Canning Sweet Potatoes

I have been waiting since I got the canner in June for sweet potatoes to go on sale for a price to make it worth canning.  Thanksgiving week, one store had them for $1.20 per pound in a five pound bag.  Everyone else was still advertising $2 per pound, and that was for the giant ones that you can't really use for canning.  This happens with every grocery item that gets trendy.  Celery used to be cheap until people started juicing it.  Now it's everything with a low glycemic index that has shot up faster than inflation can justify.

In a way, I'm glad it took this long to get to canning a root vegetable.  I've learned more about the science behind pressure canning.  Things that are dug up need special care to prevent botulism.  And before you freak out that all potatoes and carrots probably have botulism spores on them, remember that the toxins can only grow in an anaerobic environment.  Such as a canning jar.  This is why low acid foods must be pressure canned, and even some items that you can buy in the market cannot be safely canned at home.

As usual, I'm linking the NCHFP procedure for pressure canning.  Unlike most YouTube videos I've watched on the topic, I'm following the instructions.  The rebel canners have followed procedures close enough to be safe, but only Rose Red Homestead has done a video demonstration that follows it word for word - that I've found.  The only issue I have with the NCHFP is their guideline that it takes 11 pounds to make 9 pint jars.  I bought ten, expecting to get eight jars out of it plus a few slices for snacks.  Yeah, it only took six pounds to fill the jars.  I could have gotten out the rack and more jars, but I don't actually want any more jars of it than what I had planned.  So the rest of the par-cooked potatoes went in the freezer.  Spoiler alert, we're having sweet potatoes at Chrismukah.

It did take a long time to peel the potatoes after steaming.  I had put on the soundtrack to "Wicked" while they were steaming and I was cleaning the jars and setting up the canner.  By the time the second batch was steamed and I still wasn't done peeling the first five pounds, we were on to "Spamalot".  I did get better at it, but I was seriously starting to think that paying extra to buy commercially canned sweet potatoes wasn't such a bad deal.

Despite some siphoning, all of the jars sealed before I opened the canner.  I was having a terrible success rate with the wide mouth jars and thought I was doing something wrong, but all my regular mouth were sealing.  I opened a different box of lids for this project and that seems to be the issue.  I'll use the last few in the other box for something I don't mind freezing if they fail.  I'm almost out of the Kerr and Ball lids anyway, after which I'm switching to ForJars.  I bought a couple hundred of each on a gift card and BOGO sale.  I'm good for a while.

It is important to understand what the final product will be like when pressure canning.  It isn't like water bath, where you get a slightly more cooked version of whatever you put in.  This is like the Princella potatoes, only I made them with water instead to cut back on sugar.  That was the whole point of doing them myself instead of buying them.  These are the sweet potatoes you mash for casserole or pies.  They will not hold their shape unless you fry them gently in a dry pan.  They will be so soft that you may have to eat them with a spoon.  But they're excellent for turning into purée for soup.  If this is the texture you want, then canned sweet potatoes could be your choice.

Difficulty rating  :-0

Carrot and Chickpea Tart

I bought two pounds of carrots, then kept not using them for their intended purpose.  While they do store for an extended period in the fridge, I didn't want to test the limits.  So "chickpea flour" on the meal calendar turned into this instead of a socca.

I bought a steamer basket at an estate sale for $2.  They probably cost just a bit more than that new, but it was there and in really good shape.  Maybe had been used twice.  I definitely need one, so I can stop gumming up mesh strainers when I steam.  Steaming the carrots for this dish was its first adventure.

This recipe is a dirty dishes factory, even if you use an immersion blender instead of a food processor.  I knew that going in and just did the best I could.  You have been warned.

I'm including the recipe for the yogurt and feta sauce I had with it, but you could have it with anything, or even no sauce at all.  This tart would be great with a side of roasted vegetables, or as the side dish for fish or chicken.  I happened to have it with a green salad because Smart & Final was having some crazy sale on salad ingredients and I ended up with a week's worth for $2.  Meal plans are adaptable.

1 lb carrots
*3/4 C chickpea flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp curry powder
*1/2 C (about 2) chopped green onion
*1/4 C cilantro or parsley

1.  Peel carrots and trim off tops.  Chop into pieces and place in a steamer basket in a pot over 1" water.  Close lid, bring water to a boil over medium-high heat, and steam until easily pierced with a fork, about 20 minutes.  Remove carrots to cool and dry out a bit.

2.  Preheat oven to 350º and grease an 8" pie pan with oil or pan spray.

3.  Place carrots, salt, curry powder, green onion, and cilantro in a food processor and pulse into a slightly chunky paste.  I wanted this to have some texture, and for the herbs to be visible.  If you run it all the way, green and orange make brown, and I didn't want that.

4.  In a bowl (or back in the original steamer pot), stir together purée and chickpea flour into a paste.  Pat into the cake pan.  If you plan to fill the finished tart with a sauce or other topping, make a rim around the edges.  Bake until set, about 30 minutes.

5.  Allow tart to cool in pan about 10 minutes, to firm up a little, but remove it while still warm so the oil hasn't hardened yet.  If you want to serve this in one piece, a removable-bottom tart pan or springform might be a good choice.  None of mine were the right size, so I cut wedges.  Serve warm or room temperature, with a sauce if desired.

Yogurt & Feta sauce

1 C plain yogurt
*1/2 C crumbled feta cheese
*1/4 tsp celery salt
*1/4 tsp sumac
1/4 tsp cumin

1.  Stir together all ingredients while the tart is baking.  Rest in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Serves 4-6

Difficulty rating  :)

Pulled Pork Biscuit Sliders

So, I canned eight pounds of pork butt.  Now what?  I thought of making some into breakfast biscuit and gravy, which eventually evolved into this.

I decided to make these BBQ and cilantro, but you can totally use different flavors.  I found recipes that toast the split biscuits with cheese on them.  Some have just seasoned pulled pork with no sauce.  I thought I was out of BBQ sauce at first and almost used the Bibigo Korean sauce.  I'm out of sauce now, and really needed a bit more, but it's probably good that it isn't dripping everywhere.  You can go wild, also with any veggies you put on it.

While I did make the biscuits from scratch, and will repost the recipe from an earlier post here, a lot of the recipes I found used Grands.  I'm also going to post how to make the pulled pork, minus the whole pressure canning part.  Go ahead and use an Instant Pot if you have one.  Or open a can or two of shredded meat.  This day was largely about making an easy pantry meal for me.

Buttermilk Biscuits

2 C flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
*1/4 C cold shortening
*3/4 C buttermilk

1.  Preheat oven to 450º.  Line a baking sheet with parchment or a Silpat.

2.  In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Cut in shortening until it makes pea-sized flakes.

3.  Stir in buttermilk until almost combined.  It will make a wet, shaggy dough.  Knead gently several strokes, until uniform.

4.  Pat out into a rectangle 1/2" thick on the baking sheet.  With a knife or bench scraper, score the biscuits all the way down to the bottom.  I actually made 12 so they would be smaller, then saved the four corners for other uses.

5.  Bake 12-15 minutes, until lightly browned and set.  Cool on a rack, then break apart along the scoring lines.

Pulled Pork

1 lb pork butt or pork loin
salt to taste

A.  For stovetop, place meat in a saucepan slightly larger than the piece.  Sprinkle with salt and add one inch of water.  Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook at least 2 hours, until meat is falling apart when pricked with a fork.  If the water level dips, add as needed.

B.  For the oven, place meat in an oven-safe casserole.  Sprinkle with salt.  Add 1" of water.  Cover, either with a lid or foil.  Cook at 250º until fork-tender, about 2 hours.  Check the water level after an hour.

C.  For the slow cooker, place meat in cooker with 1" of water and sprinkle with salt.  Cook on low 6 hours or high for 3.

D.  For all pressure cookers, see manufacturer's instructions.

Once cooked and slightly cooled, shred with a fork.  Should produce 2-3 cups of meat.

Assembly

8 biscuits
2-3 C shredded meat
*1/4 C barbecue sauce
*1/2 C chopped cilantro
sliced onions or other sandwich garnishes

1.  In a pot, reheat meat with barbecue sauce and cilantro.

2.  Split biscuits and place on serving plate.

3.  Add meat to the bottom halves of the biscuits.  Top with onions or other favorite toppings.  Place biscuit top on the fillings and serve.

Difficulty rating  :-0 from scratch or π with premade biscuits and meat

Zaalouk

I went down another recipe rabbit hole after discovering a Moroccan brand of pouch meals.  Mina has a vegan harira that I might try, and a few other dishes I hadn't heard of and googled.  That led to Moroccan recipe blogs, and of course an entry will be linked to good things to serve it with.  This cooked salad from Salima's Kitchen sounded like something I've probably had at a Moroccan restaurant, so I decided to give it a try.

I find it interesting that Mediterranean cuisines often consider cooked vegetables to be salads.  American salads are almost always primarily raw foods.  Even when you think of something like tuna or egg salad, only the proteins have been cooked, and they're still served cold.  These salads can be served hot, what we would consider a vegetable side dish.

If you aren't an eggplant person, zucchini is a reasonable substitute, or a summer squash.  I really liked this and will probably make it for Passover if it goes with whatever menu I develop.

1 large eggplant, peeled and chopped into cubes
*1 15 oz can diced tomatoes (or 3 Roma tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped)
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tb fresh parsley, chopped
2 Tb fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tsp kosher salt (or to taste)
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
2 Tb olive oil
3/4 C water
1 tsp white wine vinegar

1.  I don't remember ever peeling an eggplant before, but it does work better for this recipe.  To reduce oxidation, I poured the water over the cubes as they went in the bowl.

2.  While you're busy peeling and dicing said eggplant, heat the oil in a large skillet or saucepan over medium heat.  Add the paprika, cumin, salt, and garlic and cook into a fragrant paste, about 3 minutes.

3.  Add eggplant cubes and the water to the pot and toss to coat with the spices.  If using fresh tomato, add that at the same time.  Cover and cook until eggplant is broken down, about 20 minutes.  Mash, either with a fork or a potato masher.

4.  If using canned tomatoes, add after the eggplant is cooked, including the sauce.  Also add in the parsley and cilantro at this point.  Stir in the vinegar and bring back up to a simmer.  If desired, mash again into a smoother dip.  You can also leave it somewhat chunky.  If too thin, remove lid and allow the liquids to reduce.  If too thick, add more water.  Taste and adjust seasonings.

5.  Serve either hot or cold, with crusty bread if desired.

Difficulty rating  :)

Quinoa Dolmades

I'm not a huge fan of rice dolmades (or dolmas).  Something tends to be not right in the consistency half the time, or maybe the way the rice reacts with the herbs.  I thought I'd give a different filling a try, using quinoa to make it lower carb and a vegan protein.

It could have gone a little better, but I did get over half of them to stay wrapped.  Quinoa doesn't have any sticking power, unlike rice and most grains.  It's a seed, like sesame seeds or chia.  At least chia develops that gummy exterior.  The taste, however, was what I was expecting.  The nutrition level was exactly what I wanted it to be.  There are numerous recipes that turn this idea into a salad with finely chopped grape leaves, and that may be a better idea if I were to try this again.

Also, I have a ton of grape leaves left.  The jar I bought had approximately 90 leaves in it.  The jar that had the 30 I wanted cost twice as much.  Fine, whatever, I'll find a use for them.  I topped off the brine with vinegar and stuck the jar in the fridge.  I might try to wrap tamales with them.  It will probably require two leaves each, so there you go.

3/4 C dry quinoa
1/2 tsp kosher salt
*1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried oregano
*1/2 tsp dried mint
*1/2 tsp dill weed
*1 C kalamata olives, minced
about 30 grape leaves
*1 orange or lemon, thinly sliced

1.  Rinse quinoa well.  Add it and 1 C of water to a small saucepan.  Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook 10 minutes.  Set aside to cool, and it should absorb the remaining water.  It's ok if it isn't fully cooked.  You want it to expand more in the wrappers.

2.  Rinse grape leaves very well.  I rinsed, then left them in a container of hot water while I was working.

3.  In a bowl, mix together quinoa, chopped olives, salt, and herbs.

4.  Line a large saucepan or soup pot with a few grape leaves.  On a work surface, lay one leaf shiny-side down.  You want to see all the veins on the inside part.  Cut off the stem if still attached.

5.  Spoon a generous tablespoon of quinoa onto the center of the leaf.  Fold in the sides, then roll from the stem end to the point.  Place, point-side down, in the pot.  Continue until the rolls are tightly packed.  Cover with orange slices and a few more leaves, then start another layer.

6.  Once all the quinoa is rolled, fill the pot with water to cover.  They float, so you may have to place a plate over them to keep them under water.  Bring to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes.

7.  When I took the plate off and there was quinoa floating, I knew there were fails.  Still, it was a lot.  Gently remove the rolls from the water and place on a serving plate.  Can be served hot or cold, with any sauce of your choice or a squeeze of lemon.

Makes about 30

Difficulty rating  :)