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23
Jul 10

Tigress’ Can Jam | Linda’s Gingery Watermelon Pickles (July)

yeah… this has been a weird one…


As always, I was soooo excited to do this month’s canning.  When I first read that we were entering the cucurbit world, I got all goofy about it.  It wasn’t even hot enough in LA to fully enjoy the refreshing goodness of watermelons, but I was buying and eating.  And the canning of the rind was what I wanted to do.

I liked both Linda Ziedrich’s The Joy of Pickling and Bryant Terry’s Vegan Soul Kitchen recipes for the rind, but couldn’t decide between them.  Then, things got complicated.  Well, the discussion of race in the country and under my window took over.

I started avoiding my rind and avoiding this post.  I’m not sure if I’ve ever shied away from eating watermelon in diverse company, but I wasn’t finding the nuanced, fun way to talk about watermelon, race and my canning of the lovely rind.  The week started getting heavier than I expected.  Then, it just got away from me.

I’ll come back and update over the weekend with more.  I think I’ll be on the other side of this.

Gingery Watermelon Pickles
adapted from Linda Ziedrich’s The Joy of Pickling

1/8 cup pickling salt
2 cups of water
3 cups of rind

syrup
1/2 lemon, thinly sliced
1/2 cinnamon stick
1/4 teaspoon whole cardamom seeds
1/4 teaspoon whole cloves
1/2 inch piece of fresh ginger sliced
1/2 cup of water
1/2 cup of white wine vinegar
1 cup of sugar

Hellllllo! Eat your watermelon down to the rind.  Pink, be gone.  Removed the green skin.  I used a veg peeler.  Cut up your rind into bite size pieces.  In a bowl, dissolve the salt in 2cups of water.  Add the rind and let it soak for 6 to 12 hours.  I let it soak overnight.

Drain and rinse the rind a few times.  Then, in a non-reactive pot, cover the rind with cold water.  Bring the water to a boil, then let it simmer for 5 min.  Drain the rind and set it aside.

Make a goody pouch from cheesecloth.  Tie up the spices, ginger and lemon.  Add it, along with the water, vinegar and sugar to the pot.  Bring it to a boil, then lower the temp to let the syrup simmer for 5 minutes.  Now, don’t forget to stir, stir, stir.  When the syrup is ready, take it off the heat and add the rind.  Let it sit in the syrup for 12 to 24 hours at room temp.

Prep and sterilize 3 .25L or 1/2 pint jars.  Bring the rind and syrup to a boil.  Then, turn down the heat and simmer until the rind is translucent.  Remove the goody pouch.  Fill jars and water bath process for 10 minutes.

NikkiBits: Linda’s recipe calls for a whole lot more watermelon than I’ve got space for or will carry.  So I’ve tweaked it with my old math skills, but kept it a little heavy on the lemon.

What’s Next: I’m in love. That’s good, right?  Okay, I’m always in love, but whatever.  Next, I need to make Bryant’s Citrus & Spice Pickled Watermelon Rind.

So.  Right.  This weekend.  Let’s maybe revisit this thing.

Nikki♥

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17
Jul 10

Market.Watch | Golden Opportunities Missed

i miss going to the market…

I forgot to eat the beets...

Okay.  Let me be specific.  I miss going to the farmers’ market around the corner from my house on Friday afternoons.

I’m planning on going to Hollywood tomorrow morning.  But, well, that’s tomorrow.  And that’s always the plan.

Nikki♥

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12
Jul 10

Mmmm Hmmm | That Jerk Chicken

it’s been a week since we met…

I WANT MOOOOOORRREEEEEE!  Oh, and the watermelon soaked in soju.  Ummm, yeah.  Nice.

As you can see, I’m back on the bird.  Kinda scary cause I was on the bone, too.  I have never, evah, sucked on a chicken bone in my life.  Lawd, the jerk seasoning was kinda worth the awkward moments after.

Nikki♥

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25
Jun 10

Tigress’ Can Jam | Whole Churry Preserves (June)

ummm, that’s the way it’s supposed to be spelled.

Okay.  So I’ve been missing the Mid-Atlantic States a bit lately.  With Pressure Cooker out on dvd  and the new season of Top Chef in DC,  I was thinking about what makes the whole area from VA to PA feel like home.

In many ways, it’s just hearing people speak.  It amazes me how happy I get when I hear people with the super regional accents or the ones where the smallest thing will give them away.  I kind of even watch old episodes of Homicide and The Wire just to get a little taste of a place not far from where I grew up.

One of the mainstays of Go-Go, Little Benny, passed away recently.  Along with hip-hop, it was the music I heard in the halls and lunch rooms during school.  My eyes may have rolled a bit growing up, now it just makes me smile.

Watching old interviews and a Go-Go doc from the 80s made me cringe and wistful at the same time.  All these really super specific DC things come to the fore.  There is a way of saying words that end in -ry that is SOoooo home to me.  Really, it’s r and vowels, but whatever.   It’s like very becomes vuurry like in snow flurry, with a heavy emphasis on the urr.

So in honor of the DC Metro area (urrreeeuhhh), I made Whole Churry Preserves.

Whole Churry Preserves

Adapted  from Georgeanne Brennan’s The Glass Pantry

2 lbs of ripe sweet cherries

3/12 c of sugar

2 c water

Clean cherries.  Remove stems.  Pit by gently squeezing each cherry until the pit pops out.  {My fingers were stained such a lovely color last night.  Ahhh, but the red tint was all gone by morning.}  Add the sugar and water to a heavy bottomed non-reactive pot.   Stir occasionally for 5 or so minutes to allow sugar to dissolve.

Add cherries and bring to a boil.  Then, reduce to low heat and let simmer for 1 ¾ hours.  After 1 ½ hours, raise the temp to med-low.

Since cherries are low low low on the natural pectin totem pole, Georgeanne suggests a long slow cooking time to get them to the jell point.  She suggests starting to test after 45minutes.

Wash and sterilize jars.  When cherries are ready, remove from heat.  Skim and discard any foamy bits from the surface.  Ladle into jar.  Process for 10 minutes.

The NikkiBits: The recipe yields 4 pints.  I got ummm 2.  But that probably has more to do with my nibbling tendencies.  Mmmm, churries.  If I had any of that Amarretto from last month left, I’d have used a little of that, too.

What’sNext: You know I’ve been avoiding the pectin purchase.  That’s going to have to stop.  Hello.  What were my preserves like this morning?  Can you say loosey-goosey still sloshy?  Seriously, I’m heading to the store and we’ll tighten things up tonight.

It’s interesting to see my appreciation for fresh fruits and vegetables develop even more as our canning challenge continues.   It also makes me think more about growing up on the east coast and the obvious nature of eating seasonally.  I’ve got a fridge full of berries that I want to enjoy fresh and that I want to enjoy in different ways come fall.

Nikki♥

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21
May 10

Tigress’ Can Jam | Ashley’s Outstanding Rhubarb Chutney (May)

april & may tcj are fighting for my heart

What can I say, but thank you.  Ashley, thank you.  Loving this recipe.  Loving my Rhubarb & Amaretto Chutney.  I didn’t even do anything to it. (♥:Do I know you????)

I get all giddy when I learn a thing or five.  This month in canning has been really cool.  Hello, this is so not a late Friday night post.  Again.  Yay!  I planned, experimented and didn’t rush.  I might have to apply that to the rest of my…

Okay.  So, I still haven’t found a locally grown source for the barb.  I kinda stopped looking for it after I found it at the downtown Ralphs.  *Bad Nikki Shrug*  I’m keeping an eye out, though.

I wanted to try something different from last week’s tasty jam.  Since most of the other canning titles on the shelf went sweet, I was excitedly hoping that Canning & Preserving with Ashley English would surprise me with something I couldn’t pass up.  HELLOOOOOO, Rhubarb and Amaretto Chutney.  I mean, really.  HELLOOOO.

As I looked over the ingredients, I saw a long overdue trip in the making.  Coriander and cumin were already on my list to get from the South Asian grocery in the neighborhood.  I’d scouted out the place before, but hadn’t put the card on the counter to pay.

It’s like spice nirvana in there.  Freakish price and quantity difference from conventional stores.  I picked up a few other things that just might find their way into a new take on Market.Watch.

Can we talk about the big bottle of amaretto I’ve got in the cabinet now?  See, that’s what I get for not reading the entire recipe.  I was way too excited to grab the straw shopping basket Mom got me and go all euro with my multiple stops that I didn’t see that I could have just replaced the alcohol with orange juice.

It’s not that I don’t drink.  A bottle of wine usually won’t make it ’til morning.  I just don’t know what to do with the makings of a little bar.  Cute, I guess.  But it means I’ll need to get some friends to hang out with the soju and amaretto.  Right?

Rhubarb and Amaretto Chutney
barely, yet adoringly adapted from Canning & Preserving with Ashley English

cheesecloth or a muslin tea bag
3 cardamom pods
1/2 teaspoon whole cumin seed
1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
1/2 teaspoon whole yellow mustard seed
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 teaspoon whole coriander seed
1/2 cinnamon stick
2 1/2 c rhubarb, chopped
2 c brown sugar
1 1/4 c sweet onions, chopped
1/2 c seedless raisins
2 cloves garlic, mince
1 1/2 teaspoons ginger, minced
1 1/2 c apple cider vinegar
1/4 c amaretto
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/2 teaspoons yellow mustard seed
3/4 teaspoon pickling or kosher salt

Make a spice pouch from a small the cheesecloth or muslin square.  Add the cardamom pods, whole cumin, coriander, cloves, mustard seeds, black peppercorns and cinnamon to the cheesecloth.  Secure the bundle with kitchen twine.

Add the spices, brown sugar, rhubarb, onions, raisins, garlic, ginger, and vinegar to sauce pan.  Bring to a gentle boil.  Cook over medium heat, uncovered for 30 min.  Add amaretto, lemon zest, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, mustard seeds and salt.  Simmer for 30 more minutes.  Stir, stir, stir.  Ashley suggests adding a bit more water to the chutney if it begins to stick to the pot.  1/8 cup to start.

Prep and sterilize jars and lids.  Fill jars and water bath process for 10 minutes.

NikkiBits: While this is pretty much halved, where it isn’t I chose over in the over/under debate in my head.  This yields 2 .25L or 1/2 pint jars with some extra for the fridge.   I had a bit with some fish and cous cous I threw together with a bit of curry, broccoli, coconut milk and Matouk’s.  OMFrigginG.

What’s Next: Awww, man.  I can’t wait to get more/better priced rhubarb.  This really kicks.  I so want to make it to give to friends and my fave librarian. (♥:Save LAPL!)

I think I might be glad that I didn’t really like the rhubarb pie I had that summer in Canada forever ago.  I wonder if I’d appreciate the journey to the savory and sweet.
Nikki♥

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12
May 10

TCJ | Oh, My! It’s May

getting back into the swing of things. putting spoon to mouth.

I’ve been last minuting things a lot lately.  I didn’t want to do it for May’s edition of Tigress’ Can Jam.  I wanted to be able to take my time.  Experiment a little.  You know, breathe.

Glad I did.  The Barb was all I could see when I read Sarah’s post announcing May’s special guest star(s). Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Asparagus and Rhubarb.

I thought this would be the best opportunity to rewrite a childhood memory.  It was summer.  Montréal.  Someone offered/forced Rhubarb pie.  I didn’t understand.  It looked like red celery.  Celery + Pie = Nah, not really.  It never had the chance to be good, let alone great.

Off I went on my red stalk adventure.  Why did it take a week and numerous attempts to get my hands on freaking Rhubarb?!!!!?  See, I don’t even know how local it is.  I got it from Ralphs.  The Ralphs that kinda wants to be a Whole Foods.

Yes, it’s early.  I’m still not sure which is going to star in the R&C: TCJ Show next week.  I do know that I like the barb in my berry barb jam.  Really, I like it lots.

This was just one of those throw it in the pot things.  Based loosely on Anne V. Nelson, again.  Strawberry Rhubarb Jam with a bit of my new obsession to Nikki-fy it. (♥:Nothing compares to you, Blackberries.)

Back to work.  What should I do now, more barb or a bit of the gus?  Have you decided which will get your full attention?  Will you be ambitious and do both?

Nikki♥

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23
Apr 10

Tigress’ Can Jam | Mighty BerryMinty Jelly (April)

yummm… i think i’ve fallen in love again.

You know I’ve been kind of freakish for months over tangelos.  That really hasn’t changed, but blackberries have come a little tardy to the party and taken over. (♥: Did you just say tardy for the party? *sigh*) I love that they’re tart and dark and just IT!

Ummm, hello.  This is about TCJ.  Okay, right.  Sorry.  So this month is all about Herbs for Tigress’ Can Jam.  My herbs of choice seem to be cilantro, mint and tarragon.  Mint was the first thing to pop into my head.  Well, after tarragon, but I used tarragon last month in my, now gone, Pretty Pickled Pearls.  (♥:They were GOOD!)

Initially, I was going to do something with mint, ginger and lemon.  That whole herbs = no pectin thing kinda shut that down.  I’m wary of using commercial pectin right now because I want to learn as much as I can about natural occurring pectin.  Like which fruits are high and which are low.  This wasn’t the week to experiment with a recipe and making my own apple pectin.  Especially, since I seem to be stuck in last day post mode.

I happened upon some lonely blackberries that had just been saving themselves for yesterday in the back of the freezer.  Lightbulbs and stars started flickering in my head.  Hello, Mighty BerryMinty Jelly.

I didn’t really adapt the recipe from anywhere, but Anne V. Nelson’s The New Preserves and the 2006 edition of Irma Rombauer’s Joy of Cooking get “chock full of info” honorable mentions.

Mighty BerryMinty Jelly

2 c blackberries
1 c mint
1 c water
1 1/2 c – 2 c of sugar
1 tablespoon commercial lemon juice

Wash/clean blackberries and mint.  Steep mint in one cup of boiling water overnight.  Strain mint and discard solids.  Add blackberries and minty water to saucepan.  Bring to a boil.  Cook for 5-10 minutes smashing berries to get all that juice.  Strain berryminty juice using jelly bag/lined colander.  For clearer jelly, don’t force the straining.  Just give it time.  Lots of time.

When done, measure liquid.  Add lemon juice.  For every cup of liquid add 3/4 cups of sugar.  Bring to a boil.  Stir.  Stir.  Stir.  When it reaches the jell point, add to 2 sterilized .25L or 1/2 pint jars.  Process for 5 minutes.

The NikkiBits: This is minty.  Not overly so, for me, but minty nonetheless.  It’s the most beautiful purple.  I’m in love.  Seriously.  Marmalade, see you next year.  Strawberry Jam, eh.  It’s BerryMinty Jelly For Ever.  If I had an ice cream maker, all would be lost.

What’s Next: I’m making this again.  Like tonight.  I picked up more berries at the farmers’ market and I’m off to the get mint.  The batch above was a little loose, I’m going to steep with less water.  The Joy adds no water at all.  Anne adds less water for many more berries.  We’ll see.  I love that Carter made a simple syrup with her mint.  I might try that, too.

I just realized my TCJ selections seem to be color coordinated with my apt.  January, Blood Orange Marm.  Feb, Baby Carrots.  March, Pearl Onions.  April, Blackberry Mint.  Really, the colors in my apt are red, orange, purple, green, and white.  Add blue, pink and yellow/gold and it’s officially matchy-matchy.

Gotta go.  Must buy mint.

Nikki

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4
Apr 10

Market.Watch | 4April10

finally.

just scallions and navel oranges this trip

I know it doesn’t look like much.  Heck, it looks like what I always get.  Really, it was a big deal.  I finally made it to the Hollywood Farmers’ Market this morning.

Leaving the house in the morning on a Sunday, any old Sunday, is big for me.  I just don’t do it.  I’m usually up til the wee hours refusing to let go of Saturday night.  Oh, Sweet Sunday, seems to always get the short end of the weekend stick.

Today was fun.  I got to take it all in with my friend and her six year old niece.  I was so busy seeing everything with Angel’s eyes that I actually didn’t buy much.  She was so excited to taste everything.  Even after the black olive debacle, she was back asking if she could have what was on offer.  She was adorable running around in her playful Easter dress demanding something extra special from the balloon guy.

So, while Angel and her Auntie M were actually getting oranges, greens, herbs, bagels and nuts, I just got some navel oranges.  And because Angel’s really not that into onions of any sort, I was on the receiving end of half a bunch.

I’ll be back next week.  If not to do most of my shopping, then definitely to people watch.  Loved it.

Nikki♥

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4
Apr 10

Bye, Bye Birdie | VSK:Simple Stock

i knew it was coming.  you should have, too.

I’m back off the bird. (♥: Ummm, okay.)

I bought a whole chicken the other day and my stomach just started to turn as soon as I got it home.  I think it might have been looking at those little legs all trussed up.  I ate it, but with a heavy heart and closed eyes.  The next morning, I threw what was left of the new bird and the frozen bones of the last one in the trash.

I love the taste of a homemade chicken stock.  My word, it is amazing.  The drippings from a freshly roasted… Mmmm.  I might even miss it at some point, but the process is really not something I’m feeling right now.  Flesh and bone.  Bleech. 

Time to create a chicken-free stock arsenal.

I picked up Bryant Terry‘s Vegan Soul Kitchen a while ago.  I can’t believe that this is the first time I’m actually cooking from it.  Especially, since my brother and I had a bit of a row over the premise.  He thought that by making it vegan, you take the soul out of it.  Love him, hardcore, but he is WRONG.  That kind of thinking keeps our arteries clogged and “Tha Shuga” running/ruining the show.

Its sad that the resistance to change is on both sides and isn’t new.  The idea of making food that is familiar, but healthier caused a bit of a dust-up with a macro friend.   He’s from South and grew up on some goooood food, but he believes that to eat healthier, folks should just dump everything they know and eat tree/sea bark.  Verbatim, no.  Sentiment, mmmm hmmm.  We keep people isolated by not giving them options and opportunities for making better choices.

I’ll admit that I am opinionated.  I used to be such a label whore that I branded everything I didn’t eat evil.  Thankfully, I’m over that.  I do remain steadfast in the belief that we need to eat better.   The things is… we don’t all have to be vegan or vegetarian.  Or eat tofu and tempeh.  But, we can do simple things to expand our palates and imaginations.

Simple Stock
from Bryant Terry’s Vegan Soul Kitchen

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 large onions, quartered with skin
1 large carrot, thinly sliced
4 celery ribs, thinly sliced
8 oz button mushrooms, sliced
1 whole garlic bulb, unpeeled, broken up, flatten w/back of a knife
2 bay leaves
3 sprigs of fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon course sea salt
1/8 teaspoon of cayenne
9 cups of water

Over med-high heat, warm the olive oil.  Add herbs, spices and vegetables.  Sauté until veggies have softened.  Add water.  Bring it to a boil.  Reduce heat to med-low.  Simmer uncovered for about an hour.  Strain vegetables from stock.  Don’t forget to press down on the veggies to get all that goodness out.  Then, discard the cooked vegetables.  Yields 1 1/2 quarts.

The Nikki Bits: I added a couple of dried chili peppers as well.  My veggies weren’t super tender after an hour.  I let it cook for another 30 or so minutes.  And I added 2 more cups of water.

Ummmm… So: I liked it a lot.  I didn’t expect to mimic chicken broth, so I wasn’t disappointed.  I don’t know if it’s a catchall stock for me, though.  Even though it’s light, it feels hearty, woodsy and strong.  It might overpower the flavors that I normally work with.

I had a cup with a few of spoonfuls of brown rice and a smidge of sriracha.  Throw in some veggies, steamed/roasted/whatever.  Hello, Winter!  It’s , also, a GREAT base for gravy.

What’s next: I make this black bean & couscous dish that I rock with that chicken water.  It didn’t really work well with this stock, but Bryant has a garlic broth that might be PERFECTION for that dish.  Arsenal.

I don’t begrudge anyone, or myself, meat or poultry.  I’m just bored and a bit turned off, right now.  That could change.  I’m superexcited to focus on bringing an abundance of flavor, color and texture onto my plate.

Nikki♥

Oh, I just finished some turkey breast that was in the freezer.  Ummm.  Bye, bye Bigger Bird.

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19
Mar 10

Tigress’ Can Jam (March) | Pretty Pickled Pearls

ummm, another low acid veg.  i had to do more.  i just did.

Well, I did more.  And I did less.  I thought it was time to do a tinybatch of a recipe I kinda liked to see if I could tweak it a bit. (♥:a bit?) Fine, a lot.  I wanted a recipe where I could manipulate the flavors, but leave the math.

Georgeanne Brennan’s The Glass Pantry was the first book on preserving that I bought a year or so ago.  Sure, Amazon had it for the right price.  It was, also, the first book I was able to get my hands on from the library.  You know I need to live with cook/craft books before I buy them, right?

I’ve flipped through all of the preserving and canning books in the arsenal and found that there were a couple of different versions of these pickled pearls.  It was Georgeanne’s math that made it easier for me to convert.

I’ve been really into cornichon for a while.  It probably is my favorite type of pickle.  I, only recently, found out that it’s the tarragon that gets me all excited.  So, I just had to see what it would do to those pretty pearls.

Pickled Whole Onions
adapted from Georgeanne Brennan’s The Glass Pantry

1 c pearl onions
1/4 c water
3/4 c white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon kosher/pickling salt
2 garlic cloves
1 sprig of fresh tarragon
2 dried red peppers
6 black peppercorns

The Nikki Bits: I kept the vinegar/water ratio, but I changed the entire flavor profile.

The Making: Simple enough.  Wash and sterilize 1 half pint/1 quarter liter Weck jar in the water bath.  Uggghhh, peel the onions.  (♥: Blanching them makes it easier.) Add onions and spices into the jar.  Bring vinegar, salt, and water to a boil.  Cover the onions with the liquid, leaving head space.  Wipe rim.  Place seal and top.  Screw closed or add clamps.  Using jar lifter, place jars into water bath.  Return the water to a boil.  Process for 10 minutes.

What’s Next: I’m getting good at waiting.  Kinda proud of myself.  And, HELLO, getting better at documenting the process.  And must order Ashley‘s book.  Wow, I’ve got to right everything down.

Okay, I’m off to make a bit of roasted leek & garlic confit.  Mmmmm.

Nikki♥

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