muslin or dripping time!) it was a slow, rhythmic, stir-and-then-roll maneuver that made the cheese stack up upon itself in an ever increasing mound. in between her expert stir-rolls she scooped out ladle fulls of whey.

say cheese!

last step; scooping out mounds of warm cheese and squeezing and shaping them into balls - about the size of tennis balls. aum sells her surplus fresh cheese balls at the market for the equivalent of 60 US cents.

79% of the bhutanese are subsistence farmers, which means they grow for themselves most of what they eat. many have a family cow or two, and the whole country is dotted with small farmhouses and bright green crops.

the following crops are succession planted; rice, wheat or buckwheat depending on location, mustard (for oil) turnips (the greens for eating and the roots mostly for winter cattle feed!) daikon radish, potatoes and chiles. other crops are cabbage, cauliflower, pumpkin and corn.

to my surprise fermenting is not a typical bhutanese preserving technique. other than ara - their saki-like rice wine, also made with wheat or buckwheat, there's not much fermenting going on in them there hills.

the main preservation technique is drying. i saw many metal roofs red with chiles. chiles everywhere! and turnip greens, a winter staple, hanging like garland across windows, set to dry in the himalayan air. strips of beef and pork, and cubes of yak cheese too.

i was completely enamored with this small himalayan kingdom. if you'd like to see more photos of my trip to bhutan, you can find them on flickr.

pawnote: *go here for my own buttermilk ricotta recipe.

spring/summer 2011

2011-10-18T12:00:00.002-04:00

remember when all this happened?

now this is happening,

and for almost a month already i've been well into creating my fall/winter collection. but i haven't even presented my spring/summer 2011 yet!

bad tigress.

tigress' spring/summer 2011 collection (make it while it's hot!)

each category is listed chronologically by date of preservation

canned
rhubeena
lavender rhubeena (25 sprigs of lavender per 5 cups of fruit)
rhubarb date butter
rhubarb lavender jam
smokin' strawberry preserves
simple sour cherries
classic sour cherry preserves
gooseberry chutney with bengali spices
spiced pickled beets
raspberry rose jam
nectarine preserves with lemon basil

fermented
kimchi
cool cukes
curried sauerkraut with fresh chiles
caraway sauerkraut

quick/fridged
spring rampage pickles
ramp greens kimchi
quick pickled roots (@thekitchn)
spring turnip pickle
quick pickled 'shrooms (@thekitchn)
quick pickled berries (@thekitchn)

dairy (special section: mo' better butter!)
sweet butter
cultured butter
buttermilk
créme fraîche
strawberry créme fraîche ice cream
buttermilk ricotta
yogurt

frozen
rhubarb
i gotz a freezer full of butter!
oven-candied tomatoes

cellared
purple onions
yellow onions
shallots
potatoes - 4 varieties
garlic

confessions
sweet raspberry vinegar (way, way back in july i mashed up a bunch o' fresh picked raspberries & threw them in some white wine vinegar with all the best intentions of fiddling with them some more. they're still there, and i'm afraid to look!)

tigress' fall/winter 2011-12 sneak peek:

winter's gonna sizzle!

past collections
spring/summer 2010
fall/winter 2010-11

i know i wasn't the only buzy cat this past spring/summer, what's starring in your larder?

tigress' canned tomatoes: sauced

2011-10-05T11:00:00.002-04:00

ok, ok, you twisted my paw. this post is about my favorite way to can tomatoes. there, you got me! yes, i used to can only pristine paste tomatoes; san marzano, or amish paste were my chosen few. blemish free, uniform in size, dropped in a hot pot, skinned, jarred and boiled for 85 minutes.

you probably know the drill.

but who among us hasn't chased a few of those slippery-slide-y little buggers around the counter top, only to have them escape onto the kitchen floor the split second after you thought you'd won? who has squirted tomato guts in thine own eyes when pressing the last one into the jar? trying as you might to reach that perfect-lined headspace with terribly unwilling fruits.

and who (here's the clincher) when putting your beautiful blood red jars on display the morning after has had to fiddle about in an effort to hide the worse offenders in the back.

don't pretend you don't know what i'm talking about.

fruit float!

there, i said it. and please, don't get me started on siphoning. you know, it's when you've absolutely made sure the headspace was exactly what it was supposed to be when the jars went into the canner, and...

where did all that liquid go?

yes, there's ways to work toward eliminating all of the above mentioned mishaps. it can be done, and perhaps we'll talk about it another day. but more importantly, when you've got fall breathing down your back, tons of every variety less-than-perfect tomatoes falling from your vines, neighboring farmers begging you to take them, all of them, apple, pear and herb pairings to attend to, pumpkins to pie, and let's face it;

you chop up all those damn tomatoes when you use 'em anywayz...

sauced tomatoes

i call my tomatoes sauced tomatoes not tomato sauce because while they are cooked down a bit, i would never use this as sauce straight outta the jar. it's pure tomato flavor and i use them in every way one would use whole or crushed canned tomatoes. they are forever versatile.

i find that tomatoes canned this way have a more robust flavor than the straight-up canned paste tomatoes. any variety of tomato can be used and a mixture is best. you can (and should) use over-ripe tomatoes that are past their eating-fresh days. i throw many of those in the pot after cutting the dark spots completely off. you can also add a few not so ripe tomatoes in too. anything your garden or neighboring farmer gives you at the end of the season will work perfectly.

let's do this:

as many end-of-season garden or farm fresh tomatoes you can get your paws on, any variety
citric acid
sea salt
pint & quart mason jars
food mill (i love mine!)

1. place a wide-bodied saucepan (big enough to fit all of your tomatoes) on medium high heat. saucepan should be non-reactive, which means stainless or enameled iron.

2. quickly chop up about 1 & 1/2 pounds of tomatoes - large chunks. put them directly in the pot and press them down with a wooden spoon. bring this mixture to the boil.

3. continue to add approximately 1 & 1/2 pounds of chopped tomato, making sure it comes to the boil before adding the next round. you will want to chop as you go so that you do not lose too much of the precious tomato juice.

4. when all of your tomatoes are finally in the pot, boil for 5 minutes.

5. run all of this through a food mill, i use the medium disc as it holds back all of the skin and most of the seeds, but still allows it to be pulpy.

6. put all of your milled tomatoes back into the pot and bring to the boil. reduce heat and simmer until reduced by just 1/3rd. as this simmers down, prepare your canning pot and jars.

7. once you've reduced tomatoes by 1/3rd they are ready to be jarred.

for each pint jar add 1/4 teaspoon citric acid and 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
for each quart jar add 1/2 teaspoon citric acid and 1 teaspoon sea salt

*fill hot jars with sauced tomatoes to 1/4 inch headpace. hot water bath process pints for 35 minutes and quarts for 40.

i consider 1/2 cup of my sauced tomatoes to be one medium tomato and use it in all manner of curries, stews, casseroles, bean dishes, soups, etc. i find that pints are perfect for this type of use. the quarts i generally use for pasta sauce, adding spices, dried tomatoes, olive oil, capers, chile, et al, and i will cook it down even more as i prefer a thicker tomato sauce for my pasta.

*pawnote: recipe and processing times adapted from so easy to preserve. my fave basic preserving book. get it!

fire (or not) apple chutney

2011-09-27T18:10:00.005-04:00

there are so many things i can say about this chutney. first, i was sitting (not literally) on a 1/2 bushel of 5 different types of perfect-specimen apples for the last week. brought to me by my fruit-growing friend and neighbor (don't ya love those?) and just waiting for me to get my paws on them. i could say that each time i had cause to walk by those apples, perched to the brim of my wooden harvest basket, they would puff up, knowing they were destined for greatness.

i could also say that i almost called this chutney father-in-law chutney. that i planned to call it father-in-law chutney. that all week i was thinking about how my father-in-law loves chutney, and that he would be over the autumn moon when he received a couple of fat pint jars of a chutney made just for him. you see, my in-laws live in SC, and although one can buy chutney in SC, it's not the chutney made by his favorite tigress-in-law. i have a chutney-lovin' father-in-law, born and raised on the good stuff, but despite his indian decent, he cannot stomach too-hot chutney.

and here's where the story darkens.

let me preface this part by clarifying that 'too-hot' from someone of indian decent isn't necessarily the same 'too-hot' as some of y'all.

that being said.

yes, OK, i made the [first] amateur move of using dried habanero for my 'chile' powder and i also had just a wee little bit more than i first intended all crushed up nice in my mortar, and [second] flung it all in my chutney pot in a fit of "it's 15 apples worth of chutney in there, what's a little more heat?" no, i apparently did not realize that just a wee little bit more of crushed up habanero powder is the difference between numbing your upper lip and igniting your entire face-tongue-brain.

i realize that now.

despite the unfortunate series of mishaps that rendered this chutney edible only by fire-breathing dragons (M, and me, thankfully) and will have me back at the chutney pot for another go at father-in-law chutney, this chutney is all that i hoped it would be.

you see, before and beyond the clamp of heat that wraps around the throat with each and every swallow, there lies a perfect fall chutney. big and apple-y, filled with cold weather spices. reason, it's true, for those pre-chutney beauties to hold their stems high. their puff-ups having not been in vain.

fire (or not) apple chutney

15 medium size apples, preferably a variety
juice of 3 lemons
2 teaspoons ghee or vegetable oil
2 cups chopped shallots (or red onions)
2 tablespoons sea salt
4 tablespoons ginger, peeled & chopped very fine or grated
4 tablespoons garam masala*
1/2 tablespoon chili powder **
2 1/2 cups light brown sugar (i use turbinado)
1 quart white wine vinegar
2 cups raisins
pint or smaller mason jars

yield: approximately 6 pints

1. prepare jars for hot water bath canning. jars do not need to be sterilized as they will be processed for 10 minutes.

2. place juice of lemons in a large bowl. peel, core and chop apples into 3/4 inch pieces. throw apple pieces in bowl as you chop, making sure to toss them now and again so the lemon juice disperses.

3. in a non-reactive pot (stainless or enameled iron) drop just two teaspoons of ghee or vegetable oil, melt, and add chopped shallots and salt and cook until just softened, about 5 minutes. add chopped ginger, stir for 1 minute. add garam masala and chile powder, stir for 30 seconds.

4. add apples and sugar, stir. add vinegar and bring to the boil. turn heat to medium and simmer for 30 minutes. after 30 minutes add raisins, simmer until desired thickness is reached, approximately 15 more minutes.

you will need to stir more frequently as your chutney begins to thicken, certainly in the last 10-15 minutes. chutney is considered ready when you run your wooden spoon across the bottom of the pot and a line is drawn for a second or so before the chutney folds in on itself once again.

5. fill hot jars to 1/2 inch headspace and hot water bath process for 10 minutes.

even with a lessened heat factor this chutney is robust both in texture and taste. if you use a variety of apples and chop them only to a good 3/4 inch, some will completely break down and others will remain somewhat intact. garam masala has long been my version of 'fall' spice, it's the familiar cinnamon-nutmeg combo that we all know and love, with a heavy hit of exotica.

this chutney will be equally at home aside a slab of cheddar or smothered in the middle of a grilled cheese sandwich as it will dolloped in the middle of a bowl of rice and lentils.

or in the case of my current lucky version - anytime i'm in need of a proper head explosion!

pawnotes:
*garam masala - make your own, i do!
**chile powder amount - i used 1 & 1/2 tablespoons in mine, so i think 1/2 tablespoon of very hot chili powder will be perfect for the average 'too-hot'. of course you could forgo it all together and this would still be a damn tasty chutney, but that's no fun, is it?

hot damn chile pickle!

2011-09-25T21:20:00.000-04:00

my tomatoes might have been a little worse for wear after my 3 week absence, most of them took a suicide leap that ended in a bloody-red mess. i did however, manage to save a couple-eight pounds of them. and proceeded to make this again this year - if you have a bunch of overripe tomatoes. make it now...and thank me later.

back to the point of this post:

have chiles

...will cut 'em.

for those of you who have been hanging around here for quite some time, you know that i love me my chiles! this year, the chile-gods and chile-goddesses had mercy on me, and my little 'ole plants of plenty produced big time!

i cook up this indian-style chile pickle when i have an abundance of chiles. any kind will do - hot or hotter. it's cooked down, loaded with chiles, garlic and ginger, and packed with oil. so don't even think about hot water bath canning it. i put mine in the fridge in little jars, which lasts a year or even up to two!

the depth of flavor comes from the 'tarka' or sputtering of the whole spices in oil. it's a traditional indian technique that both releases and enhances the flavor of a particular spice. i eat this pickle on anything that remotely resembles the palate of the eastern hemisphere; on top of rice, stirred into yogurt, tucked inside flatbread, beside a good curry or stew.

hot damn chile pickle!
adapted from my bombay kitchen

3 pounds chiles - any kind, stemmed & chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1 & 1/3 cups light sesame oil (not toasted, or another vegetable oil)
1 tablespoon whole brown mustard seeds
1 & 1/2 teaspoons fenugreek seed
1 & 1/2 teaspoons whole cumin seeds
1 & 1/2 teaspoons whole fennel seeds
3/4 cup garlic, chopped fine*
3/4 cup ginger, chopped fine*
1 teaspoon cayenne powder (optional)
1 & 1/2 teaspoons turmeric powder
1 & 3/4 cups white wine vinegar
1/4 cup light brown sugar (i use turbinado)
2 & 1/4 tablespoons sea salt

yield: 3 pints

1. heat oil over medium heat, once hot, add mustard seeds. the mustard seeds will sputter and turn a light gray within 15-20 seconds. when they do, add the whole fenugreek, cumin and fennel seeds. let them sizzle until they are just a shade darker, about 15 seconds. very important: do not burn the spices, they should not get dark brown, err on the side of not cooking enough. if you are unsure count to 15 after you add them and you're good!

2. add the garlic and ginger, let sizzle a few seconds until just lightly golden. add the cayenne if using and the turmeric, stir once and add the chiles. stir.

3. add salt, sugar and vinegar. bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer on low for 45 minutes to 1 hour. if during the cooking process it sticks and seems too dry, add more vinegar by the tablespoon, do not add water. it is done when the oil separates and sits on top (it will look similar to the photo above).

4. let cool slightly and taste. this should be a salty pickle used as a condiment - add salt here if it needs more. fill clean 1/2 pint or pint jars. store in fridge for a year or more.

*pawnote: if you have one of these, or something like it, you can use if for the garlic-ginger and make a paste instead of chopping fine. i do!

cool cukes: quick & easy ferments

2011-08-13T09:35:00.002-04:00

it's been one of those summers. one of those that happens more and more frequently. fall is falling before summer even sums.

if you know what i mean.

lest you think that i have endless amounts of summertime to frolic in my garden and a myriad of long n' lazy sunny mornings lounging amongst my preserving pots (in my pjs). and hours upon hours to hone my blogging skillz.

i don't. or at least i didn't, and i haven't yet.

if it wasn't for the sheer belief i have in eating what i grow or what my neighboring farmers grow, and the necessity of preserving the northeast growing season to do just that year round, i might have quit the whole shebang this summer. yup, rolled up the blog/s and called it a season.

but i didn't, i can't and i won't.

'cause i believe in it way too much to let a little (read; m*#ther=@cking lot!) of work get in my way.

as stressful as life can be sometimes, as fast as it can go; when i can barely get food from garden to table, never mind into jars saved for later. when every daylight hour plus is spent hunched over keyboard, nary a word typed in a jam or a pickle, i still can't forget the fact that it's important to slow down, take note of the seasons.

get my paws in the dirt.

even if i can't do it all, i can do it some.

these cool cukes are a quick & easy way to get these stress-inducing little growing machines (jeesh, if only i could be as cool as a cucumber!) saved for later. i love fermented pickles, but growing your own rarely produces a bushel full of similar sized cukes at one time. with this method, you can do batches of a 1/2 gallon, quart, or even a single pint at a time - i often do pints of little cornichon sized cukes.

cool cukes

fresh 2-4 inch long organic cucumbers, blossom ends sliced off, enough to fill a quart jar
1 large clove garlic, peeled & coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon allspice berries, lightly crushed*
1/4 teaspoon whole black peppercorns*
1 large dried red chili, broken into bits*
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fennel fronds (or dill)*
1 & 1/2 tablespoons sea salt (not super fine)
1 quart jar with a tight fitting lid

yield: 1 quart

1. place salt, herbs, spices and garlic in a sparkling clean jar.

2. fill jar with cukes. pack them in, but not so tightly that they can't move at all.

3. fill jar with cold spring or filtered water (chlorine can hinder the fermenting process, be careful of city tap water). cap the jar tightly and shake it vigorously. shake it until all the salt has dissolved.

4. put in the fridge. your cool cukes will be femented pickles in approximately 3 weeks.

that's it! you don't need to worry about keeping the cukes submerged - or any of that time consuming stuff. just stick them in the back of the fridge and soon you will have the most delicious fermented pickles with the perfect pickly crunch. it's true!

scale up or down depending on what you harvest or bring home from the farmers market. be sure to adjust the salt accordingly depending on the size jar used.

i make a jar approximately every four days when my garden is producing cucumbers. it takes about 10 minutes - and when preserving is hard to do, at least i can do this.

at least i can do this.

* pawnote: for every quart jar add 3/4 teaspoon whole spices of your choice (mustard seed, mace, nutmeg, white pepper, fennel seed, etc) add the chile or no, and 1 tablespoon fresh herbs - maker's choice. what i've listed above is one of my fave combos, but i vary spices and herb often. easy to do when making one jar at a time.

kimchi primer

2011-07-23T22:46:00.030-04:00

if you were hanging around here last weekend, then you may know that i harvested a lot of napa cabbage, for what has become my yearly kimchi making session.

as excited as i was about making my season 2011 kimchi, i must tell you that i debated on writing this post. this, because it's not like we haven't talked about it before, made it with of-the-moment ingredients, or put it in steamed buns even.

and yes this year i've added a few new ingredients (we'll get to that) but then i thought, why not discuss the basic elements of kimchi-making so you can feel confident to experiment on your own?

sound good?

the basic ingredients for a vegetarian cabbage based kimchi are:

curly cabbage - two of the most common varieties are napa and savoy.

root vegetable - daikan is the most traditional, but other types of radish, carrots, turnips, jicama, or the honorary root, kohlrabi, are great variations that afford the same crunch and additional flavor.

aromatics - garlic, ginger, scallion, and a semi-hot dried chili pepper. korean pepper is the most common of course, but i have found aleppo pepper to be a perfect substitute and since it's ubiquitous in my kitchen that is what i use. if either are hard to find for you, mix hungarian (sweet) paprika equally with cayenne and you'll approximate the level of heat. sugar is also added along with the aromatics.

brine - water and sea salt.

kimchi-making does not have to be exact. it's best to taste as you go. here are the approximate ratios that i have found work best for me.

1 part root vegetable(s) for every 5 parts cabbage.

for every 5 pounds of cabbage & roots i add the following:

1 bunch scallions - white and green parts
2 tablespoons dried chile pepper
2 large cloves garlic
1 & 1/2 tablespoons grated ginger
1 & 1/2 teaspoons sugar

1/4 cup sea salt per quart of water for brine. (i use course sea salt, if yours is fine, it should be a scant 1/4 cup). note on water: chlorinated water can inhibit fermentation. it's best to use spring or distilled water. approximately 3 quarts of brine are needed for every 5 pounds of cabbage & roots.

your special equipment doesn't really need to be that special:

for every 5 pounds of cabbage & roots you will need a 1 gallon vessel (or 2 half gallons/4 quarts) for the fermentation process. i mostly use these 5 or 10 liter fermentation pots. also convenient to use and priced right are gallon or 1/2 gallon jars.

you'll also need a few large bowls or containers to soak the vegetables overnight.

sometimes there's a lot of hoopla around kimchi-making and fermentation in general. i don't think it's at all hard or mysterious. this is the basic technique:

clean and core cabbage, chop into approximately 1 to 1 & 1/2 inch pieces. clean roots and slice very thin. i like to use a mandoline for this.

make brine by combining salt and water. i make it in 1/2 gallon jars, shaking the jar until the salt dissolves.

soak the cabbage & roots overnight in brine (i usually need to use every big bowl in the house for this). fill the containers with cabbage & roots and press down. add some brine, cover with a plate and press down some more. add more brine as needed to submerge completely. keep plate on top overnight and let the whole lot sit out at room temperature. after 8-12 hours drain the cabbage & roots, reserving most of the brine.

chop up all of the aromatics and add sugar, mix together. combine this mixture with the drained cabbage and roots. if you are doing a large batch it is better to break it up into a few bowls to evenly combine.

fill your fermentation vessel/s with the mixture. do not pack it too high or too tight. 3/4 full is perfect. add some of the leftover brine to cover completely. you will not need all of the brine.

if you are using a crock with weights, place the weights on top of the mixture to submerge. if you are using glass jars, you could use the plastic bag method as i did here, but i have found that it really isn't necessary, just cap the lid. here's the caveat with that tho: as long as you check the kimchi once a day and push the vegetables back in the brine, or better yet give it a little stir, it will be good. if you cannot remember to do this daily then you better weight it down to keep everything submerged. i use the crocks now, with the weights, but pieces of cabbage always float to the top, so when making kimchi i give it a stir once a day and push the floaters back in. whenever small batching in a jar, i use a wooden spoon to stir once daily and forgo the plastic bag.

ideally the fermentation vessel will be in a moderately warm environment, low 70's are perfect. at that temperature it will take approximately 3-6 days to complete fermentation. i just made my 2011 batch in this 90+ heatwave we are having here in the northeast. all was fine, and to my surprise it took a full 6 days to reach full fermentation - normally the hotter the temp, the faster the ferment.

taste! don't be afraid to taste everyday! 2 or 3 days into it you will notice the bite of raw vegetable has dissipated. a day or two after, when you open the lid, you'll smell the sweetest, most delicious smell. then you'll know your nearing the end of the fermentation process. it's really up to you and your taste buds to decide on when it is 'done'. note: if something has gone wrong there is usually no question, your nose will know. it will smell bad. but this has never happened to me, and if you make sure your utensils, vessels and hands are clean it shouldn't happen to you either.

transfer to storage jars and store in the fridge for up to a year or even more. technically speaking the fermentation process is still happening only at a much slower rate due to the lower temperature in your refrigerator. i keep my fridge at 38 degrees and i do not notice a change in my kimchi even after many months of storage.

water bath canning kimchi? i would never do it because those healthy little probiotic beasties inside a jar of kimchi are much better for us when they are alive. plus, the acidity is not high enough to safely hot water bath can, as in the case of sauerkraut which is fermented for a longer period.

every time i make kimchi it varies a bit. i use what i grow or what my neighboring farmers grow, that's the fun of it! a little something different every time, but always delicious.

here's the ingredient list for my 2011 batch:

kimchi with kohlrabi and garlic scapes

13 pounds napa cabbage
5 kohlrabi - about 2 & 1/2 pounds (if you are following along, make sure you peel them)
3 bunches scallions - about 20
10 very large garlic scapes (heads only)
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons aleppo pepper
1/2 cup minced ginger
2 & 1/2 tablespoons sugar
2 gallons of brine

...see, BIG, bursting at the seams, garlic scape heads!

if i haven't told you all you ever wanted to know about kimchi, here are a few more great sources:

sander katz' wild fermentation - the bible on fermenting anything including kimchi.
linda ziedrich - some great info and recipes in her joy of pickling.
kimchi lore and recipes at saveur.

now go forth and kimchi. you can do it!

ghee

2011-07-01T09:00:00.000-04:00

there have been a few inquiries about my ghee making procedure, so here goes...

but first i have to say that even i cannot believe the color of this ghee (made from this butter). it positively glows in real life! grass people, cows need to eat grass! down with dull butter! if you can't find yourself a cow, then find yourself a farmer with a cow who lets her munch on grass all day long. put the sunshine back in your butter. it's good for you, good for the cows, and good for the earth!

ok, now the ghee.

people, i've seen a lotta ghee recipes zipping around here in the blogosphere (will merriam-webster please just accept that word already so we can all know how to spell it!) and i have no intentions of being the ghee police, but,

i learned from a ghee making master. i learned with my own two eyes and paws how to make ghee from the author of classic indian cooking and classic indian vegetarian and grain cooking. the two most seminal books on indian cooking in the west, around since the 80's and reprinted a kazillian times.

just 'sayin.

ghee

start with really soft best quality non-salted butter. place it in a saucepan and put the heat on medium low. keep cooking for about 20-30 minutes. watch the bubbles on the top - they always go through the following steps: first all of the butter melts completely and it's foamy on top. then large bubbles start from the side and bubble across the top, they bubble for a while and get even larger. after a bit, very tiny small bubbles take over and cover the top. start checking the bottom around this time. it's crucial not to burn it, the bottom will be just a bit browned but not burnt. this is what gives ghee that wonderful, slightly nutty flavor that is different from western clarified butter.

pour through a strainer with a layer of butter muslin or double layer of cheese cloth directly into a mason jar.

ghee will last at room temperature for months. room temperature should not be overly hot and do not let sun shine directly on it.

ghee has a very high smoke point and is what i use most often in cooking. the subject of cooking fat is a wide and difficult one to navigate. i've always done best by following traditional food ways, and ghee has been used for cooking it seems since the beginning of time. it not only taste divine, but it's considered by many to be the healing nectar of the gods.

who i ask you, can argue with that?

garlic scape harissa

2011-06-25T23:15:00.003-04:00

it's saturday night, here's something quick and dirty.

actually it's quick, but not dirty. i just wanted to say that, 'cause it's hot.

or as hot as you want it to be.

if you don't have garlic scapes in your garden, i bet they're at your farmers market right now.
if not, use 1/2 the amount of 'regular' garlic.

and please, start with whole coriander and caraway, then grind it with a mortar and pestle.

garlic scape harissa

4 garlic scapes, top bulbs only (save the rest for another use)
4 dried new mexican chiles (or another type of mild chile)
1 dried cayenne chile
3 sun-dried tomatoes (not the kind in oil)
1/2 teaspoon ground caraway
1 & 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 & 1/2 teaspoons coarse sea salt
approximately 3 tablespoons buttery olive oil

1. soak the chiles and tomatoes in warm water for a few minutes to soften. when soft, squeeze out excess water.

2. put everything except the olive oil in a small bowl of a food processor, or a blender, or this.

3. drizzle the oil in, or add 1/2 tablespoon at a time, until you get a spreadable paste like consistency. transfer to a jar, seal and put in fridge.

this north african condiment will last refrigerated for about 1 month at best keeping quality.

i smear it atop halved hard-boiled eggs, stir it into olive-oiled chickpeas with parsley and preserved lemon. or add a little more oil, a squeeze of lemon, drizzle it over yogurt cheese - and tuck it in a pita bread. and much more.

buttermilk ricotta

2011-06-22T23:30:00.003-04:00

i bet you thought you heard the last of my year's supply of butter-making didn't you? yup, you thought i went through all that buttermilk and used up every last drop of cream too even, right? think again. 8 gallons of cream and 2 gallons of buttermilk goes a long way for 1 catty pilgrim.

you see, that cultured buttermilk i had just keeps on giving. as i said over here, you can easily make more of it with what you've got. and the cream, ok, yes it's true, this is the last of it (sad face). i used this final quart of cream, plus a whole gallon of cultured buttermilk to make a big batch of the tastiest ricotta i've ever had. take it from this half italian tigress who has ricotta in her blood - i grew up on the stuff - this buttermilk version is swoon-worthy.

this makes a lotta ricotta - close to a full quart. since it lasts only about a week in the fridge at perfect quality, you probably don't need to make this much. so go ahead, half it. of course, if you're prone to eating it by the bowlful like me, then you better dairy up!

...basically, i've just decided i need a cow.

buttermilk ricotta

1 gallon buttermilk
1 quart cream
2 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
butter muslin or a double layer of cheese cloth
thermometer

1. combine the buttermilk, cream and sea salt in a non-reactive stock pot (stainless or enameled covered iron) and heat on medium to 190 degrees - it should take about 25-30 minutes. stir occasionally and gently as the temperature nears to 190 to prevent scorching. be gentle.

2. as soon as the temperature reaches 190 degrees take off heat. cover and let sit for 5 minutes. you will have very delicate curds that should look something like this:

3. place a damp (rinse it in hot water and squeeze dry) butter muslin or double-layered cheese cloth inside a large strainer. place the strainer over a large bowl. gently scoop the curds into the strainer, and then pour the whey directly over. if you've made ricotta before using a different method you may notice that the separation of curds and whey is not as straight-forward with this method, and that it is a bit difficult to see the separation.

that's ok.

4. at a certain point the whey will seemingly stop dripping through the muslin and strainer in the bowl. you could leave it there for hours and it will drain to perfection eventually. or you can lift the muslin out with everything tucked inside (it will be full of liquid so be careful) and tie it around a faucet to hang for about 30 minutes. the weight will help expel the excess whey.

5. when most of the obvious liquid is out, place the whole lot back into the strainer. it should still be quite soft and wet, like this:

6. after that it's maker's choice. i let it drain for another 20-30 minutes so that the finished cheese is still quite moist. it's better to err on the side of too moist as it will firm up even more when chilled. when done, transfer to an airtight container. it will stay fresh for up to a week in the fridge.

or, before you do any such thing, you can scoop out a warm and generous hunk and christen your pasta arrabiatta with it.

and swoon.

cultured butter (and créme fraîche)

2011-06-12T13:20:00.001-04:00

...the butter chronicles continue.

i am happy to report that sore shoulders (me) churner's elbow (M) and one broken lehman's best butter churn later, M and i have buttered our way through 8 gallons of cream! (if you need to catch up start here)

see this?

it's a vat o' créme fraîche. do you know how hard it is not to just stick your face into a vat o' créme fraîche when it is sitting on your kitchen table?

i do.

you get créme fraîche by mixing in half the amount of cultured buttermilk to cream. cultured buttermilk is the kind you can typically find at the market or farm stand - or directly from the farmer. remember to source it and the cream well because this is the glorious stuff that cultured butter is made of!

for each gallon of cream i used to make cultured butter i added a half gallon of cultured buttermilk.

stir it to make sure the buttermilk is distributed evenly throughout the cream. let it sit for 12 to 24 hours - depending on the temperature of your kitchen - until it gets thick and tastes deliciously sour.

you might want to stop right here and reserve some of this luscious soured cream for an ulterior plan. i did. (and remember this technique the next time you want créme fraîche - D.I.Y!)

with the rest of it, you need to get it in those jars and get shakin'! follow steps 2-8 here.

after the cream is cultured by adding the buttermilk, all is pretty much the same when making either sweet butter or cultured butter. though you will notice a slight difference in the way the fat globules clump together as they are a bit more delicate when making cultured butter.

when it looks something like this:

you're ready to drain the buttermilk into a bowl. do remember to strain and save it in jars in the fridge. there is much you can do with this cultured buttermilk - more on it below.

once you press all of the buttermilk out you'll be left with a deeply flavored cultured butter. this is a good time to add salt to taste, and mix it in so it's evenly distributed.

you can see the cultured butter is lighter in color than the sweet butter - that's because of the added cultured buttermilk. it's the buttermilk that gives it the unmistakable tang cherished in many european butters.

once salted, i packed mine into smaller jam-sized mason jars for freezing, as this is the butter i like best for eating out of paw. absolutely nothing is better for spreading on all manner of toast, scones, pancakes, and biscuits! and my favorite of all, nestled snugly under a tart and sweet marmalade. oh!

in general cultured products last longer than non-cultured. this means that the butter will last for 2-3 weeks in the fridge as long as you've pressed the buttermilk out completely.

now, back to the buttermilk: this buttermilk will last in the fridge for a few weeks. i won't argue with you if you want to use it all up for the best damn pancakes you've ever had, but there's so much more to it than that! first off, you don't have to keep buying it, you can use it to sour more cream to make more créme fraîche and cultured butter. you can also use it to make more buttermilk - just add 1/4 cup to a quart jar and fill the jar with milk, seal tightly and give it a shake. leave it a room temperature and you'll have a quart full of buttermilk the next day - at about 24 hours.

this buttermilk is outta this world in these salty yogurt drinks when used in place of the yogurt. if you are a raw milk drinker like me, the very cool thing about the buttermilk culture as opposed to the yogurt culture is that it doesn't have to be heated to a higher temperature to make magic. so you can make your buttermilk for drinking exactly as above by filling the quart jar with raw milk, and enjoy raw milk ayrans and lassis!

oh gosh, there's just so much to roar about today!

and speaking of paws (i was, wasn't i?) i gotz mine on the first strawberries of the season up here in the berkshires.

local strawberries + créme fraîche made from local cow's cream + local maple sugar =

gobbling tigress.

there's really nothing more i can say.

sweet butter

2011-06-05T17:25:00.002-04:00

or more appropriately called...

8 gallons of cream (plus 2 gallons of buttermilk).

if you were following along here then you may know that i drove to vermont early this past friday to pick up 8 gallons of cream for a year's worth of butter. i picked up the cream in the lovely little mountain town of brattleboro, vermont. if you ever get a chance to go, do get a coffee at mocha joes, and whatever you do, get a croissant at amy's bakery arts cafe. trust me, i might drive back just for another one, or two.

back to the butter. i've been asked how i know that 8 gallons of cream is the right amount for a year's worth of butter for two people.

i don't.

but i do know that i bake with it. i make ghee - which i cook with most often, and i like to slather it on toast with jam or no. M, being half danish, spreads it on anything edible with a flat surface. we're both partial to a hefty dollop on warm breakfast grains, and did i ever mention that i'm a popcorn junkie? ...oh, and i love biscuits and scones!

so you see, we go through a lotta butter around here.

being that i have pilgrim skillz and have churned - or shaken to be exact - many a quarts of cream, i decided that since we eat so much butter why would i not want to make sure it comes from the best quality, best tasting cream? organic, local (enough) cream from happy cows munching on nutritious spring grass? and why not go BIG? why not make enough butter to last us for the whole year?

why ask why, when you can ask why not? see.

if you're planning to try this at home, my first advise to you is to suss out a local dairy that cares about their cows and their product. happy cows make better cream, it's true! my cream came from the lovely butterworks farm. but i am sure there's a dairy that cares near you. at butterworks farm they pasteurize their cream in the old-fashioned way; held at 145-150 degrees for 30 minutes. do talk to your farmer to find out what their practices are, and don't use ultra-pasteurized cream because you will not be able to produce butter from it.

if you plan on trying this at home on a smaller scale - like butter for a week - then pick up a pint or two of the best quality organic cream you can find at your local co-op or farmstand.

let's to do this!

...that's what i said to M yesterday when i enlisted his help with the first 2 gallons. the first 2 gallons of cream were destined to be sweet butter, otherwise known as uncultured butter. sweet butter is typically what we eat here in the US. it comes from cream that has not been cultured - or soured.

first, see how yellow and bright it is? grass baby grass! cows need grass, and so does your butter!

sweet butter

organic cream (not ultra-pasteurized)
sea salt (optional)
quart or half gallon mason jars, or this *

1. leave cream at room temperature for a few hours until its fully warmed to room temperature.

2. pour room temperature cream into jar. important: the jar should be double the size of the amount of cream you are using. if you are shaking a pint of cream, you need a quart jar, if you are shaking a quart you need a half gallon jar.

3. make sure the cap is screwed on very tight and here we go: shake it! turn it up! (you should feel something happening in the jar by the time the song is done). it will get thicker and thicker, keep shaking!

4. after 5 minutes or so of shaking you'll see and feel a bright yellow clump and the rest will be a thin white liquid. you've just made butter!

keep shaking it another minute or so to make sure it is completely separated.

5. pour the buttermilk into a bowl, or better yet a jug or pitcher. use a large wooden spoon or the like to hold the butter in while you're pouring. set buttermilk aside, more on it below.

6. place butter in a bowl and run very, very cold water over the butter while you press down with a large spoon to squeeze as much of the buttermilk out as you possibly can. pour the water off. continue doing this until the water that is coming off does not look milky anymore. the clearer the water is as it runs off, the better. your butter will last longer if all of the buttermilk is expelled.

7. here, you can add salt to taste or keep it unsalted. if you are making butter to keep in the fridge, the salt will help it stay fresh a bit longer. butter will last about a week to two in the refrigerator. frozen, as you may have guessed by my endeavor, it will last for approximately one year with no change in quality.

8. pack in refrigerator or freezer-proof airtight containers. if packing for the freezer, label and date.

this batch was made for my baking and ghee making, so no salt was added and i packed it in 1/2 liter jars. 2 gallons of cream yielded six jars - approximately 3 quarts - of sweet unsalted butter. in the freezer they went!

there was about 1/2 cup extra which we sea-salted right up, spread on some crusty sourdough and topped with sliced, just-picked radishes.

IMO, it doesn't get much better.

now about that buttermilk. this is not the thick cultured buttermilk you can find in stores. it is water, dissolved milk sugars, and protein. it is different from whey in that it comes solely from cream and not milk, or milk and cream. the true buttermilk - it's what's left when all of the fat globules within the cream get agitated enough to band together and shout to everything else, "get out!"

this buttermilk is good stuff. you should pass it through a strainer, put it in a sealed jar, and keep it in the fridge. you can make pancakes, biscuits and cornbread with it. but my favorite way of all is to enjoy it cold, straight-up. it lasts for a week or so in the fridge.

but it's so damn refreshing, it would never last that long in my house.

2 gallons down, 6 to go! i gotz two in the kitchen warming as i type, they'll be sweet and salted. i have one gallon getting cultured, which i'll tell you about very soon.

the last three gallons are lounging lusciously in my fridge, i'll get to them after the ice pack, on the shoulders that is. just kidding.

*pawnote: if you have one of these gadgets, follow the instructions as above, except crank where i say shake. that said, after having done it both ways, i say the shaking is the most fun.

ramp greens kimchi

2011-05-16T09:30:00.002-04:00

perhaps you jumped on the spring rampage with me and pickled a whole lotta ramp bottoms a few days ago. which means you gotz a bunch (or two or three) of ramp greens sitting around waiting for you to fulfill their destiny.

to that i'm here to say, "have no fear, the mighty tigress is here!"

ahem.

this my friends, is an awesome idea that i cannot take credit for. the idea came from that wonderful new book tart and sweet that i roared a lot about a while back. (er, basically, get it!) the lovely authors of this book utilized the entire ramp, but being the resourceful cat that i am i thought it a perfect opportunity to use up all of those bottomless greens!

here's my version:

ramp greens kimchi

approximately 1 pound ramp greens, cleaned & thick stems removed
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons aleppo pepper (or korean chile, or 1/2 cayenne & 1/2 sweet paprika)
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

1 half gallon mason jar, or two quarts

1. stack the ramps on top of one another to slice in 1 inch sections. place in large bowl, add all of the ingredients except soy sauce and oil. toss to distribute evenly.

2. stir soy sauce and sesame oil together and add to ramp greens, stir.

3. distribute to half gallon jar, or two quarts. let sit at room temperature overnight.

4. place in the fridge. every day or two give it a shake or a mix with a spoon. as it goes through the fermenting process you'll want to get the top greens down to the bottom. after 5 days or so, you can transfer to 1 quart jar.

the kimchi will be ready in about one week. you will know when the raw grassy smell dissipates and in its place comes the most mouth watering aroma.

ramp kimchi will last in the fridge for months.

as with all types of kimchi, you can eat ramp kimchi with just about anything, and it will never say no to being placed by a bowl of steaming rice for a simple and nutritious lunch.

you could however decide to take this whole thing even further and tuck a bit of this ramp kimchi into a few soft pillowy steamed buns. like i did this past weekend, in spite of the copious amounts of rhubarb i had to somehow tuck away for later.

those little ramp kimchi buns were out of this world delicious, and i am not sure if anyone believes me out there, but trust me it's e-a-s-y.

do it!

spring rampage pickles

2011-05-07T21:59:00.031-04:00

yes i know everyone is doing ramp pickles right now.

but this is less about pickled ramps and more of a study in spring quick pickles.

if you will.

up here in the berkshires of massachusetts these babies are in full bloom right now.

but you could do spring onions if that's what's sprouting in your hood.

my neighbor brought over this lovely jar of homemade maple syrup. he doesn't like to boil it down as much as the store-bought stuff. i call it maple honey.

if you don't have a neighboring farmer making maple syrup or honey, i'm sure you have some neighboring bees making flower honey.

and this is the fun part. herbs! what herbs are you or your local farmer growing now?

my lovage is forever the first to come soaring out of the ground each spring. it's taste is that of robust italian parsley with a few ornery celery leaves strewn in. you could always use that mix to replicate this lovely herb. (but make sure those celery leaves are really ornery, like they should be shouting at you).

these pickles my friends, are positively exploding with the taste of my spring!

your turn - gather up a local edible allium, herb and sweetener and we're in busyness! i'll have you making a quick spring pickle that's loaded with the taste of your very own terrior.

'cause that's what the real hoopla is about now isn't it?

spring rampage pickles

(adjust the following ingredients accordingly)

2 pounds ramps, greens removed and saved for later *
3 cups white wine vinegar
2 cups water
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 cup sugar (i use raw)
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 & 1/2 teaspoons whole allspice
2 teaspoons white pepper
1 small bunch whole lovage leaves, about 1/4 cup
2 quart mason jars and lids

1. add all of the ingredients except the lovage and the ramps to a medium sauce pan and bring to the boil.

2. once boiling add the clean and greened ramps, bring back to the boil and let boil for just 1 minute. take off heat and let cool.

3. add whole lovage leaves evenly to the quart jars. fill jars with cooled ramps and liquid.

4. place in refrigerator to cure for 5 days.

these pickles will last up to 3 months in the fridge, but they never, ever will.

* pawnote: if you are using ramps for this recipe, hold on to those greens, 'cause i'm coming back at you very soon with a recipe or two on how to use up those ramp greens. you'll like it, i promise!

bye!

LIC: dried herb & spice storage

2011-04-27T19:45:00.003-04:00

a number of you have requested to see more of my kitchen. i must admit, i'm a little shy when it comes to that because my obsessive nature is in full force in matters of food storage and home decor. but hey, we're pretty much family now right?

this is kind of a true confessions post. first, i spent the better part of this past weekend going through, cleaning out, and reorganizing my herbs and spices - which is crazy enough considering it wasn't that much of a mess in the first place. second, after seeing this:

you may think, "how the hell can you get any more organized than that?" but the truth is, as beautiful (imo) as this whole german-made spice drawer contraption is, it's not that practical in terms of actual use. lucky me, i found this out after i installed the kitchen 3 years ago.

anybody wanna guess why?

that's right, you can't see the spices when you open the drawer. so even though they do stay very fresh due to the airtight containers and lack of light, it's a bitch looking for a spice if you don't know exactly where it rests in the drawer.

hence, my super-duper tigress powered organizing skillz have helped in this matter. and even though you might have a better spice drawer or shelf, one where you can actually see the spices upon first glance, something like this might work for you. and so i share, in detail, my spice cataloging system.

spice drawer
spice jars (left to right)

americas & eastern europe
chipotle powder, new mexico chile powder, annatto, mace, dill seed, celery seed
citric acid, pickling spice,* ginger powder, yellow mustard, juniper berry, caraway, hungarian paprika

mediterranean
porcini salt, wild sicilian fennel, pimentón (spanish paprika) smoked pimentón, saffron

turkey & north africa
aleppo pepper, nigella, sumac, pomegranate seed, mahleb
mastic, cumin, za'atar,* dukkah,* ras el hanout*

persia & north india
white pepper, black pepper, lucknow fennel, clove, green cardamom, black cumin, allspice, garam masala*

south india
coriander, cayenne powder, asafoetida (hing) black mustard, ajwain (carom) black salt, curry powder*
turmeric powder, fenugreek, panch poran,* aniseed, amchoor (sour mango powder) chat masala*

asia
5-spice powder,* sichuan pepper, shiitake powder, wasabi powder, shichimi toragashi*

other than a few tweaks here and there over the weekend, i've used this system of categorizing for the last year now. it was the third attempt (i'm embarrassed to say the first of which grouped by seeds, powders, berries & barks...didn't work. obviously. duh!) and finally the one i've found most useful. in addition, i keep the most used spices in each category toward the front of the drawer - this common sense practice would enhance any system.

i really do use all these spices! i haven't eaten meat in 14 years, and having never embraced that americanized crunchy-tofu vegetarian way of eating, i've spent years studying & cooking the great ethnic cuisines that deftly feature veggies on the center of the plate. thus, the many spices i cook with regularly i'll get on the first try - because i'm usually cooking from one part of the world or another. for those i use less frequently, at least i'll get the right row!

this weekend i added labels on the bottoms in the hopes that they'll be helpful in those very instances where i don't zero in on the right ingredient at first try. (look, i know the top would make more sense, but no labels would fit neatly on these covered jars, and i just couldn't bring myself to go the sharpie route!)

i ordered my labels from bowfin printworks - worth checking into as even the custom orders are reasonably priced, and you don't have to pay until your goods are received and you are 100% satisfied.

i resisted the label on the bottom for a while because as you can see from the photo above, once out of the drawer the jars' contents are visible. still, telling certain spices apart can be difficult even for the avid user. and, truth be told, i'm hoping it will spare some frustrated beckons from the kitchen on those rare occasions when M is tinkering on his lonesome and i am (trying to be) otherwise occupied. we'll see...

while we are on the subject, let me just say that those little spouts on the tops of my oh-so-lovely spice jars are useless, useless i tell ya. i never use them. it's all about unscrewing the top and sticking in a big ol' spoon, or tilting the whole lot in your palm for a birds-eye view of measurement - my favorite way. please, keep that in mind if you are on the lookout for spice containers.

spice drawer
ceramic containers

large whole spices, chiles & basics
cinnamon, nutmeg, black cardamom, star anise
cayenne chile, new mexico chile, chipotle chile, ancho chile
salt, sugar, vanilla bean, kokum

in addition to farm fresh or home grown seasonal and preserved produce, the extensive use of [herbs &] spice define my cooking style. one of the major things i've learned is quality and freshness matter, big time. this is how i do it:

source great spices - this is the single most important thing you can do to ensure quality. forgettabout those jars in the grocery store. even the bulk spice bins at your local organic store are not that great for most spices.

if you travel to a spice country - or you know someone who does, get 'em from the source. i purchased my turkish spices at the istanbul spice bazaar - from a recommended seller. and my indian spices on my latest trip to india. i harvested the wild sicilian fennel on a trip to visit a friend two years ago. and trust me, i'm not afraid to ask traveling friends or family.

go spice hunting! like the fennel harvesting above. many times you don't have to travel that far. see what is wild in your area, or another part of the county if you are visiting friends or family. many times wild spice is more potent than it's cultivated cousin.

look for your local ethnic specialty shops, i.e. an india food seller for indian spices, slavik or polish for eastern european, a japanese market, etc. they will source infinitely better than a catch-all spice rack at a chain store, and chances are their stock will move much more quickly so what you're buying is fresh.

if you don't live next to a metro area and it's difficult for you to find specialty stores. look on-line, ask around and see who sources what where. one thing i most definitely order on-line is the best chipotle powder ever. can't live without it, and their dried chiles are top quality too. (readers if you have a great source for on-line spices please comment below!)

and of course, you can grow & dry your own! dill seed, fennel seed, etc...

buy whole spices - this is the single most important thing you can do to ensure that the top quality spices you've sourced so well, keep. because most whole spices will last indefinitely.

purchase ground spices only in instances where you cannot buy the spice whole - or the 'spice' itself is an actual powder - as in the case of paprika. i've noted my powders above, everything else is a whole spice. i crush or ground them as needed with a mortar & pestle or this great gadget.

make your own spice mixtures (all of the spices above marked with an * are my home spice mixtures). in most cases store-bought mixtures are heavy on the cheaper spices and lighter on the more pricey ones, which won't assure you an amazing mix. and unless you go to a gourmet shop with made to-order masala, chances are you're purchasing a powder that is already past it's prime.

give your powders a good sniff and an honest toss out every 3 - 6 months. most ground spices, home mixtures included, are at their best quality for 3 months, 6 at the absolute most. this will vary of course, but i can assure you that after 6 months aging in the cupboard your homemade curry powder will have lost it's punch. so, i make small amounts - no more than 1/2 cup - of only a couple different mixtures at a time. i vary them depending on the time of the year and what type of cooking i'm focusing on.

store spices properly - mainly this means keep them airtight and out of light. excessive heat can be a factor too, but i've not found normally hot household temperatures to pose a problem.

shelf by stove
liter glass jars

dried garden herbs & flowers
oregano, mint, lavender, chamomile, bay leaf, sage, thyme
rosemary, kaffir lime leaf, fenugreek leaf, curry leaf, rose petal

dried herbs are grouped into my spice category. in many countries the flavor of certain dried herbs are ubiquitous and used even when fresh herbs are in season. dried oregano in turkey, mint and rose in persia, and bay leaf in most places of course...

i put mine in large glass jars, tucked out of light to preserve their keeping quality. i grow my own and switch them out each year. growing your own herbs - or buying them from a local farmer who does - and drying them yourself is a sure fire way to top quality dried herbs. to me, store-bought dried herbs cannot compare and i might as well be eating little bits of post-its.

if you've not dried herbs before i can honestly say its the easiest thing in the world: keep them on their stems when possible and simply lay them out on a cake rack, screen, or even the kitchen counter in the middle of a warm summer breeze. you could also tie them in bunches and hang them upside down in an open closet, bedroom window ajar. i do. once completely dry, i keep them on their stems whenever possible and slide them right into their jars. upon use, i crumble them directly into the waiting dish, teapot, etc.

lastly ('cause i can't help but be thorough) please note that poppy seeds and sesame seeds should always be stored in the freezer as they tend to go rancid quickly. ditto for nuts. though not considered a spice, pistachios, cashews and ground nuts (peanuts) are used in much the same way in some cultures. these quickly go rancid at room temperature but will stay fresh indefinitely in the freezer.

i don't think i can possibly say another thing about dried herb & spice storage in this post.

do you?

salted yogurt drinks

2011-04-09T22:26:00.002-04:00

i while back, when we were talking about my trip to turkey and how to make homemade yogurt i mentioned a drink called ayran.

since then i've come to make this slightly salty, refreshingly sour beverage about every other day. if you've not had one before, the taste will be out-of-the-ordinary upon it's first unfamiliar wave across your tongue. don't be fooled. it has the means to capture you - as simple, salty, and deeply nourishing as the aegean sea.

in the heat of our turkish travels, we enjoyed it glassed in fancy hotels, deep onto highways in roadside stalls set beneath the dueling smokes of grilled lamb and flatbreads. we picked it up in grocery stores, plastic wrapped in single-sized containers, their peel away tops adorned with swirly letters. we drank and loved them all, with their varying degrees of thickness, sour and salt.

and so i make them. and i think of turkey, and by variation, india, and even places i have never been. salted yogurt drinks have been nourishing peoples around the world since, it seems, the beginning of time (or at least since that shepherd left that goat milk sitting around too long in that skinned pouch on his travels).

ayran: making an ayran couldn't be simpler. for convenience, i like to make mine in a pint sized jar. fill the jar half with yogurt and the other half with very cold water. give it a good pinch of salt - you'll find the exact amount that works for you after a few tries. seal the jar tightly and shake vigorously. enjoy it right from the jar (i do) or pour into a glass.

even though it's arguably been said that the turks invented the drink, others around the world have been in on the good merits of salted yogurt drinks for aeons. there's persia, armenia, pakistan, india, syria, afghanistan, the balkans...i could go on.

instead, i'mma give you these:

doogh: if you happen to be sitting down at a table in rural persia anytime soon, hopefully you will be surrounded by pistachio trees, and probably you will be served a friendly glass of doogh with your midday meal. by the slim chance you're not (in persia, at a table, nutty trees surrounding, drinking doogh) you can easily make it by repeating the steps for the ayran above. this time add a pinch of black pepper and/or a scant teaspoon of either dried crushed mint or dried crushed oregano. here's what i love about the persian doogh - this part is for the daring westerner, so please try this once you get your palate whet for salted yogurt drinks: traditionally it's left at room temperature for 2-3 days to let the ferment go all bubbly, until it taste slightly carbonated! remember then, to put it in the fridge to chill before drinking. doogh can be 'with or without gas' - maker's choice.

lassi: last one from india - my home away from home. i know you know about the sweet lassi - the kind with mangos, sugar, et. al. but that is not the half of it. in fact the real definition of lassi is for the salted kind. lassis are traditional to the pakistan region, and the punjab state in the north of india, where buffalo milk flows like wine. its served either plain like the ayran above, or frequently with a hefty pinch of toasted and then ground cumin. a pinch of cayenne pepper and dried mint is sometimes added too. fresh cilantro, fresh ginger, and green chiles can also be used. it's best to use a blender if adding any of these.

when using spices, go light as salted yogurt drinks are meant to be refreshing, and good for the digestion. you want to feel the soothing effects, and taste the gentle tang of dairy, not be knocked down heavy by the spice.

i love all the variations, and i like to experiment; a grind or two of nutmeg, a spot of toasted fennel. sometimes a little less than half water, sometimes a little more. if you find you develop a taste for salted yogurt drinks the possibilities are endless!

one last thing and then i gotz to go: i use yogurt most often just because i make it weekly. but cultured buttermilk will do just as nicely. in fact it more closely resembles the buffalo 'curd' used to make north indian lassis. it's worth trying them both for variation.

ps - the winner of the tart and sweet give-away is liz from grasshopper handmade. liz, please contact me via email to receive your prize. :)

tart and sweet book review and give-away!

2011-03-31T22:00:00.002-04:00

i feel like i've been on a world-wind tour since we spoke last. but in reality i've been in miami for the past 10 days hosting a few events and 10,000 people later...

-
photos bennett sell-kline

i'm back in LIC. this happens every year like clockwork. a big work filled weekend in miami at the end of march and then back up north to catch the last vestiges of winter. (yes i know, winter seems like it will never end in the northeast this year - snow in the forecast tomorrow- but i'm hopeful!)

april is then laced with a flurry of garden plans and rounding up loads of empty jars and favorite cookery books destined for the move back to the berkshires. by the first farmers' market of the season (around the 7th of may this year) we're snuggled quickly and deeply back in the hills and my daily view has been expanded from the wayward tracks of trains to an overtly expressive apple tree, with tom ball mountain as a backdrop and the moon. the welcoming moon, bigger and brighter than the one here in the city, always.

i'm a book lover, and cookbooks always have their way with me. but, i have a rule for the inevitable 6 month back and forth moves; i can only bring what will fit in one box. otherwise, i'd have to rent a u-haul just for books!

that rule has been particularly hard to adhere to over the last two springs, both of which had new canning and preserving books literally being released on a daily basis. to the point really, where even i had had enough of 'em.

well, before i left for miami, i received a new one for this season - and this jaded preservin' cat has not been this impressed with a canning book for quite some time. the book is tart and sweet by chef kelly geary, and jessie knadler from rurally screwed, and the tag line reads "101 canning and pickling recipes for the modern kitchen" and there's oh, about 99 that i'd like to try my hand at. srsly.

the book is organized by season, which i always love. and since i'm thinking spring (aren't you?) let me just give you a taste of my picks for spring alone: ramp kimchi, pickled fiddleheads, hot pickled mushrooms, five-spice chili soy pickled garlic, strawberry bay leaf jam...

huh? right! very modern, and very what i want to be doing in my kitchen this spring. there's syrups, quick pickles, and get this; less-sugar jams that have convinced even me that i may need to give pomona's universal pectin a try. there's also lots of very clear instruction for new canners, trouble-shooting tips, and even info on tweaking a recipe safely. imo, this modern canning book clearly takes the best of past preserving manuals - there's no skimping on instruction here - and pairs it with recipes that i definitely want to be stocking in my larder this preserving season.

i was so excited about this book, i had to roar about it! and i had to ask the publisher for an extra give-away copy...because i wanted to keep mine. of course, they graciously sent one right away and it's waiting for one lucky winner.

and since i need to believe that spring is around the corner, to win, let me hear you roar about what you can't wait to can or preserve this spring. you have until friday the 8th at midnight, soon after that, the trusty random number generator will pick the winner.

good luck!

gingery lime pickle

2011-02-27T10:30:00.001-05:00

i know, i know, another one.

look, i'm not trying to hide the fact that during january and february i'm a citrus pickle making machine. nor am i trying to hide my addiction to what i call indian 'sun' pickles. meaning pickles that are preserved - fermented actually - by allowing them to sit in the sun for a number of weeks.

i figure since i'm gettin' in your face with a whole lotta these recipes this season, the least i can do is give you a little background info:

these citrus pickles are really not much different than the typical middle eastern preserved lemons by way of which they are preserved. in the middle eastern variety there is always salt and sometimes spices in the mix.

in the indian variety, there's salt and always spices. sometimes a lot of spices. there's sweet chutney-like versions with sugar. and some traditional indian citrus pickles even include oil, but those are not my favorite.

one distinct difference between the two is the amount of salt - the middle eastern version typically has more. because of the high amount of salt, each section is usually rinsed before eaten, and the lemon flesh is discarded or used for other purposes. middle eastern preserved lemons are most often added to a dish; chopped and tossed in a tangine, a lentil dish, or a salad.

an indian pickle is served as a condiment on the side of the plate, or more accurately in a little bowl all it's own. they are most often eaten with the main curries, flatbreads, or rice dishes. they are not rinsed, but usually only a scant tablespoon will be consumed with the entire meal. taken in little bites along with mouthfuls of the main dish, a good indian or south asian pickle will be powerfully salty, hot, sweet, or sour. often more than one of these combined. and it will almost always be too intense to eat on its own.

a 2 pound batch of citrus can make enough to last a year or more. for the best keeping quality of both indian pickles or middle eastern preserved citrus follow these precautions:

when making them be sure that the peels are absolutely free of water, they must be completely dry. water-wet peels going into a jar are pretty much guaranteed to foster mold.
once it has completely broken down, and for long term storage in the fridge, make sure all of the citrus is submerged in the gel-like liquid.
a clean and dry spoon must be used to take out what will be served. place the cap right back on, and if you go back for more, use a new spoon. if there is an uneaten portion, never put it back in the jar, just eat it later!
when making big batches i transfer them to smaller jars before putting in the fridge, and go through them one at a time. doing this usually eliminates any problems as you are not going in and out of a jar for over a year.

this is my yearly lime version - hot and gingery!

gingery lime pickle

8 large organic limes
juice of 3 limes (or 2 lemons)
1/2 cup sea salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cayenne powder (or paprika, or 1/2 & 1/2)
1 cup julienned ginger
3 teaspoons turmeric powder
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1 teaspoon black or brown mustard seeds
1/4 teaspoon asafoetida powder
1/2 gallon jar

1. wipe limes clean with a wet cloth, and then a dry. let sit in a warm place for an hour or so to dry completely. slice off button ends, and quarter.

2. place one teaspoon of fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds and asafoetida powder in a dry skillet and toast for about 3-4 minutes, until the fenugreek seeds are just a shade darker. (if you have never smelled asafoetida powder before, don't be alarmed, it's supposed to smell that way). let cool and grind in a spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle.

3. fill the jar with limes and ginger. add the spice powder, fenugreek seeds, salt, sugar and turmeric. add the cayenne powder, paprika, or some mixture thereof. or you can earn your tigress stripes and go for this:

extra hot cayane (huh?) pepper. do take note, that though this seems like a lot of hot it mellows out during the preserving process - and you do want a bite.

4. pour the lemon juice into the jar. place the cap on and give it a good shake this way and that, making sure that the spices distribute evenly around the ginger and citrus.

5. place it in the sun, giving it a good shake once a day. if you see the cap lifting in the center from pressure, or the whole thing hisses at you when you walk by, don't take it personally, slowly open it and release the fermentation gasses. gently. if it's hot outside when you make these, put them outdoors, making sure to bring them in at night. or just keep them on a sunny windowsill.

6. this indian pickle generally takes about 6 weeks, and sometimes up to 8 or 9. test after the 5 week mark. limes are usually slower to break down than lemons. you want to be able to sink your teeth into them, and your mouth should explode when you do.

sweet preserved kumquats

2011-02-19T19:00:00.005-05:00

sun pods

koon inspirations. (i'm absolutely sure of it)

shape like an oversized grape, taste like a very sweet lemon that can be eaten whole, peel and all, even when plucked directly from the tree.

i'm sure unlike lemons, limes, oranges, grapefruits, et al. they have to practice rolling. i fail to see how it can come easy to them.

i imagine them gathering at training camps even, to learn how to become sour. they probably take turns pouting and frowning, giving each other feedback like (wee little kumquat voices) "scrunch your face up even more, that's right! now stomp up and down and clench your fists..."

and please, don't get me started on the name.

it's safe to say, anyway you slice them;

just plain weird.

no wonder why i love these little buggers.

sweet preserved kumquats

1 & 1/2 pound organic kumquats
juice of 4 lemons (about 2/3 of a cup)
4 tablespoons sea salt
1 tablespoon fennel seeds, lightly crushed
1 tablespoon black pepper, crushed
2 teaspoons cumin seeds, lightly crushed
1 & 3/4 cups maple sugar (or a natural brown sugar like turbinado or demerara)
1/2 gallon jar

1. wipe each fruit with a damp paper towel, then with a dry one. make sure they are 100% free of water as this can cause mold during the preserving process. it is a good idea to let them sit out in a warm dry place for an hour or so after cleaning.

2. warm the maple sugar and lemon juice slowly in a small saucepan until sugar melts. turn up the heat and boil for 2-3 minutes, just until the mixture looks slightly syrupy. leave to cool in pan.

3. when crushing the spices, make sure the fennel and cumin still retain some shape. you don't want to crush them to a powder. the black pepper can be crushed as fine as you like. combine the salt and spices.

4. slice off the button ends of the kumquats, and then slice the entire fruit in half lengthwise. if you see blatant seeds take them out. but you don't need to dig out the very small concealed ones. slicing the kumquats completely in half allows you to easily add the spice mixture, just toss the whole lot together in a bowl, then transfer to a 1/2 gallon jar and pour the syrup over top.

or you could become a momentarily crazed beauty loving pickler like me and decide that they would look gorgeous spice stuffed and left with their koon-like orbs intact. this means that you will have to slice almost all the way down the center and then stuff each one individually, pressing them back together afterward.

and to be perfectly honest, i have no idea how 'gorgeous' of an orb these will be a month down the road.

but you know, i try.

i do know that whole or halved after 3 or so weeks in the sun, with a once-a-day shake, these will be a chutney-like preserved citrus that will probably be nothing like you've ever had before. unless of course you have an indian grandmother that still makes pickles the traditional way but lives in california and has kumquats growing in her backyard.

you'll want to keep them either on a sunny windowsill or outside in the sun if you are in a warm clime. if you put them outside, be sure to bring them in at night. when making pickles like these, the timing depends on the temperature and will vary. give it a check at the 2 week mark, and then every couple of days after that. it's really up to you how soft you would like to let the kumquats become. i like mine still a bit toothsome, but definitely soft enough to chew freely. as the citrus breaks down, the syrup will become thicker. once they are to your liking, store them in the fridge for a year or more. at this point they will be broken down enough to fit in a quart container. or better yet, distribute them into even smaller containers and go through one at a time.

you can eat this anywhere you would an indian pickle or chutney - accompanying all manner of curry, flatbreads, or mixed rice dishes. i particularly like it simply atop warmed basmati rice with a spoonful of yogurt for a quick lunch.

my favorite preserved lemons

2011-02-12T22:30:00.004-05:00

i can't possibly go through a citrus season without making a batch of these.

and you shouldn't either.

i know everybody does the kind with just salt. maybe a bay leaf or a clove or something.

boring.

it may look like a lot of spices but they mellow during the preserving process.
the spices sink into the background and form the perfect basis for a salty citrus pop.

and you're left with a preserved lemon that is going to send you over the moon,
and go perfectly with everything that you could possibly imagine using a preserved lemon for.

trust me. do this.

my favorite preserved lemons
adapted from world vegetarian by madhur jaffrey

2 pounds organic lemons (preferably not meyer)
juice of 3 lemons
9 tablespoons sea salt
1/2 teaspoon seeds of brown cardamom (you can substitute green)
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 teaspoon cayenne (or paprika, or half of each)
16 whole cloves
1 & 1/2 tablespoons sugar (i use raw)
1 half gallon jar with screw cap, washed with hot soapy water & dried completely

1. wipe lemons with a damp cloth or paper towels, then wipe dry. leave to dry completely for an hour or so. to prevent mold there must be no water on lemons or inside of jar.

2. grind peppercorns, brown cardamom seeds and cloves in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle. note: only the seeds of the cardamom should be used. to extract seeds from pods, crush pods with end of pestle, discard shells.

stir the ground spices with salt, sugar and cayenne. i advise using the whole 1 teaspoon of cayenne even if you are not a heat lover as it is such a small amount, the lemons will not taste hot. but if you really do not like even the slightest bit of cayenne than go for the paprika. set aside.

3. thinly slice off the button end of each lemon. slice each lemon into quarters. if you are working with very large lemons you may want to cut some of the quarters in half again. remove seeds.

4. place quartered lemons in a large bowl, add spice mixture and toss to coat. fill 1/2 gallon jar with lemons, add the juice of 3 lemons and screw cap on.

5. place on a sunny windowsill for 4-6 weeks. shake once a day, or turn upside down, and right side up again once a day if you are confident the lid won't leak. for the first couple of weeks unscrew the top gently every two days or so to release fermentation gases.

depending on how thick your lemon peels are, the preserved lemons will be ready to eat within 4 to 6 weeks. begin to test at the 4 week mark, lemons are ready when peels are still slightly firm but soft enough to sink your teeth into. when you deem them soft enough, store in the fridge for up to a year or more.

to eat, scoop out a lemon quarter or two, rinse under cold water and discard the lemon flesh. chop to use in soups, stews, tangines, salads, and all manner of bean or rise dishes. once you get a taste for these, there is nowhere you won't want to use them.

shizzles with picklz: kimchi steamed buns

2011-02-05T13:00:00.007-05:00

i have a feeling that you peeps might look at this and say wtf? (if you say that sort of thing, of course). if you're feeling extra conversational you may even be like, "look, i'm putting things in jars and pampering them in hot water baths. you've got me fermenting cruciferous veggies and hey, even making yogurt doesn't look so hard, i'll give you that. but...

i'm drawing the line at bun making, cat!"

i urge you. take my paw...we can do this together.

i admit, i have a bit of a steamed bun addiction. and if truth be told, i lived off of them for years when i lived in the lower east side. i used to order them almost daily from my favorite neighborhood place. back then, i never even imagined i could make them myself. so if that is what you're going through right this very moment,

i get it.

again, i urge you. take my paw...we can do this together.

once you get the dough and technique down - and trust me i am talking e-a-s-y, you can really put just about anything inside these pillowy buns.

i started filling them with kimchi in a stroke of genius sometime in the fall. thus, after i had the better side of the 75 pounds of cabbage i decided to ferment this past season glaring at me from behind glass jars. kimchi, i have found, is the most convenient and tasty of steamed bun fillings! the hot salty-sourness and slight crunch are the perfect compliment to the melt-in-your-mouth casing.

so, take a deep breath and let's do this!

kimchi steamed buns

for dough: (recipe adapted from asian dumplings by andrea nguyen)
2 & 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar
1 & 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
3/4 cup lukewarm water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

for filling:
1 & 1/2 cups kimchi, drained

you will also need:
steamer, i use bamboo, but a metal one is good too.
wok or large pan to fit steamer in
parchment paper, i use these, or you can cut regular parchment into 4 inch squares.

yield: 12 buns

to make dough:
1. add the dry ingredients to a food processor and pulse three times. if making by hand, whisk in a large bowl.

2. add yeast to water and let sit for 1 minute. whisk in oil. let sit for another minute more.

3. if using food processor, add yeast mixture in a steady stream with machine running. if the dough does not clump together in about 30 seconds add a few more teaspoons of water, just until it starts to clump. run machine for another 60 seconds. dough should lift from sides and form a mass, it should not be sticky.

if making dough by hand, make a hole in center of dry ingredients and pour in yeast mixture. a great eastern stirring technique is to press your fingertips and thumb together to form a point and use your hand to stir in circles, starting from the center with smaller circles and moving outwards to rim of bowl with larger and larger circles. this technique was a revelation to me. add water, a teaspoon at a time if dough is not clumping. once clumped, gather into a ball and knead for 5 minutes. you can do this in the bowl or transfer to a work surface. dough should not be sticky and you should not have to add additional flour to knead.

4. lightly oil a bowl and place dough inside, give it a spin so that the oil coats the entire ball. cover with plastic wrap and place in the warmest place in your kitchen. let rise for 45 minutes or until it looks as if it has doubled in size.

note: after the dough has risen, you can press it down and wrap in plastic wrap for up to 36 hours before making steamed buns. make sure to let the dough warm up for 1 hour after taking out of the fridge if you do. it is very convenient to make the dough the day before, because when it's time to make the buns it will feel like you can whip them up very quick indeed.

now it's time to fill and shape the buns - i'm very excited for you! i assure you it's really easy, the dough is forgiving and who cares if they don't look perfect - they taste just as delicious!

to make buns:
1. when ready to make buns, press dough down and place on work surface, shape into a 12 inch log. cut in half, cover one half, and divide the half you are working with into 6 more-or-less even pieces. roll each piece into a ball between your palms and place a kitchen towel over them to keep them from drying out.

2. working one at a time roll each ball into a 3 & 1/4 inch circle (approximately). once you have the round, go around the sides and roll inwards a bit so that the sides are thinner than the center. if your circle doesn't come out perfectly round...

that's OK.

mine usually don't either.

3. one at a time place the circle flat in your palm and drop a heaping tablespoon of the drained kimchi in the center, spreading it so there is about a 1/2 inch border of dough around all sides. pleat the sides together between the thumb and forefinger of your opposite hand, ending with a pinch and a twist! (i mean it, it's easy!)

here is a lovely video on shaping a steamed bun. have a look.

4. after sealing each bun place about an inch apart on parchment paper (either on the single squares or on the round sheet) which has been placed inside your steamer basket. you will fit 3 to 4 buns per 10 inch basket. cover with the steamer lid and let rise for 30 minutes or until almost doubled in size. depending on the heat of your kitchen, it could take a bit longer than 30 minutes.

if you do not have 2 sets of two 10 inch steamer baskets (i don't) wait for about 10 minutes to start rolling out the other half of dough. repeat the process but leave these on the work surface covered with a kitchen towel.

5. prepare the wok or pan about 10 minutes before the first set of buns has fully risen. place enough water in the wok to come up about a 1/2 inch over the bottom of the steamer. bring water to the boil.

6. place filled steamer trays (carefully) in wok and keep water at a strong boil, you should see little puffs of steam coming out of the top. steam for approximately 14 minutes. you will know they are done when they look like they have puffed up even more and the texture has become dry and bread-like.

7. take steamer trays out of wok, remove buns and place on a rack or dish to cool for about 5 minutes. caution: do not bite into them before this time as the kimchi will be very hot even as the outside seems cool.

8. while the first set is cooling, repeat the steaming process with the final 6. you should be able to reuse the parchment paper.

serve with a side of soy sauce if desired.

leftover buns can be refrigerated for up to a week or frozen for a month. they are easily warmed up by steaming for 6-7 minutes, or using a microwave. if frozen, let thaw first.

if you are anything like me, you will gobble 4-5 of these up in one go. and you'll be dreaming about when you can eat them next.

ok...you can let go of my paw now.

no really, let go!

:)

shizzles with picklz: a here and there series exploring the salty sides -
i'm talking about the best pickle pairings (and just because it's damn fun to say)!

carrot fire pickle #2

2011-02-01T07:30:00.005-05:00

(classic)

F. I. R. E.

the roof is on fire.

carrot fire pickle #2
adapted from at home with madhur jaffrey

12 medium carrots, chopped to 3/4 inch pieces
1 cup sri lankan mustard
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1. stir vinegar into mustard
2. parboil carrots for 30 seconds, drain.
3. mix mustard into warm carrots. let cool.
4. let flavors meld for 3 days in fridge before eating.

lasts for approximately 1 month in fridge.

sri lankan mustard

2011-01-25T03:15:00.003-05:00

attention: this is a public service announcement

if the view out your window right about now looks something like this,

just the snow and the cold people - not the tracks!

then do this i tell ya:

sri lankan mustard

adapted from at home with madhur jaffrey

6 tablespoons yellow mustard seeds
4 cloves garlic, diced
1 & 1/2 inch slice ginger, peeled and diced
1 cup apple cider vinegar
3 teaspoons cayenne powder
3 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
4 teaspoons sugar

1. place mustard seeds, garlic and ginger in a bowl or jar and cover with the vinegar. let stand for 24 hours at room temperature.

2. place vinegar mixture in blender, add cayenne, salt, turmeric and sugar and blend until a creamy consistency is reached. you can add a bit more vinegar if it is too dry.

3. once blended, place in jar and let stand at a cool room temperature for 3 days. store in the fridge thereafter.

and

BANG!

chatelaine revival!

2011-01-14T20:00:00.003-05:00

originating in the 18th century, the term chatelaine meant a chain or clasp which held all manner of useful objects, most importantly the keys to the castle. chatelaines were worn most often by the mistress, but sometimes by the master of the house, and the term itself later came to mean simply, the keeper of the castle.

in sharon astyk's book independence days she reintroduces the word and newly defines it as; the person whose job it is to make sure the food storage is organized and taken care of.

in my castle that would be me.

(yes, i told you i had obsessive tendencies, but that's besides the point)

this is what's in my larder and fridge/freezer now in LIC. the bulk of the season's bounty is still in the berkshires. part of this chatelaine's work is to haul back to a new york city apartment a new supply of preserved food and raw milk every 6 or so weeks throughout the winter months.

it's no surprise that the term chatelaine lost it's punch when most of us were stopping by the grocery store every few days or once a week to buy whatever we needed (or wanted). but now that many of us are making an effort to eat seasonally & locally and learning to grow and preserve our own food the task of the chatelaine is once again at the fore.

having been on the grow-your-own, preserving, locavore tip for the last 6 years i know that managing the food storage throughout the year is a big part of it all. and that it's a constantly evolving process. fine-tuning around here includes:

using up the canned, frozen and fridged preserved goods; learning what we like to eat, how much of each item throughout the year, and finding new ways to use preserved food in cooking. the challenge for me has been keeping us in straight-up veggies throughout the winter so that we can eat what we grow all year. i know it involves the freezer but i'm still working on what freezes best and what suits our tastes.

keeping the dry larder stocked, organized and efficient; this includes the grains, beans, spices, herbs and other dried goods. finding the balance between storing enough, and using them when they are at their most fresh is important. sussing out local sources for goods in this category is an on-going challenge. and drying and dehydrating are preserving methods that i need to explore more.

storing and using up 'cellared' vegetables; like many of us today, i don't have a root cellar. but there are things that i grow that can be stored with not too much effort. garlic, onions and winter squash are the easiest for me - and i'm always on the prowl for how i can store others, like roots for example. using these up before i get soft spots on my pumpkins or a waft of bad onion hitting me in the face is a priority.

generally stretching the season's bounty; for me it's a circle, what i learn throughout the rest of the year and with each passing one, tells me what i need to grow, and allows me to eat as close to the source as possible. first from my land, second from my neighboring farmers' land and on out from there.

here's the thing: you don't have to have a garden bigger than your house, or even grow your own food. you don't have to can 500 jars of tomatoes in the sweltering heat of august, you don't have to eat only things that grow within 100 miles from your home - to do the chatelaine's work. it's about taking stock, organizing and using up what you have, knowing what you like and need so that you can make better choices for you and your family, the people and animals that provide what you eat, and the planet on which we all live.

it's not all or nothin' peeps, it's a mind-set and some action - the amount is up to you and i assure you it will vary over time.

happily, while perusing the blogosphere i've noticed that my preserving peers have taken this task head on: if your spice cabinet has been staring you in the space and taking up too much of your face, or you've always thought that learning how to use spices will inspire you to eat more veggies then check out what tea did for inspiration on how to clean out your spice cabinet, or jump on the spice rack challenge over at mother's kitchen. if your larder is in dire need of a make-over and you don't know where to start then please hop on over to well-preserved and get in on their pantry project. and big, big props go out to (no so) urban hennery's 4th annual dark days challange - an interweb hoedown on eating locally through the winter months that includes lots of pantry eating.

for those of you inducted head on into the canning craze and in need of info on what to do now that you've got loads of filled jars, do check out two of my fave peeps series on just that; local kitchen's use it or lose it! and food in jars' open jars. speaking of fave peeps, julia, from the wonderful blog what julia ate has a great post up on the hudson valley food network that will help you figure out just what to do with all that jelly? and don't miss her from the cupboard posts there too. and shae's delicious post over at hitchhiking to heaven has a bunch o' jam-filled cookie recipes! even though the holidays are technically over i'm still thinking cookies, aren't you?

and yes, i too will be coming at you with ways to enjoy what's been canned, stored, frozen and otherwise saved for later. 'cause a chatelaine's work includes making sure that 'later' actually comes, and that we do in fact eat what we sow.

some of you may remember my intro to roast the toast waaaay back in 2009 (yikes!) in which i feature the use of sweet preserves in ways other than on top of toasty things. i also did one jam on it post (yikes again!) in which i do celebrate toasty things fit to be slathered. because, it's true, toasty things are my favorite way to enjoy jams and jellies - and baking is part of this chatelaine's work. so i'm bringin' those back - or finally getting on them. oh, and if you haven't seen my guest post over at the kitchn, please do check out ways to eat up sweet preserves with cheese!

finally, i've had an intention for some time to start up a salty little series called shizzles with picklz - what to eat with all those savory preserves of course! (and ok i'll admit, just because i want to have a series called shizzles with picklz - c'mon say it, its fun!)

i am glad to be part of this revival 'cause it's good and important work. if you've taken an interest in where your food comes from, or how to do more of it yourself, then you're part of this revival too!

chatelaines unite!

merry christmas from sri lanka!

2010-12-26T00:00:00.001-05:00

wow!

yes i'm really here! (i know, long toes)

can i tell you how happy i am to be eating local bananas?

and egg hoppers? (omg egg hoppers!) and coconut curry, and pickles and chutneys of course.

here's wishing you a wonderful holiday...

wherever you may be.

merry christmas from sri lanka!

chewy spicy (dried fruit) chutney

2010-12-05T19:00:00.001-05:00

i remember a more innocent time when i said i didn't like garlic with fruit.
and then another time when i confessed i wasn't a chutney fan.

that was then.

i think it was onionz limone that finally put me over the edge...those illicit little jars of toothsome lemony-spiced-pucker-in-your-mouth-deliciousness didn't last long around here. so, this time i decided to unabashedly dive right in.

i'm talking fatto garlic cloves, a rotund and juicy onion, gobs of ginger, a lotta dried hot pepper and some big chewy bits of fruit.

this is chutney on steroids, jersey shore chutney if you will.

this chutney is damn proud to be a chutney and he'll tell ya aboutit in every single bite.

if this chutney had hair, you wouldn't dare run your hands through it.

this chutney would hog the bathroom mirror.

this chutney is a situation.

chewy spicy chutney
(chewy for short)

3/4 pound dried fruit - (i used raisins, sour cherries, figs and apricots. you can also use apples, peaches, pears, blueberries, mango, papaya, etc. use any combo you like, with at least 4 different types of fruit)
1 & 1/2 pounds apples (or pears, peaches, plums)
3/4 pound light brown sugar
2 & 1/4 cups apple cider vinegar

1 large red onion, diced (or yellow, or 2 large shallots)
4 plump garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons grated ginger
2 dried extra hot chiles (or to taste) - crushed
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 pint or smaller mason jars

yield: approximately 3 & 1/2 pints

1. prepare jars for hot water bath processing. no need to sterilize as filled jars will be processed for 10 minutes.

2. leave dried berries and raisins whole, cut larger fruit into 1/2 inch pieces. peel and core apples, chop into hefty 1 inch pieces.

3. add everything to a non-reactive pan, stir to combine. heat on low until sugar is fully dissolved.

4. turn up the heat and bring to the boil. once boiling, lower heat to simmer. simmer until desired thickness. mine took approximately 30 minutes.

5. fill hot jars and hot water bath process for 10 minutes. you will need to run a plastic chopstick or knife around the inside rim of jar to release air bubbles before putting on lid.

this will thicken fairly quickly as far as chutneys go because of the bulky dried fruit. the apples will break down to form the base, but if you've cut the apples in large inch-sized pieces there should be some not-quite cooked down apple bits remaining. this will add to the chutney's overall chunkiness.

this chutney will taste best if you let it hang out on the shelf for 3-6 weeks before opening.

and of course, if you happen to have a shelf by a mirror...

tigress' can jam december: dried fruit success!

i am a full-fledged chutney fan now - i really love this chutney! (i can't wait to taste it after the 3 week mark!) and i am excited about the endless possibilities of dried & fresh fruit combos. while i went for texture and heat here, and did not add spices, i can see taking this basic recipe in many directions by adding spices the likes of mustard and fennel seeds, coriander, anise, etc. and of course all manner of spice powders.

learning: while this is not a new concept around these parts, again and again i am reminded how DIY just renders everything better! me thinks i was not previously enamored by bottled chutneys because even the best store-bought cannot compare to doing it yourself!

shell-stocked (shellfish stock)

2010-11-07T21:10:00.001-05:00

yes, i said i eat (shell)fish occasionally! so occasionally in fact at this point in my life that i've had exactly one lobster dinner in, oh i don't know - about a year. it was in the summer and it went something like this:

we live in new england and can order fresh new england lobsters from our local co-op.

we had guests staying for the weekend.

my *bright idea* "if we're going to eat them we should be able to slaughter them ourselves." (is that the right word for a lobster?)

the grill was going, the guests were outside, the cilantro chile butter was prepared.

M & i were in the kitchen frantically dealing with 4 large, wiggly (and kinda cute) lobsters.

...google searching i might add, "how to humanely..."

the cats also in the kitchen; getting antsy, eyes round, ears perked, noses & tails twitching.

i said a prayer (or 4).

i made M do it.

we halved them, slathered them, and put them on the grill.

i tried not to think about the kitchen scene of the crime while i dug in.

they were better than delicious.

after dinner i put all of the shells in the freezer.

and most recently i did this:

i make this stock ideally twice a year (usually sometime around the holidays i indulge myself in another some-such scenario). it's equally as good with crab shells, and though i haven't tried it with shrimp shells yet i imagine it would be just as divine. it's crazy good and my ace in the hole when i want to make an over-the-top risotto, pasta sauce, paella, curry, soup, and even fideuá.

the first step is to put all the shells of a shellfish dinner, or two or three, into the freezer. they will last this way for quite a few months. when you have enough to make at least half this recipe, proceed.

shellfish stock
adapted from the improvisational cook

all the shells from 4 approximately 1 & 1/2 pound lobsters
1/2 cup olive oil
4 medium leeks (or 6 shallots, or 2 bunches scallions)
1 whole head garlic, peeled and crushed
4 cups white wine
8-10 sprigs fresh thyme sprigs (or 1 and 1/2 teaspoons dried leaves)
2-3 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/4 teaspoon aleppo pepper (or cayenne powder, or spanish smoked paprika)
1/4 teaspoon saffron leaves
6-8 fresh plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped (or 1 quart canned, broken into pot with juice)
a very large stock pot. i use my canning pot.

yield: approximately 4 quarts

1. upon taking the shells out of the freezer, break them into roughly 2 inch pieces. depending on how they were cooked originally you can do this with your hands or with kitchen shears. (if they were grilled, they are pretty easy to break with your hands, or at least with my paws.)

2. heat all but 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in the pan on high heat. once heated drop the broken shells in and toss frequently for about 8 minutes, or until you smell the most wonderful aroma and begin to see some charred spots on the shells.

3. move the shells over to the side, turn the heat to medium and add the remaining oil. to the oil add the leeks and sauté until golden, about 8 minutes. add the garlic cloves to the leeks and sauté for 1 minute more.

4. add the wine, thyme, bay, fennel, pepper and saffron. add the tomatoes and give it a stir.

5. add enough cold water to cover by about an inch, this will be approximately a gallon of water. bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour, uncovered. if the shells begin to pop out of the liquid during the simmering process, add water to cover.

6. strain through a fine meshed strainer. return to pot and let cool completely.

7. once cool, pour into freezer containers. i use plastic quart containers, and i also do ice cube size for when i need and extra jolt of flavor but i don't need a whole quart of broth. to do this, freeze in ice cube trays, after 24 hours empty into plastic freezer bags.

this stock will last for 6 months or more in the freezer, and it's oh so good!

chile pickle in oil

2010-10-31T22:20:00.002-04:00

listen, we've known each other for what, about a year and a half now?

i think it's time i let you in a few things, but first go get yourself a cup of tea, get comfortable.

all set?

ok...this right here is the shizzle.

it's how i got my stripes.

it's hot! and spicy and my favorite kind of pickle in the whole wide world.

and it's pickled in oil. you know what the USDA says about foods preserved in oil? well, first they mention the b-word. and then they tell you that whenever you cover an uncooked vegetable in oil you need to put it directly in the fridge and eat it quick. because vegetables are low in acid and once they're covered in oil they are damn near free of oxygen, creating the perfect environment for those pesky clostridium botulinum spores to multiply into dangerous digits.

oh no!

well, before i was so well versed in the whys and hows of food safety, i made chile pickle in oil and even garlic pickle in oil. oh yes, i was living dangerously and i didn't even know it! you see, these kinds of recipes abound in indian cookbooks. they go something like; chop up said vegetable, mix in the spices, heat oil, pour over veggies. cap the jar and let sit on a sunny windowsill for oh, 3 or so weeks shaking once a day. then and only then does it go in the fridge.

(gulp!)

and believe me, they do get 'pickled' - the vegetables actually ferment in this way, so i'm sure there is something to the process that works. because this kind of pickling has been going on for eons in india. regardless, once i knew what the USDA had to say about it i could never, dear readers, suggest you live as dangerously as i.

(ahem, actually equipped with that knowledge i couldn't bring myself to make another traditional indian oil pickle, lemon pickle aside of course. i mean, i don't know, maybe the soil is different there or something. maybe indian botulism spores are just, nicer...srsly, my pickling style was cramped!)

yes, of course i thought about mixing the whole thing together and putting it all in the fridge upon making. but the chiles don't get pickled, they just get covered in oil and put in the fridge. boring.

meanwhile, back at the preserving books, i discovered a gem of an idea in linda ziedrich's the joy of pickling. she utilizes 'brined' chiles to make an oil pickle.

eureka!

chile pickle in oil
adapted from indian home cooking by suvir saran

1/2 pound fermented chiles
1 & 1/2 tablespoon black mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon asafetida
1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 tablespoons sea salt
1/2 cup light sesame oil
juice of 1-2 lemons

day 1

1. drain fermented chiles and place in sterilized jar.

fyi, this is what they look like once fermented.

this is about 2-3 weeks after i started the fermenting process. the chile turns an olive green and loses that raw green chile look. similar to the difference between a fresh cucumber and a cucumber pickle.

2. place the mustard & fenugreek seeds, and the asafetida in a dry frying pan and roast on medium heat just until you begin to smell the most lovely aroma and the fenugreek seeds get one shade darker - about 3 minutes.

3. once spices have cooled, grind in a spice grinder and add to chiles, add salt and turmeric. stir with a spoon to coat. let this mixture sit at room temperature overnight. (all is ok, they are already fermented, and you have not submerged them in oil yet).

day 2

1. heat sesame oil just until the smoking point and take off heat. pour directly over chile mixture and let cool.

2. once the mixture is cool. squeeze the juice of 1 or 2 lemons, enough to make sure the chiles are clearly submerged. mix gently with a clean spoon. cover and refrigerate.

the beauty if this method is that though it is most definitely safety-improved, it tastes just like my ole' dare devil style did! you get that lovely mouth puckering tang of fermented pickle soaked in spice that is so distinct in a traditional indian or south asian pickle.

this will last for months and months in the fridge. a little goes a very, very long way, as the spices are potent on their own, and i make it with a very hot chile variety. you can certainly make it with the chile of your choice. try a small dollop with rice, yogurt, all manner of curries or stir-frys. anything really, it's addicting.

so thanks linda ziedrich, for sorting this conundrum out for me...

next up; garlic pickle in oil.

i'll do it!

can jam october round up: chile peppers

2010-10-27T06:00:00.003-04:00

photo well preserved

oooh, this month was on fire! (kaela, our little scheme worked!)

chileheads, my peeps, this one is for you...

photo knit & knosh

pickles, salsas & chutneys

apple hatch pepper chutney - the cosmic cowgirl
cowgirl, you have got it going on IMO. i bet this is flying off those market shelves, right?

ancho chile barbecue sauce - married ...with dinner
don't you just love when you get one over on heinz?

charred chile barbacue sauce - local kitchen
this looks hot! (by that i mean good, you know that right?) and omg the apple jalapeño preserves for pouring over ice cream? genius!

chili & vegetable tid-bits - knit & knosh
these are beayootiful! and i love that you paid careful attention to safety while simultaneously utilizing a mixture of veggies that was just right for you and yours!

corn relish - mother's kitchen
isn't canning great for stretching the season of our favorite veggies. your family might just be wishing for some corn in january and guess what then? super mom to the rescue!

honeyed garlic jaleneños - grow & resist
hey, this is like what i did! (except mine are cayenne) did the oil get all up in your canner?

hot corn relish - doris & jilly cook
look into my eyes goat...the can jam works in mysterious ways... :)
let's hear it for the tried and true!

photo the kitchenette

hot chile bread & butter pickles - all types of cooking and a whole lot of canning here!
i love the mix of chiles, and the mix of spices in the brine! you like your chile pickles don't you? :)

marinated peppers - what julia ate
why i love the can jam reason #kazillion: i pour over linda's book & still i skipped right over this. i agree the oil feels uncanny, but i trust her and omg antipasti in a jar. next year i'm growing a bunch of sweets for this!

pa sportsman's club sweet-hot wax peppers - put a lid on it
i'm a sucker for nostalgia in a jar..does your mom give it an a+?

peter piper's pickled pepper relish - mock paper scissors
a solid pickled pepper recipe right here, makin' me wish i had a grill cheese to put it on right now!

pickled carrots with habanero - wine book girl
this is a basic and very good pickled carrot recipe. and the addition of habanero is very appropriate, i like it!

pickled hot peppers - well preserved
if those peppers taste half as good as they look in your photo i'm movin' in (not indefinitely, no! ...just until they're gone. ahem.)

pickled peppers - thinking out loud
that dog wants those peppers... make sure he has gloves on before you give him some. :) and make some more o' these next time, 'cause i know you're gonna need them past november!

pickled peppers - putting by
a basic pepper pickling recipe right here! (and a lesson in how giving gives back, especially if its to a farmer at the end of the season i might add!)

photo all types of cooking and a whole lot of canning here!

pickled roasted peppers - bigger than a breadbox
i bet you peter didn't roast his peck of pickles - but mimi sure did - her fifth of a peck that is!

roasted red pepper spread - bread making with the bread experience
nice recipe & a nice little tutorial on roasting red peppers too - get those hotties in the bag -quick!

salsa verde - backyard farms
and red hot chili jelly! ...and oh no, about the pectin problem. jeeesh!

spicy apple salsa - sugarcrafter
wow! i love that the can jam made you bust out of your pre-plan, and you came up with this! it looks mighty fine!

spicy bread & butter zucchini pickles - locally preserved
did you taste them yet? was the chipotle just what the doctor ordered for these picklz? (oh, and please do tell about the spicey quince pickles!)

spicy red peppers & red onion chutney - market life sf
this looks tasty! bring on the chutney!

sweet chile sauce - the artisanry of acorn cottage
of course and then there's salsa verde, and jalapeño jelly too! jalalooya!

photo prospect: the pantry

jellies, jams & sauces

ancho apple butter - tigress in a jam
i have been eating this like it is going outta season! i haven't tried the honey cayenne chiles yet but they have my name written all over them.

angela lansbury jelly - hig girl's guide to homemaking
this jelly looks great, but you better get a signed release for the name 'fore you put it in your book. ;)

black grape chili jam - laundry, etc.
yeah, yeah, yeah, people are leaving baskets of fruit at your door...i'm sure you jams are good. (pleeze, pleeeze! ...send me a jar, i beg you!)

bunch o' pepper jelly - café del manolo
(hey! you did that little o' thing that i always do!) this jelly on a baguette with triple cream. ugh. heaven.

carambola pepper jam - flamingo musings
well, i for one am very happy that you got inspired by this local celestial fruit. it looks divine!

festive chile pepper cranberry sauce - notes from a country girl living in the city
cranberries and chiles sound like a perfect pair! and don't forget; make sure you're using sterilized jars when your processing time is under 10 minutes.

golden banana-apple sunrise jelly - toronto tasting notes
the name is a mouthful...and i bet the jelly is too! it looks delicious, and i love that you used apple pectin (of course!)

grapefruit chile marmalade - sustainable pantry
no recipe but an honest and hilarious post about the b-word complete with kaela's comment. thanks girls! :)

habenaro berry bliss - rufus & clementine
first of all, i'm wrecked that you still have strawberries. and second of all this combo looks like my jar of jam (ahem, cup of tea...get it?).

photo sustainable pantry

habanero gold jelly - just the right size
ooh, she 'agitates' her jars! i mean, with good reason of course...oh yeah, nice jelly.

hot pepper jelly - simply loving home
the challenge got you? again? you're making more of this, you love it! ... who dunnit? :)

jalapeño kiwi kissin' jam - showfood chef
i'll put it on a slice of creamy cheesecake!

nigella's chelly - cafe libby
mmm....nigella's chelly looks very, very good for da belly!

peach habanero jam - the kitchenette
what? so you think you're a big-time canner now? you couldn't just do the jam could you? you had to do the sriracha, and the giardiniera too. (damn! i'm having trouble just saying all those at once!)

raspberry jalapeño jam - my caffeine diary
well at least your fiance likes it (just think, soon he'll never be jamless again! ) :)

spicy sweet chile jam - leena eats this blog
on a bagel with cream cheese, that'll jump start your morning!

sweet & hot red pepper jam - prospect: the pantry
this looks amazing. i bet the ginger & lime work so well here. leave it to pam at the river cottage, love that book!

photo laundry etc

...mmm! hot peppers make me feel so good!

ahem.

listen up people. quiet. may i have your attention please? tap. tap

thank you.

the november's food in focus will be announced by none other than she of the most recent confituras fame: the cosmic cowgirl! pop on over to her site in the next day or two to see what you're getting into [jars] this month!

don't forget to check out the can jam flickr group! while you're at it, post some photos there of what you've been canning this month, 'cause it's open to all now - so c'mon, show us what ya got!

please note: to be included in the round-up november entries must be posted between sunday november 14th and friday november 19th, with friday at midnight being the deadline.

finally, let us all know in the comment section below how you've been getting those hot little buggers in jars.

bye!

tigress' larder on amazon & a birthday give-away!

2010-10-23T17:58:00.003-04:00

it's my birthday, it's my birthday...

well it was.

yesterday.

i started a tradition last year around here...a birthday give-away tradition!

what better way to celebrate your birthday than to give?

that, and the fact that what i should have spent the better part of the day doing was preserving the lovely local quince i finally found or fermenting my last 10 lbs of cabbage.

but no!

instead, i basically spent all day putting my larder on amazon and i want you peeps to go over and take a look so it wasn't all for naught.

first, hop on in the comment section below and tell me what it is that you're procrastinating preserving this weekend - or maybe you're being a good worker bee and you are actually preserving something this weekend! or maybe you've never preserved anything at all yet and you really want to learn how.

just say something about preserving down there and you know what?

you'll be entered in my birthday give-away drawing, winner of which will be picked by that trusty random number generator next saturday night, just after the stroke of halloween. (boo!)

the lucky winner gets their book of choice chosen directly off of the food preservation books pages of my larder on amazon!

do it!

:)

honeyed cayenne chiles

2010-10-19T08:30:00.006-04:00

i grew these!

i don't know if i'll ever loose the wonder & excitement of growing my own food.

i hope not!

if i had my druthers every meal i eat would have some sort of heat in it or on it. which means that it's been a process for me to learn how best to save my chiles each year so that i can enjoy them throughout the winter months. travel worn chiles from whole foods in february just don't have the same kick.

and if a chile's not kicking than it's hardly a chile at all.

no?

honeyed cayenne chiles

adapted from the joy of pickling by linda ziedrich

1 & 1/4 pound cayenne (or other) chiles, stemmed & sliced into no larger than 1/4 inch rings
1/2 teaspoon black or yellow mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon whole coriander seeds
5 whole cloves
5 whole allspice berries
3/4 quart apple cider vinegar
1 & 1/4 tablespoon honey
1 & 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 small garlic cloves, sliced
4 whole bay leaves (make sure they still smell like bay!)
12 black peppercorns
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 pint mason jars

yield: 2 pints

1. prepare canning pot and jars. no need to sterilize, but make sure jars get warm.

2. place mustard seeds, coriander seeds, allspice and cloves in a spice bag, tea ball, or tie in a small snitch of cheese cloth.

3. combine vinegar, honey, & salt in a medium sauce pan, add spice bag. bring to the boil. when just boiling, add sliced chiles and bring back up to a simmer.

4. take all four 1/2 pint jars out of the canner and place right side up on a towel. divide the garlic and peppercorns evenly between jars. fill each jar 1/4 of the way full with chiles and add one bay leaf to each jar, placing it against the side and tucking the tip into the chiles to steady the leaf against the side. add the rest of the chiles evenly between jars. pour in the vinegar mixture, filling each jar to just under a 1/2 inch head space.

5. slide a plastic knife, chopstick, or small spatula around the inside rim of jar, and tap it gently on the counter to loosen any air bubbles. drizzle 1 & 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil into each of the jars. wipe the rims clean with a wet paper towel and place the two piece lids on.

6. hot water bath process for 10 minutes.

you must wait to eat these pickles for three weeks.

i know, i know.

tigress' can jam october: chile pepper: i can't taste them yet!

this is a new one for me. i usually ferment my chiles, dry, or indian pickle them. i wanted to try a traditional canned pickle utilizing chiles for this month's can jam. i trust linda ziedrich, and i like a little sweet with my hot so i went for an adaptation of her honey version. i will report back once i taste them.

learning: this is the first time i've used the technique of putting a bit of oil on the top before putting the lids on. it seemed like half of the oil came out in the water bath - the whole pot was oily afterwards. it doesn't look like much came out in the finished jars though, but i'm thinking this could have been avoided if i left a bit more head space.

fermenting chiles

2010-10-06T20:00:00.002-04:00

these may look innocent enough to you

but that's because your eyes aren't watering from the heat.

if you're a chile head like me, or another person i know
then you might like what i'm about to tell you.

i like my chiles homegrown (or local farmer grown) and i like my chiles all year 'round.

this is how i get both:

for every 1/2 pound of chiles (or mild peppers if you're more of a sweet head) you need 1 pint of water, 1 & 1/4 tablespoons of sea salt, and a 1 quart container.

1. wash and dry the chiles, leave them whole if they are small, cut in pieces if larger. place in the quart container.

2. dissolve the salt in the water and pour over chiles to cover. important: you need to make sure the chiles are completely submerged in the brine. you can see in the photo above that i've placed a smaller sized jar on top (inside the larger jar) to help submerge the chiles. i also had brine left over which i sealed in the top jar in case i need more brine once the chiles start to ferment. you can always make more brine if you need, using the ratio above.

you don't need a jar in a jar, you can put them in a bowl that fits a plate inside, and some kind of weight on top of that. make sure whatever you use is clean of course.

3. keep the chiles at room temperature, checking the next day, and the day after to make sure they are still submerged. add more brine if you need.

4. you may see a bit of something that looks like 'scum' form on the top of the brine, and/or the jar or plate you have submerged.

that's ok.

just skim it off and rinse off the jar or plate and replace it, making sure the chiles are submerged. everything should calm down in a few days. then you can pretty much leave it alone and just check on every 3 days or so to make sure all is in order.

5. in about 3 weeks or so, give them a taste, they should have all of that chile goodness, with an added tang of sour. (yum!) when you deem them ready, drain the brine into a saucepan, bring to the boil and skim off any residue on top. let the brine cool.

6. put the chiles into a clean jar, pour the boiled & cooled brine over, cap the jar and place in fridge.

...that my peeps, is how i enjoy homegrown chiles all year - or at least through the winter months. i use them for cooking all manner of curries and stir-frys, and anywhere fresh chiles are called for in cooking.

i also enjoy these babies fresh from the jar whenever a dish needs a little - or a lot of - heat.

and that's pretty much all the time IMO.

;)

speaking of chiles, peppers and the like: do check back here on wednesday october 27th for the october round-up of the can jam, 'cause there's going to be a whole lotta chiles getting canned up.

jarring, i know!

marjoram pesto

2010-10-03T13:13:00.002-04:00

you know how i feel about herbs this time of year in the northeast?

get 'em while they're hot!

in the quest to clean up the garden, herbs are high on my list.

but never-you-fear if you don't yet have a garden to clean up because at farmer's markets right about now, the size of the bunches grow in direct opposition to the dwindling prices.

and IMO there's hardly a better way to preserve the intense taste of herbs than in pestos.

this is one of my absolute favorites, and it's been said that once you try marjoram pesto, basil pesto starts to look like it's frumpy, ordinary cousin.

(well i said it, didn't i?)

marjoram pesto
adapted from vegetarian suppers by deborah madison

1/2 cup marjoram leaves
1 cup finely chopped parsley
3 tablespoons capers, rinsed & soaked in water for 5 minutes, rinsed again
1 small slice country bread, crust removed
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup pine nuts or walnuts
1 large clove garlic, peeled
freshly ground pepper to taste

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

yield: for use with 1 lb pasta

1. tear the bread slice up in chunks and place in a bowl, soak with 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar. let soak for 5 minutes.

2. place all ingredients except olive oil in a large bowl of a food processor, pulse to combine. continue to pulse until a dry paste forms, then run on low while drizzling oil in. stop processing immediately after oil dispenses.

3. pack in freezer proof containers with 1/4 inch headspace. freezes well for at least 3 months.

see how simple?

this pesto is a pasta staple around my place, so i freeze it in containers large enough for 1/2 lb of pasta. it is so intensely flavored that no cheese is required, but you can certainly grate a bit of cheese over your finished dish. i would recommend a milder pecorino as the big parm may just push it over the edge of too much umami(can we ever have too much?)

you can certainly freeze this in ice cube trays for 24 hours, then pop them into freezer bags. a cube or two added to a vegetable or bean soup would most certainly intensify it.

i really can't leave you without my pasta/pesto making tips: salt the pasta water well just before putting the pasta in. it should taste like a well-salted broth. and for pesto, always make sure to take a cup or so of the pasta water out of the pot before draining the pasta. please, please, please cook it al dente, and never rinse it in cold water. put the pasta back in the warm pot, add the pesto and just a bit of the water, to desired consistency. serve in warm bowls with freshly ground pepper.

*pawnote: if you don't have a food processor don't let this stop you! do it with a mortar & pestle. in fact, in the summer when we eat it immediately rather than freezing for later, that is the preferred way. start with the salt & garlic, then add the herbs, capers, nuts until pureed, end with the bread and olive oil.

oh, and check this walnut sage pesto for another one of my yearly herb-preservin' staples.

taking & making stock

2010-09-29T21:00:00.003-04:00

maybe it's my utilitarian bent, but there's something i find exhilarating about 'cleaning up the garden' right around the break of fall.

on a good year, mid-september is about the time i've finally had my fill of fresh tomatoes, cucumbers and melons. it's when the tentative chill of evening and early morning reawakens a taste for warming meals; soups, risottos, braised vegetables...

you know, comfort food.

let's face it, in september the veggies in the garden (or your local farmer's market) are certainly no spring chickens anymore.

they may look a tad less precocious than they did in their youth but,

they still got good flavor.

and that's exactly what i'm looking for in a good vegetable stock.

you?

and yes it's true that the making of vegetable stocks is a wonderful way to 'clean up the garden' or to take advantage of the dwindling farmer's market prices, and of course to give meaning and purpose to those vegetables about to enter mid-life but,

i would make it regardless of those things because having delicious vegetable stock is essential in my kitchen (and will be in yours too if you give it a try) throughout the winter months. it adds depth and deftness when making all the things i want to eat when it's cold outside.

(and i don't know about you, but i certainly don't feel inspired to make stock with vegetables sold for top dollar and flown in from who knows where).

so take stock of your garden or your farmer's market this month and make stock!

here are my two essentials, with these i can make just about any dish or soup - east or west. i freeze them in quart containers and ice cubes (which i place in freezer bags once frozen in trays for 24 hours). the quarts i use for soups, risottos and the like, and the cubes i use whenever a burst of flavor is needed in braises, sauces, beans, stir-frys, etc. they will last well in the freezer for a good 6 months.

asian-style stock
adapted from vegetarian cooking for eveyone by deborah madison

3 bunches scallions, chopped, including greens
2 large leeks, whites only, sliced thin (or 2 medium yellow onions)
6 large carrots, sliced fairly thin
8-10 lovage leaves* (or 2 celery stalks, coarsely chopped)
2 bunches cilantro, including stems, chopped
1 head garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 inch ginger, sliced thin
1 & 1/4 cup dried shitake mushrooms (about 15 whole)
3 pieces kombu (about 6 inches each)
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons rice wine (mirin)
1 and 1/2 tablespoons salt
3 teaspoons dark sesame oil

yield: approximately 3 & 1/2 quarts

please note if you don't have a very large stockpot the recipe can be easily cut in half.

1. place all prepared ingredients except the dark sesame oil in a very large stockpot with 5 quarts water. bring to the boil.

2. once boiling lower the heat and keep at a strong simmer uncovered for 20 minutes. at 20 minutes remove the mushrooms and save for another use.

3. once the mushrooms are removed bring to the boil once again, and simmer uncovered for another 20 minutes.

4. strain. add the dark sesame oil and stir in gently. let cool completely and fill containers for freezing.

i use this stock in all manner of stir-frys, as a base for asian-inspired soups, or anywhere chicken stock is traditionally used.

hearty vegetable stock

adapted from the italian country table by lynne rosetta kasper

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 large carrots, coarsely sliced
4 medium yellow onions, coarsely chopped
1/2 pound white or cremini mushrooms, coarsely chopped
3 large cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
8-10 lovage leaves* (or 2 celery stalks, coarsely chopped)
5-8 fresh basil leaves
6 large romaine lettuce leaves, chopped
1 large tomato (or 2 medium, or a handful of cherry tomatoes)
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

yield: approximately 3 & 1/2 quarts

1. heat oil on medium-high in a large skillet or sauté pan. add carrots, onions and mushrooms (if using celery, add here) and cook until the onions become a rich golden brown, approximately 10 minutes. stir frequently.

2. when onions are browned add garlic, basil and lovage and stir for a few seconds. add wine allowing the bottom of the pan to glaze. scrape all of this, including any browned bits on the bottom of the pan, into a very large stockpot.

3. add lettuce, tomato, nutmeg and water to cover by 4 inches (approximately 5 quarts). bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer slowly for 1 & 1/2 hours.

4. strain and let cool completely. fill containers for freezing.

this recipe doubles nicely - which i often do, simply split the vegetables in half and brown in two parts, then combine in stockpot and continue as above in steps 3 & 4. there are so many uses for this flavorful stock, it can be used virtually anywhere in place of meat or poultry stock.

* pawnote: i planted lovage in my herb garden 5 years ago and this perennial has become a much loved and very useful addition to my yearly herb harvest. a strong flavored herb, i would describe it's taste as a cross between parsley and celery and use it in most dishes where celery is traditionally used.

sweet tomato ketchup

2010-09-13T10:28:00.007-04:00

remember this?

after two long weeks in LIC i got back to my little plot of heaven up in the berkshires

only to find an onslaught of these:

the way i saw it, there were only two choices; me or them.

it was brutal.

sweet tomato (R.I.P.) ketchup

4 pounds very ripe tomatoes, peeled & chopped
1 cup sugar (i use raw)
1 & 1/2 cups white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 head garlic, peeled & chopped fine
2 & 1/2 tablespoons ginger, peeled & chopped fine
1-2 dried red chiles, pounded in mortar & pestle (or 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon flakes)
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
juice & zest of one lime
1/2 pint or smaller mason jars

yield: approximately 2 pints

1. if you have ever tried to peel a raw tomato before then you know what i'm saying when i tell you to boil a pot of water, and drop them in whole. take them out after 30-60 seconds, just until their skins split and drop them in a waiting bowl of ice water. peel. if this is the first you've ever heard of this, you're welcome.

2. while you're waiting for the water to boil, zest and juice the lime. chop the garlic and ginger, if you have a wet/dry spice grinder, or a small food processor with which to make a smooth garlic-ginger paste use it here.

(side note - this is my first local northeast lime! i grew it!)

3. prepare the whole dried chiles in the mortar & pestle if using. i like to bruise whole spices to bring out the flavor; toss in the cumin, fennel and fenugreek seeds and pound lightly once or twice, do not crush.

4. add the tomatoes, garlic-ginger paste, spices, vinegar, salt, and lime zest & juice to a non-reactive pot. add the sugar and heat on low until the sugar dissolves. once the sugar has dissolved turn the heat up and bring to the boil.

5. once the boiling point is reached, bring the heat down and simmer for approximately 1 and 1/2 hours, until desired ketchup-y thickness.

6. while the ketchup is simmering prepare jars & lids for hot water bath processing. process full jars for 10 minutes.

this ketchup is delicious and versatile. it's a sweet ketchup but not cloyingly so. the spices ground the rich tomato flavor but don't overpower. it's lovely with potatoes all-ways; french fried, pan fried, or oven baked. try it on a fried egg or grilled cheese sandwich - or in any other way you enjoy your ketchup!

can jam round-up august: tomatoes

2010-08-25T08:00:00.006-04:00

photo cafe del manolo

tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes! for many the king of vegetables (even though we all know it's a fruit don't we?) grown for putting up.

just as the mighty tomato straddles the veggie-fruit kingdoms, it also straddles the level of acidity needed to safely water bath can. a lot of old recipes don't add acid before hot water bath canning, but modern times call for such measures. so if you're trying this at home, make sure to use a source that follows the current USDA guidelines. or go straight to the source yourself. have a look here to find out why i'm roaring about this.

...and on to the recipes!

photo the kitchenette

tomatoes straight up

bottled tomatoes - laundry etc
i like the addition of balsamic, and the jam, ooh the jam looks sweet! :)

canned whole tomatoes - the kitchenette
good for you, your photos rock and i love that you just did another canning virgin thing!

crushed tomatoes - bigger than a breadbox
i hope you'll be thinkin' of me during the winter when you sit down to a nice hot bowl of tomato something-or-other!

crushed tomatoes - wine book girl
ooh! bloody mary with homemade tomato juice and dilly beans. yikes! thanks for that - i'm in trouble.

stewed tomatoes - well preserved
a lovely basic tomato canning recipe and lots wonderful tips on canning in general. good stuff!

tomato halves - all types of cooking and a whole lot of canning here!
jane loves canning tomatoes i see, 'cause she gave us basic tomato sauce, salsa and ketchup. guess we better catch up, huh?

tomatoes packed in water - rufus and clementine
ya see nik (i do see that you saw) when it comes to tomatoes simple is usually better. there's time to get fancy when you open the jar.

photo what julia ate

ketchup

ketchup - market life sf
very good tip on subbing in some cherries, and the fennel looks like a nice addition. can you taste it in the finished product?

ketchup - sustainable pantry
i'm so glad i'm not the only one around here not afraid of a little labor! yes, it's so worth it!

ketchup - putting by
more homemade ketchup! you people are all caught up in the ketchin' up! sounds like it was a hit, and just a little less celery seed next time! and this just in: bbq sauce!

orange tang ketchup - hip girl's guide to homemaking
this ketchup is gorgeous! the color, and i am so down for small batch anything miss kickass! (oh, and peeps, watch the clip!)

spicy ketchup - locally preserved
this looks nice, immersion blenders are where it's at, no? ...and i like the spice! :)

tomato ketchup - what julia ate
if i had a jar of this it would be all over my scrambled eggs! what? yeah right, like you don't. ;)

photo showfood chef

jams, butters & chutneys

cowboy tomato jam - showfood chef
i love me a fiesty little jam! the spice combo looks wonderful, and that photo too!

heirloom tomato jam - the cosmic cowgirl
this jam looks wonderful, and even more wonderful news is that you will be selling this and many other home canned goodies very soon! viva la confituras!

new england tomato chutney - toronto tasting notes
i like it, and i like the northeast locavore variation of blueberries and maple syrup instead of raisins and brown sugar even better! now that's what i'm talkin' about!

tomato basil jam - leena eats this blog
well i do agree with you, if a jam can be sexy this one sure is; sweet, chunky and not afraid of little cheese. ;)

tomato butter - food in jars
a buttery ketchup indeed! a little worried about the acidity level. what'd ya find out?

tomato jam - backyard farms
my mouth watered when i looked at the last photo. srsly. looks like the ultimate 'cocktail' sauce.

tomato preserves - cafe libby
that preserve looks sweet! but the stories are even sweeter of your dad, and your wedding. happy august!

photo by sugar crafter

salsa

ancho chili tomato salsa - prospect: the pantry
...a kick and a smokey aftertaste - do you have my address?

fire roasted salsa negra - married with dinner
so sorry for the greenies, :( that is a bummer. curry pickle some! as far as your salsa goes...be still my heart. oh, and thanks for reminding me about that dude (rick) been meaning to check him out.

house salsa - sugarcrafter
why yes i do agree with you, why not have a house salsa? and yes, tweak the spices to make it your own, but veggie amounts should remind the same in relation to the acid in trusted recipes.

roasted tomato and chipotle salsa - local kitchen
if you would like a milder salsa...? i know you're not talking to me! anything roasted & hot sounds perfecto in my book.

salsa - my caffeine diary
so glad you like your salsa! straight up from the reliable ole' ball blue!

salsa #5 - mother's kitchen
can i just say, i love how you 'shoot from the hip' with your posts. i find them hilarious, informative and warming. and lou bega - ha!

spicy tomato salsa - family & food
i'm with you, it's gotta be better than store bought, or at least better for you!

photo knit and knosh

green tomatoes and tomatillos

curried green zebras - tigress in a pickle
yeah i know i don't eat meat, but i can eat zebras too - as long as they're curried! :)

fire roasted salsa verde - put a lid on it
i share your exact same fantasy and your sentiment on BPA and store bought canned tomatoes. i have not gotten anywhere near the 52 jars, but girls (and tigresses) can dream, can't they? and btw your salsa verde is no chopped liver! :)

salsa verde - doris and jilly cook
just when you thought it was safe to go in the water - it is! check this finding on hot water bath canning tomatillos

salsa verde - knit and knosh
i love your enthusiasm! have the book, will try...i might just need to start growing tomatillos again!

photo putting by

sauces, etc.

chipotle barbaque sauce - cafe manolo
oh my! this sounds divine. and those jars looks gorgeous. and all those other tomato-y things you have up your sleeve for this summer sound good too!

chunky basil pasta sauce - just the right size
i am so with that logical progression of canning. good to know this is a tried and true recipe!

dilly tomatoes - simply loving home
purple garlic, green tomatoes, very dr. seuss, i like it! and how great that pickling brings back fond memories!

golden treasure drink syrup - the artisanry of acorn cottage
and i thought mine was exotic.

gumbo - mock paper scissors
if you don't have a pH meter and know how to use it, don't try this at home. i am worried that the acidity level could pose a problem - safest to stick to exact recipes that follow the usda guidelines for low acid foods.

lots of canned stuff but not tomatoes - grow and resist
i said local you can jammer you. and anyway peaches are like sweet tomatoes, kind of.

mango chipotle bbq sauce - flamingo musings
mangos are so floridian - i love it! but please, don't laugh at our misfortune, i know you'll be stoking your tan while i'm stoking a fire! ;)

pizza sauce - oh, briggsy...
there is a lot going on in that kitchen of yours. whew! i was looking for an intermission! but it's all good, and looks like your pizza sauce is too!

pizza sauce - robbing peter
see there you go, you can have quick and easy pizza whenever you want. the pain of letting go was worth it, no? ;)

roasted vegetable pasta sauce - breadmaking with the break experience
hmm, you made sure you had some extra that you couldn't can, didn't you? 'cause that sauce looks good!

tomatoes three ways - notes from a country girl living in the city
salsa, sauce and ketchup. choices, country girl, we like choices!

...i can happily say that there are a lot o' tomatoes still ripening in my garden. i'm not done putting these little babies in jars yet this summer! and i'll be referring back to this page myself when i do!

but wait! there's more! don't forget to check out the tigress can jam flickr group for some lovely photos on getting tomatoes into jars.

can jammers, kate of hip girls guide to homemaking has so graciously agreed to be september's food in focus chooser. pop on over to her blog, 'cause she'll be telling you all about it by this friday at midnight. please note: recipes must be posted between sunday september 12th and friday september 17th to qualify, with midnight friday the 17th being the deadline. for everyone else, do check back on wednesday september 22nd to see what we've been having a ball about!

yes, i know it's a mouthful, but get this:

it's the last week of summerfest peeps so check out my fellow bloggers take on tomatoes. and let us all know how you're cooking and preserving tomatoes at your place in the comment sections!

a way to garden
devour the blog
eating from the ground up
food 2
food network uk
fn dish
gilded fork
gluten-free girl & the chef
healthy eats
just a taste
pinch my salt
san diego foodstuff
simmer till done
sweetnicks
the sister project
the wright recipes
tuscan diva
white on rice couple

ok, bye!

:)

curried green zebras

2010-08-20T22:00:00.007-04:00

no silly, not the animals...

the tomatoes!

and while i'm on the subject of tomatoes...

oh how i loved him (R.I.P)

he was so beautiful, inside and out.

ahem.

ok, so back to this curry pickle: i used zebras, who happen to be green even when they're ripe. but, for this you want green - as in unripe - tomatoes. the fleshier the better. little zebras or any kind of paste tomato will work well.

curried green zebras

2 & 3/4 lbs green tomatoes, sliced no larger than 1/4 inch thick
1 medium white onion, sliced very thin
2 & 1/2 tablespoons sea salt
3 cups cider vinegar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 & 1/2 teaspoons curry powder *
1 inch fresh ginger root, peeled & thinly sliced
12 whole allspice berries
pint mason jars with 2-piece lids

yield: approximately 4 pints

day 1
1. place sliced tomatoes and onions in large bowl, gently toss with sea salt. cover lightly with kitchen towel, let stand for 8 hours or overnight.

day 2
1. prepare canning pot, jars & lids. no need to sterilize the jars as once filled they will be boiled 10 minutes.

2. drain the tomatoes and onion, rinse with cold water and drain once more.

3. place vinegar, sugar & curry powder in a non-reactive (stainless or enameled iron) pot and bring to the boil.

4. as soon as vinegar mixture reaches the boil, add tomatoes & onions. bring back to a simmer and let simmer, stirring gently, until all the vegetables are just heated through. approximately 2 minutes.

5. remove hot jars from the canning pot and place 3 allspice berries & 2 slices of ginger in each jar.

6. fill jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. hot water bath process for 10 minutes.

tigress can' jam august: tomatoes: success!

crunchy, curried & slightly sweet. to me this is a classic canned pickle. a wonderful way to use up a glut (yes a glut!) of summer tomatoes. delicious on a grilled cheese, or any other sandwich in which the classic bread and butter is the norm. the curry & spices add a punch but don't overpower. plus it looks so damn cute in a jar.

learning: had a little packing problem at first. make sure to scoot them in tightly before pouring in the brine to fill.

* pawnote: i know i'm about to get all pilgrim on you - put please, unless you live right next to a well shopped authentic indian grocer, you must make your own curry powder. regular old store bought curry is heavy on the cheaper spices, and usually has been sitting so long that turmeric and chile are the only flavors left to flave. it's best to make it in small batches and use within 3 months. trust me.

here:

curry powder

1/2 tablespoon whole cumin seeds

1 tablespoon whole coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon whole fenugreek seeds
1 teaspoon whole peppercorns
3 whole cloves
1 teaspoon whole black or brown mustard seeds
3/4 teaspoons turmeric
1/4 teaspoon chile powder (use half paprika, half chile if you want less heat)

yield: 3 tablespoons

1. place a dry skillet on medium heat - iron if you have it.

2. add whole spices only and heat just until they change color slightly. you will smell the most wonderful aroma - take off heat.

3. immediately add the turmeric and chile powder, stir. let sit until cool.

4. grind in an electric spice grinder. store in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

and of course use in the wonderful pickle above!

turkish fermented cabbage

2010-08-03T15:00:00.002-04:00

remember that heatwave we were having a couple of weeks ago?
95 degrees in new england.

uh huh.

of course my early cabbage decided to sing in unison "we're done, come & get us, now!"

i kind of have a rule; when vegetables sing - i dance.

as you can imagine, it gets kind of crazy around here right about now.

anywayz...

i didn't grow a kabillion-kazillian pounds of cabbage to eat coleslaw all summer. this cabbage is supposed to get us through that long locavorian boat-ride called winter. sweltering heat or no, these heads were gettin' pickled!

(in a passionate preserver's logic - i quickly surmised that since it gets very hot in istanbul, and they have pickle carts everywhere, they must know something about warm-weather fermenting).

right?

turkish fermented cabbage

adapted from the joy of pickling by linda ziedrich

4 lbs cored & trimmed white head cabbage, shredded
6 tablespoons sea salt
3 tablespoons minced garlic (i used mid-summer scapes, heads only)
3 tablespoons minced ginger
3 tablespoons aleppo pepper (or korean, or 2 tbls hungarian paprika & 1 tbls cayenne powder)
1 & 1/2 teaspoon sugar
4 & 1/2 cups water
you can use gallon, 1/2 gallon or quart 2 piece screw cap or wire-bail jars

yield: approximately 2 & 1/2 quarts

1. to shred cabbage you can use this or you can use a knife. get it as fine as you can either way. once shredded, toss in a large bowl with 3 tablespoons salt. you will see the cabbage begin to 'sweat' immediately (well, i said it was hot, didn't i?) place a plate over the cabbage to give it a little pressure and let sit for 3 hours at room temperature.

2. drain the cabbage in a colander, rinse with cold water and drain again. mix in the minced garlic & ginger, the pepper and the sugar.

a note about summer garlic: if you grow your own, let the scapes stay on through mid-summer - until the heads are ready even - and use them as you need them. they get stronger as they go and the garlic heads (just pulled up yesterday) don't seem to mind. it's a great way to enjoy local garlic all summer.

3. pack the mixture into clean and dried jars (i actually worked with double the amount of this recipe and a very large wire bail jar). dissolve the remaining 3 tablespoons of salt in 4 & 1/2 cups of cool water. pour enough of this brine over the cabbage to cover it. try and leave a good 3 inches of headspace (space between top of cabbage & top of jar) in each jar.

4. in the art of fermenting you want to allow the gasses to escape but prevent a lot of air from getting in. if you are using a two piece screw cap - simply screw it on lightly. if you are using the european wire bail jar you can actually take the wire bail apart and just rest the glass lid on top - (as i did in the top photo). don't worry you can easily re-assemble the wire bail.

5. the jar should be kept out of sunlight throughout the fermenting process. a cotton kitchen towel & elastic work nicely:

(is it me, or does he wear it well?)

6. once a day for 10 to 14 days take the top off and give it a good stir with a very clean spoon. if you do this daily, you don't have to bother with the weighting down as in the traditional sauerkraut method. try and get some of the bottom on top and the top on the bottom with your stirring - nothing to be exact about tho.

ideally the temperature should be between 65 and 72 degrees. as i said, i did this in the middle of the heat wave. there were days over 90 so i had to bring it down to the cellar - where the temp was around 76 and rising. i would say that there were a few days where it was in 80 degree temperatures.

but have no fear because on about the 2nd or 3rd day gassy bubblies will happen. there will be a lot o' action in those jars. you may even need to switch out the towel due to a bit of leakage, depending on how crazy things get in there. on about the 6th day the raw veggie smell is all but forgotten, and the most delicious aroma replaces it. you will know it's done when things settle down and the bubbles have subsided.

the warmer the weather, the faster the fermentation happens. my batch was full-on done at the 10 day mark. don't be afraid to taste! if you like it more sour, then leave it another day or two.

7. once you've determined it's doneness you can place the jars directly in the fridge as is, or re- dispense to different size jars. i like to do the fermenting in 1 jar if possible, and then transfer to quarts and pints. plastic caps are nice here, as the jars are now stored in the fridge. this will last well for 6 months or more in the fridge. do remember to label your jars with date & contents.

i love this fermented cabbage, it is quite the cross between sauerkraut & kimchi, goes well with everything, and i fear that my big winter plans are foiled by our summer appetites! we've been serving it cold along side all manner of turkish & middle eastern meze - with a side of feta, and hummus, etc.

...and my slovakian/hungarian mom just left our house with a jar all her own, of which i'm quite certain she'll eat warmed on a plate with kielbasa.

;)

can jam july round up: cucurbits

2010-07-28T07:45:00.011-04:00

photo sugarcrafter

all you can jammers in the house jumped headfirst into the pickling process and for that i'm proud!

family recipes & memories, experienced canners branching out and first time cuke-picklers too! i do hope that the newbies in the bunch discovered just how easy pickling can be...and for all you peeps out there just getting ready to pickle,

pickle this:

photo local kitchen

pickles

bread & butter pickles - prospect: the pantry
she breaks out the big one: sweet hot. ...and a good idea about a taste-test sample in the fridge. what? this too!

bread & butter pickles - sustainable pantry
these look quite yummy my dearz - and i would love to hear more about that square foot garden of yours. you know what i say: grow cukes!

bread & butter pickles - sugarcrafter
i knew you'd come around to the salty side...and you got your thinking cap on too! picnic size 8 ounce jars, open kitchen windows. see how nice things can be? :)

bread & butter zucchini pickles - knit and knosh
i expect you to report back here in 3 weeks missy!

cantaloupe pickles - flamingo musings
i actually made similar pickles last summer and i can agree - they are weird & wonderful!

crisp sweet pickle - simply loving home
the rind idea is great! watch the head space, & hot water bath for 10 minutes...

dill pickle chips - ...oh briggsy!
what she said: i like me pickles crisp, like chips! ...and you can do it in the can!

dilly beans - bigger than a breadbox
i am so happy that she broke out the local clause. 'cause cukes will come & go, but local is as local does. and this is as pickled as a pickler could ever pucker for! :)

earle's dills - backyard farms
this is a treasure! a tried & true family recipe shared with all of us. thank you!

gingery watermelon pickles - rufus & clementine
i think i need to try these. and i wanna know how your second batch goes too - bryant's! i'll be checking back!

green & yellow squash pickles - market life sf
yikes! those zukes don't stand a chance around that fancy mandoline! and they looks so nice & svelt in those jars too. :)

kosher dill pickles - notes from a country girl living in the city
sounds like a great old book! here's a lovely place for a reminder to all: if you're using an old book for canning, make sure to compare to current USDA guidelines for up-to-date safety!

quick dill pickles - breadmaking with the bread experience
yo, yo, yo, you dillin'! ...a good & basic dill pickle recipe. right heyaaa!

quick dills - what julia ate
she had big plans (melons preserved in jars) and empty hands (melon season comes later in the N.E.) but she didn't come up empty-handed. pucker up to these!

photo laundry etc

ice-brined garlic dill pickles - married ...with dinner
i really dig your tenacity. and i think i would really dig these pickles. can i come over for a bite? :)

mcClure's pickles - mother's kitchen
yes i've had them, yes i love them. but i love even more that you made them yourself, & i love your label too!

mixed pickle #1 - doris and jilly cook
you heard it declared from the mouth of goats all across the interweb - "this is the year of the vinegar pickle!" - this cat ain't gonna argue with that!

pickled watermelon rind - well preserved
pickles & memories, i'm beginning to learn just how many people have these...great post j&d!

pickled watermelon rind - thinking out loud
er, and lemon rind, don't forget the lemon rind. ;)

pregnancy pickles - put a lid on it
it's a girl! it's a girl! it's a girl! (oh and i would process these pickles for 10 minutes, not 5).

simply good dill pickles - inn brooklyn
the name says it all - who could ask for more? (between me & you, crunchy canned dills are not so easy, bravo!)

slap my hind with a watermelon rind - mock paper scissors
(i couldn't figure out if that was the name of your pickle or not. if i'm wrong, i'm just happy i got to say it). and there's also spicy dill pickles! and another great round of tips & bonus tracks from tengrain's little cooking school.

spicy garlic dill pickles - my caffeine diary
uh oh! you waited to pickle 'dem cukes...fingers crossed! (i hope they're not too soft).

summer squash pickle - laundry etc
i love that the can jam turned you on to pickles! & you went for the down-home bread and butters! what's next for you, watermelon rind pickles? ...you'll be the talk of the village!

the best bread & butter pickles - all types of cooking and a whole lot of canning here!
that's what she said. particularly if you like a sweet pickle! and go here if you like a hot garlic dill. mmhmm.

watermelon rind pickles with garam masala & jalapeno - showfood chef
and she's also making a TON of these babies too - for her daughter's wedding!! how great!

zucchini cornichons - wine book girl
these pickles are inspiring me! what a great idea to use up all those little monsters! how do they taste?

photo post-industrial eating

relish

cucumber pepper relish - food in jars
take me out to the ball game..er, this looks like it would be wonderful on tofu dogs too, no? :)

dill relish - grow and resist
ladyfriend likes cukes, ladyfriend doesn't like rhubarb. ladyfriend is happy (and so is meg!)

hot dog relish - putting by
no! i hate to hear that your heart sank. :( the can jam is supposed to be fun! ...and encouraging: go relish go - i think you're gonna have luck with this relish!

indian style cucumber relish - leena eats this blog
girrrrrl! ...apparently you got the bug, 'cause you did bread and buttas, garlic dill slices, and a couple of relishes too! and you made it look as easy as 1-2-3-4-5!

indian style cucumber relish - robbing peter
she's got big plans for this little relish...it goes something like this; get yogurt, open jar, mix. eat.

roasted corn & zucchini salsa - just the right size
just wanna know the details of the altering of the recipe. 'cause there's a lot going on in there & we need to be safe, safe, safe!

sweet pickle relish - cafe libby
a solid recipe and wonderful suggestions on what to do with sweet relish here. (and congrats on your new house!)

zesty zucchini relish - post-industrial eating
isn't it amazing how coming back to our kitchens, and putting food to jars, can bring a sense of calm & well being?

zucchini garden pepper relish - cafe del manolo
more food memories! ...and ancho chile powder. sigh. so happy to know there are fellow chile heads in the jam!

zucchini relish - dawnabelles
got squash? relish it!...just take out the seeds, and maybe a bit of sugar she says.

photo the cosmic cowgirl

jams & marmalades

cantaloupe & blackberry preserves with chardonnay - local kitchen
i don't know...for all that rantin' & ravin' you did about ms. ferber, your preserves are startin' to sound as exotic and delicious as hers! ...oh, & you are a-1 in my book now that you're pickling your house guests.

cantaloupe & nectarine jam - toronto tasting notes
oooh! this sounds very interesting. & with any luck i'll have some melons to jam from my garden. how does it taste?

lemon squash jam - tigress in a jam
step into the jar, my little sweetie. mwahahahahaha! (ahem).

marrow preserves - hip girl's guide to homemaking
i live in that place! (at least 1/2 a year) but anywayz...what about making little balls & putting them on sticks? :)

tart-n-tangy watermelon jelly - the artisanry of acorn cottage
hmmm. maybe a little too heavy on the tart-n-tangy, and a little too light on the watermelon?

zucchini marmalade - the cosmic cowgirl
she say marmalade, i say jam...we both say zucchini, and we both say it's good!

zesty watermelon jelly - family & food
sounds like a jelled watermelon pickle?

zucchini apple butter - the kitchenette
i know, i know: don't try this at home. (but carter, you get an A+ for the limb walking!)

...that's a lotta cukes n' zukes! (and a few melons in there too!)

i know you cannot wait to see what you're canning in august (omg august already, what happened!?) miss julia of what julia ate has until this friday at midnight to let you know what you will be putting to jar.

can jammers please note that your recipe must be posted between sunday august 15th and friday august 20th with friday the 20th at midnight being the deadline

and please, please, please pop over to the can jam flickr page to see some great photos of your fellow jammers efforts!

as if above wasn't enough. i have another exciting announcement to make:

margaret at the very lovely blog away to garden has invited me to participate in a 3rd year running, cross-blog celebration of the wonderful bounty of summer!

today is the kick-off celebration & guess what we're celebrating?

cukes n' zukes!

...how convenient. ;)

here's the rest of the schedule:

8/4 - corn
8/11 - herbs, green & beans
8/18 stone fruit
8/25 tomatoes

that's the plan and i'm in good company, 'cause here's the group of bloggers that'll be rantin' & ravin' along with me [this week] about all things cukes n' zukes:

away to garden
devour the blog
eating from the ground up
food 2
food philosophy
fn dish
gilded fork
gluten-free girl & the chef
healthy eats
just a taste
pinch my salt
san diego foodstuff
sweetnicks
tea and cookies
the sister project
the wright recipes
tuscan diva
white on rice couple

click on the links to get even more delicious ideas for summer cucurbits!

summer fest 2010 is a celebration peeps! that means you're invited to pop on all the participating bloggers' sites and comment on your favorite way to celebrate the week's bounty-in-focus. link to your own, or a favorite recipe, give us tips, stories, etc. we want to hear it! and if you're all a-twitter, here's the hashtag #summerfood

don't ya just love the interweb?

...i wanna hear some roaring about cukes n' zukes down there! and of course, i wanna know how you're gettin' those babies in jars.

:)

homemade feta

2010-07-16T19:30:00.006-04:00

first things first: chosen by that trusty random number generator, the winner of the lost art of real cooking is melissa - who commented on july 12th. congrats melissa! enjoy!

and all of your comments were so inspiring to me! so great to hear about all your pilgrim ways! upon reading through them i had two thoughts:

1. i am not alone.

2. what the hell do they need me for?

:)

then i thought i better step up my game, break out the big cheese...

tigress in a dairy? stranger things have happened.

ahem.

some of you may remember my trip to turkey last summer. i fell in love with the country, it's people and their way of eating. feta is a very common type of cheese in that part of the world, eaten in many ways.

upon arriving home from turkey last summer i set out to learn how to make it. we've been eating it regularly ever since. although it's slightly more involved than say, homemade yogurt, it's not all that difficult. and as with anything homemade, once you get the hang of it you can tweak it until you get exactly what your taste buds are looking for.

i cannot begin any discussion about home cheese making without first paying homage to madame fromage - ricki carroll, whom i was lucky enough to take a cheese making workshop with about 3 years ago. her book is to cheese making what linda ziedrich's book is to pickling. indispensable. and even better her mail-order biz new england cheesemaking supply co. is a one stop shop for everything needed for home cheese making, all artfully packaged in non-threatening home dairy making sizes. and the stuff gets to your door quick!

feta is a salty cheese traditionally made with sheep or goats milk. store-bought pasteurized goat's milk is what is needed for this feta recipe, and it should be fairly easy to find, at least at your local co-op or organic grocer, if not your local farmer or farmer's market.

homemade feta

adapted from home cheese making

1 gallon pasteurized whole goat's milk

1 packet direct set (DS) mesophilic starter
1/2 teaspoon liquid rennet or 1/4 vegetable rennet tablet
2 tablespoons cheese salt or sea salt (must be fine grained & contain no iodine)
thermometer
slotted spoon or flat ladle
fine meshed cheese cloth or butter muslin

yield - 1 pound

1. place milk in a large stainless steel pot. heat to 86 degrees. this is how you do it:

fill the sink with hot water - hopefully in line to the top of the milk, or as close as you can to it.
place the pot in the water with a thermometer and let sit until 86 degrees.

2. once milk reaches 86 degrees, take the pot out of the sink and add the packet of mesophilic starter. stir to combine, cover and let sit for 1 hour.

3. dilute either 1/2 teaspoon of liquid rennet or 1/4 rennet tablet in 1/4 cup cool unchlorinated water. (do not measure this over the milk please! i don't want you to learn the hard way). add this to the milk and stir in an up and down motion, like this:

do this for approximately 3 minutes.

4. cover the milk. reheat the water in sink and place pot back in. bring the milk temperature back to 86 degrees. keep it at 86 degrees for 1 hour. to keep the milk at 86 degrees for one hour you will need to periodically adjust the water by adding hot and/or cold to adjust the temperature.

if you are like me, you probably won't be able to keep it at exactly 86 degrees for one hour. it will be fluctuating, and you will be dancing with the water, your sink, and the pot.

that's ok.

put on some good music.

the goal is to let it set for that hour, so if you find that the temperature is too high, and it is not coming down fast enough when you add cold water to the sink, lift it out of the sink for a bit, but do it gently. inside the pot magic is happening; the whey is separating and the milk is starting to coagulate!

5. after one hour take the top off and:

:) happy dance!

6. now you get to cut the curds. you can do this with a curd cutter, or a regular old knife. you want to try and cut the curds into 1/2 inch cubes. if the set is a bit soft and you feel like it will crumble (this batch set soft) you can go a bit bigger on the cubes. start by slicing one way, and then the other. like a tic tac toe grid.

after you've cut the grid, you need to cut down. to do this start in the center pointing toward one side of the pot. angle 1/2 inch down and cut across the pot and all the way to the end. then go down 1 inch and do the same, then 1 1/2 inches down and do the same. once you've cut one side all the way down to the bottom, start in the middle all over again toward the other side of the pot.

yes, i'm available for questions.

7. stir the curds very gently for 20 minutes.

8. place cheesecloth in a colander and pour curds & whey over. lift the cheesecloth up and tie the ends in a knot. hang over the sink to drain for 4 hours.

9. after 4 hours untie the cloth and cut the cheese into approximately one inch cubes by first slicing, and then cubing. i am not very particular about this because i like the rustic look of uneven cubes, and when eaten i usually crumble it. that said for the proper aging and salting you will want it to be somewhat uniform. in a container, place a layer of cheese cubes, sprinkle with salt, another layer of cheese cubes, sprinkle with salt etc. cover and place in refrigerator to age. cheese will be ready to eat in 4-5 days.

the possibilities for serving feta are endless: on tomatoes, in bean and grain dishes, on it's own with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkling of black pepper & fresh herbs - take that and smash it all over a thick slice of country bread, or a just warmed pita. in all manner of salads, egg dishes, & veggies of every persuasion. and my personal fave - served with big hunks of fresh summer melon and a shot of ground chili pepper. i think i can honestly say -

everything's betta with feta!

cucurbits!

2010-07-12T12:00:00.002-04:00

squash, melons, cukes...

i love their mischievous ways and dr. seuss looks

from leaf to fruit.

so imagine my delight when ms gloria of laundry etc.

used the term cucurbits!*

a term i thus far never knew...

but apparently grew,

and grew,

and grew!

summer cucurbits are the focus of the can jam this month. so get your thinking cukes on!

official participants please post your recipes between friday july 16th and friday july 23rd at midnight. if it is at all possible to get your post up on that first weekend it would really help me out this month - thanks!

for those of you following along, check back here on wednesday july 28th for an avalanche of hot water bath canned cucurbit recipes! and i really wanna hear what everyone is doing with cucurbits this season - so hop in the comment section of the round-up post and shout about it!

*pawnote: pronounced kyoo-KUR-bit. go here and press on the sound icon, i did!