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Tigress’ Can Jam | Habanero Berry Bliss (Oct)

my tongue is burning… in a good way

I’m in LA.  We still have locally grown strawberries.  Alas, we won’t have them for long.

Every trip to the farmers’ market since Kaela announced what we were canning with this month, I kept trying to stay away from the berries.  I have bell peppers that won’t get jellied and lots of hot peppers that will probably have to go it alone in a jar of vinegar.  For some reason though, the strawberries kept begging for the fire.

Oh, and since I’ve got a tendency to nibble while shooting my market haul, this is one of those tinybatches.

Habanero Berry Bliss

(nod to Bryant Terry’s Strawberry & Slightly Hot Pepper Jam and Eugenia Boone’s Strawberry Balsamic Jam)

2 cups hulled and halved strawberries
2 cups of sugar
½ Habanero pepper, minced (I kept the one seed)
1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons lemon juice

makes 1 pint/.5L

clean and sterilize your jar, lid and band.

add minced pepper, lemon juice and vinegar to non-reactive pot.  heat on low for a minute or two.  add strawberries and sugar.  turn heat up to medium-high.  stir until all sugar has dissolved.  turn heat down to a low-medium flame and leave it be.  only stir to make sure all the sugar is incorporated and has dissolved.  let it cook  for about 30 minutes.   don’t touch it.  just watch it.  oh, and skim off all that foam.  when the cooking time has finished, take your pot off the flame.  pack your jar, remove any air bubbles and wipe the rim of the jar with a damp cloth.  process for 10 minutes in your hot water bath canner.  remove your jar from the canner and place it on a dishtowel to cool off and rest.  I usually leave it overnight cause, well, I cook at night.

The NikkiBits: Um, proud of myself.  While Bryant and Eugenia gave me ideas, it really was the 2006 ed of the Joy of Cooking that made me feel comfy making it happen on my own.  It’s chock full of info for those of use who’ve strapped on the canning recipe training wheels.  I love being able to quickly find out what is full or bereft of pectin or acid.  It’s also great to be able to work out how much sugar or added lemon juice I need for my tinybatches instead of doing the math.  Seriously, quartering a recipe isn’t cute.

Now about that heat.  This is perfect for me.  It’s not outrageous, but I FEEL it.  I tend to squirt sriracha on my hand and lick it off, just cause.  So, maybe, if you’re going to do a tinybatch and you’re not sure about how much heat you can handle, you might want to use a quarter of the pepper.

What’sNext: More.  More.  More!  I just had some of the left over syrup on pancakes.  My tongue isn’t on fire, but it’s def HEATED in that sexy way.  I feel like this could be a good drink syrup as well.  I used to get strawberry balsamic martinis at Sheebeen in NYC.  The best part was that the balsamic was the kicker.  I don’t really get that from strawberry balsamic jam.  It’s just mellow.  This, though, the habanero is the tingly kicker.  Makes me feel alive.

And, now, I want ice cream.  I want to spoon my Habanero Berry Bliss over ice cream.

Kaela & Tigress, THANK YOU!

Nikki♥

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HFTM | Pershing SQ – Too Much?

just a few things that made it home from the market…

I was super organized this morning.  I had my list full of things crossed off before I stepped one foot out of the door.  I did forget one thing, though.

I was about to head off to the farmers’ market when I noticed that I was feeling a bit warm.  I was feeling a bit moist, too.  Then it hit me.  I missed a step between  “it rubs the lotion on its skin” and “brusha, brusha, brusha.” Thankfully, the realization wasn’t accompanied by that all too natural scent, eau d’humanity.

Why am I telling the world that I forgot my anti-perspirant this morning?  Because it cut down on my mosey.  I couldn’t take in what every stand had on offer.  I, even, had on the pretty dress and was carrying the market basket.*

I knew I wouldn’t want to venture back out into the heat if I went back to the office to freshen up after a not so quick** trip to Fright Aid.  So, on a sunny LA afternoon, I put the Tom’s in the bottom of the basket, held my head high and arms tight, and I quickly hit Pershing SQ.

From the looks of things, too quick.  Really, there was only one guy I missed.  But, his spot was packed with people and I was not in the mood for any discenting opinions.

So, I got what I got and I’m sitting here, eating those strawberries, wondering if I’ll have enough left to make Bryant’s Strawberry Hot Pepper Jam.

Nikki♥

*Yes, I take the market basket to work.  It’s the only way the tomatoes survive the commute.

**Standing in that line that didn’t seem long, yet took forever, I really wanted to twist the cap and put Tom to work.  Alas, I just kept sweating.

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Bye, Bye Birdie | VSK:Simple Stock

i knew it was coming.  you should have, too.

I’m back off the bird. (♥: Ummm, okay.)

I bought a whole chicken the other day and my stomach just started to turn as soon as I got it home.  I think it might have been looking at those little legs all trussed up.  I ate it, but with a heavy heart and closed eyes.  The next morning, I threw what was left of the new bird and the frozen bones of the last one in the trash.

I love the taste of a homemade chicken stock.  My word, it is amazing.  The drippings from a freshly roasted… Mmmm.  I might even miss it at some point, but the process is really not something I’m feeling right now.  Flesh and bone.  Bleech. 

Time to create a chicken-free stock arsenal.

I picked up Bryant Terry‘s Vegan Soul Kitchen a while ago.  I can’t believe that this is the first time I’m actually cooking from it.  Especially, since my brother and I had a bit of a row over the premise.  He thought that by making it vegan, you take the soul out of it.  Love him, hardcore, but he is WRONG.  That kind of thinking keeps our arteries clogged and “Tha Shuga” running/ruining the show.

Its sad that the resistance to change is on both sides and isn’t new.  The idea of making food that is familiar, but healthier caused a bit of a dust-up with a macro friend.   He’s from South and grew up on some goooood food, but he believes that to eat healthier, folks should just dump everything they know and eat tree/sea bark.  Verbatim, no.  Sentiment, mmmm hmmm.  We keep people isolated by not giving them options and opportunities for making better choices.

I’ll admit that I am opinionated.  I used to be such a label whore that I branded everything I didn’t eat evil.  Thankfully, I’m over that.  I do remain steadfast in the belief that we need to eat better.   The things is… we don’t all have to be vegan or vegetarian.  Or eat tofu and tempeh.  But, we can do simple things to expand our palates and imaginations.

Simple Stock
from Bryant Terry’s Vegan Soul Kitchen

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 large onions, quartered with skin
1 large carrot, thinly sliced
4 celery ribs, thinly sliced
8 oz button mushrooms, sliced
1 whole garlic bulb, unpeeled, broken up, flatten w/back of a knife
2 bay leaves
3 sprigs of fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon course sea salt
1/8 teaspoon of cayenne
9 cups of water

Over med-high heat, warm the olive oil.  Add herbs, spices and vegetables.  Sauté until veggies have softened.  Add water.  Bring it to a boil.  Reduce heat to med-low.  Simmer uncovered for about an hour.  Strain vegetables from stock.  Don’t forget to press down on the veggies to get all that goodness out.  Then, discard the cooked vegetables.  Yields 1 1/2 quarts.

The Nikki Bits: I added a couple of dried chili peppers as well.  My veggies weren’t super tender after an hour.  I let it cook for another 30 or so minutes.  And I added 2 more cups of water.

Ummmm… So: I liked it a lot.  I didn’t expect to mimic chicken broth, so I wasn’t disappointed.  I don’t know if it’s a catchall stock for me, though.  Even though it’s light, it feels hearty, woodsy and strong.  It might overpower the flavors that I normally work with.

I had a cup with a few of spoonfuls of brown rice and a smidge of sriracha.  Throw in some veggies, steamed/roasted/whatever.  Hello, Winter!  It’s , also, a GREAT base for gravy.

What’s next: I make this black bean & couscous dish that I rock with that chicken water.  It didn’t really work well with this stock, but Bryant has a garlic broth that might be PERFECTION for that dish.  Arsenal.

I don’t begrudge anyone, or myself, meat or poultry.  I’m just bored and a bit turned off, right now.  That could change.  I’m superexcited to focus on bringing an abundance of flavor, color and texture onto my plate.

Nikki♥

Oh, I just finished some turkey breast that was in the freezer.  Ummm.  Bye, bye Bigger Bird.