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Greetings Fellow Eaters,
I don’t know about you but I am in full
fresh-food
frenzy! Between eating it up while it’s at its
peak, putting it up for when it’s not, and sharing
the bounty with friends and family it’s all food all
the time at casa Vinton (but then again, when isn’t
it?). Peaches, plums, berries, and the rainbow of
tomatoes that are starting to bedazzle the farmer’s
market—I’m trying to get my fill before they’re gone
for another year. And, in a way, I’m trying to stop
time with my first try at canning. In this month’s
Sustainable Solutions, I’m sending along a little
ditty on my maiden voyage of putting food by as well
as some sample recipes—give it a go. It’s not
nearly as complicated or time consuming as I thought
it might be. I am also sending along a word on the
“Eat Local Challenge,” a national movement to eat
from your own region that gets stronger every year.
And finally, a few recipes for the ever-prolific
zucchini—the fertile bunny of the produce patch!
Wishing you a Real, delicious summer, Sherri
Yes, You Can!
Putting by the flavors of summer
Mason jars are just plain sexy. Don’t you think?
The utility of the down-home container and the
sensual promise of what’s inside—it’s a kinky
contrast. I guess it’s sort of like a pair of Daisy
Dukes—they’re a nice pair of cut-off jeans but fill
them well and ooh-la-la, couture’s got nothing on
country!
I’ve always been attracted to these highly
functional containers. Even when I lived in the
city I kept a supply on hand as farm-chic vases and
earth-friendly tupper-ware alternatives. Every
harvest season I would fantasize about filling
them—giving out my own homemade jams for the
holidays, breaking open a jar of tomatoes in the
middle of winter, concocting the next great pickle.
But long after spring had sprung and summer had
sizzled, my jars remained empty. Maybe I had myself
convinced that my urban kitchen was too wee for the
production of canning. More honestly, I think I was
more than a bit intimidated by the process.
I’ve seen enough canning to understand that things
can go horribly wrong, as evidenced by the
occasional jar of under-processed tomatoes that
would explode in B-movie-esque horror all over my
Granny’s pantry. But this season I decided to put
aside the possibility of an “I Love Lucy” moment and
get myself and my jars down to business. Canning
isn’t that complicated but you need to follow the
rules. There are some good books out there, such as
“Putting Food By” by Janet Greene, that spell them
out clearly. Once you understand the basics, you
can alter the flavorings to suit your taste as long
as you’re careful to maintain the ratios of food to
vinegar to water to maintain the proper acidity.
I didn’t use any special equipment, save the jars
themselves. Some clean kitchen towels, a large
stockpot and sparkling fresh produce and I was off
and running. A pair of rubberized tongs would have
been helpful and safer, but I remember my
grandmother using regular tongs with rubber bands
wrapped around them for a better grip and that’s
what I did to lift my pint-sized jars from the
boiling water bath. Now that I’ve got canning fever
and want to move on to bulkier items such as
tomatoes, I’m going to invest in a proper set up for
ease and safety.
So I am off now to stock up on the cucumbers and get
going on those tomatoes. And, come January when
eating locally in the Northeast will narrow my menu
considerably, I’ll be able to grab one of those
little jars off of the shelf, pop it open and bite
into a refreshing, authentic taste of summer. And
there’s nothing sexier than that.
Spiced-Carrot Ice Box Pickles
These carrots are inspired by the ones served at
Tartine Bakery in San Francisco where they provide
pitch perfect harmony to the luscious open-faced
sandwiches they accompany. Because it relies on
refrigeration rather than perfect processing to
retard bacterial growth, this is a great recipe for
first time canners.
1 lb baby carrots (actual little, young carrots, not
the bagged nubs in the grocery store) or large
carrots cut into 1/2 inch sticks
1 1/4 cups water
1 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
4-6 cloves garlic, sliced
2 hot jalapeno peppers sliced, with seeds (make sure
to check your peppers for heat—their potency varies
widely)
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
Blanch carrots for one minute and rinse under cold
water. Pack them tightly into clean glass canning
jars.
Bring water to a boil, remove from heat and add
remaining ingredients. Stir until salt and sugar
are dissolved. Pour pickling liquid over carrots,
distributing garlic and pepper slices evenly between
jars.
Allow to cool then chill, covered, for at least 2
days and up to 2 weeks.
Bread and Butter Pickles
These processed pickles require sterile tools and
jars but don’t let that put you off—all you need is
a stockpot and a good pair of tongs to pull this
recipe off (and you’ll be the HIT of the family
picnic!).
6 large cucumbers, sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 large onions, sweet ones such as Vidalia work
well, if those are local to you, chopped
1/4 cup kosher salt
2 pints white vinegar
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon celery seed
1 tablespoon mustard seed
12 black peppercorns
In a large colander, toss cukes and onions with salt
and let drain over a large bowl or in the sink for
an hour. Rinse with fresh water and drain.
Fill stockpot to cover jars by 4 inches and bring to
a boil. Submerge jars and rings (but not lids) and
any forks, spoons or funnels you will use to fill
your jars in boiling water for 5 minutes. Remove to
a clean tea towel just before filling jars.
In a small saucepan bring remaining ingredients to a
boil and remove from heat.
Pack cukes and onions into canning jars. Fill with
liquid, distributing spices evenly among jars. (You
will have more liquid than you need.) Seal jars and
process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes for
pint-sized jars.
Cool and store at room temperature.
Eat Local Challenge
The Eat Local Challenge is a national movement of
eaters who select one month per year to eat
exclusively, or as exclusively as they can, from
their local food shed. Given my predilection for
farmer’s markets, I thought this would be a cinch.
The day I started the Challenge I returned from the
market with my arms full of local breads, cheeses,
meats, raw milk, and a whole modge podge of fruits
and vegetables. No problems here, I was set.
I
started in to make dinner. Got my pan nice and hot,
and—oops—reached for the olive oil. I don’t live
anywhere near an olive tree so that was out, butter
was in. I put my vegetables in the pan
and—yikes—reached for the salt from who knows where
and pepper grinder full of spicy pellets from India.
I thought I had the local food issue all worked out
but the Challenge has raised my awareness of just
how many well-traveled food items I rely on.
Coffee, tea, chocolate? My entire spice rack? At
first I felt quite defeated. But the real value, I
believe, is not in what you don’t do but what you
do. Will my food ever be 100% local? No. But I’ll
be counting every mile.
The good folks at Slow Food NYC and Stone Barns
Center for Food and Agriculture are engaged in their
own Eat Local Challenge. Download the ongoing saga
of their adventures in food at http://localeater.blogspot.com.
Want to do your own Challenge? Check out http://www.eatlocal.net
for more information.
What do I do with all of this #%@&! Zucchini?
There is so much zucchini and summer squash around
this time of year. Here are some ideas for dealing
with your embarrassment of riches.
Grilled Zucchini with Parmesan
This is the easiest recipe and so tasty.
4 medium zucchini or summer squash, halved
lengthwise
1 tsp olive oil
salt and pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Prepare grill or pre-heat broiler. Lightly oil
zucchini and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill,
cut side down, over medium heat or broil until
zucchini begins to brown, about 3-4 minutes. Turn
zucchini over and top with cheese. Continue to
grill or broil until cheese is melted and zucchini
is cooked through but not soggy, about another 3-4
minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature. Serves
4-6.
Zucchini Slaw
This is a great alternative to the usual cabbage
slaw. Use a V-slicer or mandolin for the prettiest
presentation.
6 medium zucchini, unpeeled
3 carrots, peeled
1 small jicama, peeled
2 scallions, chopped
2 tbls lime juice
2 tbls rice vinegar
3 tbls flavorless oil such as rapeseed or organic
canola
1 tbls dark sesame oil
salt
Julienne zucchini by grating vegetable lengthwise
down to its seed core on the smallest shred blade of
a V-slicer or mandolin. Discard seed core. Place
shredded zucchini in a large colander set over a
bowl or in the sink. Sprinkle lightly with salt and
toss. Set aside for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile,
julienne carrot and jicama and place in a medium bowl.
In a small bowl whisk lime juice, vinegar and oils.
Rinse salted zucchini under cold water. Squeeze
rinsed zucchini by the handful to remove as much
liquid as possible. Add zucchini to vegetable
mixture, pour dressing over all and toss to combine.
Chill and serve within 4 hours. Serves 6-8.
Stuffed Zucchini
I really only have one stuffing recipe but I use it
in lots of different ways--to accompany my
Thanksgiving bird, to tuck between the leaves of
steamed artichokes, or, like here, to fill
vegetables. I serve these zucchini with a salad for
a light supper or, cut into two-inch segments, as
hors d’oeuvres. They’re always a crowd pleaser.
4 medium zucchini, sliced lengthwise
4 tbl olive oil
1 pound of breakfast sausage casing removed and
crumbled (preferably pasture-raised) or 1 lb
assorted mushrooms, diced
1 onion, finely diced
2 celery ribs, diced (optional)
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup dry white wine
4 cups bread crumbs, toasted
2 cups chicken or mushroom stock (home-made if you
can)
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup pignoli nuts (optional)
salt and pepper
Hollow zucchini by scooping out seeds with a small
spoon. Sprinkle interior with salt and drain, cut
side down, on paper towels.
Meanwhile, heat 2 tbls olive oil in a heavy sauté
pan over medium heat. Sauté sausage or mushrooms
until brown, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
Add remaining oil and sauté onions and celery, if
using, until translucent. Add garlic and sauté one
more minute. Add white wine, scrape up any brown
bits on bottom of pan and simmer until reduced by
half. Return sausage or mushrooms to pan and remove
from heat. Add breadcrumbs and stir to combine.
Add chicken stock 1/2 cup at a time until stuffing
holds together. Allow stuffing to cool slightly
then add cheese, parsley and nuts, if using, and
toss to combine. Add more stock if necessary (For
filling vegetables, leave stuffing a little dry to
absorb vegetable juices when baking.). Season with
salt and pepper to taste.
Preheat oven to 375. Rinse zucchini and dry
thoroughly. Mound stuffing into hollowed zucchini,
pressing slightly to secure filling. Bake on a
cookie sheet until zucchini is cooked through but
not soggy, about 15 minutes. Serves 4 as a side
dish or light supper, makes about 32 hors d’oeuvres.
Upcoming appearances
Stop by to join the Real Food Revival
I’ll be doing a book signing this week. Stop by
Thursday, August 17, 7-9pm at Logos Bookstore, 575
York Avenue (Between 83rd And 84th Sts) to talk
about all things food.
In next month's Sustainable Solutions
Canning Tomatoes
The blow by blow on stocking up on 'maters
My Lunch Rules!
Tips for packing kids up with good things they’ll eat!
and more....
The Real Food Revival:
Aisle by Aisle, Morsel by Morsel
Buy the book! The Real Food Revival is for every
eater who wants to enjoy sustainably raised foods.
Whether your new to the real food movement or and
old pro this book is full of tips and tricks for
reclaiming the food chain.
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