26 Tuesday Nov 2013
Posted in cook
Tags
These ribs are incredibly delicious with the meat soaking up the sauerkraut juice and falling off the bone. Nothing beats homemade sauerkraut for this recipe. If you can’t find any, you can try making your own.
Pork Ribs with Sauerkraut
pork ribs
4 cups sauerkraut
black pepper
Cut ribs into large pieces. Blanch in boiling water for five minutes. Place ribs in a roast dish and cover with sauerkraut. Season with black pepper and bake in a 300*F oven to two hours. Enjoy!
25 Monday Nov 2013
Posted in cook, thrift store finds
It has been years since I had homemade sauerkraut and I was really missing and craving it! I had been searching thrift stores, garage sales and antique malls for years for a large stone crock so that I could start making my own here at the cabin. I did find a few but they were too pricy at $50-$60 dollars per crock (in antique stores). Finally, just a few months ago, I found these two crocks at a thrift store in Edmonton. I paid $7.99 for the large one and $6.99 for the smaller one. Hooray! I was on my way to some homemade sauerkraut!
I did not grow cabbage this year so I had to buy the cabbage. For this batch I used green cabbage. Try to buy organic if you can as they are more flavorful. I thought three cabbages would fill the large crock but once they were pressed down they only filled the crock up to a third! Next time, I will use six cabbages per batch of sauerkraut.
Sauerkraut combines the health benefits offered by all cruciferous vegetables (a category which includes cauliflowers and brussel sprouts as well as cabbage) with the probiotic advantages derived from the fermentation process.
Cabbage offers a host of health benefits. It is high in vitamins A and C. Studies have shown the cruciferous vegetables can help lower cholesterol levels. Cabbage also provides a rich source of phytonutrient antioxidants. In addition, it has anti-inflammatory properties, and some studies indicate it may help combat some cancers. However, this already helpful vegetable becomes a superfood when it is pickled.~Natural News
Sauerkraut
green cabbage (or the cabbage of your choice)
salt (I used sea salt but some recommend pickling salt)
Quarter the cabbages. Remove the tough outer leaves and inner core, then slice the cabbage very thinly with a sharp knife or with a mandolin.
Place the sliced cabbage into your stone crock and add one tablespoon of salt per head of cabbage. Mix thoroughly. If you like, you can leave the cabbage and salt to sit overnight before crushing, or you can crush right away. Crush the cabbage well with a wooden utensil or anything heavy and clean. You should notice a lot of juice being released by the cabbage.
Place a plate over the cabbage making sure that the plate is fully submerged under the juice. Weigh the plate down with something clean and heavy. Cover the crock with a clean, dry cloth to keep insects and dust out. The juice and cabbage will rise a bit as fermentation begins so be sure and leave ‘room to grow’.
Check the sauerkraut at least once a week and remove any mold that starts to form. (The mold is completely normal so do not be put off by it.) The sauerkraut will be ready by the fourth to sixth week, depending on how strong you prefer it. I harvested mine after four weeks.
Measure the sauerkraut into four-cup measures and freeze.
Three heads of cabbage yielded six four-cup measures.
There are many different recipes for sauerkraut and I look forward to experimenting with this healthy, tasty food!
Enjoy!
20 Wednesday Nov 2013
Posted in cook
This is my first time making pumpkin puree and I was delighted at how easy it was to make and how much more flavor it added to my pie compared to canned pumpkin puree. I froze most of this batch in 1-cup measures for baking and some in a few ice cube trays for baby food as Chayton will be starting solid foods in just a few months time. I am really looking forward to trying this in my Pumpkin Cheesecake with Frangelico recipe, which I will be making over the holiday season and sharing with you at that time.
Pumpkin Puree
Small-medium pumpkins are best for flavor. Using a sharp knife, cut the pumpkin in half and remove the seeds and stringy flesh with a metal spoon. If the pumpkin is large, cut it into wedges or large manageable pieces and place flesh side down onto a baking dish. Do not season or coat with oil.
Bake in a 350*F oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the flesh is tender.
Remove from oven and allow the pumpkin to cool.
Scrape the flesh off with a spoon. Puree in a food processor in small batches until smooth. Put puree in freezer bags in 1-cup portions and lay the bags flat before freezing so that they stack nicely.
Use puree as baby food, for baking, or added to soups or sauces.
05 Tuesday Nov 2013
Posted in cook, whole grains
I made pumpkin puree with our jack-o-lanterns and couldn’t help but enjoy the first bit in a delicious pie. This recipe comes from Lorna Sass’ Whole Grains Every Day Every Way cookbook.
Pumpkin pie with a pumpkin seed crust
For the crust:
1 cup spelt flour, plus more for rolling the dough
¼ cup hulled, raw unsalted pumpkin seeds
2 tablespoons (packed) light brown sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold, unsalted butter, cut into bits
1 teaspoon apple cider or raspberry vinegar
For the filling:
2 large eggs
2 cups pumpkin puree or 1 can (15-16 ounces) of unsweetened pumpkin puree
1-1/4 cups 2% milk (I used almond milk and less because my puree was quite wet)
¾ cup-1 cup light brown sugar to taste
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground allspice
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Sweetened whipped cream, for garnish (optional)
To make the crust:
Put the flour, pumpkin seeds, brown sugar and salt into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Process until the pumpkin seeds are finely ground.
Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 3 tablespoons of cold water and the vinegar and pulse until the mixture clumps together in a mass. Remove the blade and gather the dough into a ball. Press into a flattened disc. Wrap with plastic wrap and chill until firm, about 30 minutes.
Place on a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400*F.
On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a circle about 12-inches in diameter. Sprinkle flour on top of the dough, if necessary, to facilitate rolling. Transfer the dough to a 10-inch pie plate and press it into the bottom and almost to the top of the pie plate. Prick with a fork in several places. Press a sheet of foil onto the crust and weigh it down with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 15 minutes. Pour out the weights. Set the pie plate on a cooling rack and remove the foil. Reduce the oven temperature to 375*F.
To prepare the filling: In a food processor or electric mixer, combine the eggs, pumpkin, milk, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, salt and vanilla extract. Process until smooth. Pour the mixture into the prepared crust. Trim off any exposed crust to avoid burning.
Bake until the filling diesn’t jiggle when you gently move the pie from side to side, 35 to 45 minutes.
Set the pie on a cooling rack. Serve at room temperature or chilled with whipped cream, if desired.
Variation: Use hulled, unsalted sunflower seeds or walnuts instead of pumpkin seeds.
Resource:
Sass, L. (2006). Whole Grains: Every Day, Every Way. Crown Publishing, New York:NY
01 Friday Nov 2013
Posted in appreciate the seasons, cook, seeds and nuts
A few days ago, Brian carved two large pumpkins in preparation for Chayton’s first Halloween. Of course we couldn’t resist roasting the seeds and having a crispy, salty treat afterward to enjoy as a reward for our labors.
To roast the seeds, first clean the seeds very well, removing all pulp. I put the seeds in a bowl of water and rubbed them together both with my hands and with a clean dish cloth. Then, put the seeds between two clean tea towels and pat to dry. Transfer the clean, dry seeds to a baking sheet (I lined mine with parchment paper) and sprinkle generously with fine sea salt. Roast in a 325*F oven for 10-15 minutes, or until just turning golden. Enjoy immediately! A seasonal treat- crispy, freshly roasted pumpkin seeds fresh out of the oven.
