Char-Roasted Pickled Peppers
August 12, 2012
I am back. This last month I took an unexpected, but much needed break from many of the details of my life, including keeping My Pantry Shelf full of new pictures and recipes. After many anxious months, I finally had my chance at desperately needed back surgery. The weeks that followed proved that I am not very good at resting (big surprise). Luckily my incredibly generous and talented friends stepped in to make sure that my family and I were eating in style. They dropped off pot pies and meatloafs, quiches and casseroles, salads and a notable tub of pad thai from my friend at Make Room. It felt so indulgent to lie around while others fed me, but I could not be more grateful for the support. The flip side of course was that I was hardly cooking at all and certainly nothing “blog-worthy”. Then we took off for a couple of weeks of true rejuvenation in the best place on earth (no- not Disneyland, how could that be rejuvenating?). Now I am back. Back to my energetic, pain-free, and most importantly happy self. It is good to be me…again. Read the rest of this entry »
Strawberry Freezer Jam
July 15, 2012
Delicious strawberry jam can be elusive. The standard jam-making technique of cooking down fruit and sugar until the mixture achieves a jell generally does not work with strawberries. All the fresh sweetness of the ripe fruit converts into an overly sweet darkened mash when cooked. Not bad, but definitely not one of my family’s favorites. Mixed with other fruits, it does not seem to be a problem. The strawberries added to Three Berry Jam only add to the complex fruitiness of the mix. Slow roasting the strawberries is another option, as I have done in this Strawberry Rhubarb Jam. To capture the simple delight of strawberries though, the trick is not to cook them at all.
Strawberry Freezer Jam is perhaps the simplest jam I have made. Starting with fresh ripe strawberries in season, they are simply cut, mashed, and mixed with a simple syrup mixed with pectin. That is it, no additional cooking. As the pectin cools, it jells. Now since this jam is not cooked, it is not safe for shelf storage. It can be stored in the refrigerator for a few weeks and for a year in the freezer. It is so quick and easy I literally made it while my kids ate their lunch one day. Since there is no boiling jam it also does not heat up the house like other jam making might. My daughter took over the job of filling the jars. We capped them off, labeled them with the name of the jam and the date, and we were done. What a perfect way to preserve the fresh taste of strawberries for the winter ahead. It would also be a great jam recipe for someone who is new to jam making and does not want to deal with the sterilization and processing required to safely make other types of jams.
This post is linked with Grow It, Cook It, Can It’s Cook It 2012. Check that site shortly for a roundup of great jam making posts.
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Asian Plum Sauce (and the winner is…)
July 6, 2012
It is unfortunate that so many types of condiments are readily available at the supermarket. Being able to walk down an aisle and toss in a jar of jam, bottle of ketchup, or any number of types of hot sauce distracts the collective “us” from the fact that none of these products are as good as we can make in our own kitchens. This point is only magnified when looking into imported ethnic condiments. There is the allure of some tasty sauce shipped in from around the world and many cooks (including myself) can sometimes lack confidence when branching out to culinary styles not grounded in our continent of birth. One look at the ingredient list of these foods though and we are reminded of the uncertain quality of foods with mysterious origin.
All of these complicated thoughts were running through my mind the other day when I happened upon Sherri Brooks Vinton’s recipe for Asian Plum Sauce in her book Put “em Up. I am a firm believer that a high quality condiment can transform an ordinary meal into something special. Since plums are literally falling from the trees right now, there is no better time to capture that goodness in this deeply spiced tangy sauce. The directions for canning the sauce are included, this sauce is sure to taste even better on a rainy or snowy day in February than it does now when these fruity tastes are so abundant. I also included the half batch proportions, because I can see whipping up this sauce in advance of my next eggroll party. What? You have never had an eggroll party before? Me either, but it sure sounds like fun to me!
And now for the winner of the Canning Supplies Give Away… Kalamckala from Eating on a Napkin is the lucky winner. She says, “I’m a newbie with the whole canning and preserving thing but I made an apricot preserve with vanilla and cinnamon – I may have fallen for the entire process! I only hope to can more and more this summer! ” It sounds like these supplies will be put to good use! Thank you to everyone who commented! There are so many great ideas in the comments of that post. Check them out and get inspired!
Generator Min: 1 Max: 57 Result: 52 Powered by RANDOM.ORG
*A note about the winner selection. There were 69 comments total, 12 were my responses. Since it would be strange for me to win my own prize, I used a random number generator to select a random number between 1 and 57. 1 was the first comment and 57 the last.
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Quick Pickled Spring Vegetables
April 25, 2012
One trip to the Farmers’ Market is enough to know that spring is truly here. Mounds of fava beans, pea shoots, and strawberries compete for space with kale, beets, and last season’s potatoes. My kids and I headed over last weekend to pick up some fresh foods and the obligatory honey sticks. When we returned home, our house was unpleasantly warm thanks to unseasonably sultry weather. It may have been too hot to cook, but it was the perfect temperature to put together some quick refrigerator pickles.
Pickled Spring Vegetables are an Asian-inspired quick pickle. Quick pickles are a fantastic use for all sorts of vegetables and do not require time or canning equipment. I used Easter egg radishes, fresh nantes carrots, and leeks from our trip to the market, though you could also use cucumbers, onions, daikon radishes, or just about any other vegetable you want to pickle. The brine is based on rice wine vinegar and lime juice that tempers the sweetness. These pickles have hints of flavor from slices of ginger, garlic and cilantro. Slice up the veggies and pour over the brine. The pickles will be ready to eat in under an hour. Letting them sit overnight will intensify the flavor, if they last that long.
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Pickled Beets with Cumin
March 22, 2012
Pickled Beets with Cumin. Who would have thought that such a short list of ingredients could produce a condiment with so much flavor, texture, and interest? After making these for the first time, I have been determined to keep the refrigerator stocked with them ever since. A huge thanks to Linda Ziedrich to introducing me to this recipe via The Joy of Pickling.
To prepare, roast the beets until just tender. Peel and dice them into small chunks, then drown them in red wine vinegar infused with peppercorns, salt, and of course cumin. Cap them off and keep them in the refrigerator. Letting them sit at least a few days will allow the flavors to meld. They will keep up to 3 weeks.
These tasty chunks of beet are fantastic on their own, but pair them with feta and you have a very tasty snack. Toss a few in the salad along with the vinegar and finish up with a drizzle of olive oil for an easy salad dressing. There are probably a million more ways to eat these, but the beets never stick around long enough for me to dream up new ideas. How will you eat them?
My Pantry Shelf 