Canning - Good for the Soul

I'm a firm believer in the saying "a family that eats together, stays together."  It seems that in today's society we get so busy that all too often that important hour of sitting around a table with the ones you love is lost to various activities and fast food that can be gobbled on the go.  Along the same line of sharing a meal is the activity of canning...at least in my book.  There is something special about taking a raw ingredient and morphing it into something yummy that can be canned and eaten later.  What's even better than eating what you canned is the fun discussion remembering the evening you spent working on the project.

I HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO CAN! - Yes we have all been there, and trust me....canning is not difficult.  With this new fangled thing called the internet, you can find all kinds of guides, recipes and directions on how to can...so the basics are super easy to find.  If you like old school methods...buy a book, there are plenty out there that are great for beginners.  I'm fortunate to have a canning book that was written in the 1940's left to me by my grandmother that gave me the basics.  You will have to make an investment in the basic equipment, and being the nice guy I am...here's a link:

https://www.lehmans.com/p-1188-beginners-home-canning-kit.aspx?utm_medium=shoppingengine&utm_source=googlebase&utm_campaign=1188&gclid=CPuc8bae17gCFUkV7Aod_QsAXg

Once you have the basics, try your hand at Jelly or Jam.  Pickles in all forms are very easy and only get better the longer they sit!

There are two types of canning methods, Hot Water Bathing and Pressure Canning.  I can items that can be canned in the Hot Water Bath method.  Items that work for this are jams, jellies, pickles etc.  Basically anything that is packed in sugar or has a high acid content will work well in the Hot Water Bathing method.  Pressure Canning requires different equipment, but will allow you to can items that are not high in acid like meats, beans, etc.  To be sure what items require what type of canning, refer to your basics book or the recipe you are following.

So last nights canning project was Peaches.  This is the time of year when they are in season and super inexpensive to buy.  So for a dollar a pound, we canned these:

I really encourage you to try your hand at canning.  It's not only good food for the taste, but for the soul as well.  Make some memories with the ones you love!

Green Tomatillo Pulled Pork

So if you are looking for a pretty easy recipe that feeds LOTS of people, here's an idea.

1 Pork Butt Roast Bone In
10-12 Tomatillos
4 garlic cloves
1 onion
4-6 Jalapeño Peppers depending on how much heat you want
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup water
1-2 tbsp Oilve Oil
Salt and Pepper

Liberally salt and pepper the pork butt on all sides.  Pre-head a large skillet and add in the olive oil.  Brown the Roast on all sides, getting a nice brown crust on the meat.  While it's browning, in a blender add the tomatillos, paper removed and quartered, the garlic, onion cumin water, salt and pepper.  Blend to a smooth mixture.

Once the meat is nicely browned and has good color, transfer it to a crock pot (if you want worry free cooking during the day).   Pour the tomatillo mixture over the meat, cover and cook on low.  This will take around 8 hours to cool, raising the temp to high for the last 1-2 hours.  Meat should be fork tender.  If you prefer to cook this in the oven, do the same procedure but cook in a dutch over for about 3 hours at 325 degrees.   Check to see if it's fork tender at that point.

Once cooked. remove the meat to a platter.  At this point I pull some of it for taco's or slider type sandwiches, or, you can simply slice into larger pieces and serve it as it is.  I like to remove as much of the fat as possible to clean up the presentation.

The liquid that is in the crock pot needs to be defatted.  Using a defatting pitcher I get rid of as much of the fat as possible then return the sauce to the crock pot.  If I shred the pork, I put it back in this sauce and serve it for sandwiches or taco's.  If I serve this as a roast, I use some of that sauce, reduce it in a sauce pan, add a bit of cream and use it as a pan sauce.

No real rules to this preparation...it's just a yummy way to make a meal that can be used throughout the week.

Portello's Chocolate Cake

So when I was last in Chicago for work one of my co-workers brought in a chocolate cake from Portello's.  He announced to everyone that this is the best cake on the planet and we should all try some.  He then informed me that it was made with Mayonnaise instead of butter.  Skeptical, I tried a piece and was shocked on how yummy it was.  You will find through this blog that I am not a baker and will rarely post baked goods recipes, but this one is worth a peek.  I'm not sure if I will post a pic of my finished product because that would require cake frosting techniques that I most likely don't have.  This is what it's supposed to look like:

Here is mine:

INGREDIENTS

• 1 box Betty Crocker Devil’s Food Cake
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup ice cold water
• 1 cup mayo
• 2 cans Betty Crocker chocolate frosting

DIRECTIONS

1. Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees and grease (2) nine inch cake pans
2. In the bowl of your mixer, combine cake mix, eggs, water, and mayo on low speed for 30 seconds, then mix on high for about 4 minutes.
3. Split the batter evenly between the two cake pans.
4. Place in the oven for about 30-32 minutes, or until a tooth pick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
5. Allow the cakes to rest for about 5 minutes, then transfer them out of the pans, and onto wire cooling racks to cool for about an hour.
6. Place one of the cakes on a plate and spread about 3/4 of one jar of frosting on the top of the cake. Place the second cake on top and use the remaining frosting (1 1/4 jars) to coat the top of the cake, and the sides. 

Peaches are here!

I just love the time of year when all the Summer fruits make their way to the markets.  Peaches are one of my favorite products to not only make cobblers with but to can as well.  Yesterday I picked up a few peaches, peeled, diced and make a few individual cobblers.  I usually keep cobblers like this pretty simple, then make a topping of whatever sounds good.  Yesterday it was a brown sugar and oat mixture.  Serve with some whip cream or a bit of ice cream!

Enjoy the Summer Fruit while it's here! 

Ratatouille

This has been one of my favorite things to make for many years.  My version has:

3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 Onion
2 Med Sized Zucchini Squash
1 Med Sized Eggplant
1 large can of diced tomatoes
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp ground coriander
Salt and Pepper to taste

Medium dice the onion squash eggplant (peeled)  for about 5-10 minutes.  Add salt pepper, coriander and basil along with the can of tomato.  Saute a few more minutes, then cover and let simmer until soft and tomatoes are cooked.  Don't overcook till it's completely mushy, leave some body to the veggies.

I serve this at room temperature along with whatever main dish i might be cooking.  Its fresh, light and perfect for summer!

Russian Dill Pickles

Greetings everyone

So last evening I gathered up all the cucumbers we have harvested and dove into making Russian Dill Pickles I searched the internet and found the following:

http://www.cooks.com/recipe/8j87y2zz/russian-dill-pickles.html

I have no idea how they will taste, but they look pretty in the jar!

Simple Appetizer

So when we were in Rockport a couple weeks ago, this little shop was selling all kinds of flavored salts.  They had Truffle Salt, Saffron Salt, Smoked Salt...and the list goes on.  To sample these salts they took small grape tomatoes, tossed them in a very little bit of olive oil and had them in a bowl with toothpicks.

If you are looking for a super easy snack to set out that gives the appearance of elegance.
..give this a try.  Get some small shallow dishes for a few types of interesting salts surrounding the larger bowl of grape tomatoes.  Set out your toothpicks for folks to spear the tomatoes, then watch as your company enjoys this simple snack.  It's easy, healthy and oh so yummy!

To Brine or not to Brine

Ok, so if one was to visit Wikipedia you would find:

Brining

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In cooking, brining is a process similar to marination in which meat or poultry is soaked in brine before cooking.[1] Equal parts sugar and salt are added to cold water in a container, where the meat is soaked usually six to twelve hours. The amount of time needed to brine depends on the size of the meat. More time is needed for a large turkey compared to a broiler fryer chicken. Similarly with a large roast versus a thin cut of meat.

Brining makes cooked meat moister by hydrating the cells of its muscle tissue before cooking, via the process of osmosis, and by allowing the cells to hold on to the water while they are cooked, via the process of denaturation.[1] The brine surrounding the cells has a higher concentration of salt than the fluid within the cells, but the cell fluid has a higher concentration of other solutes.[1] This leads salt ions to diffuse into the cell, whilst the solutes in the cells cannot diffuse through the cell membranes into the brine. The increased salinity of the cell fluid causes the cell to absorb water from the brine via osmosis.[1] The salt introduced into the cell also denatures its proteins.[1] The proteins coagulate, forming a matrix that traps water molecules and holds them during cooking. This prevents the meat from dehydrating.

For many years I never brined anything, I suppose because i was too afraid to try it.  After reading a recipe that said mix a bunch of salt and sugar together with water, I was worried the meat would take on a completely different taste.  Well, fast forward many years, and I'm please to share that I'm a complete convert.  Difficult meats to keep moist like pork tenderloin, pork loin, chops, and chicken breasts, do amazingly well in this process.  I'm always pleased with I serve a brined meat product and my guest comments on how moist the end result is.  So, here is a basic brine recipe that I use for most everything.  

1/2 cup sugar (white or brown)

1/2 cup salt

2 cups of water

4 cups of ice cubes

I dissolve the sugar and salt over heat to incorporate the ingredients into the water.  It's at this point where you can add your own additional flavoring ingredients like peppercorns, bay leaves, garlic.  Be creative...there are no rules here.  Once dissolved I pour the hot liquid over the ice to cool it down.  If you would rather just use the 4 cups of water instead of the ice part, remember to completely cool down your liquid before using it.  Once cool, I put in the meat and let is sit for about 8 hours.  Your results will be worth the extra step!  

Here's the chops I made last evening:  

Menu:  Grilled Double Chops with a mushroom mustard cream sauce.  Served with grilled asparagus and risotto.  

Pickles

Well I have cucumbers that are growing like crazy in the back yard.  I'm motivated to make some pickles this week and am on the hunt for a really yummy brine to put them in.  I remember making Russian Dills a long time ago, but that recipe is long gone.  Here's a pic of yesterdays harvest.

Sausage and Veg Frittata

Happy Sunday

After a week of traveling for work and being away from home and home cooked meals, it's nice to be relaxing on a Sunday morning.  The Veggie garden has begun to supply us with endless supplies of  squash, cucumbers, jalapeno peppers and soon to be grape tomatoes.  This morning a Frittata sounded yummy so I decided to take some fresh squash along with onion, sausage, ham and grated cheddar to make today's creation.

1/2 white onion
1 Beef Sausage fully cooked
2 slices of smoked ham
1 small zucchini squash diced
3/4 cup of grated cheddar cheese
6 eggs
salt and pepper
1/4 teaspoon thyme
pinch of round red pepper
1/4 cup milk
1/4 panko bread crumbs

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.  Saute onion, sausage, ham and squash in a non-stick pan that is oven proof.  Cook until there is some color on the mixture.  In another bowl mix together the eggs, milk, bread crumbs salt pepper and thyme.  Once the mixture is cooked, add the egg mixture to it along with 1/2 the cheese.  Stir together then top with the remainder of the cheese. Bake for about 20 min until it's set.  Slice and serve with a good toasted bread and some fruit!