YumSugar

Make Your Own Marinated Artichokes

YumSugar — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 15:00:37 -0700

Party and I are huge fans of making our own ingredients when possible, rather than using store-bought materials. We've had artichokes on the brain these days, and when she told me that she was itching to put together a classic artichoke dip, I decided I'd make my own version of canned artichokes to give to her.

Because I wanted to make a lot of cans, I doubled the recipe - and in a matter of minutes, I had bright-flavored, zesty jars of artichokes that are great edible gifts. The multi-purpose vegetables keep for up to a week and are great on everything from pastas to salads to scrambles. To get the super quick recipe, read more.

Marinated Artichoke Hearts
Adapted from Saveur

Ingredients

1 9-oz. box frozen artichoke hearts, thawed
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt (up to 1 teaspoon or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon crushed red chile flakes
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions

Rinse artichoke hearts under cold water. Combine artichokes, oil, salt, thyme, oregano, and chile flakes in a 1-qt. saucepan set over medium-low heat. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the flavors meld, 10 minutes.
Let cool to room temperature and stir in lemon juice. Serve or refrigerate in a covered container for up to 1 week.

Serves 4.

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Quick Pickling: Spicy Pickled Vegetables

YumSugar — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 07:45:34 -0700

I am a diehard pickle fanatic, but I realize the same doesn't apply for everyone. This easy pickling recipe for spicy vegetables, however, could convert even the biggest pickle skeptic. The medley of crisp haricots verts and pearl onions goes well in conjunction with meaty carrots and a subtle jalapeño bite.
These veggies are the perfect accessory for a Bloody Mary or lunchtime sandwich. Although this recipe makes a large amount of pickles, my supply is dwindling fast! To stock up on your own, read more.

Spicy Pickled Vegetables
From Cooking Light magazine

Ingredients

6 cups water
4 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 pound baby carrots
2 cups pearl onions, peeled (about 10 ounces)
1/3 cup sliced jalapeño peppers (about 2 large)
8 ounces haricots verts, trimmed
4 cups white vinegar

Directions

Bring first 3 ingredients to a boil in a large saucepan.
Add carrots to pan; cook 2 minutes. Add onions; cook 1 minute. Add pepper slices; cook 1 minute. Add beans; cook 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in vinegar.
Let stand at room temperature 1 hour.
Pour into a large bowl; cover and refrigerate 24 hours. Store in an airtight container in refrigerator up to 2 weeks.

Makes 20 servings of 1/3 cup vegetables each.

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Easy Pickling: Farm-Stand Tomatoes

YumSugar — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 10:15:03 -0700

As a continuation of my (and America's) recent fascination with pickling, I decided to try a recipe in this month's Food and Wine magazine for quick pickled tomatoes. I love the fact that, like my double-dill cucumbers, this recipe only required a few hours before it was ready to eat. These pickled tomatoes have a smoky, slightly spicy flavor that comes from cumin, fresh ginger, and jalapeños. The high proportion of olive oil in the base imparts a mild flavor on the tomatoes (although you can play with the proportions for a more pickled taste), and the tomatoes last up to three days when refrigerated. To see the recipe with step-by-step photos, read more.

Pickled Farm-Stand Tomatoes
From Food and Wine

Ingredients

1 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Pinch of cayenne pepper
6 tomatoes (1 1/2 pounds), each cut into 6 wedges
4 scallions, white and tender green parts only, thinly sliced
2 jalapeños, thinly sliced into rings and seeded

Directions

In a medium saucepan, bring the vinegar, brown sugar, and salt to a boil, stirring. Remove from the heat.

In a medium skillet, heat the oil. Add the garlic, grated ginger, mustard seeds, black pepper, turmeric, ground cumin, and cayenne pepper and cook over low heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Carefully pour the hot oil into the vinegar mixture.
In a large heatproof bowl, combine the tomatoes, scallions, and jalapeños. Stir in the hot pickling liquid and let stand at room temperature for 4 hours or refrigerate for 8 hours, then serve.

Serves 6 to 8.

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Pickles in Under Three Hours

YumSugar — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 08:00:13 -0700

National Pickle Month may be coming to a close, but pickles are delicious in any month. With a bounty of Summer produce and the rising costs of prepared food, more and more people are taking up home canning. Because pickles happen to be one of my favorite snacks, I decided to take a stab at making them. However, I'm an impatient cook, an attribute that isn't conducive to making pickles. When I came across this recipe for quick dill pickles, I knew it was perfect. To see how these spears went from cucumbers to pickles in under three hours, read more.

Quick Pickles
Adapted from Cook's Country

Ingredients

1 pound pickling (Kirby) cucumbers, each sliced into 4 spears
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 tablespoon dried dill weed
6 garlic cloves, smashed
1 1/2 cups distilled white vinegar
1/2 cup ice

Directions

Toss cucumbers with salt in a colander set over a bowl. Let stand 1 hour. Discard liquid.
Place peppercorns, dill weed, garlic, and 1/2 cup fresh dill in paper coffee filter or several layers of cheese cloth, and tie tightly with kitchen twine. Bring spice bag and vinegar to a boil in medium saucepan.
Reduce heat to low and add cucumbers. Cover and cook until cucumbers turn a dull olive brown, about 5 minutes. Discard spice bag.
Transfer cucumbers and liquid to glass bowl, add ice, and stir until melted. Stir in remaining 1 tablespoon fresh dill.
Refrigerate, uncovered, at least 1 hour before serving. Pickles can be refrigerated in a covered container for up to 2 weeks.

Makes 1 jar of pickles.

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Get Caught in a Pickle!

YumSugar — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 06:18:33 -0700

Every time I visit my mom, she always sends me home with jars of her homemade pao tsai, aka pickled vegetables. Hers are sort of like kimchee and they're a little bit spicy and a little bit sweet. Last week, when I visited my mom, she only had one jar to hand over and demanded that I give it to my sister. Her reasoning was that my sister was busy and that I could just make my own. I couldn't really argue with her and decided to prove to her that I could. The technique is actually really simple and quick - it took about 15 minutes to make, plus a day to sit - and the results are pretty nice. See the recipe I used - just tweak it to suit your own palate - when you read more.

Pao Tsai - Pickled Vegetables
Inspired by YumSugar's mom

Ingredients

8 mini cucumbers (or 4 regular sized ones, I prefer the English kind as they're crispier)
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 dried chili peppers (more or less to taste)
1 1/4 cups white vinegar
1 cup sugar

Directions

Peel cucumbers and cut them into smaller pieces. Mine were about 1 1/2 inches long each.
In a bowl dissolve sugar into vinegar. Add garlic and seeds from chili peppers.
Put cucumbers and hot peppers into a vessel or jar. Top with liquid mixture.
Close jar and put into fridge overnight. Let sit at least 24 hours if not longer. The flavor will get stronger as it sits.
Enjoy!

This recipe is very flexible, if you don't like spice, don't add peppers, if you want more garlic, add it. You can also add radishes, carrots and other country veggies to the mix.

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Definition: Kimchi

YumSugar — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 06:18:11 -0700

Kimchi
A traditional Korean dish made of fermented, seasoned vegetables - such as cabbage and radishes - that are pickled and stored tightly in pots or jars. It is spicy-hot and is served as a condiment with almost every Korean meal.

Also written as kimchee.

Source

Spicy Pickled Vegetables

YumSugar — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 12:46:17 -0700

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Pao Tsai - Pickled Vegetables

YumSugar — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 22:38:26 -0700

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Do You Like Canning at Home?

YumSugar — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 08:30:16 -0700

Summer, with its bounty of exquisite produce, couldn't be a more fitting time to preserve fruits and vegetables for less-than-abundant months to come. Last year, I was obsessed with making quick pickles; this year, I'd love to pick up some professional canning equipment so I can save jams, jellies, preserves, and pickles for the Winter. Have you dabbled in home preserving?

Michael Symon's Pointers For Preparing Meat

YumSugar — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 10:30:54 -0700

At his seminar in Aspen, Iron Chef Michael Symon had a lot to share beyond flavor and spice. The pork-loving chef demonstrated how to make a double-bacon "BBLT" sandwich, with bacon, pork belly, lettuce, and pickled tomato, and kept the crowd entertained with his wisecracking (in addition to wanting to kill the inventor of the garlic press, Michael also wants to go after the guy who invented turkey bacon). As he paid homage to the pig with his 'wich, he also had plenty of pointers to offer when it comes to preparing meat. See them after the jump.