One day I'll figure out an easier way to log this down. At the moment, I'm just copying a list of what got made on the Notes application of my smartphone with the hope that I remember to blog about it.
Here's what got made in 2016:
peach brandy, 1.5 pints refrigerated
strawberry-rhubarb syrup, 2 pints refrigerated
Extracts
lemon extract, 1 pint
chive flower-infused vinegar, 1 pint
blueberry-infused vodka, 1 quart
blueberry-infused bourbon, 1 pint
Salsas
Control batch salsa (jalapeno peppers), 5.5 pints
Hatch chile salsa (hatch chiles), 5 pints
Spicy salsa (Anaheim & jalapeno peppers), ... pints?
Harissa (dried chile negra, ancho chile, Calif chile), 1 pint refrigerated
La jiao jiang (hot chile paste), 0.5 pints refrigerated
Fruit butters/jams/preserves
Winesap apple butter, 6 pints
Peach bourbon jam (burnt)
Peach bourbon jam (normal)
Apricot-pineapple preserves, 1 pint, 3 half pints, 1 four-oz jar
Apricot-rosemary preserves, 3 half pints, 4 four-oz jars
Strawberry basil preserves, 5 half pints plus 8 oz refrigerated
Strawberry port wine jam, 5 half pints plus 8 oz refrigerated
Pickles/Pickled
Bread and butter pickles, 3 pints
Kimchi, 1 quart refrigerated
Slow Cooker: Stewed Pork Hocks
One way to add depth to any soup is to cook meat bones for a long time, say more than 6 hours. My parents would just cook this stove top for a couple hours, but I find that in these modern and subsequently lazier times, I would much rather start this in the morning and have it ready by dinner in the slow cooker.
It's quite a simple recipe and it makes a few things: a hearty meat stock that can be a base for other soups, a bone broth, and the pork itself can be chilled, sliced and served up with hot or cold noodle dishes. But, for me, I just like the meat and marrow part of the pork.
For those of you (like me) who had to look up what part of the pig the "hock" is, it's the part of the fore or hindquarters above the hoof and below the pig equivalent of the knee/elbow; as illustrated in this Wikipedia stub.
Ingredients
1-2 tbsp olive oil (if cooking by stovetop)
1 lb pork hocks
1 star anise
2-3 slices of fresh ginger, peeled
2-4 tbsp soy sauce
filtered water
To cook this by stovetop:
Brown the hocks in 1-2 tbsp olive oil (or any vegetable oil), add one star anise, a few slices of peeled ginger, 2-4 tbsp of soy sauce (depending on how salty you like it) and an amount of water that covers the hocks. Bring to a boil then simmer covered until the meat is tender, 1-2 hours. Be sure to check on the pot every so often so that the water does not boil all away.
To cook this by slow cooker / crockpot:
Place pork hocks (about a pound) in slow cooker, preferably in a single layer. Add a star anise (one is plenty of flavor per pound of meat), 2-3 slices of peeled ginger, 2-4 tbsp soy sauce, and enough water to cover the hocks. Cook on LOW for 8 hours.
If putting raw meat into a slow cooker is a concern, you can also brown the hocks before putting them in but this is not necessary and it means more stuff to wash.
It's quite a simple recipe and it makes a few things: a hearty meat stock that can be a base for other soups, a bone broth, and the pork itself can be chilled, sliced and served up with hot or cold noodle dishes. But, for me, I just like the meat and marrow part of the pork.
For those of you (like me) who had to look up what part of the pig the "hock" is, it's the part of the fore or hindquarters above the hoof and below the pig equivalent of the knee/elbow; as illustrated in this Wikipedia stub.
Ingredients
1-2 tbsp olive oil (if cooking by stovetop)
1 lb pork hocks
1 star anise
2-3 slices of fresh ginger, peeled
2-4 tbsp soy sauce
filtered water
To cook this by stovetop:
Brown the hocks in 1-2 tbsp olive oil (or any vegetable oil), add one star anise, a few slices of peeled ginger, 2-4 tbsp of soy sauce (depending on how salty you like it) and an amount of water that covers the hocks. Bring to a boil then simmer covered until the meat is tender, 1-2 hours. Be sure to check on the pot every so often so that the water does not boil all away.
To cook this by slow cooker / crockpot:
Place pork hocks (about a pound) in slow cooker, preferably in a single layer. Add a star anise (one is plenty of flavor per pound of meat), 2-3 slices of peeled ginger, 2-4 tbsp soy sauce, and enough water to cover the hocks. Cook on LOW for 8 hours.
If putting raw meat into a slow cooker is a concern, you can also brown the hocks before putting them in but this is not necessary and it means more stuff to wash.
Chicken and Dumplings
This recipe starts off as though making chicken stock with the addition of both the chicken parts and flour-based dumplings. I have omitted the onion part, but you could always put it back in. This is the second time I've made this recipe; though probably the first time I've taken a photo of the dish. I used 1 lb of chicken thighs (skin-on and bone-in) and 1 lb of chicken drumsticks.
Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
2 lbs chicken parts
sea salt
fresh ground black pepper
2 stalks organic celery stalks, diced
4 organic carrots, sliced
1-2 small onions, diced (optional)
2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves or 2 tsp dried thyme
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 bay leaves
1/2 c all purpose flour + 2 c stock (from the pot)
10 cups filtered water
Dumpling Ingredients
2 c all purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
3/4 c buttermilk
2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
Directions
In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat olive oil and fry chicken parts in batches on medium-high heat, 5-6 minutes on each side. Remove chicken to a plate and reserve pot.
Add to the: celery, carrots, thyme, cloves, bay leaves. Cook over medium heat for 6 minutes until softened. Add chicken, bay leaves, and 10 cups of water.
Simmer for 25 minutes. Discard bay leaves and transfer chicken to a plate. Shred chicken and return to the pot.
Whisk 1/2 c all purpose flour with 2 cups of cooking liquid (stock), pour into pot and simmer for an additional 10 minutes.
To make the dumplings:
In a large bowl, whisk together 2 cups of flour, baking powder, baking soda, 1/4 tsp sea salt and 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper. Stir in butter, buttermilk and parsley. Form into small balls or divide into 8 large spoonfuls.
Reduce pot to low and drop in the dumplings. Simmer covered for 15 minutes.
Serve hot.
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| TheFoodeningBlog - Chicken & Dumplings |
1 tbsp olive oil
2 lbs chicken parts
sea salt
fresh ground black pepper
2 stalks organic celery stalks, diced
4 organic carrots, sliced
1-2 small onions, diced (optional)
2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves or 2 tsp dried thyme
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 bay leaves
1/2 c all purpose flour + 2 c stock (from the pot)
10 cups filtered water
Dumpling Ingredients
2 c all purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
3/4 c buttermilk
2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
Directions
In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat olive oil and fry chicken parts in batches on medium-high heat, 5-6 minutes on each side. Remove chicken to a plate and reserve pot.
Add to the: celery, carrots, thyme, cloves, bay leaves. Cook over medium heat for 6 minutes until softened. Add chicken, bay leaves, and 10 cups of water.
Simmer for 25 minutes. Discard bay leaves and transfer chicken to a plate. Shred chicken and return to the pot.
Whisk 1/2 c all purpose flour with 2 cups of cooking liquid (stock), pour into pot and simmer for an additional 10 minutes.
To make the dumplings:
In a large bowl, whisk together 2 cups of flour, baking powder, baking soda, 1/4 tsp sea salt and 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper. Stir in butter, buttermilk and parsley. Form into small balls or divide into 8 large spoonfuls.
Reduce pot to low and drop in the dumplings. Simmer covered for 15 minutes.
Serve hot.
Buttermilk Biscuits
I wish recipe sites would say what size biscuit cutter to use. I used a 2" cutter and these turned out enormous! And, also considering that it is raining today, I'd say that it is very humid and my biscuit dough was very sticky, so sticky in fact that I had a hard time even getting a layer to form. But, dusting the cutter in flour prior to cutting was a great help. With a 2" cutter this recipe ratio made 5 enormous biscuit-textured scone-like objects. I'm sure if I used the smaller cutter, it would have come out to be more like the 10 biscuits the original "grandma's recipe" suggests this yields.
Ingredients
2 c all purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 organic granulated sugar
6 tbsp cold unsalted butter
1 c buttermilk
Directions
Preheat oven to 450 F
1. In the bowl of a food processor machine, pulse together flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, salt, and unsalted butter.
2. Add flour mixture to a large mixing bowl and add the buttermilk. Stir to combine but do not over mix.
3. On a silicone mat, use a silicon spatula to press dough down to 1/2" thickness. Use a biscuit cutter to cut the dough into biscuit rounds.
4. Place biscuit rounds onto a parchment paper-lined baking tray.
5. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until lightly golden brown.
Serve hot and enjoy.
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| TheFoodening Blog - Buttermilk Biscuits |
2 c all purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 organic granulated sugar
6 tbsp cold unsalted butter
1 c buttermilk
Directions
Preheat oven to 450 F
1. In the bowl of a food processor machine, pulse together flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, salt, and unsalted butter.
2. Add flour mixture to a large mixing bowl and add the buttermilk. Stir to combine but do not over mix.
3. On a silicone mat, use a silicon spatula to press dough down to 1/2" thickness. Use a biscuit cutter to cut the dough into biscuit rounds.
4. Place biscuit rounds onto a parchment paper-lined baking tray.
5. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until lightly golden brown.
Serve hot and enjoy.
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| TheFoodening Blog - Buttermilk Biscuit with Peach Bourbon Jam |
Small Batch Bread and Butter Pickles
Did you know that if you chopped these up in a food processor, you can make sweet relish?
As far as pickle recipes go, this is really easy. The secret to a crunchy pickle is the salt brine, or letting the cucumber's excess moisture drain out by using salt. This recipe ratio comes from the TasteofSouthern.com blog. I omitted the onion, of course. Also, my pickle slices are thicker because I don't like wafer thin, transparent pickles. It's a blue ribbon recipe so by default it should turn out great. :)
Ingredients
3 lbs pickling cucumbers, ends trimmed
1/4 c kosher or sea salt
2 c white vinegar
2 c sugar
1/2 c water
1 tbsp mustard seeds
2 tsp celery seeds
2 tsp pickling spice mix
1 tsp turmeric powder
Directions
1. Slice cucumbers and place in a large bowl and toss with salt. Let stand for 1-2 hours or overnight in the refrigerator (I did the latter for this batch).
2. Rinse the cucumbers and let drain in a colander until ready to use. Place as many as will fit into half-pint or pint jars.
3. In a large saucepan, combine vinegar, water, sugar, mustard seeds, celery seeds, and turmeric. Heat to a boil.
4. Pour vinegar mixture over cucumbers in jars.
If canning, process in a boiling water bath for 20 minutes.
If using as refrigerator pickles, cover with sterilized lids and bands. Let this cure in the fridge for several days before using.
As far as pickle recipes go, this is really easy. The secret to a crunchy pickle is the salt brine, or letting the cucumber's excess moisture drain out by using salt. This recipe ratio comes from the TasteofSouthern.com blog. I omitted the onion, of course. Also, my pickle slices are thicker because I don't like wafer thin, transparent pickles. It's a blue ribbon recipe so by default it should turn out great. :)
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| TheFoodening Blog - Bread & Butter Pickles |
3 lbs pickling cucumbers, ends trimmed
1/4 c kosher or sea salt
2 c white vinegar
2 c sugar
1/2 c water
1 tbsp mustard seeds
2 tsp celery seeds
2 tsp pickling spice mix
1 tsp turmeric powder
Directions
1. Slice cucumbers and place in a large bowl and toss with salt. Let stand for 1-2 hours or overnight in the refrigerator (I did the latter for this batch).
2. Rinse the cucumbers and let drain in a colander until ready to use. Place as many as will fit into half-pint or pint jars.
3. In a large saucepan, combine vinegar, water, sugar, mustard seeds, celery seeds, and turmeric. Heat to a boil.
4. Pour vinegar mixture over cucumbers in jars.
If canning, process in a boiling water bath for 20 minutes.
If using as refrigerator pickles, cover with sterilized lids and bands. Let this cure in the fridge for several days before using.
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