A Bit of Early Season Preserving

I haven't really been experimenting around in the kitchen much lately. Sometimes it's nice to fall back on old favorites or try someone else's creations.  I've mostly been making recipes from other bloggers and my newest cookbook, The Homesick Texan, which was a graduation gift from Mom and Dad.  Oh how I adore this cookbook!  So far I have made two different salsas, Austin style black beans, fish tacos, tortilla soup, guacamole, chipotle biscuits and gravy, and San Antonio tortillas.  There must be others.

This time of year I really start getting the canning bug, but it's too early for peppers, tomatoes, and pickles.  I like to direct my attention to freezing in the early part of the season.  Today I'm going to share a few preserving methods I use year-round that help cut a few corners in tedious kitchen tasks and help less food go to waste.

Ginger-Garlic Cubes

We use a lot of ginger and garlic around here because these two ingredients are commonly found in Indian and East Asian recipes.  These cubes really help to speed a recipe along and guarantee that you won't go to make a favorite curry dish only to find that you used up the last of the ginger.

This idea is from Canning for a New Generation by Lianna Kristoff.  It's too good not to share.  Now we are never without garlic and ginger ready to go for recipes.

•Use a 2:1 ratio of ginger and garlic.

Peel the ginger and cut into 1" chunks.  Peel the garlic cubes and leave whole.   Blend in a food processor with about 1 cup of water to form a smooth paste.  Freeze in ice cube trays.  Store in a large bag in the freezer.  To use, thaw the amount of cubes needed in the microwave for about 30 seconds, or stir directly into soups or the crock-pot.  I figure each cube equals approximately 1" of minced fresh ginger and 2 cloves of garlic.

Chipotle Cubes

Basically the same as the ginger-garlic cubes.  Chipotle chilies in adobo sauce are a staple in my cooking.  They come in a pretty big can, and most recipes call for only one or two chilies, since they have a pretty potent flavor.  To keep them fresh I freeze them in ice cube trays as well.  Open up a can of chilies, place 1 large or 2 small chilies in each compartment of the ice cube tray.  Fill the rest of the way with the remaining adobo sauce.  Freeze and transfer to a plastic bag.  I find that these are actually very easy to mince for recipes when they are still frozen.

Freezing Bacon

We really could eat a lot of bacon in one sitting, but that doesn't mean we should.  Even though it keeps for quite a long time in the refrigerator, freezing maintains a fresher flavor.  Many recipes call for only a few strips of bacon at a time, and then the package needs to get used up right away.  I find that it is very convenient for us to store the bacon slices individually so that we can use as few or as many as we need at a time.  I like to pull out a couple strips and chop them up before frying to make bacon bits for baked potatoes and big salads.

Take however much bacon you want to freeze and divide into individual strips.  Roll each strip up like a fruit roll.  Freeze on a baking sheet.  Transfer to a freezer bag.

Freezing Greens

We go through a lot of frozen spinach in the winter.  It makes its way into soups, casseroles, pastas, curries, and just about any place that needs some more veggies.  I harvested all of the spinach and Swiss chard in the garden the other day to freeze for the winter.

Those of you who know me know why this picture is so terrifying.

Take as much spinach, or any green, as you want to freeze.  Wash thoroughly and chop or slice into medium sized pieces.  Boil batches in a large pot for 1-2 minutes. Immediately plunge the cooked greens into a large pan of ice water to stop the cooking.  Squeeze out excess water and freeze in bags.

Planning Ahead: Homemade Tortillas and Make Ahead Breakfast Burritos

I absolutely love flour tortillas.  We can easily go through an entire package of tortillas between the two of us in just one week.  However, the packaged tortillas are not as good as the real, homemade tortillas at some of the more authentic Mexican restaurants.

After years of trying several different tortilla techniques and recipes I have come up with the perfect recipe.  It is based on one that I made a few years ago at the living history museum when I cooked homemade tortillas on a wood burning stove with an older lady from Mexico, who was giving a demonstration to museum visitors.  She preferred to use vegetable shortening as the fat in her tortillas because it is not as fattening as lard, but it will leave the tortillas more pliable and less greasy than if they were made with butter or oil.  I find that the trick to getting the dough to mix well and stay very soft for rolling is to use very, very hot water from the tea kettle.

•2 cups flour
•1/2 teaspoon salt
•1/4 cup shortening
•3/4 cup very, very hot water.

Mix the flour and salt together in a medium sized mixing bowl.  Mix in the shortening until it forms coarse crumbs.  Stir in the hot water and knead until the dough is soft and pliable.  Wrap with plastic wrap and set aside for 30 minutes.

Pat the dough out into a flat circle and divide into eight pieces.

Roll each piece of dough out into a large, thin circle.  Don't worry if they aren't completely round.

Heat a large skillet, or a comal if you have one, over high heat.  Cook each tortilla, one at a time, until large bubbles form.  This will take about 30 seconds.  Flip and cook for another 30 seconds or so.  Repeat with remaining dough.  Let the tortillas cool.  Store in an airtight container for a few days.  They don't keep as long as the store bought kind because they don't have preservatives, so make small batches or freeze them for later.

To make the breakfast burritos you will need:

•aluminum foil
•waxed paper
•tortillas, homemade or store bought
•1 pound of breakfast sausage, or chorizo (I buy a spicy chicken sausage with peppers, onion, cilantro, and jalepenos in it from Sprouts.  It's called Chicken Caliente and it makes the best breakfast burritos ever.)
•1 dozen eggs
•1/2 cup milk
•Salt and pepper to taste
•About 2 cups shredded cheese

Brown the sausage in a large skillet over medium high heat until cooked through.  Beat all of the eggs, the milk, and the salt and pepper together.  Add to the skillet and scramble eggs and sausage together until cooked through.  Remove from heat.  Place a tortilla on a small piece of waxed paper.  Fill with egg and sausage mixture and top with a couple tablespoons of cheese.  Tuck ends in and wrap up.  Wrap with the waxed paper.  Wrap with foil.  Repeat until all the tortillas and eggs and sausage mixture is used up.

Store the breakfast burritos in a large container or ziploc bag in the freezer.  To use, remove the foil and loosen the waxed paper slightly.  Microwave for about two minutes, or until hot all the way through.  I like to make about a month's worth of these at a time.  They are really handy to have on hand for mornings when there is not time to cook breakfast.  Wade will often microwave a burrito and eat it in the car on his way to work, which sure beats hitting up the drive through.

Eggplants Everywhere

This is the first year I have ever grown eggplants.  They are quite prolific.  Our two plants have given us far more eggplant than we could reasonable use without becoming absolutely sick of it.  We did the babaghanoush, eggplant parmesan, eggplant creole, grilled eggplant, tossed eggplant pasta, and some other things I'm surely forgetting.  But they keep coming.  I picked six the other day and preserved them.  Then I picked a great big one for my Mom when she was visiting.  There are about seven more that will be ready within the week.  We are getting a little tired of them now, but I know we'll miss them in the middle of winter.  So, I'd like to share with you two ways to preserve eggplants.  There aren't really recipes to either of these, just methods.  

Eggplant Preserved in Balsamic Vinegar and Olive Oil

The first is eggplant preserved in olive oil.  Kept in the fridge, it would make a great snack on its own or a nice addition to salads.  It could even be chopped up and added to pasta sauce for a nice flavor.  I originally found this recipe at The Slow Cook.

Take 2-3 medium to large eggplants.  Peel them and cut into bite sized slices or pieces.  Salt generously, (not too much!  I used about 1 or 2 Tablespoons of kosher salt) and place in a colander over a bowl to drain in the refrigerator, at least 12 hours.  I wasn't able to get to mine the next day, so they were draining for about 30 hours.  It didn't seem to make much of a difference.

Toss the eggplant pieces with any vinegar of your choice.  I used balsamic.  A red wine or a flavored vinegar, like pomegranate, would also be good.

Slice a few cloves of garlic very thinly.  Grab some fresh basil leaves.

Layer the eggplant, garlic slices, and basil in a glass jar until full.  Be sure to pack it all in tightly.  Top with olive oil.  This will keep in the fridge for quite a while.  I think we had ours for about a month or two.  We definitely ate it all up before it got bad.  According to the original recipe, it actually gets better with age.

So enjoy it in a few months when you are in the mood for eggplant again.

Panfried Breaded Eggplant

The next recipe is almost as simple.  Simply heat about 1/4 inch of olive oil in a shallow frying pan over medium high heat.  Prepare three plates or shallow bowls.  Put a cup or so of flour on the first plate.  Beat a few eggs together in another bowl.  Mix some dried breadcrumbs and whatever seasonings you would like together on the last plate.

Slice up the rest of your eggplants, about 1/2 inch thick.

Dredge the slices first in flour, then dip in eggs, then in the breadcrumb mixture.  Fry until golden brown on each side.  This should only take 2-4 minutes on each side.  Add more oil to the pan as necessary.

Drain on paper towels.  When they are completely cooled, place in freezer bags and freeze for several months.  Make eggplant parmesan, sandwiches, cut them up and add them to pizza or pasta, or layer with cheese and other vegetables for a meatless main dish.