Festival Over and New Entree Created

This Year's Annual Renaissance Festival (aka Winefest Renaissance) is over. This past Saturday was the event, and after all the weeks of prep, everything was well received. So much so that I actually, for the very first time, ran out of two of the four appetizers I was serving. The fact that the wines also ran out at the same time tells me that there were more people, though I have not heard that this was so. The initial crush of people seemed endless for the first two hours. I was so exceedingly happy to have selected 4 really wonderful wines. We poured very small tastings, and though we had the same number of bottles as always, just ran out. At a wine tasting event, that was a sad thing. I guess we will all be better prepared next year. 

Appetizers from Renaissance Festival 2017, clockwise from top left: Brie in Phyllo Cups, Grilled Flank Steak Rolls with Asiago and Arugula, Mini Greek Lamb Sliders, Sweet Potato Bourbon Tamales with Country Ham & Cheese Filling.

I served: 

1. Sweet Potato Bourbon Tamales filled with Country Ham and Cheeses, topped with Fig Apricot Compote. The tamales paired perfectly with Terra d'Oro Chenin Blanc Viognier.
2. Marinated, Grilled Flank Steak, thinly sliced and rolled with Asiago Cheese and a bit of peppery Baby Arugula. The little rolls were served with Charles and Charles Red Blend, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.
3. Mini Greek Lamb Sliders with Greek Olive Tapenade. These were served with J. Lohr 'Tower Road' Petite Sirah.
4. Brie in Phyllo Cups with Cherry Preserve and Pistachio. These were served with Stella Rosa 'Black,' a slightly sweet, slightly sparkling red wine, made mainly with Brachetto grapes. (No recipe involved here! Set a .5-ounce bit of Brie in a premade phyllo/fillo cup, bake until the brie melts, about 8 minutes, top with a cherry from a jar of preserves and a couple of crushed pistachios.)

On another front, since we were having our dear friends Heidi and Rich visiting over the weekend, obviously I needed to have food for meals prepared for them also. While talking with my daughter in law, Julia, a couple of weeks back, she was talking about a Short Rib Lasagna that she had eaten various times at a restaurant in Chicago. The idea caught my fancy, and I questioned her repeatedly about what it was like, what it looked like, textures, smells, colors, etc. I made a plan, wrote down what I thought I might do, then started to put it into action. Since my husband bought me a pasta making machine for my (upcoming) birthday, I was also going to make the lasagna "noodles."
 

Short Rib Lasagna with Roasted Garlic and Smoked Fontina Bechamel

The first thing was making the short ribs. Since we buy a side of beef from my husband's nephew every couple of years, I had short ribs in the freezer. I popped those into the crock pot, adding in things to give good flavor, like some fried bacon pieces, tomato paste, fresh herbs, mushrooms and wine. I let the meat cook all day, then in the evening, I skimmed off fat (and skimmed off fat, and skimmed off fat, and . . .) then took all the meat off bones and discarded them along with even more fat. All that fat is my peeve with short ribs, though the flavor of the meat is certainly great. After I returned the meat to the remaining sauce in the pot, I stored the mixture in the fridge for a couple of days, until I was ready to make the lasagna (and where I was not able to remove even more fat, after being chilled). 

The other new thing with this lasagna was the use of a bechamel sauce (basically, a white "gravy" made with a roux of butter and flour, then milk is added and cooked to thicken). I do not make lasagna but very rarely, and all in all, haven't really gotten one to turn out very well, in my estimation. Such lasagnas have been the type with a tomato-meat sauce and then ricotta and mozzarella as the main cheeses. In this new version I was concocting, the use of bechamel, while not a new concept, was new for me. The use of non-traditional cheeses was also new for me. 
 

Short Rib Lasagna 

In the lasagna Julia described, she said the menu stated "Roasted Garlic and Taleggio Bechamel." In our small town, while there are more foods available than one might imagine, I do not have access to Taleggio, nor have I ever tasted it. With no knowledge of the flavor profile, I looked it up and I believe the closest in flavor was Fontina. Well. Guess what? No Fontina cheese here either. Although . . . the local grocery does carry a smoked Fontina! As I thought of the flavor of roasted garlic, I felt that the smokiness of the Fontina would play really nicely, so I got that cheese and also Sartori brand U.S cheese called Mont Amore. It is described as a sort of cross between Parmesan and Cheddar. This sounded really good, so I got some of that also. And some real Parmigiano-Reggiano, of course!

I had roasted a head of garlic, pressed out all the cloves, then pressed them through a sieve to have a smooth paste. It seemed barely more than a tablespoon of this roasted garlic paste, and thought maybe I should roast a second head of garlic, just in case. Once assembling the lasagna components, while making the bechamel sauce, I added in half the roasted garlic (one tablespoon), stirred well, tasted . . . and couldn't really detect any garlic flavor! So I added in the rest of the roasted garlic paste, whereupon I could actually taste it - but just a bit. I felt I would leave well enough alone on that front. The assembly went easily, the lasagna baked as I had planned, and it was so amazingly good when we all sat down to eat, that despite all the work and advance prep, it is really and truly one I would make again. Even with having to practically wade through fat to do so.

Short Rib Lasagna with Roasted Garlic and Smoked Fontina Bechamel

Makes one 9 x 13-inch casserole

MEAT SAUCE:
4 - 6 pounds beef short ribs
1 ounce (28 grams) dried porcini mushrooms
3 strips thick-sliced bacon
1 large onion, chopped
4 - 6 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1 (6 - 8-inch) stem fresh rosemary, leaves only, minced
½ cup fresh minced basil leaves
¼ cup fresh minced oregano leaves
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
1½ teaspoons salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
¾ cup dry red wine
2 tablespoons "double concentrated" tomato paste (from a tube)
¼ cup freshly minced oregano leaves

ROASTED GARLIC:
2 whole heads of garlic
¼ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
a drizzle of olive oil

Set short ribs in a slow cooker on low. Place the dry porcini mushrooms in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Cover and set aside to reconstitute.

Slice the bacon across into ¼-inch bits, then fry them to almost crisp in a skillet. Drain the bacon and add it to the short ribs. Add in the onion, garlic, bay leaf, rosemary, basil, oregano and the can of tomato paste. Add salt and pepper.

Remove the mushrooms from the soaking water, keeping the soaking water. Check through the mushrooms discard any very tough pieces. Chop the remainder coarsely and add to the pot. Carefully strain the mushroom liquid (it will often have grit in the bottom. Add ½ cup of the liquid to the pot, along with the wine. Cover the slow cooker and allow to cook slowly all day until the meat is falling from the bones.

Once cooked through, remove the meat and bones to a plate to cool. Skim off fat using paper towels: use one paper towel segment and lightly set it on top of the liquid. It will immediately soak up fat. Lift it out with tongs, to discard. Repeat as needed, until the fat is mostly gone. Once meat is cool enough to handle, remove all the meat and shred (not too finely). Discard fat and bones. Return the meat to the pot. Stir, then add in the extra tomato paste and oregano. Stir well, taste and check for seasoning. Pour into a container to finish cooling, cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Up to 3 days ahead, roast the garlic: Set oven to 400 degrees. With a sharp knife, cut off about ¼-inch from across the top of one whole head. Cut a square of foil, set the garlic in the center and bring up all sides to enclose the garlic, creating a pouch. Before closing the pouch, add any little bits of garlic from the top bits, removed from husks and set back on top of the whole head. Sprinkle on the thyme and a drizzle of olive oil, seal the pouch and set in a little ramekin or on a baking sheet. Repeat this same process for the second head of garlic. Bake for about 40 to 45 minutes. Cool slightly, then press out all the garlic cloves from the husks and into a sieve. Set the sieve over a small bowl and using a spoon, press the garlic through the sieve, making a smooth paste. Scrape the paste into a small, sealed container and refrigerate until needed, or up to 3 days.

MontAmore & Smoked Fontina Cheeses

BECHAMEL:
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups whole milk
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon white pepper
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 generous cup grated Smoked Fontina cheese
1 generous cup grated Mont Amore cheese
Roasted Garlic paste (made previously)

OTHER INGREDIENTS:
1 pound fresh lasagna sheets, or no-boil lasagna sheets
1½ cups freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

When ready to begin assembly, pour the short rib sauce into a saucepan and slowly bring to about room temperature, just to make baking go more smoothly.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add in the flour and stir until it is completely incorporated, then slowly whisk in the milk, stirring constantly until all the roux is combined with the milk. Continue whisking until the mixture comes to boil (10 minutes) and begins to thicken. Add in the salt, white pepper and nutmeg, stirring to combine. Add in the grated cheeses and the roasted garlic paste and stir until the cheeses are melted. Set the pan aside.

Lasagna noodles, layer of the short rib sauce, layer of bechamel sauce, sprinkling of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Lightly spray a 9 x 13-inch casserole with cooking spray. Ladle in a small amount of the bechamel to barely coat the bottom of the pan, then begin the layers:
Set lasagna noodles evenly in the pan.
Top with a portion of the re-warmed meat sauce.
Ladle on a portion of the bechamel and
top with a sprinkling of the Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Repeat these four layers until there are no more ingredients, ending with the sprinkling of Parmigiano-Reggiano. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cover the pan with foil. Bake, covered for 1 hour. Uncover and bake for another 20 to 25 minutes to brown the top. Allow the lasagna to set for at least 15 minutes before serving.

The lasagna is amazing just baked, but it is even better the next day, reheated.

My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Aloo Parathas or Potato Stuffed Indian Flatbreads

Most of the second half of 2016 I was focused on Indian foods. In the main, this came about because:

1. My husband and I love Indian food.
2. We invited some friends to a finer Indian dinner.
3. We invited more friends to another fine, and bigger Indian dinner.

I made so many things during that time period, that it became difficult to even find a non-Indian recipe to post here. I didn't want it to seem that Indian was the only cuisine I was interested in, but from July on, it seemed to be the highlight. 
 

Aloo Parathas

During this time, while I revisited some recipes we already know and love, I also got into looking through Indian blog sites and started copying down recipes I wanted to try. I have mentioned before that I prefer to make things in a better order, using less pots, pans or utensils if possible. I cook alone, and I am sole cook and bottle-washer. I realize that the Indian blogs I read are mostly written in English as a second language. Partly due to this, and I am sure, partly due to a method handed down from mother to daughter, using older methods and less equipment, the recipes can be very clumsy to a modern cook in the USA.  

When I begin with a recipe new to me, I first read and re-read it, setting things in order (to my mind). Then I check at least 6 or more (sometimes up to a dozen!) other recipes in the blog-world, just to check what others do, and most particularly when the recipe is ethnic particular to a country or region. Then I sit to compose what I think would work best for me; flavors & method. And then I give it a try. Sometimes with fantastic results and sometimes not so fantastic, meaning, back to the drawing board.

So it was with Parathas (see my blog of July 4, 2016), an Indian flatbread. Parathas are usually about 6 to 8 inches in diameter, thicker than chapatis (similar to a true, hand-patted corn tortilla in size and thickness) and thinner than Naan breads, which most people are familiar with these days and more akin to soft pita bread in thickness. When I made them the first time, the recipe called for "whole meal flour", which I took to mean whole wheat flour. I grind my own wheat berries here at home, so I also have more of the bran left in whole wheat flour than you'd get elsewhere. The Parathas were very dark in color and certainly lacked tenderness. So I did more research, coming up with some new facts.

• When an Indian recipe calls for "wholemeal" flour, they are referring to a type of flour available in India, but not everywhere in the USA.
•  To approximate their wholemeal flour, combine half whole wheat and half all-purpose flour.
• To be even more authentic, pass the whole wheat flour through a very fine sieve to remove even more bran from the flour, and THEN measure it.

For the remainder of the recipe, I sort of played around, because making something new often requires practice. There are many methods for forming and cooking the parathas, so you kind of have to just test out what works for you, in your own kitchen, with your particular utensils.

My husband was not exactly enchanted with the plain parathas, even after I made them a second time, with great success. He's not crazy about plain flour tortillas either, unless they are stuffed with things for a taco. To make them more interesting (and for me to try a new recipe!), I decided to try stuffing the parathas. There are oodles of recipes out there on various fillings for the parathas, and I went with a common one - potatoes. Of course it is not just plain potatoes; they are mixed with herbs and spices and taste great all on their own. And this time, my husband loved them. And, I made them again for the first of the two Indian dinners mentioned above. 

Making the Stuffed Parathas

Problem is, they really have to be made right before eating. They taste good reheated, but lose some of their delicate tenderness after reheating. When I had what seemed like 20 things all going at once (only a slight exaggeration), it made it difficult to squeeze in the time for making the parathas. I did have them all stuffed and rolled out. All I had to do was cook them. This is a relatively quick process, but they are done one at a time. I could have pulled out my big griddle, but there just wasn't enough room, what with everything else out in preparation for the dinner.

Looking at the sequential photos above, It is a simple enough procedure. The dough is flexible and stretchy. It really doesn't stick to the counter - a little cooking spray (I found) is better than adding more flour to roll them out. The only real trick is stopping before rolling them too thinly, and this is just a matter of getting accustomed to the feel of the dough.

Cooking the Parathas

The recipe itself is simple. Just remember that the dough needs to rest at least 30 minutes before using it, so plan accordingly. If you boil the potatoes beforehand, so they can cool while you make the dough, then you can work with the potatoes while the dough is resting. It all works out easily. And these are truly scrumptious. The one more unusual spice used in this recipe is Amchur powder, so check out this post of May 2014 to read about it.

A Stack of Parathas

Aloo Parathas

Makes 6 or 8

PARATHA DOUGH:
1 cup whole wheat flour, passed through a fine sieve
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons melted ghee or vegetable oil
¾ cup water

FILLING
2 medium potatoes, boiled whole
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon crushed cumin seeds
1 green chilie such as Serrano, minced
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, minced
½ teaspoon Garam Masala
½ teaspoon amchur powder (or a squeeze of lime juice)

Set potatoes to boil in a saucepan with water to cover. Make paratha dough: combine the two kinds of flour, and salt. Add in the ghee and the water and stir to form a dough. Knead the dough for 2 or 3 minutes. Cover and set aside for 30 minutes (or refrigerate if longer).

Once potatoes are cooked through, drain and set aside to cool to room temperature. Peel the potatoes, discarding skin. Set potatoes in a bowl and lightly mash. Add in all the remaining filling ingredients and stir well. The potatoes do not need to be mashed fine. Once mixed, divide the mixture into 6 or 8 equal pieces and form the pieces into a ball.

Divide the paratha dough into the same amount (6 or 8) of equal pieces as the potato filling. On a floured surface or one sprayed with cooking spray, roll out one paratha ball to about a 5-inch round. Hold the paratha in one hand and set one ball of potato mixture in the center. Bring up all the edges of the dough to encase the potato mixture and press to seal. Set this ball back on the surface and flatten with hands, then roll out the paratha to about 8-inches (if making 6 parathas) or smaller 6-inches if making 8.

Brush oil or ghee in a hot skillet and place one paratha in the pan to cook until one side is deep brown in spots. Brush the uncooked top with oil or ghee and flip over to cook for about another minute until the opposite side has dark spots. Remove and repeat for all the parathas.

Best served hot. 


My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

An Indian Treat Called Gulab Jamun

It may seem strange that though these little fried milk balls are one of my favorite desserts (even outside of purely Indian cooking), today is only the second time, ever, I made them. One of the biggest reasons for this apparent lapse is in the word "fried". 

I absolutely despise frying things. I hate the mess, the hot oil, the drips all over the place to clean, and then what to do with the leftover oil. All that oil, wasted. Because guess what? I hate to fry things! Oh well. Today I made the exception, because I am having guests over next week for an Indian meal, and I am going all out. 

Gulab Jamun

I am making things for this meal that I have made before, so there is no surprise anywhere. I am going to have Rogan Josh as the main entree with two side dishes: Indian Cabbage and Rice and Palak Paneer (creamed spinach with milk cheese). I will have three chutneys. Two of these are authentically Indian: Imli, or Tamarind Chutney, and Dhania Poodina, a fresh cilantro and mint chutney. The third is a Mango Chutney I make, and which my husband loves. For breads, I am making Naan and also Aloo Parathas, or Parathas filled with spiced potatoes. And for dessert? Gulab Jamun.

Gulab Jamun in tiny 4-inch bowl

What are Gulab Jamun?

As already stated, these are little balls of a milk dough, which are fried and then soaked in a sugar syrup flavored with cardamom and rosewater. The word Gulab means rose, and this is because there is generally rose water flavoring the syrup these little balls are soaked in. Jamun is a reference to a fruit called a Java Plum, and may refer to the size of the little balls. 

In India, these milk balls are made using milk that is cooked down over a long slow period, leaving a very thick curd-like mixture, called khoya or mawa. To read more about this process, go to this site. 

Despite this being the traditional way to come to the dough for these treats, there are various other simpler methods to make them that do not require so much extra time. Many recipes I have seen say that khoya is sold in the freezer section of grocery stores, next to other Indian foods. All I can say is - not where I live! So then it comes down to the fact that it is a very thickened version of milk we are talking about, and so there are other recipes using various mixtures of milk powder, milk / cream, and / or flour. Some use ground nuts in the dough, or ghee, some add ground cardamom. As with most recipes, though the end product is similar, there are many ways to get there. 

The recipe I have used, sort of cobbled from various recipe techniques, is to make the dough with whole milk powder, flour and cream. The syrup is equal parts sugar and water, with a few saffron threads and cardamom pods thrown in. 

Size change from dough to fried to syrup

The totally shocking part of this recipe is the change in size in the Jamun from dough balls, to fried, to soaked in syrup. Look for at least a doubling in diameter  from start to end, about tripling n volume. The first time I made these, I was looking at a recipe that said to make the dough balls "golf-ball-sized." I tried a couple, fried them and found how much bigger they got and resized down to a walnut size. This still left me with very large Jamuns, and once soaked in the syrup, they seemed huge. In restaurants, the size of the Gulab Jamun served are approximately 1¼ to 1½-inches in diameter. In this case, the dough balls to start should be about ¾-inch in diameter, or slightly less. 

Knowing that I am making a very large meal next week, I opted this time to make my Jamun much smaller, about ⅝-inch. Once fried, then soaked in syrup, this left me with Gulab Jamun that were just over an inch wide. I like this size. I can fit 4 or 5 in a small dessert bowl and this should make them just right for after-dinner.

Making the balls this small left me with 95 of the little things. If I serve 5 of them in a little bowl as shown, that would serve 19! Luckily, before putting them in syrup, these can be frozen for a month or two, so they are available whenever you would want a few. I packaged them in little zip-top baggies in portions of 20. In the freezer they went. And all I have to do when I want more is make up the syrup, which takes no time at all. 

Gulab Jamun

Gulab Jamun

Makes 50 to 90 balls, depending on size.

DOUGH:
1½ cups dry whole milk powder
½ cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1¼ cups heavy cream

1 quart oil, for frying

SYRUP (For about 25 - 30 jamun. Double as needed.):
1½ cups water
¾ cup sugar
2 - 3 cardamom pods, crushed slightly
1 - strands saffron, optional
2 - 3 drops rose water

DOUGH: Sift together into a bowl the milk powder, flour and baking powder. Add in the heavy cream and stir just until the mixture comes together. Cover with plastic wrap and let set for 10 to 30 minutes, as needed.

The dough, the formed jamun, frying and draining

Form the dough into balls about the size of a grape. You may need oil or ghee on your hands to roll the balls very smooth. While the rolling process takes place, heat the oil in a saucepan. It will need to be at about 320 to 325 degrees. A thermometer helps to keep tabs on the oil. Do not over heat.

Once the jamuns are all rolled, begin adding them carefully into the hot oil. Use a slotted spoon to move them around in the oil so they color evenly. They should get to a deep mahogany brown. This can take from 6 to 8 minutes, depending on how hot the oil. I fried mine in batches of 25 or so. Once browned, remove to a platter lined with paper toweling. 

The syrup, the jamun just added, the jamun growing after a few minutes of soaking

SYRUP: If making all of these at one time in syrup, you may have to triple the syrup recipe. Mix the sugar and water together with the cardamom pods and saffron strands. Bring to boil, lower to a simmer and cook gently for about 10 minutes, to bring out the flavors.

When syrup is ready, add in the fried, drained jamun. Let them soak in the syrup for at least 3 hours, or overnight. If refrigerated, bring them back to just tepid, either in microwave or in a pan on the stove.

To serve, sprinkle on some crushed pistachios or organic rose petals, if available.

MAKE AHEAD: If making these in advance (which I highly recommend, as they take some time and mess), once they are fried, but before making the syrup, either refrigerate them for up to 3 days, or pack in a tightly sealed container or zip-top bag and freeze for a month or two. When ready to use, prepare the syrup and add in the jamun to absorb the syrup.


My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

A Fermented Version of Curtido is the Best Ever

If anyone is familiar with Pupusas, those marvelous little antojitos (cravings) from El Salvador, then you also might be familiar with the Curtido that is generally served alongside.

I was first introduced to Pupusas in 1971, in Guatemala at the InterFair, an international fair that brought all sorts of things to exhibit from all sorts of countries. There were stands that had machinery to exhibit for sale, stands that had little handicraft items for sale. It was a study in contrasts. My understanding (as I was only in the country for a little over a year at that point) is that prior to then, where Pupusas were sold at a little stand at that fair, these treats were relatively little known as such. 

Fermented Curtido

But let me tell you, once they were introduced, they spread everywhere like wildfire, soon popping up on many street corners, sold from someone's stand or even from a window in someone's house. They became a staple around our house. We all loved them, including the kids.

So what are Pupusas?

Interestingly, I have never made these, because I have not made tortillas from scratch. Pupusas are nixtamalized corn, ground to make tortillas, then filled with usually one of three things, either minced chicharrones, pureed black beans, or cheese. Once the ball of masa is opened up a bit, then filled, and then patted out to thicker than a tortilla, it is fried or cooked on a hot comal, or clay plate over a fire. As if this was not just goodness itself, there was always a condiment to go with them, called Curtido."

Okay, Curtido?

Curtido means "pickled," implying a vinegar component. This condiment was a lightly pickled mixture of cabbage (the main event) with onion and carrot, possibly garlic, and fresh cilantro and oregano. Salt and vinegar were the pickling ingredients and it would set together in a big jar for a few days. This was doled out along with the pupusas. And it was heavenly.

I love cabbage, just about any old way it comes around. I realize not everyone is as enamored of cabbage as am I, but still. I loved the pupusas, but the curtido positively MADE the flavor. 

So last year I was introduced to fermenting foods, and I quickly went on to make sauerkraut, then a long series of other ferments, some more of a hit than others. I learned a lot over the last year, both about fermenting and what works. I continue to ferment foods on occasion, trying to eat something fermented at least once a day. There is a Red Cabbage and Beet Kraut that has been a real popular ferment with me. My husband won't touch them. If it is pickled in vinegar, look out. But the ferments? No, he doesn't seem to want to try them at all. Me? Oh, MAN, I love them. I am not so into pickled things though. My husband and I - we are a real case of Jack Sprat and his wife. 

Okay, so as I started thinking about Curtido, I wondered if it was possible to make the stuff fermented or not. Obviously, the vinegar would not be used. Fermented vegetables rely on salt to hold off any harmful bacteria while the vegetables themselves begin to ferment. So I set down a recipe and made a one-quart batch to try out. I let it ferment for about 6 weeks. 

The result? This Fermented Curtido is now my top of the list most favorite of ferments! I was concerned about the use of oregano in it. I don't mind some, but this was a little heavier than I generally go with the amount. But it was really delicious. While I have no pupusas to use it with, I sort of make a quickie quesadilla with two corn tortillas and some cheese melted in between. It is marvelous.

Fermenting Curtido

Fermented Curtido

Makes about 1 quart

1 small cabbage, about 1 pound
1 onion, quartered
2 - 3 carrots, peeled and coarse shredded 
2 Serrano chilies, minced or sliced
¼ cup fresh oregano leaves, chopped
½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1½ tablespoons coarse sea salt
¼ cup fresh lime juice
½ cup starter from a previous ferment, or whey 
water, if needed

Shred cabbage and place in a large bowl. Slice the onion quarters into thin quarter rings and add to the bowl with the Serranos, carrots oregano, cilantro and sugar. Sprinkle on the salt and toss the vegetables. Let stand for an hour. 

Add in the lime juice and starter liquid (mine was from a batch of fermented salsa) and begin squeezing the vegetables to break them down as much as possible. Alternately, use a meat tenderizer with a flat side to pound the vegetables. Either way, this reduces the volume to about half what was started. The vegetables should have created a lot of juice by this time.

Pack this mixture into one or two jars, preferably the bail and wire latch sort, and pack it down very tightly int he jar. Press very hard to get the vegetables very compact and submerged in their liquid. Leave at least ⅓ of the jar as headspace, because as the vegetables ferment they tend to lift and create an amazing amount of liquid. Cover the vegetables with a cabbage leaf, or even the bottom core end of the cabbage (cut off flat) to press down the vegetables. Use weights if needed to keep everything under the brine. Add water only if the vegetables do not have enough liquid to cover by a minimum of 1 inch. Stick on a piece of masking tape and mark what the ferment is, and what date it started, and what date to check it. 

Set on a counter and cover it with a towel to keep out light. Gently burp the jar daily, opening it only minimally to allow any gases to escape.

Check it in three weeks for flavor. I left mine for 6 weeks and it is absolutely perfect. So perfect that I now have another batch, doubled this time, fermenting away on the counter. I can hardly wait!


My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

A Great Recipe with Banana Peppers

The first time I tasted this relish, I was just entranced, enchanted, excited and exuberant. Maybe enough alliteration? Still, this relish is just one of the best condiments. It is more versatile than almost anything I have tried. What is it? It is a mustard relish with banana peppers. 

Hot Pepper Mustard Relish: good enough to eat by the spoonful!

I originally tasted a version of this relish at the house of my dearest friend, Chris. We have been friends from childhood on, though we are not in touch very much anymore. The time and distance do not dim the memories. I still consider her my best friend. Whenever Chris and I have been together as adults, I have always come away with more fantastic recipes to use. She loves to cook and bake as much as I. When I began looking into gluten-free baking, she was the first person I turned to for advice. She has been on a gluten free regimen for many years, out of choice. 

Last year's Relish

Getting back to this relish, it is known by many names. I don't know where it may have originated. I have seen similar recipes from "Amish Country" in Ohio, where I grew up. More currently, Michael Symon (also from Ohio, BTW), talks about a very similar mixture he calls "Sha Sha Sauce". The amounts of the ingredients may vary a little from one recipe to another, but it is the same basic thing...and it is GOOD!

This year, banana peppers have been very little in evidence. I have been waiting to see them at the Farmers' Market but have so far only seen a few. And now, we are dipping into the higher 30 degree range at night already this far north, and the Farmers' Market will soon be done for the year. Pumpkins and winter squash of all sorts have been out in force. And, some of the most gorgeous bell peppers I have ever seen were out last week. Maybe I will still have an opportunity to find more banana peppers, but for now, I did make one batch of this marvelously flavored relish using half banana peppers and half what appeared to be Anaheims. The Anahaim peppers were so beautiful and big. I had begun removing seeds and membranes before I remembered to get a photo, but you can see how large the Anaheim peppers were from the photo of them, halved, next to my Hammer Stahl Santoku knife with a 7.5-inch blade!

lighter color Banana Peppers left; larger, green Anaheim Peppers right

What is so fantastic about this relish?

You may be wondering why the raptures. Well, the relish is a little bit sweet, a little bit spicy (depending on the heat level of the particular peppers), nice and creamy and mustardy. Somehow, all those things combine into a most indescribably good flavor profile. Here are some of the many uses for this condiment:

• spread on any sandwich; ham, BLT, leftover meatloaf; be creative
• on tortillas for quesadillas
• on toast to pair with eggs for breakfast
• on buns for burgers or hot dogs
• as a veggie dip
• on crackers 
• or just scoop out a spoonful, it is that good!

Until you've tasted it, this relish may not be top of mind. Once tasted, you won't forget it! I introduced it to my son Ken and his wonderful wife, Julia, last year when they came to visit. I sent them home with a jar. They asked for more. This year, just a week or so back, when again visiting, I sent them home with two jars. And that left me with none. I knew I would be making some very soon, so this was no problem.

This year's batch of Hot Pepper Mustard Relish

A few days ago, while I had the Finnish Rye Bread rising, I set about making this relish again. I had made a few changes to the recipe Chris gave me. Still, when looking at the recipe again, I was thinking that not all peppers are created equal. Sometimes banana peppers are long and sometimes not quite so long. How much would the right amount be in cups, I wondered.  This time, while chopping all the peppers, I first weighed them, then cleaned and chopped them and measured the amount. This way there is less guesswork involved. 

When beginning work on the recipe, I thought maybe there were more peppers this year than last year, so I altered the amounts of vinegar, sugar and mustard to reflect this. I used about twice the onion, since the onion was large and fresh from the market also. So, a little more of this, a little more of that, and I had a little bit different a recipe than I started with. None of this changed the excellent flavor. This combination of ingredients just cannot be beat.
 

Hot Pepper Mustard Relish

Makes 8½ cups

1¾ pound banana peppers
2¼ cup white vinegar
2¼ cup yellow mustard
2¾ cup sugar
½ cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1¼ teaspoon Kosher or canning salt
1 large onion, finely chopped (about 2 cups)
2 - 4 cloves garlic, minced or through a garlic press

chopped peppers left, mixing the recipe right

Set a large canning pot at least halfway filled with water to boil. Set the clean canning jars and rings in the pot. Have lids handy.

Remove stem ends, seeds and membranes from the peppers, then chop into small pieces about ¼ inch in size. There should be about 4 cups. Set aside.

In an 8-quart pot, combine the vinegar, mustard and salt. In a bowl whisk together the flour and sugar and stir into the pot. Add in the onion and garlic and stir well. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring until the mixture thickens. Add the chopped peppers and continue to cook, maintaining a strong simmer and stirring often over medium low to low heat for 20 minutes.

Drop the lid sections of the canning jars into the boiling water with the jars and rings to heat through, but do not leave them for too long. Pack the relish into the sterile jars, top with lids and screw on the rings. Set the sealed jars into a boiling water bath to cover. If the water in the canning pot does not cover the jars, add water until it does. Bring to a boil and time for 20 minutes. Remove and wait from that wonderful sound of the "pop" as lids seal.

My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Ground Cherries and Applesauce

Thyme Flower closeup, taken with an old Cannon Powershot

I have been very absorbed in beautiful food styling photography lately. I have been completely caught up pinning photos on Pinterest, to a board I called Artwork & Photography I Like. I am always in raptures over foods, and when I can take a photo that seems to really do it justice, I am well-pleased. I created the food, the food was amazing and I photographed it well - what more can one ask? Sometimes I am inspired by a photo I have seen, and try to do something similar - just to see if I can. I love photography. That said, I am no well-schooled photographer. I love taking photos. For the longest time my entire focus was on flowers. Big flowers, tiny flowers, and sometimes the tinier the better. All this is because I love to see what my naked eyes cannot. When I can get a photograph that shows me what a thyme flower (at about ⅛-inch in diameter) looks like closeup - now that makes me ecstatic. Stevia Flowers were one of the hardest for me to capture. They are similar sized to the thyme flowers, but for some reason came out slightly blurry every time. The thyme and stevia and many other tiny things, were photographed with an old Cannon Powershot digital camera that had the ability to do macro-like photography. I spent more time with that lens practically right against the subject than any other way.

Litchi Tomato - Solanum sysimbrium courtesy of Mother Earth News

Now I have a Nikon SLR digital, and use some of the functions, but am still no expert. The manual settings are a now and again venture. Most often I use Auto! I cannot take the closeup shots to simulate macro with the current lenses I own, so it's probably a good thing that I am mainly taking photos of food. And, when it comes down to it, my old iPhone often takes photos almost as good! 

So on Thursday, Farmers' Market Day, I went to one of my favorite vendors this year. He has been selling exclusively heirloom varieties of tomatoes, and has had a lot of varieties. Many of the photos I have posted have been of his tomatoes. I should have his name, but I do not! So as of this past Thursday, my own tomato plants decided to - finally - ripen a lot of tomatoes. There were so many I was not sure if I should keep on picking, since the bag was getting so heavy. I went to my favorite tomato vendor with no need to buy tomatoes this time, but he had a few other things. One was something I had never seen before: Litchi Tomatoes. They are not actually tomatoes at all, but are a member of the nightshade family. They were in a prickly husk. The fruit was the size of a larger cherry tomato and very red, yet the inside, filled with edible seeds was bright yellow. He had some for people to try and I tasted one. It is sweet, not really like a tomato at all.

Ground Cherries. Probably Physalis pruinosa, though there are nearly 100 different varieties.

The other fruit he had to sell were little bowls of Ground Cherries, another plant of the nightshade (Solanaceae) family. These are fruits I have seen before, and actually tasted once a couple of years back. These also are sweet, with another flavor in there I cannot describe. I liked them, and bought one bowl worth. When I was in Guatemala I became very well acquainted with Tomatillos. Tomatillos grow inside a papery husk, just as do these ground cherries. Tomatillos can grow to small tomato size, though in Guatemala, they were generally not much larger than an inch or so in diameter. The ground cherries are, on average, about ½-inch in diameter. They are filled with seeds and look similar to a tiny cherry tomato, but these are an orange-yellow in color. Where tomatillos fill out their husk and sometimes split it open when ripe, the ground cherries do not fill out the husk at all. They are tasty though. This morning I wanted to take some photos before I ate them all. The photo of ground cherries above, setting on a whiteboard, was taken with my Nikon D5000. Below is a photo of ground cherries on a mirror, taken with my older iPhone.

So here I was with this little bowl of ground cherries. I ate a few just as they were, but with my son and his wife here, I had other things to eat. Last evening, with the kids gone home, I had a few tiny apples from my sister in law's trees. The trees are amazingly laden with fruits, but this year the apples are so small, barely the size of a ping-pong ball. Far too much work to try and peel and freeze. I fear this years crop will all end up on the ground. But I had about 9 of these tiny little apples. I had a leftover pork chop to eat. I thought: APPLESAUCE! I rarely eat applesauce. I do love it when made fresh, with a lot of cinnamon. But I have been avoiding sugar as much as possible, so I wondered what it would be like with stevia? 
 
I peeled and cored the tiny apples, yielding slightly less than 1 1/2 cups of fruit. I set the apples in a small saucepan to cook with about 3/4 cup of water and a teaspoon of cinnamon (cassia), intending to just let the mixture cook down to mush. And last moment I thought about the ground cherries, which are sweeter than the apples. I took husks off and cut in half about ½ cup of them, as an experiment, and added them to the apples in the pan. Obviously, this could be made with only apples. My sense is that the ground cherries, if you have enough of them, would also make a wonderful sauce all on their own. I let the mixture cook down for about 25 minutes or so and most of the water was cooked out. I added in 2 droppers full of English Toffee flavored liquid Stevia and stirred. It was just delicious. And just enough for two, though the recipe can be doubled, tripled or made as needed.

No Sugar Apple & Ground Cherry Sauce

No Sugar Apple & Ground Cherry Sauce

No Sugar Apple & Ground Cherry Sauce

Serves 2

1½ cups tart apples, peeled, cored, sliced
½ cup ground cherries, husked, halved
1 teaspoon cinnamon, or to taste
¾ cup water
½ teaspoon liquid Stevia English Toffee flavor was great!

Place all ingredients except stevia into a small saucepan, bring to a boil, lower heat to medium low and cook until the fruits are completely disintegrated, about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from heat and add the stevia.

My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.