This is a terrific fall dessert, easy, tasty and healthy to boot. It's just the thing to serve the family on a cold, windy evening after you have returned from the apple orchard/pumpkin patch with a huge bag of apples and a bottle of cider. Must have cider. It calls for 1/4 cup grenadine syrup.
According to Wikipedia, my all purpose reference source, grenadine is a non-alcoholic syrup that used to be made with pomegranate juice, sugar and water. Now it's made with evil, high-fructose corn syrup, and a bunch of chemicals, so as far as I'm concerned, you can just leave it out. That's what I did because I forgot to buy some, but hey, it was a good move.
You may want to know what barely tender means and how would you know when the apples are barely tender. The point is, you don't want the apples to get mushy. So stick an apple slice with a knife before you put it in the cider to see how it feels. You want it to be just a little softer than that. So stick the knife in after the apples have been poaching for three or four minutes. They should allow the knife to go in somewhat more easily.
Cider Apples
4 cups cider
6 whole cloves
1 two inch piece cinnamon stick
2 slices fresh ginger root
6 apples, peeled, cored and cut into three-quarter-inch slices
1/4 cup grenadine syrup
1 1/2 teaspoons arrowroot
1. Combine the cider, cloves, cinnamon stick and ginger root in a saucepan, bring to a boil and simmer fifteen minutes. (If you prefer sweet desserts, one half cup sugar, or more to taste, can be added to the cider mixture.)
2. Add the apple slices and poach until barely tender. Remove apple slices to a serving dish and keep warm.
3. Add the grenadine to the cider syrup and boil to reduce the quantity by half. (If you aren't using grenadine, you honestly can leave this step out. The syrup will be a little less syrupy, but, so what?) Strain the syrup, measure it and then thicken with one and one-half teaspoons arrowroot mixed with a little cold water for each cup of the syrup. Pour over the apples. Serves six.
Friday, October 12, 2012
Brunswick Stew
This is a good recipe for the fall. It also can be set on the stove to simmer while the cook goes about her business elsewhere. The ingredients are not exotic or extremely expensive, although you do have to make sure you have them.
Its origins are obscure. It might come from Brunswick County, Virginia or from Brunswick, Georgia. The explanation I like best is was provided by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, the author of the famous young people's book, The Yearling, who said it may have come from Braunschweig, Germany and was said to have been a favorite of Queen Victoria. So you can tell your guests you are feeding them the food of royalty. There are several different recipes for Brunswick stew, some containing squirrel, rabbit, etc. This one is just chicken, ma'am.
Our freezer is like the black hole of Calcutta, so I failed to look carefully enough for frozen corn. I had to leave it out. The recipe may be gluten-free, but I'm not sure about Worcestershire sauce, so make sure. It was enjoyed at the party and even provided leftovers.
It is kind of a "few hours before" recipe, because the chicken has to be cooked. Bob went to Whole Foods on Saturday morning and bought a free range chicken to get a jump on things. When I came back from riding, the chicken had already finished simmering on the stove.
We were actually able to finish cooking, take showers, (a good thing in my case. No one wants to sit down to dinner wondering if there is a horse lurking in the kitchen.), and sit down for a minute before the guests got there.
This dish may seem bland to today's taste buds. The salt and pepper goes into the water to cook the chicken, and since you are using the broth in the stew, it may be salty enough. Taste it before you bring it to the table.
Brunswick Stew
1 three pound chicken, cut into serving pieces
8 cups fresh or canned chicken broth (or use half chicken broth and half water)
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup diced uncooked bacon
1 cup chopped onions
2 cups peeled ripe tomatoes or one one pound-three-ounce can tomatoes, drained
2 cups peeled, diced raw potatoes
2 cups fresh baby lima beans or one ten-ounce package frozen (You may have to do what I did and resort to canned limas, since the Safeway in Potomac didn't seem to have frozen limas.)
2 cups corn kernels, cut from the cob (about eight ears) (or one ten ounce package frozen corn
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce or to taste
2 tablespoons butter (I used margarine because Pat can't eat dairy products.)
1. Place the chicken in a kettle and add the broth. Bring to a boil and add salt and pepper. Simmer until chicken is tender, about one hour, skimming surface frequently to remove fat and foam. Remove chicken from kettle, but let stock continue to boil to reduce slightly.
2. When chicken pieces are cool enough to handle, remove meat from bones. Discard bones and skin.
3. Return meat to kettle and add the bacon, onions, tomatoes, potatoes and lima beans. Simmer one hour, skimming surface as necessary to remove all fat. Stir frequently so stew does not stick.
Add to corn and cook ten minutes longer. When done, stew should be a thickened mass. Stir in the Worcestershire and butter. Serve piping hot. Makes six to eight servings.
Its origins are obscure. It might come from Brunswick County, Virginia or from Brunswick, Georgia. The explanation I like best is was provided by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, the author of the famous young people's book, The Yearling, who said it may have come from Braunschweig, Germany and was said to have been a favorite of Queen Victoria. So you can tell your guests you are feeding them the food of royalty. There are several different recipes for Brunswick stew, some containing squirrel, rabbit, etc. This one is just chicken, ma'am.
Our freezer is like the black hole of Calcutta, so I failed to look carefully enough for frozen corn. I had to leave it out. The recipe may be gluten-free, but I'm not sure about Worcestershire sauce, so make sure. It was enjoyed at the party and even provided leftovers.
It is kind of a "few hours before" recipe, because the chicken has to be cooked. Bob went to Whole Foods on Saturday morning and bought a free range chicken to get a jump on things. When I came back from riding, the chicken had already finished simmering on the stove.
We were actually able to finish cooking, take showers, (a good thing in my case. No one wants to sit down to dinner wondering if there is a horse lurking in the kitchen.), and sit down for a minute before the guests got there.
This dish may seem bland to today's taste buds. The salt and pepper goes into the water to cook the chicken, and since you are using the broth in the stew, it may be salty enough. Taste it before you bring it to the table.
Brunswick Stew
1 three pound chicken, cut into serving pieces
8 cups fresh or canned chicken broth (or use half chicken broth and half water)
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup diced uncooked bacon
1 cup chopped onions
2 cups peeled ripe tomatoes or one one pound-three-ounce can tomatoes, drained
2 cups peeled, diced raw potatoes
2 cups fresh baby lima beans or one ten-ounce package frozen (You may have to do what I did and resort to canned limas, since the Safeway in Potomac didn't seem to have frozen limas.)
2 cups corn kernels, cut from the cob (about eight ears) (or one ten ounce package frozen corn
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce or to taste
2 tablespoons butter (I used margarine because Pat can't eat dairy products.)
1. Place the chicken in a kettle and add the broth. Bring to a boil and add salt and pepper. Simmer until chicken is tender, about one hour, skimming surface frequently to remove fat and foam. Remove chicken from kettle, but let stock continue to boil to reduce slightly.
2. When chicken pieces are cool enough to handle, remove meat from bones. Discard bones and skin.
3. Return meat to kettle and add the bacon, onions, tomatoes, potatoes and lima beans. Simmer one hour, skimming surface as necessary to remove all fat. Stir frequently so stew does not stick.
Add to corn and cook ten minutes longer. When done, stew should be a thickened mass. Stir in the Worcestershire and butter. Serve piping hot. Makes six to eight servings.
Baked Crab and Shrimp (Gluten Free)
Saturday night we had a dinner party with friends Nancy and Dave and Pat. Nancy and Dave's son just got married at a lovely wedding in Jackson Hole, Wyoming during the Nationals' race for first place of the National League East. Periodically, during the festivities, I would sidle up to Dave to ask him what the score was, since he seemed to be the only person at the wedding besides me who actually cared whether the Nationals got there or not. Plus, he had an iPhone. In fact, nearly everyone there had an iPhone, and the groom's sister has embarked on a business manufacturing covers for iPhones. But, like I said, Dave cared about the Nationals.
We had a lively evening talking about baseball and other stuff. This recipe was perfect for an appetizer since it neither contained flour nor dairy products, which Pat can't eat and I shouldn't eat. It is also pretty fast to put together and tasty.
Baked Crab and Shrimp
1 medium-size onion (baseball sized) finely chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium size green pepper finely chopped (You want something smaller than the giants that inhabit the supermarket.)
1 cup shopped celery
1 1/2 cups flaked crab meat
1 1/2 cups roughly cut cooked and cleaned shrimp (I bought little shrimp and didn't cut them up.)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup buttered soft bread crumbs (omit if you have gluten issues.)
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2 Saute the onion the the butter and combine with the other ingredients except the bread crumbs. Divide mixture among eight greased shells or ramekins and top with crumbs. Bake twenty-five minutes or until bubbly hot.
Makes eight servings.
We had a lively evening talking about baseball and other stuff. This recipe was perfect for an appetizer since it neither contained flour nor dairy products, which Pat can't eat and I shouldn't eat. It is also pretty fast to put together and tasty.
Baked Crab and Shrimp
1 medium-size onion (baseball sized) finely chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium size green pepper finely chopped (You want something smaller than the giants that inhabit the supermarket.)
1 cup shopped celery
1 1/2 cups flaked crab meat
1 1/2 cups roughly cut cooked and cleaned shrimp (I bought little shrimp and didn't cut them up.)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup buttered soft bread crumbs (omit if you have gluten issues.)
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2 Saute the onion the the butter and combine with the other ingredients except the bread crumbs. Divide mixture among eight greased shells or ramekins and top with crumbs. Bake twenty-five minutes or until bubbly hot.
Makes eight servings.
Friday, October 5, 2012
Vermont Mincemeat
Since I am newly retired, I made a promise to devote myself to the blog and clear up a bunch of New England recipes. Most of the New England recipes lurk in the Miscellaneous section, which includes jams, relishes, chutneys, and in general foods that have to be "put up", i.e. canned. It's sort of exhausting, and perhaps a trifle pointless. Honestly, what am I going to do with six to eight quarts of mincemeat, on top of the two and a half quarts I made Monday? I guess my scheme is to give all these jams and weird marmalades to people for Christmas.
Vermont mincemeat contains actual meat, which is not always the case with mincemeat. It is the original day before recipe, since the first ingredient listed is two pounds of cooked roast beef. So, on Monday night, we had roast beef for dinner. The pound measurements are a little tricky. I don't have a scale so some of this stuff was approximate. It is easy to figure out with things like raisins, but when you buy apples at a farmers market and don't weigh them out, you may not be quite sure how many pounds of apples you have there.
This recipe contains some ingredients that will probably not be available until the first of November in your local grocery store. To whit, diced candied fruit peels. These are ordered before Thanksgiving, and not kept on the shelves until Christmas, as I found last year when I went to make Lizzies, a sort of fruitcake cookie. Safeway does have currents, but you would be better off just doing what I did and ordering them on the Internet. www.nuts.com is a useful resource for the diced candied fruit peel, citron, currents, and other stuff that the grocery store considers "seasonal."
It also contains a pound of beef suet. This, you can get at a butcher shop. I lucked out at Wagshalls on Massachusetts Avenue. I was afraid I would have to go down to the Eastern Market, which is about eight blocks south of the Capitol.
I would not attempt this recipe without a food processor. The meat, the suet and the raisins have to be "ground." While the Vermonter who devised this recipe no doubt ground all her ingredients using a cast aluminum hand-cranked meat grinder that was screwed to the counter top, we have food processors.
Anyone wishing to make this also needs a good deal of time. The jars have to be processed in a water bath, which means they need to be submerged in water in a large kettle and boiled for three hours. So don't start this at 5:00 pm on Sunday afternoon if you want to go to bed before 11:00.
The result is spicy and vaguely meaty. It should be excellent in pies.
Vermont Mincemeat
2 pounds cooked roast beef or venison, ground
4 pounds apples, peeled, cored and ground
1 pound beef suet, ground
2 pounds currants
2 pounds raisins, ground
6 cups light brown sugar or granulated sugar
4 cups cider, vinegar or grape juice
2 teaspoons nutmeg
1 tablespoon ground allspice
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 tablespoon salt
1 pound mixed diced candied fruit peels
1. Mix all the ingredients in a large heavy kettle. Simmer, stirring, thirty minutes, or until mixture is the correct consistency. (It should not be too runny.)
2. Pack into hot sterilized jars and seal the caps. Process in a water bath for three hours or in a pressure cooker for one hour at ten pounds pressure. Store in a cool, dark, dry place.
Makes six to eight quarts.
Vermont mincemeat contains actual meat, which is not always the case with mincemeat. It is the original day before recipe, since the first ingredient listed is two pounds of cooked roast beef. So, on Monday night, we had roast beef for dinner. The pound measurements are a little tricky. I don't have a scale so some of this stuff was approximate. It is easy to figure out with things like raisins, but when you buy apples at a farmers market and don't weigh them out, you may not be quite sure how many pounds of apples you have there.
This recipe contains some ingredients that will probably not be available until the first of November in your local grocery store. To whit, diced candied fruit peels. These are ordered before Thanksgiving, and not kept on the shelves until Christmas, as I found last year when I went to make Lizzies, a sort of fruitcake cookie. Safeway does have currents, but you would be better off just doing what I did and ordering them on the Internet. www.nuts.com is a useful resource for the diced candied fruit peel, citron, currents, and other stuff that the grocery store considers "seasonal."
It also contains a pound of beef suet. This, you can get at a butcher shop. I lucked out at Wagshalls on Massachusetts Avenue. I was afraid I would have to go down to the Eastern Market, which is about eight blocks south of the Capitol.
I would not attempt this recipe without a food processor. The meat, the suet and the raisins have to be "ground." While the Vermonter who devised this recipe no doubt ground all her ingredients using a cast aluminum hand-cranked meat grinder that was screwed to the counter top, we have food processors.
Anyone wishing to make this also needs a good deal of time. The jars have to be processed in a water bath, which means they need to be submerged in water in a large kettle and boiled for three hours. So don't start this at 5:00 pm on Sunday afternoon if you want to go to bed before 11:00.
The result is spicy and vaguely meaty. It should be excellent in pies.
Vermont Mincemeat
2 pounds cooked roast beef or venison, ground
4 pounds apples, peeled, cored and ground
1 pound beef suet, ground
2 pounds currants
2 pounds raisins, ground
6 cups light brown sugar or granulated sugar
4 cups cider, vinegar or grape juice
2 teaspoons nutmeg
1 tablespoon ground allspice
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 tablespoon salt
1 pound mixed diced candied fruit peels
1. Mix all the ingredients in a large heavy kettle. Simmer, stirring, thirty minutes, or until mixture is the correct consistency. (It should not be too runny.)
2. Pack into hot sterilized jars and seal the caps. Process in a water bath for three hours or in a pressure cooker for one hour at ten pounds pressure. Store in a cool, dark, dry place.
Makes six to eight quarts.
New England Carrot Marmalade
On Wednesday, before and after going to the last game of the National League East champion Washington Nationals, (How's that for a phrase?) (Where racing President Teddy Roosevelt won for the first time in 525 games, by the way) I made New England Carrot Marmalade. The word marmalade originates in Portuguese where it refers to quince jam. The Internet is either silent or convoluted on the issue of how orange marmalade transmigrated across the Atlantic into tomato, cucumber, carrot and yes, quince marmalade in New England. (Convoluted means I can't find an article on this.)
My theory about the vegetable marmalades is that the gardener/cook had a lot of some kind of veg., and marmalade was one thing to make from it. This makes sense because oranges were not terribly common in the average home around the turn of the century. So a clever cook might devise a recipe that used a couple of oranges and a lot of something else to make marmalade.
So it is with carrot marmalade. Carrot marmalade contains two oranges and two lemons and four pounds of carrots. It's easy. It also does not take an inordinate amount of time to thicken. I started making it, and realized at 11:00 that I had to make a lightening fast trip to Safeway for more sugar. I hopped into the car and raced there and back to be ready for my ride to the Nats' last game.
It says cook slowly until mixture is thickened. Now, there is always the problem about what thickened means. This mixture is thick anyway. The recipe does not contain any liquid other than that produced by the fruits and vegetables. Or at least it's not supposed to. The cook is instructed to bring it all to a simmer and then add sugar.
Well, after the game, (Nats won!) I had my ground oranges and lemons and carrots in my pot, and simmer wasn't happening. It was making that hissing sound that onions make frying in a pan. So I added two cups of water, one at a time. The mixture soaked up the first cup almost completely. The second cup made things a little more liquidy. But it was primarily ground carrots, oranges and lemons with a puddle around the base of it.
Then, I added the sugar, and something interesting happened. The marmalade to be transformed from a pile of shavings to a soup and appeared to increase in volume. If you wish to make this recipe, my advice is to add the sugar first, before you add any water, and see what happens. Accept that unless you have extremely juicy oranges and lemons, you will not be able to bring the mixture to a simmer first. My guess is that you will need less water.
It was not necessary to boil the marmalade for three or four hours. It thickened pretty quickly, within 45 minutes. It tastes pretty much like any old orange marmalade, since it contains oranges and the taste of carrots was overwhelmed by the sugar.
New England Carrot Marmalade
4 cups cooked (slightly underdone) carrots
2 lemons, seeded
2 oranges, seeded
6 1/2 cups sugar
1. Coarsely grind the carrots, lemons and oranges, reserving any liquid or juice that comes from them. Place carrots, lemons, oranges and any reserved liquid or juice in a large kettle and bring to a simmer.
2. Add the sugar and stir to dissolve. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is thick.
3. Pour into hot sterilized jelly jars. Pour tow thin layers of melted paraffin over. Cool. Cover and store in a cool, dark, dry place.
Makes about six eight-ounce jelly jars.
My theory about the vegetable marmalades is that the gardener/cook had a lot of some kind of veg., and marmalade was one thing to make from it. This makes sense because oranges were not terribly common in the average home around the turn of the century. So a clever cook might devise a recipe that used a couple of oranges and a lot of something else to make marmalade.
So it is with carrot marmalade. Carrot marmalade contains two oranges and two lemons and four pounds of carrots. It's easy. It also does not take an inordinate amount of time to thicken. I started making it, and realized at 11:00 that I had to make a lightening fast trip to Safeway for more sugar. I hopped into the car and raced there and back to be ready for my ride to the Nats' last game.
It says cook slowly until mixture is thickened. Now, there is always the problem about what thickened means. This mixture is thick anyway. The recipe does not contain any liquid other than that produced by the fruits and vegetables. Or at least it's not supposed to. The cook is instructed to bring it all to a simmer and then add sugar.
Well, after the game, (Nats won!) I had my ground oranges and lemons and carrots in my pot, and simmer wasn't happening. It was making that hissing sound that onions make frying in a pan. So I added two cups of water, one at a time. The mixture soaked up the first cup almost completely. The second cup made things a little more liquidy. But it was primarily ground carrots, oranges and lemons with a puddle around the base of it.
Then, I added the sugar, and something interesting happened. The marmalade to be transformed from a pile of shavings to a soup and appeared to increase in volume. If you wish to make this recipe, my advice is to add the sugar first, before you add any water, and see what happens. Accept that unless you have extremely juicy oranges and lemons, you will not be able to bring the mixture to a simmer first. My guess is that you will need less water.
It was not necessary to boil the marmalade for three or four hours. It thickened pretty quickly, within 45 minutes. It tastes pretty much like any old orange marmalade, since it contains oranges and the taste of carrots was overwhelmed by the sugar.
New England Carrot Marmalade
4 cups cooked (slightly underdone) carrots
2 lemons, seeded
2 oranges, seeded
6 1/2 cups sugar
1. Coarsely grind the carrots, lemons and oranges, reserving any liquid or juice that comes from them. Place carrots, lemons, oranges and any reserved liquid or juice in a large kettle and bring to a simmer.
2. Add the sugar and stir to dissolve. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is thick.
3. Pour into hot sterilized jelly jars. Pour tow thin layers of melted paraffin over. Cool. Cover and store in a cool, dark, dry place.
Makes about six eight-ounce jelly jars.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Fried Green Tomato Slices (Gluten Free)
I have wanted to make and eat fried green tomatoes ever since I saw the fabulous movie "Fried Green Tomatoes". However, for some reason or other, I never did. I got close last year when I bought a bunch of green tomatoes, and then let them get ripe in the press of fall school business. This year, since there is no school business, I can make fried green tomatoes.
Fried green tomatoes comes in the great pioneer, Depression-era "use it up" ethos. The fall frosts put an end to ripe tomatoes, but there has to be something we can do with all these green ones. Indeed there is. The cookbook has eight recipes using green tomatoes, two recipes for pie, one for pickle, one for mincemeat, which I made yesterday as well, and three for relish. These don't count this recipe, which I actually couldn't find in the index, although I looked under "tomatoes", "fried," and "green."
It seemed to be pretty common in the 40s and 50s to take several different kinds of vegetables; eggplant, cucumbers, zucchinis, or tomatoes, slice them, bread them and fry them in butter or oil. When I was growing up, as part of our summer, three vegetable dinners, we had fried cucumber or zucchini often. My mother broiled the tomatoes.
These fried green tomatoes are gluten free because they are dipped in corn meal. I actually didn't have corn meal. I was getting ready to use gluten free flour, when my husband unearthed a container of hominy grits from the recesses of the pantry. They worked fine. These are fast and tasty. I didn't have bacon drippings, but they would have been even better cooked in those.
Fried Green Tomato Slices
4 green tomatoes, thickly sliced
1/2 cup white or yellow corn meal
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/3 cup bacon drippings or pork fat
1. Dip the tomato slices in the corn meal mixed with the salt and pepper.
2, Heat the bacon drippings or pork fat in a heavy skillet and saute the slices in it quickly until browned on both sides.
Makes six servings.
Fried green tomatoes comes in the great pioneer, Depression-era "use it up" ethos. The fall frosts put an end to ripe tomatoes, but there has to be something we can do with all these green ones. Indeed there is. The cookbook has eight recipes using green tomatoes, two recipes for pie, one for pickle, one for mincemeat, which I made yesterday as well, and three for relish. These don't count this recipe, which I actually couldn't find in the index, although I looked under "tomatoes", "fried," and "green."
It seemed to be pretty common in the 40s and 50s to take several different kinds of vegetables; eggplant, cucumbers, zucchinis, or tomatoes, slice them, bread them and fry them in butter or oil. When I was growing up, as part of our summer, three vegetable dinners, we had fried cucumber or zucchini often. My mother broiled the tomatoes.
These fried green tomatoes are gluten free because they are dipped in corn meal. I actually didn't have corn meal. I was getting ready to use gluten free flour, when my husband unearthed a container of hominy grits from the recesses of the pantry. They worked fine. These are fast and tasty. I didn't have bacon drippings, but they would have been even better cooked in those.
Fried Green Tomato Slices
4 green tomatoes, thickly sliced
1/2 cup white or yellow corn meal
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/3 cup bacon drippings or pork fat
1. Dip the tomato slices in the corn meal mixed with the salt and pepper.
2, Heat the bacon drippings or pork fat in a heavy skillet and saute the slices in it quickly until browned on both sides.
Makes six servings.
Green Tomato Mincemeat
It's fall, and therefore, green tomatoes are in abundance. If you're not a gardener this may seem odd. Well, if the gardener thinks they are going to ripen she'll leave them on the vine. If there is a chance of a frost, she will pick them for possible sale.
Last week, I went out to Poolesville to ride the horse and on my way back stopped at Homestead Farm to see if they had green tomatoes. Bingo. Amid a scrum of parents with nursery school children and other assorted folk, I got two large bags and a small bag of Jonagold apples. Then I left town for a wedding.
One of the first things my husband said to me when I came back was, "You'd better hurry up and make something. Your green tomatoes are turning red." So Monday afternoon, after I went to Safeway and bought the brown sugar and the vinegar, I got to work.
With Hewitt's usual specificity, the recipe says "chop" the apples and tomatoes. But she doesn't say how small. At first, I chopped the apples into sort of wedges, the size of pineapple segments. Then after I dumped everything else in the pot, I went back and looked at those wedges. It's mince pie, not lump pie, so I fished the pieces of apple out of the pot and minced them into fragments the size of peas. After a half an hour of remincing, and fingers covered with spices, I dumped the apples back into the pot.
Allow time for this recipe, since you have to let it simmer for three hours. Again, Hewitt doesn't say, but Joy of Cooking lets us know we should seal the jars in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes. If this is your first foray into home canning, check out www.freshpreservingstore.com, the Ball Jar manufacturer's website, for specific information and equipment.
Astute readers will notice there is no meat in this mincemeat. Well, very often, there is not. For a very interesting article on the history of mincemeat, check out Linda Stradley's article on www.whatscookingamerica.net. Mincemeat originated after Crusaders back from the Holy Land returned with spices that could be used for preserving meat without salting or smoking it. Originally, the pies were baked in an oblong shape reminiscent of a coffin or cradle, with a figure of the Christ Child on top. The children in the family removed the Christ Child. It was considered lucky to eat one mince pie for each of the 12 days of Christmas, finishing up with Epiphany on January 6.
Since mince pies were closely tied to Christmas, they were banned in both England and the colonies by the Puritans. Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of England, considered mince pies to be a sinful, guilty pleasure, and sent his soldiers through the streets of London to sniff out, and confiscate Christmas dinner. The pies and Christmas itself, were banned in Boston until 1681.
So we should all celebrate religious freedom, which allows us to make and eat mince pies, whether or not they have any meat in them.
If you want to make this, get the green tomatoes now, possibly at your local farmers' market. It may even be too late further north than DC.
Green Tomato Mincemeat
6 cups chopped (the size of peas) peeled apples
6 cups chopped peeled green tomatoes
4 cups light brown sugar
1 21/3 cups cider vinegar
3 cups raisins
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 teaspoon allspice
3/4 teaspoon mace
2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup butter
1. Mix the apples and tomatoes together and drain well. Add the remaining ingredients except the butter. Bring gradually to the boiling point and let simmer three hours, stirring often.
2. Add the butter and mix well. Spoon into hot sterilized canning jars and seal the covers (for 15 minutes in a boiling water bath.) Cool and store in a cool, dark, dry place.
Makes about five pints.
Last week, I went out to Poolesville to ride the horse and on my way back stopped at Homestead Farm to see if they had green tomatoes. Bingo. Amid a scrum of parents with nursery school children and other assorted folk, I got two large bags and a small bag of Jonagold apples. Then I left town for a wedding.
One of the first things my husband said to me when I came back was, "You'd better hurry up and make something. Your green tomatoes are turning red." So Monday afternoon, after I went to Safeway and bought the brown sugar and the vinegar, I got to work.
With Hewitt's usual specificity, the recipe says "chop" the apples and tomatoes. But she doesn't say how small. At first, I chopped the apples into sort of wedges, the size of pineapple segments. Then after I dumped everything else in the pot, I went back and looked at those wedges. It's mince pie, not lump pie, so I fished the pieces of apple out of the pot and minced them into fragments the size of peas. After a half an hour of remincing, and fingers covered with spices, I dumped the apples back into the pot.
Allow time for this recipe, since you have to let it simmer for three hours. Again, Hewitt doesn't say, but Joy of Cooking lets us know we should seal the jars in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes. If this is your first foray into home canning, check out www.freshpreservingstore.com, the Ball Jar manufacturer's website, for specific information and equipment.
Astute readers will notice there is no meat in this mincemeat. Well, very often, there is not. For a very interesting article on the history of mincemeat, check out Linda Stradley's article on www.whatscookingamerica.net. Mincemeat originated after Crusaders back from the Holy Land returned with spices that could be used for preserving meat without salting or smoking it. Originally, the pies were baked in an oblong shape reminiscent of a coffin or cradle, with a figure of the Christ Child on top. The children in the family removed the Christ Child. It was considered lucky to eat one mince pie for each of the 12 days of Christmas, finishing up with Epiphany on January 6.
Since mince pies were closely tied to Christmas, they were banned in both England and the colonies by the Puritans. Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of England, considered mince pies to be a sinful, guilty pleasure, and sent his soldiers through the streets of London to sniff out, and confiscate Christmas dinner. The pies and Christmas itself, were banned in Boston until 1681.
So we should all celebrate religious freedom, which allows us to make and eat mince pies, whether or not they have any meat in them.
If you want to make this, get the green tomatoes now, possibly at your local farmers' market. It may even be too late further north than DC.
Green Tomato Mincemeat
6 cups chopped (the size of peas) peeled apples
6 cups chopped peeled green tomatoes
4 cups light brown sugar
1 21/3 cups cider vinegar
3 cups raisins
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 teaspoon allspice
3/4 teaspoon mace
2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup butter
1. Mix the apples and tomatoes together and drain well. Add the remaining ingredients except the butter. Bring gradually to the boiling point and let simmer three hours, stirring often.
2. Add the butter and mix well. Spoon into hot sterilized canning jars and seal the covers (for 15 minutes in a boiling water bath.) Cool and store in a cool, dark, dry place.
Makes about five pints.
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