corn salad with fritos

This is a great salad with several ingredients that come from the garden... 

Corn Salad with Fritos

2 cans corn (we used a similar amount of our garden sweetcorn from the freezer)
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup green pepper, chopped
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
10 1/2 oz bag fritos chili cheese corn chips, coarsely chopped

Combine all but the chips and chill.  Right before serving top with the chopped corn chips. 


Source: here

elderly cucumber pickles

I found this recipe when I went looking for something to do with a bunch of overly large, yellow cucumbers that magically appeared in my garden.  This summer has been generously wet so there have been a few things that have not been done on a timely basis.  Like picking the cucumbers frequently enough to avoid these kinds of situations.  Anyway, I had a bunch of over sized ripening cucumbers and I did a quick internet search to see if the cucumbers could be salvaged or if they were destined for the compost pile.  Turns out they can be used.  One recipe I found actually called for waiting until the yellow cucumbers turned bronze/orange in color before making that pickle so I set aside the most orange ones and went to work with the yellow ones.

It sounds like cucumbers that get to this stage tend to make soft not crisp pickles unless they are soaked in lime or pickled with alum.  I have pickling lime so I decided to go that route.  The directions called for peeling the cucumbers, cutting them in half and scooping out the seeds and then cutting into strips that would fit into the jars that would be used to can the pickles.  My strips ended up being about 1/2 inch in width and 3-4 inches long.  Once the cucumbers are cut to size they are soaked overnight in the refrigerator in lime water.  The next day the cucumber pieces are drained and rinsed with three water changes until the water runs clear.  The cucumbers are then soaked in new clear cold water for another four hours or overnight and then drained and pickled.

The pickle recipe that I used called for the cucumber slices to be placed cold into the hot sanitized jars, seasonings added and then the hot vinegar/sugar brine poured over the cucumbers in the jar to the proper headspace, lids applied and then water bath canned.  This was a great way to do it because it allowed for some experimentation in the different jars.  The recipe that I followed (source at end of post) used ginger, peppercorns and mustard seed as the seasoning in a 2:1 white vinegar/sugar brine but offered several other combinations that also looked interesting.  I decided to do seven jars as that is what my canner holds using the vinegar/sugar brine with two different seasoning combinations and then doing the rest of them in a different combination, maybe cider vinegar and a sweeter ratio.  I used a few cucumber pieces and extra brine to some in the fridge for tasting without having to open a jar to evaluate the end results.  

So, in one batch I tried the ginger, mustard seed and peppercorn spices.  I was a little curious about how pickles with ginger would be and am pleased to say that I like them.  The pickles have good texture.  They are pretty tart, not curl your tongue and make your eyes water tart, but I might consider trying a different vinegar:sugar ratio next time, maybe 2:1.5 even if it is only a sample to see if it is better.

For the second batch I was looking for something that might be interesting in a bloody Mary.  I used red pepper flakes, celery seed and garlic.  Again the pickles were quite tart with good texture. 

Source: here

leek and potato soup base

This is the first year that I have grown leeks and I have not cooked with them before so they are a new experience for me.  I was seeing lots of recipes for soup but most of them included dairy which is not recommended for canning.  So I was glad to find this recipe for a soup base that will get cream and some other additions when I use the base to make soup.  This one is leeks and potatoes in a stock.  The leeks and potatoes are prepped and layered in the hot jars and the hot stock is added to the raw vegetables.  They then are sealed and pressure canned for 60 minutes at 11 pounds of pressure.  I did my soup base in pints thinking that would make a nice amt of soup for one or there would be the flexibility of opening more than one jar if needed.  I used potatoes from the garden as well as the leeks and homemade chicken stock.  I am excited to make soup from this recipe.

Canned leek and potato soup base

6 medium potatoes, red or white
5 pounds leeks
chicken or beef stock

Prepare the potatoes by peeling and cutting into 1/2 inch dice and then place in cold water to prevent discoloration until time to fill the jars.  Prepare the leeks by soaking in cold water until they are clean and then slice across the leek into 1/4 inch slices and keep in cold water.  File a sterilized hot pint jar with a layer of leeks at the bottom, then a layer of the potatoes and top with another layer of leeks.  Fill to a 1" headspace with hot chicken or beef broth or stock.  Use a spatula to remove any air bubbles and then refill with additional stock or broth to return to the correct 1" headspace.  Add a lid and ring and process in a pressure canner for 60 minutes at 11 pounds pressure. 

source here

zucchini jam

One of the recipes I found this summer when looking for zucchini recipes is this one for zucchini jam.  It has few ingredients and it uses jello in place of a pectin product.  Since zucchini is not strongly flavored the Jam benefits from the jello for both color and flavor.  I have made a couple of batches and both of them have set up well.  The first time that I made this jam I had not been specific enough with my grocery list and ended up with a small box of jello in place of the larger one that was called for so I used one small box of  apricot and for the other box I substitute a lime flavor and the jam was green in color and citrusy in flavor but still pretty good.  I am thinking that you could substitute a variety of flavors or combinations of flavors and all would be interesting.  I used my oversized zucchinis, peeled and seeded and grated, and it turned out great.  This year I had more than the usual amt of surprise finds and after freezing a bunch for baking it was nice to have another use for them.

Zucchini Jam

6 cups peeled, seeded and grated zucchini
6 cups sugar
6 oz can crushed pineapple, drained
1/2 cup lemon juice,
1 6 oz or 2 3oz packages dry apricot jello


Combine zucchini and sugar in large kettle or stockpot and bring to a boil.  Boil six minutes. Add the drained pineapple and lemon juice and boil another six minutes.  Stir in the jello and when mixed well pour into sterilized jars and seal.  I processed my jars in a water bath canner for 10 minutes.

Source: here.

leek and potato quiche

I have an old 2 in 1 cookbook with recipes for quiche on one side and when you flip it over there are recipes for souffles.  It is pretty beat up. I have had it for years.  It is even missing one of the covers.  It was copyrighted in 1972.  There are no photos, just drawings and the pages for the souffles are different colored than the pages for the quiches.  It is a small book, just 5x8 inches and about 85-90 pages of quiches and a similar number of pages for souffles.  It is my go-to book for either souffles or quiches and today I made this leek and potato quiche from this book.  

I like how the book is set up.  On the quiche side it starts out with some information about quiches and the different types of rings/pans.  Next are recipes for three different crusts followed by recipes for two different custards.  The rest of the section is recipes for different quiches using combinations of ingredients.  The way the book is designed encourages experimentation and ingredient substitutions.  

  This time I used the classic quiche pastry although I have also used the rich quiche pastry and I like both.  I used custard A which is described as richer and firmer.  This quiche is built by making the crust and lining the pan.  I used a one piece stoneware pan this time and once the crust is in the pan it is brushed with a little unbeaten egg white and then pricked with a fork.  The cooked vegetables are added to the unbaked crust and then the custard is poured over and the quiche is baked.  I was very pleased at how it turned out.  I grew leeks for the first time this year so I am learning how to use them.  I really like their mild onion flavor.  Next time making this recipe I think that I will increase the vegetables and the custard.  My pan is a little bigger than recipe called for and I think a little thicker filling would make for a more substantial portion and probably it could be cut into more pieces.

Leek and Potato Quiche

Classic Quiche Pastry

1 cup + 2 Tbsp flour
pinch salt
3 Tbsp firm butter
3 Tbsp vegetable shortening
2-5 Tbsp ice cold milk

Cut the butter and shortening into the flour/salt mixture until fine and mealy.  I used my food processor but a pastry blender or fingers would work as well.  Start mixing the dough gently as you add the milk 1 Tbsp at a time until you can just gather it into a firm yet crumbly ball.  Less milk will result in a flakier pastry.  Roll the dough into a circle.  The directions suggest rolling it between 2 sheets of wax paper but I use a cloth covered pastry board which works fine.  Line the pan. Prick all over the bottom and sides with a fork and then brush the surface with a bit of unbeaten egg white.

Vegetables

2 pounds boiling potatoes, thinly sliced
1 medium onion (I used leeks in 1/4 inch slices)
6 Tbsp butter
salt and pepper

Melt the butter in a heavy skillet.  Add the leek and potato slices.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cook over medium heat until onions are soft and potatoes are browned and getting crispy.  Place the vegetables in the crust.

Custard

1 cup whipping cream
4 egg yolks
pinch each of salt, cayenne, nutmeg

Blend together and pour the custard over the vegetables in the crust  Bake in preheated 375°  oven for 40-45 minutes or until filling is cooked.