While jamming to Beethoven's symphonies and knitting I wasn't paying to close attention. I was knitting C4Fs when I should have been knitting C4Bs in my Celtic Braids. When I finally took a good close look at my work for the evening I saw the mistakes at midnight. I was up until 2 this morning fixing the mistakes. I want to thank Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, a.k.a. The Yarn Harlot, for the tutorial on fixing cabling mistakes. It worked like a dream.
Now what do ear worms have to do with knitting? Well I wanted some music to knit by so I typed in Beethoven's Symphonies in the search engine. I got a link to Beethoven's 3rd, complete. I was busy listening along reading comments on it and somebody was explaining why they didn't like this version of Beethoven's 3rd and he thought Leonard Bernstein conducting the Wiener Philharmonic was better. So back to the search engine and I found all nine of Beethoven's symphonies done by the Wiener Philharmonic with Leonard Bernstein conducting. I now have parts of Beethoven's 5th and 9th with the choir singing Ode to Joy playing in my head over and over again. Some of the best ear worms I've ever had!
Have a good day!
Judy
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Thursday, March 8, 2012
not my mother's brussel sprouts
Photo from: http://www.fotosearch.com/photos-images/brussels-sprout_2.html
I don't know about your mother's brussel sprouts but my mother's were boiled into a bitter army-green mush. You had to eat them hot and quick to get them down. When I got a pound of them in my most recent Bountiful Basket, Hubby was trying to find ways to feed them to the chickens so he didn't have to eat them. His mother's were evidently as bad as my mother's were. It seems the women from the southeastern corner of Kansas can only cook peas, corn, and green beans.
Well I indulged my favorite past time of web cruising and came up with a couple of recipes for fixing brussel sprouts that sounded interesting. The one I fixed the other night is called Chestnuts and Brussel Sprouts. The other one I found that really interested me was Brussel Sprouts in Sour Cream. If we ever get any more this will be the next recipe I will try.
So here is the recipe with my changes.
Chestnuts and Brussel Sprouts
1 pound brussel sprouts, trimmed and cleaned (This video shows how to clean them.)
6 ounces bacon, cut in small strips (I used 8 oz.)
1 cup canned chestnuts, cut in halves or quarters (I used 5 fresh because we also got water chestnuts in our Asian pack)
2 tablespoons butter (Didn't use because you are getting fat from the bacon)
Salt and pepper (only used a bit of pepper because you are getting salt from the bacon)
Cook the brussel sprouts using your favorite method. I just boiled them for about 12 minutes in salt water. Rinse and cut the sprouts in two. (Cut your sprouts before cooking according to a you-tube video I watched. It helps reduce the bitter taste if the centers are exposed to the boiling salt water. Only cook until the sprouts are just barely tender! You are going to cook them a bit more with the bacon.)
(Skip this part) Melt the butter in a skillet on medium heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes. (I cooked the bacon until most of the fat had been rendered out. Drained most of the fat off. Left maybe 2 TBSP.) Add the brussel sprouts and chestnuts and continue cooking until the bacon is cooked through and the sprouts are slightly browned. (I cooked until my water chestnuts were lightly cooked.)
Makes 4 servings.
Sister Suzy didn't like them at all. Hubby said if he had to eat a brussel sprout that was the way to eat them. I thought they were delicious. In fact, I thought they were good cold!
Side Note: Remember in the last post I said the Muse wasn't interested in doing anything fiber. Well last night She decided I should knit on my current afghan project. I feel like knitting today and the hell with scrubbing bathrooms. I believe my Muse is one fickle lady!
Have a good day!
Judy
Saturday, March 3, 2012
100th post and random thoughts
I can't believe I stuck with blogging long enough to get to 100! Will I get another 100 in? I don't know; we will see.
The Creative Muse has, evidently, wondered off to do other things. I have a half done quilt that has been setting here since before Christmas that isn't any more done than it was when I wondered off to do something else and it is not crying out to be finished. All the blocks are completed and quilted. The setting strips for the front and back are done but the desire isn't there.
I started a new afghan with the yarn from an afghan I wasn't going to finish. I found a pattern I really liked of an aran afghan that was for extra chunky weight yarn. I only have worsted so I found and swatched the border pattern, and the two cables patterns in the center panel. Figured out the gauge and added one more cable each of the cable patterns in the center panel. I have 12 inches knitted and the desire/pressure just isn't there to work on it. As I said the Muse has wondered off.
I would say She is in the nesting mood. Cooking and housekeeping are taking a precedent. She wants to clear the junk and find tasty new recipes. Gardening however doesn't thrill Her. But de-junking the yard does! So I will follow Her around and see where She leads me.
So I guess what I'm trying to say is blogging may get even more infrequent that it has been in the past if I have nothing creative to post.
Have a great day!
Judy
The Creative Muse has, evidently, wondered off to do other things. I have a half done quilt that has been setting here since before Christmas that isn't any more done than it was when I wondered off to do something else and it is not crying out to be finished. All the blocks are completed and quilted. The setting strips for the front and back are done but the desire isn't there.
I started a new afghan with the yarn from an afghan I wasn't going to finish. I found a pattern I really liked of an aran afghan that was for extra chunky weight yarn. I only have worsted so I found and swatched the border pattern, and the two cables patterns in the center panel. Figured out the gauge and added one more cable each of the cable patterns in the center panel. I have 12 inches knitted and the desire/pressure just isn't there to work on it. As I said the Muse has wondered off.
I would say She is in the nesting mood. Cooking and housekeeping are taking a precedent. She wants to clear the junk and find tasty new recipes. Gardening however doesn't thrill Her. But de-junking the yard does! So I will follow Her around and see where She leads me.
So I guess what I'm trying to say is blogging may get even more infrequent that it has been in the past if I have nothing creative to post.
Have a great day!
Judy
Sunday, February 19, 2012
still playing around in the kitchen
Think I'm finished up in the kitchen for the time being unless something else strikes my fancy. LOL
I found a new recipe for asparagus called Chile-Spiced Asparagus from EatingWell. I liked this one better that the Asparagus-Cucumber Salad. Hubby however likes the salad better so we will be alternating between the two. I used red-wine vinegar instead of the sherry vinegar and I used a combination of plain paprika and chili powder. A teaspoon of paprika and about a 1/2-teaspoon of chili powder. I started with the paprika but it just wasn't enough so I sprinkled a little chili powder and it was better. So I added a bit more and it was great.
Dehydrated 15 pounds of tomatoes down to three cups of tomato powder. I blanched, peeled, sliced, and dehydrated the slices. Then I ran the dehydrated slices of tomato through the food processor for tomato powder, which will be used as tomato sauce/paste.
Leigh over at 5 Acres & A Dream posted about letting her ginger plant die back and making candied ginger and re-potting her ginger rhizome to re-grow next year. I have a ginger plant that I needed to re-pot but was afraid I would kill it. So I read with interest on how she did it. I have now let my ginger plant die back and re-potted a couple of chunks. Instead of making candied ginger, I peeled and finely chopped my ginger in my food processor. (I didn't have enough to candy.) Then I froze it in a stick that all I have to do is pull it out of the freezer, pull back the plastic wrap, and cut off however much I need. Re-wrap and pop it back in to the freezer for whenever I need it again.
Next project was a box of apples, I dehydrated a full dehydrator load by washing the apples, slicing them and dipping them in Fruit Fresh. I wouldn't recommend it. Yes, it was less work up front but I wasn't pleased with the way the cores turned out. I can live with the peel but because the peel doesn't dry at the same rate as the flesh the slices are twisted and misshapen. Then they take up a lot of room in the jar. Next time I will peel and core the apples.
The next batch I worked up was as applesauce. I cored and peeled this batch cause the last batch I made I though I would be slick and not peel them before cooking them down. It was not pretty trying to fish peeling out of hot apple pulp. Two stockpots full gave me 17 pints. I water-bathed 12 pints and dehydrated the last five pints for our backpacking and camping adventures.
What to do with the last batch of apples? I wondered if I could freeze apple pies? So off to the computer to indulge my favorite pass-time of cruising the web! Yes, you can freeze pies! The most popular method was to prepare your pie as you would normally and instead of popping it into the oven, stick it in the freezer until solid. Then wrap in foil and label. If you have glass pans like me they recommended lining the pan with plastic wrap before putting your bottom crust in so you can take the pie out after it is frozen. Glass pans do not go from the freezer to the oven without breakage. I now have three apple pies, three apple crisps and nine apple dumplings in the freezer.
And for all you really frugally minded readers, have you ever looked at all those peelings and cores and wondered if there was some other use for them than the compost pile or the chickens? My Scotch-Irish grandmother made butters from her fruit peelings and cores. What you do is cover everything with water and simmer the pot until the peelings separate from the flesh. Be sure and cover everything with water because I didn't the first time and wasn't having any success until I added more water. Then you run the pot of stuff through a food mill. With mine the peelings and seeds come out one chute and the pulp and juice out another. Boil your juice and pulp down, season to taste with your favorite (apple) butter recipe. And voila you have, in this case, apple butter! Then you compost or feed to the chicken what is left which isn't much.
Well, I have bent your ear enough. Have a good day!
Judy
I found a new recipe for asparagus called Chile-Spiced Asparagus from EatingWell. I liked this one better that the Asparagus-Cucumber Salad. Hubby however likes the salad better so we will be alternating between the two. I used red-wine vinegar instead of the sherry vinegar and I used a combination of plain paprika and chili powder. A teaspoon of paprika and about a 1/2-teaspoon of chili powder. I started with the paprika but it just wasn't enough so I sprinkled a little chili powder and it was better. So I added a bit more and it was great.
Dehydrated 15 pounds of tomatoes down to three cups of tomato powder. I blanched, peeled, sliced, and dehydrated the slices. Then I ran the dehydrated slices of tomato through the food processor for tomato powder, which will be used as tomato sauce/paste.
Leigh over at 5 Acres & A Dream posted about letting her ginger plant die back and making candied ginger and re-potting her ginger rhizome to re-grow next year. I have a ginger plant that I needed to re-pot but was afraid I would kill it. So I read with interest on how she did it. I have now let my ginger plant die back and re-potted a couple of chunks. Instead of making candied ginger, I peeled and finely chopped my ginger in my food processor. (I didn't have enough to candy.) Then I froze it in a stick that all I have to do is pull it out of the freezer, pull back the plastic wrap, and cut off however much I need. Re-wrap and pop it back in to the freezer for whenever I need it again.
Next project was a box of apples, I dehydrated a full dehydrator load by washing the apples, slicing them and dipping them in Fruit Fresh. I wouldn't recommend it. Yes, it was less work up front but I wasn't pleased with the way the cores turned out. I can live with the peel but because the peel doesn't dry at the same rate as the flesh the slices are twisted and misshapen. Then they take up a lot of room in the jar. Next time I will peel and core the apples.
The next batch I worked up was as applesauce. I cored and peeled this batch cause the last batch I made I though I would be slick and not peel them before cooking them down. It was not pretty trying to fish peeling out of hot apple pulp. Two stockpots full gave me 17 pints. I water-bathed 12 pints and dehydrated the last five pints for our backpacking and camping adventures.
What to do with the last batch of apples? I wondered if I could freeze apple pies? So off to the computer to indulge my favorite pass-time of cruising the web! Yes, you can freeze pies! The most popular method was to prepare your pie as you would normally and instead of popping it into the oven, stick it in the freezer until solid. Then wrap in foil and label. If you have glass pans like me they recommended lining the pan with plastic wrap before putting your bottom crust in so you can take the pie out after it is frozen. Glass pans do not go from the freezer to the oven without breakage. I now have three apple pies, three apple crisps and nine apple dumplings in the freezer.
And for all you really frugally minded readers, have you ever looked at all those peelings and cores and wondered if there was some other use for them than the compost pile or the chickens? My Scotch-Irish grandmother made butters from her fruit peelings and cores. What you do is cover everything with water and simmer the pot until the peelings separate from the flesh. Be sure and cover everything with water because I didn't the first time and wasn't having any success until I added more water. Then you run the pot of stuff through a food mill. With mine the peelings and seeds come out one chute and the pulp and juice out another. Boil your juice and pulp down, season to taste with your favorite (apple) butter recipe. And voila you have, in this case, apple butter! Then you compost or feed to the chicken what is left which isn't much.
Well, I have bent your ear enough. Have a good day!
Judy
Thursday, February 9, 2012
more from the kitchen
Well, I'm still playing in the kitchen. First I played around with 25 pounds of the biggest carrots I have ever seen. They weighed about a half-pound a piece and some were three inches in diameter. I figured they would be woody and tough but they were very tender and sweet. Five pounds went in the fridge for fresh carrots; ten pounds were sliced and dehydrated. Did you know that ten pounds of carrots dehydrates down to a half-gallon jar? Me neither! Then I pickled five pounds and made Copper Pennies with the last five pounds.
I liked the looks of the recipe for Spicy Pickled Carrots over at getrichslowly's blog the best. I used half the cloves because I'm not to fond of cloves. I also think she meant 2 1/2 tablespoons of crushed red pepper flakes and I put more fresh ginger in mine because I had it and like it. I only had three jalapenos, so I seeded and deveined to cut the heat, then I cut them into julienne strips. I though five tablespoons of pickling salt too much so I used a half of a teaspoon per jar.
Then I canned Copper Pennies. Copper Pennies is a marinated carrot salad from the late Forties or early Fifties, as I understand it. We had it for the first time in a little Mom-n-Pop's restaurant south n west of us 22 miles. We liked it so well; I came home and Googled the ingredients finding the name and a recipe. I wanted to can a few pints so all I had to do was stick a jar in the fridge, cool it and have a quick something to go with sandwiches.
I used the recipe from cooks.com. I switch out the tomato soup for 1-cup tomato sauce. Cut the sugar and oil in half. I only used 1/2 cup each of the green pepper and onion. I add a 1/2-cup of sliced celery because several recipes I looked at either had celery in them or celery seed. And another couple of things I did was mix the raw carrots and everything else in a big bowl and then ladled the mixture into my pint jars. I water-bath canned them for 25 minutes because of my altitude and starting with a raw pack.
I want to warn everybody that I do not have an approved method of canning this recipe. I did what seemed reasonable to me based on the acidity of the fluids I added to the marinade. If what I did makes you nervous then take the extra step; pressure can for the appropriate time and pressure.
Today I made Mango and Pineapple Jam; then I made Monkey Butter. The simplest recipe for Mango and Pineapple Jam was found on Food.com by Sharon123. And of course I changed it around a little bit. LOL Here's what I did to the recipe:
2 Cups ripe mangoes, cubed (I used 2 mangoes)
2 cups crushed pineapple (1 20-oz can, undrained)
2 TBSP lemon juice
3 cups sugar
2 TBSP rum (the addition of rum is from another recipe)
1/2 package of sure-jel (optional)
My mangoes were not dead ripe they were firm ripe. (They would have made a great salsa.) So I whizzed them in the food processor until they were finely chopped. Put the mangoes in a large saucepan and cooked for 5 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients, mix well and bring to a boil. Boil rapidly for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring often until thick. After 20 minutes the jam wasn't thick enough to suit me so I added a half package of sure-jel. Boiled for a couple more minutes and like what I was getting so I jarred it up and water-bath canned for 15 minutes.
Notes: You might want to mix in the pineapple, lemon juice and rum; then taste it before adding the sugar 1 cup at a time because I though it was too sweet. My next batch I will be cutting back on the sugar. A blog from the Philippines said that mango jams from the USA had too much sugar in them and I have to agree.
Then it was on to Monkey Butter. I was over at Kris Watson's blog, Simply Living, and she was writing about canning up something she called Monkey Butter. It caught my interest and Kris provided a link to follow back to the recipe. So I follow the link to Brook Hurst Stephens site, learntopreserve.com, and tried her recipe. I sort of followed her recipe. LOL I added about 2 TBSP of rum to the butter after I removed the pan from the heat. It’s all her fault she mentioned Pina Coladas. And I cooked it for 45 minutes because it wasn't as thick as I like butters. I ran the whole mixture through the food processor instead of messing around with a potato masher before cooking. I did wondered if I should have drained the canned pineapple chunks before mixing the pineapple into the bananas. I would also recommend tasting the mixture before adding all the sugar because once again I didn't think it needed to be that sweet.
Tomorrow I'm going to play with tomatoes. You have a good day!
Judy
I liked the looks of the recipe for Spicy Pickled Carrots over at getrichslowly's blog the best. I used half the cloves because I'm not to fond of cloves. I also think she meant 2 1/2 tablespoons of crushed red pepper flakes and I put more fresh ginger in mine because I had it and like it. I only had three jalapenos, so I seeded and deveined to cut the heat, then I cut them into julienne strips. I though five tablespoons of pickling salt too much so I used a half of a teaspoon per jar.
Then I canned Copper Pennies. Copper Pennies is a marinated carrot salad from the late Forties or early Fifties, as I understand it. We had it for the first time in a little Mom-n-Pop's restaurant south n west of us 22 miles. We liked it so well; I came home and Googled the ingredients finding the name and a recipe. I wanted to can a few pints so all I had to do was stick a jar in the fridge, cool it and have a quick something to go with sandwiches.
I used the recipe from cooks.com. I switch out the tomato soup for 1-cup tomato sauce. Cut the sugar and oil in half. I only used 1/2 cup each of the green pepper and onion. I add a 1/2-cup of sliced celery because several recipes I looked at either had celery in them or celery seed. And another couple of things I did was mix the raw carrots and everything else in a big bowl and then ladled the mixture into my pint jars. I water-bath canned them for 25 minutes because of my altitude and starting with a raw pack.
I want to warn everybody that I do not have an approved method of canning this recipe. I did what seemed reasonable to me based on the acidity of the fluids I added to the marinade. If what I did makes you nervous then take the extra step; pressure can for the appropriate time and pressure.
Today I made Mango and Pineapple Jam; then I made Monkey Butter. The simplest recipe for Mango and Pineapple Jam was found on Food.com by Sharon123. And of course I changed it around a little bit. LOL Here's what I did to the recipe:
2 Cups ripe mangoes, cubed (I used 2 mangoes)
2 cups crushed pineapple (1 20-oz can, undrained)
2 TBSP lemon juice
3 cups sugar
2 TBSP rum (the addition of rum is from another recipe)
1/2 package of sure-jel (optional)
My mangoes were not dead ripe they were firm ripe. (They would have made a great salsa.) So I whizzed them in the food processor until they were finely chopped. Put the mangoes in a large saucepan and cooked for 5 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients, mix well and bring to a boil. Boil rapidly for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring often until thick. After 20 minutes the jam wasn't thick enough to suit me so I added a half package of sure-jel. Boiled for a couple more minutes and like what I was getting so I jarred it up and water-bath canned for 15 minutes.
Notes: You might want to mix in the pineapple, lemon juice and rum; then taste it before adding the sugar 1 cup at a time because I though it was too sweet. My next batch I will be cutting back on the sugar. A blog from the Philippines said that mango jams from the USA had too much sugar in them and I have to agree.
Then it was on to Monkey Butter. I was over at Kris Watson's blog, Simply Living, and she was writing about canning up something she called Monkey Butter. It caught my interest and Kris provided a link to follow back to the recipe. So I follow the link to Brook Hurst Stephens site, learntopreserve.com, and tried her recipe. I sort of followed her recipe. LOL I added about 2 TBSP of rum to the butter after I removed the pan from the heat. It’s all her fault she mentioned Pina Coladas. And I cooked it for 45 minutes because it wasn't as thick as I like butters. I ran the whole mixture through the food processor instead of messing around with a potato masher before cooking. I did wondered if I should have drained the canned pineapple chunks before mixing the pineapple into the bananas. I would also recommend tasting the mixture before adding all the sugar because once again I didn't think it needed to be that sweet.
Tomorrow I'm going to play with tomatoes. You have a good day!
Judy
Sunday, January 29, 2012
tangerine update
I finished off the tangerines this evening. We now have tangerine-carrot marmalade, tangerine-ginger marmalade, and tangerine-apricot marmalade as well as the plain old tangerine marmalade from last time.
By the way in all of these recipes I substituted tangerines for the oranges.
The tangerine-apricot marmalade came from theirishmother blog. This is what I did with her recipe:
5 tangerines
8 ounces dried apricots (from my own trees!)
1 lemon
Sugar
Water
Makes about 6 8-ounce jars. (I got 13 half-pint jars.)
Day before:
1. Place the dried apricots in 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil; simmer 20 minutes then let sit for 40 minutes. Pulse in a food processor until chopped chunky. Scrap into stockpot.
2. Slice the tangerines and lemon. Hold up to light and pick out seeds. Cut segments (flesh) away from peelings and place into the stockpot. Put peeling in food processor and whiz around until you have fairly small pieces. Scrap the peeling into the stockpot.
3. Measure combined volume of pulp, juices, peel and apricot mixture. Add half as much water. For instance...if the combined amount of fruit mixture is 8 cups, then add 4 cups water. Put everything back into the stockpot and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 2 hours or until peel is very soft. (Mine only took an hour because of the smallish size of the peel.) Cover and let sit overnight.
Next Day:
4. Measure the peel and liquid. Stir in 3/4 the volume in sugar. For instance, if there is 4 cups fruit mix, then add 3 cups sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly to dissolve sugar. Boil rapidly, stirring often, for 10 to 15 minutes or until marmalade thickens or reaches 220 degrees on a candy thermometer. Test for setting point.
If you do not have a candy thermometer, use the cold-saucer test: Remove the pan from the heat and place a spoonful of hot jam on a chilled plate. Place in the freezer for 1 minute; draw a finger through the jam on the saucer. If the jam does not flow back and fill in the path, it is thick enough. If, after 25 minutes it has not set, stir in 1-tablespoon dry instant fruit pectin.
5. Ladle into sterilized jars to within 1/4 inch of rim then wipe rims. Apply prepared lids and rings; tighten rings just until fingertip-tight.
6. Process jars in a boiling water-bath canner for 10 minutes. Transfer jars to a towel-lined surface and let rest at room temperature until set. Check seals; refrigerate any unsealed jars for up to 3 weeks. It's best if you let it sit for a week.
We didn't let it set a week before trying Hubby and I both liked it. Mine was more a butter than a jam. I think I whizzed the apricots too long as I had more of a puree than chunky.
Next up was the tangerine-ginger marmalade from foodinjars blog. This is what I did with her recipe.
5 tangerines, peeled (save peelings)
6 cups sugar
6-inch piece of fresh ginger peeled and minced finely (From my own ginger plant!)
Juice of 2 lemons
1 packet of sure-jel
I wanted to see if the process was any easier by juicing the tangerines and then whizzing the peelings in the food processor. I ran the peeled tangerines through my juicer and discarded the pulp. Then I ran the peelings through the food processor until they were smallish pieces. The ginger was also run through the food processor until it was finely minced. The peeling was cooked in a stockpot with water to cover for an hour until the peel was tender. Then the sugar, juices, and ginger were added to the pot and boiled 10 minutes. The sure-jel (pectin) was added and boiled another 10 minutes. I think this was a mistake; the marmalade was too firm! I processed the jars in a water-bath canner for 10 minutes. I got 8 half-pint jars.
This marmalade was ginger-spicy to the taste buds. We will see if the taste mellows any with age. I think I used too much ginger and probably should have stayed with a four-inch chunk.
The last marmalade was tangerine-carrot marmalade. I got this recipe from Seasonal Ontario food blog. Here is what I did with this one.
5 tangerines
4 cups grated carrots
1 20oz. Can of crushed pineapple
6 cups sugar
1 package of sure-jel (pectin)
You know how you make that Jell-O salad with orange Jell-O, pineapple, and carrots. Well I decided that instead of lemon I would use pineapple.
I peeled the tangerines and processed them just like I did in the recipe above. Then I put everything in the stockpot but the sure-jel and boiled it for 20 minutes stirring all the while. Then I added the sure-jel and boiled 1 minute longer per the direction on the sur-jel package. Jarred it up and processed it for 10 minutes in a water-bath. The marmalade wasn't real firm like the last recipe as I came up to type this so maybe I should have boiled it longer. I will know for sure when the jars are completely cool. It is pretty tasty though.
Of the four marmalades I have made I like the apricot one the best so far. I will have to let them set and mellow and then try them again to be certain.
Have a good day!
Judy
By the way in all of these recipes I substituted tangerines for the oranges.
The tangerine-apricot marmalade came from theirishmother blog. This is what I did with her recipe:
5 tangerines
8 ounces dried apricots (from my own trees!)
1 lemon
Sugar
Water
Makes about 6 8-ounce jars. (I got 13 half-pint jars.)
Day before:
1. Place the dried apricots in 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil; simmer 20 minutes then let sit for 40 minutes. Pulse in a food processor until chopped chunky. Scrap into stockpot.
2. Slice the tangerines and lemon. Hold up to light and pick out seeds. Cut segments (flesh) away from peelings and place into the stockpot. Put peeling in food processor and whiz around until you have fairly small pieces. Scrap the peeling into the stockpot.
3. Measure combined volume of pulp, juices, peel and apricot mixture. Add half as much water. For instance...if the combined amount of fruit mixture is 8 cups, then add 4 cups water. Put everything back into the stockpot and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 2 hours or until peel is very soft. (Mine only took an hour because of the smallish size of the peel.) Cover and let sit overnight.
Next Day:
4. Measure the peel and liquid. Stir in 3/4 the volume in sugar. For instance, if there is 4 cups fruit mix, then add 3 cups sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly to dissolve sugar. Boil rapidly, stirring often, for 10 to 15 minutes or until marmalade thickens or reaches 220 degrees on a candy thermometer. Test for setting point.
If you do not have a candy thermometer, use the cold-saucer test: Remove the pan from the heat and place a spoonful of hot jam on a chilled plate. Place in the freezer for 1 minute; draw a finger through the jam on the saucer. If the jam does not flow back and fill in the path, it is thick enough. If, after 25 minutes it has not set, stir in 1-tablespoon dry instant fruit pectin.
5. Ladle into sterilized jars to within 1/4 inch of rim then wipe rims. Apply prepared lids and rings; tighten rings just until fingertip-tight.
6. Process jars in a boiling water-bath canner for 10 minutes. Transfer jars to a towel-lined surface and let rest at room temperature until set. Check seals; refrigerate any unsealed jars for up to 3 weeks. It's best if you let it sit for a week.
We didn't let it set a week before trying Hubby and I both liked it. Mine was more a butter than a jam. I think I whizzed the apricots too long as I had more of a puree than chunky.
Next up was the tangerine-ginger marmalade from foodinjars blog. This is what I did with her recipe.
5 tangerines, peeled (save peelings)
6 cups sugar
6-inch piece of fresh ginger peeled and minced finely (From my own ginger plant!)
Juice of 2 lemons
1 packet of sure-jel
I wanted to see if the process was any easier by juicing the tangerines and then whizzing the peelings in the food processor. I ran the peeled tangerines through my juicer and discarded the pulp. Then I ran the peelings through the food processor until they were smallish pieces. The ginger was also run through the food processor until it was finely minced. The peeling was cooked in a stockpot with water to cover for an hour until the peel was tender. Then the sugar, juices, and ginger were added to the pot and boiled 10 minutes. The sure-jel (pectin) was added and boiled another 10 minutes. I think this was a mistake; the marmalade was too firm! I processed the jars in a water-bath canner for 10 minutes. I got 8 half-pint jars.
This marmalade was ginger-spicy to the taste buds. We will see if the taste mellows any with age. I think I used too much ginger and probably should have stayed with a four-inch chunk.
The last marmalade was tangerine-carrot marmalade. I got this recipe from Seasonal Ontario food blog. Here is what I did with this one.
5 tangerines
4 cups grated carrots
1 20oz. Can of crushed pineapple
6 cups sugar
1 package of sure-jel (pectin)
You know how you make that Jell-O salad with orange Jell-O, pineapple, and carrots. Well I decided that instead of lemon I would use pineapple.
I peeled the tangerines and processed them just like I did in the recipe above. Then I put everything in the stockpot but the sure-jel and boiled it for 20 minutes stirring all the while. Then I added the sure-jel and boiled 1 minute longer per the direction on the sur-jel package. Jarred it up and processed it for 10 minutes in a water-bath. The marmalade wasn't real firm like the last recipe as I came up to type this so maybe I should have boiled it longer. I will know for sure when the jars are completely cool. It is pretty tasty though.
Of the four marmalades I have made I like the apricot one the best so far. I will have to let them set and mellow and then try them again to be certain.
Have a good day!
Judy
Monday, January 16, 2012
pickled eggplant
We received an eggplant in our Bountiful Basket. I am not a fan of eggplant in of itself. However, when Angelo's Italian Restaurant was open they had a Chicken Parm Salad on the menu that had pickled eggplant as one of the trimmings. The pickled eggplant was very good, so I've been looking for a recipe for pickled eggplant that tasted as good as Angelo's. I think I have found it! Theresa's Pickled Eggplant from BonTonAnon's you-tube channel. You should watch the you-tube video of this little old Italian grandma make it! Here is a transcript of the information in the video.
Ingredients
4 eggplants (about 4 lbs.)
2 TBSP salt or more
1 quart white vinegar (I used apple cider cause that is what I had handy.)
1 pint water
1/4 cup sugar
Fresh garlic to taste
Hot pepper flakes to taste
Dried oregano to taste
Directions
Chop garlic, peel eggplant. To slice eggplant cut the top off and slice length wise 1/4 inch slices then slice bottom part in 1/4 rounds. Salt eggplant in layers. After salting thoroughly, let the eggplant stand for 4 hours: turn over mixture by hand at least every hour. Boil together for 10 minutes in a covered pan the white vinegar, water, and sugar. Do not reuse this solution make fresh for each full recipe. Drain the eggplant rinse 3 times squeeze out most of the water after the third rinse by picking up 5 or 6 slice and squeezing them between your palms. Place in colander until all are drained and squeezed. Pour drained eggplant in vinegar solution. DO NOT boil for more than 2 and 1/2 minutes. After boiling the eggplant in the vinegar solution place in the colander to drain, but do not squeeze this time. Working quickly pour some olive oil in bottom of jar, add some garlic, hot pepper flakes and oregano. Place 3-4 slices of eggplant in the jars then layer on the oil, garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, and eggplant until the jar is with in a 1/2 inch of top make sure the eggplant is under the oil. Four eggplants will yield about 4 pint. Let stand for a couple of days before eating. This is an open kettle method.
Because I had only one eggplant and I want the portions of garlic, pepper flakes, and oregano a little better spelled out. I keep looking and I found this recipe: Nonna’s Pickled Eggplant from flavorsofitaly's blog. Directions were pretty much the same but for a smaller quantity and the spices were spelled out. The only difference was this recipe said you could store the pickled eggplant in the fridge for two weeks.
3/4 lbs. of eggplant
Salt
3/4 cup vinegar
1 1/2 cups water
4 medium garlic, chopped
Olive oil to cover
1-tsp. red pepper flakes
1 tsp. fresh oregano, chopped
1 TBSP fresh basil, chopped
So here is what I did. I cut my eggplant into sticks like French-fries because that is the way Angelo's served it. I did the 4-hour stand with the salt, then the 3 rinses. I decided I wanted the pickling solution from Theresa's recipe but I cut it in half. A two to one ratio in favor of the vinegar meant that the pH was lower for safer storage. Then I used the spicing amounts in Nonna's recipe except I thought 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes was too much so I cut that back to 1/2 teaspoon. It is very mild and a full teaspoon wouldn't be too much. I also tossed the drained pickled eggplant with the herbs and garlic before putting everything in the jar that had a layer of olive oil in it. It yielded about 3 cups of pickled eggplant and I set mine in the fridge for several days before trying it tonight in a salad with our spaghetti and meat sauce.
If I were going to can some for my pantry, I would use dried herbs, as there have been reports of fresh herbs and botulism. The other thing I would do is water-bath can for about 10 minutes from what I saw in several other recipes, instead of using the open kettle method. But to each their own.
Have a good day!
Judy
Ingredients
4 eggplants (about 4 lbs.)
2 TBSP salt or more
1 quart white vinegar (I used apple cider cause that is what I had handy.)
1 pint water
1/4 cup sugar
Fresh garlic to taste
Hot pepper flakes to taste
Dried oregano to taste
Directions
Chop garlic, peel eggplant. To slice eggplant cut the top off and slice length wise 1/4 inch slices then slice bottom part in 1/4 rounds. Salt eggplant in layers. After salting thoroughly, let the eggplant stand for 4 hours: turn over mixture by hand at least every hour. Boil together for 10 minutes in a covered pan the white vinegar, water, and sugar. Do not reuse this solution make fresh for each full recipe. Drain the eggplant rinse 3 times squeeze out most of the water after the third rinse by picking up 5 or 6 slice and squeezing them between your palms. Place in colander until all are drained and squeezed. Pour drained eggplant in vinegar solution. DO NOT boil for more than 2 and 1/2 minutes. After boiling the eggplant in the vinegar solution place in the colander to drain, but do not squeeze this time. Working quickly pour some olive oil in bottom of jar, add some garlic, hot pepper flakes and oregano. Place 3-4 slices of eggplant in the jars then layer on the oil, garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, and eggplant until the jar is with in a 1/2 inch of top make sure the eggplant is under the oil. Four eggplants will yield about 4 pint. Let stand for a couple of days before eating. This is an open kettle method.
Because I had only one eggplant and I want the portions of garlic, pepper flakes, and oregano a little better spelled out. I keep looking and I found this recipe: Nonna’s Pickled Eggplant from flavorsofitaly's blog. Directions were pretty much the same but for a smaller quantity and the spices were spelled out. The only difference was this recipe said you could store the pickled eggplant in the fridge for two weeks.
3/4 lbs. of eggplant
Salt
3/4 cup vinegar
1 1/2 cups water
4 medium garlic, chopped
Olive oil to cover
1-tsp. red pepper flakes
1 tsp. fresh oregano, chopped
1 TBSP fresh basil, chopped
So here is what I did. I cut my eggplant into sticks like French-fries because that is the way Angelo's served it. I did the 4-hour stand with the salt, then the 3 rinses. I decided I wanted the pickling solution from Theresa's recipe but I cut it in half. A two to one ratio in favor of the vinegar meant that the pH was lower for safer storage. Then I used the spicing amounts in Nonna's recipe except I thought 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes was too much so I cut that back to 1/2 teaspoon. It is very mild and a full teaspoon wouldn't be too much. I also tossed the drained pickled eggplant with the herbs and garlic before putting everything in the jar that had a layer of olive oil in it. It yielded about 3 cups of pickled eggplant and I set mine in the fridge for several days before trying it tonight in a salad with our spaghetti and meat sauce.
If I were going to can some for my pantry, I would use dried herbs, as there have been reports of fresh herbs and botulism. The other thing I would do is water-bath can for about 10 minutes from what I saw in several other recipes, instead of using the open kettle method. But to each their own.
Have a good day!
Judy
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)