This weekend I tackled a few easy projects to preserve some vegetables. I had a full fridge with two heads of cabbage (one red and one green), plus bunches of radishes and beets. I needed to use these veggies and make some space.
Colorful Freezer Slaw -- I went searching on Eat Your Books for a recipe that would use both red and green cabbage in one swoop. And yet, we've had a few weeks of cabbage already ... so I'm not exactly craving it right now. I've already made a several batches of slaw and a couple cooked cabbage recipes. Luckily, I found this recipe for freezer slaw in a new book I got on sale recently: The Big Book of Preserving the Harvest by Carol W. Costenbader. It's almost too easy to be true. I split the slaw between two gallon-size freezer bags (double bagged) and slid them in the freezer. They should keep for up to two months, and simply defrost in the fridge overnight before serving. Sounds perfect for April when I'm not getting cabbage every week. I'll have to report back later when we taste the results.
Pickled Beets with Star Anise and Cinnamon -- This recipe comes from Roots by Diane Morgan. There are similar recipes in Saving the Season by Kevin West. But this recipe by Morgan doesn't require water bath canning. It also doesn't have as long a shelf life as the recipes in West's book. But since I had a very small bunch of beets and can eat them right away on salads, I didn't feel the need for full-blown canning with shelf life. This is much quicker and equally tasty. I also happened to have all the ingredients in the panty ready to go.
Pickled Radishes -- I greatly prefer pickled radishes to fresh ones. We put them on tacos whenever we have taco night, which is frequently! I've made this recipe many times from from Ad Hoc at Home by Thomas Keller, and it always turns out great. Very simple with just a light pickling, not too strong. Like the beets, it doesn't involve serious canning, but only keeps in the fridge for a few weeks. I love them. I did one jar of white/pink watermelon radishes and two jars of the more common red radishes.
Sunday, February 16
Tuesday, January 28
Tortilla Soup on a snow day
Well, it isn't snowing in Houston. BUT, for fear of ice/snow on the roads, my office announced yesterday that they would close today. Houston drivers just can't cope with ice on the roads; it's a safety hazard.
So, last night after work I popped into The Fresh Market in anticipation of making tortilla soup on my snow day. I used my app for Eat Your Books to find a recipe and get the ingredient list for shopping. I found a recipe from a cookbook I haven't used in years -- Tortillas: El Paso Chile Company by W. Park Kerr. This cookbook was published in 1996! I've probably had it that long. It feels great to pull it off the shelf.
My Tortilla Soup: What attracted me to this recipe is its use of canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce. I happen to already have a half-used can in the fridge (from last week's Shredded Pork Soft Tacos), and LOVE the flavor from these dried chiles in the thick savory sauce. Oftentimes with a recipe like this, I cheat and buy a grocery-store-roasted chicken. But since I knew I'd be home on a cold winter day, I picked up the recommended chicken pieces to slow cook the chicken in stock. This always improves the flavors, but sometimes short-cuts are equally important. Bottom line: This was a solid tortilla soup and really hit the spot on a cold day. It was spicy, but not over the top. I'll probably seek out the same recipe next time I get the craving.
Looking toward the rest of the week, my Wednesday bushel from Farmhouse Delivery is supposed to include red cabbage, carrots, beets, spinach, mushrooms and a few other goodies. I'll steam the spinach and probably saute the mushrooms for easy side dishes. Pickled beets can practically be done in my sleep. I still have a little Sweet-and-Sour Coleslaw, made with red cabbage, left over from the weekend. So, I probably need to find something for cooked red cabbage to change things up.
With a check of Eat Your Books, I found a recipe for Baked Red Cabbage with Apples and Bacon from Vegetables Revised, by James Peterson. His cookbooks are very detailed with lots of step-by-step photography. I also have his books Cooking and Meat. Maybe I need to spend a couple days cooking from Peterson's books!
So, last night after work I popped into The Fresh Market in anticipation of making tortilla soup on my snow day. I used my app for Eat Your Books to find a recipe and get the ingredient list for shopping. I found a recipe from a cookbook I haven't used in years -- Tortillas: El Paso Chile Company by W. Park Kerr. This cookbook was published in 1996! I've probably had it that long. It feels great to pull it off the shelf.
My Tortilla Soup: What attracted me to this recipe is its use of canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce. I happen to already have a half-used can in the fridge (from last week's Shredded Pork Soft Tacos), and LOVE the flavor from these dried chiles in the thick savory sauce. Oftentimes with a recipe like this, I cheat and buy a grocery-store-roasted chicken. But since I knew I'd be home on a cold winter day, I picked up the recommended chicken pieces to slow cook the chicken in stock. This always improves the flavors, but sometimes short-cuts are equally important. Bottom line: This was a solid tortilla soup and really hit the spot on a cold day. It was spicy, but not over the top. I'll probably seek out the same recipe next time I get the craving.
Looking toward the rest of the week, my Wednesday bushel from Farmhouse Delivery is supposed to include red cabbage, carrots, beets, spinach, mushrooms and a few other goodies. I'll steam the spinach and probably saute the mushrooms for easy side dishes. Pickled beets can practically be done in my sleep. I still have a little Sweet-and-Sour Coleslaw, made with red cabbage, left over from the weekend. So, I probably need to find something for cooked red cabbage to change things up.
With a check of Eat Your Books, I found a recipe for Baked Red Cabbage with Apples and Bacon from Vegetables Revised, by James Peterson. His cookbooks are very detailed with lots of step-by-step photography. I also have his books Cooking and Meat. Maybe I need to spend a couple days cooking from Peterson's books!
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