RECIPE: Asparagus and Saffron Risotto

Many years ago, there was a small restaurant on La Salle Street in Chicago, La Locanda, whose specialty was risotto.  They offered classes on how they made their risotto.  I took their class and this is one of the recipes I came away with.  (There is another restaurant in Chicago now, called Locanda, but that is NOT the same restaurant!)

La Locanda's Asparagus and Saffron Risotto

Serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS:

• Saffron extract:
• 1 teaspoon saffron threads
• 1 quart water
• Risotto:
• 3/4 c. minced onion
• 1 T. minced garlic 
• 2 T. ghee
• 2 cups (1 pound) arborio rice (you can use carnaroli if that's what you have, but my preference is vialone nano)
• 1/2 c. white wine
• 6 cups hot broth**
• himalayan pink salt to taste (necessary if your broth is unsalted)
  
• 3 T. butter 1/4 cup heavy cream*
• 3 cups asparagus, cut in 1/2" pieces and blanched until tender (I would use 4-5 cups!***)
  
• 1/2 c. peeled, seeded and diced tomatoes
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese

INSTRUCTIONS:

Make saffron extract: combine the saffron and the water in a small sauce pan and boil for 20 minutes.  Strain out the saffron threads and simmer the extract until reduced to 2 cups.  Set aside 1/2 c. for this recipe and refrigerate the rest for another use.

Saffron extract beginning thru boiling thru gorgeous color extract!

Make risotto: 

In a large saute or everything pan, saute the onions and garlic over medium high until soft.  Add the rice and saute for a minute or two until it becomes opaque.  Add the wine and reduce by half.

Gradually add 5.5 cups of the stock, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring and maintaining a simmer, until it has all been absorbed.  This should take 20 minutes and the rice should be almost cooked.  Cut one grain in half and there should be a small dot of white in the center.

Add salt to taste, the asparagus and the remaining half cup of stock and stir until the rice is fully cooked and the asparagus is heated through, another 3-4 minutes. Stir in the saffron extract, tomato, cream butter and parmesan.  

Serve in a soup plate with additional grated parmesan and freshly ground black pepper.

NOTES:

*Many years ago, when I discovered my best friend couldn't eat cheese, I started making risotto with cream instead of parmesan, and we love it that way because it's extra creamy.  In the photos for this recipe, I used butter, because that's what La Locanda used, and we both missed having the cream, so from now on I will use cream instead.  I will still use the parmesan.

**I used the ends of the asparagus to make a broth with leeks and celery, and I used that to blanch the asparagus for the risotto.  I mixed some of the leftover asparagus-end broth with the chicken broth that I used to cook the rice.  

Chopped asparagus ends, leeks and celery simmering to make broth

In the future, I probably will not go to this trouble, but it was a way for me to use something that would otherwise have been thrown away, and the broth was delicious.  It would have made a nice light soup.

***The photos all show the recipe the way La Locanda gave it to me, using 3 cups of asparagus, but we actually prefer a higher veg:rice ratio.  From now on, I will use 4-5 cups of asparagus. 

To serve with the risotto: I brined two chicken breasts for several hours in a garlic-honey-lemon brine, and then roasted them at 425F for 15 minutes.  The chicken was so tender we could cut it with a spoon, it was wonderful with the risotto, and dead easy!  I also made carrots with a saffron-honey glaze.

When I reheated the risotto, I added a little bit of cream, and you can see in the photo below how much creamier it is.  

Risotto with a tad of cream, garlic-lemon chicken, saffron-honey carrots

RECIPE: ASPARAGUS - different ways to prepare it

I was lucky enough to snag 5 pounds of BIODYNAMIC asparagus from Groh Farm last weekend!  There was a mix of green and purple, large and small.  Here's what I did with it:

Five+ pounds of biodynamic asparagus!

 

After washing all of it, I separated it into small and large, then into green and purple.  The purple supposedly is sweeter and less bitter so I wanted to cook it separately. 

Rather than cut the ends off neatly, I used a trick I learned many years ago to determine where the edible part ends and the fibrous part starts - I bend the stalk until it breaks.  It will break where the edible part ends.  I saved all the fibrous ends, which have lots of flavor, to make broth.

 

The first recipe I made was Veal Meatballs in Asparagus Cream Sauce!  Using the thinnest stalks, I steamed them until soft and then pureed them, adding the puree to the sauce.  The green color degrades after 5 minutes of cooking so using the thinnest stalks, which cook quickly, results in a very green puree.  I reserved the water I steamed them with to use in broth.

Steamed skinny asparagus pureed

 

Pureed asparagus stirred into spicy cream sauce for meatballs.

 

Next, I made a broth from the ends.  I chopped them in my food processor, added sliced leeks and celery, then simmered them in water for 20 minutes.  I removed them from the heat and let the vegetables cool in the water, then strained them out.  

Chopped asparagus ends, leeks, celery broth

This left me with about 3 pounds of nice fat stalks ready to cook.  I stored them in glass jars with a little water on the bottom to keep them fresh until I could cook them.

Fat green asparagus, trimmed by bending the ends until the stalk breaks.

Trimmed asparagus, in water, stored in fridge.

The green asparagus were used to make Asparagus Saffron Risotto.  I used the broth to blanch the asparagus and then reduced it to 4 cups.  I used 2 cups to make the risotto, and chilled the rest for later..  

Asparagus and Saffron Risotto

The purple asparagus I steamed and served with garlic butter so we can see whether they really are sweeter than the green ones: They are a LITTLE sweeter, but not much.  

RECIPE: La Locanda Make-ahead Risotto Base

Many years ago, I took a risotto class at La Locanda, a restaurant in Chicago which has long since closed.  At the restaurant, they would make a risotto base, and then flavor it for each diner.  I have since learned that cooked and cooled rice is rich in resistant starch, and better for blood sugar, so I am posting the recipe.  Here's how they did it.

La Locanda Restaurant Make-ahead Risotto Base

Serves 8-12 (see below, only half the base is used at one time)

INGREDIENTS:

• 1.5 cups mined onion
• 2 T. mined garlic
• 1/4 cup EVOO or ghee
• 4 cups arborio, carnaroli, or vialone nano rice
• fresh finely ground black pepper to taste
• 1 c. white wine
• 2 quarts hot stock
• 6 T. butter 

INSTRUCTIONS: 

Heat a large (12" or larger) saute or risotto pan over medium high heat.  When the pan is hot, add the cold oil, then the onions and garlic, and saute until the onions are soft.

Add the rice and a good grind of black pepper.  Saute stirring constantly until rice is translucent, 2-3 minutes.  Do NOT let it burn! 

Add the wine and reduce by 1/2.  Slowly add the stock, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly and maintaining a simmer, until all the stock has been absorbed.  Stir in the butter and remove from the heat.

The rice will be three-quarters cooked at this point and can be chilled and held until you're ready to add the seasoning agents.  

Spread the rice on a cookie sheet to cool it quickly.  Then store it in a glass container in the fridge for several days.  Bring to room temperature before using.

To use it:

Heat 2 cups of stock in a medium saute pan over medium-high heat.  Add:

• half the rice, 
• 1 c. grated parmesan cheese, and 
• whatever seasoning you're going to use (see below).   

Stir until the rice is tender.  Serves 6.

Seasoning options:

Sauteed spinach and mushrooms

Blanched asparagus and saffron extract

Blanched spring vegetables (asparagus, peas, carrots, tomatoes and spring onions)

Sauteed butternut squash dice, fried sage, and toasted pine nuts 

Taleggio cheese (instead of the parmesan), red bell pepper, and minced parsley

Cannellini beans, diced cooked tomato, minced parsley, and minced basil  

 

RECIPE: Hot Pepper Oil

When I made the Nashville Hot Chicken Milanese for the first time, there was leftover hot oil, and we slathered it on rice, pasta, vegetables, dal, meatloaf, and - of course - chicken!  I make it now with less sugar, and I vary the pepper variety based on what I'll be doing with it - sometimes I use a very hot pepper, sometimes a mild one.  Every variation is delicious!  If you use a mild chili like Black Urfa, it won't be as red...  This oil is liquid gold - I drizzle it on everything!  The color was hard to capture - it's a gorgeous red, after all the peppers have settled to the bottom of the jar.

Hot Pepper Oil

Makes 1.25 cups

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup avocado oil

2 t. light brown sugar (I use coconut sugar) 

2 t. himalayan pink salt 

1 t. dried dill

1 t. garlic powder

1 T. mild very red pepper like Pure Indian Food's  Kashmiri  

1-2 T hot red pepper like cobanero, cayenne, or Burlap and Barrel's hot kashmiri 

INSTRUCTIONS: 

In a small sauce pan, add brown sugar, salt, mild red pepper, dill, garlic powder, and 1 T. hot red pepper to the 1 cup avocado oil and stir to combine.  Add up to 1 T. additional hot pepper to taste.  

Heat on medium, stirring occasionally until oil is hot but not boiling. 

Use immediately, or store it in the fridge and drizzle it on hot or cold food.

I store this in a tall thin glass jar (please don't use plastic!) so that I can skim the seasoned oil off the top, and my husband can dig down and scoop up the ground peppers.  The oil is not as hot when used without the peppers. 

 

Here's how it looks drizzled on white rice, broccoli and masoor dal:

 

 

RECIPE: Tomato Bisque

This is not the easiest tomato soup. It's a lot of work, and a lot of pots, but it's the best flavor I've ever found.  My husband declared it's his "new favorite soup" ("new" because I haven't made it in 15 years!).  The original recipe was in Bon Appetit's January 1980 issue and is no longer available so here are my notes.

Tomato Bisque

serves 3-4

INGREDIENTS:

• For the tomato base:
• 1/4 pound bacon
• 4 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1.5 large onions, minced (about 1.5 cups)
• 6 celery stalks, minced (about 1 cup)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 t. dried thyme 
• 28 oz can tomatoes, diced with their juice*
• 6 oz tomato paste*
• For the cream base: 
• 2 T. butter
• 3 T. flour (I used oat flour)
  
• 1 quart cream (I used 2 c. evaporated farm milk** + 2 cups cream)
• 1/2 large onion, minced (about 1 cup)
• 1 bay leaf 
• 2 whole cloves 
• For serving:
• 2 t. salt
• 1/4 - 1 t. cayenne pepper depending on your heat tolerance (I use espelette)
• OPTIONAL: halloumi croutons
  

INSTRUCTIONS:

Heat heat butter in a large saucepan on medium heat.  Stir in flour and simmer stirring constantly for 2 minutes.  Remove from heat and slowly add cream, whisking constantly, then the minced onion, 1 bay leaf and cloves.    Cook over medium heat, uncovered, for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.  (Mine was nice and thick after 30 minutes so I turned the heat to very low until the tomato base was ready.)

Meanwhile:

Cook bacon in a large skillet until fat is rendered.  Remove meat (use as desired).

Add garlic to fat and saute on medium until light brown - don't let it burn.  Add the minced onion, celery, bay leaf, and thyme.  Saute until onion is transparent.  Add tomatoes with juice and tomato paste.   Reduce heat to medium low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

Strain the cream base through a fine-mesh strainer into the tomato mixture.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.  

Add milk if a thinner consistency is preferred.

Can be reheated. 

*During tomato season, I home-can roasted tomato puree.  I use 2 cups of this puree, plus a 4-5 whole tomatoes (either canned or fresh) peeled and seeded, instead of the 28oz can of tomatoes and the tomato paste. You can see the jar of roasted tomato puree at the back of the photo below.

**When I have farm milk that needs to be used I pour it into a stock pot and simmer it on medium heat until it is reduced by 60%, then I strain it into quart jars and refrigerated it.  The dog LOVES the milk solids I strain out.  I used 2 cups of this as half of the cream in this recipe.  

Ingredients for tomato bisque excluding salt and espelette

Tomato bisque without croutons

 

RECIPE: Baked Feta with Olives and Cherry Tomatoes

This is an easy and delicious appetizer.  In summer, I use fresh cherry tomatoes, in winter I used oven dried farm tomatoes.  The olives are biodynamic, from Mercola.  Sheep's milk feta has more fat than cow's milk and will bake up softer, but the feta in the farm store is delicious prepared this way.

I know the photo isn't inspiring, but that's my camera's fault - the cheese was better than it looks!

Baked Feta with Olives and Cherry Tomatoes

I've made this in small individual serving dishes, and also in a larger communal one.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 block of feta  
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved, or 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes chopped
• 1/3 cup pitted Kalamata olives
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 c. thinly sliced red or green onions
• 1 t. dried oregano
• 1 T. finely sliced mint leaves
• Optional: red pepper flakes, ground black pepper, lemon zest 
• For serving: pit bread

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 400F. (I use our toaster oven for this)

Combine all the ingredients except the feta and mix to combine.

In a heatproof dish, pour the mixture over the feta.  Bake for 15 minutes.

Serve with pitas!

RECIPE: PEONY Flower Jelly/Syrup!!

O.M.G.  What a gorgeous color!  I made it ONLY for the color, thinking I would not like the flavor, but it tastes good, too!   

Our peonies are pushing their heads out of the ground now, and I'm planning to make this again this year, so I'm posting it now as a reminder.

I used this recipe as a guide, but I made a lot of changes to create and preserve the color.  If you don't care about the color, just follow her recipe which is much easier.  I also only made a half recipe because we don't eat many sweet things.

PEONY Flower Jelly/Syrup

Makes about 2.5 cups

Here's a photo of the peonies in our garden, raised without chemicals.  We have two dark pink, two light pink, and one magenta.  

the 5 peony bushes in our garden, in full bloom

My goal was to make a magenta-color jelly that was obviously NOT raspberry or strawberry.  I also didn't want a lavender/violet color that might be confused with violet jelly.  So...I started with 3 dark pink blossoms, from the bushes at the far left side of the photo above, harvested right before they were fully open.  The pot I'm using is a Le Creuset with a white interior so I can see the color of the liquid:

When I removed the petals, they seemed to be much lighter than I wanted, but I proceeded anyway to see what color they produced.  When I poured 2 cups of boiling water over them, they turned purple!  I let them steep for 20 minutes.

Here's what the water looked like when I removed the petals - it was lighter than I wanted.

3 peony blossoms, in boiling water, and drained

So...I harvested one of our very dark blossoms (I will see if I can find the cultivars we have), added the petals to the water, brought it quickly to a boil, and let it steep for 20 minutes.  

The water was darker now (see the middle image in the photo below), but not quite what I was after, so I harvested another very dark blossom.   After adding the petals to the water, bringing it quickly to a boil, letting it steep for 20 minutes and then removing the petals, the liquid was finally the color I was after!  

1 dark peony was better, but a 2nd one was perfect!

I poured the liquid into a measuring cup - I now had just shy of 2 cups of gorgeous magenta water!  I poured it back into my pot and added 2 cups of caster sugar (yes, conventional white sugar because I didn't want to muddy the color!).  

The original recipe now instructs you to add lemon juice, but I was afraid it would change the color so I removed 1 teaspoon to a small custard cup and added a few drops of lemon juice.  Sure enough, the lemon juice removed all the blue tones in the color and it looked to me like raspberry/strawberry. I did NOT add the lemon juice. 

My next 'problem' was that I don't stock pectin, because I prefer not to use it, so I had no way of getting my jelly to gel!  Knowing there is pectin in lemon seeds, I gathered up the pits from the lemon I had just juiced and added them to the pot.  If it didn't gel enough, I would settle for syrup instead of jelly.  

In the photo below, on the left, you can see the color of the two varieties of peony petals after boiling - it's amazing how different they are.  On the right is the syrup ready to be reduced:

Two different varieties of peony petals, and syrup ready to be reduced.

I brought the liquid to a boil, and let it simmer until it was syrupy.  I didn't want to cook it too long, for fear the color would change, so I killed the heat as soon as it was thick enough to be useful, and poured it into canning jars.  There was a little bit left over so I poured that into a custard cup.  When it was cool enough, I tasted it and it was delicious!   I thought I wouldn't like the floral taste but it was really nice!

I ended up with 2.5 cups of syrup which I poured into one 1/2-pint jar and three 1/2-cup jars.  The gorgeous color isn't as apparent in the jars:

Peony syrup in jars

Once the jars were cool, I stored them in the fridge.  I haven't decided how to use them yet...

2.5 cups of peony syrup in jars

Here, finally, is the recipe I will use if I ever make this again:

INGREDIENTS

• 3 dark pink peonies and 2 magenta peonies
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups white sugar
• 30 lemon pits, or 1/2 box powdered pectin (I don't know if pectin will change the color!) 

DIRECTIONS

Harvest the freshest, cleanest peonies from your garden, almost but not fully open.  Holding the stem, gently pull the petals off and discard the stamens and any petals with green at the base.  You need about 4-6 cups of petals.  

Put the petals in a medium saucepan and cover them with boiling water.  Let them steep for 15-20 minutes.  Hopefully, the water will be the color you want.  If it's too light, you can add another blossom or two.  If it's too dark, you can try adding more water.   

Place a strainer over a large measuring pitcher and strain out the petals. Press on them HARD to get as much color out of them as possible!

Take note of how much water is in the measuring pitcher and pour the liquid back into the saucepan. 

If you're using powdered pectin, follow the instructions on the package.  Apparently, you add the pectin first, let it dissolve, and then add the sugar.  You can reduce the sugar to as little as 1/2 cup.  The original instructions say that the lemon juice helps the mixture set properly.  I don't know if it will set if  you don't add the lemon.

If you aren't using commercial pectin, add an equal amount of sugar, the lemon pits, and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and continue to boil until it's the consistency you want. 

Pour the syrup into jars, cool, and store in the fridge.

NOTE: I gave one of the small jars to a friend, and after a year in her fridge a gorgeous crystal formed!  Wouldn't that be amazing to drop into a cup of tea?

Peony syrup crystal!

RECIPE: Thai-inspired Broccoli and White Bean Soup

I needed a quick and easy dinner last night, so I defrosted some broccoli intending to make broccoli cheddar beans, but then realized I didn't have any milk to make the sauce.  I did have coconut milk so I created this recipe to use that, and we both enjoyed it so much I'm sharing it.  I doubt you would ever find this in Thailand, because of the beans, but we loved it.  This soup is SPICY!!!

Thai-inspired Broccoli and White Bean Soup

Serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 T. coconut oil
• 3 T. green curry paste (I use Mekhala Organic)
• 1/4 cup minced garlic
• 1/4 cup minced ginger
• 1 14oz can full-fat coconut milk
• 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 T. Red Boat Fish Sauce
• 3-4 kaffir lime leaves OR 2 t. minced lemongrass OR a few large strips of lime zest
• 2 15oz cans great northern beans including the liquid 
• 1 pound frozen broccoli, defrosted
• Garnish options:
• thinly sliced hot red pepper
• thinly sliced scallion greens
• cilantro leaves
• cooked rice (we often have cooked and cooled sela basmati in the fridge) 

INSTRUCTIONS:

In a 4-quart saute or sauce pan heat the coconut oil on medium and saute the curry paste, garlic and ginger for 4-5 minutes to take the edge off the garlic and ginger.

Add the coconut milk, chicken broth, fish sauce, the lime leaves/lemongrass/zest, and the beans including the liquid into the pot, stir to combine, and bring to a simmer.  Simmer for a few minutes to meld the flavors.  

Add the broccoli, bring back to a simmer, and cook for 5 minutes.  Taste periodically to insure it's cooked to your liking.  Once it's cooked, turn off the heat to prevent overcooking.

Taste and add salt if necessary - depending on the brand of curry paste you use you may not need additional salt.  I did add about 2 teaspoons of salt.

Pick out the lime leaves or zest before serving.

Serve in bowls garnished with red pepper, scallions, cilantro and/or cooked rice.  Adding rice will give you a complete protein combined with the beans, if that's important to you.    

NOTE: This makes enough liquid that you could easily add additional broccoli and/or additional beans for a thicker soup if that is your preference.  If you add additional beans, drain them and don't use the liquid.

If you can't tolerate spicy food, look for a curry paste that isn't hot, or make your own.  Mekhala green is HOT!

RECIPE: EASY Beef Fajitas using Home Canned Beef

Every time we've tried to make fajitas using flank steak or skirt steak, they've been tough and stringy.  Perhaps it's the pasture-raised meat we use, or the fact that we never plan ahead and don't have time to marinate.  We also don't always want to bother with firing up the grill.  I developed this recipe to satisfy our beef fajita cravings without all that fuss.

EASY Beef Fajita using Home Canned Beef

Serves 6

• 1 quart jar home-canned beef stew meat
• 1/4. cup beef tallow or ghee
• 3 large onions, sliced 1/4" thick
• 4 cups bell peppers (green, red and yellow) sliced 1/4" thick
• 1 t. ground chipotle pepper
• 1 t. cayenne powder
• 1 t. garlic powder
• 1 t. ground cumin seeds
• 1/2 t. ground coriander seed
• 1 t. mexican oregano
• 2 t. salt
• For serving:
• 1 cup sour cream
• juice from 1/2 lime
• 1/4 cup minced cilantro leaves
  

Combine the spices and set aside.

Drain the beef reserving the liquid.

Heat 2 T. fat in a large saute pan over medium-high.  Add the onions and fry until light brown on the edges.  Stir infrequently - if you let them sit in the fat, the edges will brown before they cook through, which is what you want.  Remove to a small bowl leaving as much fat in the pan as possible.

Add 1 T. fat to the pan, raise the heat to high, and add the peppers.  Fry, stirring infrequently, until they're blackened in spots.  KEEP AN EYE ON THEM!  If you turn your back, the entire pan will burn (Yes, I did this!).  Remove to the bowl with the onions leaving as much fat in the pan as possible.

Reduce heat to med-high.  Add 1 T. fat to the pan and add the beef.  Fry, stirring infrequently, until the edges are lightly browned. 

Deglaze the pan with the reserved liquid and cook until it's mostly evaporated.

Add the onions, peppers, and the spice mixture to the pan, stir to combine, and cook until the vegetables are heated through.

 

While the meat is cooking, combine the sour cream, lime juice, and cilantro.  Mix well.

Serve with tortillas, guacamole or sliced avocado, the cilantro lime crema or cilantro jalapeno sauce.

In the photo above, I served it with Adriane's Tomato Salad with Coriander and Lime.

RECIPE: Green Pine Cones Preserved in Syrup

Can you believe pine cones are edible?  I stumbled on this recipe by accident: the larch tree in our yard was making these amazing light green pine cones and I wondered whether I could preserve the color.  Sadly, they will eventually turn brown no matter what I do.  However, I learned that I could preserve them in syrup, and eat them!  I decided to try it.

There were only 5 cones on the larch tree so I checked the other pines on our property and one of them had a profusion of tiny green cones on every branch!  I decided to use these to test the recipe.  I gathered one cupful, which weighed 4 oz, so I made a half-recipe.  

Honestly, they taste a bit weird!  I haven't used them as suggested so I can't say yet whether I like them.  Perhaps they'll be delicious with cheese or roasted vegetables.  

• Original recipe: Pine Cone Jam
• Another recipe: Pine Cone Jam - what it is and how to use it
• And a third recipe: Pine Cone Cider Jam 

The original recipes are full of interesting tidbits that I will not repeat here so please read the originals.

Green Pine Cones Preserved in Syrup

Tiny green (immature) pine cones preserved in syrup.

 

Makes scant 1.5 cups

You WILL need rubbing alcohol to clean your pan, counter, utensils and hands!  Pine resin is TENACIOUS!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup of green (immature) pine cones collected in May-June (start checking in late April - our trees are already developing cones!).  They may not be green in color, but they must be immature, sappy and green in the center when you dig your fingernail into them.  Tiny cones are best. 
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup sugar

DIRECTIONS

Blanch the pine cones: put them in a saucepan, cover with water, and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and cook at a gentle boil for 5 minutes.  Turn off the heat and allow to cool.  A layer of resin will collect on the surface.  Carefully scoop it off and discard (I removed it to a disposable bowl).  

Drain the pine cones.  I poured the water into the disposable bowl and then discarded it into the forest.  I didn't want to pour it down the drain into our septic system.  If the resin is that sticky, I didn't want to risk having it clog the septic drain field! 

Make the jam/syrup:  Return the pine cones to the pot and add the sugar and water.  Stir.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and boil gently for 5 minutes.  Turn off the heat and cool completely.

Bring to a boil again.  Boil for 1 minute, turn off the heat and cool completely.

Repeat boiling and cooling three more times.

Test one cone.  If the cone is now chewable and pleasantly sweet, and the liquid is dark and syrupy, they are done.  If not, repeat the boil-cool steps until you like the consistency and taste.  

My tiny cones were ready after 5 boils, but the liquid was not syrupy at all so I brought them to boil again and while the liquid was bubbling I removed the cones to the jars I would be storing them in.  Once the liquid was syrupy, I turned off the heat and added the syrup to the jars.  Next time, I may use a little more water and sugar so I'll have more syrup.  

Let the jars cool on the counter, and store them in the fridge.  If the syrup crystalizes, warm the jar in hot water.  

How to use:

• The candied cones can be served on a cheese plate/platter.
• Pine cone syrup makes a soothing tea if you have a sore throat.
• The candied cones can top savory appetizers, thumbprint cookies, and hand pies.
• The syrup can be added to roasting root vegetables.
• The syrup dissolved into sipping vinegar and topped with seltzer makes a refreshing shrub.

Here are my progress pictures:

This is ONE CUP of pine cones!  You can see how small they are.  I suffered many mosquito bites harvesting them, which is why I stopped after one cup.  In the upper right corner is the cone that started it all - from our larch tree.  Isn't it a gorgeous color!

One cup of tiny green pine cones.

 

 I was hoping they wouldn't loose too much color, but they turned brown as soon as I par-boiled them:

green pine cones turning brown in boiling water

 

Removing the resin to a disposable bowl, so I didn't risk clogging our septic drain field:

Removing the resin to a disposable bowl.

 

 

Covering my induction cooktop with paper towels to protect the glass from splattering resin.  If you don't have an induction cooktop, you should NOT do this!  You'll set the paper, and possibly also your kitchen, on fire!  You'll just have to clean the cooktop with rubbing alcohol:

Induction cooktop covered with paper towels to protect the glass from splattering resin.

 

After boiling and cooling 5 times, I felt the pine cones were done but the syrup wasn't thick enough.  While the syrup was boiling down, I removed the pine cones with a small strainer and put them into the small jars I would be storing them in:

 

When the syrup was the right consistency, I added it to the jars.  In the jars, you can't tell what color it is, but the residue in the pan was a light brown color:

Color of the syrup left in the saucepan.

 

 

 

 

I ended up with three barely full 1/2-cup (4 oz jars).  I don't really care for these by themselves, but if I end up loving them when they're added to other dishes, I'll have to make more because I don't have much!  I suppose I should harvest more cones before they're too mature to preserve....

Three barely full half-cup (4 oz) jars of green pine cones preserved in syrup.

Here's a bigger photo of the green cones on the tree:

Tiny green (immature) pine cones on the tree.

Last spring, to make this jelly, I harvested all the immature pine cones I could reach.  A year later I looked to see whether any new ones had developed and noticed there were some more mature pine cones at the top of the tree, where I couldn't reach, but NONE at the bottom where I could.  I will research how long it takes a tree to develop a pine cone!

Pine cones at the top, but none at the bottom, the year after harvest.

RECIPE: Beef, Spinach, Fennel in Tomato Cream Sauce

This delicious sauce can be use on pasta, rice, or vegetables.  It comes together quickly, especially if you have pressure-canned ground beef.  I developed it when I wanted to make a pasta sauce that tasted like it had sausage in it, but didn't.  Italian sausage is often flavored with fennel, garlic, and red pepper.

Apologies for the awful photo, I added a more recent photo the bottom but IDK if it's any better! 

Beef, Spinach, Fennel in Tomato Cream Sauce

Serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 t. fennel seeds (see note)
  
• 2 T. ghee 
• 1 medium onion, minced  
• 12 ounces lean ground beef or veal
  
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 T. tomato paste
• 6 oz chopped spinach (if frozen, thaw and squeeze all moisture out)
• 1.5 c. heavy cream
• 1/4 t. fennel pollen (optional) 
• 1/2 t. cayenne or another hot pepper  

INSTRUCTIONS:

In a medium saute pan on medium heat, dry toast the fennel seeds until they turn light brown.  

Add the ghee and the onion and saute until the onion is soft and translucent.  Add the hot pepper.

Increase the heat to medium-high and add the meat.  Saute until it's cooked through. 

Add the garlic and the tomato paste and stir for a few minutes.  

Add the spinach.  If the spinach is raw, stir until it wilts.  If the spinach was frozen, stir until it's heated.  

Add the cream and bring to a boil, stirring. 

If you're using the fennel pollen, add it now, then serve!   

NOTE: When I made this for a friend, and I wished there was more fennel flavor, she suggested I grind the roasted seeds!  This is an EXCELLENT idea, but it adds an extra step to a simple preparation.  I love roasted fennel so much that I make a whole jar of it and store it with my spices.  What I will do in the future is grind 1 teaspoon of them before starting the recipe and proceed as directed.  If you like this recipe, you should do that, too!

Ground beef, fennel, spinach, tomato and cream served with rice.

 

RECIPE: Nitrite-Free Corned Beef Brisket

Making your own corned beef isn't hard, but it takes 7 days and requires space in your fridge.  The only ingredients are salt and beef brisket.  America's Test Kitchen also adds herbs and spices for flavor.  The nitrite that many places add keeps the meat from turning brown.  It does nothing for the flavor.  Why is it so hard to buy corned beef without this carcinogenic chemical? 

Another pasture-raised beef farm in this area has corned beef brisket for sale and they claim to use "no nitrates or nitrites except those naturally occurring in sea salt and celery powder".  I bought a small one to try. 

The last time I cooked a brisket I used a pressure cooker, and it was tender and delicious, so I did the same for this one.  I combined several recipes.  Even though there was no nitrite, it was a nice red color.  What surprised me, though, was that it shrank a LOT!  It also exuded a LOT of liquid.  Is that normal?

My husband gobbled it up.   

Nitrite-Free Corned Beef Brisket

 Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

• One 2.5 pound beef brisket
• 2 large onions, sliced
• 1 head garlic, cloves separated, peeled and halved
  
• 1 T. peppercorns
• 1 t. dried thyme leaves, or 8 sprigs fresh
• 2-3 bay leaves
• 1 c. beef broth. 
• Horseradish sauce for serving.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Soak the brisket in water for 2 hours, changing the water every 30 minutes.  Pat the brisket dry.

Put the sliced onions, garlic, peppercorns, thyme, bay leaves and beef broth in the bottom of a pressure cooker large enough to hold the meat.  Cover them with the rack and place the brisket on the rack.

Following the instructions for your unit, secure the lid and bring the pressure cooker up to pressure.

Cook for 90 minutes.  Release the pressure naturally.

Some people cook cabbage and carrots along with the meat, I roasted them separately in the oven. 

Remove the meat from the pressure cooker, slice thinly, and serve with horseradish sauce. 

 

How to Pressure Can Ground Beef

This is a short picture tutorial on how I pressure-can ground beef.  

I have been reluctant to post any tutorials on pressure canning because if you don't do it correctly you can die.  If you do not follow the recommended guidelines, you can die.  

Here's what I know about BOTULISM, in a nutshell: the organism clostridium botulinum is a spore that thrives in low-acid low-oxygen environments.  In those environments it produces the botulinum toxin.  It is the botulinum toxin that causes BOTULISM, the deadly disease.  

When you pressure can low-acid foods, like meat, you create the low-oxygen environment in which clostridium botulinum thrives. If even ONE SPORE survives the canning process, it can produce enough botulinum to kill you.  To kill the spores, you must maintain a temperature of at least 250 degrees for a minimum of 3 minutes.  Pressure canning guidelines are designed to insure the center of the jar meets those conditions. 

The botulinum TOXIN can be destroyed by boiling for 5 minutes, so it is advisable to boil all pressure canned meat for 5 minutes after you open the jar to use it.  

Please, follow the instructions that came with your canner, after reading ALL the instructions in the links below.  If you do not follow the recommended guidelines, you can die.  

MEAT (beef, chicken, lamb, and pork):

1. cook ground meat, then can
2. can stew meat raw
3. can chicken breasts raw (DO NOT CAN GROUND POULTRY)
4. make broth and can it

The links above don't have many photos, so here's how I do it.

My pressure canner is a small, 15.5-quart size All American that holds 7 quart jars, or 7 pint jars.  I have never used another brand, and I would never recommend another brand, so I cannot tell you if other brands behave differently.  I LOVE this canner!

It's possible to process fewer than 7 jars but I rarely do.  If I do process fewer than 7, I will add jars filled with water to reduce the amount of space inside the canner.  I also can ground beef in pint jars, which hold 14oz, because they are better for things like sauces, stuffing, and fundito where I only need 1 pound. I use wide mouth jars because they're easier to clean, and easier to get the food out of once it's canned.

One quart jar holds about 28oz beef, either ground or stew.  If you're canning stew meat you just put it in the jars and process them.  Ground beef requires one additional step because if you fill a glass jar with raw ground beef you (1) cannot guarantee it's fully processed, and (2) will not be able to get it out of the jar once it's cooked.  It will be a solid chunk of meat! 

OK!  Here we go!

STEP 1: I defrost 14 pounds of meat overnight in my 16-quart Le Creuset.  I like this pot because of the light interior, and because it is short and wide which enables easy stirring.  You can use a stock pot if you don't have something similar.

Defrost ground beef overnight in a large (16qt) pot

 

STEP 2: The next morning, I will add about 2 quarts of water to the pot and mash the meat into it creating a slurry.

Create a slurry with enough water to cover.

 

STEP 3: I cook the slurry on medium heat until the meat is cooked, stirring often.

Cook the slurry over  medium heat, stirring often, until most of the pink is gone.

 

STEP 4: Once the meat is cooked, I use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked meat to the jars, and add some of the broth to the jar, leaving 1" headspace.  I use a wide-mouth funnel to insure the rim of the jar remains clean, I de-bubble, wipe the rim with vinegar, and then add the lid and the ring/band.  If I have broth remaining after filling the jars, I save it and use it the next time I need "broth".  

Some people add salt to the jar, I do not.  I also don't add seasoning because that limits how I can use it.

Use a slotted spoon and a funnel to fill the jars.

 

Follow the instructions on THIS PAGE regarding how to clean and secure the lids,  

STEP 5: I put the appropriate amount of water into the canner (3" for my canner), load the jars, and process them according to THIS PAGE. In the photo below, you can see that the buttons in the centers of the jar lids are sticking up.

Load the canner with the jars and the appropriate amount of water.

 

STEP 6: Process the jars according to THIS PAGE.  Do not forget to allow the steam to vent for 10 minutes before putting the weight on the lid.  If you forget, you will never get up to pressure.  I always add 5 minutes to whatever time they recommend as 'insurance'.

 

STEP 7: After the recommended amount of time, turn off the heat and allow the pressure to drop naturally.  My canner takes 25-28 minutes to drop to zero.  Remove the lid and carefully remove the jars.  Place them gently on a TOWEL so they don't crack.  Don't leave the jars in the canner once the pressure has come down or the seal may fail several months later (don't ask me how, but I found several sites confirming this).

One load of quart jars and one load of pint jars.

 

STEP 8: Let the jars cool overnight.  In the photo above, you might be able to see that the buttons in the centers of some of the jar lids are now concave.  This means the lid "sealed".  After the jars are removed from the canner, and as the jars cool, a vacuum will be created inside the jar pulling the lid down.  When the button in the center of the lid is pulled down, you will hear a ping/pop indicating the lid has sealed.  This sound is music to a canner's ears!

 

STEP 9: The next morning, remove the rings/bands and insure the lids are sealed by lifting each jar BY THE LID.  If the lid holds under the weight of the jar, it's sealed and can be stored in your basement or another cool dark place.  If the lid comes off, the seal wasn't strong enough and you will need to store that jar in the fridge and consume it within a week.

 

STEP 10: Store the jars WITHOUT THE RINGS!  If you store the jars with the rings, you will not know if the seal fails.  Without the ring, if the seal fails, the contents will bubble up and out of the jar.  It might make a mess but you won't die from eating contaminated food.  For this same reason, do not stack the jars - only one row of jars per shelf.

I label both the front and the top with the date, the source, type and amount of meat, and the processing time/pressure.

Label with date, source-type-amount of meat, and processing time+pressure

 

The reason I add the processing time/pressure is to reassure people that it was processed properly, and to alert myself if recommendations change.

I find that ground meat processed this way is tender, flavorful, and easy to use anywhere you don't need 'rare' meat.  I use it for meatballs and meatloaf, tacos, curry, chili, pasta sauce, fundito, casseroles,