Recipes
Late summer is a great time to can local produce such as tomatoes and watermelon. Below are two recipes. For more information on canning in Yolo, look under Slow News.
Piccalilli (makes 5 pints)
Ann found this recipe in “British and Irish Cooking” a book published in 1973 as part of the Round the World Cooking Library (Galahad Books, New York.) and has made it for many years, canning it instead of putting it in the refridgerator, as the original recipe recommends. Serve it with cold meats such as chicken, roast beef or ham.
One small cauliflower, divided into flowerets
One pound small white onions
One yellow onion, cut into small pieces
One cucumber, cut into small cubes
Two under ripe tomatoes, green, cut into small pieces
Two cups green beans, cut into small pieces
Two quarts cold water
One cup coarse salt
Six tablespoons flour
Four tablespoons English mustard powder
Two teaspoons turmeric powder
One quart malt vinegar
One quarter cup sugar
Combine all the cut vegetables in a large bowl. Dissolve the salt in the water and add to the vegetables. Cover and chill for 24 hours, turning the vegetables in the brine frequently. Drain the vegetables. To prepare the sauce, combine the flour, mustard and turmeric. Add one half cup vinegar and stir to form a smooth paste. Transfer the paste to a large saucepan and add the remaining vinegar gradually, not yet on the heat. Then heat vinegar to boiling point. Add sugar and all of the vegetables. Simmer vegetables for five minutes in the sauce. Spoon into hot sterilized jars and seal immediately. At this point the piccalilli may be served with cold meats after 24 hours, or, can it in a hot water bath for 10 minutes according to USDA directions. Check for seal. Store in cook, dark place up to one year.
Watermelon Rind Preserves (makes 2 to 3 pints)
By Georgeanne Brennan
From her book, “The Glass Pantry”
One pound watermelon rind
Five quarts water
One-half cup salt
Two cups granulated sugar
One lemon, sliced
One cinnamon stick, about two inches long
One teaspoon whole cloves
Peel the skin from the rind and scrape the rind clean of any flesh. Cut the rind into one-half inch cubes. Combine four quarts of the water and the salt in a large bowl and stir to dissolve the salt. Add the rind and let soak overnight at room temperature.
The next day, drain the rind. Place it in a stainless-steel or other nonreactive saucepan with two cups of the remaining water and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat and simmer until the rind is just tender when pierced with a fork, about 50 minutes. Drain well and set aside.
In a saucepan large enough to hold the rind eventually, combine all the remaining ingredients, including the remaining two cups of water. Bring slowly to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Boil until the sugar dissolves and a syrup forms, about five minutes. Add the rind and cook over low heat until it becomes transparent, about 30 minutes.
Using a slotted utensil, remove the rind pieces and pack them tightly into hot, clean, dry jars with sealable lids. Ladle the hot syrup into the jars, filling the jars to within one-half inch of the rims. Using a damp cloth, wipe the rims clean. Cover with the lids and process for 30 minutes in a hot-water bath (use standard instructions from University of California Cooperative Extension or USDA National Center for Home Food Preservation.) Remove the jars and let them cool 12 hours or overnight. Check for a complete seal. Store the sealed jars in a cook, dark place. The preserves will keep for up to one year. Once opened, keep refrigerated. Store any jar lacking a good seal in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
© 2009 Slow Food Yolo