Beets that will pickle your fancy

With our CSA boxes coming to an end, there is a light at the end of the "beet tunnel".

I made more of the delicious beet soup, and with the remaining beets I decided to try pickling them.

From Food

I used Alton's recipe as a starting point, made some minor changes (when do I ever have all the right ingredients?) and waited a patient 2 weeks before trying them. Verdict? Not bad! Not bad at all! There's still a mild beet taste accompanied with a lovely sweet and tangy pickle.

Here is Alton's full recipe for pickled beets. To roast the beets, I just scrubbed the beets and doused them in olive oil before roasting for about 35 minutes. The actual pickling liquid called for:

* 1 large red onion, frenched
* 1 cup tarragon wine vinegar
* 1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 1 cup water

I replaced the red onion with a regular onion, and the tarragon wine vinegar with mostly white vinegar and a big splash of red wine vinegar. I also didn't read the recipe correctly (go figure) and dumped the onions into the pot of boiling pickling liquid. I fished them out with chopsticks. I think I made them better ;)

From Food

When the roasted beets are slightly cooled, remove the skin and slice. If the beet is really big, cut it in half before slicing. Fill your jars with alternating layers of beets and onions. When full, pour in the hot pickling liquid. Tightly lid the jars and wait 3 to 7 days before eating. When eating picked beets, do not wear white, especially if you like to eat the beets straight from the jar with your fingers. Enjoy!

From Food

Tomorrow is our very last CSA box. So sad. Just as I mastered some beet recipes. We did not sign up for the summer because we're vacationing (yay!) and also hopefully growing our very own local organic food! Double Yay! Stay tuned for an update on our greenhouse veggies.

Read more...

Holy Guacamole!

My friend is moving to Ireland for 6 months. Exciting for her, sad for us. Her farewell party was a potluck of green or Irish food. Since most of us were Chinese, our dishes of choice were mostly just green.

I decided to whip up a batch of guacamole. So simple, so delicious. And no, I don't have an actual recipe...

From Food

Let's start with the avocado. My favourite is the Hass. (Maybe because Ina's favourite is the Hass, and I want to be like Ina.) When you buy avocados at the store, they're usually 4 days from being ripe. (If you don't plan ahead and you try to get lucky, you'll likely end up with a decoy-ripe avocado: it's just a little bruised.) Store the avocados in a dark, dry place. I put them in the back corner of my pantry; I've heard of storing them in a wok or a pot as well.
If you've only got 2 days before you need the avocados, just buy less green ones but make sure they're still very firm (no bruises!) and then store them in the dark place with a banana. The banana helps speed up the ripening process.

A small batch of guacamole only needs 2 or 3 medium sized avocados. Costco sells them in packs of 5: plenty for a party.

From Food

To dice the avocados for the guacamole, first halve it, then scoop the pit out with a spoon, or do the crazy "hammer the knife into the pit and twist it out" technique (please be careful!!!) Using a small butter knife, cut horizontal and vertical lines into the avocado while still in the skin. The closer the slices are, the smaller the pieces of avocado. Using a spoon, scoop the avocado out of the skin: voila! Pre-diced pieces of avocado! Squeeze the juice of one lemon into the avocado; mix, and set aside.

From Food

Next: red onion and tomatoes. I like a chunky guacamole, so I add lots of tomatoes and onions. Finely dice half a small red onion for every 3 or so avocados. Dice 2 to 3 roma tomatoes. Add to avocados and mix vigorously with a fork. You can always change the recipe to have more or less tomatoes and onions.

The avocados will break down as you mix; mix until you have the consistency you like. Add a generous amount of salt. Taste and adjust.

If you like your guacamole spicy, mince a jalapeño or two and add to the mixture.

That's it! I know! Holy guacamole!

From Food

Read more...