Feijoa Frolic!

It's been so long since I've had a chance to sit down and write about my kitchen exploits.  Thankfully Sadly, the tomato season is over and I have no more (fresh) tomatoes with which to make my chutney.

So now, I'm knee deep in feijoas.  It also known as pineapple guava in the US and Mexico.  Feijoas are a native fruit of South America, but one that has flourished in New Zealand and very well loved.  It's a perfumey, sweet fruit - a bit of an acquired taste - I hated them when I first tried them, but I've come to really enjoy the tart sweetness of them.  Good thing too, because I have many.  You may think I'm exaggerating when I say 'knee-deep' but I don't think I'm stretching the truth at all. 

The top view of the bag I filled yesterday.  This is about 1/3 of what was outside, but the bag was too heavy to keep filling.  It isn't completely full, as I made some jam yesterday.

It is bigger than an average bag, it actually does come up to my knees.  This is the second bag of this size that I've filled this month.  There are MANY more feijoas to be harvested outside... many... many... many.

I spotted some lovely, fat, juicy, plum feijoas in the yard when I went to get the mail, so I couldn't resist trying to make another batch of jam.  I had to test one of course... it passed quality control, don't worry.  (I've already made a batch of feijoa chutney.  It was good, but not my favourite.  I forgot to take photos and blog about it.  I'll probably make another batch for something to do with the fruit.)

Plump, juicy and oh so yummy!

I used a standard jam recipe.  I've learned from my last few experiences that although the recipe is easy, it doesn't mean that the jam will turn out right.  The plum jam was too runny and didn't set (not boiled long enough and went mouldy after it was stored - I think I didn't fill it enough); the tomato and chilli jam was perfect but it also went straight into the fridge once it was cool so I'm not sure if it was right and the feijoa jam I made yesterday was too hard (I think I boiled it for too long.)  Live and learn I guess.  Good thing I'm not short on feijoas to practise on! 

Get some good, meaty feijoas!

Scoop out the insides with a spoon.  You need 500g.  I tried to peel them yesterday but it was too arduous and I couldn't get the sour pith part off without taking out an unreasonably high proportion of fruit, so I went with the scooping.

For some ridiculous reason, the photo uploaded sideways and I can't be bothered to muck around with it to fix it.  500 g fruit to 500 g sugar.  I used regular white sugar today because I ran out of jam sugar (which has added pectin to help the jam set) but maybe that could be part of why it was TOO hard yesterday?

Chop up the feijoas and toss them in a pot on medium/medium-high heat.

Once the fruit comes to a boil, I reduce the heat and let it simmer down about to half the original amount and it's mushy.  This is generally when I use a potato masher to help it along.  As it cooks, try to skim off as much foam as possible.

Add the sugar, stir until dissolved and then let it boil hard for about 10 minutes - stirring often to prevent it sticking to the bottom of the pan.  Add a tablespoon of lemon juice after the sugar is dissolved.  It's meant to help the jam set.

Jam set test.  Apparently it's set when you put a blob on a plate and can make a channel through it.  I put the plate in the freezer for about 20 minutes beforehand.  I also thought it was done because it coated (and stuck) to the back of a spoon.

Pour into sterilized jars.  I'm hoping these don't go mouldy!  We'll have to eat the one covered with the cellophane disc first, as it isn't completely full and more likely to go mouldy because of how much air is in there.  I also noticed some condensation collecting on the inside of the disc.  Such a beautiful golden colour.  Yum!

When placed side by side, it's easy to see that the one on the right (yesterday's jam) is deeper in colour - a bit burned maybe? (Not quite right, at any rate... but still tastes pretty good on fresh bread with a bit of butter!)

I have to say - it's delicious!  I'm going to take some things to the Sallies in the next day or two and I may see if there are any jars going begging while I'm there.  I wonder how much feijoa is too much feijoa.

End Of The Summer Season

In New Zealand the seasons change on the first of the month, as opposed to the solstices or equinoxes, so we've been ensconced in autumn for a month now.  Aside from the calendar heralding the change of seasons, the weather has also let us know (in no uncertain terms) that summer's over... but further to that, the summer produce is definitely done.

First - the watermelon:

Check out my melon baby... kind of wish I had another one, so I could do a real classy melon shot!  Please excuse the crazy eyes and the teeth I've bared - I think I was a bit tired and disheveled from gardening.

Unfortunately, when I cut it, it was a bit anemic inside - a light pink instead of a beautiful juicy watermelon colour.  That hasn't stopped me from eating it - tastes alright.

Today my dinner was provided to me, courtesy of our garden.  I didn't feel like anything fancy, but everything just seemed to fall into place this evening.  The BEST thing is that this meal was delicious and relatively low in Weight Watchers ProPoints!

First, I whipped up some pesto, using some sad basil from the garden.  It's nearing the end of heat-loving-basil-growing season and my basil got blown over during a storm a while back, so it's a bit worse for wear, so I figured I needed to use it up quick smart.  I used the same recipe as I have before, except I was lazy and didn't toast the pine nuts.  It still tasted fabulous.

I had to fight some yucky snails for the last of my basil leaves.  I've still got a bit out there that I need to harvest.

My plan was to make a pesto cream sauce (I made one last week with some Philadelphia Cream for Cooking.)  It was lovely, but a touch bland... I was planning to give it another go, but to make the odd improvement. 

Then I looked at my veggies I gathered from the garden and hemmed and hawed for a while.

I chopped up the capsicum and when I tasted it, it felt like the bits exploded with flavour in my mouth!  I think I even did a little happy dance.

I decided I wasn't in a pasta mood, so I cooked up some quinoa.  We had it in the cupboard and both Phill and I weren't wild about it when we tried it - we found it far too bland to enjoy.  I have been convinced that I could find something that would work with it though.

So I chopped up the beans (after stringing them) and threw them in a pot with the silverbeet and a little bit of water so they could cook a tiny bit (about 10 min.)  I diced the capsicum and tomato and set them aside for later.  Once the quinoa was cooked I stirred in about 4 tablespoons of pesto, the cooked beans and silverbeet.  I spooned the mixture on a plate and sprinkled the diced capsicum and tomato over top of the warm quinoa and veggies.  The veggies are all 0 points, so all the points come from the quinoa and pesto - for the amount I used, it was around 7 ProPoints all together, but you could easily reduce the number of points by using a bit less pesto. 

I'm going to go right ahead and say it - it was AMAZING.  If I wasn't trying to practise some sort of portion control, I would have eaten another plateful!!  The remaining pesto is going to be frozen in the ice cube tray so I can enjoy the taste of summer in a few months' time.

Phill even liked it (he really didn't like quinoa when we had it) - I do attribute it to my heavy hand with the pesto.  To be honest, it had so much of it because my ice cube tray was full and I didn't want to sterilize a bottle to save a tablespoon's worth of pesto. 

We both agreed that a bit of chicken (cooked with a lot of garlic) would have made this amazing dish extraordinary.  Ooooh - maybe a bit of grated parmesan too?

Next time!

The Tomatoes Will Not Win!

You'd think, as a lover of tomatoes, the sight of them wouldn't really reduce me to near tears.  After gazing forlornly at the mountains of tomatoes in the kitchen yesterday, I decided to take action.

After making a lovely dinner (of course) I made another batch of oven roasted pasta sauce (not as good as last time - too much Worcester Sauce this time) and I decided to tackle some Tomato Chilli Jam.

A friend mentioned that it's quite lovely, so I thought I'd give it a go.  I'm pleased to report that my jam set beautifully this time!  I'll be bringing a jar of jam for my friend who suggested it... hopefully she'll like it!

Ingredients:

• 500 g tomatoes - peeled (blanched for a minute and then remove skins) and roughly chopped
• 250 g jam sugar (regular white sugar is fine too, but the jam sugar has setting agents in it)
• juice of 1 lemon (I used 4 tbsp lemon juice)
• 1 tsp mixed dried herbs
• 1 tsp chilli flakes.

Put all ingredients except sugar in a heavy based saucepan and boil on medium-low heat until the tomatoes are mushy (about 8 minutes.)

Add the sugar and stir until dissolved. 

 Increase heat to medium high and bring to a rolling boil until thickened and glossy.

 Do the 'jam set test.'  While you test, remove the pot from the heat.  If you run your finger through and it makes a channel without running back together (as in the lower right hand corner of the picture) it's ready.  Phill's mum suggested that I put the plate in the freezer to help with the testing.  Happy to say it was indeed helpful.

Funnel/ladle into sterilized jars and seal.  I don't have any lids for these, but the jam jar covers from Pak'n'Save work a treat!

Good on poached eggs, chicken and assorted meats.  Keeps for 6 months if stored in a cool dark place.  Refrigerate after opening.  Easy peasy!  It took about 45 minutes all up... I'll be making this one again.

Updates

picture source

 Short & to the point...

1.  The red tomato chutney is even MORE amazing when made with half malt vinegar (instead of all white wine vinegar) and half brown sugar (instead of all caster sugar.)  I found this out because I had run out of white wine vinegar... a very worthwhile experiment!

2.  When making plum jam, do not pit and peel the plums.  Mum reckons that the pips have pectin and help with the setting.  Mine did not set well, but is delicious.  Only 7 1/2 more jars to go until it's all done.

3.  My oven roasted pasta sauce is FANTASTIC.  Highly recommended with a bit of mince (browned and drained of fat) and some veggies to bulk it up and served over simple pasta.  Can easily serve 4.

Lazy Summer Sunday Arvo - Ha! (Part 2)

So after I was finished with my plums around mid-day, I then sat and peered intently at the tomatoes on the windowsill, counter and table. 

I carefully measured out 1 kg of tomatoes and gleefully chuckled to myself.  "I've made a significant dent!  Ha, take THAT!"  Just out of curiosity, I wandered outside with my handy basket to relieve the plants of the one or two ripe ones that I knew would be waiting for me.  I stood there, staring with utter disbelief and more than a little despair.  I went back inside with over a kilo of freshly picked tomatoes.  So much for my dent!

I decided to make pasta sauce, as I had cleared a little space in the freezer.  Since I preserved tomatoes yesterday (no post on that.  not quite sure how they turned out yet), I simply couldn't bear the idea of blanching and peeling more tomatoes today, so I cut them in half and tossed them on a tray.  Then inspiration struck...

I quartered 2 onions and nestled some sprigs of thyme and some bay leaves among the veggies.  I drizzled the whole thing with olive oil and sprinkled it with mixed herbs and coarsely ground salt.

I love beautiful looking food - it looked so pretty.  I popped it in the oven at 150 Celsius for about an hour.

After I did a few rounds of my knitting, I went outside and picked a bunch of basil and oregano.  I chopped it up and left it in a bowl, ready to use.

After an hour in the oven - it smelled incredible!

Using a slotted spoon, remove the tomatoes and onions (throw out the herbs) and put them in a food processor and whizz up until it's a consistency you like for pasta sauce.

In another pan, with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, saute some crushed garlic until it's fragrant.

Mix in whizzed sauce and chopped herbs.  Add 2 tbsp of tomato paste and the secret ingredients - a couple of glugs of red wine and of Worcester sauce (the sauce gives it that little something that it needed to take away the tartness of the tomatoes.)  Season to taste with salt + pepper.

Simmer for about 20 minutes to thicken it.  I could have let it simmer longer, but I wanted it to be a little bit liquidy, as I planned to freeze it.  It is also imperative that you test it with fresh bread.  Do not burn your tongue (as I may have.)

Put in container and let cool.  All ready to freeze for up to 4 months.

It.  Tastes.  Amazing.  I figure that's about 2 really generous servings, so it works out to about 4 Weight Watchers ProPoints.

When I use it for pasta, I'll probably throw in some spinach, mushrooms and mince meat to bulk it up a bit (the meat will add to the points value though.)

As I have said many times, I've got an abundance of tomatoes, so I've already planned for the next time I make it - I will roast it with a head of garlic (wrapping the cloves in tin foil so they don't stew in the juices that come out of the veges) and a red capsicum (I was a bit disappointed to find that I did have one in the fridge that I could have used today.)  Yum!

I've already had dinner tonight, but the thought of my pasta sauce is making my tummy rumble again!

Lazy Summer Sunday Afternoon - Ha! (Part 1)

Lazy is the last adjective I would use to describe my day today.  I've been buzzing around, like a fly on crack, creating, stirring, bottling and testing (the best part.)  It was hot today.  The kind of hot where you just want to lay where you may and let the breeze wash over you.

She lay motionless for at least an hour.  I would have worried if she didn't jump up when I shook her cat biscuits.

Not to brag, but my kitchen smelled awesome today.

I started the morning by attacking my 2 kg of plums that my lovely friend J brought me from her tree on Thursday.  After a brief moment of panic (if I was meant to peel the plums or not) and a quick phone call to Phill's nana, I took a break and trundled off to the grocery store to get some jam sugar.  Nana had used some the other day (with the recipe on the back) and it was apparently amazing.

2 kg of perfect plummy goodness.

Peeled, stoned and cut in halves.  I just couldn't resist popping a couple of bits in my mouth (I had to test it you know.  Quality control.)  Seriously?  Could you resist that sight?

I never realised how much sugar goes into jam.

Add 1 1/2 cups of water to the plums, boil until mushy.

Use trusty potato masher to crush the plums.

Add copious amounts of jam sugar (7 cups) and stir until dissolved.  Do not let boil yet.

Stir in 2 knobs of butter (20g) and bring to a rolling boil.  Let boil for 10-15 min.

Test frequently for setting point (spoon a bit on a cold plate, let cool slightly and run your finger through it.  If it forms a channel, you can take start bottling it, as it will set when it cools.) 

Moisten wax paper discs and affix on jars with a rubber band immediately after putting in jam (use a sterilized funnel to get it in the bottles.  Watch your fingers, the jam's very hot!)  

For my first attempt, it was okay - I've been examining my jars all day and it still looks a bit runny to me.  I'd let it boil a bit longer if I were to do it again.

So in a nutshell - the recipe is as follows (a combination of one from the Edmond's Cookbook and the recipe on the back of the jam sugar packet.)

Plum Jam
Weight Watchers ProPoints:  1 point per tablespoon

• 2 kg plums - pitted, peeled and halved (chop them up if you want to skip the potato masher step.)
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 7 cups sugar (white sugar will work, but the jam sugar is quite nice and has extra bits in it to help it set apparently.)
• 2 knobs butter (20g - I think the butter gives the jam that lovely glossiness)

1. Peel, pit and chop the plums - halves or smaller, your choice.
2. Place in pot with water and boil until mushy.
3. Mush up more with masher.
4. Add sugar - stir until dissolved.  Do not let boil yet.
5. Once sugar is dissolved, add butter and boil briskly for 10 - 15 min.
6. Test frequently for setting point (then bottle when ready!)
7. If you're using wax discs, don't forget to moisten them before putting them on the jars (like I forgot.)
8. Store in a cool, dark place.

I'm planning to have toast and jam for breakfast tomorrow!

Tomatoes Galore

Holy hell.  I'm overwhelmed with tomatoes.  I've got to do some preserving this weekend, but in the meantime, I thought I'd try my hand at tomato sauce.  Phill's parents were here on Sunday, and apparently Dad really likes it freshly made.  He said it had burned a tiny bit, so it had caramelized (which is true, I remember the burning and mild panic) but otherwise it was a success.

From beginning to end...

It was dead easy, and tastes pretty good.  Sorry for the old school measurements - it's an old family recipe... thank goodness for Google!  I know a lot of these chutney/sauce recipes do have a lot of sugar in them, but if you're not having heaps at once and very often, I think it's okay.

Phill's Nana's Tomato Sauce (via Phill's Mum)
Makes: approx 1 litre
Weight Watchers Points: 1 point per tbsp (based on approx 66 tbsp in 1 litre)

4.5 lbs tomatoes
1 lb onions
1/8 cup table salt
1 lb brown sugar
1/4 oz all spice
1/4 oz peppercorns
1/4 oz cloves
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 level dessert spoon cinnamon (I guessed about 2 tsp)
375 ml malt vinegar

Cut it all up and boil for 4 hours, stirring occasionally.
Strain and bottle (I don't have a proper strainer, so I blanched and peeled the tomatoes first and then mashed it up while cooking.  Next time, I may give it a whiz in the food processor before bottling.)