Canning Continued.....

And here's my current collection. I've sold about 10 jars this year and made about another 60, so I'm well on my way. Since I did nearly 100 last year, my goal is to do at least an additional 5 or 10, which doesn't seem like all that much. If you have canned before, you know how much effort, time and commitment that is, so you will understand why 5 or 10 is significant enough. Given I typically jar anywhere from 5 to 18 jars at a time on my tiny stove top, it will take me another 5 to 10 more rounds. Yikes! I best hop to it!!!

Canning

Apologies for the lack of writing; there's no excuse why I haven't written a single post in the last few months. But alas, I am back. Within the last month I have been canning like crazy. Everything from figs to tomatoes to peaches. Some of my new favorites include:

ginger fig jam
pickled green tomatoes
blueberry fig and lavender

If anyone has ideas or would like to something special jarred just for them, send them to me. I would be more than happy to practice my canning. My next projects include, but are not limited to......

pickled carrots
pickled turnips
radish relish
pickled beets (more, but this time golden)

It's interesting to note that there are limitations to hot water canning, which is my personal preference and method of choice. The hot water method takes longer for jars to process, must be adjusted according to altitude with each food item, does not allow for every type of food item to be processed (i.e. Cruciferous plants are usually unsafe to process), has an increased risk of burn injuries, and above all else, is the first method developed. My grandma Kirchner swears by the hot water method and taught me over this particular method for the first time. She had too many horror stories using the pressure cooking method, which was another reason for learning the hot water procedure. Frankly, I prefer to learn older procedures that have been around the longest. After all, there must be a reason why it is so widely used and continues to be used, right?

Last year was my first year, and I would say I ended up with about 100 jars in total of assorted edibles. Most are gone, with only but a few more jars of stewed tomatoes and pickled hot thyme carrots.

Some of you may wonder, what exactly is that picture and how does it relate to todays post. Well, fellow readers, it is one the dishes I prepare at Sunday's brunch at Sprout called the Lox. It consists of pickled items, gravlax salmon, potato tuile, homemade cream cheese, truffled yolk salad, figs and more. I wanted to display a picture of what you may be to pair with your pickled items at home. I hope this opens your mind to the endless possibilities.

There will be more to come on the wonderful world of canning.....

Seeduction Bread

Some of you may have discovered a bread at Whole Foods called 'Seeduction', and if you haven't, you must! It tastes sinfully good and will make you crave it for it's cake like moistness. After reading various forums, conversations, blogs and articles alike about this particular bread, I became obsessed with figuring out the formula. I wanted to bake it at home and not have to purchase it, so I took on the challenge.

To carry out this formula successfully, I knew that I must have a sound base of knowledge and understanding of each ingredient so that I could foretell the end result once all combined. The only ingredient I didn't know much about was millet [a now favorite grain of mine]. I learned from my research that it is best toasted before added to recipes to give a rounded flavor and more pleasing texture.

In the end, I was successful leaving me with the most beautiful, seedy, moist bread. After my last two failed attempts at a sourdough, I felt like a terrible baker. That is is until now; now I have restored my faith in myself as a competent baker. Take a look at my bread and drool, for I am far too protective over this recipe. Sorry, you'll just have to buy a loaf to taste the goodness.

Acorn Curry

Before Merima left MN, we had decided we were going to tackle our list of 'things to cook'. It was a compiled list from last summer of breads, entrees, and ingredients Merima wanted me to cook or use in cooking. Unfortunately, she left the list back home, so we brainstormed and remembered one of the items was curry. Thus I came up with this recipe 'on the fly' [kitchen lingo for not planned or in the spur of the moment] while preparing naan dough [another item on the list]. It was simple, but tasty. Merima even stated that it was one of the best Indian dishes she ever had and that it tasted very authentic. If you know Merima, this is quite the compliment. So you best try this one if you are a lover of Indian food. Enjoy my foodies....

an aerial view of naan and curry [sorry for the lack of a close-up]

Ingredients:

1 acorn squash

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 shallot, mined

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 chili pepper, dried

3 cardamom pods

2 teaspoon brown mustard seeds

1 tablespoon garam marsala

9 ounces tomatoes with juice (from personal canning collection)

2 cup beet greens, chopped

1 cup green beans

1 tablespoon cumin

2 pinches of sugar

salt and pepper to taste

Bake the squash in the oven at 375 for one hour, or until cooked, in a baking dish with water.

In the mean time, add the oil to a wok and heat. Once hot, add mustard seeds, cardamom, and chili pepper. Cover with a lid until the mustard seeds stop popping, be careful here not to get one in the face :). Then add shallot and garlic. Once translucent, add the green beans, tomatoes with sauce, garam marsala, cumin and sugar. Keep on a simmer and add the squash once cooked thoroughly.

Note: you will have to skin and cube the squash before adding to the wok.

Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for 10-15 minutes until everything is cooked through.

Serve with naan and eat up!

If you try this recipe, comment on the preparation or taste. I am curious to know other's thoughts.

Kith & Kin

Steamed Grouper, Fava, Meyer Lemon Sauce, Zucchini

...one of my favorite restaurants in Chicago, Kith & Kin. When you visit Chicago, be sure to check out this wonderful restaurant where the food is innovative, exciting, rich in flavor, and fresh to the taste. Together, the three of us [Merima, Gil and myself] indulged in a plethora amount of food. Here were some of my favorites....

Beef, Blue Cheese, Mushroom Ketchup, Worcestershire Powder, Parsley Sauce

Lobster Bisque

Wood Smoked Oysters

Trio of Clam Rillette [horseradish, back left], Chicken Liver Pate [Dijon, Cornichon, back right] & Foie [Brioche and Strawberry Preserve, front]

The pictures are out of eating sequence, but I'm sure you would have guessed that. Yummmmmmmmmmmmmmy

Pancake with Mandarin Ginger

Merima kept telling me all week that she needed her ginger fix, so I decided to treat her to these pancakes one weekday morning. I attempted to use the King Arthur pancake recipe, but could not follow it. It is difficult for me to follow a recipe most times, when I am cooking in the comfort and freedom of my own home. I will post the recipe from the website I used and mark the adjustments/additions with an asterisk.

• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 1/3 cup sour cream*
• 3 tablespoons melted butter or vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1/8 cup wheat germ*
• 1/8 cup flaxseed*
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger, freshly grated*
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 tablespoons sugar OR 2 tablespoons honey (mix with eggs)

Directions

1. Beat the eggs and milk until light and foamy, about 3 minutes at high speed of a stand or hand mixer. Stir in the butter or vegetable oil and sour cream.

2. Whisk the dry ingredients together to evenly distribute the salt, baking powder and sweetener.

3. Gently and quickly mix into the egg and milk mixture. Let the batter rest for at least 15 minutes, while the griddle is heating; it"ll thicken slightly.

4. Heat a heavy frying pan over medium heat, or set an electric griddle to 350°F. Lightly grease frying pan or griddle. The pan or griddle is ready if a drop of water will skitter across the surface, evaporating immediately.

5. Drop 1/4 cupfuls of batter onto the lightly greased griddle. Bake on one side until bubbles begin to form and break, then turn the pancakes and cook the other side till brown. Turn over only once. Serve immediately.

Then, there's the sauce:

Mandarin Ginger Sauce

1/2 cup maple syrup

3-4 mandarin oranges, zested and segmented

1 tablespoon ginger, freshly grated

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a small sauce pot and simmer for 15 minutes or until warm.

Goose Island Brewery

Monday's and Tuesday's have become my weekend, especially since Gil doesn't work at Alinea on those days. This last Tuesday Merima, Gil and I decided to spend one of our 'weekend' lunches at Goose Island Brewery. Each of us tasted 12 different beers and shared three entrees:

Lamb Burger with Poached Pears and Brie with a side of German Potato Salad

Walleye Fish and Chips

The Rueben Sandwich with Sweet Potato Fries

This is a picture of Merima waiting for her food, giving me the hurry up and take the picture so I can drink my beer and get back to work look.

...And below is Gil drinking his first beer, the Green ale by Goose Island. It was nice for a light summer brew; however, the summertime ale was even better.

....then there's me, hoarding all my beer. Do I really need to share mine with everyone?! We decided in the end that everyone could taste every beer, but I knew I had to keep my eye on Gil. He's a big time beer drinker.