Pumpkin Cornmeal Pancakes from 1749

Each year we take our fourth graders to Old Salem, a small village and living history museum in the larger city of Winston-Salem.  On our tour, the students get to take part in a variety of activities using traditional eighteenth century methods such as cooking, painting, making pottery, and carding wool.  This year we took our trip in the fall, and the students got to cook small pumpkin cornmeal pancakes adapted from a recipe from 1749.  The pancakes were creamy on the inside, crunchy on the outside, slightly sweetened, and dusted with cinnamon sugar (which the docent pointed out would not have been traditional since sugar would have been an expensive resource).  

The students loved making the pancakes, with each student adding a different ingredient to the mix, and the entire group took turns whisking the egg whites with a whisk made of small twigs.  They cooked their pancakes, with the help of the docent, in melted butter in a spider pan over hot, burning coals.  The students then had the opportunity to sample their creations along with a little apple juice from a cold pewter mug.  Even though the pancakes are not overly sweet like snacks students are accustomed to today, there was not a single piece of pancake left on a plate in the end.  The students enjoyed them, and I did too, and it was made all the more special by the fact that they created the pancakes themselves.  

These pancakes are a perfect fall treat, slightly sweetened and spiced.  We will be recreating them at home tonight.  We will not be dusting them with cinnamon sugar but will instead drizzle them with a little warm maple syrup.  A few slices of bacon will round out a quick and easy fall breakfast-for-dinner, and while I'm sure they won't be quite as tasty as they were prepared in an eighteenth century kitchen over hot coals, they will still hit the spot.  

Pumpkin Cornmeal Pancakes- makes nine 3-inch pancakes or 4-5 larger ones

The recipe we were given at Old Salem stated that this was adapted from Peter Kalm's Travel Accounts, 1749.  When the students made them, they made small three-inch pancakes, and we did not use all of the milk.  I am including the recipe below as it was given to us.  

1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup mashed pumpkin
1 egg
3/4 cup sweet milk
butter

Mix dry ingredients in a medium bowl.  Separate the egg.  Beat the yolk until creamy and the white until the color of snow.  Add milk, pumpkin, and yolk to the dry ingredients.  Fold in the whites.  Add more milk to make a thin pancake batter. Cook pancakes on both sides in butter until nicely browned.  Serve hot sprinkled with cinnamon sugar.   

Printable Version

Penne with Chicken, Green Beans, and Roasted Tomatoes

Green beans are still coming in from the garden.  We picked some just yesterday, but as the temperatures cool and the leaves fall, their numbers are dwindling.  I thought I would share one final recipe to help celebrate the last of these.  Soon, fresh green beans will be just a memory (until next year).  

Let me begin by apologizing for the less than ideal pictures.  They were taken quickly, in poor lighting, and with a poor camera. Focus on the pasta, not on the skills (or lack thereof) of the photographer.  

This pasta is perfect for this time of year when summer produce isn't quite finished, but you are ready for some warm, gooey comfort food.  It is creamy and cheesy, nicely flavored with herbs, and filled with tender chunks of chicken, slightly crisp green beans, and chewy roasted tomatoes.  It also reheats well, although it will not be quite as creamy the second time around.  

If you roast your own tomatoes in the summer, this is the perfect way to use them.  If not, store-bought sun dried tomatoes will work.  Just drain them well if packed in oil or rehydrate them if using the dry packed tomatoes in the bags.  Also, this recipe, as is, only makes a 9x9 baking dish which serves 2-4 people.  If you wish to make more, just double the ingredients and bake it in a 9x13 pan.  

I fully intend on making this dish in the fall and winter with broccoli, cauliflower, or Brussels sprouts, so by no means should you feel boxed in by green beans if they are finished for the year where you live.  

Penne with Chicken, Green Beans, and Roasted Tomatoes-  serves 2-4 

I cooked the chicken for this dish separately and ahead of time.  I seasoned one large chicken breast with a little salt and pepper and a sprinkling of Herbes de Provence.  Rosemary and a little thyme would work well also.  I grilled the chicken until just cooked through. I then chopped it in bite sized pieces.  You could use any cooked chicken in this dish.

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cooked and chopped (see note above) 

1 onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 tsp garlic, minced
1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 1/2 cup fresh green beans, trimmed and cut in 1 inch pieces
4 oz roasted tomatoes (or sun dried), chopped
8 oz penne pasta
2 oz mozzarella, shredded
2 Tbsp Pecorino Romano, grated
1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
1 Tbsp butter, melted

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a 9x9 baking dish with cooking spray.  Combine breadcrumbs and butter in a bowl and set aside.  Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Once boiling, add the pasta and cook until just al dente.  In the last two minutes of pasta cooking time, add the green beans and boil until crisp tender.  Drain the pasta and beans in a colander and set aside.  

Return the empty pasta pot to the heat and add the olive oil on medium heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent.  Add the garlic and thyme and cook 1 minute.  Add the flour, salt, and pepper, and whisk to combine.  Whisk in the stock and cream and heat until the mixture boils and begins to thicken.  Remove from the heat and stir in the red wine vinegar.  Stir in the cooked chicken, pasta, green beans, chopped roasted tomatoes, and mozzarella cheese.  Stir to combine.  

Pour the mixture into your prepared pan.  Top with the seasoned, buttered breadcrumb mixture. Sprinkle Pecorino Romano cheese over the breadcrumbs.  Bake for 15-20 minutes until bubbly and brown on top.

Printable Version


 

Using What's Been Put Up: Skillet Apple Crumble

One of the most convenient items to have on hand is canned pie filling.  You can make any number of desserts quickly by simply popping the lid off the jar and topping the filling with some type of crumble or crust.  Whether it's Spiced Peach Crisp made with Cardamom Peach Pie Filling or this Skillet Apple Crumble made with Apple Pie Filling, crisps and crumbles are my favorites because the toppings are so easy to put together.  You can have a great, homemade dessert ready for the oven in minutes.  

This dessert can be made from scratch if you don't have canned apple pie filling on hand, but if you don't have any, you should really make some very soon before apple season ends.  The filling is perfectly spiced, just gooey enough without being too thick, and the apples (if you use a baking variety) hold their shape nicely.  The crumble topping is easy to make and requires items you probably have on hand.  I will warn you that this dessert has a high ratio of crumble to filling.  I like it that way so that you get a fair amount of topping in every bite, and while I am making it in a skillet, it can certainly be made in a pie pan lined with a crust.  In that case, it would be more like a Dutch apple pie.

If you don't have the pie filling on hand, use the 1 quart recipe from National Center for Home Food Preservation and skip the canning step.  You just may need to blanch your apples slightly longer so that they cook through during baking.  If you want to make more, use the 7 quart recipe from that site or my slightly altered version below.  The crumb topping recipe comes from Cook's Illustrated, and even though it requires two baking periods, it is well worth the extra minutes.  The topping stays crisp and crumbly on this dessert without turning to mush in the filling.    

Skillet Apple Crumble- makes a 10 inch skillet dessert or pie

1 jar apple pie filling
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 Tbsp cornmeal
7 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  

Spoon apple pie filling into a cast iron skillet or baking dish.  

In a bowl, combine the flour, sugars, and cornmeal.  Drizzle the melted butter into the dry ingredients, and toss with a fork to moisten until large, pea-sized crumbs form.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the crumbs in an even layer on the baking sheet.  Bake the crumbs 5 minutes until golden brown.  Cool several minutes until cool enough to touch.  

Sprinkle the crumbs over the pie filling.  Bake another 10 minutes until deep golden brown.  Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream.  

Printable Version  

Concord Grape Jam

Can you make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich without grape jelly or jam?  Sure, other flavors like strawberry are okay, but nothing compares to grape.  It just works best.  At least that's the consensus at my house. 

That being said, when you start to make your own jellies and jams, it is difficult to make a sandwich (or anything else using jam, for that matter) with anything other than homemade.  I had been putting off making grape jelly because I just don't like the process of making jelly (too time consuming and laborious for me), but that also meant I was constantly having to consider purchasing grape jelly in the supermarket.  

Grape pulp with seeds

I usually didn't which led to many inferior sandwiches.  That is, until I decided to try grape jam instead.  If you've never tried grape jam, you must.  Like right away.  It is so easy, sets beautifully, and has a great consistency.  Jelly-like but with a little more texture, it does not have chunks of grape as peach would have chunks. Instead the grapes are pressed through a sieve to achieve the proper consistency.  

Grape skins ready to be ground in food processor

Grape pulp being pushed through a chinois to remove seeds

Since making this jam, it is a little scary to admit that we have already eaten two jars.  This jam can also be used in any number of desserts where jam would be appropriate.  Thumbprint cookies, jam filled muffins, oatmeal jam bars (I will try to post a recipe for these soon)...the list could go on and on.

Concord Grape Jam- makes approximately 9 half-pints

4 pounds Concord grapes (other varieties will work also)
1 cup water
7 cups granulated sugar
1 box powdered pectin (1.75 oz)

Prepare canner, jars, and lids.  Sort, wash, and remove stems from four pounds of grapes.  

Squeeze the skins off the grapes, and separate skins and pulp into separate bowls.  

Place pulp (will still contain seeds at this point) in a medium pot with 1 cup water.  Bring the mixture to a boil, cover, and simmer 5 minutes.  Press the pulp mixture through a fine mesh sieve or chinois (conical strainer on a stand with a pestle) to separate the pulp from the seeds and to break the pulp down.  Set aside.  

In a food processor, puree all or part of the grape skins.  The amount you use is up to you and the color you hope to achieve (I used about 2 cups skins measured before pureeing).  Press the pureed skins through the sieve into the prepared pulp.  

Place the prepared grape mixture in a large, heavy bottomed pot.  Add the pectin and stir to combine.  Bring the mixture to a boil.  Once boiling, quickly add the sugar and stir to combine.  Stirring constantly, bring the mixture to a full rolling boil.  Boil for 1 minute.  

Remove the jam from the heat.  Using a clean spoon, skim the foam from the top of the jam.  Ladle the jam into prepared jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace.  Wipe jar rims and top each with a prepared lid and ring.  Process jars 5 minutes in a boiling water bath adjusting for altitude as needed (increase processing time 1 minute for each 1000 feet).  Remove jars from the canner to a clean towel to cool completely before checking seals, labeling, and storing. 

Printable Version

Apple Pie in a Jar

I love fall!  I say this every year.  Fall is the best season by far.  With its deep warm colors, comforting aromas, and cool crisp days, there is nothing like it.  Though it is technically not fall yet, to me fall arrives with the apples.  Each year my husband and I watch the websites of apple orchards in the mountains, and as soon as we know they are picking the varieties we want, we head up there.  Our first trip always yields an abundance of Honeycrisp apples which are perfectly sweet and tangy with a great crunch, but I also pick up apples for making goodies.  

We enjoy having canned pie filling on hand, so I decided to make some apple this year.  I picked up a peck of gala apples which hold their shape nicely when baked.  With some of those apples, I made four quarts of pie filling just to test the recipe.  We loved it and will definitely be making more as soon as we can get our hands on more baking apples. 

The filling is thick, gooey, and spicy and uses Clear Jel to set.  The filling is a little frustrating to get into the jars.  I ladled it in and then used a spoon to gently fill in the holes as I went.  Try to remove as many air bubbles as possible, but inevitably some will probably remain.  Don't worry about a few.  

If you have never purchased Clear Jel, you must purchase it online.  Supermarkets do not carry it.  I get mine from Kitchen Krafts, but you can also purchase it from Amazon and other sources.  The great thing about it once you purchase a bag is that it can be used when making pies from scratch as well as in other places where thickeners are needed like sauces, gravies, etc.  It is worth the purchase.  Also, this is one of those times where your jar really matters.  I found that the wide mouth jars were much easier to pack than the regular mouth.  If regular is all you have that is fine though.  It will all work the same in the end.  

The recipe below makes 7 quarts.  If you wish to make less, the calculations per jar can be found at NCHFP.  This recipe comes from that site.  I did use the recommendations from another blog (Hickery Holler Farm) to use some white sugar and some brown, and I also used apple cider rather than apple juice because that was what I had on hand.  I am adding those modifications into the recipe below.  Even though it is safe alter the type of sugar or change the quantities or types of spices, do not alter the Clear Jel or lemon juice. 

Canned Apple Pie Filling- makes 7 quarts

6 quarts good quality baking apples, peeled and sliced 1/2 inch wide

4 cups white sugar

1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar

1 1/2 cups Clear Jel

1 Tablespoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

2 1/2 cups water

5 cups apple cider (or juice)

3/4 cup bottled lemon juice

Prepare your canner.  Sterilize and warm jars, lids, and rings.  As you peel and slice apples, keep them submerged in cool water with added lemon juice or ascorbic acid to prevent browning.  

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Boil the apple slices for 1 minute in batches.  Drain fruit and set aside. 

In a large pot, combine white sugar, brown sugar, Clear Jel, spices, water, and apple cider.  Stir and cook on medium high heat until the mixture thickens and begins to bubble.  Add lemon juice and boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Fold in the drained apple slices, and immediately fill jars with mixture leaving 1 inch headspace.  It is easiest to fill jars a little at a time so that you can use a utensil to gently push the filling into the jars to remove air bubbles as you go.  Once jars are filled, use a bubble remover to remove any remaining air bubbles and to fill any pockets created in the jars.  

Wipe the rims of the jars.  Top each with a lid and ring.  Process jars in a boiling water bath for 25 minutes (for pints or quarts).  Remember to adjust accordingly if you live above 1,000 feet.  Remove jars from the canner and allow to cool completely before checking seals, labeling, and storing. 

Printable Version

Grape Juice Concentrate

I recently found myself with more Concord grapes than I knew what to do with.  I had purchased them to make grape jam (more on that later) because apparently, according to my household, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich just isn't the same with strawberry jam.  I believe this to be true also, and since I had been eating a lot of peanut butter and jelly at work (due to my lack of motivation to pack anything else), I figured grape jam would be an important addition to the pantry.  

Finished juice with a jar of concentrate in the background.  The concentrated juice darkens and becomes more flavorful over the course of about a week after canning.

Anyway, I bought too many grapes.  They were inexpensive, and since I never really have access to local grapes, I got a little carried away.  I wanted to find something easy and quick to do with the excess, and grape juice sounded like a good idea, but I really didn't want to go through the lengthy process of cooking the grapes, straining them, refrigerating them, filtering them, etc.  So, I looked around until I came across a great method for making grape juice using raw packed fresh grapes, sugar, and water.  

This method is really nothing more than canning whole grapes in a sugar syrup with the exception that you do not fill the entire jar with grapes and you add the sugar and water separately.  You can alter the amount of sugar you use, but make sure to use enough to counter the tartness of the grapes.  

You fill the jars with fresh, raw grapes, pour desired amount of sugar into the jar, and cover with boiling water.  As the jars are processed in a boiling water bath, the heat and pressure cause the grapes to split open and flavor the water.  When removed from the canner, this process will have started, but the longer the jars sit, the darker the juice gets.  If you allow it to sit for about a week, you will have a very flavorful concentrated liquid which you can then strain through cheesecloth.  Just add fresh water to this concentrate, and you have a very tasty juice.  The finished juice is sweet (but not too sweet), slightly tangy, and very refreshing.  If you prefer a weaker juice (something more akin to flavored water) simply add more water when mixing.  Either way it is delicious.   

Juice just after canning.  Notice that it is not dark yet and the sugar has not dissolved. 

A few important notes...

• I chose to double the quantity of grapes and sugar to create a concentrate so that every time I open a quart of grapes, I can actually get around 2 quarts of juice.  I also wanted to minimize the number of quart jars I had to store.  If you prefer to make a juice that simply needs to be strained before using, use only half the grapes and sugar.  At that point, simply strain and serve (no additional water is needed). 
• Make sure you keep cheesecloth or a fine mesh strainer on hand to remove seeds and skins from your juice, and make sure you clean your grapes exceptionally well before adding them to your jars in the beginning.  There can sometimes be debris on the grapes that you don't easily notice while washing, and this can result in pieces of debris in your juice before straining.  Just wash your grapes really well.   
• Just after processing your jars, you will notice a layer of sugar on the bottom of each.  This will dissolve over the course of the next week.  Just shake or invert your jars gently several times during the days after processing to help the sugar dissolve quicker.  
• I read somewhere (I can't remember where) that if you put a knife or metal utensil gently inside each jar as you fill it with hot water that the utensil will absorb a lot of the heat helping prevent the jar from breaking.  Even though you should be using hot jars when packing and filling, it's not a bad idea to give this a shot anyway if you are worried about jars cracking from temperature changes.  Could be true, could be an old wives' tale.  

This recipe makes 1 quart of juice concentrate.  Just increase the quantities as needed for the number of quarts you wish to make.  The idea/method for making this juice came from Thy Hand Hath Provided.  The method is essentially the same as the method for canning whole grapes from National Center for Home Food Preservation.  The only difference is that you are not completely packing your jars with grapes, and you are using the juice rather than the grapes in the finished product.  

 
Grape Juice Concentrate-  makes 1 qt of concentrate/2 qts finished juice

You will need 4-5 pounds (approximately 14 cups whole grapes) to make a canner load of 7 quarts of concentrate.

2 cups whole grapes, washed well with stems removed
2/3 cup sugar 
2 pints boiling water

Sterilize and prepare quart jars for canning.  Soak lids in boiling water.  In each sterilized jar, place 2 cups whole grapes.  Cover with 2/3 cup sugar.  Add boiling water to cover leaving 1 inch headspace.  Wipe the rim of each jar before topping with a sterilized lids and rings.  Process each jar in a boiling water bath for 20 minutes.  Remove jars and allow to cool completely before checking seals.  

To use the Concentrate:  Strain the contents of 1 quart jar through cheesecloth or a fine mesh strainer (to remove seeds and skins) into a clean vessel.  Add 1 quart fresh water (you can add even more for a weaker juice).  Stir and serve chilled.    

Printable Version


 

Speckled Limas Beans

Have you ever ended up buying and going home with something you really shouldn't have?  I have...many times.   

The other day I was walking up to pay for my basket of produce at the farmers market, not intending to preserve anything that week, when a basket of speckled lima beans caught my eye.  Having never put up lima beans and noticing that they had a pretty low price tag, I snapped up a half bushel, not really knowing how I would use them or if we would enjoy them this winter.  I just couldn't help myself.  I think it had something to do with the fact that they were purple and polka-dotty. 

At first I regretted buying them because they meant so much work.  Shelling, washing, sorting, and blanching take time, you know?  But the more I think about it, the more I wonder why I have never frozen limas before, and to be honest, they really weren't that much trouble to put up in the first place.  Now, I'm excited to use them in soups throughout the winter, and I imagine I will be able to cook them the same way I do field peas.

So, this year we'll be eating frozen limas, and we'll see, come inventory time, how much we really enjoyed them.  You never know, it may just start a new tradition.  

By the way, that same shopping trip also ended up with me buying another 25 pounds of Roma tomatoes, which I truly did regret and ended up crushing and canning just so I wouldn't have to think about them anymore.  I will use them, I'm sure, but that was just a case of my eyes being bigger than my canning stamina.  

Freezing Speckled Lima Beans- 1/2 bushel makes 6-7 quarts frozen beans

A half bushel (15 pounds unshelled limas) ended up giving me 6 1/2 quarts of frozen beans.  The speckled beans do lose some of their color and detail upon blanching, but they remain pretty none the less. They do require several rounds of washing to get them really clean and free of debris.  Do not skip this step.  Otherwise you will be eating dirt (yuck!).  

1/2 bushel unshelled lima beans
boiling water
ice bath

Shell the beans and wash them thoroughly.  Drain the beans and wash again as needed, until the beans are free of debris.  Place the beans, in batches, in a large pot of boiling water.  Blanch the beans for 3 minutes.  Remove the beans with a slotted spoon or mesh strainer, and place the beans in an ice bath to cool.  Once cooled completely, drain the beans and place in freezer bags leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Label and freeze for later use.