Cooking

Roast Chicken–A Poultice for the Soul

by Tom Levenson| June 24, 20204:05 pm| 84 Comments

This post is in: Cooking, Food & Recipes, Open Threads, Recipes

Sweet FSM on a pogo stick!

I am losing it today, as each new news drop triggers a fresh cycle of rage. Fuck every national Republican (and most of the rest)–sideways with a rusty farm implement.

I’m genuinely in fear for the Republic at this point, what with a criminally-led DoJ and an increasingly corrupted judiciary enabling whatever arbitrary power grab the Cheetolini stumbles upon.

Clearly, I need a break, and maybe some of y’all do too.

So…let’s talk poultry.

Some here may recall I am a roast chicken obsessive. Sunday afternoon, I picked up a really nice bird from our local refinance-your-mortgage specialty butcher (Savenors, for the Massholes among us).

Brought it home, and then thought about what to do with it. I’ve posted before on our defaults–splayed chicken with leeks and mushrooms, roast chicken with duck fat under the skin and so on.

Nothing seemed quite right so we started to vamp.

First, I spatchcocked the bird.

Then I made a wet rub to put under the skin, very, very loosely adapted from a Yotam Ottolenghi recipe for chicken sofrito. It was somewhere around a 1/4 cup of olive oil, the juice of about 1/3 to 1/2 of a lemon, one huge (or two more regular) garlic cloves very finely chopped, some thyme, and about a teaspoon of pimenton–smoked paprika. A little bit of maple syrup to cut the acid (honey would work too). Salt and pepper. I stirred it up, tasted it, adjusted it (more salt, and a little more pimenton– I wanted to make sure the smokiness of the paprika comes through–not too much, but there. I loosened the skin on the breasts and thights, and spooned most of the sauce under the skin, saving just a little to rub on the outside.

I had been preheating the oven to 400 degrees with a large cast iron frying pan heating up inside it. (A big boi: the Lodge 15 inch beast. Work on your upper body strength before using.) When the oven got to temperature I slopped some more olive oil in the pan and then added the chicken, breast side up.

While that got started, I prepped a red onion, four or five shallots, cut into quarters, and an orange pepper. Mixed them all up in a bowl, added a little salt and pepper, a quarter cup or so of sweet sherry, another third of a lemon’s juice, and some capers.

At about the twelve minute mark, maybe fifteen, I added the vegetables to the pan, scattering them all around the bird, and then shut ’em all up together. After another twenty minutes or so–maybe 25, who knows?–this was the result:

It was…sublime.

The texture of the bird was as good as I remember achieving, well, just about ever. The self basting with the spice rub (and the acid involved, I suspect) did something wonderful. The vegetables, braising in booze and chicken fat, turned into a kind of jam. And the garlic-pimenton-lemon flavor was just forward enough to make it all interesting, without overwhelming the quality of the chicken meat itself.

Trump and disease and death simply faded out of mind for a good hour.

I needed that.

So: food porn as a distraction.

Your turn: what have you made or dreamt of that has, at least for a moment, lifted you out of grim reality?

Open food themed thread, jackals!

Image: Annibale Carracci, The Bean Eater, between 1584-1585.

Roast Chicken–A Poultice for the SoulPost + Comments (84)

Did Someone Say Sourdough?

by Alain Chamot (1971-2020)| March 26, 202010:30 am| 41 Comments

This post is in: Cooking, Open Threads

During this extended stay-at-home, many folks are exploring cooking, baking, brewing, fermenting, and other such hobbies. I know I have; unfortunately, my exercise has not increased apace, something I plan to change today.

One thing I cook with is sourdough starter. Recently, I’ve not done much with it except make a little side money. For years, I would bake bread, use it as the sponge for an incredible three-day pizza dough, and make sourdough pancakes. Those are my favorite; when things go well, they have a sharp flavor that is addictive. Since I put an extra egg into the mix, they are a good source of protein to offset some of the carbs and oil.

I’ve worked my starter a lot by heating it frequently, often to the point of death for the yeast culture, then tended it as it recovered. Repeated cycles have brought out a nice, strong sourdough flavor. Also, it’s a very active culture, often bubbling ominously on its own within the first couple of days of being activated. I’m a big fan of wild yeasts, so I keep the top of the jar open, covered with just a thin white handkerchief. This allows built-up carbon dioxide to escape, and allows wild yeasts floating in the air to join my colony of yum.

I’m sure you’re wondering what I meant by “side money” and “activated”.

I sell my sourdough starter on Ebay for fun, and business is hopping these days as more and more folks are looking for something to do that enhances home life. By hopping, I’ve sold 7 in the past week, and that’s after a two-month lull. It’s not making me rich by any means, but a little extra $ here and there is always welcome, and I enjoy spreading my love of sourdough, just don’t ask me how to bake a good loaf. My recent efforts have been sad, deflated, and uninspiring.

Once you get sourdough starter, it’s either a thick liquid (from a friend, often given in a glass jar) or it’s dry. I sell dry starter – I used my dehydrator to dry out a large batch of the liquid, and I ship these small packets of the pulverized remains. Occasionally, I pull a packet out of the fridge and activate it according to my instructions to ensure that it is still viable.

Narrator: It is always viable, it’s amazing stuff that will likely outlive us all.

Activating dried starter is as simple as adding it to warm water and flour (and a bit of sugar for day 1) and letting the colony grow. Each day you add more flour and water and in two weeks, you’ve got a full-flavored starter ready for action. Of course you can use it sooner, but the fuller flavors begin to shine after 14 or so days of growth. It is a live culture and needs flour and water to keep going, so folks tend it every day or two, keeping these starters alive for years-to-decades. You pour off part of the existing starter (or use it!) to make room for the additional flour and water otherwise you end up with a house full of starter!

Funny story – I was coming up with a name and chose “Hott Stuff” because I’m goofy and I used heat to stress the culture and encourage more of the super-yummy heat-tolerant yeasts to develop and take over. When I setup my initial Ebay store, I made some errors and so had to call support to get things sorted. The lady was gracious, but asked me the login name and I had to say “Hott Stuff” and almost giggled myself to death. She laughed too and had fun teasing me with “Mr. Stuff”, and “Oh, Hott…”. Turns out, since this is a hobby business linked to a gmail account and my personal PayPal account and not a full, incorporated one with documents, EIN, and bank account, the approach I’d chosen was wrong. She helped me change my account, laughing all the way. I still feel the residual cheek-blush as I type this.

So, on the off chance that you or someone you know is looking for a good, easy sourdough starter, please take a look!

Open thread. I won’t be around, in my bouts of free time today, I must put some seeds and seedlings into their containers and the furnace repair folk are coming soon. And quiche won’t make itself, now will it?

Did Someone Say Sourdough?Post + Comments (41)

Breakfast for Dinner: Instant Pot Pancakes – Light, Fluffy and Fun

by TaMara (HFG)| January 6, 20207:15 pm| 65 Comments

This post is in: Cooking, Food, Food & Recipes, yes, I know your recipe is always better than mine

I made a half batch, plenty for two

I just found out about a taste treat called Japanese Souffle Pancakes. I put the recipe on my list to try soon. They are a little complicated and I knew I wouldn’t have time for a while. Then my cousin chimed in and told me about Rice Cooker Pancakes, a simple pancake recipe you make in your rice cooker. They looked amazing.

One problem. I don’t have a rice cooker.

But I do have a Multi-Pot (a type of Instant Pot) and I figured there must be an equivalent recipe. There were several. So I had to give it a try. The results were yummy.

First, the pancakes:

Perfect Pancakes:

2-1/2 cups flour
1-1/2 tbsp baking powder
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups buttermilk* (I use buttermilk powder and water)
2 tbsp oil
2 eggs
Opt: blueberries, cinnamon, pecans, bacon

Bowl, whisk

*you can substitute milk. Or you can add 2 tsp lemon juice to milk and let sit for 3 minutes to create a buttermilk equivalent.

Whisk together dry ingredients, then add wet ingredients and mix until everything is combined. The batter should still be lumpy, you don’t want to overmix.

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Recipe Exchange: Christmas Eve Dinner Party

by TaMara (HFG)| December 24, 201912:13 pm| 47 Comments

This post is in: Cooking, Food & Recipes, Open Threads

Before I get back to cleaning, I thought I’d post this. Of course, my robot vacuum decided to die today (Carson is his name and he needs new batteries). So horrors of horrors, I have to do my own vacuuming.

This is one of my favorite nights of the year. Friends come over for Christmas Eve dinner and then we watch a movie. Tonight: Strictly Ballroom, a quirky Australian treat by Baz Luhrman.

This year I had a request to make Spinach Lasagna again, I haven’t made it for a few years. I really like it because I can prep it ahead and the night of the party I’m not stuck in the kitchen.

On the board:

Spinach Lasagna
Green Beans Tossed w/Butter & Lemon Pepper
Garlic Cheese Bread
Ice Cream Sundae Bar

This recipe takes about an hour to prepare and another hour to cook. It easily serves 6 – 8. I made it on Sunday and refrigerated. It will need additional cooking time to bring the center up to temperature.

Spinach Lasagna

Sauce:

3-15 oz cans tomato sauce
2-6 oz cans tomato paste
14 oz can diced tomatoes
2 tsp oregano, crushed
2 tsp basil, crushed
2 tsp crushed garlic
1 medium carrot, peeled & finely grated
pinch of sugar (reduces acidity of the tomatoes)
Optional: ½ lb ground beef and ½ spicy Italian sausage, browned

Saucepan

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Add all ingredients to saucepan on medium-high, stirring constantly until it begins to boil lightly. Turn to low and let simmer while you prepare the remaining ingredients.

Lasagna:

1 pkg lasagna noodles (16 oz), cooked and placed in cool water until layering
16 oz ricotta cheese
8 oz package frozen spinach, thawed or 8 oz fresh, washed and dried
1 egg
12 oz sliced mozzarella cheese
½ cup parmesan cheese

13×9 baking dish (I prefer glass), lightly oiled

To prepare: Mix ricotta, spinach and egg until well blended. Ladle a layer of sauce on the bottom of the baking dish.

Cover in a single layer of noodles. Ladle sauce over noodles. Spoon ½ of the ricotta mixture evenly (if you place large dollops evenly like putting cookie dough on a baking sheet, fairly close together, it will spread as it cooks, no need to smooth it).

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Layer 1/3 of the mozzarella over the ricotta. Repeat: noodles, sauce, ricotta, mozzarella, noodles. On top of the last layer of noodles, add remaining sauce, mozzarella and parmesan cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, uncovered – I like to place the baking dish on a baking sheet to catch any spills as it bubbles. Place knife through the center, if it comes out heated through, remove and let stand for 10 minutes before cutting and serving. If it needs more cooking time, you can cover with foil to keep the cheese from burning and cook 10 more minutes. Let stand uncovered before serving.

Garlic Bread

I made my Crusty Slow-Rise Bread and then sliced it length-wise, slathered in garlic butter, mozzarella and Parmesan and broiled until golden brown. Yum!

Green Beans Tossed with Butter and Lemon Pepper

This one is so easy. I used fancy frozen green beans, steamed, drained and then tossed with lots of butter and lemon pepper seasoning. You can substitute EVOL if desired.

Dessert is our annual Ice Cream Sundae Bar – lots of vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce, chocolate sauce, peanuts, almonds, walnuts and pecans. I also put out any remaining Christmas cookies.

I have to get back to cleaning the house! Merry Christmas Eve!

Oh, and it looks like we may have acquired a new duck (click here for the reveal, LOL)

Consider this an all-purpose open thread.

Recipe Exchange: Christmas Eve Dinner PartyPost + Comments (47)

Hanukkah 2019: A Festival of Lights in Food

by Adam L Silverman| December 22, 20198:17 pm| 115 Comments

This post is in: Cooking, Food, Food & Recipes, Open Threads, Recipes

My family has just left. I’m exhausted. I’ve been cleaning and cooking since about 11 AM this morning. Though I did my baking last night.

One of the butcher shops in the area where I get meat and chicken from regularly has grass fed beef short ribs for a reasonable price. Since my brother, sister in law, twelve year old twin nephews (begun, the clone war, has), and my Mom were coming, I bought two cryovac packs of the beef short ribs. Which is four racks of three ribs each. And I smoked them. Except for one rack, which I did in the oven at 250 degrees Fahrenheit because the Mominator doesn’t eat smoked meat, chicken, turkey, etc. I also made latkes. The Mominator made her arugula and beet salad with goat cheese and avocado. And I made a no sugar added, sweetened only with agave pecan pie cheese cake. Pictures of everything but the salad below because I didn’t get a chance to take one before people started dishing it out. Once I hit publish, I’m going to collapse. And it has been raining steadily since last night, so I had to do this on the enclosed and screened in back patio, which is why my house smells like BBQ pit.

Here’s the rack of ribs that I did in the oven. They’ve, as well as the other three racks, been minimally prepped. I removed the silver skin, then liberally kosher salted and freshly cracked black peppered the four racks. Then I wrapped them in paper towels, sealed them up in a very large tupperware tub, and left them in the fridge to form a pelicule for 48 hours. What you see below is how the meat looked just before going in the oven and on the grill. You can see the other racks wrapped up behind it just waiting to go out.

And here are the other racks just placed on the grill and before I put the lid down.

I don’t have a dedicated smoker, so I did the 60/40 approach. Or 70/30. The coals went on the far right near the bottom vent, once they’d burned almost to white the apple wood chunks went on. The ribs went on the rest of the grill with an aluminum pan full of water below it to help moderate the heat, keep everything moist, and catch drippings. I inserted a wired, probe thermometer into the deepest portion of the largest rack, then I dropped the lid, adjusted the air vents, and let them smoke slowly at 250 degrees Fahrenheit. From about 1 PM to 5:30 PM.

They came out perfect!

Smoky, juicy, tender, and perfectly cooked!

I modified the latke recipe I learned from my Dad a bit. First, I made sure not to include any knuckle blood from grating my hands instead of the potatoes on the box grater! Then, instead of grating all the potatoes, I grated half and boiled and mashed half. I then mixed the mashed and grated potatoes with one large onion diced finely, salt and pepper to taste, and let the mixture sit in the fridge covered for about an hour before I made the latkes. I pan fried them in about a 1/4 inch of oil in a high sided 12 inch diameter pan on the stovetop.

Here’s the mixture pre latke formation:

And here’s the first batch frying in the pan:

And here’s a beef rib and some latkes all plated up:

Finally, we have the cheesecake. The crust is made with Kedem vanilla tea biscuits, which have very little sugar (it was about the least amount I could find that didn’t have sugar alcohols). I ground up one package, mixed it with melted butter, and formed it into the cheesecake crust/base. The cheesecake is just my standard cheesecake recipe, with one modification – no white sugar. Instead I used half a cup of agave. The recipe is below.

Cheesecake:

Ingredients

3 8 ounce packages of cream cheese.

3 eggs

8 ounces of sour cream

Vanilla to taste

1/2 cup of dark brown agave (add more if you want it a bit sweeter). And if you don’t have an issue with sugar, just use one cup of white sugar.

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a spring form pan. Whip the cream cheese and the eggs together one package of cream cheese and one egg at a time until combined and smooth. Add the sour cream and whip until incorporated and smooth. Add the vanilla and the agave and whip until incorporated and smooth. Cover and refrigerate.

For this cheesecake, I wanted something a bit different. And since I didn’t get to make or have pecan pie on Thanksgiving as my Thanksgiving this year was whacked (don’t ask, I did a good deed for someone, but it meant I got none of the traditional foods, and I wasn’t feeling particularly well either), I decided to pecan pie my cheesecake. In a high sided sauté pan I melted a stick of unsalted butter. Then I added agave to taste and brought it to a boil. I then added 3/4 of a cup of heavy whipping cream, whisked everything together, and added a cup and a half of pecans. Stirring the entire time to both thoroughly coat the pecans and to keep the pan caramel from scorching. Once everything was turning golden brown, I took it off the heat, arranged the candied pecans on top of the crust, poured the cheesecake batter on top, and then swirled the warm caramel into the cheesecake batter. Once that was done, it went right into the oven for an hour. At the end of the hour I turned the oven off, cracked the oven door open, and let the cheesecake cool in the oven for an hour. The third hour it spent cooling on the counter and then when that hour was up it went into the fridge. The pictures are below. And before someone from NoLa (cough, lamh, cough) says something, yes, this is more like a pecan praline cheesecake than a pecan pie cheesecake.

Here’s the pecans and caramel setting up:

And here are the candied pecans layered on the pie crust:

The batter in the pan with the caramel swirled in:

The cheesecake ready for serving:

And, finally, a slice of the cheesecake!

If I had to do one thing differently, and I will for next time, it is that I’m going to lightly chop the pecans and swirl them into the cheesecake with the caramel rather than layer them on the bottom. That one issue aside, it tasted amazing! You’d never know there was no white sugar in it.

So everyone who celebrates have a happy and healthy Hanukkah! If I don’t do a post tomorrow, I’ll be covering on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day as I won’t be celebrating, but I am going for Thai food.

I’m exhausted, so I’m going to crash. Though not quite this tired!

I may or may not check into the comments later.

Open thread

Hanukkah 2019: A Festival of Lights in FoodPost + Comments (115)

Just Be Nice, Dammit

by ruemara| December 21, 201910:57 pm| 71 Comments

This post is in: Cooking, Food & Recipes, Open Threads

I’m grumpy, sick of applying for jobs and probably not great to be around, so play nicely in this sandbox since the other one is full.

I made cookies for the upcoming community feast for the homeless and dropped off my mitzvah of personal care supplies for the homeless. It’s my way of feeling better. Besides eating cookies. What’s yours?

I think I perfected my gluten-free vegan peanut butter one. I don’t know why I bother, I never write down my recipes unless I’m writing a column and I haven’t had one of those in an age.

Peanut Butter Cookies with Walnuts & Toffee

I have a few more things to make for my Christmas Day meals where we go full on Jamaican. Stew Beef, Ackee & (Not) Saltfish, Bulla Bread. Maybe some (Not) Beef Patties. My fridge is full of the sorrel I brewed last month and half the Jamaican Rum Cake I started 3 weeks ago. Drop some Christmas recipes and thoughts in the comments. I may read them, I may be running dungeons in WoW, who knows.

Have at it, rascals.

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Friday Saturday Recipe Exchange: Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

by TaMara (HFG)| November 16, 20196:55 pm| 63 Comments

This post is in: Cooking, Food & Recipes, yes, I know your recipe is always better than mine

As predicted, yesterday was too, too crazy for a recipe thread. Trying tonight instead. It’s never too early to start thinking about holiday food trays, boxes, and bags. I have an entire section dedicated to making sweet and salty treats here.

I had to go to a funeral and wanted to take something sweet. I find chocolate helps. Lots of chocolate.

I don’t make these very often, because they are super rich and my Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies are usually enough.

They’re easy and just a touch above regular chocolate chip cookies. This is a full batch, makes about 4 dozen cookies. Great for your holiday cookie boxes.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup + 2 tbsp butter
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
dash of salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup nuts (walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds or peanuts), chopped

mixing bowl and cookie sheet

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (the lower temperature is because dark cookies can burn easily)

Cream together butter and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla, mixing well. Sift together salt, soda, flour and cocoa, then add to butter mixture, blending well. Add nuts and chocolate chips. Spoon onto cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

Cool on the cooling rack.

What’s on your menu this weekend? Anyone have special requests for the Thanksgiving recipe exchange? Hit the comments to share your recipes, gift ideas, holiday requests or whatevah…

<s>Friday</s> Saturday Recipe Exchange: Chocolate Chocolate Chip CookiesPost + Comments (63)

Friday Recipe Exchange: Kid Friendly Chili-Mac

by TaMara (HFG)| November 8, 20197:12 pm| 32 Comments

This post is in: Cooking, Food & Recipes

Yummy photo from JeffreyW

Had a busy day, part of which was taking the dogs to see their favorite person so she could trim their nails. So lucky to have found her: $5, plus tip per dog for nail trimming and they adore her. Then they got the treat of wandering around the local feed store while I picked up cat and duck food. Both pups are crashed on the couch after so much adventure. I’m debating on working tonight or crashing myself.

On to food…

This menu tonight is from my Kids Night series. I loved chili-mac as a kid and it’s still one of those quick comfort foods I make when it needs to be easy and tasty. And Friday nights it almost always needs to be quick and easy. Even this cook is over being in the kitchen by then.

On the Board:

Chili-Mac
Corn Muffins – recipe here
Raw Vegetable Tray
Apples*

Chili-Mac

12 oz elbow macaroni (or try something fun like radiatori or farafalle shapes)
2 tsp olive oil
½ onion, diced
½ green pepper diced
1 lb ground beef
14 oz can diced tomatoes
15 oz can kidney beans
1 tsp to 2 tbsp chili powder
¼ tsp salt
pepper to taste
2 qt. saucepan, skillet

Cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain. While macaroni is cooking, heat oil in skillet, sauté onions & peppers. Add hamburger, brown & crumble. Add hamburger, tomatoes, beans, chili powder & salt to drained macaroni. Stir, let simmer on low heat for 10 minutes.

*I have been able to buy the freshest, most amazing Honey Crisps I’ve had in years. An apple a day is easy when they are this good.

This menu and recipes are featured in my cookbook: What’s 4 Dinner Solutions Cookbooks: Summer into Fall

The cooler weather means I am always in the mood for fruit crisps. This week it was Apple Crisp and Blueberry Crisp.

What do you crave when the weather turns colder?

What’s on your plate this weekend?

Talk amongst yourselves. Food, recipes, meals, or whatevah…

Friday Recipe Exchange: Kid Friendly Chili-MacPost + Comments (32)

Making Grape Jelly Using A Steam Juicer

by Alain Chamot (1971-2020)| October 27, 20198:52 am| 48 Comments

This post is in: Cooking, Open Threads

Continuing on a theme this year, I made grape jelly in early October. Mid-summer, I sought Concord Grapes from local sources, knowing they would be ready in Fall. I waited for them to be at their peak, then had a lovely morning drive to Catoctin Mountain Orchard to buy a half bushel of lovely Blue Concords. It was a delight to be in true farm country and to purchase the fresh cider, fruits, pies, and other such treats that they had for sale. They clearly have some of the Pennsylvania Dutch heritage, based on the styles and types of baked goods. This makes me very happy, indeed.

After lugging my grapes home, I then set about making first juice, then jelly. It was a long, grueling day, and I hope you find the story and pictures interesting.

I first made grape jelly back when I lived in Colorado. A coworker had some Concords growing, and was complaining about her back, so I offered to help harvest if I could take some. She offered to lend me her borrowed steam juicer to make the job easier, and I took her up on her kind offer. It was an amazing day, the first time my house was filled with utter grape-i-ness. My first batch didn’t set, and since I had so many grapes, I made a second, then a third, and they turned out much better. We enjoyed it and gave it as presents and a couple of years later, I made a second batch.

That was six years ago, and we’ve been jonesing for more since our last jar ran out a few years ago. A toasted piece of wheat bread with a bit of butter, peanut butter, and this jelly is a wonderful, quick breakfast or snack when you’re feeling a bit funky from hunger, allergies, or stress. The difference in flavor between home-canned jelly like this and store-bought is astounding; how they manage to remove so much of the flavor and nuance is beyond me. The one downside is the large amount of sugar.

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Step One: Steam Juicer

A steam juicer is a large kettle with three sections and a hollow column in the middle to carry steam from the bottom water pan up to the top section where the fruit is. The juice drips into the middle section which has a reservoir to collect the juice as well as a tube to drain it. Using one, you never need to strain for seeds or such undesirable matter, so it is a great tool. When making jellies the traditional way, there’s lots of straining and effort to ensure a seedless product. With a steam juicer, you just toss in fruit, cover it, and bring the water to a boil; the steam reduces the fruit, leaving seeds, stems, and tougher bits of the skin behind. I bought one once I moved back East, and this was the first time I’ve had the chance to use it here. I’m so glad I did. I expect I’ll be making some fresh Guava and other tropical juices to perk up this winter because it is so easy and fresh juice is amazing.

So the general process is to rinse off the grapes, stuff them into the top section of the juicer, then to bring the water to a boil. As the juice is released, you drain it into a pot or pitcher and you keep topping-off the grapes.

As you can see in the picture above, the bottom section has water, the middle collects the juice and has an outlet and tube to drain it, and the top holds the grapes. The lid keeps the steam in.

The whole juice making process took about 2 1/2 hours, but that’s because I was not as much of a hawk on the heat as I should have been so there were slow periods. Normally, it should have been about 1 1/2- 2 hours.

The juice starts flowing and the tube gets hot, so you quickly find a way to rig the pot and tube. Once this was full, I dumped most of it into my pot and began the first double-batch of the jelly to make use of the already-hot juice. I’m sure rush hour drivers and pedestrians loved smelling the intense grape smell I was blowing out front; I’m sure most have never smelled such a thing, but those who have likely had a nice flash of childhood or other precious memories, smells are like that.

After steaming for a bit, grapes begin to lose their innards and look like this. There’s lots more to steam out of them, so I topped them off and put the cover back on. Once the final batch was past this point, I tried to be patient, but I realized that I had so many, I didn’t need to cook down the last set. I threw away lots of good grape pulp, but that’s the way it goes sometimes. Regrettably, I don’t currently compost, so this was truly wasted.

The second pot is almost full! I got almost three pots of juice, about 6 gallons in total. The large metal pot on the right is the first double-batch of the jelly. I had the jars in the dishwasher, clean and warm, and had lids ready. Not two minutes after I was done collecting juice, I had the canning water bath pot on the stove, with warm water in it and getting full-blast on the big burner so I transferred the jelly to the where the grapes are, stirring it gently as the sugar melted thoroughly and the temperature approach boiling. Once I had a good boil, I reduced the heat a bit, mixed in the pectin and began to stir and mix like crazy, trying to ensure that all bit of pectin spread throughout the jelly. One peril of making double (or triple or more!) batches is that the pectin doesn’t mix evenly and so you get lots of jars that don’t set. My results from this session were that my jelly flows a bit, so it spreads like a dream yet clings to the bread. Not perfect, but quite acceptable, it does its job suitably.

This was the final grape goo in the bottom of the pan, I was still squeezing it a bit to harvest some of the delicious juice, but threw away a lot, like I mentioned above. We have been drinking a lot of this grape juice. It is crazy intense and bursting with vitamins. I’ve since learned that you can take fresh hot juice, put it in a hot, clean canning jar, put the hot lid and ring on it, then flip it over and leave it upside down for an hour to do a simple canning trick that keeps your juice fresh for months without needing to do the full hot-water-canner treatment.

This is the second batch of jelly beginning to heat up – look at that color! Once I had grape juice, I measured the correct amount, added sugar, and pectin and brought it to a boil and canned it in a water bath canner. Then I made this second batch, again being very careful to mix it like crazy after adding the pectin. Next time, I will try using the sugar-free recipe pectin and try reducing the sugar from 7 to 5 cups. I don’t want even that much sugar, but I hate artificial sweeteners and things like stevia don’t taste or feel right for me. So sugar it is.

The final result – look at that gorgeous color! It’s crazy how purple that juice and resulting jelly are! And so tangy, yum yum yum. It is a tiny bit runny, but since most uses involve spreading, that’s OK – it isn’t watery, and spreads and holds nicely on bread. I find lots of store-bought jelly too-set so it tends to clump and stick to the knife, fling off on to the table or plate, etc. My product is better, I figure.

My total jelly haul – I had gallons of juice on top of this. I made two double-batches and eagle-eyed readers may notice two pint jars on the left that ended up almost exactly the same – 60% full. One from each batch. Now that’s precision – accidental, I assure you! These will be Christmas gifts and lots of leftovers for us. Perhaps some meatballs will be made around the holidays, that’s always a good use for surplus grape jelly. I’ll send families with younger children an extra jar or two. Combined with my ginger peach preserves, I’m giving a lot of yum (and yes, sugar…) to folks this year!

This is my label. It was originally a joke in 2011 referring to the 2012 Mayan Apocalypse silliness and zombies were beginning to really take off (again), so… presto! But with the shitheads in charge of so many countries these days, who knows, perhaps it’s time to trademark it and go national as a niche/upscale survival food brand.

I hope you enjoyed this, have a wonderful day and week!

Making Grape Jelly Using A Steam JuicerPost + Comments (48)

Friday Recipe Exchange: Hearty Tomato Soup and Recipe Fails

by TaMara (HFG)| October 11, 20197:47 pm| 143 Comments

This post is in: Cooking, Recipes

JeffreyW’s tasty tomato soup and grilled cheese

Since we witnessed a 70-degree temperature drop here yesterday, soup had to be on the menu. And since I have a counter full of ripe tomatoes, tomato soup sounded good. This is not your basic canned soup and grilled cheese. These recipes are tasty, hearty and easy to whip up. And the flax cookies are addictive. If you’re using an Instant-Style Pot, I have instructions for that at the bottom of the soup recipe.

On the board:

Hearty Tomato Soup
Totally Awesome Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, recipe here
Flax Cookies, recipe here

Hearty Tomato Soup

28 oz canned or fresh tomatoes*
1 tsp crushed garlic
8 oz carrots
2 stalks celery
3 green onions, including greens
1 tsp basil
¼ tsp oregano
salt & pepper to taste
2 cups milk
2 tbsp whole wheat flour

2-quart saucepan, blender

In a blender, mix tomatoes, garlic, carrots, celery & onions. Blend until smooth. In saucepan, combine tomato mixture with spices, heat over medium heat, stirring constantly. Let bubble (don’t let boil or use high heat, it will scorch) for 5 minutes. Add flour to cold milk, blend until smooth, add to soup. Let bubble again, reduce to low heat and let simmer for 15 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Instant Pot instructions: In a blender, mix tomatoes, garlic, carrots, celery & onions. Blend until smooth. In the instant pot, combine tomato mixture with spices. Cover and cook on soup setting for 10 minutes. In a measuring cup (or use blender) add flour to cold milk, blend until smooth,

Use the quick depressurize method, soup should still be bubbling. add milk mixture to soup and whisk in until thickened. If you need to bring it back up to temperature, I use the saute feature, stirring constantly until thickened (about a minute), don’t let scorch. Turn heat off (or to warm setting) and cover until ready to serve.

*you can use fire-roasted tomatoes for added flavor. I have fire-roasted tomatoes tucked away in the freezer for future batches.

These Flax Cookies are addictive

(This menu and recipes are featured in my cookbook: What’s 4 Dinner Solutions Cookbooks: Summer into Fall)

_________________________________________________________________

What’s on your plate this weekend?

I had a request to ask if you wanted to share your biggest recipe disasters. Did you serve it anyway or just toss it?

I’ve had a couple of notable failures, including pulling out the powdered sugar instead of potato starch to thicken a spicy veggie soup. Sigh. No way to save that one.

Hit the comments with your recipes, meals, and disasters…

Here’s one of my favorite recipe fails, the end is priceless:

Friday Recipe Exchange: Hearty Tomato Soup and Recipe FailsPost + Comments (143)

Roasting, Cleaning and Freezing Chiles: Pueblo Hots

by Alain Chamot (1971-2020)| September 5, 201910:00 am| 44 Comments

This post is in: Cooking, Open Threads

In late summer, a wonderful smell begins in Southern Colorado and New Mexico. Soon enough, parking lots everywhere are filled with folks selling fresh chiles and roasting them in rotating “barrels” over propane jets. The smell of the copious smoke clouds that puff up is incredible: a smoky, vegetal, clinging stench with lots of bitter and char. The popping and crackling of the skins and seeds, the hiss of the steam from blasts of water, and the roar of the propane are the sounds of the season.

A few weeks ago, I drove to Colorado and returned with a small bag of fresh Pueblo Hots. There are different types of chiles and they are grown in different areas. Like all agricultural products, the soil, sun, wind, and water have a strong effect on flavor and texture. The most famous chiles – from New Mexico – are primarily Hatch, which is where they are grown. I’ve also has Socorro chiles, and they were also divine. In Southern Colorado, Pueblo is well-known for farms and for great chiles, the Pueblo chile. It’s a different chile than the New Mexico chiles, and has a slightly different flavor, a bit more bitter. They aren’t as long as the New Mexico chiles, and they have the more classic “chile” shape used in advertising and such.

Needless to say, they’re all good, but I’m especially stoked to have some true-blue Pueblo Hots. (Hots as compared to Very Hots or Mediums – I need my ass to be a non-burning issue, so I didn’t go crazy!)

Chiles prefer hot, dry days and cool nights. In a normal year, there would be heaps of Pueblo chiles, but there were just a couple of baskets. When I was rung up at the farm store, they advised me to come early in September because the harvest was the worst ever and they would run out very early. The cause of all of this – too much rain! It’s raining multiple times a week and many fields aren’t getting enough chance to dry out and it’s causing mildew and other moisture-related issues they normally don’t worry about. This is yet another example of climate change seeming beneficial at first glance, but proving to be a change that threatens agriculture. In this case, extra rain in an arid environment that depends on irrigation for crops means that best practices, infrastructure, and localized plant stock are threatened.

Ok, enough background, let’s get cooking!

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Prepping

Before you begin, locate and stage your tools:

For roasting:

tongs
heat-resistant tray (I prefer stainless steel)
spray bottle with fresh cool water (tap water is fine)

For cleaning:

clean cutting board
plate or second cutting board
sharp knife, small-medium
gloves
bowl for the “trash”
parchment paper (NOT wax!) cut into squares (I use burger patty papers)
tray or plate to put individual cleaned peppers in the freezer to pre-freeze
gallon-size plastic bag(s) or vacuum sealing bags

First, I wash/rinse them in the sink and throw away any funky ones beyond rescue.

Get a grill nice and hot (500F or more). Depending on your sensitivity to capsaicin, you may want a mask so you don’t breath in pepper smoke. Clean the grill to ensure there is no leftover food debris or oil. The chiles will be grilled dry.

Roasting

Place the chiles on a clean grill. You do not need oil or anything like that. Close the grill.

After a few minutes, check the bottom of the chiles to see if there’s some good roasting marks. If so, flip and rotate them.

Steam

Throughout the roasting process, spritz them liberally (don’t go crazy but don’t be shy). Steam should instantly appear and make cool sounds and puffs. This is good – the steam helps loosen the skins.

Cook until all peppers are well-roasted, rotating and flipping and applying more steam.

Smaller peppers will cook quicker, as will those over hot spots, so take care and move the cooked ones to your tray while the rest finish.

Once they are cooked, take the tray indoors to reduce insect issues and cover loosely with foil. Let them steam/rest for 10-20 minutes and then the final stages begin.

Cleaning

Put gloves on and grab a pepper and move it to your cleaning surface.

With the back of a thin knife (paring, for example), lightly scrape the burned skin and all other skin off.

Cut off the stem side and remove any defects.

Carefully cut from the stem side to the tip, only cutting through one layer of the chile.

Now open the pepper and, using the back of the knife, scrape the seeds and the major vein masses. These are major sources of heat, so leave some, to your liking.

Once the inside is in good shape, flip the chile and ensure that most-to-all of the skin is removed. Small black flecks are welcome, but larger pieces are not desirable.

Packing

Place the cleaned pepper on a parchment paper square. In our household, we call them “squids” for obvious reasons.

Arrange a single layer of squids on a baking sheet or tray and put it in the freezer.

After 30-60 minutes, remove from the freezer. Stack the squids and put them in a large ziplock or vacuum sealer bag. I have limited freezer room, so I freeze them in batches and collect them in a bag until my final freezing step.

Because I roast and freeze chiles once a year, then keep them for that long, I always vacuum seal in batches of 12-20 so when I open a bag, I don’t have 3 months of chiles to eat before freezer burn sets in. Having individually-frozen chiles is a nice treat because you can more-easily separate one or a few without having to defrost a big hunk. Some folks I know freeze them in big blocks and just shave off what they need, but again, freezer burn.

I have had 5 year old frozen chiles and they were still fine, as long as they were vacuum sealed, so for longer-term storage don’t waste your precious produce on non-vacuum tech.

A final note: in the time since I first wrote this draft, the annual “Hatch Chile Days” at Wegmans happened, so I bought a few Hatch mediums and hots, already roasted, and cleaned and froze them. I have a nice two shelves of frozen chiles! I can’t wait to do a few small taste comparisons and yes, I’ll share some recipes and techniques. Chiles are a wonderful, healthy addition to your diet.

A final note – it sure is nice that I can get fresh Hatch chiles one weekend each summer near me; it has become an annual late-August event I begin to long for, come mid-July.

If anyone is curious, I buy my Pueblo chiles at Musso Farms, just East of Pueblo on US-50. They do ship!

Roasting, Cleaning and Freezing Chiles: Pueblo HotsPost + Comments (44)

Friday Recipe Exchange: Garden Fresh

by TaMara (HFG)| August 23, 20198:51 pm| 23 Comments

This post is in: Cooking, Food & Recipes, Recipes

Oh, boy, recipes two weeks in a row, we might be starting something here.

I spent the afternoon taking care of some fresh veggies that had been sitting on my counter all week. I love this time of year, when the garden provides harvest every morning. But it is difficult to keep up. Today I fire-roasted tomatoes, pureed and froze for soups and sauces this winter. I also did refrigerator jalapeno pickles to use up a few of the many jalapenos.

JeffreyW does some amazing recipes with his peppers, here are two: Candied Jalapenos (here) and Hot ‘n Sweet (here)

Tonight’s menu takes advantage of all the garden-fresh ingredients available now. I really like this one because it’s a quick skillet taste treat that elevates a weeknight meal.

On the board tonight:

MENU
Skillet Lasagna (recipe below)
Patty Squash Sauté (recipe here)
Italian Bread
Cherries

Skillet Lasagna

6 oz Mafalda (mini-lasagna noodles) or bowtie pasta
1 lb lean ground beef****
½ onion, chopped
½ green pepper chopped
1 tsp basil, crushed
1 tsp oregano, crushed
1 tsp crushed garlic
salt & pepper to taste
1 carrot, diced
15 oz can tomato sauce (or 1 lb fresh tomatoes, chopped or pureed)
6 oz can tomato paste
4 oz ricotta cheese
1 cup fresh spinach leaves, chopped
4 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 oz grated parmesan

skillet
saucepan

In saucepan, cook pasta according to package directions, cooking to al dente (slightly chewy), drain well. Meanwhile, in skillet brown beef, onion & pepper. Add spices, garlic, carrot and sauté for 1 minute. Add sauce, paste, stirring well into meat mixture. Add pasta, stirring gently to mix.

Mix together ricotta and spinach, spoon evenly into the mixture (do not stir in, you want to create little cheese balls), top with mozzarella, cover and let simmer on low until mozzarella is completely melted.

Serve with parmesan.

Just a note, this menu and recipes are from my Summer into Fall Cookbook.

That’s if for this week. If I get a chance to upload the roasted tomato photos this weekend, I’ll post them here. What’s on your plate this weekend?

Hit to comments to share your recipes.

Otherwise, open thread.

****ETA: Thanks to Ohio Mom for reminding me I was going to say, you can easily omit the beef. I have substituted zucchini and or mushrooms and left the meat out entirely. It’s a great vegetarian dish.

Friday Recipe Exchange: Garden FreshPost + Comments (23)

Field Canning: Useful Technique For Camping, Emergencies, Etc.

by Alain Chamot (1971-2020)| August 20, 201910:30 am| 45 Comments

This post is in: Cooking, Open Threads

Folks,

Today I want to teach you a bit about canning, and about a simple technique that can help preserve food or keep things water/vermin proof when you don’t have normal storage or preservation available.

The Basics of Canning

Canning is a simple concept – you put things in a jar, put a lid on it, and, using a variety of techniques, draw air out of the jar so that a slight vacuum is created inside, which keeps the lid snug and the things inside air-and-contaminant free. Well-processed canned goods can last decades without spoiling.

Normally, this involves a water bath canning setup, for most fruits and veggies, and occasionally calls for a pressure canner for meats and some fruit and veggie products. Note – this is because you can get to a higher effective temperature with a pressure canner and so you can ensure that your meat/tetchy-fruit/veggie contents are safe.

A water bath canner is just a large wide pot in which you boil water and put filled jars into, in order to heat them to boiling temperature and get the residual air in the jars to expand and force itself out through the not-firm seal. The heat affects a sealant on the lid that helps it adhere ever-so-slightly to the clean glass as the escaping gas causes a vacuum in the jar. A pressure canner is just a large pressure cooker; mine is like 13 inches high and 12 around. I left my dedicated water bath canner in Colorado when I went “wagons-East”, but my pressure canner suffices for both purposes, I just leave the lid off except when initially heating the water.

Lids and rings are the two other pieces of the canning puzzle. Both are sanitized before use (I boil them in a saucepan and keep it on a low simmer) and the lids have a design that means that once they seal, they permanently deform when opened so they cannot be used to re-seal a jar in a canning setup.

Field Canning

The idea for field canning came when I was camping and I wondered if there was a better way to deal with half-eaten contents than just putting a lid back on a jar. I did some research once home, and voila – field canning. It is not hygenic-per-se and does not result in safe food – it just seals a jar with a light vacuum seal.

Field canning is useful whenever you have a need to seal a jar and don’t have proper canning equipment. It requires – a semi-full jar of something, some wax paper, some foil, a lighter/match, a non-used lid (i.e., a new or not used to vacuum seal lid extra from the jar), and, ideally, the ring for the jar lid.

From here, it’s quite simple:

Make sure your lid is clean and unused; this technique will not work with an already-used lid.
Take a small piece of foil and make a small “boat”, nothing ornate. This will protect the jar contents from flame and ash.
Take a small piece of wax paper and roll it into a wick. When I put it in the jar, I try and and bend it into a “U” shape to ensure it sits with the burning end sticking.
Put the foil boat into the jar and adjust its edges so that wick/ash won’t fall.
Wipe the jar edge with a clean, very slightly damp paper towel or cloth and make sure the lid and ring are ready.
Light the wick and put it on the foil.
As quickly as you can, carefully stuff the burning wick down a bit and put the lid on the jar and press it down gently but firmly. The flame will sputter and keep burning for what seems like forever; in reality it’s just a couple of seconds.
Screw the ring on snugly to ensure the lid isn’t jostled; depending on your altitude and how much burning there was after you closed the jar, the vacuum seal on the lid may be delicate.

At this point, the jar is sealed with a light vacuum seal and there is little-to-no oxygen inside. The contents are safer from spoilage than they would be just with a closed jar, though they may have a slight smoke flavor from the wax paper.

This is NOT a true form of canning – because the contents are not brought to boiling, you’re not making the food inside safe. This technique is only one for sealing for temporary preservation, where you want no air in the jar, or want the stuff inside staying waterproof (in case of a flood, for example). It can be great when camping because you can open and reseal a large jar repeatedly, only limited by the number of unused lids you have.

An afterthought is that you’d more likely keep the graham crackers in the jar so they don’t get moist than the marshmallows, but they were at hand.

Thus endeth the lesson.

Field Canning: Useful Technique For Camping, Emergencies, Etc.Post + Comments (45)

Friday Recipe Exchange: Summer Grilling

by TaMara (HFG)| August 16, 20197:27 pm| 72 Comments

This post is in: Cooking, Food & Recipes, Recipes

Nobody says the sliced strawberries can’t be served over pound cake. Photo by JeffreyW

I finally finished the first of four cookbooks, so I thought I’d start the recipe threads again. Since I have the menus already formatted, it’s easy enough to copy and paste them into a thread once a week. I’ve had a few requests to start posting again, if only so everyone has a place to share recipes. Seems like a good idea these days.

On the board tonight: Santa Fe Chicken and Black Bean Salad

MENU
Santa Fe Chicken Breasts (recipe below)
Tortilla chips
Black Bean Salad (recipe here)
Sliced Strawberries

Santa Fe Chicken Breast

4 boneless chicken breasts
¼ cup red wine vinegar
¼ cup chopped cilantro
1 tsp crushed garlic
1 cup Picante or salsa (Fresh Salsa recipe here)
4 oz sliced Monterey jack cheese

Reusable plastic container

Add chicken, vinegar and cilantro to reusable container and marinate 1 hour or overnight.

Remove chicken from marinade and slice each breast in a butterfly cut (slicing in half horizontally, but leaving attached at one edge, so it folds open like butterfly wings).

Fold open and grill or broil until cooked through (as little as 5 minutes each side, depending on heat and thickness).

Don’t let dry out. Use a meat thermometer – remove at 165°

On one half of each breast, add 1 oz cheese and 2 tbsp or more of Picante/salsa, fold other half over and heat until cheese is melted.

Serve immediately.

That’s it for this week. What’s cooking in your kitchen? Go ahead and share your favorite recipes and tips. Otherwise, open thread.

Friday Recipe Exchange: Summer GrillingPost + Comments (72)

In the Kitchen With John- Tomato Sauce

by John Cole| August 10, 20199:54 pm| 60 Comments

This post is in: Cooking, John Cole Presents "This Fucking Old House"

As I mentioned last night, today was sauce day. As always, this is more for me than you all, as I will look this up next year to refresh my memory before doing it again- you all are just along for the ride. Started last night with a ton of tomatoes I had frozen over the last couple OF months (love you eemom):

They mostly thawed over night and I threw them into big pots to start the cookdown:

Now everybody will tell you different amounts of time to cook them down, I just did it for about 2 hours, constantly stirring because you simply can not let it scorch or you have ruined the entire batch. STIR, STIR, STIR. Once the pulp and everything has cooked down into a bubbly brew, run it through your food mill:

If you are like me, you probably don’t have a dozen 24 qt stock pots, I have just the one and the pot for canning, so I strained them into several smaller pots, washed the big 24 qt stock pot I originally used, then transferred everything back into that. Then I did the canning pot full of tomatoes, and after cooking down and removing all the seeds and peels, everything transferred to the 24 qt stock pot and filled it all the way to the top.

At this point, Tammy and I just took 30 minute shifts stirring as we cooked it down. I cooked it down a solid6-8 inches to let it thicken, because I didn’t want to can tomato juice. This took the bulk of the afternoon, and both of us got our workout in.

QUICK SIDEBAR- Are there any carpenters who want to make me a 24″ wooden spoon. I hate the flimsy ass wooden spoons on amazon, I need something longer than the traditional ones, and I need something small than a 4 foot cajun paddle.

While cooking down the sauce, we prepped the mason jars:

I cut some basil from the garden, washed it, and placed it in each jar. Also, in three of them, Tammy wanted to try a clove of garlic, so three of them got that and the basil.

When the sauce is finally cooked down to where you want it, grab your funnel and ladle it into each jar stopping below the neck:

Wipe off the tops of the jars with a damp cloth, and place a lid and a ring on each one (you should have the lids heated in a hot water bath so you get a good seal), and hand tighten the ring. Then place them in the canner and wait for it to get to a rolling boil, and then process it for 40 minutes. Here is your finished product:

In total, we got 17 quarts of sauce. I thought about running the sauce through the chinois after it went through the food mill, but decided I didn’t care if there were a few seeds- YMMV. I’m not trying to win the damned state fair. And remember, NONE of this is seasoned (other than the basil). That way you can just pull it out and use it and tailor the sauce to your tastes.

As always, the dogs were a giant help: