Mulled Wine

**Yet another recipe that has been lingering in my drafts file on this blog - I will try to get a photo when we make it for our Xmas Party 2012!!!**

This has been a staple at our annual Xmas Open House for the past 17 years and it is delicious!  It reminds me of being in the Christmas Markets in Munich and sipping on the Gluhwein while munching on a sausage.  Beware - this definitely is a hangover waiting to happen!!!  Let's just say that it warms the blood and the imagination (just ask our friend JP how he created the Micmac legends surrounding the mulled wine...! LOL!)

MULLED WINE

Ingredients:

1 lemon peel

1 orange peel

1 cinnamon stick

Pinch ground nutmeg

2 tbsp brown sugar

2 bottles of full bodied red wine

2 cups ruby port

1 cup brandy

• In a large pot add peels, spices and sugar to the wine.  Heat gently and simmer.  
• Add the port and brandy  and heat until liquid just begins to simmer, but do not allow to boil.
• ENJOY!

*If you need to stretch the mulled wine, add orange juice...but remember, that just waters down the alcohol!!  

Classic Sweet Watermelon Rind Pickles

Funnily enough, as I went to the cupboard and took out a jar of these pickles, it occurred to me that I hadn't posted a blog entry about them?!  I suppose it was because they are such a foreign food to me that I wasn't 100% sure of how they were supposed to look and taste (as they tend to be commonplace in the southern States).  Armed only with my preserving book and a mountain of watermelon rinds I set to canning this odd, but tasty treat!  Hopefully when watermelon season returns, you will remember this posting and try it for yourself, because I can assure you the taste is unique and fabulous roasted with pork!!!

CLASSIC SWEET WATERMELON RIND PICKLES

Ingredients For Day 1:

16 cups cubed, peeled watermelon rind (about 1 large melon, rind cut into 1" cubes)

1/2 cup pickling or canning salt

Ingredients For Day 2:

2 sticks cinnamon, broken in half

4 cups granulated sugar

1/2 tsp whole cloves

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

2 cups cider vinegar

2 cups water

• DAY 1:  In a large non-reactive bowl, layer watermelon rind and salt, using about 1/3 of each per layer.  Place a plate on top to weigh down rind.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 12 hrs or up to 24 hrs.
• DAY 2:  In a sieve, working in batches, drain rind and rinse well.  Drain again.
• In a large pot combine rind and enough cold water to cover by about 1".  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  reduce heat and boil gently for about 10 minutes or until fork tender.  Drain well and set aside.
• In a large clean pot combine cinnamon sticks, sugar, cloves, nutmeg, vinegar and 2 cups water.  Bring to  a boil over medium heat, stirring often until sugar is dissolved.
• Add rind and simmer, gently stirring occasionally for 1 to 1 1/2 hrs or until rind is translucent and looks glassy.  Remove from heat.
• Meanwhile, prepare canner, jars and lids.  
• Using a slotted spoon, pack rind and whole spices into hot jars, leaving 1" headspace and dividing spices as evenly as possible between jars.  Pour in hot pickling liquid, leaving 1/2" headspace and removing air bubbles. 
• Wipe rim and place hot lid disc on jar.  Screw band down until fingertip tight.
• Place jars in canner and return to a boil.  Process for 10 minutes.  Turn off heat, remove canner lid and let jars stand in water for 5 minutes.  Transfer jars to a towel-lined surface and let stand for 24 hours.  Check lids and reprocess any jars whose lids did not seal.

*For a deeper flavour, replace all or half of the granulated sugar with packed brown sugar.  The colour of the pickles will be a dark caramel!*
*If you prefer a milder spice flavour, just discard the whole spices instead of adding them to the jars!*

Yummy Tuna Noodle Casserole!

My kids love egg noodles, peas and tuna (not to mention creamy alfredo sauce), so this dish was a hit! You can top the casserole with a combination of crispy panko breadcrumbs and grated Parmesan Reggiano, or just crumble plain potato chips on top like I did ;0)

TUNA NOODLE CASSEROLE

Ingredients:

1 cup whipping cream

1 cup grated Parmesan-Reggiano

1/4 cup butter

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Pinch grated nutmeg

16 oz of wide egg noodles

1 pkg (10 oz) frozen peas (I used canned because that's what I had on hand)

1 can of solid white water-packed tuna, drained and flaked

1 cup of panko breadcrumbs, or crumbled plain potato chips (although dill might be nice too!!)

• In a pot of boiling, salted water, cook egg noodles until al dente. Drain and put into a medium sized casserole dish. Stir in the tuna and peas. Set aside.


• In the same saucepan over medium-high heat, heat both the butter and whipping cream until little bubbles appear on the surface. Whisk in the Parmesan-Reggiano with the salt, pepper and nutmeg.


• Pour the alfredo sauce over the noodles and stir to ensure everything is evenly covered.


• Top with crumbled plain potato chips or panko breadcrumbs and place into a 350F oven until the topping goes golden brown and the sauce is bubbling.


• Serve and ENJOY!

Apple, Onion & Ale Relish

As I logged in today to the blog I realized that it has been almost a month since my last post?! "What have I been doing with myself?", I asked. And then it hit me - I have been preserving like a woman crazed (if my pantry is anything to go by!)

I have been making Zucchini Relish, Tomato & Rhubarb Chutney, Strawberry Jam (by the truckload!), Sweet Watermelon Rind Pickles, Caramelized Vidalia Onions, Dill Pickles (both icicles and slices), Spicy & Sweet Mango Salsa, Salsa Verde, Apple, Onion & Ale Relish, Peppery Strawberry Salsa, and the favourite by far - Dilled Green & Yellow Beans!

So thankfully I haven't been exactly slacking! As I am sweating profusely over my steaming canner I hold fast to the vision of friends and family enjoying these summer flavours in the middle of a long and cold winter.

Yesterday I made the Apple,Onion & Ale Relish that I mentioned earlier, and it is so simple and delicious slathered over a crispbread topped with aged cheddar, I just felt I had to share the recipe! The malt and hops from the ale really add depth to this sweet and savoury relish. It comes from my new favourite book "The Complete Book of Pickling" by Jennifer MacKenzie. I picked it up at Costco for $14.99 and it has been an invaluable resource for unique recipes.

APPLE, ONION & ALE RELISH

Ingredients

4 cups finely chopped onions

2 tbsp pickling salt

1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar

1 tbsp yellow mustard seeds

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1 cup cider vinegar

2 cups finely chopped peeled tart soft apples (McIntosh or Granny Smith)

1 cup dark ale (I used "Chimay" a Trappist Monk's ale)

4 cups finely chopped peeled tart cooking apples (McIntosh or Granny Smith)

6 - 250mL jars

• In a large non-reactive bowl, combine onions and salt. Cover and let stand at a cool room temperature for 2 hours.
• Meanwhile, prepare the canner, jars and lids.
• In a colander lined with cheesecloth, working in batches, drain and rinse onions well. Drain again and squeeze out excess liquid. Set aside in colander to continue draining.
• In a large pot, combine brown sugar, mustard seeds, cinnamon, nutmeg and vinegar. Brint to a boil over medium heat, stirring often until sugar is dissolved.
• Increase heat to medium-high and add drained onions, soft apples and ale; return to a boil, stirring often. Reduce heat and boil gently, stirring often for about 10 minutes, or until apples start ot break down and mixture is slightly thickened.
• Stir in cooking apples and return to a boil, stirring often. Reduce heat and boil gently, stirring often to prevent sticking, for about 2 minutes, or until cooking apples just start to soften but don't break down.
• Ladle hot relish into hot jars, leaving 1/2" (1cm) headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjsut headspace as necessary by adding hot relish. Wipe rim and place hot lid disc on jar. Screw band down until fingertip tight.
• Place jars in canner and return to boil. Process for 10 minutes. Turn off heat and remove canner lid. Let jars stand in water for 5 minutes. Transfer jars to a towel-lined surface, and allow to stand for 24 hours. Reprocess any jars that the lids did not seal properly on to.
• Store in a dark and cool cupboard until you are ready to enjoy!!!

Zucchini Blini

I was the fortunate recipient of approximately 40 to 50 yellow and green tender young zucchini, which were considered 'seconds' by the grower, but perfect for me! I am embarking on canning zucchini relish and therefore, don't really mind that there are slight blemishes on the skins. After chopping for almost an hour, I have minute and uniform finely diced zucchini which I have added to onions, orange and green bell peppers. Before cooking the vegetables for relish, you have to cover with pickling salt and let them sit overnight to leech out most of the water...so more on my relish later!!!

After all this chopping, I really didn't seem to make much of a dent in the huge pile of zucchini in my sink?! So I decided to get out my trusty box grater and my bulging recipe book for this delicious dish that I haven't created since I grew zucchini in my own garden in Toronto, about 8 or 9 years ago! I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!!!

ZUCCHINI BLINI

Ingredients:
2lbs trimmed and grated zucchini
1 tsp kosher salt
1 large red onion, finely diced
1/2 cup grated Parmesan Reggiano
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp white all-purpose flour
3 large free-range eggs
1 to 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
pinch of nutmeg
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

• Place grated zucchini in a medium-sized bowl, and sprinkle with the kosher salt. Set aside for approximately 10 minutes to leech out the liquid. Drain by pressing zucchini against the sides of the bowl, and pouring off the liquid that pools.


• Using a fork, stir in remaining ingredients. Mix thoroughly.


• Drop heaping tbsps of the zucchini mixture onto a hot skillet lightly oiled. Flatten each spoonful into a small pancake shape.


• Fry until golden and crispy.


• Serve with sour cream mixed with finely chopped chives, or tzatziki!!