Quick Dilly Garlic Pickles

Love these little guys.  Let them hang out for 24 hours and boom. Done.  These can be canned, but will keep in an airtight container for as long as an opened jar of store bought ones.  I rinse them, and refresh the brine before storing to prevent them from getting too salty and soggy.

Cut them into spears, halves or rounds.  Use cucumbers, asparagus, string beans….whatever.

Recipe for small batch pickles

1 large English cucumber or small pickling Kirby cukes

1 cup white vinegar (not white wine, just the plain cheap stuff)

1 ½ Tbsp salt or 2 ½ Tbsp kosher salt*

Pinch crushed red pepper

4 garlic cloves, smashed

5-6 sprigs of fresh dill, cleaned

5.5 cup Tupperware

*Note on salt:  Since this is a quick pickling process and I did not can these, I used regular table salt.  You can use pickling salt if you are going to can your pickles.  The only difference between the two is that pickling salt won’t make your brine cloudy.

1.    Cut cucumber in half and then quarter each half.  Or cut cucumber into rounds.  Set aside.

2.    Crush garlic with the flat side of a large chef’s knive and remove peel.

3.    Layer cucumbers with garlic and dill sprigs in a container that holds 5.5 cups.

4.    Heat vinegar in a glass measuring cup for 2 minutes.  Add salt and mix until dissolved.

5.    Pour brine over pickles and add pinch of red pepper flake.  Pour enough water over mixture until pickles are just covered.

6.    Pop the lid onto your container and give it a good swirl.  Place in the refrigerator overnight for best results.

7.    The next day, if the pickle tastes too salty or briny, drain liquid and refill container with enough water to cover pickles and 1 Tbsp white vinegar.  If you’re happy with them, leave them in the brine.  Either way, they’re ready to eat at this point.  Keep them stored in the fridge for as long as you would keep any pickles in an opened jar.

Enjoy!
MJM

Pin It

Seattle Snow Day Chili

This is a basic recipe that I always tweak.  I’m always changing the amounts of seasonings depending on the day.  For a more smokey flavor, use more of the smoked paprika and chipotle.  Swap out the jalapeno for a serrano or habanero if you like more heat.  I add roasted corn sometimes and maybe less beans if I serve it over rice or grains. Make it vegetarian with greens and all beans. Just make it yours. 

2 ½ lbs ground beef or turkey

1 Tbsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

1-2 tsp sweet smoked paprika

*1 seeded chipotle chili plus 1-2 tsp adobo sauce

*1 seeded jalapeno, minced

1 medium yellow onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

15 ounces diced tomatoes

15 ounces pinto beans

15 ounces black beans

2 cups stock (approx)

Salt and pepper

* Adds heat to chili; add less or more depending on spicy preference.  Chipotles in adobo sauce are found in most grocery stores either canned or jarred.

Standard sides:

Lime wedges

Avocado, diced

Cilantro- if you’re into it

Pepper jack, cheddar cheese

Sour cream

·        Use canned beans if you don’t have time for dried, but the texture and taste is better when you use dried.  For a quick soak:

o       Place beans in medium saucepan and cover with water.  Bring to a rapid boil and cook on high for 15 minutes. 

o       Turn off heat and allow beans to soak for 1 hr

o       Drain and rise beans and add to chili until tender

1.    In a braising pan or large pot over medium high heat, sauté onions, garlic, jalapeno, chili powder and cumin in olive oil until fragrant.  Mix in chipotle and adobo sauce.

2.    Add turkey or beef and break apart in pan.  Mix to combine all ingredients.

3.    Add diced tomatoes and cook until meat is mostly cooked through.

4.    Add beans and enough stock until desired consistency is reached.

5.    Simmer on low for another 25 minutes until meat is completely cooked through and flavors have melded.  Taste and adjust any of seasonings.  Add more stock if you like.

6.    Serve on its own or over steamed quinoa, rice or other grain.

7.    Squeeze a little lime over top before adding cheese, sour cream and top with diced avocado and chopped cilantro.

With a glass of Malbec, this is even better.

Enjoy!

MJM

In does, in fact, snow in Seattle

Pin It

Insanely Delicious Roasted Garlic Potato Bread

Prep time: 35 minutes

Resting time: 2 hours and 40 minutes

Baking time: 35 minutes per two loaves. Yields 4 small loaves

1 whole head garlic

3 cups lukewarm water

2 packets yeast (or 1 ½ Tbsp)

2 tsp salt

1 ½ Tbsp sugar

1 cup mashed potato                                 

6 cups bread flour (King Arthur flour is my favorite)

Cornmeal for baking

Equipment: Stand mixer or food processor, pizza peel and pizza stone

1. Place pizza stone on the middle rack of your oven.

2. Wrap the garlic in aluminum foil and roast for 30 minutes in a 400°.  When cool, cut off the top of the head and squeeze out the garlic cloves.  Set aside

3. In stand mixer bowl, (at least 5 quart) fitted with dough hook, food processor (14 cup) fitted with dough blade or large mixing bowl: mix yeast, salt, sugar, mashed potato and roasted garlic with the water.

4. Slowly, add the flour until fully incorporated.

5. Cover, loosely, with plastic wrap (not airtight) and allow dough to rest at room temperature for about 2 hours.  Dough will rise and then collapse to a flattened top.

6. Liberally sprinkle cornmeal onto the pizza peel and set aside.  Heat oven to 450° and place a jelly roll pan or any lipped baking pan on rack below your pizza stone.

7. After 2 hours, lightly flour your hands and remove the dough from bowl.  Divide into 4 relatively equal pieces (about the size of a grapefruit) and form into a ball or roll into a baguette shape.

8. Place dough onto the pizza peel and let rest another 40 minutes at room temperature. Depending on how large your peel and baking stone, you may only be able to fit two loaves at a time.  Refrigerate any unbaked dough in a covered, but not airtight container for up to 3 days.

9. After 40 minutes, sprinkle flour over your loaves and slash a cross or any design with a serrated knife over top.

10.  Slide the dough off the peel onto the stone, carefully.  Pour 1 cup of warm tap water into the pan below and close the oven door quickly to prevent the steam from escaping.  This will help form a nice crusty exterior to your bread.

11. Bake for about 30-35 minutes until exterior is deep brown and firm to the touch.  Adjust your baking time if you make your loaves larger or smaller.

12. Try to allow bread to completely cool before ripping it apart.  Best served warm with extra virgin olive oil, or basically anything you have.  This bread is fantastic.

This recipe works just as well if you halve it and it freezes really well.  Bread baking is not as hard as you might think...for a simpler recipe, look back at an earlier post for Bread Baking.

Enjoy!

MJM

Recipe adapted from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.

Pin It

Oven Roasted Tomatoes

If you’re tired of tossing limp tomatoes, try this. A recipe best used when you’re planning on being home for 6-8 hours and completely worth it.

Put these guys on bread as is or with a little fresh mozzarella for a nice appetizer. Sauté them with roasted garlic and toss with macaroni and fresh basil. Puree them to make a smooth sauce. Add them to sandwiches or salads….options are endless.

It’s as easy as the ingredients:

Plum tomatoes, as many as you have
Olive oil
Garlic, depends on how much garlic you want to use
Salt
Pepper
Crushed red pepper flake (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°

1. Line rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and place cookie cooling rack on top.

2. Lightly oil rack and set aside

3. Halve the tomatoes and with your fingers, remove the seeds.

4. Place tomatoes cut side up onto baking sheets, drizzle oil and sprinkle salt, pepper and red pepper (if using)

5. Place pan in oven and leave oven door slightly ajar.  This allows the liquid to evaporate from the oven and intensify the flavor of the tomatoes.

6. After 4 hours, lower heat to 250°and continue to roast until tomatoes appear dry and shrunken.

7. While tomatoes are cooling on the rack, thinly slice as much raw garlic as you please. 

8. When tomatoes are cool, layer them with the garlic in a reusable container and cover with olive oil.  Add more red pepper flake if you like.

9. Place in the refrigerator for a few hours, best overnight, before using to get the most garlic flavor.  Or use immediately with roasted garlic.

Enjoy!
MJM