Marisa McClellan's Blog, page 69

Other People’s Preserves: Lehigh Biltong

Other People’s Preserve is my opportunity to shine a spotlight on some of the very delicious jams, pickles, and preserved foods being made by some of the many dedicated professionals out there. If you see one of these products out in the wild, consider picking up a jar, tub, or bottle!

Most of you are probably familiar with jerky, but biltong may be a new one to you. It’s a South African method of drying meat for long term preservation. The meat is seasoned with salt, pepper, vinegar, and coriander and then hung to dry for several days, until it is dry but still pliable.

I recently had the change to try the biltong made by a Pennsylvania company called Lehigh Biltong. It’s fresher tasting, more pleasant to eat than any jerky I’ve ever tried, and makes for a convenient, protein-packed snack. If you’re on a paleo diet or just trying to shift your snacking habits, it’s a really terrific option.

Related Posts:

Other People’s Preserves: Spicy Carrot Jam from Spruce Hill Preserves
Other People’s Preserves: Preservation Society
Other People’s Preserves: We Love Jam Blenheim Apricot

Oatmeal Fruit Muffins from the Healthy Fats, Low-Cholesterol Cookbook

So far in 2016, the culinary theme in my household has been comfort. Between the brutal cold and my mother-in-law’s declining health, we’ve all been turning to food for solace and support. This doesn’t mean that we’ve engaged in unchecked gluttony, but I’ve certainly done more baking and melting of cheese than is typical for an average February.

Earlier this week, in searching for a balance between treat and nutrition, I cracked open the copy of the American Heart Association’s Healthy Fats, Low-Cholesterol Cookbook that arrived early in January. As I was thumbing through the pages, the recipe for Oatmeal-Fruit Muffins caught my eye.

Made with rolled oats, white whole wheat flour, wheat germ, applesauce, and dried fruit (among other things), they struck me as a sweet treat that would offer both comfort and enough satiating fiber to leave one satisfied and not in danger of eating the whole pan.

They are also blessedly quick to make. No more than 30 minutes passed from the time I stood up to make them to the moment I was sliding the pan out of the oven. They also filled the apartment with a gorgeous scent, which I find offers nearly as much solace as the actual eating.

I will confess that I made a few changes to the recipe. I used an egg in place of the egg replacer, measured 2% rather than skim milk, and opted for dried cherries rather than suggested figs (I didn’t feel like dirtying a knife and cutting board to dice the dried figs I have).

They do turn a bit rubbery once they’re more than a day old, but a quick turn in the toaster oven or under the broiler revives these muffins nice.

PrintOatmeal Fruit Muffins

Ingredients

Cooking spray
1 cup white whole-wheat flour
3/4 cup uncooked oatmeal
1/3 cup toasted wheat germ
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup fat-free milk
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup egg substitute
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped dried figs or dried apricots

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Lightly spray a standard 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, oatmeal, wheat germ, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
In a separate medium bowl, stir together the remaining ingredients except the figs.
Stir the milk mixture into the flour mixture until the batter is just moistened but no flour is visible. Don’t overmix; the batter will be lumpy. Fold in the figs.
Spoon the batter into the muffin cups.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
Transfer the pan to a cooling rack. Let stand for 5 minutes. Serve the muffins warm or at room temperature.

Notes

Excerpted from AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION HEALTHY FATS, LOW-CHOLESTEROL COOKBOOK Copyright © 2015 by American Heart Association. Published by Harmony Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.

3.1http://foodinjars.com/2016/02/oatmeal-fruit-muffins/

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Single Skillet Pasta in Viking’s Stainless Steel Casserole Pan

I’ve been cooking dinner on a near-nightly basis for the better part of the last two decades and over that time, I’ve come to understand a few essential things about myself. The most primary is that at my core, I’m a lazy cook. I’m not trading quality over convenience, but I am always making choices that I hope will make life just a little bit easier.

My inclination to reduce dishes and avoid unnecessary steps means that whenever possible, I opt for soups, stews, and other dishes that only require a single vessel. I will often cram things into a single pan when they might have been better off cooked separately. And any recipe that requires browning in batches is summarily discarded.

Last month, a piece of cookware came into my life that has both encouraged my lazy ways and upped my nightly game. It’s a stainless steel casserole that holds just over six quarts. It is sturdy, has a low, wide profile that makes for quick evaporation, comes with a tight-fitting lid, cleans up beautifully, and it made by Viking (until they reached out about this pan, I didn’t realize they did more than large kitchen appliances).

This pan has been on my stove top on a near-constant basis since it arrived. I’ve made a number of skillet chicken dishes in it (brown chicken in a single batch. Remove. Add onions and veg and cook until wilted. Return the chicken, add a little liquid, cover and braise until the chicken is cooked through). I’ve used it for pancakes, turkey bacon, and a large batch of eggs poached in tomato sauce.

However, I think that the very highest calling for this pan is this skillet pasta dish. The original inspiration for this recipe is the single skillet pasta recipe from Martha Stewart that took the internet by storm a few years ago. This one isn’t quite as simple as just heaping all the ingredients in a pan and heating for nine minutes, but it’s pretty darn close.

You start by heating a couple tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat. When it shimmers, add some chopped onion, garlic, red pepper, and kale and cook until all the veg is tender. Then you add some cubed chicken sausage (I used some that was already cooked through), a cup of liquid (white wine, chicken stock, or water) and a couple cans (or jars, if your pantry runs to such things) of fire roasted tomatoes and get it bubbling.

Then you add eight ounces of uncooked pasta. I used whole wheat elbows, but any short cut variety you have in the pantry does the job. Cover the pan and cook until the pasta is tender. It will absorb the liquid in the pan, making for flavorful pasta and less clean-up for the cook.

I’ve written the instructions out in an organized fashion for you, but this is more of a technique than a recipe that must be followed to the letter. You could do a version with braised fennel bulb and a pound of pork fennel sausage. A batch with artichoke would also be nice. The options are endless!

What would you make in a Viking casserole like this one?

PrintRed Pepper, Kale, and Chicken Sausage Pasta Skillet

Yield: serves 4-6

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, minced
2 red peppers, cored and chopped
3-4 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 bundle lacinato kale, washed and chopped
1 pound cooked chicken sausage, diced
1 cup white wine or chicken stock
2 15-ounce cans fire roasted tomatoes
8 ounces short whole wheat pasta
salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese, for topping

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or casserole (like the Viking Professional Stainless Steel Casserole). When it shimmers, add the onions, red peppers, and garlic and cook for 4-5 minutes over medium-high heat, until they begin to get a little color.
Add the chopped kale and stir to combine. Once it has wilted, add the diced chicken sausage and stir to combine. Cook until the sausage begins to brown a little and the pan seems quite dry. Add the wine/chicken stock and stir to combine.
Pour the tomatoes and their juice into the pan and stir to combine.
Add the pasta and stir it in.
Bring the sauce to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and put a lid on the pan.
Cook for 10-12 minutes, until the pasta is cooked. Season to taste. Serve with grated parmesan cheese on top. 3.1http://foodinjars.com/2016/02/single-skillet-pasta-in-vikings-stainless-steel-casserole-pan/

Disclosure: The folks at Viking sent me this pan, with the intention that I use it, develop a recipe in it, and feature it on my blog. No additional compensation has been provided. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.

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Upcoming Events – Eating Words! Greensgrow Farm! Local Mouthful Potluck!

Hello friends! I took a look at my calendar today and realized that I have a few events coming up that I’ve neglected to tell you about. If you’re in the Philly area and feel the need to get out, talk to people, take a class or join me at a potluck, I’ve got a few options for you!

February 27 – I’m speaking on a panel at Eating Words: Philadelphia. It’s a one-day food writing conference put on by Edible Philly and hosted by the Culinary Literacy Center at the Free Library of Philadelphia. The conference runs from 9 am to 4 pm and costs $85 to participate.  The full schedule and to register.

March 19 – An introduction to preserving with natural sweeteners at Greensgrow Farm in Philadelphia. This hands on class runs from is from 12 noon to 2 pm and all participants will go home with a small jar of jam made in class. More details and registration info.

March 20 – The first Local Mouthful Cookbook Club potluck! We’re inviting local listeners to cook a dish from one of the cookbooks we’ve featured so far this year (Lucky Peach’s 101 Easy Asian Recipes, The New Persian Kitchen, or The Indian Family Table). More info soon about time and location of the potluck.

I’ve also got my full schedule (at least as it stands right now) for April and May up on my classes and events page right now (June, July, and August coming soon). I’ll be all up and down the west coast in April, so check it out and mark your calendars.

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Cookbooks: Brodo

If you follow food trends of any stripe these days, you may have heard people talking about the many wonders of bone broth. When Joy and I went to the Natural Foods Expo last fall, we spotted several companies selling versions designed for sipping (though I tend to be skeptical of such things, I must say that Noma Lim was quite delicious).

I recently got a pitch for a kit hoping to make homemade bone broth even easier (though truly, it’s not that hard even without a kit and it’s far more affordable). And there has been a steady stream of books trying to help guide you towards doing it yourself.

For those of you who don’t mind flying without recipes, you don’t need anything more to make bone broth (or stock, or regular broth, or whatever else you want to call it) than a big stock pot, some meaty bones (sometimes roasted, sometimes not), vegetables, and tasty, clean water.

However, if you like to have a bit more guidance, may I suggest the book Brodo, by Marco Canora? He’s a New York-based chef who started a bone broth take-out window in his restaurant Hearth and has created a lovely, smart book on the topic of making delicious, savory broths.

One of the reasons I like this little book is that it offers so much more than just a handful of broth recipes (there are actually 15 distinct versions). It also features bowls (I have the ginger beef bowl on my meal plan for next week), soup add-ins (I need to make the Infused Coconut Milk immediately), and risotto recipes.

Now, just one thing. As much as I’m pleased that people are returning to the act of making their own stocks and broths, I do think that there’s a danger of becoming too precious about the process once it becomes as hot and trendy as bone broth has.

It is important to use good ingredients, but remember that the act of making broth or stock was originally intended to be one of frugality and making the most of your food. Don’t think you need to break your budget in order to add it to your homemade pantry. And don’t feel like you have to be bound to a specific recipe. Work with what you have.

Oh, and don’t forget! If you’re short on freezer space and you’ve got a pressure canner, you can make your broth shelf stable!

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One Month Until Naturally Sweet Food in Jars Arrives!
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Pre-Order Naturally Sweet Food in Jars

One Month Until Naturally Sweet Food in Jars Arrives!

The official publication date of Naturally Sweet Food in Jars is exactly one month from today. Cue my pre-pub jitters!

I’ve been working hard over the last few weeks, putting together a really terrific book tour (my Classes and Events page is getting updated on a near-daily basis and I have a whole lot more to add). It’s shaping up to be a good combination of classes, demos, and book store conversations, and I do hope lots of you will come out to see me.

I totally understand those of you who want to pick up a copy of the book at one of my events, but if you don’t think you’re going to make it out to say hi, I’d love it (and so would Running Press) if you’d pre-order a copy! Here are just a few of your purchasing options!

Amazon | Powell’s | Barnes and Noble | Indigo | Books-a-Million | Indiebound

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Links: Ginger Pear Butter, Giveaways, and Winners

About a week ago, our under sink water filter sprang a leak, causing a great deal of mess and upheaval. We’re all cleaned up now, with a new filter that’s better than the old one, but it took a goodly amount of mopping, sorting, trashing, and general disruption to get back to normal. The whole experience feels like it’s an allegory for life. There’s turmoil, mess, and recovery, but in the end, you wind up in a situation that’s better than before.

Blood orange curd (I’ve not yet made any curd this season and I really must remedy that).
Autumn’s white grapefruit marmalade with bay leaf. Sounds good, doesn’t it!
Ginger pear butter, sweetened with honey. It’s a riff on a recipe from my upcoming book and it sure sounds like a good one.
Yogurt makers, take note of Cheryl’s master recipe. Goodness abounds!
One woman’s food preservation evolution.
Some tips from food bloggers for beginning cooks (including a few from me!).
Our friends at Fillmore Container currently have two giveaways running. One is a gift pack in celebration of Beyond Canning and the other is in honor of the new Ball Collection Elite jars! Get your entries in for both!

The two winners in my Mason Jar Accessories giveaway are #332/Maria C. and #452/Beth. Congratulations to the winners! The giveaway is taking a short break this week, but will be back next week. And thanks to everyone who shared dinner ideas and suggestions. It was most inspiring to read about the things you’ve been cooking lately!

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Canning 101: How to Make Jam With Frozen Fruit + Apricot Meyer Lemon Jam

It is mid-winter, which means that the pickings are quite slim for canners in search of fresh fruit to turn into jams and fruit butters. However, if you’ve got a preserving itch that must be scratched, take heart and turn to the freezer.

Whether you’re using fruit you yourself tucked into the deep freeze or you’ve decided to rely on that which you can find in the cases at the grocery store, it’s possible to coax satisfying spreads out of previously as long as you remember a couple of things.

First and most important, don’t defrost your fruit prior to combining it with the sugar. I’ve made jam from a wide array of frozen fruit in my time, and I’ve learned that my results are always better if I liberally dust the fruit with sugar while it’s still frozen.

The sugar draws away some of the water in the fruit, which helps it hold its shape better, while also providing some protection against browning. This is especially helpful in the case of light-colored fruit like apricots and peaches, which will turn grey and squishy if left to defrost on their own.

The second tip for success when using frozen fruit in preserving is to use weight as your measurement tool. Because you’re going to sugar the fruit before it has defrosted, volume measurements for the fruit won’t accurate. By using weight as your guiding measurement, you’ll be able to keep the proportions of fruit to sugar steady and set youreslf up for success.

For those of you who made plenty of jam back in the summer and question why one would want to make jam from frozen fruit, I have a four words for you. Apricot Meyer Lemon Jam.

This season bending preserve isn’t possible to make on the east coast without the aid of a freezer, but it is good enough that I try to stash four pounds of apricots in my freezer drawer each summer, so that I’m able to make it when Meyer lemons are in season. Oh, and if you can’t wait another year for this one, try freezing some Meyer lemon juice and zest right now, to save for apricot season.

PrintApricot Meyer Lemon Jam

Yield: Makes 7-8 half pints

Ingredients

4 pounds apricots, pitted and roughly chopped
1 1/3 pounds granulated sugar
3 Meyer lemons, zested and juiced

Instructions

Prepare a boiling water bath canner and 8 half pint jars.
Combine chopped apricots with sugar and let sit until sugar dissolves. If you're using frozen apricots, make sure to add the sugar while the apricots are still frozen, and let them sit until mostly defrosted.
Once the sugar is dissolved, set the pan on the stove over high heat and bring to a boil.
Cook, stirring regularly for 15 to 25 minutes, until the fruit thickens and reduces by at least one-third. Frozen fruit tends to break down fairly readily on its own, but if the chunks are really big, use a potato masher to help break them down.
Add the Meyer lemon juice and zest.
When the jam seems quite thick and glossy, remove it from the heat.
Funnel the jam into the prepared jars. Wipe the rims, apply the lids and rings, and process in a boiling water bath canner for 10 minutes.
When time is up, remove jars from the canner and set them on a folded kitchen towel to cool.
When jars are cool enough to handle, test seals. Sealed jars are shelf stable for at least one year. Any unsealed jars should be refrigerated and used promptly.3.1http://foodinjars.com/2016/02/canning-101-how-to-make-jam-with-frozen-fruit/

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Giveaway: Assorted Mason Jar Accessory Grab Bags

There is a basket that sits next to my desk. It collects the various mason jar tools and accessories that people often send me. Over the last few weeks, this basket has gotten so full that its contents threaten to spill out across my small work area.

Instead of schlepping the excess off to the Goodwill, I thought I’d put together a pair of assorted accessory grab bags and offer them up for giveaway here. I’ll divide up the goodies you see pictured here, along with some other items I’ve found since taking that picture and send them off to the two lucky winners.

A good deal of the items you see here are from site sponsors Fillmore Container and Mason Jar Lifestyle and friend of FIJ EcoJarz. If you can’t wait to get your hands on a silicone drink lid, or one of those snazzy one-piece lids with the straw hole, make sure to visit their sites!

Here’s how to enter:

Leave a comment on this post and me what you’ve been making for dinner lately (I need some fresh inspiration).
Comments will close at 11:59 pm eastern time on Saturday, February 20, 2016. A winner will be chosen at random and will be posted to the blog on Sunday, February 21, 2016.
Giveaway open to United States and Canadian residents. Void where prohibited.
One comment per person, please. Entries must be left via the comment form on the blog at the bottom of this post.

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Links: Marmalade, Citrus Curds, and a Winner

The weather has been so brutally cold in Philly this week that I’ve spent most of the last seven days in a state of functional hibernation. Essentially, I go out only when absolutely necessary and have been getting into bed hours earlier than normal. There has also been a very great deal of soup consumed in our household. I very much welcome the warm-up that’s predicted this week! Now, some links!

Grapefruit ginger curd and five more ways to make citrus curd.
How to choose the best Seville orange marmalade recipe for you!
Mrs. Wheelbarrow’s marmalade tips and her recipe for Texas marmalade.
Orange marmalade skillet chicken.
Kate Payne’s approach sauerkraut and fermented slaws.
How to grow a SCOBY and hibiscus rose kombucha.
Pickled brussels sprouts (one of my favorites for adding to grain salads).
Quick beet relish.
Freezing storage garlic and onions that have started to sprout.
Spiralized daikon garlic noodles from Autumn Giles’ Beyond Canning.
Orange maple hemp salad dressing. I’m so intrigued by the addition of hemp seeds!
Check out these vegetable flatbreads! The beet is so gorgeous.
Date nut quick bread.
A tested and organized recipe for puddles!

It was so nice to see so many of you welcoming the weekly giveaway back to the fold. The winner of the Milk Kefir Grains Starter Kit from Hobby Hill Farm Fresh is #30/Kelley.

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