Strawberry Mint Pepper Jam

Source: adapted from recipe in Mes Confitures by Christine Ferber

Ingredients
1,000g local strawberries, picked in June, washed, hulled and frozen
800g sugar
juice of one lemon
10 mint leaves, finely chopped
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Steps
Day 1: Thaw strawberries (~12 hours). Add sugar and lemon juice to berries and gently toss in a glass bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
Day 2: Pour macerated fruit mixture into a large pot and boil gently for 10 minutes. Return to bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Day 3: Strain berry juice from berry solids. On medium heat in a wide flat pot, bring berry liquid to a slow gentle boil until mixture reach 221 degrees. Skim foam. Add berry solids and boil gently for another 5 minutes. Continue to skim foam.
Fill sanitized jars with jam using funnel. Cover with clean new lids heated in very hot water and screw on rings. Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Test lid for seal.

Deep Spice Berry Jam

adapted from the Ball Blue Book of Preserving (2004 edition)

makes 7 half-pints

Ingredients
5 cups mixed berries
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon five spice powder
7 cups sugar
1 package pectin
½ teaspoon vanilla extract (commercial or homemade*)

Steps

1. Combine the berries, lemon zest, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, cinnamon, and five spice powder in a non-corrosive pot and put on medium heat. Crush berries with a sturdy potato masher. Raise heat to high and add sugar, stirring it in completely. Cook on high for one additional minute then remove from heat. Let pot sit for a few minutes before adding pectin. Add pectin by sprinkling on top of mixture, stirring to prevent lumps. 
2. Stir in vanilla extract. Ladle mixture into hot half-pint jars leaving ¼ inch headspace. Check for air bubbles. Wipe jar rims and close jars with hot lids and bands. Process jars in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. 
3. Store cooled jars in a cool, dark space for a few days to let flavors mature.

* Homemade vanilla flavoring: split and scrape 4-8 vanilla beans into a small tall bottle. Place scraped pods in bottle as well. Cover with a good quality vodka. Store in a cool, dark place for at least one month before using.

Grandma Sadie's Zucchini Relish

Ingredients
10 cups chopped zucchini
4 cups chopped onions
2 large green peppers, chopped
2 large red peppers, chopped
¼ cup pickling salt (or kosher salt)

Pickling syrup:
6 cups sugar
3½ cups cider vinegar
1 ½ tablespoons turmeric
3½ tablespoons corn starch
2 tablespoons nutmeg
1½ tablespoons celery seed
½ teaspoon black pepper

Steps

1. Mix chopped ingredients with salt and let stand overnight. Rinse with water and drain well.
2. Prepare pickling syrup. Heat syrup ingredients until blended. Add zucchini mixture and bring to a boil. Simmer 5-10 minutes. 
3. Pack into sanitized pint jars leaving ½ inch space on top. Wipe jar rims with a cloth dipped in simmering water.
4. Apply lids. Adjust lids by tightening fully then loosening by ¼ inch. Process in a hot water bath for 15 minutes. Let cool.

Makes 7-8 pints

2014 Urban Fair winning recipe from Jamie Suehiro

Update on 2014-10-23 20:26 by Eamon Molloy

Earlier version failed to include 2 large green peppers, chopped

Vanilla Pear Jam

adapted from Perfect Preserves by Nora Carey
makes 1½ quarts

This jam is sweetened by the natural sugars in the pears, and fruit juice. No additional sugar is required. It is perfect over pancakes, French toast, or waffles, or use it to top ice cream or pound cake. Served with a biscuit and whipped cream, it makes a fun fall shortcake.

Ingredients
5 pounds pears
grated zest of 1 lemon plus 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 quarts unsweetened apple, pear or white grape juice 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

Steps

1. Peel, quarter, and core the pears. Chop the pears into small cubes and toss them in a bowl with the lemon zest and juice. Set aside.
2. In a preserving pan, combine the fruit juice of your choice with the vanilla bean. Reduce the liquid by half over moderate heat. Remove the vanilla bean from the reduced juice.
3. Add the pears and their liquid to the juice and bring the mixture to a boil over moderate heat. Cook the jam, stirring frequently, for 30-40 minutes, or until the jellying point is reached.
4. Spoon the jam into warm sterilized jars and seal. Process jars of jam in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Let cool. Check the seals and store up to 1 year.

From the recipe collection of
Hillsdale Farmers’ Market Chef Kathryn Yeomans
The Farmer's Feast http://thefarmersfeast.me/

Chow Chow Relish

adapted from the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserves 

Ingredients
2 cups coarsely chopped English cucumber (or other unwaxed cucumber)
1 ½ cups chopped seeded red bell peppers
1 ½ cups chopped cabbage
1 ½ cups sliced onions
1 ½ cups chopped cored green tomatoes 9 cups water, divided
1 cup canning or pickling salt
3 cups white vinegar
2 ½ cups granulated sugar
3 Tbsp. mustard seeds
2 Tbsp. celery seeds
1 Tbsp. ground turmeric
1 ½ cups diced green beans, blanched
1 ½ cups diced peeled carrots, blanched

Steps

1. In a large glass or stainless steel bowl, combine cucumber, red peppers, cabbage, onions, and green tomatoes. Add 8 cups of the water and pickling salt. Cover and let stand in a cool place for 12 hours, or overnight. Transfer to a colander placed over a sink and drain thoroughly. Rinse with cool water and drain thoroughly again. Using your hands, squeeze out excess liquid. Set aside.
2. In a stainless steel saucepan, combine remaining 1 cup water, vinegar, sugar, mustard seeds, celery seeds, and turmeric. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add drained cucumber mixture, green beans and carrots and return to a boil. Reduce heat and boil gently, stirring frequently, until thickened to the consistency of a thin commercial relish, about 40 minutes.
3. Ladle hot relish into prepared jars, leaving ½ inch head space. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if necessary, by adding hot relish. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Screw band down until resistance is met, then increase to “fingertip-tight”.
4. Place jars in canner and process for 10 minutes. Remove canner lid. Wait 5 minutes, then remove jars.

From the recipe collection of:
Hillsdale Farmers’ Market Chef Kathryn Yeomans
The Farmer's Feast
http://thefarmersfeast.me/

Piccalilli Relish

adapted from the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserves

Ingredients
5 cups finely chopped cabbage
4 cups chopped cored green tomatoes
1½ cups chopped onion
1 cup chopped seeded red bell pepper
1 cup chopped seeded green bell pepper
3 Tbsp. salt
1¼ cup pickling spice
4 Tbsp. coarsely chopped gingerroot
2 Tbsp. mustard seeds
3 cups white vinegar
1¾ cups water
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp. ground turmeric

Steps

1. In a large glass or stainless steel bowl, combine cabbage, green tomatoes, onions, red and green peppers and salt. Cover and let stand in a cool place (70 ̊-75 ̊F) for 12 hours or overnight. Transfer to a colander placed over a sink and drain. Rinse with cool water and drain thoroughly. Using your hands, squeeze out excess liquid. Set aside.
2. Tie pickling spice, gingerroot, and mustard seeds in a square of cheesecloth, creating a spice bag.
3. In a large stainless steel saucepan, combine drained cabbage mixture, vinegar, water, sugar, turmeric, and spice bag. Cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Uncover and boil for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Reduce heat and boil gently, stirring frequently, until thickened to the consistency of a thin commercial relish, about 20 minutes. Discard spice bag.
4. Ladle hot relish into hot jars, leaving ½ inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if necessary, by adding hot relish. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Screw band down until resistance is met, then increase to “fingertip-tight”.
5. Place jars in canner and process for 10 minutes. Remove canner lid. Wait 5 minutes, then remove jars.

From the recipe collection of:
Hillsdale Farmers’ Market Chef Kathryn Yeomans
The Farmer's Feast
http://thefarmersfeast.me/

Spiced Plum Butter

Ingredients
4 pounds Italian prune plums
2 cups sugar
1 cinnamon stick
2 whole cloves

Steps

1. Pit and quarter the plums and put them in a heavy 4-quart pot. Add the sugar, the cinnamon stick, and the cloves. Stir well and let sit overnight or for 8 hours.
2. The next day, heat the oven to 350 degrees. Put the pot, un-lidded, into the oven and cook for 2 hours, stirring the mixture occasionally.
3. Sterilize the glass jars in boiling water for 10 minutes.
4. When the plums have broken down and the liquid has reduced to a thick jam, remove pot from the oven and fish out the cinnamon stick (if you can find the cloves, fish them out too).
5. Puree the jam with an immersion blender until it resembles a fruit butter, and then fill the sterilized jars with the hot puree, screw on tops and process in a boiling waterbath for 10 minutes. If you prefer a jam with discernible chunks of fruit, however, don't puree the jam; simply ladle the hot jam into the sterilized jars.

Tomato Jam (Melmelada de Tomàquet)

adapted from http://spanishjourneys.com/oliveme/2011/09/23/tomato-jam-with-museu-de-confitura-seal-of-approval/

makes about 4 half pints

Ingredients
3½ lbs perfectly ripe plum tomatoes
1 apple, peeled, cored, & chopped
1½ lbs sugar
1 oz (two tablespoons) freshly squeezed lemon juice a big pinch of salt
a sprig of fresh thyme

Steps

1. Blanch the tomatoes for several seconds in boiling water, and then shock the tomatoes by submerging them in iced water to stop the cooking. Peel and core the tomatoes and put them into a large, heavy jam-making pot.
2. Add the sugar, lemon juice, salt, and branch of thyme to the tomatoes. Bring to a simmer, then a steady boil, stirring every few minutes. Watch the jam closely as the water cooks off and the juices become syrupy: you’ll need to stir it steadily to make sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Squash any big chunks of tomato while you’re at it. Skim off any foam that forms on the surface (those dense little bubbles will cloud the jam’s sparkle later if not removed). The jam will begin to set up in about 25 to 35 minutes. When it’s softly set, remove the thyme and ladle the jam into sterilized hot jars and seal.

Note: If you like, you can add spices to this jam, such as a pinch of smoky cumin and/or spicy pimentón, a cinnamon stick or a couple of cloves (that you can fish out before putting the jam in the jar), or a bit of ground ginger or cardamom.

Zucchini-Pepper Relish

adapted from the blog “Simple Bites”

yields about 10 half-pint jars

Ingredients
6 cups/890 g chopped green bell pepper (about 6 whole peppers)
6 cups grated green or a mix of green & yellow zucchini (about 2 ½ -3 pounds zucchini)
2½ cups grated onion (about 2 large onions)
4 cups/960 ml apple cider vinegar, divided
2 cups/400 g granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons sea salt
2 Tablespoons mustard seed
1 teaspoon celery seed
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Steps

1. Sterilize five 1-pint or 10 half-pint jars. Prepare a waterbath for canning.
2. Combine the chopped bell pepper, zucchini, and onion in a large, nonreactive pot. Stir in 2 cups/480 ml of the apple cider vinegar and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook until the vegetables have cooked down, about 30 minutes.
3. Drain the vegetables and return them to the pot. Add the remaining 2 cups apple cider vinegar, plus the sugar, salt, mustard seed, celery seed, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.
4. Ladle the relish into the prepared jars, leaving 1/2 inch/12 mm of headspace. Gently tap the jars on a towel-lined countertop to help loosen any bubbles before using a wooden chopstick to dislodge any remaining bubbles. Wipe the rims, apply the lids and rings, and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
5. When the processing time is up, remove the canning pot from the flame and remove the lid from the pot. Let the jars sit in the pot for an additional 5-minutes. This helps to prevent the relish from reacting to the rapid temperature change and bubbling out of the jars.

From Chef Kathryn LaSusa Yeomans

Peach Chutney

makes about 2 quarts – easily scales up (doubles, triples, or more)

The term chutney comes from the Indian word chatni, meaning "strongly spiced." It is a condiment, typically consisting of a mix of chopped fruits, vinegar, spices and sugar, cooked into a chunky spread. It pairs well with grilled or roasted meats, cheeses, or as an hors d’oeuvre with papadam crackers. Generally speaking, chutneys tend toward the spicy side, but it's easy to adjust the heat factor if you make your own.

Ingredients
2 large peaches
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 large shallot, diced small
1 large garlic clove, peeled and minced
½ inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled
1 Tbsp. minced lemon zest
¼ cup lemon juice
¼ tsp. red pepper flakes, or to taste
1 tsp. white wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. light brown sugar
½ tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste
3 whole cardamom pods

Steps

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Cut a shallow X in the bottom of each peach. Plunge the peach in the boiling water. After 30 seconds to a minute (when the skin begins to lift away from the flesh), remove the peach to a bowl of iced water to stop the cooking and make the peach cold enough to handle. Peel the peaches and chop them into ½ inch chunks.
2. Heat the olive oil in a non-reactive skillet over a medium flame. Add the shallot, garlic, and ginger, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook until the mixture is fragrant and has softened, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients, raise the heat, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook at a steady simmer for 20 minutes, until the fruit has softened, the chutney has thickened, and flavors have melded. Adjust seasoning with salt, sugar, vinegar, or spice if needed.
3. If you like, you may can your chutney, sealing according to manufacturer’s directions in sterilized canning jars with two-piece lids. Alternatively, store the chutney in the refrigerator once it has cooled to room temperature. The chutney will last at least a week to ten days in the refrigerator. If canned, the flavor will continue to develop over the next month as it sits. Remove cardamom seeds before eating.

Bread & Butter Pickles

(makes about 8 pints)

Ingredients

36 small pickling cucumbers (about 5 pounds) be sure to choose very fresh, firm pickling cucumbers
1 large onion
½ cup kosher or pickling salt
5 cups cider vinegar
5 cups granulated sugar
1 ½ tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. celery seed
1 Tbsp. yellow mustard seed

Instructions

1. Scrub the cucumbers with a vegetable brush and rinse thoroughly.
2. Slice the cucumbers into rounds; ¼ to ½ inch thick. Discard or eat the ends of the cucumbers.
3. Slice the onion into strips.
4. Place the cucumber slices and onion strips into a clean non-reactive bowl. Add the salt and 2 quarts of ice, and place the mixture in the refrigerator for 3 hours.
5. After the salting process, rinse and drain the cucumber and onions.
6. Thoroughly wash your hands & the canning equipment with hot, soapy water.
7. Sterilize the jars by boiling for 10 minutes, and then transfer them to a baking sheet set in a low oven (170 degrees) so they dry & stay hot.
8. Pour the vinegar, sugar, & spices into a large non-reactive pot. Stir the liquid with a wooden spoon until the sugar has dissolved. Add the cucumber-onion mixture.
9. Turn the flame to high. Bring just to a simmer, but do not boil.
10. Remove the pot from the burner, fill the jars with pickles & brine, wipe the edges and seal with flat lids & screw bands.
11. Place the sealed jars in the hot water-filled pot in which you sterilized your jars.
12. Bring to a boil.
13. Process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes.
14. Carefully remove the processed jars from the water bath and allow them to cool, undisturbed, for 24 hours.
15. Shortly after you remove the jars from the canner you will hear a “ping” as the jar seals. After 24 hours, check the seal by unscrewing the ring band from the jar and lifting the jar by the flat lid. If you can lift it in this manner, consider the seal tight – label & store your pickles in your pantry.

These pickles are good right away, & better in a month. Stored properly, they will last about a year.

From the recipe collection of Hillsdale Farmers’ Market Chef Kathryn Yeomans The Farmer's Feast http://thefarmersfeast.me/

Cherry Frangipane Tart

The almond frangipane mixture keeps refrigerated for 1 week, or can be frozen, then thawed and baked.

Ingredients
½ cup unsalted butter
½ cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 Tbsp. kirsch or cherry-infused brandy
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup toasted, ground almonds
½ tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. flour
1 pint sweet cherries, such as Bing, Sandra Rose, or Lapin, pitted

Steps

1. Pre-heat oven to 350° F.
2. Using a mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the egg and mix until incorporated. Beat in the kirsch & vanilla extract. Combine the nuts, salt, and flour. Add them to the mixture, blending until smooth. Chill the frangipane in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
3. Fill a 10-inch tart shell with the almond frangipane. Top with cherries, gently pressing them down so that they are embedded slightly in the frangipane. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out nearly clean.

Pectin

Tart green apples are an excellent and easily-accessible natural source of pectin, and can be boiled and strained to produce pectin syrup that will help set preserves of fruits that are low in their own natural pectin, such as peaches, cherries and strawberries. Though it is best to use fresh green apples at the beginning of their ripening (as this is when they have the highest pectin content), this time of year we can still utilize the last of the storage apples to make slightly diluted pectin syrup for our summer preserves. This year’s batch of green apples won’t be available until much of our summer fruits have passed.

The pectin made from this recipe can be frozen in one-cup increments to use throughout the summer, or stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Green Apple Pectin
(From Canning for a New Generation by Liana Krissoff)

Makes approx. 3 Cups
Ingredients
3 pounds Granny Smith Apples
6 cups water

Steps

1. Cut the apples into eighths, removing the stems, and put the apples—peels, cores, seeds, and all—in a 6- to 8-quart preserving pan. Add 6 cups water, cover, and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil, stirring occasionally, until the apples are completely broken down and the peels have separated from the pulp, 30-40 minutes.
2. Set a large, very-fine-mesh sieve (or jelly bag) over a deep bowl or pot. Pour the apples and their juice into the sieve and let drain for at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally but not pressing down too hard on the solids; discard* the solids and you should have about 5½ cups of juice.
3. Rinse the preserving pan and pour in the apple juice. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until the juice is reduced to about 3 cups (pour it into a large heatproof measuring cup to check it), about 20 minutes.

*The reserved apple solids may be pressed through a food mill using the disk with the finest holes to create a tart applesauce that can be frozen or used right away in quick breads and cakes.

Asparagus Pickles

This recipe is for a 25 pounds of asparagus. Just scale down the amounts based on how much asparagus you want to preserve.

Yield is approximately 16 pints, and is much better after a couple of months.

Brine Ingredients

10 cups white wine vinegar
10 cups water
4 Tbsp. sugar
½ cup water
2 Tbsp kosher salt

Taste brine and adjust salt if needed.

Steps

To each sterilized pint jar, add ½ tsp. chile flake, ½ tsp. dill seed, and 1 whole garlic clove (peeled). Double these amounts if you are using quart jars.

Blanch the asparagus in boiling salted water until crisp-tender, then shock in ice water.

Pack asparagus in jars with above seasonings, then add brine: To make brine, bring to a simmer:

Seal jars & process 20 minutes in a boiling water bath.

From the recipe collection of Hillsdale Farmers’ Market Chef Kathryn Yeomans The Farmer's Feast http://thefarmersfeast.me/

Strawberry Jam

This jam recipe is adapted from Perfect Preserves by Nora Carey. I like the intensity of the strawberry flavor that this recipe produces, as well as the way it sets up – whole berries in a soft jam.

Ingredients
5 pounds strawberries, hulled
5 cups sugar
¼ cup fresh lemon juice

Steps

1. In a large shallow bowl, sprinkle half the strawberries with 1 cup of the sugar. Add the remaining strawberries & sprinkle with another cup of sugar. Cover and let the berries stand at room temperature overnight.
2. The next day, transfer the berries to a colander set over a preserving pan and let the juices drain into the pan. Stir the remaining 3 cups sugar into the pan & cook the juice mixture over low heat, stirring, until the sugar is dissolved.
3. Bring the syrup to a boil & add the reserved strawberries & lemon juice. Boil the mixture 5 minutes. Remove the strawberries with a slotted spoon back to the colander set over a bowl.
4. Boil the syrup for 5 minutes, or until reduced slightly. Add any strawberry juices that have accumulated in the bowl & continue boiling to reduce the mixture by the amount added.
5. Add the berries to the syrup once again & boil for about 5 minutes, or until the jellying point is reached (220 ̊ F). Remove the pan from the heat and allow the jam to stand for 10 minutes.
6. Spoon the jam into hot, sterilized jars, seal, & process. Makes 1 ½ quarts

From the recipe collection of Hillsdale Farmers’ Market Chef Kathryn Yeomans The Farmer's Feast http://thefarmersfeast.me/

Herb Vinaigrette

Ingredients
½ cup olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon fresh herbs (oregano, basil, thyme), chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
~ salt
~ pepper

Steps

1. Whisk together vinegar, mustard and garlic. Add herbs and olive oil and whisk again. Add salt and pepper to taste.
2. Refrigerate in a jar if not using immediately. Let vinaigrette come to room temperature before using.

Mushroom Gravy

makes about 4 cups

Ideally, I use 2 pans to make this gravy. The good news is that the chanterelles can be cooked ahead, eliminating the need for both pans taking up precious stove real estate when you are trying to pull together your gravy. In fact, the gravy itself re-heats nicely if you want to make the whole thing in advance.

Ingredients
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
½ pound chanterelle mushrooms (or substitute other wild mushrooms), cleaned and sliced
2 Tbsp. chopped shallot or leek
1 tsp. fresh chopped marjoram or thyme, optional
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
⅓ cup Madeira or sherry
4 Tbsp. butter
½ pound shiitake mushrooms, sliced
⅓ cup all-purpose flour
4 cups mushroom broth, poultry broth, vegetable broth, or meat broth

Steps

1. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over a high flame. When the oil is quite hot (shimmering but not smoking), add the sliced chanterelle mushrooms and cook over high heat, stirring often, until all the liquid that the mushrooms give off cooks away. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the shallot or leek and the fresh herbs. Cook for about 5 more minutes, until the aromatics are tender and the mushrooms are thoroughly cooked and beginning to brown.Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Increase the heat once again to high, then add the Madeira or Sherry. Let the wine bubble away, then remove the pan from the heat.
2. Next, or simultaneously, add the butter to a wide saucepan and heat over a medium-high flame. Add the shiitake mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are nicely browned. Season with salt and pepper, then stir in the flour. Cook for a couple of minute, moving the ingredients around with your spoon, until the flour begins to brown lightly. Stir in the broth. Bring the gravy to a boil, add in the cooked chanterelle mushrooms, then reduce the heat and simmer until thickened to your liking, about 20 minutes.

recipe by Chef Kathryn Yeomans
The Farmer’s Feast

Find the complete blog post and other recipes here (link).

Cranberry Mostarda

makes 3 cups

This sweet-savory mustard fruit condiment is magic paired with roast turkey, ham, pork, chicken, duck, or goose. It also makes for a lovely accompaniment to a charcuterie or cheese plate. And I am at a loss for a better way to elevate leftovers to a more elegant sandwich than with to slather a spoonful of fruit mostarda over sliced turkey...except if maybe you added Ancient Heritage Dairy Adelle Cheese and some crisp market salad leaves along with!

Ingredients
1 pound fresh cranberries
2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups water
3 Tbsp. dry mustard (such as Colman’s)
1 Tbsp. black or brown mustard seeds
1 Tbsp. yellow mustard seeds
salt
the zest & juice of 1 orange

Steps

1. In a small, heavy-bottomed pot, combine the cranberries with the sugar and water and bring to a simmer. Cook for several minutes, until the cranberries begin to burst.
2. Mix the dry mustard powder with enough additional water to make a thin, pourable paste. Add the reconstituted mustard, along with the seeds, to the cranberries. Season the mixture with salt. Simmer, stirring now and then to prevent scorching, until the mixture has thickened (it should be the consistency of melted jam), about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in the orange zest and juice. Allow to cool to room temperature.
3. The mostarda will keep, in a sealed container in the refrigerator for a week.

Chef Kathryn Yeomans ~ The Farmer’s Feast
http://thefarmersfeast.me/ or visit The Farmer’s Feast on Facebook
Hillsdale Farmers’ Market’s Feed Me Fresh Cooking Class

Red Cabbage Agrodolce with Juniper Berries

6 servings

Sweet & sour (agrodolce) red cabbage is perfect either alongside a turkey dinner, or on a sandwich accompanying leftover roast. Neither too sweet nor too sour, the cabbage is instead transformed into a rich, meltingly tender, striking purple savory side dish, particularly festive with the addition of juniper berries.

Ingredients

1 medium head red cabbage (about 2 pounds)
⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp. whole juniper berries
2 Tbsp. sugar
1⁄2 cup red wine vinegar
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Steps

1. Quarter and core the cabbage. Cut the leaves into 1⁄2 inch wide ribbons.
2. Add the olive oil to a wide skillet. Heat the skillet over a medium-high flame. When the oil is hot (shimmering, but not smoking), add the onion and the juniper berries. Cook, stirring, until the onion has softened, about 3 minutes.
3. Add the cabbage to the pan, tossing the ingredients together, then stir in the sugar and vinegar. Reduce the heat to medium, cover, and cook until the cabbage is tender and the flavors have mellowed and melded(about 20 minutes). Stir the cabbage occasionally as it cooks, adding water, a couple of tablespoons at a time, if the pan becomes dry. Reduce the heat if the cabbage starts to brown. Once the cabbage has cooked to your liking, season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot, warm, room temperature, or cold.

From Chef Kathryn Yeomans
The Farmer’s Feast
http://thefarmersfeast.me

Cornbread

A “Northerner’s” cornbread, it is usually made with yellow corn meal (though a good grainy white cornmeal works just as well), and a little sugar (Southern corn bread recipes often omit sugar). I love to add crisp bacon crumbles or even better – cracklins, if I have the luxury, and softened dried corn (that I “put up” during corn season).

I found this recipe in Bernard Clayton, Jr.’s The Complete Book of Breads, and tweaked it slightly. The original recipe calls for the room temperature butter to be beaten with a fork into the milk and eggs. Frankly, I’m puzzled as to how to beat softened butter into milk and eggs, so rather than risk it my first go at the recipe, I just cut the butter into the dry ingredients, as one would for a pie crust. The result is a moist, tender, delicate cornbread with a wonderful crumb. Also, I bake the bread in a cast iron skillet instead of a baking dish. This gives the bottom a delightfully crisp, browned crust, and the bread a good rise and even bake.

Ingredients
3 Tbsp. dried corn (optional)
1 cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup sugar
1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. baking powder
¾ tsp. salt
1 cup yellow cornmeal
¼ cup cold butter (½ stick), cut into small pieces 2 eggs
1 cup milk
⅓ cup chopped crisp bacon or cracklins (optional)

Steps

1. Lightly grease a 9 or 10 inch cast iron skillet. Pre-heat the oven to 425 ̊ Fahrenheit.
2. Place the corn in a small bowl or a mug. Add enough very hot or boiling water to just cover and set aside while you mix the batter.
3. In a medium sized bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the cornmeal.
4. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients, as you would for pie dough, so that the resulting butter bits are small but visible “pearls”. Beat together the milk and eggs. Add the liquid into the batter, stirring with a wooden spoon just long enough to incorporate the ingredients. Do not over-stir. Drain the corn (reserving the hydrating liquid for rice or soup if you wish). Gently blend the corn and the cracklins into the batter.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared skillet. Let rest 10 minutes.
6. Bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Do not over-bake or the cornbread will be dry. Cut and serve immediately.

From Chef Kathryn Yeomans
The Farmer's Feast
http://thefarmersfeast.me/