Witchin’ in the Kitchen at the Bubbling Cauldron

This looked too good not to share, I’ve got a pile of scapes in my fridge just waiting to be pesto’d

Garlic scape pesto

Use this as you would any good pesto: on pizza, in pasta dishes, or as a sauce spooned over grilled chicken. To freeze, omit the cheese, spoon into ice cube trays and freeze until hard, then transfer to zipper storage bags. To use, thaw and stir in grated cheese to taste.

1/2 pound garlic scapes, chopped
1 to 1 1/2 cups olive oil
2 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated
Salt and pepper, to taste

1. In a blender, combine the garlic scapes and 1 cup of the olive oil. Blend on high speed until smooth, stirring and adding the remaining oil if the mixture is too thick to blend.

2. Add cheese (unless freezing), salt, and pepper. Stir to blend, and taste for seasoning. Add more salt and pepper, to taste.

Makes about 2 cups.

Joe Yonan
© Copyright 2006 Globe Newspaper Company.

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained
1/3 cup tahini
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup roasted red peppers
1/4 teaspoon dried basil

In an electric food processor, combine garlic, garbanzo beans, tahini, and lemon juice. Process until the mixture is smooth. Add roasted peppers and basil; process until the peppers are finely chopped. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer hummus to small bowl, cover and chill until you are ready to serve.

2 c. finely chopped fresh or frozen rhubarb
2 c. finely chopped onion
2 1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1 c. vinegar
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. pepper

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan.
Cook over medium heat for 30 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally.
Cool; store in the refrigerator.
Makes a nice condiment for poultry, pork or beef.

4 cups coarsely chopped fresh basil leaves
1 cup unhulled raw sunflower seeds
1/2 cup olive oil
1 cup fresly grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons sweet butter, softened
2 cloves garlic, crushed

In a blender in batches or in a food processor puree the basil with the sunflower seeds, the oil, the Parmesan, the butter, the garlic, and salt to taste. Transfer the pesto to a small bowl and lay plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent discoloration. The pesto keeps, covered and chilled, for 2 weeks. Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

To use the pesto: For every pound of dried pasta cooking in a kettle of boiling salted water, stir together in a heated serving bowl 3/4 cup pesto and 2/3 cup hot pasta cooking water. When the pasta is al dente, drain it in a colander, add it to the pesto mixture, and toss the mixture with lemon juice, salt, and pepper to taste.

I’m tinkering a bit with the recipe and using the last of my garden’s harvest-all the tomatoes and cayenne and ancho chilis

Green Tomato Salsa

5 cups chopped green tomatoes
1 1/2 cups seeded, chopped long green chiles
1/2 cup seeded finely chopped jalapeños
4 cups chopped onions
1 cup bottled lemon or lime juice
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp salt
1 tsp black pepper (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan and stir frequently over high heat until mixture begins to boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Ladle hot salsa into 5 pint jars, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Adjust lids and process in a boiling water canner 15 minutes.

This recipe makes a hot salsa. You can make a mild salsa by substituting green bell peppers in place of the long, green chiles. I often make a medium salsa, excellent as a condiment for meat dishes, by using all jalapenos. You can also substitute bottled lime juice for the bottled lemon juice, which makes a very lime-flavoured salsa that is always a big hit. I love the lemon and lime juices from Santa Cruz Organics, which is non-reconstituted and tastes as close to freshly-squeezed as you’ll get in a bottled juice product.

(a fresh salsa)

2 cup tomatoes, peeled, seeded & chopped, (fresh is best, but ok to use canned diced tomatoes)
1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped
1 to 6 jalapeno or other chiles, chopped (to taste)
1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 tsp cumin powder
chile powder to taste
salt to taste
cilantro
juice & zest of one lime

Combine all the ingredients except the cilantro and lime juice & zest

Refrigerate for at least an hour. Just before serving, stir in chopped cilantro, lime juice and lime zest.

SOURCE: unknown

So this is what I made with the first of the rhubarb. I’d have included a photo but the jar is already in the freezer to save for autumn. This recipe is delicious and a big hit with the family. I subbed dried currants for the fruit listed.

Spiced Rhubarb Chutney

3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1 tablespoon ground garlic
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
4 cups 1/2-inch cubes fresh rhubarb (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1/2 cup (generous) chopped red onion
1/3 cup dried tart cherries or golden raisins (about 2 ounces)

Combine first 8 ingredients in heavy large Dutch oven.
Bring to simmer over low heat, stirring until sugar dissolves.
Add rhubarb, onion and dried cherries;
increase heat to medium-high and cook until rhubarb is tender and mixture thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Cool completely.
(Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.
Bring to room temperature before using.)

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
medium onion, finely chopped
2 cups thinly sliced trimmed rhubarb (about 12 oz.)
1/2 cup peeled and seeded fresh or canned tomatoes, finely chopped
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
a generous pinch of ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
fresh ground pepper

Heat the olive oil in a heavey saucepan over low heat. Add the onion and stew gently, stirring occasionally, until softened but not brown,about 7 minutes.
Stir in the rhubarb, tomatoes, honey, sugar, salt, and allspice. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until it has melted down to a thick puree, about 20 minutes.
Add the lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. The sauce
should have a nice balance between sweet and sour, if not adjust seasonings. Serve hot, over chicken or fish.

managed to find a sweet recipe in my files as well

Rhubarb Sauce

Good served warm over ice cream or cold in a compote.

2 cups chopped rhubarb, fresh or frozen
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup orange juice or water
1 tsp grated orange peel (opt)

Combine all ingredients in a 2-qt saucepan.
Cook over medium heat 15-20 minutes, stirring frequently until rhubarb is soft and sauce is slightly thickened.

SOURCE: unknown

I scored a few pounds of rhubarb today, what to do what to do…Strawberry season has passed around here so I’m looking more toward savouries.

Rhubarb Chutney

1 lb Rhubarb
2 t Coarsely grated fresh ginger
2 Garlic cloves
1 Jalapeno chile, (or more) seeds and veins removed
1 t Paprika
1 tb Black mustard seeds
1/4 c Currants
1 c Light brown sugar
1 1/2 c Light vinegar

Wash Rhubarb and slice into pieces 1/4-inch thick. If the stalks are wide, cut them in halves or thirds lengthwise, first. Finely chop the grated ginger with the garlic and chile. Place all the ingredients in a non-corrosive pan, bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer until the rhubarb is broken down and is the texture of a jam, about 30 minutes. Store refrigerated in a glass jar.

Makes 1 Cup

SOURCE: unknown

I have tried over the last six years to get away from prepackaged and prepared foodstuffs. Some of the last holdouts have been the convenience of prepared, mustrad, ketchup, barbecue sauce and mayonnaise. What finally got me away from the store bought mayo was their conversion to plastic jars instead of glass. For many reasons I prefer not to purchase goods stored in plastic so I decided to make a go at homemade mayonnaise. The recipes I find are using raw egg, instinct had me initially balk but then I realized that I have my own chickens and fresh eggs. I know the quality of these birds, their eggs and their environment. So I am willing to give it a go.

I started with:

2 fresh egg yolks

which I whizzed in the food processor and while whizzing added:

1/4 tsp salt
1TB apple cider vinegar

whizzed for a couple seconds and began drizzling in olive oil by the tablespoonfuls, watching to make sure it was emulsifying. add some more apple cider vinegar (another tablespoon full) and then finished off with olive oil, adding slowly until I had incorporated 1 cup oil.

I then added salt and pepper (white would be ideal but I used what was on hand) to taste and some paprika. Final result was creamy and very tasty, it’s amazing. Minus all those preservatives and chemicals it is a completely different product.

Photo above is my third batch, my first made yesterday I used white wine vinegar. I must have bought a bad bottle because it was the most disgustingly yeasty smelling and tasting vinegar I have ever encountered. I tried to hide it with some added lemon juice but finally I had to dump it out. Second batch was this morning, I tried to make this batch by hand. Nothing would incorporate so I was left with a bowl full of runny guck.

I will experiment a bit, maybe try lemon juice instead of acv next time. Perhaps add a bit of dry mustard, try it with egg whites instead of yolks.

It made an excellent addition to our tuna salad.

2 pounds blackberries
2 cinnamon sticks
2 teaspoons allspice berries
2 teaspoons whole cloves
2 1/3 cups vinegar
2 cups sugar
a few fresh blackberries, for garnish

Break the cinnamon sticks into pieces.

Put all the spices on a square of cheesecloth and tie up with a piece of string. Put the vinegar and sugar into a large saucepan. Stir over low heat, until the sugar has completely dissolved. Add the spice bag.

Bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the blackberries and simmer for 10 minutes longer. Remove from heat and leave the blackberry mixture to cool completely. Discard the spice bag.

Line a funnel with a double layer of cheesecloth. Strain flavored vinegar into sterilized bottles (within 1/8-inch of the tops). Add fresh blackberries to each bottle. Seal the bottle and label. The vinegar is now ready to use.

SOURCE: unknown

This freezes very well, nothing like the aroma of fresh from the garden basil in the dead of winter. I love it best as a spread for veggie wraps or tossed in hot pasta.

Basic Pesto

(from Feeding the Healthy Vegetarian Family by Ken Haedrich)

2 1/2 C packed fresh basil leaves
2-3 garlic cloves, peeled
2/3 C olive oil (the better the quality, the better the pesto)
1/4 C walnuts or pine nuts
1/8 t salt
3/4 C freshly grated Parmesan cheese

In a food processor or blender, process the basil, garlic, olive oil, nuts, and salt until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides. Scarpe the mixture into a bowl and stir in the Parmesan. Cover and refrigerate until needed. If you don’t plan to use it within 4-5 days, freeze it.

source Lisa B-K