Pickled Peppers

In my previous post, I mentioned that we recently made zacusca and since we had lots of peppers left over, we decided to pickle the peppers. So that evening, after putting away the jars of zacusca, we rummaged for large 1.8L jars so we could use them for the peppers. Fortunately some were short and curly so we were able to sort them and fill them in. Many vegetables can be pickled, I have done cauliflower, carrots and baby cucumbers before. The method is the same - wash and dry the vegetable, put them in jars and pour the liquid in the jars and leave it for a few weeks before consuming,

Skill Level: EASY

Makes 

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup water

• 5 cups apple cider vinegar

• 4 T coarse salt

• 10 bay leaves

• 20 black peppercorns

• 20 sweet long red peppers

METHOD:

1. Wash the peppers and pat them dry with a paper towel. Do not use bruised peppers

2. Wash and dry glass jars

3. Arrange peppers loosely into jars, divide bay leaves into the jars

4. In a pot, bring water, vinegar, salt and peppercorns to a boil

5. Carefully pour the hot vinegar solution into the jars, making sure to leave a 1 inch head space

6. Spoon in peppercorns into each jar

7. Close the lid tightly and store in a cool place for about 2 weeks before using

8. Opened jars must be refrigerated

Zacusca (Red pepper and Eggplant Spread)

Fall is a time of such abundance and there is no place better than a farmers market to enjoy all the bounty of this season. One of our favourite markets is in Southern Ontario - Saint Jacob's Farmer's Market http://www.stjacobs.com/farmers-market, open year round, there is a much to see and lots of local products to savour at this market. Once we are done shopping, our next stop is usually to Anna Mae's in Millbank for their broasted chicken http://www.annamaes.ca. Highly highly recommend both the market and the chicken (I'm sure the other stuff on the menu is good but we've never had anything but the chicken in the 15 years since we've been going there).

This year, we bought bushels of eggplant, sweet long red peppers and tomatoes because I really wanted to try my hand at making zacusca which is a Romanian dip. I am certainly not entering the minefield of where this spread originated because I am sure that similar spreads are found in all Balkan countries. Since my husband is Romanian, my mother in law was the perfect person to recruit for this mission; between her, my husband and I, we grilled, peeled, chopped and stirred for a few hours until my mission was accomplished.


The preparation is time consuming, but it yields several jars of finished product so you have some to keep and enough to share with friends and family. It is best refrigerated once opened and should be used up in 3-4 months.

Zacusca is delicious on bread or crackers with
some olives, feta or goat cheese. I had enough for 12 mason jars of 250 mL each (see picture) and about 3 jars of 1 L each.

Skill Level: Time consuming, involves a lot of stirring

Makes : Approx. 6 L

INGREDIENTS:

• 16 medium sized eggplant (grilled and peeled)
• 20 long sweet red peppers (grilled and peeled)
• 10 long sweet red peppers (finely chopped)
• 8 medium sized onions (finely chopped) 
• 10 medium roma tomatoes (pureed)
• 1 L sunflower oil
• 4 Tbsp salt

METHOD:

1. Grill eggplant and peppers. We used the BBQ, but the oven would work just as well. Grill until the eggplants and peppers are soft but not charred. Wait until it is easy to handle and peel the skin under running water. 

2. Puree eggplant, peppers, onions and tomatoes and set each aside separately. Do not worry if you cannot remove all the pepper seeds it adds to the visuals of the spread

3. In a large soup pot, pour 2 cups of oil and add the bay leaves and peppercorns

4. Add the chopped onions and stir for 3-5 minutes

5. Add the eggplant and peppers to the pot

6. Add salt and stir continuously so it does not stick to the bottom of the pot 

7. Add 2 more cups of oil and continue stirring. Check and adjust salt as needed

8. After approximately an hour when some of the liquid has reduced. Add the pureed tomatoes

9. Continue stirring; when the oil rises to the sides of the pot, zacusca is done

10. Hot fill into glass jars, close tightly. Some oil may rise to the surface, stir in before serving 

Masoor Dal (Red Lentil curry)

Dal or Lentils are a South Asian staple. Rich in protein, B vitamins and virtually fat free, dal is easy to prepare, delicious and can be eaten with roti or naan (flat bread). Comfort food in our house is dal and rice with yogurt, specifically red lentils or masoor dal as it is referred to in India. I remember when we returned home after family vacations, mum would make dal and rice and it was the perfect homecoming. For this reason, my dal preference has always been the red variety although there are several varieties and colours of dal. Since India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka are all dal consuming countries, I am certain you will find several variations of dal recipes. The basics however remain the same - lentils are boiled, spices and seasonings are added and the last step is "thadka"  a garnish which involves oil and aromatic spices
The red lentils in this recipe are found in the international aisle of most supermarkets, so there is no need to go to a South Asian store for them. They come split or whole. Generally, dal is a mild, not spicy dish, however you can always add chili powder if you prefer a pungent dish.



Skill Level: Easy

Serves: 2 - 4

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup of red/masoor dal
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder 
• 1/4 tsp cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 cups water
• 4 whole garlic cloves

For the tadka/garnish

• 6-8 curry leaves
• 1/2 tsp black mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp whole cumin seeds
• 1 - 2 dried red chilies
• 1 small onion thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tbsp cooking oil

METHOD

1. Wash the lentils in water several times until the water is clear
2. Drain the lentils and put it in a pot. Add the garlic cloves and turmeric and 3 cups of water and allow to come to a boil. Skim off any froth that accumulates on the surface
3. When it is boiled, it should look like this 
4. Add salt after it has boiled
5. In a small pan, add oil, when it is hot add the curry leaves, mustard, cumnin and red chilis. ATTENTION: The mustard seeds will splutter, careful not to get any on your face and hands! Reduce the heat and make sure the ingredients do not burn
6. Add onion and saute until transparent, add the tomato paste and cook for 2-3 minutes until onions, spices and paste have mixed well
7. Add the tadka to the boiled dal and check seasoning. 
8. If you find this too thick, add 1/2 a cup of water to thin it out; the thickness depends on if you are eating this with bread or rice 

Cobb salad

Life sometimes interferes with the best of intentions and I find myself back at the blog after a fairly long interval. My deepest thanks to my blog partner (and her husband) who despite having had a baby last year, managed to keep on posting while raising their son and dealing with his food sensitivities. No excuses, I am back now. 
I spent the last several weeks in Portland, Oregon with my sister and her family. Several years ago my sister took me to a restaurant in downtown Portland where I had a Cobb salad that has since become my most favourite salad. Every time I visit Portland we have a Cobb salad date during the course of my trip and this year was no exception. 
Cobb salad is an American classic, said to date back to the 1930s when Robert Cobb owner of the Hollywood Brown Derby restaurant, put together leftovers to make the salad that bears his name. I've seen many variations of the Cobb Salad on menus over the years; I used corn in the one I made last night and have used roasted chicken breast when serving friends who do not eat bacon. Get creative and enjoy.
The picture above that is beautifully layered is from the restaurant, my more humble version is shown below.

Skill Level: Easy

Serves: 4 

INGREDIENTS:

Salad

• 2 cups chopped iceberg lettuce 
• 1 ear of corn (shaved off the cob and sauteed with one tsp of olive oil, until slightly charred)
• 8 strips of bacon cooked and crumbled
• 1 avocado chopped
• 4 hard boiled eggs chopped
• 2 medium tomatoes chopped 
•  1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

Salad Dressing

•  1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon each salt and black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 3/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup olive oil

METHOD:

1. Put all the ingredients of the dressing in a bowl and set aside
2. Assemble the salad ingredients (layered in a bowl, laid out on a plate or stacked as in the picture)
3. Drizzle dressing as required on the salad.