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Post by bixaorellana on Sept 11, 2010 15:20:26 GMT
Well, since this is a recipe thread, I thought we'd only include stuff we'd actually like to eat. Your landlady can have my portion of the pickled chicken feet too. However, that reminds me of one of my hands-down favorite foods ~~ pickled pigs' feet. This is the recipe I use, adapted from a Diana Kennedy recipe. It calls for only 4 pigs' feet -- triple the recipe, at least. Manitas de Puerco en Escabeche-- @ 3 1/2 lbs pigs' feet, halved lengthwise & each piece cut in two -- one small white onion, cut in fourths -- a couple of garlic cloves, crushed lightly -- one tablespoon salt -- one tablespoon vinegar -- some peppercorns -- a bay leaf or avocado leaf -- one whole dried cayenne chile Put the above ingredient into a deep pot, cover well with water and cook over low heat until extremely tender. (this is an excellent time to pull out your pressure cooker) -- 3 1/2 cups fruity vinegar (<-- local ingredient, substitute reg. vinegar cut with @ 1/4 water, or to taste. Add a slice or two of pineapple &/or apple. Heat gently, then remove the fruit) -- a couple teaspoons dried oregano or marjoram -- couple bay leaves -- couple nice sprigs of thyme, or 1/4 tsp. dried -- 5 canned chiles jalapeños en escabeche, cut into strips or not. If you can't get this product, substitute canned nacho chiles. -- at least a couple of tablespoons of liquid from the can. -- optional -- any vegetables en escabeche you might wish to add, or blanched, cut-up carrots. -- salt to taste Remove the cooked feet from the pot with tongs while still hot, and put them in a non-reactive bowl. Slightly heat the 2nd group of ingredients above and pour over the feet. Taste for salt, spiciness, vinegariness, etc. and adjust seasoning. Let them set at room temperature until completely cool, making sure to turn them occasionally and that they're covered with the vinegar. Refrigerate or keep in a cool place. |°|°|°|°|°|°|°|°|°|°|°|°|°|°|°|°|°|°|°|°|°|°|°|°|°|°|°|°|°|°|°|°|°|°|°|°|°|°|°|°|°|°|°|°|°|°|°|°| Here's the Google hits page for 'pickled pigs feet recipes'. Who has personal recipes to add?
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Post by Don Cuevas on Sept 14, 2010 12:59:48 GMT
Referring back to the refrigerator cucumber pickles, the Bread and Butter Pickles I recently made has the following to help crispness: the cucumbers are sliced (not too thinly), salted and crushed ice is added. There they reside for about 4 hours (although I've seen recipes where they are held over night.)
The ice water and any residual ice is drained away, as the pickiling liquid is heated on the stove.
The drained slices are added to the picklng liquid, brought to a bol, then simmered a very short while.
The slices and liquid are then ladled into clean, hot canning jars, etc etc, then processed in a boiling water bath. They came out delicious and semi-crunchy.
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Post by bixaorellana on Sept 14, 2010 15:51:48 GMT
Oh, that is really good information, Don Cuevas. That's the same technique used on the watermelon pickles. I had thought that watermelon rind simply remained crisper than cucumber, but it must the salting and icing that do the trick.
I'm just guessing, based on the experiments I did with the b&b pickle recipe I used, but I think the amount of sugar has a bearing on crispness as well -- more sugar = more crispness, which is frustrating.
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Post by Don Cuevas on Sept 14, 2010 18:04:25 GMT
The alternative to using ice to maintain crispness is adding alum, which is possibly less healthful.
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Post by bixaorellana on Sept 14, 2010 18:32:59 GMT
Well, as you see in #11, I didn't use ice, but stuck it into the freezer instead -- an option that may not have been available when many pickle recipes were developed.
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Post by Don Cuevas on Sept 14, 2010 22:55:05 GMT
I often don't read closely.
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Post by bixaorellana on Sept 15, 2010 0:54:54 GMT
¡Ni modo!
It allowed this subject to be developed further. I really was not at all sure that it was the salting & intense chilling that preserved crispness. I am still fretting about the sugar. There must be some reason that all the "icebox pickle" recipes are for the sweeter pickles.
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Post by cristina on Sept 19, 2010 1:02:46 GMT
I was talking to my daughter today about the garlic festival in Gilroy, CA and this reminded me that I used to be able to buy pickled garlic at my local high-end grocer. They don't carry it any more but I thought that it should be easy to make refrigerator-style. Pickled garlic is fabulous if you like garlic, since you get the flavor, without the residual... ummm...body odor. So I ate them like chips. I found a few recipes on the internet, but wondering if anyone has done this themselves?
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Post by Deleted on Sept 19, 2010 15:36:25 GMT
Okay, we have talked about drinking pickle juice in the distant past (a wild but common perversion), but for those of us with limited storage, pickled items take up too much space -- big jars with about 50% to be drained off. Every time I buy a big jar of "cornichons à la Russe" (kosher dills), it bothers me that the jar is so big in terms of the contents.
Is there any such thing as pressed pickled items?
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Post by cristina on Sept 19, 2010 23:34:41 GMT
Is there any such thing as pressed pickled items? Why, yes there is: However if that doesn't turn you on, you might trying re-using your pickle juice. Here are some ideas from the Mt Olive Pickle website:
Don't Pour Out the Pickle Jar - There Are Plenty of Uses for the Juices!
Just picked the last pickle out of the jar? Don't toss it out, save the liquid! The refrigerated juice from pickles, pickled peppers and sauerkraut has dozens of uses in everything from marinades and sauces to dips, soups and even drinks.
"Recycling" the juice also makes good economic sense. A good value to start with, pickled vegetables and their juices are an easy and relatively inexpensive way to pack extra flavor into foods. And with these ideas, you'll be eager to use every drop:
Pickle and pickled pepper liquids make excellent marinades. They offer lots of gutsy flavor when simply combined with a little olive oil and chopped fresh herbs, or added to bottled Italian salad dressing.
Sauerkraut juice is the basis for this zesty marinade for grilled pork and other meats. Combine 1 cup sauerkraut juice, 1/2 cup white grape juice, 1/4 cup oil and 1 clove chopped garlic with 1 tablespoon each of Dijon mustard, minced shallots, chopped fresh rosemary and chopped fresh thyme. Add black pepper to taste. The acid in the sauerkraut juice acts as a tenderizer, resulting in super-succulent meats.
Most any barbecue sauce is better when doctored with a little pickle, pickled pepper or sauerkraut juice. The new and improved version will have a delightful tanginess not found in any bottled brand.
Add cut-up raw carrots, celery sticks, broccoli and cauliflower florets, and red and green pepper strips directly to the jar of any type of leftover pickle juice. Make sure to keep these tangy tidbits refrigerated. The marinated veggies are great for snacking on straight from the jar or become an innovative addition to a crudité platter.
Slip sliced onions into a jar of sweet-hot bread and butter pickle juice. The "pickled" onions liven up turkey, chicken or ham sandwiches, as well as hamburgers.
Pickle liquid mixed in with the mayo can give a new twist to your time-honored potato salad. Or, try this Dilled Potato Salad: combine cooked red- skinned potatoes, cooked-till-crisp-tender green beans, sliced black olives and chopped dill pickle. Toss with a dressing of 1/3 cup oil, and 1 Tablespoon each of pickle liquid, country-style Dijon mustard, lemon juice and chopped fresh dill.
For a version of macaroni and cheese that's definitely not like Grandma's, blend 1/2 cup milk, 1/4 cup heated pickled pepper juice and 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard; pour over 4 cups cooked elbow macaroni in casserole dish. Stir in 2 cups shredded cheese, top with bread crumbs and bake until bubbly. Add chopped pickled peppers for a colorful variation.
Gazpacho, a cold summer soup that makes the most of garden veggies, is a refreshing start to any meal. In a blender or food processor, puree tomatoes, onions, green pepper, and cucumbers or zucchini. Thin with a little tomato juice and add hot pickled pepper juice to taste for a tangy zip.
Want to give some gusto to a Bloody Mary . . . add pickle juice! The piquant elixir is a delicious complement to the tomato juice. Don't forget to garnish with a pickle spear instead of the usual celery stick! For a fiery brunch treat, try a Hot Blooded Mary. It features a splash of hot pickled pepper juice and a pickled cherry pepper garnish.
You've heard of squeezing a wedge of lime into your beer. Now, adding some dill pickle juice to your brew could be the next craze. Stir 1/8 cup dill pickle liquid into 12 ounces of your favorite beer and garnish with a pickle spear or baby dill.
Of course, some folks even drink pickle and sauerkraut juice straight as a tonic! We've even heard of athletes who drink pickle juice as a way to replenish the salt after their workouts.
While those libations may not be your cup of tea, with so many great uses for the juices, pickled vegetables are certainly good to the last drop.I'm thinking of trying this with whole garlic cloves - dropping them into the pickle jar, that is. I don't think I'll wait to finish the pickles first, either.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 20, 2010 8:37:04 GMT
There are some good ideas there. Some that don't sound so good either! Pickle juice in beer? But it's true that other items could be placed in the jar when the pickles are gone. I suppose that when the juice starts getting cloudy, it's time to throw it away, though...
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Post by bixaorellana on May 11, 2011 2:27:41 GMT
Just found this. I like it because it answers questions that naturally occur. Source: www.wildfermentation.com/resources.php?page=sauerkraut"Making Sauerkraut is Easy!" by Sandor Ellix Katz Timeframe: 1-4 weeks (or more) Special Equipment: Ceramic crock or food-grade plastic bucket, one-gallon capacity or greater Plate that fits inside crock or bucket One-gallon jug filled with water (or a scrubbed and boiled rock) Cloth cover (like a pillowcase or towel) Ingredients (for 1 gallon): 5 pounds cabbage 3 tablespoons sea salt Process: 1. Chop or grate cabbage, finely or coarsely, with or without hearts, however you like it. I love to mix green and red cabbage to end up with bright pink kraut. Place cabbage in a large bowl as you chop it. 2. Sprinkle salt on the cabbage as you go. The salt pulls water out of the cabbage (through osmosis), and this creates the brine in which the cabbage can ferment and sour without rotting. The salt also has the effect of keeping the cabbage crunchy, by inhibiting organisms and enzymes that soften it. 3 tablespoons of salt is a rough guideline for 5 pounds of cabbage. I never measure the salt; I just shake some on after I chop up each cabbage. I use more salt in summer, less in winter. 3. Add other vegetables. Grate carrots for a coleslaw-like kraut. Other vegetables I’ve added include onions, garlic, seaweed, greens, Brussels sprouts, small whole heads of cabbage, turnips, beets, and burdock roots. You can also add fruits (apples, whole or sliced, are classic), and herbs and spices (caraway seeds, dill seeds, celery seeds, and juniper berries are classic, but anything you like will work). Experiment. 4. Mix ingredients together and pack into crock. Pack just a bit into the crock at a time and tamp it down hard using your fists or any (other) sturdy kitchen implement. The tamping packs the kraut tight in the crock and helps force water out of the cabbage. 5. Cover kraut with a plate or some other lid that fits snugly inside the crock. Place a clean weight (a glass jug filled with water) on the cover. This weight is to force water out of the cabbage and then keep the cabbage submerged under the brine. Cover the whole thing with a cloth to keep dust and flies out. 6. Press down on the weight to add pressure to the cabbage and help force water out of it. Continue doing this periodically (as often as you think of it, every few hours), until the brine rises above the cover. This can take up to about 24 hours, as the salt draws water out of the cabbage slowly. Some cabbage, particularly if it is old, simply contains less water. If the brine does not rise above the plate level by the next day, add enough salt water to bring the brine level above the plate. Add about a teaspoon of salt to a cup of water and stir until it’s completely dissolved. 7. Leave the crock to ferment. I generally store the crock in an unobtrusive corner of the kitchen where I won’t forget about it, but where it won’t be in anybody’s way. You could also store it in a cool basement if you want a slower fermentation that will preserve for longer. 8. Check the kraut every day or two. The volume reduces as the fermentation proceeds. Sometimes mold appears on the surface. Many books refer to this mold as “scum,” but I prefer to think of it as a bloom. Skim what you can off of the surface; it will break up and you will probably not be able to remove all of it. Don’t worry about this. It’s just a surface phenomenon, a result of contact with the air. The kraut itself is under the anaerobic protection of the brine. Rinse off the plate and the weight. Taste the kraut. Generally it starts to be tangy after a few days, and the taste gets stronger as time passes. In the cool temperatures of a cellar in winter, kraut can keep improving for months and months. In the summer or in a heated room, its life cycle is more rapid. Eventually it becomes soft and the flavor turns less pleasant. 9. Enjoy. I generally scoop out a bowl- or jarful at a time and keep it in the fridge. I start when the kraut is young and enjoy its evolving flavor over the course of a few weeks. Try the sauerkraut juice that will be left in the bowl after the kraut is eaten. Sauerkraut juice is a rare delicacy and unparalleled digestive tonic. Each time you scoop some kraut out of the crock, you have to repack it carefully. Make sure the kraut is packed tight in the crock, the surface is level, and the cover and weight are clean. Sometimes brine evaporates, so if the kraut is not submerged below brine just add salted water as necessary. Some people preserve kraut by canning and heat-processing it. This can be done; but so much of the power of sauerkraut is its aliveness that I wonder: Why kill it? 10. Develop a rhythm. I try to start a new batch before the previous batch runs out. I remove the remaining kraut from the crock, repack it with fresh salted cabbage, then pour the old kraut and its juices over the new kraut. This gives the new batch a boost with an active culture starter.
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Post by Don Cuevas on Oct 1, 2011 12:24:48 GMT
I have a book of pickling and preserving, and I'm pickled off. I just made a batch of Pub Style Pickled Onions that has four main steps and many sub steps. What does it yield? Three pints! What's the point?
Sra. Cuevas went to the mercado and bought 2 kilos of small knob onions so I could make this condiment/pickle. When I got done, after a couple of hours of scalding, cooling, trimming, salting, waiting overnight, rinsing, patting dry, making pickling brine, straining, reheating, poaching the onions, canning were 1 pint and three half pints. Hardly seems worth it.
I think that if I make this again, I'll buy 4 kilos of knob onions (cebollitas) because the green tails are nasty dirty and are unusable.
Just before that I'd made 4 pints of spicy radish kimchi, about which I'll have some words later.
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Oct 1, 2011 13:04:23 GMT
I often make pickles at this time of year, last year I made vast quantities of green tomato chutney (will post recipe) and I always make jars of pickled beetroot and onion....the tomatoes all got eaten this year so I shan't bother making chutney.
I used my home grown shallots, which make quite a hot pickled onion...I buy bottles of pickling-vinegar ready spiced (Sarsons do a good one but I don't know if it's sold in Mexico) All I do is clean and remove the skins, pack the onions into jars and add lots of salt and cold water. Leave for 24 hours...then rinse and pat dry the onions (v smelly job) then repack into sterilised jars, pour over the pickling vinegar and seal. Ready after about 6-8 weeks. With the beetroot I just cook it, peel it, pack into sterilised jars and cover with pickling vinegar...
Home made picallili is supposed to be nice (I make it but don't eat it) I only make that when I have a large excess of vegetables in the garden...I chuck everything in...butternut squash, brocolli , beans, cauliflower, cucumber, chili etc...
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Post by Don Cuevas on Oct 1, 2011 16:42:27 GMT
The recipe I used for spicy radish kimchi has you salt the radish chunks, after washing and peeling; then covering all with water, weighting it down and leaving it for about 8-12 hours.
THEN, draining off all the briny water, RINSING the radish chunks, SQUEEZING out any excess water (there wasn't any), THEN adding the seasonings, and packing it in jars to ferment a few days.
My question is: if you went to all that trouble to brine the radish pieces, why do you throw it away and end up with nothing but heavily seasoned radish chunks in the jars, with virtually no liquid?
I adjusted this by adding a little fish sauce and some plain, purified water, but the pieces of radish still are not covered.
Frankly, I think some of these Internet recipes are so much hocus-pocus.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 2, 2011 16:52:01 GMT
Oh that just reminded me that I have several cans of kimchi hidden away somewhere. I decided that I prefer to buy it because I was not satisfied when I made it myself.
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Post by Don Cuevas on Oct 2, 2011 23:45:48 GMT
My kimchi does not seem to be fermenting yet. But it's cool here, and it has been only 24 hours since I seasoned the radishes and put the whole to ferment.
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Post by bixaorellana on Oct 3, 2011 0:41:58 GMT
rinse and pat dry the onions (v smelly job) then repack into sterilised jars, pour over the pickling vinegar and seal. Ready after about 6-8 weeks. With the beetroot I just cook it, peel it, pack into sterilised jars and cover with pickling vinegar... Cheery, do you mean you put boiling hot vinegar over the onions or beets, then process the jars? Or do you just put in the vinegar & screw the tops on? DonC, why did you use that recipe -- was it supposed to be really authentic?
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Post by Don Cuevas on Oct 3, 2011 0:58:14 GMT
¿Authentic? I think it was written by a Korean guy. Next time, I'll use a recipe by a Korean woman. By the way, do you know Grace Meng's blog, "One Fork, One Spoon"? It's one of my favorite food and travel blogs. She spent some time in Oaxaca, a few years ago. oneforkonespoon.wordpress.com/
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Post by onlymark on Oct 3, 2011 4:15:01 GMT
Bixa, I think she means she just pours the pickling vinegar straight out the bottle then closes the jars.
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Post by bixaorellana on Oct 3, 2011 4:20:57 GMT
;D Ha! I have seen some online that are supposedly authentically Korean, but with no rinsing, wringing, etc. Don't know that blog. I glanced at it & it looks good. Anyway, I imagine you're bummed out about the whole radical radish experience, so I wrote you a little song to cheer you up. *blows pitch pipe* > click here!< for music Now, everybody -- sing! Brine on, brine on, Don Cuevas in Michoacán. Ain’t had no kimchee since January, February, June or July. Auuu-tumn is the time to spoon, to spoon up kraut so sour and spicy in a jar for you and your gal.
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Post by bixaorellana on Oct 3, 2011 17:58:56 GMT
Quite a while back there was some discussion of preserving lemons, but no recipes ever emerged. Just found this one, which would seem to give good results. I think scrubbing the lemons should be mentioned as part of any such recipe. Also, I guess the direction about cutting into the lemons "to within the 1/2 inch of the bottom" would mean standing them on a pointy end & cutting from the other pointy end, right? SourcePreserved Meyer Lemons6-7 juicy, ripe meyer lemons 1/4 cup salt 1 cinnamon stick, snapped in half 6 coriander seeds 4 black peppercorns 1 bay leaf [extra lemons to make up juice] 1 sterilized half litre jar. Put one tablespoon of the salt into the bottom of the jar. Cut crosses in the lemons to within the 1/2 inch of the bottom so that they are still joined as one. Sprinkle salt on the exposed flesh. Squoosh the lemons into the jar, packing down tightly as you go, adding the spices and more salt evenly between layers. If there is not enough juice expelled by the lemons, to cover them all sufficiently, then add more fresh lemon juice until they are all submerged. Leave a little airspace at the top and seal the jar. Leave the jar in a warm place for 30 days, shaking the jar each day to distribute the juices throughout the jar. To use the lemons, first rinse them and then remove the pulp. The lemons do not need to be refrigerated.
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Post by Don Cuevas on Oct 6, 2011 9:50:40 GMT
Thanks for the cheery little tune. It made my kimchee ferment nicely.
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Post by lola on Oct 6, 2011 15:18:52 GMT
Here's a question from lemon-deprived part of the world, where we buy them maybe 3 at a time, slice them for tea, grate the rinds, occasionally go wild and make lemon curd or bars:
What is this "pickled lemon" bidness all about? Say you have one sitting on a plate: what next? Do you pick it up an nibble daintily?
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Post by lola on Oct 6, 2011 15:26:41 GMT
Since my one truly bumper crop this year is eggplant, I'm delighted this thread re emerged. Am also eyeing that watermelon rind one on page 1.
Another bumper item is green tomatoes. It was a wretched year for ripe ones, but as first frost approaches I'm ready to make another batch of Green Tomato Pickles, just as we use the last quart from last year. I'll post the recipe when I find it. They are tasty, bread and butter style sweet.
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Post by mockchoc on Oct 7, 2011 8:43:37 GMT
Don at reply #44 was mentioning about the radish kimchee being dry and it made me think about the radish kimchee I'd bought from a local Korean supermarket a couple of months back. It was really dry so I threw it out because I though it being dry meant it might be old or something!!!
I'm wondering if it's not supposed to be as wet as the cabbage version. Hmm..
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Post by Don Cuevas on Oct 7, 2011 9:39:05 GMT
I'm eating some of the radish kimchi now, and it's fine. I made up the missing brine by simply adding a little more water with salt and sugar dissolved in it.
The kimchi is good and spicy, but I wish I'd peeled it a little deeper, as there's some fibrous coating on the outside which I'd prefer not to ingest.
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Post by bixaorellana on Oct 7, 2011 15:14:35 GMT
;D I'm glad the ditty made the kimchee ferment, DonC, but the purpose was to get it into your brain & have you humming & whistling it incessently. heh heh heh heh heh Lola, google tagine with preserved lemons recipes for some good inspirations plus an idea of how much of the preserved lemon to use with x amount of other ingredients. Please, yes -- try the watermelon rind pickles! Seriously, they'll have you thinking that the rind is the best part of the watermelon. And find that green tomato pickle recipe, too, 'kay? Never had radish kimchee, although I love daikon pickle. Wish I had some eggplants .
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Post by lola on Oct 7, 2011 15:23:55 GMT
Thanks, bixa! swiped from this website: macandcheesereview.blogspot.com/2006/11/green-tomato-pickle.htmlGreen Tomato Pickle makes about 6 pints 1 peck or about 40 small green tomatoes, sliced thinly 4 cups onions, sliced thinly salt 4 cups sugar 4 cups white vinegar 2 tablespoons celery seed 1 bay leaf 1½ teaspoons ground mustard ¾ ounce mustard seed 12 whole cloves 8 allspice seeds Alternate layers of tomatoes and onions on a large platter. Shake salt on each layer like you’re salting a meal. Cover platter with plastic wrap and store overnight in refrigerator. Salt will draw moisture from the tomatoes and onions, so place platter on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any water that may spill. The next day, drain tomatoes and onions in a colander. In a large pot, add the tomatoes, onions, sugar, white vinegar, celery seed, bay leaf, ground mustard, and mustard seed. Place cloves and allspice in a cloth bag, and add to the pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour. Spoon into sterilized canning jars and seal. We use a little of the extra jar juice over stirfried vegetables and tofu/rice as condiment.
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Post by bixaorellana on Oct 7, 2011 19:53:03 GMT
Oooo ~~ I love you a bushel & a peck! I can get all those ingredients. Green tomatoes are sold at times here as they're an ingredient in some mole.
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