Miz Chef

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Category Archives: Jar Food


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Red Currant Jam

I hope you are all doing all right during the COVID-19 lockdown. Many of you are spending your time trying out new culinary delights, so I thought I’d throw this one into the mix.

I happened to get a container of beautiful fresh currants in a recent Misfits Market box and decided to do the simplest (and most practical) thing with it: jam.

Fresh currants are somewhat hard to find (at least in my part of the world), so this is a (really) small batch recipe. This will essentially give you enough jam for about 4 pieces of toast (or 2, if you like to slather it on).

Red Currant Jam

6 oz. red currants
¼ c + 3 tablespoons sugar

Wash the currants well by placing them in a bowl of water and adding a little vegetable wash or dish soap. Rinse them well in a mesh strainer (especially if you use dish soap).

Remove the stems and discard them. If you’re going to use the traditional canning method, prepare a small jar.

Place the currants in a small nonreactive (non-aluminum) pot and crush them lightly with a fork or potato masher.Add the sugar and 2 teaspoons water and stir. Bring to a boil over high heat. Continue to boil, stirring frequently, until the mixture coats the back of a spoon without dripping, about 10 to 15 minutes.Spoon the jam into a clean jar and seal it. If you’ve sealed it using the canning method, the jam will keep sealed up to a year. Otherwise, refrigerate up to 3 weeks.


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Meyer Lemon Marmalade

Hi there. This week, I decided to take a little rest stop on my ongoing journey through my Regions of Italy project. 

So I got these two Meyer lemons in my Misfits Market box and was trying to figure out what to do with them. Two is not enough to do any kind of substantial lemon dessert (like a pie). What could I make with just two? Then it occurred to me that I could make a nice little batch of marmalade. So that’s what I did. The recipe is very simple. As you can see, there are only two ingredients, plus water. That’s it.

Originally from China, Meyers lemons are a cross between lemons and a mandarin oranges. It has sweeter flavor than regular lemons with a distinct orangey taste. The skin, rather than being “lemon yellow,” has an orange blush to it. It’s also edible. 

Meyer Lemon Marmalade

2 Meyer lemons, washed, preferably organic
1¼ cups sugar

Quarter the lemons length wise, then slice each quarter thinly. Remove as many seeds as possible.Place the lemons in a medium saucepan (not aluminum!) and add 1 1/3 cups water. Cover the pot and leave it out at room temperature overnight (at least 12 hours).Bring the pot to a boil, then lower the heat to medium-low. Simmer, uncovered, until the liquid is reduced to half, about 20 minutes.

Add the sugar and return to a boil. Simmer over medium heat, uncovered, until the mixture is thick. Stir occasionally and skim off any foam from the top. This should take about 15 minutes. You’ll know it’s done by doing the plate test: Place a small plate or bowl in the freezer for a few minutes, then take it out and drop a little of the lemon liquid on it. After a minute, it should gel up.Transfer the marmalade to a small jar with a tight-fitting lid and seal while hot. If you want to store the marmalade for long term, boil the jars for 5 to 10 minutes. Otherwise, it should stay in the refrigerator up to 6 weeks.


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Watermelon Pickles

Watermelon Pickles are a specialty of the U.S. South. It’s a very utilitarian recipe, as it makes use of all those watermelon rinds that add up all summer long.

Eating watermelon rinds ay sound strange, but like any other pickled vegetables, they have a delicious sweet-sour flavor that makes a great accompaniment to any picnic or barbecue. They also make great party snacks.

Enjoy!

Watermelon Pickles

2 lbs. watermelon rind
¼ cup kosher salt
2 cups apple cider vinegar
¼ cup brown sugar
1 cinnamon stick
½ teaspoon peppercorns
½ lemon, thinly sliced

Cut away any pink flesh from the watermelon rinds. Cut the rinds into cubes or strips and place them in a large bowl. \Add the salt and enough water to cover them. Cover the bowl and let the rinds soak in the refrigerator overnight.Drain and rinse the rinds. Place them in a large saucepan and cover them with cold water. Bring to a boil; lower the heat to low and simmer until they’re just tender when pierced with the tip of a paring knife, about 20 minutes. Drain and put them back in the pot.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, combine the vinegar, sugar, cinnamon, and peppercorns with 1 cup water (or more, if necessary, to cover the rinds). Bring to a boil; lower the heat to medium-low and simmer until the sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes. Simmer 5 minutes longer. Pour this over the watermelon rinds, add the lemon slices, and continue simmering over medium-low heat until the fleshy parts of the rinds are translucent, about 20-25 minutes.

Transfer the pickles to jars with tight-fitting lids. Cover with the cooking liquid. Pickles should be submerged; if necessary, add more liquid of one part water, one part vinegar. (Or, you can process them in a hot water bath.)

Pickles will keep in the refrigerator up to 2 week.


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Macerated Mulberries

Berries are beautiful things. They are filled with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, most are low calorie, and all are pretty to look at. How many desserts have been made works of art just by the addition of berries?

Macerating berries takes them a step further. Macerating berries involves simply soaking them in liquid. You can start with fresh or dried berries, or any fruit. This techniques softens the fruit (and rehydrates dried fruit) and draws out their sugars, resulting in a syrup-like consistency, perfect for topping cake or ice cream. Sometimes people add sugar to sweeten them even more. You can use almost any liquid to macerate fruit, such as juice or wine. I chose rum for a nice boozy flavor.

For this recipe, I used mulberries. Mulberries can be found in various parts of the world, including Asia and the United States. They come in white, black, and red, and they are similar in appearance to blackberries, except they’re longer and narrower. Aside from being a good source of magnesium, iron, potassium, calcium, vitamin C, and fiber, as well as antioxidants, they’ve been known to help improve circulation, lower blood pressure, improve eyesight, boost immunity, improve digestion, and reduce blemishes and age spots. I’ve also read that mulberries are one of the few fruits that contain protein.

I purchased my mulberries in dehydrated form, so macerating was the perfect way to use them. They’re sweet-tart in flavor and complement any dessert, and can be used in place of preserves.

If you can’t find mulberries, try macerating any fruit you like. Enjoy.

Macerated Mulberries

1 cup dried mulberries
2 teaspoons maple sugar
2 cups vodka or dark rum
1 cinnamon stick

Place the mulberries in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Add the sugar, vodka or rum, and cinnamon stick. Seal the jar and shake well.

Let it sit at least a few hours.Store in the refrigerator or room temperature up to two weeks. (Because of the alcohol, the fruit will stay well at room temperature.)

 


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Cherry Tomato Confit

If you’ve ever had roasted tomatoes, you know about the incredibly sweet, smoky flavor they have. Roasting any vegetable renders its sugars, and results in heightened flavors and vivid colors. The flavor of roasted tomatoes is deep and intense, and goes well with so many dishes.

The word confit is French and means “to preserve.” It’s usually used in relation to meats—as in duck confit, chicken confit, etc.—and it means to cook the meat slowly in its own juices (or other meat juices), along with salt and seasonings. The meat is then shredded and packed in a container and covered with fat to preserve it. This method was created for long-term storage before refrigeration was invented.

But fruits and vegetables can be confited as well. It’s extremely easy to make a tomato confit. All you need to do is mix the tomatoes with some olive oil and some seasonings and put them in the oven and walk away. They roast low and slow, and when they’re done, they’re literally bursting with flavor.

You can put some tomato confit on pieces of toast, drizzle it with olive oil, and sprinkle the tops with parmesan cheese for a great canape or snack.  You can use them on focaccia or in a sandwich, or just served by themselves.

Enjoy!Cherry Tomato Confit

Makes 1½ cups.

2 cups cherry and/or pear tomatoes
¼ cup olive oil, plus more for the jar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon peppercorns
Herbs of your choice, fresh or dry (basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, etc.)
2 or 3 large garlic cloves, smashed

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.

In a medium bowl combine all the ingredients and mix.Spread the tomatoes and herbs out on a small-medium baking sheet. (You can line it with foil or parchment, if you like.)Bake for 1 hour. Stir the tomatoes, then bake for another 1½ hours. The tomatoes should be wrinkled and easily burst when poked with the tip of a knife. Some tomatoes may burst while in the oven, and some may brown a bit. This is not only okay, it’s deliciously desirable.Transfer everything to a clean, pint-size jar with a tight-fitting lid. Pour in any oil and juices from the pan. Pack in it gently. Cover the tomatoes with oil. Seal. Tomatoes will keep up to a week in the refrigerator.


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Easy Pickled Jalapenos

Jalapenos are great chiles. They provide a little heat and a little chile flavor without blowing your head off. If you’re anything like me, eating a dish that’s too spicy numbs your palate and you can’t taste anything else. So, jalapenos are one of my favorite chiles to use because it’s low on the Scoville Scale.

If you’re not familiar with it, the Scoville scale was created in 1912 by Wilbur Scoville to measure the heat of chile peppers, indicated by Scoville Units. The more capsaicin a pepper has, the higher the Scoville Units. A jalapeno has 2,500 to 8,000 Units. Lower on the scale is the poblano, which has 1,000 to 1,500 Units. Cayenne peppers have 30,000 to 50,000 Units. A Scotch bonnet, one of the hottest peppers in the world, has 100,000–350,000 Units. Now THAT will blow your head off.

However, as much as I may like jalapenos, and as versatile as they are, there are only so many peppers I can use in a week. I have found that when I have an abundance of them (thanks to a backyard garden), pickling them is a great way to use them.

It’s incredibly easy to pickle jalapenos, and they can be used in so many dishes to add a special zing to it. Use them on burgers and sandwiches, in stews and chilis, in casseroles, and anything else you want to have a zippy flavor.

 

 

Easy Pickled Jalapenos

½ pound jalapenos
1 cup apple cider vinegar
3 large garlic cloves, sliced thickly
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon peppercorns
1 small carrot, sliced ¼-inch thick

Rinse and dry the jalapenos. Cut off the tops, then slice them into 1/4-inch rings.In a small-medium saucepan, combine the vinegar, garlic, salt, and peppercorns with 1 cup water.Bring the pot to a boil; lower the heat to a simmer.

Add the jalapenos and carrot, and simmer 2 minutes. Remove the pot from heat and let cool about 10 to 15 minutes.With a slotted spoon, transfer the jalapenos and carrot to a clean jar with a tight-fitting lid.Pour the brine into the jar, making sure that everything is submerged.Seal the jar and refrigerate for a week.

Pickles keep up to a month.


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Cipolline in Agrodolce (Sweet and Sour Cipolline Onions)

As we’re coming into the fall season—and I say that lightly because we’ve been having higher-than-normal temperatures for this time of year—we’re beginning to see the first offerings of the autumn harvests. A little.

Anyway, at my farmers’ market, I spotted cipolline, which are a specific kind of onion and very popular in Italian cuisine. I usually buy a batch and make cipolline in agrodolce (sweet and sour cipolline) for Thanksgiving. But since I spotted these way too early for the holidays, but couldn’t resist buying them, I decided to experiment with my recipe a little. The difference here is booze. I wanted to see what a little alcohol would do to the mixture.

The question was, what type of alcohol did I want to add? I debated between bourbon, vodka, and a liqueur. Ultimately, I went with apricot brandy. It gave the onions a sweet but—not surprising—boozy edge. In short, they’re really good. Give it a try.

Cipolline in Agrodolce (Sweet and Sour Cipolline Onions)

1 pound cipolline onions, outer skin removed
2 tablespoons sugar
½ cup apple cider vinegar
½ cup apricot brandy
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon peppercorns
1 bay leaf
½ teaspoon oregano

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add the onions and lower the heat. Simmer for about a minute or two and drain. When the onions are cool enough to handle, trim them and peel off the tough outer layer.

Combine the sugar and ¼ cup water in a medium pot. Bring it to a boil; lower the heat and simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes.

Add the vinegar and bring to a boil again. Simmer until thickened.Add one cup water, the cipolline, and the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Simmer about 45 minutes.

Remove from the heat and let them cool. Transfer everything to a jar or sealable bowl and refrigerate.

Cipolline will last about a week.