Marisa McClellan's Blog, page 11

Fiesta Black Beans from Pescan

Back in the fall, I joined the Abrams Dinner Party. It’s a group run by Abrams Books in which they select a collection of bloggers, writers, and influences and send us all their newly released cookbooks. This has brought some really great volumes into world, my very favorite of which has been Korean Home Cooking.

They recently sent the spring stack of books and I’ve slowly been making my way through them (this pregnancy has forced me to trim my ambitions in a big way. Gestating twins is hard work!). So far, the only one I’ve managed to bring into the kitchen has been Pescan by Abbie Cornish and Jacqueline King Schiller. It’s a book that features mostly plant-based, dairy-free recipes (it includes some seafood and eggs) and it was the page on beans that caught my eye.

I cook a lot of dried beans, but I mostly keep them simple in the hopes that they’ll be flexible and versatile. These beans are the opposite of my normal beans. They include onion, garlic, half an orange, cumin, bay leaves, and more. They are incredibly flavorful and the night we ate them, my husband and I both kept commenting on how much we were enjoying them.

Scott left town the morning after we ate them together and I proceeded to live on the leftovers while he was out of town. Twice I ate them as pictured above, over rice and chopped arugula and topped by sour cream, grated cheddar, and a scoop of homemade salsa. Later, I stirred them together with the remaining rice and salsa, along with some baby spinach and turned them into a soupy, pseudo-casserole that made a very nice lunch. 

I plan on exploring more of this book, but in the nearer term, I’ll be making these beans again. 

Disclosure: I was given a review copy of this book as part of my participation in the Abrams Dinner Party. No additional payment was received and all thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.

PrintFiesta Black Beans from Pescan

Yield: makes about 8 cups of beans

Ingredients

1 pound (455 g) dried black beans, unsoaked
1/2 sweet orange, such as Cara Cara or Valencia
1/2 yellow onion, peeled and root end trimmed
4 large garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
1 (3 by 1-inch/7.5 by 2.5 cm) strip kombu (optional)
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 dried bay leaves
Pinch red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Fresh cilantro for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Spread the beans on a baking sheet and pick out any little stones or shriveled or discolored beans. Rinse the beans well in a colander, then place them in a heavy pot with a lid. Fill the pot with enough water to cover the beans by 2 inches (5 cm). Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and skim off any foam that has risen to the surface.
Lower the heat to keep the beans at a gentle simmer. Add the orange, skin side down, to the pot. Add the onion half, garlic, kombu (if using), salt, pepper, cumin, bay leaves, and red pepper flakes. Do not skim once you have added the spices, as they may rise to the surface.
Cover the pot, leaving the lid slightly ajar. Give the beans a stir every once in a while to help them cook evenly and to make sure they don't stick to the bottom. Add more water if needed during cooking to make sure the beans stay immersed. Continue simmering until they are tender. This should take 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Remove the orange from the pot and set aside. Discard the onion half, garlic cloves, and bay leaves. When the orange is cool enough to handle, squeeze its juice into the pot. Drizzle with the oil and give it a final stir. Garnish with the cilantro, if desired. Cool and refrigerate in an airtight container for up to to five days or freeze for up to 6 months.

Notes

If you prefer, you can also make these beans in an Instant Pot. Add all the ingredients at the start and cook them under pressure for 35 minutes.

This recipe is excerpted from Pescan by Abbie Cornish and Jacqueline King Schiller.

3.1https://foodinjars.com/recipe/fiesta-black-beans-from-pescan/
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Check the recipe index for more tasty preserves!

Preserves in Action: Arugula with Pickled Red Onions, Toasted Almonds and Shaved Parm

Just a few blocks from my apartment, there is a small cafe that serves wine, beer, and an assortment of snacks. For years and years now, they have had a salad on their menu that I often find myself craving. It’s a tangle of baby arugula, topped with pickled red onions, toasted almonds, creamy goat cheese, and roasted beets.

Sometimes I walk myself over there and treat myself to this salad, but most often, I gather a few ingredients from my own kitchen and make versions for myself.

Tonight, I had several of the necessary building blocks and got to work. I piled baby arugula into a bowl and added the pickled red onions (a fridge staple around these parts) and toasted almonds. There was no goat cheese, so I swapped in some shaved parmesan instead. There was nothing akin to the roasted beets, so I skipped them entirely.

I dressed my salad with a vinaigrette I shook up in a jar of strawberry jam that had a scant half inch left in the bottom (a more organized Jammy Vinaigrette technique can be found in The Food in Jars Kitchen) and called it good.

It was a most delicious salad, made extra satisfying because it made good use of two open preserves in the fridge. A perfect entry for this month’s Mastery Challenge, if I do say so myself!

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Preserves in Action: Pickled Red Onions
Use Your Preserves for the April Mastery Challenge
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The Food in Jars Kitchen Book Tour

Last week, my newest book officially hit bookstore shelves! In celebration, I’m going to be doing a bit of travel in April, May, and June. Please do take a read through these events and come out to see me if I’ll be in your neck of the woods!

April 9 (North Jersey): Canning class with the Farm & Fork Society at Garden State Kitchen. 6:30-8:30 pm. Registration fee includes a copy of The Food in Jars Kitchen. Register here.

April 14 (Wayne, PA): Book signing with snacks at Main Point Books. 4-5 pm.

April 17 (Eugene, OR): Book talk with snacks at Down to Earth Home, Garden, and Gift. 1-2:30 pm.

April 20 (Portland, OR): Book conversation with Liz Crain (and snacks!) at Powell’s Books. 2 pm.

April 22 (Seattle, WA): Class at The Pantry. 10:30 am to 1:30 pm. Details here.

April 22 (Seattle, WA): Author talk at Book Larder. 6:30-8:30 pm. Details here.

April 23 (Abbotsford, BC): Cooking demo and book talk at Lepp Farm Market. 7-9 pm. Details here.

April 24 (Vancouver, BC): Book talk with snacks at Book Warehouse. 7-9 pm. More details to come.

April 26 (San Francisco, CA): Book talk with snacks at Omnivore Books. 6:30-7:30 pm.

April 27 (Oakland, CA): Cooking class at Pollinate Farm and Garden Supply. Details here.

April 29 (Los Angeles, CA): Cooking class at The Gourmandise School. 6:30-8 pm. Details here.

May 4 (Hillsdale, NY): Canning classes at Hillsdale Home Chef. 11 am – 1 pm, strawberry jam and applesauce. 2:30-4:30 pm, pickles three ways.

May 6 (Columbus, IN): Book talk with snacks at the Bartholomew County Public Library. 6-7 pm.

May 7 (St. Louis, MO): Book talk with snacks at the Baden Library. 5:30-6:30 pm.

May 8 (Mundelein, IL): Book talk with snacks at the Fremont Public Library. 7-8:30 pm.

May 9 (Gurnee, IL): Book talk with snacks at the Warren-Newport Public Library. 7-8:30 pm.

May 10 (Chicago, IL): Cooking class and talk at Read It and Eat! 6:30-8:30 pm. Register here.

May 21 (Philadelphia, PA): Canning class at the Brewerytown Community Garden. 6-8 pm. Details to come. 

May 22 (Glen Mills, PA): Cooking demo and book talk with WHYY at Terrain. More details to come.

June 8 (Lampeter, PA): Food preservation retreat with Fillmore Container! More details here!

June 13 (Philadelphia, PA): Jam and Cocktail class with Andre Darlington at the Free Library of Philadelphia. 6-8 pm. Details to come. 

June 21-23 (Rhinebeck, NY): Weekend long food preservation workshop at the Omega Institute. Details and registration information here.

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Use Your Preserves for the April Mastery Challenge

It’s April which means it’s time to get going on our next Mastery Challenge. This month, we’re focusing on cooking, baking, using up, and transforming the preserves in our pantries.

Part of the inspiration for this is month is the fact that my new book, The Food in Jars Kitchen, just came out and it is dedicated to this topic. However, I though April would be a good time for this because while it’s a time when the weather starts to warm (at least where I am), local produce is still at least a month off.

For this month, any cheese plate, baked good, or dish that features a preserve is fair game. I’ve posted a number of recipes and ideas along these lines on the blog over the years. You can find them in the Preserves in Action category.

You’ll also find people sharing ideas on Instagram using the hashtag #usethedamnjam. There’s also been a lot of conversation on this topic on the Food in Jars community group, so please join us over there if you haven’t already done so.

Just to recap, here’s how the Mastery Challenge works. You choose a cooking project that fits the monthly topic and you make it. Around the 15th of the month, I publish a post here on the blog that includes a Google Form. You use this to report your project. If you don’t tell me what you made using this form, I can’t include you in the monthly tally.

If you want to share a picture of the thing you made, post it to Instagram with the hashtag #fijchallenge. Remember that the goal of the challenge is to grow, learn, and have fun!

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March 2019 Mastery Challenge Round-up

Friends! The third month of the Mastery Challenge is over and it was a fun month. I know that not as many of you resonated with the topic (herbs!) as you did last month, but I still loved the enthusiasm of those who participated.

This time around, we had just over 100 people report on the more than 200 projects they made. You all 32 batches of dried herb salt, 24 batches of pesto/pistou/herb paste, 23 batches of salt preserved herbs, 16 batches of compound butter, 8 boozy infusions, 5 herbal jellies, 5 batches of pickles, 4 shrubs, 4 syrups/concentrates, 4 jams, and 2 marinades/vinaigrettes.

There were also 21 projects that didn’t fall into the categories I offered. All told, that’s a lot of preserved herbs!

As is so often the case, attitudes at the start of the month were mixed. A healthy portion of you felt good about the topic, but the rest were all over the board.

Happily, by the end of the month, the majority of participants felt really good about it. There were still a number of you who fell in the middle, feeling just okay. And really, that’s fine. I look at the challenge as a process of discernment. Sometimes, the end result of that discernment is the realization that a particular topic is not for you. But how would you have known if you hadn’t tried?

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A post shared by Sarah Hefner (@sarah.ledtke.hefner) on Mar 28, 2019 at 12:02pm PDT

Some of the things you guys made this month included chimichurri (like Sarah’s batch, pictured above), cucumber dill vodka, garlic chive compound butter, mint jelly, and nettle pesto.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Preserving My Sanity (@preservingmysanity) on Mar 21, 2019 at 7:33pm PDT

There were also batches of raspberry mint shrub, rhubarb parsley syrup, rosemary cider jelly, tarragon mustard, lime and dill pickles, and blackberry blueberry lavender jam.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Cooking with Mary (@cooking_with_mary) on Mar 18, 2019 at 12:45pm PDT

It not only challenged me to try different things (jelly & herb salt) but also reminded me to make some things that I had made in the past but had forgotten about (compound butter). This entire challenge has also inspired me to use every little leftover I find lurking in the fridge! Who knew you could freeze citrus peels after using the fruit for juice and then using them in infusions! And no more slimy green parsley in the salad drawer, because I had bought a whole bunch from the grocery store and only used a couple of tablespoons for a recipe! It only takes a few

minutes to turn these leftovers -that were once bound for the compost pile – into something edible and delicious.

Susan
Charlotte, NC

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A post shared by Crystal Shannon (@bastetti) on Mar 21, 2019 at 6:13am PDT

Loved it. The 2 new things that I made (garlic; salt herbs) are things I’ve thought about, but likely wouldn’t have bothered with without the challenge to spur me on. The compound butter is to compare to last year’s Ramp Butter, also from F in J. Really enjoyed this month. May still make something else!

Kathy
Philadelphia, PA

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A post shared by Kate Locke (@215kate) on Mar 24, 2019 at 4:09pm PDT

Used a recipe for Herb and Garlic Pickled Mushrooms from the book, “The Complete Book of Pickling”, by Jennifer MacKenzie. This book has been my standby for pickling recipes for 10 years. This is the third time I’ve used this recipe. It’s a favorite with the family for antipasta night.

Rhoda
Colorado Springs, CO

To see more of what your fellow Mastery Challenge participants made this month, make sure to check out the #fijchallenge feed on Instagram and join the Food in Jars Community group on Facebook!

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Oatmeal Applesauce Bars from The Food in Jars Kitchen

Today was the official release date for my new book, The Food in Jars Kitchen. I had a bout of jitters last night, but I woke up this morning feeling at peace. And truly, it has been a joy to see it arrive in so many of your hands and hear your reactions to it’s arrival. Please do share pictures and your thoughts as you start cooking from it!

Last night, I hopped on Facebook and made one of the recipes from the new book. These Oatmeal Applesauce Bars are one of my breakfast/snack items from this book, simply because they make my life easier. I’ve made them a lot during my pregnancy because they are quick to make and full of fiber and protein. I hope a number of you will feel similarly abut them.

The other great things about these bars is that the recipe is flexible. It is written with applesauce, but I’ve also made them with pear sauce, apple butter, and even pureed bananas when the pantry is empty. All the variations are delicious and the finished bars make for a good on-the-go breakfast or after workout snack.

PrintOatmeal Applesauce Bars from The Food in Jars Kitchen

Ingredients

3 cups/300 g rolled oats, divided
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 large eggs
1 cup/240 ml applesauce
1/2 cup/110 g packed brown sugar
4 tablespoons/60 55 ml g melted unsalted butter, melted
1 cup/120 g chopped pecans, walnuts, or almonds, toasted

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F/177°C. Grease a 13 x 9- x 13 inch/23 33 x 33 23 cm pan with nonstick spray and line it with parchment paper, leaving the paper ends protruding to so that it hangs overhang on two 2 opposite sides.
In the work bowl of a food processor, combine 1 1/2 cups/150 g of the oats, and the baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Process until the oats are broken down. Add the eggs, applesauce, brown sugar, and melted butter and process just until the ingredients are well-mixed.
Add the remaining 1 1/2 cups/150 g of rolled oats and the toasted nuts, and pulse 5 to or 6 times, until the mixture is just combined.
Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the tops are a golden brown, the corners have begun to pull away from the sides of the pan, and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out mostly clean.
Remove them the oat slab from the oven and let them it cool completely before removing from the pan. Once it is cool, use the overhanging parchment paper to lift the bars slab out of the pan. Slice into 12 equal bars with a serrated knife.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. For longer storage, wrap the bars individually, tuck them into a ziptop resealable plastic bag, and freeze.3.1https://foodinjars.com/recipe/oatmeal-applesauce-bars-from-the-food-in-jars-kitchen/

 

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April Partners: Fillmore Container, EcoJarz, McDonald Paper, and Sticker You

Happy April, dear readers! It’s the start of the month and that means that it’s time to thank the businesses that help make this site possible. Please do show them that you appreciate their support with your time and attention!

Lancaster, PA-based and family-owned Fillmore Container are first! They offer all manner of canning jars, lids, and other preservation gear and carry just about every Ball jar currently available , so if you’re looking for a particular style, check them out. Their blog is also a great resource, so keep it on your must-check list!

Our friends over at EcoJarz are another stalwart sponsor. They make an array of products designed to fit on top of mason jars, including cheese graters, coffee brewers, and stainless steel storage lids. Don’t miss their March Mason Jar Madness giveaway (ends April 5).

Back for another month is McDonald Paper & Restaurant Supply. Based in Brooklyn, they are open to the public and sell all manner of culinary supplies. Restaurant supply stores are a great way to get affordable, durable kitchen gear (including jars!). I’m a big of their big food storage containers for macerating fruit for jam and I love these recyclable lidded aluminum containers for those times when I’m bringing food to friends and neighbors.

New to the partnership roster is Sticker You. They sell custom stickers, temporary tattoos, magnets, patches, decals, and more. I’m planning on getting some of their iron-on transfers so we can all make some Food in Jars logo tees (so fun!).

And if your company, shop, or family business is interested in reaching the food-loving and engaged Food in Jars audience, you can find more details here. Leave a comment on this post or drop me a note to learn more!

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Roast Chicken with Salt Preserved Herbs

Earlier this month, I shared a recipe for salt preserved herbs and showed you how to make them during one of my two monthly Facebook live demos. A number of you joined me in making them and I’ve loved seeing all the ways that everyone has used them (stirred into scrambled eggs, used to dress vegetables, added to soup).

Oh, and just a troubleshooting note on these herbs. Take care not to let them get pushed to the back of the fridge where it’s colder. If they freeze, they will turn black and slimy, and won’t be delicious anymore.

Before the month is over, I wanted to show you one of my favorite ways to use these salt preserved herbs. Roast chicken. I like to spread a thin layer of the salt preserved herbs over and around a chicken, let it rest in the fridge a little while, and then roast it at high heat (425°F/218°C or more, depending on what else needs to be in the oven while it’s cooking).

The rest in the fridge helps the salt draw out some of the moisture from the skin, which helps it crisp better. During roasting, the herbs crisp and turn into salty, crunchy bits that are so good crumbled on top of the sliced meat.

I do have a couple tips before you start. One is to portion the salt preserved herbs you’re going to use out into a small bowl before you touch the chicken. You don’t want to contaminate your primary jar with raw chicken germs and this allows you to keep everything separate.

The second tip is that it helps to pat the chicken dry before applying the herbs. They don’t stay in place if chicken is really damp.

I’m not going to give you more of a recipe than that. Chicken is fully cooked at 165°F/74°C, so you just roast until an instant read thermometer (inserted in a meaty area of the bird) gives you that temperature.

For those of you who have made these herbs, how have you used them?

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Lemon Cilantro Salt
Mango Mint Lime Sauce
Submit your Herb Preserve for the March Mastery Challenge

Food in Jars Kitchen Pre-Order Bonus eBook is Here!

Friends! The Food in Jars Kitchen pre-order bonus is here! If you pre-ordered a copy of this book, all you need to do is send me proof of your pre-order at marisa@foodinjars.com and I will send you a link to download this six recipe ebook.

If you haven’t pre-ordered yet, it’s still not too late! Just place an order sometime in the next week, send me documentation of your purchase, and you will get this handy ebook.

Just know that I am sending these responses out manually, so please be patient if you don’t hear back immediately. I will make sure that everyone gets their copy!

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The Food in Jars Kitchen Tea at Fork Restaurant

In 1923, my great-grandmother Elizabeth opened tea room called the Russian Inn. Her husband had died a few years earlier and she had struggled to support her family of four.

My great-grandfather had been a violinist in the Philadelphia Orchestra and knowing that Elizabeth was having a hard time, his fellow musicians took up a collection to help her start the business.

Elizabeth ran the Inn for two years, and when she died in her early 30s, her sister Sue and Sue’s husband Harry took it over. My Aunt Sue and Uncle Harry ran the restaurant until it closed in 1968.

I am too young to have ever stepped foot into the Russian Inn, but I grew up steeped in the stories of all that had taken place there. Of Aunt Sue, her hair carefully combed and sprayed into a black flip, greeting customers and fawning over celebrities. Of my grandparents falling in love, standing on either sides of the cashier’s station. And of the fortune teller who was always in position on the upstairs balcony.

Over the years, visiting celebrities because a big part of the Inn’s reputation. It was located just a few blocks away from many of Philadelphia’s theaters and so performers would often come by for a meal after the show had wrapped for the night. Aunt Sue comped their meals and the actors and musicians repaid her by posing for photos and signing headshots.

Many of those photos have been lost to history (a lot turned up at a local auction house a few years ago, but I only found out about it after the auction was over), but we still have a handful. My favorite are the ones where Aunt Sue is posing while pretending not to.

One of the pleasures of writing The Food in Jars Kitchen was the opportunity to include a handful of recipes inspired both my family’s Jewish heritage and our long association with the Russian Inn.

Best of all, one of the very first events I’m doing to promote this new book is one that honors the Russian Inn. I’ve partnered with Fork Restaurant to create an afternoon tea menu that features recipes from the book that would have been at home on the Inn’s menu.

Here’s what the menu will include:

Jam-Streaked SconesRye Toast with smoked trout, crème fraîche and pickled onionRussian Dressing Potato Salad on potato breadPistachio, Honey and Roasted Peach Jam BabkaTomato Jam and Goat Cheese RugelachChocolate Sauerkraut CakePickled Beets with fromage blanc

The tea will be on Saturday, April 6 and will run from 12-3 pm. It costs $55 per person (a price that includes a copy of the book). I’ll be there all day to sign books, answer questions, and share bits of ephemera from the Inn.

You can click this link to make reservations. I do hope some of you will come!

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