Bread & Butter Jalapeno Peppers

It’s a long-standing tradition in my family to “put up” a few dozen jars of bread and butter pickles every August. When the Michigan pickle crop comes in we go to work washing and slicing, boiling and filling jars, and stocking up for the year ahead. But this pickle season came and went before I could get my pickling on. I was still in a cast and recovering from surgery and there were a couple of consecutive weeks of brutally high temperatures. Next thing I knew, we were into September.

While the bread and butter pickles are a joy to make and eat, by the time I was ready to start canning I couldn’t find the kind of pickles I like to use. So I took a look at what was in full harvest and saw bushels and bushels of jalapeno peppers. Not only were they abundant, inexpensive and beautiful, but I thought their heat would mate well with the sweet and tangy brine of the bread and butter pickle recipe. A little research revealed that a lot have made a sweet pickled variation of the jalapeno. I already had a good brine recipe, so why not try it? 

For a little extra color, texture and flavor, I included some red bell peppers and onions. The bread and butter pickle recipe calls for green bell peppers and onions, so I figured help with the consistency of flavors. I chose to put these in pint and half-pint jars, but now I’m sorry I didn’t make up a few quart jars! These are wonderful on hot dogs, sausages, burgers, grilled cheese sandwiches, ham sandwiches, or thrown into potato salad or a meatloaf. It brings a wonderful sweet heat to the party!

Bread & Butter Pickled Jalapeno Peppers

8 lbs jalapeno peppers – washed and sliced crosswise

4 large red bell peppers – washed and chopped

4 large white or yellow onions – chopped

1 ½ cups pickling salt

7 lb bag of ice

I recommend that you wear gloves when cutting up the jalapenos. Slice the washed jalapeno peppers into rings about a half inch wide. You have the option of “knocking out” the center of the rings, which contain the seeds and some of the membranes. This is where much of the heat comes from. If you want them to be milder, push the center out of the rings with your thumb. I did this to about half of them.  When the jalapenos are sliced, chop your red peppers and onions. Evenly divide the vegetables into three large bowls. Salt each batch with one half cup of pickling salt and then put one third of the bag of ice over each batch. Push some of the ice cubes into the vegetables and let batches sit for at least an hour.

In the meantime, wash and sterilize your jars, rings and lids. I used pints and half pints, but you can use whatever size you like. After my jars are washed and sterilized, I like to keep them in a 250 degree oven until I am ready to fill them. Now you can make your brine.

I needed to make two separate batches of the brine for the amount of vegetables I had to preserve.

5 cups vinegar (either white or apple cider – make sure it is 5% acidity)

4 cups white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 ½ tsp turmeric

1 tsp celery seed

1 ½ TBSP mustard seed

½ tsp ground cloves

Put all contents in a large pot and slowly bring up to almost a boil. Stir to make sure all the sugar is completely dissolved.

Remove vegetables from their ice bath using a slotted spoon and put in large colander. Give them a good rinse – you want to flush away any access salt or loose seeds. Add half of your vegetables (one and a half batches) to your first pot of brine. Stir vegetables gently and increase heat so brine JUST COMES TO A BOIL and then remove pot from heat. 

Fill your hot jars with vegetables and brine, leaving a half inch of head space at the top. You will need a canning funnel. After jars are filled, use something non-metal (I use the handle of a plastic spoon) to work any air bubbles out of the jars. Then wipe the top rim of each jar with a clean damp cloth to remove any brine that may have splashed on it. Place the lid on each jar and secure with a band – hand tighten. Jars are now ready to be processed in a water bath.

Lower jars into your canner and process for 10 minutes in boiling water. Jars should be covered by at least an inch or two of water. After 10 minutes, remove jars and set in a safe place where they can rest and cool. A vacuum will be created and each lid should seal as the jars cool. After the jars have cooled completely, move jars to a cool and dark place. Let them alone for two weeks before opening so that the full flavors can develop.

Tomato Soup a la Dinah Shore!

As the season of summer came to a close, I found myself in possession of an abundance of fresh tomatoes. A neighbor, who grows them every year, seemed to have tomatoes everywhere when it came to the final harvest. The plants had been steadily producing since July, and were still going strong into September. Some of the tomatoes were picture-perfect, while others showed signs of distress. Regardless of how they looked, they all tasted great!

I kept the blemished tomatoes aside for a cooking project and started looking through my cookbooks. I happened to pull a cookbook by Dinah Shore from the shelf, and discovered a wonderful recipe for tomato soup! I recalled watching Dinah Shore’s talk show as a child and seeing her cook with her Hollywood celebrity friends. She loved cooking, and authored a couple of cookbooks over the years. 

This provided a great opportunity to dig out some of our Dinah Shore albums and put those tomatoes to good use! We enjoyed both the soup and wonderfully warm sound of Dinah’s voice!

Tomato Soup a la Dinah Shore

6-8 large tomatoes

3 small potatoes – sliced thin

1 medium onion - finely diced

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

2 bay leaves

2 TBSP butter

2 TBSP flour

3 cups half & half (or whole milk)

1 tsp sugar

Salt and pepper - to taste

In a large pot of simmering water, gently lower tomatoes and leave them in the water until you see a split in the skins. If you have thick skinned tomatoes, cut a small “x” shaped slit in the bottom of the tomato before putting it in the water. It should take a couple of minutes in the hot water for the skins to get loose. In the meantime, prepare a large bowl with ice water. When the tomatoes are ready, transfer them to the ice water and let them cool for a couple of minutes. You should be able to slip the skins off the tomatoes by hand, or you may choose to scrape them off with a paring knife. Be sure to cut the stem core out of the tomatoes when peeling.

Place peeled and cored tomatoes in a large empty pot and mash (I use a potato masher for this job). The tomatoes will release a lot of liquid. Add potatoes, onions, basil, salt, pepper and bay leaves and cover pot. Bring mixture to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cook until the potatoes become soft (25-30 minutes).

Remove from heat and remove bay leaves. Transfer mixture to blender in small batches. NEVER fill a blender to the top with hot contents! Puree all of the mixture until smooth and transfer to a bowl. 

In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat and then add flour. Stir well until the flour is incorporated into butter and a roux is formed. Cook for just a minute until lightly golden in color. Slowly add in two cups of half & half, stirring with a whisk until all lumps are dissolved. Keep whisking until mixture comes up to a boil and then reduce heat. It will thicken as it begins to boil. Add tomato mixture to the thickened half & half mixture. Gently stir to combine. Add one more cup of half & half to thin the soup out a little bit. Add sugar and salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Celebrating Julia's 100th - Making Blueberry Flan

It was with great joy that we celebrated and reflected on the 100^th anniversary of Julia Child’s birth last month. She left a great contribution to home cooks, and so many learned so much from her experience. Her book (written with Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle) Mastering the Art of French Cooking helped American cooks better understand French cooking. More importantly, I think Julia Child inspired us and gave us the confidence to take on dishes that seemed complicated. It is still a joy to watch videos of her cooking programs and continue to learn from her.

As the world seemed to be recognizing her contributions on what would have been her 100^th birthday, it seemed fitting to make one of her recipes for Cavalcade of Food. I wanted something relatively straightforward but decidedly French. This blueberry flan recipe could also be made with a few hands taking part, as the cottage was filled with company that weekend! We put our friends Mark and Melanie into service for this one – and together paid homage to one of the great culinary teachers and mentors of all time – Julia Child!

 

Julia Child’s Blueberry Flan (Clafoutis aux Myrtilles)

1 TBSP unsalted butter (for the baking dish)

3 eggs (at room temperature)

1 cup flour

1 ¼ cup milk (use whole or at least 2%)

2/3 cup sugar (divided)

1 pint fresh blueberries

1 TBSP vanilla

1/8 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Generously butter the inside of a 9x9 baking dish and set aside. Using an electric blender, combine eggs, flour, milk, 1/3 cup of sugar, vanilla and salt. Blend on high speed until all is combined (you may need to scrape the sides a couple of times). If you don’t have access to a blender, you can do this in a large bowl with a wire whisk – beat vigorously until flour is completely incorporated into the batter.

Pour enough batter into the baking dish to cover bottom with a depth of about a quarter inch. Place baking dish on stove top, and over low heat, warm batter until it just begins to cook and film begins to form on the bottom. Immediately remove from stove top. Distribute berries evenly over top of batter and then sprinkle remaining 1/3 cup sugar over berries. Pour remaining batter evenly over the berries. Place in oven 45-50 minutes.

Top of flan should be lightly brown and an inserted knife should come out clean. The flan will slightly deflate as it cools, but it is best served while warm. Serve dusted with powdered sugar, or topped with fresh whipped cream or your favorite ice cream. Bon appetite!

Summer's Candy! Making Pan Fried Sweet Corn!

Here in the great state of Michigan, we gobble up sweet corn by the bushel every summer. It’s a treat that we look forward to, and if we are lucky it starts coming in by the end of July and we enjoy it through the middle of September. There are a number of farmers in the Thumb that specialize in growing this delicious corn, and I try to make weekly stops.  One of the farms is the O’Hair Farms. They grow a number of crops including sweet corn. Driving by their farm one will find a large wooden cart with the day’s harvest – it doesn’t get any fresher than this!

Getting our sweet corn fix at the O'Hair Farms

Normally, we just steam the corn, maybe add some butter and salt, and enjoy. But if you find you have a surplus of sweet corn or are just looking for ways to change up how you prepare it, here is a recipe that you can take in a number of directions. We added some cherry peppers that we found at the farm stand – these little beauties pack a lot of heat, so we just used a couple small ones that were finely diced up. If you didn’t want the heat, you could use a sweet red or green pepper, or a shallot or onion. Or you could just make it all corn!  

 

Pan Fried Corn

8 ears fresh sweet corn

3 TBSP vegetable oil

1 TBSP flour

2 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

1 TBSP hot cherry pepper, finely diced

¾ cup water

2 TBSP butter

¼ cup chopped scallions 

Shuck the corn removing all the husk and silks. With a sharp knife, cut the kernels off the cob. I use a Bundt pan for this job, which allows me to hold the cob up on end in the center hole of the pan, and then as I cut down the kernels fall into the pan (see video). You tube pan or Angel Food Cake pan would work just as well. After the kernels are removed, scrape cobs with a regular table knife to extract any additional “corn milk” from the cobs. 

Heat oil in a large skillet (I use my big cast iron skillet for this job) over medium heat.  Add corn and any corn milk you have collected. Saute until corn begins to slightly darken in color, about four or five minutes. Add flour, sugar, salt, pepper, cherry peppers (if using – or substitute with a sweet pepper) and cook until peppers begin to soften. Add water and stir until it is absorbed. You will notice something that looks like a light “glaze” on the corn. Add butter and stir until butter has completely melted. Garnish top of corn with chopped scallions. Enjoy!

Mexican-Style Pinto Beans

It took me a long, long time to understand that very often the best things are the simplest. In an age where everything is “epic” and “mega” and “huge,” there is great pleasure to be found in things that are straightforward and uncomplicated. A simple pot of beans slowly simmering on top of the stove can provide an aroma that warms the very soul.

When it comes to fixing a pot of pinto beans, I defer to Ralph’s expertise. He takes cues from the memories of his loving mother, who made beans all the time in a simple and flavorful way. One taste and it is easy to understand why this dish is a staple in Mexican cooking because it deliciously delivers good nutrition and energy. 

This is not a “quick fix” recipe – it takes a few hours, but it well worth the wait. They can also be reheated again and again, or even “refried.” This is a large recipe as Ralph prepared a big pot for his annual family picnic, so you could easily cut the ingredients in half if you wanted a smaller batch. It yields a pot of creamy, tender beans in a delicious broth – but the flavor of the beans really shines through. 

Mexican-Style Pinto Beans

3 lbs dried pinto beans

1 fresh ham hock (do not use a smoked hock...you can omit this if you want to make a vegetarian version)

Enough water to cover beans by two inches

2 medium onions, finely chopped

1 ½ TBSP salt

1 tsp ground cumin

Rinse dried beans in colander to remove any dirt and remove any small field pebbles that sometimes make their way into dried beans. Transfer beans to large pot (we used an 8 quart pot with lid) and cover with enough water to exceed the top of the beans by two inches. Place fresh ham hock in pot (make sure it is submerged in water) and cover. Bring pot to a boil then reduce heat and let simmer for 2 ½ to 3 hours.

Check beans for tenderness. If they are still a little firm, let them continue to simmer for a while longer. If they have softened, gently stir in chopped onion, salt and cumin. Cover and return to simmer for at least another hour. After, you can leave ham hock in or remove meat from hock, and add the meat back into the pot, if desired. Serve beans in bowl like soup, or over rice or on the side. Enjoy!

For Your Next Party - Pineapple Coconut Cake!

Different occasions call for different cakes. Some cakes are good, solid general-purpose standards – like a good pound or Bundt cake.  Some cakes are perfectly suited to go with coffee, milk or tea. And then you have an entire gamut of party and occasion cakes – wedding, birthday, anniversary, Easter, etc. So when we were getting ready to attend our dear friend Linda’s birthday extravaganza (she celebrates for the entire week surrounding the sacred date), it was clear that we just had to bring a dessert that screamed “par-tay!”

I knew that the women would outnumber the men at this shin-dig, so I chose to make a cake. In my many years of feeding people, I’ve observed that – given the choice – men prefer a piece of pie while women tend to opt for cake. This is a broad generality, and some people love either option (myself included). This cake needed to be special, but honestly, we didn’t have a lot of time. 

This cake worked perfectly because as its foundation it uses a box cake mix. While I’ll be the first to go on about the virtues of scratch baking, I have never turned my nose up at using a good cake mix. They are real time savers and, in my experience, can produce wonderfully moist, tender and flavorful cakes. I beefed up the cake mix by substituting the required water with pineapple juice and adding a little extra leaveners.

We also used other convenience items like a can of crushed pineapple in juice and a box of vanilla pudding. But we put some effort into toasting coconut to a perfect brown and using real whipped cream for the topping – this took the cake over the top and really made it special. 

This cake was a hit – and was the first one gone. I’m glad the birthday girl had the opportunity to at least get a bite! Bring this cake to your next party – whatever the occasion!

Pineapple Coconut Cake

1 box yellow cake mix (use your favorite brand)

Pineapple juice

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. pineapple extract (optional)

1 20oz can crushed pineapple in juice

1 cup sugar

1 TBSP corn starch

1 3.4oz box instant vanilla pudding

2 cups milk (whole or 2% works best)

I cup coconut

1 pint heavy whipping cream

1/3 cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup toasted coconut

Cake

Prepare the cake batter as directed on box – except substitute the required amount of water for pineapple juice. You can also add a teaspoon of pineapple extract if you want, but the cake will still have a nice pineapple flavor just by using the juice. Also add a teaspoon of baking soda and baking powder to the cake mix. Pour batter into a greased 9x13 baking pan. Bake as directed. 

Pineapple topping

While the cake is baking, put the can of crushed pineapple (juice and all), sugar and cornstarch (if desired – this will thicken up the juice a little) in a medium sauce pan and slowly bring to a boil. Remove from burner and allow to cool down a little.

When the cake is done, remove from oven and using a dinner fork, gently poke holes in the surface of the cake. Spread pineapple mixture over the top of the warm cake – the holes you made with the fork will allow some of the pineapple juice to drip into the cake. Let cake cool completely.

After the cake comes out of the oven, and while it is still hot, take one cup of coconut and spread on a baking sheet and put in oven. Toast coconut until light brown – about five minutes. Keep an eye on it! Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Vanilla-Coconut pudding topping

While the cake is cooling, make the vanilla pudding as directed on package. Once mixed, put in refrigerator and allow to firm up and get cold. You are going to spread this on top of the pineapple layer when the cake has cooled completely. Before spreading the pudding over the pineapple, stir in one cup of coconut to the pudding and then put on cake. 

Whipped cream frosting

Make sure the whipping cream is cold. Pour into large mixing bowl and add sugar and vanilla. Beat with electric mixer on high speed until firm. Spread whipped cream over pudding layer. Top whipped cream with toasted coconut. 

Because of the pudding and whipped cream, this cake should be kept refrigerated until it is ready to serve. Enjoy!

Celebrating Summer Veggies - Stuffed Zucchini

Bushels of summer vegetables are stocking the local farmers’ markets and produce stands, and it makes me glad to live in a state like Michigan where we grow an abundant variety of fruits and vegetables. This has been a tough summer – very hot temperatures and little rain – but even under these conditions one kind find all kinds of wonderful seasonal bounty. 

Zucchini is a vegetable that does very well here, and many grow this mild squash in their yards and you almost always see it at the markets. Zucchini can grow quite large, but I prefer the medium sized as the seeds are smaller and they require less work. For this recipe, you can use three medium sized zucchini or even yellow summer squash if you prefer. 

This is a great dish that can serve as a main course if you want to take a break from meat but still feel like you are eating something substantial. It also makes a wonderful side dish to accompany burgers, chicken or pork. It’s a great mix of some of summer’s best fresh vegetables – enjoy!

Stuffed Zucchini

3 medium zucchini – ends trimmed, cut in half lengthwise with the inner seed core scooped out

4 TBSP butter

1 large onion, chopped

2 small hot cherry peppers, finely chopped (or you can use a half of a sweet red bell pepper)

8 oz. fresh mushrooms – coarsely chopped

2 large fresh tomatoes, diced

8-10 Ritz crackers (or ½ cup coarse fresh breadcrumbs)

1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Trim ends of zucchini, cut in half lengthwise and using a tablespoon, scoop out center section of squash removing the seeds. This will create zucchini “boats” and provide room to put in the stuffing. Transfer squash to a 9x13 baking dish that has been lightly sprayed with non-stick spray and put aside.

In a large skillet, melt butter under medium high heat and add chopped onion and pepper. Sauté in butter until onions become tender and translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add chopped mushrooms to skillet and season with salt and pepper. Cook until mushrooms are tender, fragrant and reduced in size. Add diced tomatoes to skillet and cook until most of their natural liquid has rendered, about four minutes or so. Turn off heat to skillet and stir in the cracker crumbs. 

Using a large spoon, transfer stuffing to zucchini, dividing it evenly between the six halves. Once the zucchini are filled, top with Parmesan cheese and put into oven for 45 minutes. Zucchini should be fork tender but still hold their shape. Remove from baking dish using a long spatula and enjoy!