Apple Cranberry Jam

This recipe was introduced to be by the lovely Dana Chepulis, and we made it together as gifts to give away for Christmas. It is an amazing jam, full of warm, rich winter flavors. My kids eat it on PBJs (spoiled) but it is easily dressed up on brie, tarts etc... If you have never made jam before I recomend this one as a starter. It is pretty foolproof, and the apples and cranberries have enough pectin that you don't have to add anything, very straightforward. I have adapted this recipe from http://foodinjars.com/ This is an excellent canning resource with recipes, how-to's and product reviews.

Can on and enjoy!

Apple-Cranberry Jam

Yield: 4 1/2 - 5 pints.

Ingredients

• 8 cups of peeled and diced apple (approximately 5-6 large apples, 1/2 inch dice. Use a softer apple like a Golden Delicious. Firm apples won't cook down as well.)
• 4 cups of whole cranberries
• 6 cups sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp allspice
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice

Instructions

1. Combine the apples, cranberries, sugar and water in a large pot (use a big one, this jam will bubble) over high heat. Bring to a boil, skimming off the foam that develops on the top of the fruit. Cook for 10-15 minutes, until the cranberries pop and the apples soften.
2. Add the lemon  juice and spices and simmer until the liquid in the pot begins to thicken (because both apples and cranberries are naturally high in pectin, you won't need any additional pectin to help this jam set, as long as you cook it until thick and syrup-y).
3. Ladle into prepared jars, wipe rims, apply lids and process in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes. Label nicely and distribute to those you love.

Savory Onion Jam with Rosemary

I am ashamed that i have not posted this before. I use this recipe a lot, especially when we have lots of onions at Fair Foods. It is a delicious savory jam that is excellent on sandwiches as a condiment and works delightfully on a cheese tray. It is sweet and savory and delicious. Warning to the impatient: This recipe takes a LONG time! Maybe it is just that I always have tons of onions and sometimes triple the recipe, but it takes a very long time for the liquid to evaporate out. So my advice, get it in the pot and go clean the house, watch a movie, whatever...do something else, and when you come back onion magic will have happened.

This recipe was adapted from a very handy and fun website http://www.punkdomestics.com. I highly recommend them as a good do it yourself kitchen resource.

SAVORY ONION JAM WITH ROSEMARY
Makes 4-5 8 ounce jars

Ingredients:
3 pounds sweet yellow onions (about 10 large onions), peeled and sliced thinly
6 sprigs of fresh rosemary
2 sprigs fresh (or dried) thyme
3 bay leaves
3 to 4 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup Sherry
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup white sugar

Method:

Heat a large stock pot (with a tight fitting lid) over medium heat. When the pot is hot, add in onion slices and stir, sprinkle with salt. Add in bay leaves, rosemary and thyme sprigs.

Place the lid snugly on the pot, and simmer the onion mixture for 15-20 minutes. The onions should have lost a lot of their liquid at this point.

Remove the lid and add in vinegar, Sherry, honey, and sugar. Add in a bit more black pepper, as well as the red chili flakes. Allow to simmer over medium-low heat, uncovered, until half the liquid is gone (about 20 minutes).

Once  the liquid is reduced, remove the bay leaves, thyme, and rosemary sprigs. Taste, and add more salt (or sugar) if needed. Allow the mixture to simmer until the liquid is reduced and the jam is thick, dark, and sticky (30+ minutes). Be careful not to let the mixture burn.

Transfer to clean & sterilized jars. Seal the jars and store in the fridge. The jam will keep for 3-4 weeks.

The BEST Pumpkin Soup Eva! (Pumpkin Red Lentil Awesomeness)

I found this idea last week and decided to try it since I have lots of lentils and lots of pumpkin in my life I threw a bunch of both in a pot and went to work. When I came home is was the most amazing thing ever. This soup is hearty and bursting with flavor, but the best part is that it is super easy. Try it and enjoy!

Pumpkin Lentil soup

1 medium onion diced
4 cloves garlic minced
2 carrots chopped
1 roasted red pepper chopped
1 small sugar pumpkin, seeded, peeled and chopped into chunks
2 cups red lentils
6 cups veggie broth
1 cup  + non-dairy milk (depending on how thick you desire your soup)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
salt and pepper
parsley to garnish


1. Heat a large heavy bottomed stockpot on medium-high. Add onions, garlic, and carrots; lightly salt, stir and then add a few tablespoons of water to steam them. When the onions are starting to turn translucent on the edges, add the red pepper, pumpkin and lentils. Stir to mix, then add the broth. If the broth does not cover all your veggies, add some water to just cover them. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes, or until the pumpkin and carrots can be easily pierced with a knife.
2. Add the spices and stir. Using either an immersion blender or regular blender, blend the soup to a smooth consistency. Stir in the non-dairy milk and lemon juice keep warm until you serve. Serve garnished with chopped fresh parsley.

Ethiopian-Spiced Pumpkin Bisque

I love pumpkin anything, but am especially partial to soup. This is a fun spicy twist on the traditional pumpkin bisque, but the best part is that it is vegan, low fat, nutritious and delicious. I am reposting this from http://blog.fatfreevegan.com. An excellent resource if you are looking for good vegan recipes.

Ethiopian-Spiced Pumpkin Bisque

This is a very versatile recipe. You can use any type of winter squash instead of pumpkin and any type of seasoning instead of berbere, so this could be Curry-Spiced Butternut Soup or Baharat-Spiced Cushaw Soup. Just be sure you use around 3 cups of cooked squash and add seasonings carefully because they vary in potency.

INGREDIENTS:
1 small pumpkin or winter squash (about three pounds or three cups cooked pumpkin
1 small onion
2 cloves of garlic
3 cups vegetable broth
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2-4 tsp berbere spice mix*
1/2 - 1 cup non dairy milk
Salt and black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350. Cut open pumpkin or squash and remove seeds and strings.. Place it cut-side up on a baking sheet and cover with foil (or place in a large, covered baking dish). Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until flesh is very tender when pricked with a fork. Remove and allow to cool until it can be handled comfortably.
2. Cook the onion in a large, non-stick pot over medium-high heat until it begins to brown. (If it starts to stick, add a tablespoon of water and stir well.) Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add a splash of the vegetable broth to deglaze the pan, and then pour the onions into the blender. Scrape the pumpkin out of its shell and add the flesh to the blender, along with the remaining broth, tomato paste, and berbere spice mix. Blend until smooth.
3. Pour the contents of the blender back into the pan, cover, and bring to a low boil. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes. Add the non-dairy milk, using as much as needed to reach the right consistency. Add the lime juice, salt, and pepper, and simmer for about 5 more minutes before serving. Serve in shallow bowls, sprinkled with pumpkin seeds, if desired.

Notes

*To make the berberé spice mixture, combine:

1 tsp. ground cardamom
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. ground fenugreek
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. ground allspice
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. cayenne pepper (use less to decrease spiciness or substitute paprika)
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. ground sea salt (optional)

This makes 4 tablespoons of seasoning, but the bisque only calls for 2-4 teaspoons. Store the leftover seasoning in a spice jar in a cool, dark place.

Preparation time: 10 minute(s) | Cooking time: 50 minute(s

Sweet and Spicy Eggplant

Our last harvest from our garden was this week and we had the surprise of four beautiful, large Asian eggplant. These eggplant have much thinner skins and smaller softer seeds than the traditional European eggplant. 

We went to a Chinese restaurant last year that served an awesome eggplant dish and this is my attempt to emulate it. I think it worked out really well. So well in fact that my husband who sometimes plays along, but I am pretty sure has an eggplant aversion, put more on his plate after the first bite. (one more point for the vegetable team) This dish is delicious, hearty, sweet and spicy. It can be used as a side, served over rice or noodles or just eaten by itself.

One key ingredient for this dish is Trader Joes Sweet Chili Sauce. It is an excellent sauce that we use for other Asian-inspired dishes and the boys love to dip spring rolls in it.

Sweet and Spicy Eggplant

4 Asian eggplants, halved and sliced into 1-inch pieces

1 medium onion, diced

1/3 cup chili sauce

pinch of Chinese 5-spice

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

1. Heat a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and lightly salt. Cook about two minutes. 

2. Add the eggplant to the pot. Saute about three minutes with the onions. Add the vinegar, sauce and 5-spice, and stir. Cover, reduce heat to low and cook covered for 35-40 minutes or until the eggplant is soft and the sauce is very thick. Serve sprinkled with cilantro.

Roasted Green Tomato Salsa (a.k.a. what to do with your green tomatoes)

Fall is in full swing here in New England in all it's beauty, but the big question looms before us....WHAT DO WE DO WITH ALL OUR GREEN TOMATOES???? We work all summer and see the fruits getting round and fat, but then it gets cold and some of them NEVER turn red. This recipe has saved me from feeling that Tomatoes are an act of futility in Boston.


Our first cold snap was this week and Aaron and I went to the community garden and excitedly gathered up all the green tomatoes that were still clinging to the fallen frostbitten vines. (I was still holding out hope that they might...might turn) There were A LOT, which is great because we made A LOT of salsa.

This recipe is a pretty mild salsa. We grew a lot of Thai chilies in the garden this year, and some Anaheim and Jalapeno. The Thai chilies are pretty mild, so this salsa is mild. I would be more bold next time and add more, but I did not want to blow it out of the water and not be able to eat it at all. Spice it as you like it.

All the work for this recipe is done in the oven and blender/food processor, and the longest part really is the canning if you choose to can it.

Roasted Green Tomato Salsa

Ingredients:
8 quarts of green tomatoes, cored
2 heads of garlic
1 red bell pepper
1 green or yellow or banana pepper
3-4 Chili peppers
4 red onions
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tbsp ground cumin
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 bunch cilantro (well washed)
1 1/2 cups lemon juice
(do not skip this if you are canning!!! It is essential for providing enough acid to the recipe to make it safe to can)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash and core all tomatoes. Place tomatoes on a rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan. Separate the heads of garlic into cloves and scatter among the tomatoes. Roast the tomatoes and garlic in the oven for 40 minutes.

2. While the tomatoes roast in the oven, roast the peppers. You can do this in the oven too under the broiler, or if you have a gas stove or blowtorch you can scald the skin that way. Place peppers in direct flame until the skin is completely blackened and blistered, then place them in a sealed plastic zip-top bag to steam.

3. When the tomatoes are almost done, peel your onions and process them in your blender or food processor. Heat a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. When the pot is hot, add your onions and saute the onions until they are opaque. Remove the stems and seeds from the peppers, process and add to the onions. Process the cilantro with half the roasted tomatoes, add to the pot. Squeeze the roasted garlic out of the skins and process with the remaining tomatoes, add to the pot. Stir in coriander, cumin, salt, pepper and lemon juice. Bring salsa to a boil and boil for one minute, stirring if needed. Place in sterilized jars and process in a boiling water bath for 17 minutes.

Makes 16 cups