Habanero Peach Hot Sauce

I grew some habanero peppers this year, an impulsive nursery purchase for which I had no plan.  So they grew and grew and I began to accumulate them as I harvested, not knowing what to do.  After one mouth-burning salsa that determined that I wouldn't be eating them raw, I decided to try my hand at cooking hot sauce.  It turned out quite well: insanely spicy, but not without flavor.  Now I just have to figure out what I'll use the hot sauce for...

Ingredients:
- 6 habanero peppers (I used them when they were orange-- hotter-- but you could use green ones, too)
- 1 peach
- 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 c. water
- 1 tbsp olive oil

- Skin and dice the peach, chop up the pepper (wearing gloves!!!), and combine in a food processor, blending until smooth.
- Combine the puree with all other ingredients in a small sauce pan.
- Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes.
- Allow to cool and then refrigerate.

That's all!  Enjoy!

Let's Get Pickled!

I have had quite the bounty of cucumbers this year.  Perhaps I was a little overzealous in my planting after last year's early August cucumber death, but at least I've had plenty to work with for experimenting.  Refrigerator pickles are quick, easy, and pretty hard to mess up.  You can play around with the ingredients and proportions and the worst that will happen is an underwhelming pickle.  I've had more success than failure and have enjoyed every bite either way.  Here, from left to right, are Spicy Mustard, Cornichons, Dill, Habanero, and Basil pickles.

I grew an heirloom variety of cucumbers called Parisian Pickling.  These are great as they can be picked at any size, most notably when they are quite small to be made into Cornichons, those delicious little cocktail pickles.  However, I found that these cucumbers were also sublime when left to grow to full size.  They were crisp, light, mildly sweet, with tender skin and seeds.  And obviously plentiful.  Their only drawback was the burps.  I seemed to have two variations of burps, (perhaps some seed contamination?): fewer, larger burps that were easily pushed off with a thumb or cucumbers that were absolutely covered in tiny little spines that needed rubbing off with a cloth, (those in the upper right in the photo).  Either way, they were worth the additional effort and I plan on growing them again next year.

On to the recipes!  All of these recipes can be made with any shape of pickles.  The main variable is how long it will take the flavor to saturate the cucumber: round slices are the fastest, followed by spears, and whole pickles will take significantly longer.  Simmering the liquid (and dissolving any salt) will make the cucumbers pickle faster but putting everything in cold will result in slightly crisper, greener pickles.  All recipes can be increased or decreased for the desired size of jar.  Make sure the liquid covers the cucumbers: if you're a little short, go ahead and add a little water to the jar.

Spicy Mustard Pickles (for 1 pint):

- 3 tbsp whole grain mustard

- 2 tsp kosher or sea salt

- 2 tsp red pepper flakes

- 1/4 tsp fennel seed, crushed

- 1 c. water

- 1/2 c. white vinegar

- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

- Add all ingredients to a small sauce pan and simmer just until the salt is dissolved.

- Pack your jar with clean pickled (I used sliced).

- Pour the hot mixture into the jar.

- Replace the lid and allow to come to room temperature.

- Refrigerate for 3-10 days.

Dill Pickles (for 1 quart):

- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

- 1 tbsp salt

- 1/2 tsp fennel seeds, crushed

- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

- 1 tsp black pepper corns

- 1 tsp dill seed (optional)

- 2 garlic cloves, sliced

- 1 1/2 c. water

- 1 1/2 c. white vinegar

- a whole bunch of fresh dill

- Combine all ingredients except for the fresh dill into a small sauce pan and simmer until the salt is dissolved.

- Pack the bottom of the jar with a large handful of fresh dill.

- Pack the cucumbers (I used spears) into the jar.

- Top the cucumbers with even more(!) fresh dill.  You can't have enough dill.

- Pour the hot mixture (or allow it to cool to luke warm) into the jar.

- Cover the jar and allow it to come to room temperature before refrigerating for 3-10 days.

Basil Pickles (for 1 pint):

- about 1 dozen large basil leaves

- 1 clove garlic, sliced

- 1 tbsp kosher or sea salt

- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

- water

- Put all ingredients except the water into the bottom of the jar.

- Add cucumbers (sliced highly recommended).

- Fill the rest of the jar with cold water.

- Put the lid on and shake the jar.

- Refrigerated for 5 days.  While they will last longer, I found the flavor of these to be at their peak between 5 and 25 days.

Cornichons (for 1 pint):

- 1 tsp fennel seed, crushed

- 1 tsp black peppercorns

- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

- 1 clove garlic, sliced

- 2 tsp kosher or sea salt

- 1/2 c. white vinegar

- 1 c. water

- Add all ingredients to a small sauce pan and simmer just until the salt is dissolved.

- Pack your jar with small cucumbers.

- Pour the hot mixture into the jar.

- Replace the lid and allow to come to room temperature.

- Refrigerate for 7 days.

Habanero Pickles (for 1 quart):

- 1 habanero (don't even think about putting in another)

- 1 tbsp salt

- 1 tsp ground black pepper

- 1 clove garlic, sliced

- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

- 1 c. white vinegar

- 2 c. water

- Pack your jar with cucumbers, (I recommend sliced as they are quite spicy).

- Combine all ingredients and pour them on top of the cucumbers.

- Replace the lid and refrigerate for 3 days.

All pickles should last in the refrigerator for at least 2 months, though I doubt you'll be able to keep them around that long.  Feel free to play with different herbs and spices and adjust the saltiness to your own preference.  Pickling cucumbers can be found at most farmers markets and regular cucumbers can also be used.

Enjoy!

P.S.  It's my 100th post!  Yay!

Deviled Eggplants

Have you ever wondered why we call them eggplants when they don't really look like eggs?  We may be more familiar with the dark purple aubergines that tend to grace grocery store shelves, but there are indeed some that are truer to their namesake.  These 'Ghostbuster' eggplants from my garden are a great example, with some shorter varieties appearing even more egg-like.

I may hate eggs, but I sure do love eggplant.  When all of the other summer produce is crying out to be eaten fresh, eggplant is full of opportunities to bake, saute, grill, and broil to your heart's content.

These 'deviled eggplants' are simply delicious.  Though baked and filled with rich lamb meat, the flavor profile keeps them summery.  Be sure to pick smaller eggplants with tender skin: go for the pale purple, marbled, or white eggplants instead of the deep purple.  With their thinner skin and lack of bitterness, they didn't require any special treatment.  If shopping in a grocery store where only dark purple are available, look for the smallest, youngest eggplants.

Ingredients (Serves 2-4, depending on sides):
- 2 eggplants (about 6-8" long)
- 1/3 c. died sweet onion
- 1/4 lb. ground lamb
- 1/4 c. chopped parsley
- 1 egg
- 1/2 c. greek yogurt (nonfat)
- dashes of salt, black pepper, and cumin to taste (1/4 tsp each, to start)
- panko bread crumbs
- olive oil

Directions:
- Slice the eggplants in half lengthwise and scoop out the interior, leaving about 1/4" around the edge.
- Dice the scooped out eggplant and set aside.
- In a large skillet, add a scant drizzle of olive oil and the onions.
- Sautee until the onions for about 3 minutes, then add the lamb and seasonings.
- Stir to break up the lamb and brown it, then add the eggplant.
- Sautee the mixture for about 5 minutes, then add a few tablespoons water to deglaze the bottom.
- Continue to cook until the eggplant is tender.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the egg together with the yogurt and parsley.
- Stir the yogurt mixture into the meat mixture until evenly combined and cook just another two minutes.
- Sprinkle the inside of the eggplant shells with a dash of salt then spoon the mixture into them, mounding it a bit on top to use it all.
- Sprinkle the top of the eggplants evenly with the panko and add a very light drizzle of olive oil.
- Bake the eggplants in the oven for 30 minutes at 350.
- Serve immediately.

I served this with a light simple salad of tomato, cucumber, and onion flavored with fresh parsley, dill, olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Easily multiplied to serve a crowd, these can be prepared earlier in the day for easy hosting.  Simply make the filling, stuff the eggplants, cover, and refrigerate.  Add the panko and put them un the oven, allowing a little extra time since they are now chilled.

Enjoy!

Summer Vegetables and Socca

I experimented with growing carrots this year.  I selected an heirloom variety called 'Parisian Market', which are small round carrots that grow to about 1-2" in diameter.  Overall it was a success and I had quite the bounty of delicious, sweet carrots.  I did, however, learn that my soil is a bit rockier than I realized.  This led to some rather unusual carrots being pulled from the ground...

Next year I'll try my carrot cultivation in pots to avoid this (and make weeding easier), but until then I'll have a bit of added humor on my plate.

I wanted to keep my preparation simple, so I tossed these carrots and some zucchini with olive oil, cumin, and salt.  I roasted them until tender (you may want to start the carrots ahead of the zucchini) and served them alongside fresh spinach sauteed with garlic and some slices of socca flavored with rosemary.    Nothing fancy here, but it was a very satisfying meal.

Enjoy!