I don’t know why I didn’t know about this berry decades ago, as it is native to the Southeastern United States….as am I. I’ve only become aware of it over the last year. Do not judge the jelly based on the raw berry or the taste/aroma while cooking them. The end result is similar to a grape flavor, but with a little spice…not spicy, as in hot, but spiced.
You need:
5-6 cups of American Beautyberries, washed
4 cups of water
1 box SureJell pectin
2 teaspoons bottled lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon butter
5-6 8oz jelly jars, or 10-12 4oz jelly jars
Directions:
Bring berries and water to a boil in a large pot. Boil for 20 minutes. Strain through a fine mesh strainer, lined with cheesecloth or paper towels. Measure the juice and adust to 4-1/2 cups by adding water, if necessary.
Prepare your jars, lids, and water bath canner. Bring juice, lemon juice, pectin and butter to a full rolling boil. Boil hard for 1 minute. Stir in the sugar and return to a full rolling boil. Set timer for another minute. Remove from heat and skim any scum off of the surface. Ladle into prepared jars, leaving 1/4″ headspace, wipe rims, and top with prepared lids. Screw on rings until snug and submerge in boiling water to cover by 2 inches, using canning tongs. Process for 10 minutes. Remove to towel lined countertop and leave untouched for 24hrs. Remove rings and check seals. Refrigerate any jars that didn’t seal.
Easy. Comfort food. Ideal on a chilly Fall or Winter day. This is inexpensive, and often can be thrown together from the freezer and pantry.
Ingredients:
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
2 packages frozen mixed vegetables
2 cans small, white potatoes
Optional: additional fresh vegetables, such as celery and carrots, diced.
Water and beef bouillon cubes, or beef stock.
1 to 1-1/2lbs hamburger, browned and drained.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Directions:
Add tomatoes to large pot and bring to a simmer, stir in tomato paste to blend. Add canned potatoes with liquid. Add in the rest of the vegetables, hamburger, and enough water or stock to cover other ingredients, and boullion cubes or paste, if using. Salt and pepper to taste. (I like a fair amount of fresh black pepper. And if using beef boullion cubes or paste, be careful with the salt!) Bring to a boil, reduce to low simmer, cover, and cook for 30 minutes, or until any fresh vegetables are tender. Any soup you do not eat immediately, cover and refrigerate. By the way, soup is always better the next day!
This recipe can also be easily adapted to a slow cooker…add all the ingredients and cook for however long you want. You can’t really overcook this soup in a slow cooker.
My favorite option is using an Instant Pot. I LOVE mine, and it is ideal for making soup. You can start on the sauté function to brown the hamburger. Drain. Add the tomato paste and tomatoes. Stir to combine. Add the rest or the ingredients, and stock or water to the “max fill” line. Lock to top in place and turn the pressure valve to close. Cancel the sauté function, and then set on high pressure for ten minutes. Manually release pressure. When pressure is down and pressure pin drops, remove lid and stir. Ready to serve! Enjoy!
I know a lot of people are doing sourdough these days. I got into it by coincidence, and not because of the Covid-19 Pandemic. I just had a friend who offered me some starter, and I accepted.
I am not an expert, and I don’t get overly technical. I’m probably not feeding my starter on the right schedule, or always as accurately as I should, but I haven’t managed to kill it yet.
I’ve really been wanting to try making sourdough rye, but have struck out trying to find rye flour locally. So, I finally broke down and ordered some through King Arthur’s website (not hard to find via Google). I selected pumpernickel flour, thinking it would be really dark, but it looks about like whole wheat flour. In fact, through a little research, I’ve discovered that pumpernickel flour is like the whole wheat equivalent for rye flour. I have also learned that sourdough starter LOVES pumpernickel! And pumpernickel absorbs more water than regular bread flour. The results are that, using the same amount of water as my usual sourdough recipe, I get a firmer dough. And the bulk proofing process goes faster, so you don’t have to do the overnight step, in the refrigerator. A couple hours, and you can go ahead and bake it.
I now maintain a separate rye starter, using the same process as usual, but fed with the pumpernickel flour.
Sourdough Pumpernickel Rye
100g ripe (fed) rye starter
250g bread flour (I use All Trumps)
250g pumpernickel flour
350g water
11g salt (I use coarse Kosher, but you can use whatever you have)
Directions
Combine all the ingredients in a mixer. Mix on low speed, until all the ingredients are combined and incorporated. The dough will be sticky…it will be easier to handle, if your hands are wet. Oil a bowl, or spray with non-stick spray. add the dough, cover, and keep in a warm place. For the next couple of hours, fold the dough in on itself a few times, every 30 minutes. You can find videos online that show the technique, if you’ve never done it…it’s easy.
Flour a surface to use for shaping the dough into a boule shape. Again, there are videos online showing the technique. Prepare a banneton, with a well-flowered liner. I actually just use a bowl, and a flour sack towel, and give it a good sprinkle of flour. When you have shaped the dough, give it a good coating of flour. This will give you good contrast when your loaf is scored and baked. You can leave at room temperature, while the oven preheats, or you can refrigerate for a couple hours.
Preheat your oven to 500F, with your covered Dutch oven inside. I also use a wire trivet in the bottom of the Dutch oven, so the bottom of the bread doesn’t burn. When ready to bake, turn your dough out onto a piece of parchment paper, score it (another Google research adventure, but fun!), and carefully retrieve your hot Dutch oven. Drop your dough inside, put the cover back on, and put the Dutch oven inside your oven, in the middle of the oven. Set timer for 20 minutes.
When the timer goes off, carefully bring the Dutch oven out, and remove the cover.
This is what the loaf looks like after the first 20 minutes, when the cover is removed from the Dutch oven.
Return the Dutch oven to the oven, without the top. Set the timer for another 20 minutes, and reduce the temperature to 475F. When the timer goes off again, check the loaf’s internal temperature with a digital thermometer. You want the internal temperature to be 205-210F. If necessary, bake a few more minutes, until you reach the target temperature. Cool on a rack for at least an hour before attempting to cut.
NOTE: I wrote this back in mid-July, and TOTALLY forgot about publishing it. Use frozen or save this for Summertime!
Fresh corn is in season! After canning some, I decided to use the rest to make salsa. It was a hit with the family!
INGREDIENTS:
About 9 ears of fresh corn, shucked
1 large jalapeno pepper, seeds removed, fine dice
1 serrano pepper, seeds removed, fine dice
1 small can chopped green chilis
2 cans Fire roasted tomatoes with garlic (or add a few cloves garlic), with juices
1 T. Salt
2 T. Sugar
2 T. Chili powder
1 T. Cumin
Juice of 1 lime
1/4-1/2 cup fresh cilantro, rough chop
DIRECTIONS:
In a large, non-reactive sauce pan, add all the ingredients, except cilantro and lime juice. Bring to a strong simmer over medium high heat, and then reduce to just maintain simmer for 5 minutes. Stir occasionally. This can also be done on the saute setting of an Instant Pot, then pressure cook for 1 minute on high, and do a quick release of the pressure. Refrigerate until chilled. Stir in lime juice and cilantro.
Store in the refrigerator, in an airtight container. Serve with tortilla chips, or with rice & beans. Enjoy!
This is a little different from my mango pico from a few years ago. It is briefly simmered, I’m using cumin instead of chili powder, and I’m using some fresh jalapeno and serrano chili.This salsa is great on tortilla chips. I’m also considering a chicken dish, maybe fish, and a friend says his wife is going to use some in a meatloaf. There’s lots of possibilities!
Ingredients:
10-12 small-ish tomatoes (I used the ones “on the vine”, but you could use 6-8 bigger tomatoes.
1 large Vidalia onion (or other sweet onion).
2 large, mangoes (not too ripe).
2 medium sized Jalapeno peppers
2 serrano chilies
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons ground cumin
A few grinds of black pepper, to taste
Juice of one lemon (or lime, if you prefer).
Bring a pot of water to a simmer. Core the tomatoes, and slit the skin. Add the tomatoes to the water and move them around for about 30 seconds, depending on how ripe they are. Transfer the tomatoes to cold water, and slip off their skins. Dice the tomatoes, and transfer them to a bowl, with any juices.
Peel and dice the mangoes, and the onion. Remove the stems from the chili peppers, and cut in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds and membranes. Cut into julienne strips, then mince. Add to the bowl.
Toss in the cumin, salt, and black pepper. Transfer everything to a sauce pot. Bring to a simmer, stirring frequently. Simmer 5 minutes, and then remove from heat. Add the lemon or lime juice. Wash and drain the cilantro. Chop fine, and stir into the salsa.
Transfer the salsa back to a container and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled. Taste, and adjust salt, if needed. Enjoy!
Fried pork skins. They’re a great Southern snack. And in Latino culture, they call them “chicharones”. Many people either do not like them, or refuse to try them; but many of us love them. Plain, with salt, hot sauce, or vinegar and BBQ seasoned flavors are all popular ways to eat them. But it is a somewhat involved process. Normally, I am happy to eat ones prepared by someone else; however, I recently bought a couple of picnic shoulders with the skin on them, so I decided to try my hand at making fried pork skins.
This isn’t so much a recipe, as it is directions for a process. What you need is some clean pork skins, a good sized pot, a cutting board, a sharp knife, a dehydrator, and another pot with oil, for frying. You should either have a skimmer or a basket for removing the skins, and a paper towel lined plate or bowl for the skins, after they’ve been fried.
First, cut the skins into strips that are a couple inches wide, and several inches long. The less fat attached to them, the better. Boil them in a pot, with enough water to cover by a several inches.
Boiling the skins.
I read directions that said to boil them for about an hour, but I took mine out after just over a half an hour. The skins get kind of sticky and gelatinous, and if cooked too much, can tear more easily or fall apart. I might have stopped a little too soon, though. The idea is to be able to remove as much fat as possible, from the skin. This will help it dehydrate faster. I used a sharp boning knife to do this step, but if I had cooked them longer, I might have been able to use a butter knife.
Skins, boiled and with as much fat removed as I could.
After stripping away the fat, place the skins on dehydrator racks, and dehydrate until they are completely hard and snap loudly when broken, 24 to 36 hours. (I let mine go 36 hours.)
Finished dehydrating at 36 hours.
Fat scraps.
By the way, the removed fat can be slowly rendered down to make “cracklins” and pork grease.
Rendering the fat.
Cracklins and pork grease.
Finally, fry the skins in hot oil, about 375F, and they will quickly puff up.
Dehydrated pork skin.
Starting to puff!
Done!
You may have to hold them under the oil for a few seconds to get them fully expanded. Remove to paper towels and season with salt…or your choice of seasoning flavors. Enjoy!
Quick quinoa and corn recipe.
1c. Quinoa (“Red Incan”)
1 Knorr vegetable bouillon cube
1 packet Goya Sazon with Saffron
1 can corn with liquid
1-1/4 cups hot water
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Add the oil to the bottom of the Instant Pot. Pour in the quinoa and stir. Put the bouillon cube in the hot water and microwave for about a minute, keeping watch that it doesn’t boil over. Stir to dissolve…it doesn’t have to be perfect. Add to the pot, along with the seasoning packet, and the can of corn, with liquid. Stir to combine.
Put the lid in place, twist to lock, close the pressure valve, and set on low pressure for 12 minutes. When finished, turn off the Instant Pot and allow natural release, around 15 minutes, but you could let it go for awhile longer, if you are finishing other stuff. When you open the lid, give the contents a good stir, to combine everything evenly. Something old, something new…served with hot dogs and spaghetti squash.
If I were not cooking for my picky kids, I might have added a can of black beans, drained and rinsed. Maybe a little finely chopped onion? Green chili? And finish with a handful of chopped cilantro, after cooking. Pretty versatile.
I may try using the leftovers to make veggie “burgers”. I’m thinking that some breadcrumbs, smashed black beans and a little cumin would do the trick. I’ll let you know, if I do it!
I’ve been looking for some healthier alternatives lately…ways to cut down on sugar and carbs. I know that pasta isn’t low carb, but when I’m looking for a little cheat, at least I can try a little whole wheat, to mitigate my splurge.
Ingredients:
2 cups whole wheat flour (I used King Arthur brand)
1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons olive oil, extra virgin
1/2 teaspoon salt
water, if needed…I used about a tablespoon total
Directions:
In a bowl, or on a clean counter, combine the flours and salt. Blend together. Make a well in the center of the flour and add the eggs and olive oil. Mix the eggs, and then start bringing in the flour to form a dough. Using clean hands, bring the dough together and squeeze/knead until all the flour is incorporated. Dribble in a small amount of water, if necessary. knead the dough until smooth, elastic, no longer sticky…give it a few minutes. Shape the dough into a ball. Flatten into a disk, and wrap in plastic film to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
After resting, you can roll out the dough however you like. If you have a pasta sheeter and cutter, you can go that route. I just used a rolling pin and extra flour on the counter to keep it from sticking. about halfway through, I cut the sheet in half, so I would have counter space to finish rolling out each piece as thin as I wanted. Using a little more flour to dust the dough, I rolled the dough into a tube and then cut fettuccine thickness cuts. Then I fluffed and unrolled the pasta…viola! Fettuccine! If using a cutter, you could hang the pasta on a drying rod. I just dusted mine and fluffed it on a cutting board. The pasta should dry for at least 15 minutes, to develop a little bit of a crust. Slip the pasta into salted, boiling water and cook for a few minutes. Fresh pasta cooks quickly, but this is pretty sturdy pasta, not delicate. It’s only going to get so soft. But it is tasty!
Serve it with the sauce of your choice. I made a chicken alfredo and tossed them together…even my picky daughter loved it!
Chicken Alfredo with Whole What Fettuccine. (Sauce made in an Instant Pot)
Let’s give this a try, with some ingredients I have on hand. I would have used a small onion, if I had one, but I didn’t, so I used onion powder. Another option might be some sliced mushrooms, but then my kids wouldn’t eat it. So, here’s what I have:
Ingredients
1 lb Italian sausage, sweet or mild
1 can Diced tomatoes
1 small can Tomato paste
1 cup Green cabbage, rough chopped
1 cup Carrots, peeled and diced
1 cup Celery, chopped
1 teaspoon each Onion powder and Granulated garlic
1 teaspoon Dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
6 cups Chicken stock
Directions
Brown the sausage in the Instant Pot on the saute setting, stirring frequently. Add the tomato paste and stir in, to combine well. Turn off the pot. Add the rest of the ingredients, and stir. Put the cover in place and secure. Turn pressure knob to the “sealed” position for pressure cooking. Use the “Soup/Broth” button, with the time on 30 minutes. Allow the soup to natural pressure release for 10 minutes. Manually release to to fully depressurize, if necessary. Enjoy!
I didn’t take a lot of photos…sorry; but it was delicious!
Someone from El Salvador told me that my Pupusas are pretty good. He tried to describe one thing that was missing, though. Something his mother used. He didn’t know the name…didn’t know how to describe it. What I took from his attempt was that it was some kind of small pepper that you ate with the pupusas. But he said you couldn’t find them locally. The closest store was more than 20 miles away. He asked his mother for the name and she said it’s called “loroco”.
Now, I had a name and could do some research! It turns out that it’s an unopened flower bud…similar idea to a caper, but not pickled. It does have a kind of briny, slightly sour flavor. It’s vegetal and very distinctive. I happened to find a package of frozen loroco at a local Latino store. You aren’t likely to find it in any other type of store. But, if you find it, I recommend you try it! If you’re exploring pupusas, this filling is pretty simple.
The pupusa techniques take a little more practice. It’s basically corn tortilla dough, made from masa harina, a bit thicker than a tortilla. It starts as a ball, about the size of a golf ball, formed into a little cup shape, a small amount of filling, cup closed, and then flattened…but not too thin. I use a tortilla press, but don’t flatten it completely. If a little filling is visible, its not a problem.
The pupusas are cooked on a hot griddle, a few minutes on each side, until browned. I have made a meat filling previously, and a cheese one. The loroco one is a variation on a cheese filling. I just kind of made it up, but had read a couple of recipes that call for farmer cheese. I used cottage cheese instead.
Started with about 1/3 cup frozen of loroco, thawed in some water, and drained. Add 1/2 cup of whole milk mozzarella, shredded.
Loroco and shredded mozzarella.
The next thing is 1/3 cup of cottage cheese, a pinch of salt, and stir to combine. While the pupusas are cooking, you can really smell the loroco. In fact, the person that told me about it, walked by while mine were on the griddle, and he recognized the smell! He tried the first one and I got his enthusiastic stamp of approval!
Loroco Pupusa
While in process, I missed the opportunity to get some photos that I should have, but I thought this would be worth posting anyway. There are instructions on making pupusas, elsewhere on the interwebs.
mmmfoodies 