Oh, yes there are more peppers - they seem to keep multiplying in that bin! One of the great recipes found was for pickled peppers and adapted the recipe. This was an all day project so make sure you have plenty of time.
Recipe:
10 peppers
1 onion
2 quarts white vinegar
4 bay leaves
1 T pepper corns
3 T kosher salt
some olive oil
Directions:
Phase one: roasting the peppers. I cut the peppers in half and de-seeded them before placing them on a broiling pan. broil on high for 10 min with skins facing up. Then I put them in a large bowl and covered with tin foil (the steam allows the skins to bubble and peal faster). After about 5-10 minutes in the steam bath I took as much skin as I could off under cold water.
Phase two: pickling. bring the vinegar to a boil with the herbs, spices, onion, and salt, and cook the peppers for a few minutes. Remove them with a slotted spoon, draining them well, and transfer them to clean sterile canning jars. Filter the vinegar, returning it to the pot, and bring it to a boil again; while it's heating divvy the onion rings and bay leaves among the jars. Pour the boiling vinegar over the peppers, add a tablespoon of olive oil to each jar. Then I used a chop stick to poke around the jar and remove any visible air bubbles. Then add more liquid if necessary. Process in boiling water for about 15 minutes. Put them in a cool dark place for a month, and they're ready. Expect them to keep for a year.
Alternatives:
- The onions are not completely necessary but do add flavor.
- Also, the addition of garlic would add another layer of flavor.
Uses:
Eating pickled peppers make me feel kind of fancy because they are not an everyday meal staple (like peanut butter). Try these little gems on a sandwich with cheese; part of an antipasto platter; a pizza topping with feta; mixed into steamed veggies; and many more...
Showing posts with label canning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label canning. Show all posts
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Best-ish Salsa
We have and excess of bell peppers and by excess I mean a good 40! I searched the web and found some recipes that feature the beautiful bell pepper. The first of these recipes is a cooked salsa. I adapted the recipe from here which claims to be the "best"but after processing this I decided I like raw salsa better. But, one has to cook it a little when canning.
Recipe:
6 large tomatoes
4 cups green bell peppers
3 jalapenos
1 large onion
2 cloves of garlic
salt & pepper
1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
handful cilantro
Directions:
I chopped all the tomatoes, green bell pepper, jalapenos, onions, and garlic in the food processor. The chopped pieces (you want the pieces to an appropriate size to fit on a chip) go in a pot with the apple cider vinegar, salt, and pepper. Let this all come to a boil then cook at a rolling boil for about 10 min. At minute 8 throw in the cilantro. I canned the salsa - so I immediately poured the salsa into sterile jars and processed for 20 min.
Alternatives:
- You can reduce the boiling time if you like more raw salsa
- While I canned the salsa I am sure freezing would work just as well.
- I put in a lot of bell peppers because I had a lot of them. You can use more or less of the main ingredients to fit your taste.
Uses:
This is really a simple one, there is the obvious chips and dip; This would taste great on eggs; and really any type of Mexican food; this would also be great as an addition to black bean (or any bean) soup.
Recipe:
6 large tomatoes
4 cups green bell peppers
3 jalapenos
1 large onion
2 cloves of garlic
salt & pepper
1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
handful cilantro
Directions:
I chopped all the tomatoes, green bell pepper, jalapenos, onions, and garlic in the food processor. The chopped pieces (you want the pieces to an appropriate size to fit on a chip) go in a pot with the apple cider vinegar, salt, and pepper. Let this all come to a boil then cook at a rolling boil for about 10 min. At minute 8 throw in the cilantro. I canned the salsa - so I immediately poured the salsa into sterile jars and processed for 20 min.
Alternatives:
- You can reduce the boiling time if you like more raw salsa
- While I canned the salsa I am sure freezing would work just as well.
- I put in a lot of bell peppers because I had a lot of them. You can use more or less of the main ingredients to fit your taste.
Uses:
This is really a simple one, there is the obvious chips and dip; This would taste great on eggs; and really any type of Mexican food; this would also be great as an addition to black bean (or any bean) soup.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Star Fruit Butter
What do you do when you have and excess of fresh star fruit? First, how often does that happen - apparently frequently in South Florida - and second, star fruit is not the most familiar of fruits to me so being creative is hard. Despite this I decided to try my hand at star fruit butter.
Star fruit is really good for you and is classified as a "superfruit". You can read about star fruit here if you are interested.
Recipe: (I adapted from the star fruit chutney)
2 cups cubed star fruit
1/2 dry red wine (I think any kind would be fine)
1 T agave nectar
1 T powder ginger
1/4 t ground cloves
2 T apple cider vinegar
Directions:
Basically, I threw all the ingredients into a pot and let simmer on low for like 3 hours. Around hour 2 I put the mixture into a blender to puree all the skins. This reduces a lot - I made a double batch and all of that resulted into a half pint jar. I canned the butter and it is now on my shelf for an occasion yet to come.
Alternatives:
- You could not simmer as much and make more of a syrup rather than a butter.
- I thought of adding a fresh lime at the end to brighten it.
- Fresh ginger would give it more of a kick.
Uses:
- Ok, so this is where I struggled the most because the ginger gives it a little bit of a spicy kick but the fruit adds some sugar. However, Dave has found the most uses: feta and star fruit butter sandwich; almond butter and start fruit bagel; and pour over cream cheese for a dip.
Star fruit is really good for you and is classified as a "superfruit". You can read about star fruit here if you are interested.
Recipe: (I adapted from the star fruit chutney)
2 cups cubed star fruit
1/2 dry red wine (I think any kind would be fine)
1 T agave nectar
1 T powder ginger
1/4 t ground cloves
2 T apple cider vinegar
Directions:
Basically, I threw all the ingredients into a pot and let simmer on low for like 3 hours. Around hour 2 I put the mixture into a blender to puree all the skins. This reduces a lot - I made a double batch and all of that resulted into a half pint jar. I canned the butter and it is now on my shelf for an occasion yet to come.
Alternatives:
- You could not simmer as much and make more of a syrup rather than a butter.
- I thought of adding a fresh lime at the end to brighten it.
- Fresh ginger would give it more of a kick.
Uses:
- Ok, so this is where I struggled the most because the ginger gives it a little bit of a spicy kick but the fruit adds some sugar. However, Dave has found the most uses: feta and star fruit butter sandwich; almond butter and start fruit bagel; and pour over cream cheese for a dip.
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