Dill Pickles

While it may seem like I'm slacking in the cooking/baking/blog posting departments lately, I must beg to differ. It's late summer and that means I'm up to my ears in canning projects. I suppose I could post all the recipes I'm doing, but it seems redundant and boring to post how to can peaches in a light syrup...you can google all that elsewhere!

As for cooking, I have been mostly grilling super easy fare. Lots of veggies from the garden, cuts of fish or meat from the deep freeze, fresh fruit, and grilled flatbreads are the norm right now. Even if the temperature in my kitchen was somewhat conducive to cooking, I couldn't do much if I wanted to! I needed to update my pots and pans set, so I placed an order with a small local shop for a new set of stainless steel All-Clad. Afraid that it would take me a while to sell my old Calphalon set, I listed it in the paper. Well, they sold very fast and now I am waiting to receive my new pots, getting creative with canning in the limited few that I still have.

I am posting my dill pickle recipe below because it's different than most that are published currently. The Ball Book of Canning uses sugar to temper the vinegar in every recipe, but I do not like the taste of sweet pickles! I tried a few last year and was not impressed, giving most away. Usually the vinegar to water ratio is 1:1 in pickled vegetables, but the following recipe is safe, as long as it's not messed with. Ball actually has the same ratio listed for their dill recipe, but they add sugar and pickling spices too. In this case, sugar is not a preservative; it's for flavor and to temper the sourness of the vinegar. I like my pickles with lots of dill, a little garlic, and no other flavors...bare bones pickles, if you will, more like the classic store bought flavor (only so much better!).

Classic Kosher-Style Dill Pickles

7 lbs pickling cucumbers

7 quart jars, lids, and rings

lots of ice (approx 1 1/2 bags cocktail ice)

cold water

6 cups white vinegar

3/4 cup Kosher salt (or canning/pickling salt will be fine too)

14 garlic cloves, peeled

7-14 dill heads (the flowery part)

Rinse and scrub the cucumbers well. Slice the blossom end off (if you can't tell which is the stem end and which is the blossom end, take a thin slice off each end). Place the cucumbers in a large bin of ice water (I use my kitchen sink) and let them soak at least 2 hours.

Boil your jars at least ten minutes, and bring the lids and rings to boiling as well. When the lid water is boiling you can turn it off and let them stand in the hot water until you need them. Keep the canner boiling, though.

Combine 8 cups cool water, 6 cups vinegar, and 3/4 cup Kosher (or pickling) salt in a large stockpot. Bring to a boil.

Place two garlic cloves and 1-2 heads of dill in each jar (depending on how much dill flavor you like). Pack the cucumbers tightly, to about 1 inch from the top. When all the jars have been filled, ladle the vinegar solution to the tops of the cucs (you should have about 1" head space). Wipe the rims and screw on the lids. Place in the boiling canner, return to a full boil, and process 15 minutes (10 minutes for pints). Turn off the heat, open the lid, and let them stand 5 minutes. Remove to a towel to cool completely before checking the seals. Label with the date and store in a cool, dark place for up to one year. Be sure to not open the jars for at least one month to allow the flavors to blend.

2010 Fair Results

I just returned from our local fair office. This year I entered a few items to be judged at the county fair, and I needed to pick up the prizes (aka money) that I won. The day I was supposed to submit my entries was extremely hectic, and I wasn't able to do the things I would've liked to have done. Next year I'll hopefully have a little more time to enter a layer cake along with some other creative items.

Two of my entries were just grabbed from the pantry, as a little experiment, to see what might happen. The plum jelly is really tasty, kind of tart and tangy, but I use Pomona's Pectin and much less sugar than most people. This results in a more opaque jelly than the typical super sweet clear gel that is so common. I also entered a jar of pickled dill carrots that weren't particularly artistic in appearance but tasted really good, in our opinions. Both took second place in their categories, which was decent. Honestly, I was surprised the jelly placed that high since it was such a different product than the "usual."

Before I continue, I should give a little insight on the judges for these types of events. They're usually older women, maybe two per category, and either have a history with the 4-H program or in teaching Home Economics (which I wanted to, but never was able to take in school). They typically like things sweet or salty, and favor the richness of butter, light crumb of refined flours, and "classic" flavors. At least, that's been my experience thus far. So when I enter items that use less sugar or whole grains I try to be skeptical about what could, or might not, happen.

I also entered some whole wheat focaccia. There was a contest sponsored by Bob's Red Mill for a delicious, original yeast bread recipe, and I correctly thought that nobody else would enter focaccia, let alone with a garlic scape pesto topping. Well, when I looked at my entry at the fair, there was the teeniest sliver removed and a third place sticker was affixed to the tag. OK, so I figured the originality part did well, and maybe the judges weren't so fond of the strong garlic flavor (if they even knew what garlic scapes are!). There was another loaf of bread nearby that also has a third place sticker on it, and I thought we'd tied.

It took me a while to locate the second focaccia, and I was pleasantly surprised when I did. It was in the center case, a big sample chunk removed, and was marked with a first place sticker and a Best of Show ribbon! The ladies must have really liked the roasted sweet onion and rosemary topping. But that prize is much less than the Bob's contest, so I was a little disappointed just the same. Maybe I should have switched the entries...?

Anyway, I went down to the office this morning to pick up the prize money and the leftover goods. I received a check for the fair entries and submitted the form that has to be sent north to Bob's Red Mill so they can send me my prize directly. Only, that form said I got second place in that contest! I asked, and apparently the sticker on the focaccia had been misplaced. I am entitled to the second place prize, which is a $25 check and two free 5 lb bags of flour! Maybe the judges liked the garlic after all...?

Next year I plan on entering something different, more along the lines of buttery-sweet, for the Bob's contest, and I also hope to have a little more time to plan on making some other items that require a little more effort than just a pantry raid. Still, it's always fun to see how others like (or dislike) what I'm doing in the kitchen, and makes for somewhat profitable entertainment.

Saving Some For Later

Canning season always manages to sneak up quietly on me, starting off with a few batches of jam, and then all of a sudden it's full-on, with days full of processing all sorts of in-season produce! The last few days our green and yellow wax beans have been going crazy. That's a really, really good thing, though, so I'm careful to not complain about the extra work those veggies bring me. It was so nice to have a freezer full last winter, and the Dilly Beans were a major hit too. I had never pickled beans before, but we all agreed that this year I'd definitely have to process even more, especially since I'd experimented a little with the flavorings and we now have a pretty good idea of what's tasty and what's, well, tastier.

As I was pickling the jars shown, I used the brine recipe in the Ball Blue Book of Canning. It's a pretty good guide, although it (understandably) hugs the side of over-caution on the recipes. They suggest doing a hot pack, where you bring the beans to a boil before packing, and while you can get a few extra in the jars this way, it's extremely unpleasant, burning your fingers and hands and making the whole process much slower. I prefer to do a raw pack, holding the beans in the palm of one hand and then pushing them into the jar, adding however many more I can stuff in. Cutting them up would allow you to pack more in also, but I like the look of the beans left whole. I found some hearty organic, locally grown red peppers at the Farmers' Market this morning and tossed in a few slices for color.

Dilly Beans
The ratio of vinegar to water to salt in the brine is very important for food safety guidelines, but feel free to experiment with various spices (mustard seeds could be interesting too!).

4 1/2 tbsp pickling or canning salt (kosher salt will work too, but not regular table salt)
4 1/2 cups white vinegar
4 1/2 cups water
about 3 1/2-4 lbs fresh beans, green, yellow, or a combination
2 red peppers, sliced into strips
9 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 head of dill (the flowery part)
whole peppercorns
red pepper flakes, optional
8 or 9 sterilized pint wide-mouth canning jars, lids, and rings

Snap the blossom end off each bean and rinse them all well to remove any debris.

Bring the water, vinegar, and salt to a boil. Place the hot jars on a towel. To each one, add: 1 clove of garlic, 2 sprigs of dill (each little flower portion on the head is a sprig), and 2 or 3 peppercorns. If you like a little zing, try adding 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (my husband LOVED this variation, but my kids liked them better "plain.").

Gather a large handful of beans and two or three pepper slices. Push into a jar (it should be a tight fit). Try to push a few more in to fill up any gaps. Repeat until all the jars have been stuffed. (Don't worry if the beans are as tall as the rim, just so long as they don't over lap or stick out to prevent the rubber from sealing. The beans will shrink as they're heated.)

Ladle the boiling hot pickling liquid to about 1/2 inch from the rim (it's still OK if the beans are above the liquid). Screw on the lid and place in the boiling water bath. Repeat with the remaining jars, placing each one in the boiling water as it's filled. Bring to a rolling boil, cover, and process for 15 minutes. Remove jars to a towel to cool completely, label, and store up to one year. Make sure to not open the jars for a few weeks to allow the flavors to blend. (Sometimes the beans look a little shriveled when they come out of the canner. In a few days or so they'll puff back up as they absorb the brine more fully.)

Gnudi, Another Way...

A few days ago a friend gave me some bright red first-of-the-season tomatoes from her small organic farm. They were unsaleable because they had been grown in the greenhouse and had not been pollinated. Apparently unpollinated tomatoes are more dense, more acidic, smaller in size, and seedless. She suggested I sauce them, and I am so glad I followed her advice!

Of course, I still had some leftover ricotta in the fridge, and with memories of the gnudi we had a few nights ago I had to give it another try! The garden-fresh tomato sauce was a compilation of what I had on hand, tossed together, and formed a perfect accompaniment to the gnudi...as good (maybe even a little better) than the cream sauce. Because the tomatoes were seedless they had less juice. That meant that they broke down nicely and I didn't have to boil the sauce forever to reduce it. I honestly wish I had that type of tomato for ALL of my summer sauce canning that looms in the future (although, roma tomatoes work well if they're seeded too). Absolutely delish!

Garden Fresh Tomato Sauce

This tomato sauce is a base idea...you can substitute or add whatever you have on hand that sounds tasty. Really, all you need for a good sauce is good quality produce: onions, garlic, tomatoes, and a few herbs. Other vegetables can be chopped and added also, if you like. Get creative!

about 2 1/2 lbs Roma tomatoes (or other sauce-type varieties)

3/4-1 cup sweet onion, chopped

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

extra virgin olive oil

about 1 cup fresh basil leaves (a handful), chopped

1 tbsp fresh oregano leaves, chopped

salt and pepper, to taste

prepared fresh gnudi or other pasta

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Core the tomatoes while you wait, and set a large bowl of ice water next to the stove. When the water is boiling, add the tomatoes, a few at a time, and let them soak for about 30 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, transfer them to the ice water to cool quickly.

The skins should easily slide or peel away; discard. Cut the tomatoes in half and squeeze any seeds out. Quarter the flesh and set aside.

Drizzle a tablespoon or two of olive oil in a large saucepan. Heat over med-high. When the pan is hot, saute the onion until softened, reducing the heat if necessary so it doesn't brown. Stir in the garlic. Add the tomatoes and bring to a boil.

Simmer the sauce until the tomato chunks begin to break down. Add the oregano and basil. Continue to simmer lightly until saucy (but leave a few chunks if you like).

The sauce is ready to serve when it's the consistency you desire. If you like a smooth sauce, run it through a food mill before serving.

Fudgy Muffins For Breakfast!

While it's been somewhat disappointing that our growing season is much slower than the anomaly of last year's, it's still exciting when the produce finally starts growing and ripening. We have yet to harvest any large tomatoes, but the basil, broccoli, green and yellow beans, green onions, and herbs have been prolific thus far. Soon our yellow onions will be ready, and we've had a few ripe Sun Gold cherry tomatoes and a few peppers as well. The zucchini are also doing well. Many people get a bit overwhelmed with the notorious squash as the summer rolls on, but we try to find as many ways to enjoy it as possible, and managed to keep up with it last year pretty well. Some ideas for preparation include the following....

~Thinly sliced lengthwise into ribbons, sauteed in a little olive oil and garlic, and sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.
~Cut into rounds and placed in a foil packet with or without seasonings and a dab of butter, sealed, and grilled until tender.
~Cut into quarters, brushed with olive oil and either lemon pepper or Italian seasoning and grilled.
~Battered and deep fried, or battered and "fried" as EatingWell does it a little healthier here.
~Baked into a classic zucchini bread and spread with cream cheese.

One of my children's absolute favorite muffins recipes includes zucchini. I use a reduced amount of turbinado sugar (like Sugar In The Raw) and applesauce to lower the fat content while combining with the cocoa powder to make them fudgy and delicious. By incorporating Chocolate Zucchini Muffins into your repertoire, you're also bringing a vegetable to the breakfast table!

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder (I like Dutch-process from Penzey's)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup turbinado sugar
1/2 tsp espresso powder, optional
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1 tbsp canola oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 medium zucchini

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease or line a muffin tin with papers.

Grate the zucchini. Squeeze as much moisture from it as possible, either using your hands (over the sink) or by placing it in a strainer and pressing out the water. You should have about 1 cup zucchini after it's been squeezed.

In a large bowl, whisk together the whole wheat pastry flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, and espresso powder.

In a glass measuring cup, whisk together the applesauce, buttermilk, egg, oil, and vanilla. Pour all at once into the dry ingredients and stir to incorporate. When a few wisps of flour remain, fold in the zucchini. Divide between the 12 muffin cups. Bake 18-22 minutes, or until the tops spring back when lightly touched.

Forget Ravioli!

I am kind of excited about this recipe! My children didn't make one peep (a miracle) as they inhaled it, and the next time around I'll increase the amounts so we can have leftovers. I made gnudi. Gnudi is a super easy homemade pasta that is assembled the night before, and as it sits in the fridge it forms itself into a rustic ball shaped ravioli-like pasta. This dish was on the table in less than thirty minutes, so it'd be great for hectic weeknights or entertaining guests. It's a splurge, being cheese-based in a cream sauce, but if you plan for the extra calories and consider the dish to be a once in a while treat, then I don't think it's too bad. Surely you'd get double the calories (and sodium) if you were to eat something similar out!

I meant to fry some strips of prosciutto and sprinkle them over the top, but I forgot until I was plating the gnudi. It made for an awesome vegetarian dish anyway, and my husband only grumbled for a second that there wasn't any meat present. We agreed that the gnudi would also be amazing as an appetizer, fried and served with marinara for dipping. Serve with a crisp green salad and, if you really want to splurge, some crusty whole grain bread to mop up the sauce (oh how I wish I'd thought of that earlier in the day so I could've had some on hand!).

Gnudi in a Mushroom Cream Sauce

If you're lucky enough to have wild mushrooms available, by all means use them! Morels, chanterelles, etc would be amazing. I used a grocery store assortment of white button, porcini, and shiitake.

Gnudi:

1 cup freshly grated best quality Parmesan cheese

1 cup fresh ricotta cheese, preferably homemade*

2 large eggs

1/2-1 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 cup all purpose flour

2 tbsp minced fresh chives

salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

about 1 lb semolina flour

Using a hand mixer, beat the ricotta until smooth. Add the eggs, Parmesan, and nutmeg. Beat until smooth and fluffy. Fold in the flour and chives and add salt and a few grinds of pepper, to taste (I actually chose not to add salt and it was great).

Sprinkle the semolina over the bottom of an 11x7" pan to cover. Lightly flour your hands and roll the cheese mixture into 1" balls, placing each one in the semolina. When all have been rolled, sprinkle semolina over the top to thoroughly coat. Wrap tightly in plastic and chill overnight. (This step is important because the pasta forms around the cheese as it sits.)

The next evening, put a large pot of water on and bring to a boil. Place a bowl with a strainer in it next to the pot so you have a place to put the cooked gnudi (this makes the transfer easier). Assemble the sauce ingredients.

Mushroom Cream Sauce:

2 cups whipping cream

1 cup freshly grated best quality Parmesan cheese

3 cups assorted mushrooms, sliced or chopped
3 green onions, chopped

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp unsalted butter

white pepper, to taste

a few slices prosciutto, sliced into strips and cooked until crisp, optional

chopped Italian parsley

Heat the oil and butter in a large skillet. Saute the mushrooms until done, then transfer to a glass bowl. Stir in the green onions and set aside.

Wipe out any remaining grease. Bring the cream to a boil, watching so it doesn't boil over, and reduce by half. Stir in the Parmesan, white pepper to taste, and mushroom mixture and keep warm.

While you're sauteing the mushrooms, you can cook the gnudi in batches (multitask!). Place half of the gnudi in the boiling water. When they float (about 4 minutes), scoop them into the strainer with a slotted spoon. Repeat with the remaining pasta. Save the remaining semolina flour for the next time, or for a different variety of fresh pasta.

To serve, place a little sauce in the bottom of the plate and top with gnudi. Pour another scoop of sauce over the top and sprinkle with parsley and prosciutto, if using.

*I have tried this recipe with both homemade and store-bought ricotta. Store bought works ok, although the balls will be super sticky due to the moisture content in the cheese. Homemade is much nicer to work with because you can get it relatively dry by straining it, and it forms strudier balls more suited for rolling. If your mixture is too "wet," use a spoon and drop it into the semolina. Roll around to coat. They may flatten a little, but will still cook up nicely.

A rich dinner like this one calls for a light, fresh dessert that's not overpowering. I had some blackberries in the fridge leftover from the Farmers' Market, so I whipped up a fresh berry sorbet. If you don't like the seeds, double the amount of berries used and press them through a strainer first.

Blackberry Lime Sorbet

about 4 cups blackberries, rinsed

juice from 1 lime

1/3 cup sugar, agave, or honey

Place the berries in a blender and puree. Add the sugar and lime juice and blend well. Pour into an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's directions. Serves 4.

BPA-Free Canning Lids

My neighbors are out of town, but before they left for the weekend, I managed to strike up a deal with them. They have a gorgeous hedge of raspberries, and I know they usually just eat them fresh and freeze some for later. I offered to make them some jam in exchange for weekend berry-picking access, and they were happy to oblige! So yesterday my children and I headed over and had six cups of ripe, juicy berries in about 30 minutes.

We headed back across the driveway and I began my jam making process. I like to use Pomona's Pectin. You can double, triple, quadruple, or whatever to the batch(es) of jam, and can use as much or little sweetener as you like with a great gel result. I like to use evaporated cane juice because it's less expensive than the other options, but honey, agave, or even fruit juice concentrate have all worked nicely (you can also use artificial sweeteners, if desired).

I have some new canning lids that I wanted to try out as well. Ball and Kerr metal varieties have always been good to me, result-wise, but they are now being lined with Plastisol. Plastisol has BPA in it. So even though you're canning organic produce and trying to provide healthy fare for your family, you're still exposing them to a nasty, hormone mimicking, estrogenic chemical. Ugh. Enter Tattler canning lids.

Tattler canning lids are plastic also, but they're BPA-free and come with a loose rubber ring to create a tight seal. As an added bonus, they're also made in the USA! While I did have to purchase several sets, I would've had to buy a lot of Ball/Kerr sets this summer instead, and the Tattler ones are reusable. I figure I'll make up the extra cost in two or three canning seasons.

If you choose to try out the Tattler lids, follow the directions precisely. I thought I had as I was jamming, but two of my jars did not seal properly. I ended up reprocessing the two to see if I could get it right, and it worked perfectly the second time around. They want you to tighten the ring, then loosen it again before boiling the jar. I did that step, but when they came out of the water bath I didn't re-tighten them. Apparently that's critical because it helps them to form a tight, safe seal once cooled. So after they'd cooled completely I removed the rings, checked the seals, and all were perfect! I could lift the jars by the plastic lids.

I don't like that the lids are plastic, but I do see where metal can give an off taste to highly acidic foods. At least they're BPA-free, reusable (some people have some that still work after 25 years!), made in our country and not out-sourced overseas, and easy to use (once you get the hang of it). You can also use them in pressure canning. Now if only I could find an acceptable substitute for the Plastisol-lined lids for the more decorative jars that I use for gifts!!