The Canning Kitchen (21 page)

S
WEET-AND
-S
OUR
P
LUM
D
IPPING
S
AUCE

Dress up homemade or store-bought spring rolls, chicken strips and other dipping favourites with the satisfying balance of flavours in this tasty plum sauce. A jar of this sauce makes a special homemade gift for friends who love to cook.

MAKES SIX 250 ML (1 CUP) JARS

4 lb (1.8 kg) plums

1½ cups (375 mL) diced yellow onion

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups (500 mL) cider vinegar

¾ cup (175 mL) granulated sugar

2 tsp (10 mL) grated fresh ginger

1½ tsp (7 mL) dried chili flakes

½ tsp (2 mL) salt

With a sharp knife, score an X in the bottom of each plum. Immerse the plums in a large pot of boiling water for 1 minute, then transfer immediately with a slotted spoon to a large bowl of cold water. Peel off and discard the skins. Coarsely chop the plums, discarding the pits.

In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, combine the plums, onion, garlic and vinegar. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.

Purée using an immersion blender (or a standard blender, working in batches). Stir in the sugar, ginger, chili flakes and salt. Bring to a full boil over high heat. Continue boiling over highest heat for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat.

Ladle into 6 clean 250 mL (1 cup) jars, leaving a ¼-inch (5 mm) headspace. Process in a boiling water bath canner for 15 minutes using the Processing Checklist on
page 17
.

TIP
The colour of your dipping sauce will depend on the flesh colour, not the skin colour, of your plums. Yellow, red or green flesh, choose whichever you prefer for this recipe. To make grating fibrous gingerroot easy, keep pieces of ginger in a freezer bag and grate from frozen. No peeling required!

L
EMON
D
ILL
M
USTARD

Dress up grilled burgers, sausages, potato salads and more with this fabulous mustard made with the classic flavour combination of lemon and dill. Good thing it’s so easy to prepare, because mustard fans will be begging for more.

MAKES FOUR 250 ML (1 CUP) JARS

¾ cup (175 mL) yellow mustard seed

2½ cups (625 mL) white vinegar

1 cup (250 mL) dry mustard

1 cup (250 mL) freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 4 large lemons)

1 tbsp (15 mL) granulated sugar

2½ tsp (12 mL) dried dillweed

½ tsp (2 mL) salt

Combine the mustard seed and vinegar in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Remove from the heat, cover, and allow to stand for 2 hours to soften the seeds.

Purée the mixture in a blender until fairly smooth. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan. Stir in the dry mustard, lemon juice, sugar, dillweed and salt. Set the mixture over high heat, stirring constantly and working out any lumps with the back of the spoon. Once it comes to a bubble, remove from the heat.

Ladle into 4 clean 250 mL (1 cup) jars, leaving a ¼-inch (5 mm) headspace. Poke a non-metallic utensil inside each jar a few times to remove any air bubbles, topping up the mustard if necessary. Process in a boiling water bath canner for 15 minutes using the Processing Checklist on
page 17
.

TIP
For even more lemon flavour, add the zest of up to 1 lemon to your mustard. Mustard needs a little time for its flavours to fully develop. Wait 1 week before opening to give your mustard time to mellow.

B
EER
-H
IVE
G
RAINY
M
USTARD

Make this fantastic grainy mustard with your favourite beer and sweet, golden honey. Boost your sandwiches, burgers, potato salads and more with a flavour that would please even the honey-beer himself.

MAKES FIVE 250 ML (1 CUP) JARS

1½ cups (375 mL) yellow mustard seeds

2 tsp (10 mL) brown mustard seeds

2 cups (500 mL) beer

1¼ cups (300 mL) malt vinegar

½ cup (125 mL) liquid honey

2 tbsp (30 mL) dry mustard

1 tsp (5 mL) salt

In a medium saucepan, combine the yellow and brown mustard seeds with the beer. Bring to a boil over high heat. Remove from the heat, cover, and set aside for 2 hours to soften the seeds.

Scoop the mixture into a blender. Pour in the vinegar. Purée on the highest setting until smoother (some seeds will remain whole).

Return the mixture to the saucepan. Stir in the honey, dry mustard and salt. Bring to a bubble over high heat, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat.

Ladle into 5 clean 250 mL (1 cup) jars, leaving a ¼-inch (5 mm) headspace. Poke a non-metallic utensil inside each jar a few times to remove any air bubbles, topping up the mustard if needed. Process in a boiling water bath canner for 15 minutes using the Processing Checklist on
page 17
.

TIP
Brown mustard seed is significantly hotter than yellow mustard seed. If you like your mustard hotter, substitute some brown seed for some yellow. Wait 1 week before opening to allow your mustard to mellow.

C
ANNED
T
OMATOES

The best meals start with quality ingredients—like your very own canned tomatoes. Start with a jar of these and go in any direction you like with your soups, stews, pastas, rice dishes, casseroles and more. This is a fun group canning project.

MAKES SIX 500 ML (2 CUP) JARS

6 lb (2.7 kg) tomatoes (any variety)

6 tbsp (90 mL) bottled lemon juice

Use a knife to score an X in the bottom of each tomato. Submerge the tomatoes in a large pot of boiling water for 1 minute, then transfer immediately with a slotted spoon to a large bowl of cold water. (You may prefer to do this in batches.) Slip off and discard the skins. Halve, quarter or leave the tomatoes whole.

Line up 6 clean 500 mL (2 cup) jars. Pour 1 tbsp (15 mL) lemon juice into each jar. Pack the tomatoes snugly into the jars to about 1 inch (2.5 cm) from the rim. Top up each jar with a little boiling water, leaving a ½-inch (1 cm) headspace. Poke a non-metallic utensil inside each jar a few times to remove any air bubbles, topping up with water if necessary. Process in a boiling water bath canner for 40 minutes using the Processing Checklist on
page 17
.

TIP
While the acidity of fresh lemons changes throughout stages of ripeness, bottled lemon juice has standardized acidity. Use bottled lemon juice rather than fresh in this recipe for safe and reliable acidity in your jars. Roma tomatoes, a variety of plum tomatoes, are my favourite for canning because they are firm, with less “guts” inside. But any tomato variety can be canned using this recipe.

D
ICED
T
OMATOES
S
EASONED
T
HREE
W
AYS

Making a wholesome meal in a short amount of time is simple when you have jars of diced tomatoes in the pantry. Choose to season your tomatoes with fresh leafy herbs for Italian flavours, or go in a completely different direction with Spanish or Mexican flavours. Season each jar the same or do different seasonings in the same batch. The choice is yours, and the dishes you can make are endless.

MAKES SIX 500 ML (2 CUP) JARS

Start with

7 lb (3.2 kg) tomatoes (any variety
)

6 tbsp (90 mL) bottled lemon juice

For Italian diced tomatoes, add
(per jar)

6 leaves of fresh basil, sage, parsley or cilantro

½ tsp (2 mL) minced garlic

For Spanish diced tomatoes, add
(per jar)

¼ tsp (1 mL) smoked paprika

¼ tsp (1 mL) cayenne pepper

For Mexican diced tomatoes, add
(per jar)

1 tsp (5 mL) minced jalapeño pepper

¼ tsp (1 mL) chili powder

Score an X in the bottom of each tomato. Submerge the tomatoes in a large pot of boiling water for 1 minute, then transfer immediately with a slotted spoon to a large bowl of cold water. Slip off and discard the skins. (You may prefer to do this in batches.) Dice the tomatoes, adding them to a large, heavy-bottomed pot.

Line up 6 clean 500 mL (2 cup) jars. Add 1 tbsp (15 mL) lemon juice to each jar. If desired, add your chosen seasonings to your jars.

Bring the tomatoes to a boil over high heat, stirring gently with the handle end of a wooden spoon. Remove from the heat.

Ladle the hot tomatoes into your jars, leaving a ½-inch (1 cm) headspace. Poke a non-metallic utensil inside each jar a few times to remove any air bubbles, topping up the tomatoes if necessary. Process in a boiling water bath canner for 40 minutes using the Processing Checklist on
page 17
.