Tomato pie

I was bored last summer and I found some pre-made pie crust in the fridge, so I made this tomato pie! It came out tastings pretty good, although in the future I want to make it using a home made crust, the pre-made crust was a bit sweet for my liking.

I made two pies actually, the above pie was really simple, it was tomatoes sliced thinly, layer in the pie with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese, thinly sliced onions, and salt and pepper.

Next I made a pie with a more substantial topping.

I used:
Pre-baked pie crust
4 Fresh Tomatoes
1 thinly sliced scallion
Basil

Topping:
1/3 Cup Mayonnaise
1/3 Cup Parmesan Cheese
1 Clove Crushed Garlic

First, pre-bake your pie crust for 5 minutes at 350F (190C).
Into the pre-baked pie crust layer sliced tomatoes, basil, and scallions.
In a bowl mix together the mayo, cheese and crushed garlic. Spread this mixture on top.
Bake the pie at 350F (180C) for around 35 minutes.

The finished product should look something like this. Like I said, the pre-made crust came out pretty good, but I would prefer my own crust the next time around.

Simple Pickled Hot Peppers

As fall begins in full force I have come across big bags of hot peppers at the super market for only 100 yen each. I decided to use this to make some simple pickles. I figure that the peppers will be great to use in pasta sauces, and the vinegar base would taste pretty good as a condiment.

The brine is really easy, bring the following to a boil in a saucepan:

2 Cups Vinegar
2 Cups Water
2 Tbsp. Pickling Salt

Because I wanted to keep the taste of the hot peppers as strong as I could, I didn't add any spices.
Cut your hot peppers up as small or as large as you want. I included the seeds in my pickles for that extra punch. Pack your jars tightly, pour the boiling brine into the jars, wipe rims add lids and process for 10 minutes in a hot water bath.

I am looking forward to enjoy the fresh pepper taste later in the winter when such things are but a memory.

Grape Jelly

A few weeks ago a friend of ours gave us a big bunch of grapes. I was thinking of using half of it to make some grape jelly, but they were so good we ended up eating them all, so when I was at the supermarket today and came across cheap grapes, I decided to pick them up. They were at the very peak of ripeness so they weren't too expensive. I ended up buying about a pound of grapes to use for this project.

The jelly I made came out really good. Its very solid and tastes really good.

First you need to make grape juice.
All you need is 1lb (500gs)or more of grapes

Wash your grapes well, then put the grapes in a sauce pan, mash a little bit, add 1/4 to 1/2 cup water, and boil for around 10 minutes. Strain this mixture through a colander and cheesecloth and collect the juice.

I ended up with around a cup and a half, so I made a half cup of apple juice by boiling some extra apple skins and cores I had from another project. In total I ended up with a scant two cups of juice.

While I made the jelly I started two jars sterilizing in another pan. I had two cups juice, so I made one jar plus a bit.

For every one cup of juice, use 2/3 cups sugar. Since I ended up using a 1/2 cup apple juice, I also added a teaspoon of lemon juice.

I used:
1 1/2 cups Grape juice
1/2 cup Apple juice
1 1/2 cups Sugar
1 tsp Lemon juice

Bring this to a boil and cook for around 20 minutes. The jelly needs to reach between 104~105 degrees C to activate the pectin. If you have a thermometer, you can use it to check the temperature. If you don't, use a fork. Once it has reached the jelly point, it will pour off the fork much like honey. My jelly never got above 100 degrees, but using a fork I could tell it had reached jellying point.

I poured the jelly into jars, I had one jar to seal, so sealed it in a water bath for 10 minutes. If your not sure on this method check out my blog post on the subject.

I am a big fan of making jelly or jam using the pectin that is naturally occurring in the fruit. I was actually a bit surprised at how well this came out. It is definitely very well jelled.

Pickled Aomori Garlic

Today I was looking in the fridge and I noticed that I still had a big bag of garlic from my mother-in-law. So I went in search of something interesting to do with it. We usually keep some fresh garlic around when its in season, and otherwise store it peeled in the freezer. Since the freezer bag of garlic is full to overflowing, I decided to make some pickled garlic. I found an interesting recipe online, but since it was for making a full 5 jars, I divided it by four, and made one full jar, with a little extra in an old jam jar for the refrigerator. This way I can see how it tastes without opening my only jar.

Ingredients:
2~3 heads of garlic, enough to fill a jar with a little extra just in case.
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp White Vinegar
1/4 cup Dry White Wine
3/4 tsp Salt
3/4 tsp Sugar
3/4 tsp Dried Oregano
1 whole dried chili for each jar.

As always, while you are preparing all this, get your hot water bath boiling with the jar(s) you are going to use it in. You can sterilize while you prepare the garlic.

Prepare your garlic by peeling it, you can pour bowling water over it, following by putting it in ice water if you are having trouble getting the pesky skins off.

Combine the vinegar, wine, salt, sugar, and dried oregano in a sauce pan and bring to a boil for 1 minute. turn off the heat and add the garlic. Stir rapidly for 1 minute.

Put garlic into jar(s) with the dried chili, pour the brine and fill the jar until its about 3/4 inch from the top. Carefully bubble, wipe the rim, dry the lid and screw on tightly, process in a water bath for 10 minutes. The finish jar can be saved for up to a year.

Your garlic may change to an interesting green color due to a reaction with the brine. This is nothing to worry about, it doesn't affect the flavor.

My garlic unfortunately has that rather strange green color to it. It sure smells good though. I am looking forward to trying it in a few days.

Garlic Dill Pickles

Although its now not really a good season for pickles, here is the recipe I used to make pickles last summer. I went to the Michinoeki in Towada and bought 5kgs of cucumbers. I ended up with around twenty jars of pickles, my wife gave most of them away, and we are down to our last three jars.

Bring the following to a boil:
2 Cups white vinegar
2 Cups Water
2 Tbs Pickling Salt

Into each jar put the following spices, pack jar well with cucumbers. You can cut the cucumbers into small pieces, or leave larger. Make sure to cut both ends off. The flower end contains enzymes that will make the cucumbers spoil faster.

One clove of garlic per jar
1 tsp Dill Seed
1/2 tsp Black peppercorns
1/4 tsp Mustard Seeds
1/4 tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes


Use the cold pack method, that is, pour the boiling brine into the jars, bubble well, wipe rims put on covers, and process for 10 minutes in a water bath.
If you are making these for the fridge, just pour the hot brine over the cucumbers, and let cool before putting into the fridge.

These pickles are great with everything. I love them as a side to really any meal. The sealed jars will last for up to a year. Once opened they should be eaten within about a month.


Enjoy!

Canning, Japanese style

As many of you know, home canning is pretty established in America, we have jars with a flat lid that is held down by a removable rim. Here in Japan, we have jars that have full lids, they seem to work okay, but they always make me a bit worried when I am canning, as it is not as easy to check the seals with these jars.

I would like to take a moment to explain how to can using the water bath method. You should follow these instructions closely, as there are other ways to seal jars, but they are not recommended.

Before using your jars, sterilized them by boiling for 10 minutes.

You wants to get your lids ready at the same time. I like to have them sitting in boiling water waiting for me.

Take out the jars, fill with whatever you are canning leaving 1/4 inch headroom, bubble the jars, wipe the rims, dry the lids and screw them on snugly. You don't want to make the lids too tight, or the hot air won't be able to escape.

Boil the jars for the time required by the recipe.

The jars should be completely covered by water, with the water covering two inches above the top of the jar. This will heat the air in the jar, and it will be forced out, helping to create the seal.


Take your jars out and let them cool on the counter on a towel, its better not to put the glass onto a cold surface as it might cause the jar to crack.

Here are a couple questions you might have about this process:

What is Bubbling the jars?
You may have noticed that I say bubble the jars. This means using a chopstick, or a plastic spatula to get ride of the air bubbles in the jar. You can also give the jar a bit of a bang on the counter to try and knock them loose. If you don't bubble your jar they may not seal well. As I said, the seal works by heating the air and pushing it out of the jar. If you have too much air, it won't seal well.

What is Headroom? This is the amount of space you need to leave between the top of your food, and the lid. If there is too much, or not enough space, you jar won't seal well.

Why is this important? The main reason we boil the jars to seal them, rather than using one of the other possible methods, is to help kill the bacteria that lives naturally in all produce.

What can I can? There are many things you can can, but remember, only use fully tested recipes. The reason we can can pickles is because the vinegar is highly acidic, the reason we can can jams and jellies is because the sugar acts as a preservative. Remember, never can meats or fruits and veggies that are low in acid unless you are using a tried and true recipe.

How bad can it get? You could die. If you properly process your jars, there is very little chance of danger. However, if you don't work hard to ensure everything is sterilized and sealed correctly, there is a chance of bacterial growth. Many kinds of bacteria are visible. Unfortunately, one of the most deadly, is not. That is the bacteria responsible for botulism. The bacteria that causes this isn't visible, and leaves no noticeable trace. It is actually the dead cells that are poisonous. So if you see something growing in your jars. Throw them away. Even if it looks like a simple mold you could scrap off the top don't. Trash it. Remember though, even if your jars don't seal well you can still eat them right away if you put them in the fridge.

But don't worry too much, and enjoy canning!

Welcome and Canned Myoga

Hello and Welcome to my new blog. I have decided that since I am always cooking interesting things here in the cold north of Japan, I ought to put up my recipes and perhaps give some other people some cooking ideas.

I really enjoy canning foods. I love the idea of being able to make something that I can save for the whole year and enjoy. Today's post is about myoga.

Myoga is a sort of Japanese ginger. Its actually the flower bud of the plant. My mother-in-law happens to grow it in her garden, and she gave us a whole big bag of it. I decided to make pickled myoga.

This is my cleaned myoga waiting to be put into jars, and canned using the follow recipe:

In a saucepan add the following and bring to a boil:
2 cups Apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup Water
3/4 Cup Sugar
1 Tbsp Pickling Salt

Put the whole myoga into sterilized canning jars, to this add
2 tsp Mustard Seed
1/2 tsp Red Chili Flakes

Use chopsticks to remove the air bubbles, wipe rims, cover, and process in hot water bath for 10 minutes.

Let cool on the counter. If you sealed the jars well this should keep for up to one year.

Enjoy!