Marisa McClellan's Blog, page 86

CSA Cooking: Strawberry Chutney

Last week, I mentioned that I’d combined the quart of strawberries from my latest Philly Foodworks with two additional quarts to make a batch of strawberry chutney. This chutney is much like the sweet cherry version I wrote about last summer and it’s a good one to eat with cheese or in grain bowls.

It starts with about four pounds berries. Once chopped, that adds up to about 12 cups, if you prefer volume measurements to weight (though really, a kitchen scale is one of the most useful tools there is).

The strawberries are combined with chopped red onion, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, golden raisins (though you could use dark ones if that’s what you have), mustard seeds, red pepper flakes, kosher salt, and a couple star anise blossoms.

Once all the ingredients are in the pot, you bring it up to a boil and then cook it until the fruit softens and the liquid thickens. I like to start on high and then reduce the heat as the chutney cooks down. You know it’s getting close when you get that tell-tale sizzle as you stir.

Once the chutney is finished cooking, fish out those star anise pieces (they add good flavor in small measure, but if you leave them in the jars, they will overwhelm all the other ingredients). Once in the jars, the chutney has a lovely, dusky color.

Oh, and remember. If the flavor of vinegar overwhelms your chutney eating experience, open the jar and let it breathe a little before serving. Half an hour or so should be enough to help the most intense fumes dissipate.

PrintStrawberry Chutney

Yield: 4 pints

Ingredients

4 pounds strawberries, hulled and diced
2 cups minced red onion (about 1 large)
2 cups light brown sugar
2 cups apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 cups golden raisins
1 lemon, seeded and chopped
3 tablespoons yellow mustard seed
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
2 star anise

Instructions

Prepare a canning pot and 4 pint jars (or a combination of pints and half pints that hold a total of 8 cups of product).
Combine all ingredients in a large pot, stir to combine, and bring to a vigorous boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring often, until the mixture has reduced and developed a thick, spreadable consistency, about 50-60 minutes.
When the chutney is finished cooking, remove the pot from the heat. Ladle the chutney into the prepared jars, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace. Wipe the rims, apply the lids and rings, and process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes.
When the processing time is up, remove the jars from the canner and set them on a folded kitchen towel to cool.
Once they've cooled to room temperature, remove the rings and test the seals. Sealed jars can be stored on the pantry shelf for up to one year. Any unsealed jars should be refrigerated and eaten within one month. 3.1http://foodinjars.com/2015/06/csa-cooking-strawberry-chutney/

Related Posts:

CSA Cooking: Green Hummus
CSA Cooking: The June Share
CSA Cooking: Ramp-infused Vinegar

Canning 101: How to Prevent Jam Separation

This time of year, lots of people are making and canning strawberry jam. Though it’s a universally loved preserve, I find it to be one of the trickier jams to get right, particularly for beginning jam makers. One of the reasons that people struggle with strawberries is that the finished jam has the tendency to separate into two layers* once it has cooled in the jars.

If you are one of the ones who have struggled with this two layer jam, worry not. It’s not a sign of danger or even that you did something wrong. It’s simply a sign that there is still some air trapped in the strawberries. They are lighter than the syrup and so rise to the tops of the jars.

I find that this jam separation happens primary in recipes that call for relatively short cooking times or very large pieces of fruit that have not been given a long maceration period.

You can work to prevent this two layer effect by chopping the fruit into smaller pieces, macerating it with the sugar overnight, mashing it with a potato masher during cooking (this action is best if you’re noticing big hunks of fruit bobbing around towards the end of cooking), and even extending the cooking period a bit.

If you’ve taken these actions and you’re still noticing that your jam is separating during the cooling stage, you can gently shake the cooling jars to reintegrate the fruit and the syrup.

My preferred method of dealing with this separation is simply to tell people that I meant it to be that way and that if you want a more integrated preserve, that they should stir the fruit into the now-set jelly when they open the jars.

*This can also happen with other varieties of fruit as well, but is simply most common with strawberries.

Related Posts:

Canning 101: White Vinegar in the Canning Pot Prevents Mineral and Metallic Deposits
Canning 101: Can You Preserve With Artificial Sweeteners?
Canning 101: Why Do Colors Change in Home Canned Foods?

Giveaway: Fillmore Container $50 Gift Codes

This week’s giveaway is sponsored by Fillmore Container. They are a jar distributor based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and they sell a whole world of jars, accessories, lids, cookbooks, and other great gear.

Two lucky winners will each get a $50 gift code with which they can order anything they want from the wide array of gear that Fillmore sells. While the choices are entirely up to the winners, I thought it might be fun to suggest a few of my favorite things from their online store.

First up are the jars. They carry the entire line of Ball/Kerr jars and have often been my source for my beloved wide mouth half pint jars. However, because they also sell to commercial canners, you can also get fun, unbranded, smooth-sided jars. I particularly like the squat regular mouth half pints and the super smooth quarter pint jars you see pictured above. If you want jars that will take a label nicely, these are your best bet.

For even more exotic jar options, there are always the hex jars. These close with lug lids and give your home canning a professional look. For instructions on how to work with these jars, make sure to read this post. Another fun jar in their stock is the French Square Bottle. I love these for stashing batches of homemade iced tea.

If you’re all set on the jar front, there’s still fun stuff to be had at Fillmore. I am a huge fan of this old-style cherry pitter that screws on to a regular mouth mason jar. It makes quick work of pitting cherries and catches all the pits right in the jar. For those of you just starting out with this whole food preservation thing, the six piece canning set should be the first thing in your shopping cart.

If you have a 4th of July party on the calendar next month, think how fun and festive it would be to have a jar of these red and blue paper straws out to go with your drinks. If you’re sipping out of jars, pair them with these one piece lids with drink holes to prevent spills.

Last, but not certainly least is the 4th burner pot. Fillmore Container just recently added this sturdy little pot to their inventory and I couldn’t be more pleased. I use this pot as a small batch canner, for heating pickling brine, and as a blanching pot for little batches of beans and asparagus. When not canning, it gets pressed into service to heat stock for risotto, to bring water to a boil for iced tea, and to hard boil eggs. It’s one of the hardest working pieces of cookware in my kitchen.

This week, Fillmore is giving away one of these handy pots, so make sure to head over to their blog to enter.

Here’s how to enter the giveaway for one of $50 gift certificates!

Leave a comment on this post and tell me how you’d spend $50 on the Fillmore Container website.
Comments will close at 11:59 pm eastern time on Saturday, June 20, 2015. Winners will be chosen at random and will be posted to the blog on Sunday, June 21, 2015.
Giveaway open to United States residents only.
One comment per person, please. Entries must be left via the comment form on the blog at the bottom of this post.

Disclosure: Fillmore Container is providing the gift codes for this giveaway. They sent me the some of the jars and gear pictured above. They are also a Food in Jars sponsor and so do help contribute to the running of this site. 

Related Posts:

A Pomona’s Pectin and Fillmore Container Giveaway
Giveaway: $100 in Jar Credit From Fillmore Container
Giveaway: Straight Sided Half Pint Jars from Fillmore Container

Upcoming Live Online Classes

I taught my first live online class last month and learned a lot from the experience about what I can accomplish in an hour and what seems to be useful to those of you who tuned in. I’ve scheduled three more sessions for the coming months and hope that some of you will join me.

Instead of charging a flat fee for the class, I’ve changed to a pay what you wish format. My hope is that by opening up the classes, more of you will participate and the session will become increasingly useful as a result. I’ve also moved the start time back to 8 pm eastern time so that it’s more convenient for the west coast folks.

Tuesday, June 23 – This is a basics of boiling water bath canning class. I’ll show you my various canning set-ups, talk you through filling jars, processing, troubleshooting, and tips for storage. Sign up here.
Monday, July 13 – This is a live can-a-long class. I’ll publish the small batch peach jam recipe ahead of time and tell you what you should have prepped, so that you can cook and can with me if you want. Sign up here.
Tuesday, August 4 – This session is dedicated to pickling. I’ll talk about quick, preserved, and fermented pickles and offer tips on storage, safety, and improvisation. Sign up here.

All these classes are being offered on Concert Window. Unfortunately, they don’t offer the ability to capture the full class for future viewing, so these are once and done experiences.

Related Posts:

Upcoming Classes: Mullica Hill and Chestnut Hill
Live Online Canning Class on May 19 at 7 pm!
Upcoming Classes: Morris Arboretum and Online!

Links: Cherries, Pickles, and a Winner

No matter what the calendar says, summer has arrived (at least in Philadelphia). Cherries are here and I spotted the very first apricots at the farmers market on Saturday. I bought my first watermelon on Thursday and I’ve been scooping up garlic scapes everywhere I see them. This time of year makes me so darn happy. Now, links!

Pickled spring onions!
Love these butter-dipped breakfast radishes.
This method for cooking small potatoes is brilliant.
I am so looking forward to seeing a copy of this new canning book (featured on Simple Bites).
Cherry smoothies!
Red wine infused with cherry leaves and other good stuff.
Going strawberry picking? Read these tips!
These simple biscuits speak to me (and Jess Fechtor’s book Stir is next up on my to-read pile).
Kaela posted the link to this post earlier today and though it’s a couple years old, it’s still a good read and reminder.
Good tips for extending the life of your vegetables.
This isn’t directly about food, but is such a good reminder to pause and breathe in order to cultivate peace.

It was so fun to hear about all your favorite pickles this week! The winner of the Mrs. Wages Perfect Pickle Sampler is #222/Peggy P. Hope you have fun with all those pickle spices and mixes, Peggy!

Related Posts:

Links: Fig Syrup, Blackberry Butter, and Winners
Links: Pickles, Salsas, Dill Heads, and a Winner
Links: Meyer Lemon Jam, Kerr Jars, and a Winner

Other People’s Preserves: Spicy Carrot Jam from Spruce Hill Preserves

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

I met Molly Haendler, chief jam maker and recipe inventor at Spruce Hill Preserves, last winter as a holiday craft show. We chatted as I tasted my way through her entire product line, swooning over her wacky but wonderful flavor combinations all the while. I quickly followed her on Instagram and have been wanting to feature one of her creative preserves here in this space ever since.

Happily, today is that day. About a week ago, I got my hands on a jar of her Spicy Carrot with Orange and Cardamom Jam. At first glance, you might think that this vividly orange spread shouldn’t work, with all it’s got going on. And yet, with each bite, you find that you want another. It’s punchy, sweet, slightly vegetal, and works magic on a roasted chicken or a grilled cheese.

If you’re in Philly, you may well spot Spruce Hill Preserves at one of the many farmers markets that dot the city. For those of you further away, know that Molly ships her preserves all over.

Disclosure: Spruce Hill Preserves gave me the jar of Spicy Carrot Jam that you see pictured here. No additional funds have changed hands and all opinions expressed here are mine and mine alone. 

Related Posts:

Other People’s Preserves: Preservation Society
Other People’s Preserves: We Love Jam Blenheim Apricot
Other People’s Preserves: S&V Artisanal Jams

CSA Cooking: Green Hummus

I have really been putting my food processor through its paces lately. There have been multiple batches of pesto, a trial batch of whipped herby labneh (inspired by recent books by Cheryl and Maureen), and this batch of pale green hummus. It’s been quite the work out for my 40 year old machine, but happily it appears to be holding up just fine.

This hummus was inspired by a need to do something with a relatively small portion of mature spinach that was in my last Philly Foodworks box and a desire to have something easy and good to eat for lunch over the next week (my recent dinnertime cooking hasn’t been producing reliable leftovers, which has left me floundering come midday).

I realize that hummus purists might object to my addition of spinach, but I love the color and slight vegetal flavor it adds. You could do the same thing with kale, chard, or even mustard greens (they’d make it nicely spicy!).

A scoop of this hummus, a pile of cut vegetables, and a few crackers make for a very good, easy lunch. I suggest you try it!

PrintCSA Cooking: Green Hummus

Ingredients

2 15-ounce cans garbanzo beans
4 ounces spinach, blanched, cooled, and well-squeezed
1/4 cup tahini
2 small garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
juice of one small lemon
3-4 tablespoons water
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
4-5 turns of a pepper grinder

Instructions

Drain the garbanzo beans and give them a good rinse. For a very smooth hummus, use your fingers to pop the skin off each individual bean. If you can't be bothered, skip that step.
Tumble the beans into the bowl of a food processor. Put the lid on and pulse a few times to break up the beans.
Add the spinach, tahini, garlic cloves, and lemon juice and run the motor. While it runs, slowly stream in the olive oil and two tablespoons of water. If the hummus seems to thick, add the remaining water.
Add the salt and pepper and pulse to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.
Scrape the finished hummus into a container and refrigerate. It will keep about a week in the fridge. 3.1http://foodinjars.com/2015/06/csa-cooking-green-hummus/

Related Posts:

CSA Cooking: The June Share
CSA Cooking: Ramp-infused Vinegar
CSA Cooking: Turkey Meatloaf and Quick Pickled Chard Stems

Cookbooks: Real Sweet

Despite the spotlight we’ve all been shining on them lately, naturally sweeteners are still something of an undiscovered country. I’ve spent the last year finding ways to use these flavorful sweeteners in preserving, and I’m always excited to see how other authors use them in baking, cooking, and canning.

One recent book that takes on a wide swath of natural sweeteners is Shauna Sever’s Real Sweet. It’s an engaging look at baking using coconut sugar, muscovado, turbinado, honey, maple syrup, agave nectar, brown rice syrup, and more. As someone who regularly pulls apart recipes for things like quick breads and muffins in order to make them with these natural sweeteners, having this book on my shelf has been wonderful.

The recipes in the book are organized by the events where each item might be most appropriate. This means that instead of classic categorizations like cakes or cookies, you’ll find sections that are entitled Bake Sales and Edible Gifts, Picnics and Potlucks, and Dinner Party Fancies. I think this is a brilliant method, because it ferrets out how most of us are really cooking and baking.

Because I am someone who is always dashing out the house without planning ahead for the next meal, I like to have a few quick snacks tucked into a jar in the fridge or freezer. Shauna’s Breakfast Cookies on page 29 (sweetened with date paste and maple syrup!) are on my list of things to make this weekend.

I hear that stonefruit are going to be coming into season any day now around these parts and I’ve got the recipe for Maple and Vanilla-Roasted Fruit on page 236 marked with a sticky note for the moment I have some in my hot little hands. I can’t wait to stir a freshly roasted apricot or peach half into a bowl of yogurt.

And next time I’m asked to bring a dessert to dinner with friends, I’m making the Maple Chocolate Cake on page 101. It’s a one bowl cake that can be frosted or served with a dollop of barely sweetened whipped cream. I’m ready for a slice right now!

If you’re someone who is looking to use less refined sweeteners in your baked goods, make sure to seek out a copy of this book. It’s a worthy contender for space on your bookcase.

Related Posts:

Be a Recipe Tester for my Natural Sweeteners Book
Cookbooks: Seven Spoons
Cookbooks: Fika

Carrot Top and Garlic Scape Pesto

I go to at least one farmers market a week during the growing season. My primary reason for going is to buy delicious produce from kind people, but I’m also always on the lookout for something extra and interesting. I don’t to just want to come home with things to cook for dinner (though that is a necessary element). My eyes are also scanning the stands, looking for something that will either activate my culinary imagination or give me the opportunity to make a recipe that I have mentally bookmarked.

When I spotted these carrots, they triggered memories of two recipes I’d long wanted to try. First, they brought to mind this recipe that Alana posted on Eating From the Ground Up last fall. I’d been meaning to try that pesto ever since I’d first read her tale of those special Woven Roots Farm carrots, but hadn’t come across really great looking greens. And those sweet little carrots? They were destined to become Amanda’s fermented gingery pickles.

This bundle of carrots was the last one in a bin marked $3. That might seem like a lot for a small cluster of carrots, but knowing the plans I had for the greens, it ended up feeling like a bargain. The vendor did ask if I wanted the greens removed, but the horror on my face stopped her before my words even reached her ears.

I will confess that I paused a bit before deciding to write about this batch of pesto. I published a similar recipe using stinging nettles not too long ago and I didn’t want you all to feel like this blog was becoming all pesto, all the time. But truly, I am a lover of these bright, nutty, herbaceous pastes and make them all summer, with the goal of having about a dozen little green jars in the freezer before the first frost comes.

I find that having a small stash of homemade pestos in my freezer is one of the easiest ways to avoid ordering takeout. I don’t just use them for dressing pasta, either. A solo dinner of sauteed kale, a scoop of a warm grain like millet, and a generous dollop of pesto and I’m a happy girl. They’re good on top of simple soups. And a batch thinned out with a little vinegar, water and a touch more olive oil and you have a very delicious vinaigrette.

PrintCarrot Top and Garlic Scape Pesto

Ingredients

2 cups packed carrot greens
3 ounces chopped garlic scapes (About 4-5 curly scapes. If you don't have scapes, use 2 large peeled cloves instead)
1/2 cup toasted pistachios
1 lemon, juiced
1/4 to 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
3-4 turns of a pepper mill

Instructions

Rinse the greens and pick out big stems, blades of grass, and any leaves that have started to turn brown.
Put the greens in the food processor and pulse 5 to 6 times, until they are tamed a bit.
Add the garlic scapes, pistachios, and lemon juice and run the processor motor until the nuts begin to disappear into the greenness.
With the motor running, stream in 1/4 cup olive oil. Stop motor and scrape down the walls of the bowl and run some more. If the pesto looks very dry, add remaining oil.
Add salt and pepper and pulse to combine.
Taste and add more salt, pepper or lemon juice, should you deem it necessary.
To freeze this pesto, pack it into small jars. I like wide mouth half pints, but the tiny quarter pint jars also work nicely.
Fill the jars, leaving about 1/2 inch of headspace. Top the pesto with a very fine layer of olive oil. This will prevent the pesto from discoloring or developing surface freezer burn. 3.1http://foodinjars.com/2015/06/carrot-top-and-garlic-scape-pesto/

Related Posts:

Philly Foodworks Partnership + Stinging Nettle Pesto
Curly Parsley and Arugula Pesto
Preserves in Action: Whole Wheat Pesto Pasta

CSA Cooking: The June Share

I got my second Philly Foodworks share late last week (for an introduction to this partner ship, read this post). It included a quart of strawberries, a 4 ounce bag of mixed baby lettuces, a bundle of red radishes, a 12 ounce bunch of asparagus, 1 bunch of kale, a head of lettuce, a little bag of spinach leaves, and a cluster of white hakurei turnips.

Whenever I get a CSA share, one of the first things I do a triage the contents of the box. I make note of the things that aren’t going to last as long (this time, the lettuce mix and strawberries were at the top of the to-use list) and tuck the items that will keep better towards the bottom of the crisper drawer.

I combined the strawberries from this share with two additional quarts in order to have enough for a batch of strawberry chutney (that recipe is coming up later this week). This was the first time I’d made chutney from strawberries and I’m not quite sure why I waited so long to do it. It’s a lovely thing, particularly when eaten with tangy yogurt cheese.

I tackled that little bag of mixed lettuces on Sunday night. We ordered takeout sushi for dinner and needed a vegetable to round out the meal. A very simply salad was in order. Instead of turning to bottled dressing (which I do more than I’d like to admit), I did what my grandma Bunny would have done when confronted with truly beautiful lettuce.

I grated a little bit of raw garlic into the bottom of my small wooden salad bowl and added a half teaspoon dijon mustard, a pinch of salt, and a couple twists of black pepper. Using a little whisk, I worked in a tablespoon of champagne vinegar (apple cider, rice wine, or even balsamic would have also been good), and added some extra virgin olive oil (I can’t imagine I used more than 2 tablespoons). Once the oil was integrated, I gave it a little taste. It was very sharp, so I added a little honey for balance.

When the dressing was done, I added the washed and dried greens, turning them gently in the dressing with my hands until they were just coated. We ate it out of the bowl with our chopsticks and breathed fire-y garlic breath at each other for the rest of the night. For a less pungent option, you could grate in a little shallot or ginger.

Related Posts:

CSA Cooking: Ramp-infused Vinegar
CSA Cooking: Turkey Meatloaf and Quick Pickled Chard Stems
CSA Cooking: Kale Rapini Spread