Mango chutney

Mango chutney is fruity, but not spicy.

Well, there’s no encouraging news to report on the weather issue. We had a few more inches of snow and sleet last week and although most of it has melted, it certainly doesn’t feel like spring. It’s getting depressing. I should be outside tilling the soil, sowing seeds and staking out an area for the chicken coop!

I can see some of the garden soil now. The greenhouse beds are sprouting grass and weeds. But, I just can’t muster the enthusiasm to trudge through the clay muck other than to fetch fuel and visit with the birds. Thank goodness for the birds. Their cheerful songs lift my spirits.

There is a row of carrots still in the garden that I covered with a thick layer of leaves last fall. I’m curious how the carrots have fared over the winter, one of my many experiments.

The wood stove is still a necessity as the nights are chilly and damp. I spend an hour a day outside with the birds soaking in some vitamin D, watching dozens of robins hunting for worms that have managed to wiggle their way up from the frozen depths. We sure have many robins around here, more than I’ve ever seen in my years living in the city.

Robins are interesting to watch. Their distinctive songs give me hope that better, warmer days are ahead. The Northern Harrier Hawk glides over the front yard meadow hunting voles daily and five deer graze on clover near the arbor at dusk. They have found a comfortable spot in the meadow to sleep during the night.

Besides hauling wood indoors and planting more artichoke seeds (the eight plants that I started a few weeks ago are growing in leaps and bounds), I made stock from a leftover turkey carcass after last week’s Good Friday family dinner here that will be used for homemade pot pies and maybe turkey BLTs for supper tonight.

Yesterday out of the blue, I had a hankering for mango chutney. The prep work and cooking take about an hour and the canning process about 20 minutes. By mid-afternoon I had marinated a couple of chicken breasts to bake for supper and set some processed jars to rest overnight.

I make a double batch of chutney because I like having it on hand in the pantry. When mangoes go on sale, I’ll buy about a dozen and peel, core and chop some of them into chunks, then put them on cookie sheets (making sure the chunks don’t touch each other or they turn into a big frozen blob) and freeze until solid. Once frozen, the chunks are sealed in freezer bags and labeled. When I get the urge to make this chutney and the mangoes are ridiculously expensive, I just take some chunks out of the freezer, thaw in the microwave and I’m good to go.

Fruit and veggies gently boil for about 30 minutes until soft.

The most time consuming part of the process is peeling and chopping the apples, mango, ginger root, pepper and onions. I use a sweet pepper, either red or orange, to add some color to the mixture. The fruit and vegetables, ginger root, raisins, vinegar and sugar gently boil for up to 35 minutes until the fruit is tender. The mixture will gradually thicken.

Once the mixture is thick, I add the spices, lemon juice and a pinch of salt and let boil gently for another five minutes, then remove from the heat.

Fill hot jars leaving 1/2 inch head space.

 

Fill each hot jar, leaving ½ inch (1 cm) of head space from the rim; this head space is important so that the contents won’t boil over and ruin the lid seal.

With this recipe, I typically fill seven half-pint (250mL) jars. Because of my altitude, the jars are processed in steady boiling water for 15 minutes in the canner, then sit in the canner with the lid on for another five minutes (with the burner turned off) to stabilize the pressure inside the jars.

Processed jars sit overnight to cool.

Using a jar lifter, each jar rests on a wooden cutting board or a couple of thick towels upright and undisturbed for at least 24 hours. 

I like having chutney as a side relish or a marinade. I normally add ¾ cup of water to the chutney (to thin the sauce a bit so it doesn’t burn while baking) and stir well, then pour the mixture over chicken or pork chops and marinate in the refrigerator for at least a couple of hours.

Bake in a covered oven proof dish/casserole dish at 375F for 40 minutes and check a couple of times to ensure the marinade isn’t burning or evaporating too much. It should be thick and juicy, but not runny.

Marinated chicken with mango chutney, jasmine rice and fresh veggies.

Yesterday’s mango chutney chicken was accompanied by jasmine rice and chunky tomatoes, sweet onion and cucumbers in olive oil with a pinch of dried basil, freshly ground pepper and a pinch of sea salt. This recipe is a keeper!

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Mango Chutney (makes about 10 cups or 7 half-pint jars)

Ingredients
4 apples (cored, peeled and chopped) – I use Granny Smith
4 mangoes (peeled and chopped)
1 medium sized red or orange sweet pepper
1 cup finely chopped sweet onion
1 cup raisins (or currants)
¼ cup finely chopped fresh ginger root

1.5 cups sugar (white or raw)
1 cup white vinegar
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp curry powder
1 tsp each of freshly ground nutmeg, cinnamon and salt

Let's make it
In large saucepan/Dutch oven, combine fruit, vegetables, sugar, vinegar and ginger root.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer gently for 30-40 minutes while stirring occasionally so it doesn’t stick to the inside of the pot. Fruits and veggies should be soft and the mixture thick.

Add the curry powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice and salt and boil for another five minutes, then remove from heat.

Process in hot jars for preserving, use as a marinade immediately or let cool then refrigerate for up to three weeks.

Bon appetit!

The mud zone & the birds

Ewww...clay sticks to everything

It looks like spring might actually get here sometime this month, but I’m still not holding my breath as temperatures are still below freezing at night. A lot of snow has melted throughout the yard and that’s a good thing. However, spring thaw can also be a tense time of year.

We waited in anticipation to hear the first hum of the sump pump kicking in and roughly kept track of how often the pump came on, drawing water out of the pit into the long pipe that carries ground water more than 30 feet across the front yard.

We tested the backup pump, too, that’s connected to an enclosed marine battery in the event of a power failure. Anything can happen and especially at this time of year, a sump pump failure would cause major basement flooding. The backup system gives us piece of mind.

For several days last week, the sump pump kicked on every five minutes, but today it’s about every 40-45 minutes, so most of the thawed snow around the house has seeped down through the clay and weeping tile. So far, there are no visible leaks in the basement. This year’s tasks will include building up and grading soil around the outside foundation and spreading grass seed to help direct water away from the foundation.

It’s a mucky, sticky mess around parts of yards because we had about 10 dump truck loads of soil-clay delivered last fall to spread and grade along the foundation, but it was too late in the year to spread grass seed. The greasy red clay clings to everything. Boots get very heavy and cumbersome while plodding through the ankle deep muck. It’s not a pretty sight. Once the grass grows in those areas, we won’t have this problem.

I nearly face planted in the deep quicksand-like muck on my way to the bird feeders and to toss some cabbage leaves into the nearby forest area where I’d seen a rabbit last week.

This poor plump Robin was all by himself.

From a window, I had been watching the squirrels, one brave Robin, some chickadees, a pair of Blue Jays and a few Black Eyed Juncos pecking at the ground searching for black oil sunflower seeds. Deer have been by licking up most of the seeds from the short grass.

Luckily, I had a shovel in my hand and used it to balance myself while one of my boots got stuck in the muck. It’s impossible to be graceful in that stuff.

The bird feeder area was busy today.

I didn’t have high hopes that spring is really here after seeing the forecast for this week, but after Robin showed up I thought that maybe, just maybe it’s a sign that winter is finally on its way out. Otherwise, that poor bugger should have stayed south where it was warm since the worms are still frozen in the clay around the yard. Summer is still two months away.

Artichoke sprout.

On a positive note, seven of the artichoke seeds that I sowed last week have sprouted, including the one I’ve kept upstairs. I have created life!

Peach Cobbler - Low Sugar

Low sugar peach cobbler with ice cream and tea.

When peaches were on sale last fall, I bought a few dozen and preserved them in three ways: frozen, dehydrated and canned. After feeding the birds and enjoying some much-needed sun rays outdoors on Saturday afternoon, I felt like making a simple low sugar dessert. I normally make apple cobbler since we always have apples on hand, but that day I wanted something a bit different. One of things I love about cobbler is that they are so easy to make and I normally have all of the ingredients on hand.

I used frozen sliced and peeled peaches.

I took out four cups of frozen sliced peaches from the freezer and decided to make one of my favorite desserts, cobbler. Even after more than six months in the freezer, the pitted, peeled and blanched peach slices were still firm and juicy. After thawing them over low heat in a medium sized saucepan, I added ½ cup of apple juice (not from concentrate), then 1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice and let simmer gently for about 10 minutes, or until the peaches were complete thawed.

Pre-heated the oven to 375F.

Add 3 Tbsp tapioca to thicken the sauce.

Removed the saucepan from the stove top and poured into a glass bowl. Added 2 tsp of freshly grated cinnamon and 3 Tbsp quick cooking tapioca to the mixture and then mixed everything together.

Poured the mixture into a greased, deep casserole/dessert dish and set onto a baking sheet to catch any liquid once the cobbler starts to bubble.

Freshly grated nutmeg added to topping mixture.

Next, the topping: ½ cup all-purpose flour, ½ cup oats, 1 Tbsp brown sugar, a pinch each of all spice and freshly grated nutmeg and 1/3 cup of butter or margarine cut into the dry mixture using two butter knives.

Sprinkled the topping evenly onto the peach mixture and set the dish and baking sheet in the oven.

Golden brown on top and bubbling.

The cobbler baked in the 375F oven for about 30 minutes until the top was golden brown and the filling bubbled (a bit bubbled over on the sides onto the baking sheet), then rested on a counter top heat proof pad for about 15 minutes. Some of the brown sugar chunks got a bit too dark, but not burned.

It’s important to let it cool a bit because it’s steaming hot inside. I know it’s tempting to steal a taste when it comes right out of the oven, but take my advice and wait – you won’t enjoy it with a burned tongue!

Served with a dollop of sugar free vanilla ice cream and cup of Earl Grey tea with a splash of milk. Wow! By using very little sugar, I could really taste the peaches.

I’m going to use plums the next time I get the urge to make a cobbler.

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Peach Cobbler (low sugar)

The filling
4 cups peeled, sliced peaches (pits removed, of course) – frozen or fresh.
½ cup apple juice (not from concentrate)
1 Tbsp lemon juice (fresh squeezed)
2 tsp cinnamon
3 Tbsp quick cooking tapioca (to thicken sauce)

Pre-heat oven to 375F.

In a medium sized sauce pan, add the peach slices, apple juice and lemon juice.

Over medium heat, bring the mixture to a gentle boil for about 10 minutes.

Remove from heat. Gently stir in tapioca and then cinnamon.

Pour mixture into greased deep dish casserole or pie plate and place dish onto a baking sheet to catch drips while in the oven.

The topping
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup oatmeal
A pinch each of all spice and freshly ground nutmeg
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1/3 cup butter or margarine (cut the butter/margarine into the dry ingredients using two knives).

Sprinkle topping evenly over top of mixture.

Place dish with baking sheet under it in the oven for 30-40 minutes or until top is brown, filling is bubbly and peaches are soft when pierced with a fork/knife/toothpick.

Serve with a dollop of vanilla ice cream, yogurt, whipped cream or a splash of cream or milk. Or, serve as is with a cup of tea. Bon appétit!

Artichokes – sowing seeds indoors

Trying to grow artichokes this year.

While flipping through the Vesey’s Seeds catalogue last month, I found myself interested in the section on artichokes. I’ve never been an artichoke fan, but I bought a couple of them from the supermarket in December to make a dip with Parmesan cheese and been hooked ever since.

They’re not normally one of the cheapest veggies in the store around here, though. Yet, they’re very popular in many parts of the world.

Here’s a neat fact: in April 2013, the artichoke was officially dubbed California’s official vegetable. It’s a pretty neat veggie. From the thistle family, artichokes are low fat and contain anti-oxidants that help lower cholesterol and digestion. They look weird and somewhat intimidating; however, I found a lot of great information and recipes on the California Artichoke Advisory Board web site. I always thought that artichokes are one of those “high maintenance” veggies that are time consuming to prepare, but the more I learn about them, the more I like them.

I bought a packet of seeds from Vesey’s and since we just got another foot of snow meaning that spring is delayed again, I thought it’d be a good time to sow the seeds indoors. According to the seed packet, artichokes must be started indoors 8-10 weeks before the last frost. Well, it's still frosty out there, so it’s a good thing that I’m sowing them today.

Biodegradable pots, soilless mixture, plant tray, seeds and water.

I usually have some soilless, pre-mixed potting mix in a plastic tote in the basement ready for days like this. Found my watering can, a plastic tray and some biodegradable fiber pots that will be planted directly into the ground when the plants are big enough to live in the garden. The pots will get very moist and break apart underground as the plant’s roots grow. Artichokes don’t like their roots disturbed, so these types of pots are the best.

 

Gave each pot of mixture a good soak of water and then let it sit for a few minutes while the liquid drained out the hole at the bottom of the pot. Placed one seed (that out of focus dot) in the pot center, filled the pot with more potting mixture (about an inch) and watered it again.
 

That out of focus dot in the center is the seed.

 

I planted 12 seeds and still have another six in the package, just in case some of these fail to germinate.

Planted and ready to be covered.

They fit snugly in a planting tray that I covered with plastic food wrap, as the clear plastic dome that I’d normally use with the tray isn’t tall enough to completely cover the pots. The idea is to keep the mixture moist and warm until the seeds germinate (sprout). Sometimes, I’ll use a clear plastic bag and secure it with a rubber band or twist tie.

Covered with plastic wrap to keep them toasty warm.

The tray is in a basement room near the wood stove and not in direct sunlight. The room is normally between 18-22C, so that’s an ideal temperature for the seeds to germinate.

I’m conducting an experiment by keeping one pot upstairs wrapped in a plastic bag. I’m curious to see which pot will have the first plant poke its way toward the light. I have no idea how long they will take to germinate or if they will grow, but that’s part of the learning process.

Clear plastic bag locks in moisture and warmth.

Each year, I plan to try to grow something I’ve never tried and see what happens. For now, I guess I’ve officially started my gardening season, even though the snow is up to my waist on some areas of our yard.

Nevertheless, today’s snowfall isn’t getting me down; I’m in planting mode, baby!

Seasoning cast iron pans

These cast iron pans need serious seasoning.

I’ve been using cast iron pans for more than a dozen years, especially while on camping trips, and have to admit that I had no idea that seasoning the pans regularly was important. I had one of those “Aha” moments while watching a TV cooking show about six years ago

“Season the pan” – I had never heard of that. When I hear the word “season” in relation to cooking, I normally think of spices and salt and pepper.

The show host explained the dos and don’ts of cast iron cookware as I sat there gasping at all of the faux pas I had been making. Face palm.

Don’t use dish soap to wash cast iron cookware because it will deteriorate the seasoning; only wash the cookware using hot water– uh, oh.

Never use abrasive scrubbing pads on cast iron unless you need to remove built-up sticky residue or rust before seasoning the cookware – yikes!

Food doesn’t stick to a properly seasoned cast iron pan; never use cooking spray – oh, boy.

I looked at my tired old pans and lid; they seemed to be in pretty good shape (no rust or gouges) despite my neglect, but they did need some serious help.

I pre-heated the oven to 350F, then washed the pans and lid in very hot water and with a non-abrasive brush (stiff nylon), and dried them thoroughly with absorbent cloth towels.

Apply thin coating of oil (or lard).

I then applied a very thin coat of vegetable oil (you can also use lard or bacon grease, whatever floats your boat) on a paper towel inside and outside the cookware, including the handles, so that all parts would have a consistent shiny look.

Place pans upside down with cookie sheet below to catch drips.

Once the oven was at 350F, I placed the cast iron pans upside down and the lid right side up on the middle rack of the oven then placed a cookie sheet on the rack below to catch any oil drippings and set the timer to 60 minutes. Some people cover the bottom rack with aluminum foil, but my old cookie sheet works just fine.

After an hour in the oven, I removed each piece using oven mitts and gently wiped off some oil globs (don’t scrub as fiber from the paper towel will stick to the cookware), then returned the cookware to the oven to cool thoroughly.

Some oil globs after baking in the oven for an hour.

Removing some oil globs with a paper towel after baking.

Another hour passed and then I removed each piece and set it on a clean, cloth towel as they were still a bit warm.

Ta da!

They looked great!

Now, after I use, I thoroughly wash the cast iron pieces with hot water and thoroughly dry each piece, then lightly season the entire pan and lid from top to bottom with a thin coating of vegetable oil (it will look shiny, but the oil shouldn’t drip off the cookware). After seasoning, I place the cookware in a cupboard with clean paper towels between the pieces so dust doesn’t stick to the oiled surfaces. Keeping the cast iron cookware seasoned between uses protects the iron from moisture which often results in rust.

All seasoned and ready for cooking.

 
Properly seasoning and storing cast iron cookware can extend the life of the cookware for 100 years or more.

Forget those chemical non-stick pans – cast iron rocks!

Easy pot pie (chicken, turkey, beef, pork or just veggies)

Try this easy recipe to make your own delicious pot pies.

This recipe makes approx. 12 individual pot pies (4 3/8” diameter x 1 3/16” or 11.1 cm diameter x 3 cm). All of the veggies (except mushroom and garlic) were grown in my garden! Easy to make and very delicious.

Ingredients
2 cups cooked and chopped meat (optional)
1 egg white lightly beaten (to seal the crust edges)

1 cup frozen or fresh peas (canned peas sometimes become mushy)
1 cup frozen or fresh chopped carrots
1 cup frozen or fresh corn kernels
1 cup frozen or fresh zucchini chopped or shredded
1 cup finely chopped white or yellow onion 
1 cup chopped celery

1 cup fresh mushrooms finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup cooked potato cut into small cubes

6 cups of stock (chicken, beef or vegetable) store bought or homemade

1 Tbsp olive or canola oil

½ tsp salt
½ tsp dried thyme
¼ tsp pepper
¼ tsp dried savory
2 crushed cloves of garlic

The roux (to thicken the sauce):

½ cup butter melted
½ cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup finely chopped shallots (optional)
 

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Make the filling

In a large pot, bring vegetables, meat, spices and stock to a simmer.

In a very large pot (or Dutch oven) on medium heat, sauté, carrots, onions and celery in 1 Tbsp oil until the veggies are soft. Add the stock to the pot and then add the remaining veggies and spices, except for potatoes so they don’t break up and turn to mush, and the cooked, cubed meat (optional).

Stir often and simmer on medium heat for 20 minutes or until the mixture comes to a gentle boil.

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Make the roux and thicken the sauce

Melt butter and add shallots.

In a small saucepan on medium heat, make a roux by combining the melted butter with flour and finely chopped shallots, and gradually whisk ingredients together quickly until the roux is thick. Make sure it doesn’t burn.

Gradually add flour and whisk briskly to avoid large clumps.

Remove roux from heat and set aside.

Roux should be thick and shallots translucent.

  

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Thicken the mixture 

Gradually add roux to filling and whisk briskly.

Ensure that the ingredients in the large pot are at a gentle boil (increase heat, if necessary), then gradually add the roux, stirring constantly with a large spoon to avoid clumps and prevent the mixture from burning on the inside of the pot.

Add meat and cooked cubed potatoes.

Filling will be creamy and thick.

Once the filling is thick so that it sticks to a spoon, remove from heat and allow it to cool thoroughly; this might take a couple of hours. You could immerse the pot in a very large bowl with ice and water to help speed up the cooling process, but ensure that no water gets into the pot; we want the filling to be thick. The filling must be completely cool before pouring into pie shells. Warm or hot mixture will melt the dough.

While it’s cooling, make the pie shells.

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Never fail pie crust (makes four 9 inch pie shells)

Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour (sometimes I use 1.5 cups all-purpose and 1.5 cups wheat flour)
½ tsp salt
1 ¼ cups vegetable shortening
1 egg lightly beaten
1/3 cup very cold water (add ice, if necessary)
1 Tbsp white vinegar

Mix together flour and salt in a large bowl.

Ingredients to make simple pie dough.

Cut in shortening with two knives using a criss-crossing motion or with a pastry blender until shortening is well-incorporated into the flour-salt mixture and the mixture resembles coarse oatmeal.

Flour cut in with lard.

Close up of the flour-lard cut in together. There should be some small chunks of lard.

In a small bowl, combine beaten egg, cold water (I use ice to ensure it’s very cold) and vinegar.

Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl containing the dry ingredients. Mix well with a large wooden spoon until the dry and wet ingredients are well incorporated and the mixture sticks together so that you can make dough balls.

With your clean hands, quickly make four equal sized balls and wrap individually in plastic food wrap and place in refrigerator; we don’t want the dough to dry out.

Make four dough balls, wrap with plastic food wrap and refrigerate.

 
It’s important to keep the dough chilled to achieve a light and flaky crust. If your kitchen is warm, the lard may melt, so work quickly, form the balls and get the dough into the refrigerator.

Refrigerate for at least one hour. Remove from fridge and let stand for 15 minutes. You want to be able to roll the dough easily, but you don’t want the lard chunks to melt, either.

Dough ball chilled after an hour in fridge, then 15 mins. resting on floured surface.

Roll dough on a lightly floured board with a lightly floured rolling pin to desired thickness (mine is normally 1/8” thick).

Making circles for pie tops and bottoms.

Using a bowl that has a larger diameter than the pie plate you plan to use, invert the bowl onto the rolled dough and press firmly to make at least two circles – one for the pie bottom and one for the top.

Gently lift dough circles and form into pie plates.

Using a spatula, gently lift one circle and work it into the bottom of the pie plate, ensuring that some of the dough hangs over the edge of the plate so you will be able to pinch the top and bottom crusts together to seal in the filling.

Scoop one heaping cup of filling into dough base.

Pour 1 heaping cup of filling into the bottom doughed pie plate.

Lightly brush beaten egg white along top of edges.

In a small bowl, beat the egg white gently and lightly brush the edges of the dough crust all the way around. This will help the bottom and top crusts bind together, forming a good seal.

Place the second dough circle on top and pinch the sides together all the way around. 

Place top on pie and pinch edges with your fingers.

Cut away excess dough along the edges and wrap excess dough in plastic food wrap to keep moist.

Cut off excess dough along edges with sharp knife.

Use a fork to seal the edges all the way around and cut a few small slits on the top of the crust to vent steam while baking, otherwise the seal may break and you’ll have a mess to clean up in the oven. 

Press down on edges with a fork to seal the pie.

Cut a few slits on top to vent steam while cooking.

 

Form more dough balls from the excess dough until you don’t have enough to make a pair of pie circles. 

Repeat the dough-mixture-seal-vent process until you run out of filling. You can refrigerate leftover dough for up to a week in tightly sealed plastic food wrap. You can also freeze leftover dough for up to a month, but I wrap mine in tightly sealed plastic food wrap and a layer of aluminum foil, too.

Mark the outside of the wrapping with the date and contents description. In the past, I’ve found balls of dough hidden in my freezer and couldn’t remember if I made them two weeks or two months ago, so they usually ended up in the garbage.

Toilet paper rolls on baking trays form tiers to freeze at least a dozen pies at a time.

Put the pies in the freezer for 24 hours or until completely frozen solid, then put into freezer bags or containers, label and return to freezer to enjoy later.

Pot pies in freezer for at least 24 hours or until completely solid.

As long as they’re in sealed packaging or containers, they keep very well for up to six months, but they’re so delicious that they never last that long around here! Don’t thaw the pies before cooking them.

Label the freezer bag/container.

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Cooking instructions for pot pies - frozen:

Lightly brush beaten egg on top to aid in browning.

Brush tops of frozen pot pies with a lightly beaten egg (optional).

Place pies on baking sheet and bake at 375F for 40-45 minutes until bubbling and golden brown.

Remove from oven and let the pie sit for about 10 minutes. Filling will be very hot.

Fresh pot pies don’t need to cook as long as frozen once so, cook for about 25-30 @ 375F minutes until bubbling and golden brown.

Steaming hot with a mouth-watering aroma.

Bon appétit!