Doris and Jilly Cook » Condiments

Spring Loaded Carrot Kimchi

dorisandjilly — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 13:05:56 +0000

Last weekend I pulled up the carrots I had left to overwinter at my community garden. The boards on the raised bed were rotten, and my billy goat had offered to build me a new frame so I could put in my spring seeds. While I was grateful, that meant that I had to rip out everything still in the ground, ready or not. The carrots were a pleasant surprise. When I last checked on them a few weeks ago, they looked small, sad, lonely, and frozen. Turns out a few days of sunshine and warmer weather perked them right up.

We’ve eaten about half of the big ones already, in a slaw, a roasted carrot and beet salad, and as aromatics in yet another lentil stew. The little guys, being too delicate to cook, have found their way into a kimchi. We’re still finding daikon radish at our local farmer’s market, and carrots and radish are a natural pair. This is a quick kimchi that needs only a couple of days instead of the usual three or four to get just the right amount of tang. It’s tasty, too—I’m tempted to buy up all the daikon I can find to have enough to enjoy all summer.

Carrot Daikon Kimchi

Approx. 1/2 lb. carrots, cut into matchsticks (quartered lengthwise if small)
Approx. 1/2 lb. daikon radish, sliced thin (I used the 4 mm blade on my food processor)
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2″ quarter ginger root, shredded
1 dried hot pepper
Scallions, if you have them
4 1/2 T kosher salt
6 c. water

1) Dissolve the salt in the water to make a brine.

2) Combine all the vegetables in a quart-sized, wide-mouthed sterilized jar. You may think they won’t fit, but push.

3) Pour the brine over the vegetables. Remove the air bubbles and convince the vegetables to stay submerged using whatever technique you’d like (I find that a jelly jar filled with brine makes an excellent weight).

4) Put your jar on a saucer (to catch spillover) and let it ferment for 2 to 4 days, depending on your preference, in cool, dark place. You should start seeing bubbles (indicating fermentation) within 12 to 24 hours. Kimchis are happiest when fermenting at 50 to 60°F, but note that the cooler your room, the longer the fermentation will take. Stored in the refrigerator, this will keep at least a month, possibly much longer.

Ask the Goats: Sugar Substitutes

dorisandjilly — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 06:05:24 +0000

Ask the Goats is a semi-regular Monday feature in which we attempt to answer your questions about growing, making, eating, and preserving food. Got a question for the goats? Drop us a line at dorisandjilly@gmail.com.

Q. Can tangerine marmalade be made with Stevia and/or Splenda for people like me who have diabetes?—Deborah

A. You can absolutely make a fruit spread from Stevia, Splenda, or other sugar substitutes. You can also go sugar free. If you want a consistency that in any way resembles a traditional jam or marmalade, however, you’ll need to add some form of pectin. Sugar is essential to the gelling process, so when you reduce or eliminate it, you have to add some other means of structural support. Although I haven’t had much experience with it myself, many low-sugar canners swear by Pomona’s Pectin. Laura at Squirrel it Away! recently posted an extremely helpful piece about her experiences converting her high-sugar recipes to low-sugar jams with the help of Pomona’s Pectin. (Note, though, that hers still include 1/2 c. of honey, which may be too much for you.)

Depending on what sort of artificial sweetener you’d like to use, you’ll probably need to experiment to locate just the right amount. You should also be aware that some artificial sweeteners (I don’t have enough experience with them to know which ones) produce an off-flavor when heated, so you’ll probably want to add your sweetener at the last possible minute before transferring the marmalade to the jars. For ideas, a good place to start would be Norma McRae’s Canning and Preserving Without Sugar.

Finally, remember that sugar is a preservative. While it’s safe to can reduced-sugar or sugar-free fruit products, be aware that they won’t last as long as traditional jams once you open them. You should plan on eating the contents of your jars within a week or two. If you can’t finish them that quickly, you might want to consider smaller jars.

Good luck, and please report back on your results!

Pasta with Pesto and Squash

dorisandjilly — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 14:46:02 +0000

It’s finally time for me to start explaining what on earth I’ve done and/or plan to do with all that food I squirreled away in the basement this summer. The immediate project is to make room in our freezer for some incoming fish and, hopefully (please, Jilly, please?), venison. First order of business? Using up some of the pesto. Pesto freezes beautifully in jelly jars, but jars are freezer hogs. And, um, I need some of those jars for holiday gifts.

So, what to do with it? Put it on pasta, obviously. But it also makes an excellent sandwich spread (particularly with cheese and roasted peppers, also from the freezer), a nice garnish for soup, and a reliable companion for cheese. Pretty much anything you use fresh pesto for, you can use frozen pesto for. Just be sure to check your label to see whether you need to add cheese and nuts.

One last thing, and then on to one of my favorite ways to eat it: don’t be alarmed if the top of the jar has a thin layer or black, or at least darkened, basil. This is a normal effect of oxidation. Depending on how much oil you used, it might not happen at first, but it will if you only use, say, half the jar. It doesn’t affect the taste too much, but if it bothers you, just scrape it off.

On to business!

Pasta with Pesto and Squash

4 oz. frozen pesto, thawed
1 medium butternut squash
1 T. olive oil
Salt
3/4 lb. penne (I like wheat, but whatever floats your boat)
Pecorino Romano or other hard cheese for serving

1. Preheat the oven to 425°. Trim and peel the squash; cut into 3/4″ cubes. Toss the cubes with the oil and a bit of salt and roast for about 25 minutes. You want them chewable and maybe just a touch carmelized, but not burnt. (Throw in some garlic if you want).

2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to boil. When the squash has about 10 minutes to go, start the pasta. Cook until al dente. Drain, reserving about 1/4 c. of pasta water, and return both to the pot.

3. Toss the pasta, the pasta water, the pesto, and the squash. Add more salt and oil if necessary. Serve and top with grated cheese.

Notes: This assumes that you froze your pasta con cheese and nuts. If not, you need to add them. To see this as an opportunity, rather than an annoyance, try varying the cheese. This is particularly nice with goat cheese.

Hot Corn Relish, Yet Again

dorisandjilly — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 18:19:48 +0000

The October CanJam focused on peppers. Though I thought about doing jars and jars of pickled peppers (and in fact put up one basic jar Monday night, following Marisa’s instructions over at Food in Jars), I wanted something more interesting. More creative. More original.

That plan backfired. Instead, I grabbed a jar of hot corn relish from the basement (canned a couple of weeks ago), gussied it up for its close-up, and called it a day. The recipe is the same one I made last year, which is basically a marginally modified version of the Ball Blue Book’s recipe.

I’ve been struggling with the CanJam for a couple of months, but haven’t really been able to put my finger on what was bothering me until now. This was about more than a lack of ideas for peppers. I’ve mentioned before that I’m a fairly utilitarian canner—I put up what we’ll eat and what I’d like to give away. While there’s some room in my cupboard for goodies like lavender lemon fig jam, what I really want is a wall full of canned tomatoes, a shelf of dried peaches, and a freezer full of kale. Food preservation takes a certain amount of time and effort, and I want the things that I preserve to be reliable, predictable, and flexible in their use. Canning carrots for the sake of learning how to carrots (I know, I know, I was the one who announced that train wreck) doesn’t really hold my interest.

Hence my recent somewhat uninspired entries in the CanJam. I like and trust my salsa verde and hot corn relish; therefore, I make them again and again, year after year. I love reading about all the creative and novel things that other people are doing for their entries for the CanJam, but by this time of year all I want to do is to get my canning done. Next year, I’ll go through the various round-ups and pick a few new things to experiment with, and hopefully I’ll find some new favorites.

Don’t mistake me—I’m thrilled that the CanJam has brought together such a fantastic community of online canners, and I’m absolutely loving all the new blogs that the Tigress’s monthly wrap-ups have turned me on to. But I’m very glad there are only two months left. And I don’t want to end up with green ketchup.

So what about you? Still making up new stuff, or back to the tried-and-true?

Hot Zucchini Relish

dorisandjilly — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 13:00:30 +0000

My grandmother used to make and sell the most astonishing hot pepper relish. This isn’t that recipe—some family secrets are meant to be kept—but it’s almost as good. It has a proven track record in winning over zucchini doubters, relish doubters, and hot pickle doubters. It’s also an excellent use for leftover, end-of-season yellow squash and zucchini.

And the best part? Because the liquid component of the syrup is unadulterated vinegar, you can vary the ratio of peppers to zucchini to your little heart’s content without compromising the relish’s safety for water-bath canning. You’re in much greater danger of burning your fingers from the hot peppers than you are of contracting botulism. If you’re sensitive, be sure to wear gloves while handling the peppers.

One other thing: in honor of my late grandmother, this hot and sweet. Feel free to cut the sugar by as much as half if that’s not your thing.

Hot Zucchini Relish

Approx. 2 pounds zucchini or yellow squash, shredded
Approx. 1/2 pound onions, shredded
Approx. 1 1/2 pound peppers, combination of sweet and hot, shredded
2 c. white or raw sugar
2 c. cider or white vinegar
2 T kosher salt
1 T mustard seed

1) Make your life easier by shredding everything in a food processor. Trust me on this.

2) Combine the sugar, vinegar, salt, and mustard seeds in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add in the vegetables and simmer 10 minutes.

3) Meanwhile, prepare a boiling water bath and sterilize 4 pint jars* and lids. Transfer the hot relish into the hot jars and adjust the two-piece lids. Process in a boiling-water bath for 10 minutes.

I made my version with cider vinegar, white onions, and about equal parts (by weight) sweet and hot peppers. The hots ranged from a relatively mild serrano to three surprisingly hot banana peppers and a couple of cayenne. I could stand in the kitchen, eating this on crackers, all afternoon.

*Note: I will swear up and down that this made 4 half-pints for me, but everyone else is getting 4 pints. Maybe my scale’s off? Maybe I was typing the recipe from another dimension? In any case, thanks for the feedback!

A Peach Chutney for Picnics

dorisandjilly — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 14:36:35 +0000

With the gorgeous fall weather we’ve been having, shouldn’t the chutney get to go outside, too? Having simmered on the stove for more than two hours, I thought it deserved a moment of sunshine before being banished to a dark corner of the basement. Next time it sees the light of day it will be tucked neatly into a cheese sandwich, on its way to lunch in the park.

This is a versatile, dependable chutney. Last year, I tossed in a lime. This time, for the September CanJam, I went with a more stripped-down version. No lime, no garlic, minimal ginger. And—because it had become increasingly clear that I was never going to use them any other way—I used dried gooseberries instead of raisins . . . but you should feel free to stick to raisins, or even currants. Given the amount of sugar and vinegar in this recipe, it’s fairly flexible and safe to make with other stone fruits, apples, and pears.

Peach Chutney

7 1/2 pounds peaches, peeled and coarsely chopped (or even squeezed)
1 pound raisins, currants, or dried gooseberries
3 3/4 c. cider vinegar
1 1/2 pound brown sugar
3 T mustard seeds
1 cinnamon stick
1 whole clove
5 small fresh hot peppers, chopped
2 large onions, chopped
1″ piece of ginger, peeled and minced

1) Toss everything into a very large pot. This will need to cook for a long time, so you’re looking for your thickest, heaviest pot to ensure even heat distribution. Stir everything together and bring rapidly to a boil. Turn the heat town to medium and walk away. Occasionally return to stir a bit. Cook for about 2 hours, or until everything is gooey and a deep, dark brown.

2) Meanwhile, heat a boiling-water bath. Prepare your jars and lids. I needed 6 pints (actually 5 pints and 2 half-pints, for gifts). When the chutney is ready, transfer the hot chutney to hot jars. Adjust the two-piece lids and process for 15 minutes in the boiling-water bath.

Poor Man’s Pesto

dorisandjilly — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 14:30:36 +0000

Has anyone else noticed the skyrocketing cost of pine nuts, when you can find them at all? The going rate in Philadelphia seems to be somewhere around $25/pound. I think I’m not the only one with this problem—I noticed that the pesto at my local “boutique” grocery is made from pecans, not pine nuts.

Yet no one seems to have informed the basil that pesto is unaffordable. This is the time to freeze basil for winter. So, what’s a goat to do?

You’ve got two options, depending on your optimism about the pine nut market. Option 1 is to freeze your pesto without the nuts, on the hopes that prices will drop sometime this fall or winter. Most instructions for freezing pesto tell you to do this anyway, I guess on the theory that the nuts could turn rancid and ruin your pesto. I’ve never had this problem, but maybe the current pine nut shortage is a good time to follow the “official” advice of freezing pesto sans nuts and cheese. It’s basically a puree of basil and olive oil, and it certainly keeps well.

Options 2 is to follow the lead of the commercial pesto producers and use a different nut. I’ve been using walnuts, as I find them slightly “meatier” (and therefore more pine-nut like) than pecans, but you can experiment with whichever nuts you find most appealing. Whatever kind of nuts you choose, though, make sure that they’re raw and unsalted. Contrary to most of the “official” recommendations, I’ve had no problems with the quality of frozen pesto, with nuts and cheese, so long as I use it within the year.

And as for what freeze to them in? This is the perfect use any non-Mason canning jars you’ve found among your stash, and you can even close it up with a used canning lid. Yee-haw! Just remember that this time, you’ll need to store the jars with the rings, since there’s nothing holding on the lid otherwise.

Poor Man’s Pesto

2 c. fresh basil leaves
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 c. walnut pieces
2/3 c. extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 c. shredded Pecorino Romano or Parmesean cheese (pecorino is less expensive, but saltier)
Salt to taste

To freeze (or eat!) as is: Pulse the basil, garlic, and walnut pieces in a food processor. Add the olive oil in a steady stream. Remove from the food processor and stir in the cheese. Salt to taste.

To freeze without nuts and cheese: Do the same, but omitting the nuts and cheese, adding them only when you thaw the basil puree. Be sure to label your container so that you know what to add, come January.

Ask the Goats: Canning Salsa

dorisandjilly — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 13:05:29 +0000

Ask the Goats is a weekly feature in which we, your loyal goats, attempt to answer your questions about growing, making, eating, and preserving food. Send us your questions at dorisandjilly@gmail.com.

Q. I am new at canning! My confusion comes from this: I make my own fire roasted salsa. I fire roast the fresh tomatoes, chiles and garlic cloves. I blacken all of these then blend together. All I add for seasoning is salt. I want to can this mixture, but I’m not sure if I have to add an acid? I really don’t want to change the flavor. What do I do? Should I use a water caner or pressure caner? And for how long do I process this? —KP.

A. Alas, KP, no, this recipe is probably not safe as is. Most fresh salsa recipes are not safe for canning in a boiling-water bath unless you add a significant quantity of acid. The issue with water-bath canning is always whether your final product will have a pH of 4.6 or less (remember, the stronger the acid, the lower the pH). Tomatoes are borderline, and chiles and garlic are definitely low acid. When you can a salsa, you’re basically making a relish: chopped vegetables doused in acid. How much acid you need to add will depend on the exact ratio of tomatoes to chiles to garlic.

My best advice would be to compare your recipe to an approved recipe for regular salsa (you’re unlikely to find one for roasted) and adjust accordingly. The National Center for Home Food Preservation has one that’s 50/50 tomatoes and chiles and uses a total of 1 1/2 vinegar for 6 cups of vegetables. I’ve also developed a recipe for roasted tomato salsa that I believe to be safe for water-bath canning. It’s mostly tomatoes, with a few onions and dried peppers. It includes 1/2 c. lime juice for 8 pounds of tomatoes, which works out to about 1 T. per half-pint, which is twice the normal tomato acidification rule (1 T. lemon juice per pint). I’ve seen similar recommendations for acidifying tomato sauce that includes onions, so this should be enough to keep it safe.

I wouldn’t recommend pressure canning a tomato salsa, even a roasted one. Water-bath processing times vary somewhat, but the most common recommendations call for boiling your salsa for 10 minutes before transferring to the jars, followed by 15 minutes in a boiling water bath.

Salsa Verde Safe for the Water-Bath

dorisandjilly — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 02:13:25 +0000

For the August canjam, I made what I made almost exactly a year ago today: salsa verde. And because I am creature of habit, I’ll say pretty much what I said in last year’s post: there are shockingly few published instructions available for canning tomatillos. Most of these recipes treat tomatillos like tomatoes, adding acid, and they treat salsa verde like regular tomato salsa, adding onions. But here’s the thing. Being a stubborn goat, I don’t like either of these preparations. I like a salsa verde that’s pretty much tomatillos, water, and a jalapeno or poblano pepper or two.

So what is a goat to do? Turn to Twitter, of course. Last year, zoecancan was kind enough to point me to an incredibly helpful article in the peer-reviewed journal Plant Foods for Human Nutrition. Since it’s behind a paywall, I’ve reproduced the abstract below:

Three studies were conducted to evaluate the safety of tomatillos and products containing tomatillos canned by the water-bath processing method. In the first study, plain tomatillos were processed for 25, 37.5, 50 and 62.5 min. In the second study, five tomatillo/onion combinations were prepared while five tomatillo/green chile combinations were prepared in the third study. pH evaluations were conducted to determine safety in all studies using pH 4.2 as the cut-off value. No differences in the pH of plain tomatillos were detected due to processing time. All jars of plain tomatillos had pH values below 4.1. All combinations of tomatillos/onions and tomatillos/green chile containing more than 50% tomatillo had pH values below the 4.2 cut-off value. Results of the three studies indicate (1) acidification of plain tomatillos is probably unnecessary for canning by the water-bath processing method and (2) combinations of acidic tomatillos and low-acid onions or green chile must contain more than 50% tomatillos to have a pH low enough for safe water-bath processing.

So, based on this, I feel pretty comfortable saying that it’s safe to water-bath can this version of salsa verde, or in fact any version of salsa verde where the quantity of tomatillos (by weight) exceeds the combined weight of onions and/or peppers and herbs. The acid safety cut-off is a pH of 4.6, so at 4.1, this is plenty acidic (remember that a lower pH means higher acidity).

For the recipe, along with instructions for water-bath canning (for the scientific), pressure canning (for the conservative), or freezing (for the squeamish), click here. This time, 2 pounds made 4 half-pints. It scales up, so, if you’ve got a bushel full of tomatillos, knock yourself out!

Sour Cherry Heaven

dorisandjilly — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 13:05:10 +0000

Sour cherries are one of those ephemeral gifts of nature: if everything goes right, and it’s not too hot, or too cold, and it rains just enough, but not too much, and it doesn’t hail, cherry growers (and eaters) are rewarded with about two weeks of sweet-tart perfection. Because they are so precious, I had never tried to preserve them before this year—I have yet to arrive at the U-Pick the appropriate week, and they’re quite expensive at my local farmer’s market in Clark Park. Last year, though, Marisa over at Food in Jars gave me a rather extraordinary jar of her sour cherry preserves. I wanted some of my own, and, by God, I was going to have some.

But then I went on vacation and missed the harvest at Mood’s. Yet again.

Oh well, I thought. Isn’t eating locally all about learning that food is all about timing?

But to my surprise, some of our market’s Pennsylvania farmers showed up with a few boxes of sour cherries. I bought three pints for $3 each and dived in. I ended up with 4 pints of absolutely divine sour cherry preserves, then promptly opened one jar back up to serve to friends. And next year, I’ll pick my own and can all I want. Really.

Sour Cherry Preserves

3 pints sour cherries, pitted
2 1/2 c. sugar
Juice of one lemon
1 T real vanilla (or use a bean)
1 cinnamon stick

1) Combine all of the ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil. This is never going to gel, but bring it close to the gelling point. I used a candy thermometer and cooked it to 214°F (at sea level). Fish out the cinnamon stick and the vanilla bean, if you’re using them, and turn off the heat.

2) Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil and prepare 4 half-pint jars. Prepare your lids. Transfer the hot preserves to the hot jars and adjust the two-piece lids. Process in a boiling-water bath for 10 minutes.