Pickled Pumpkin

My other gran (not the one I always mention) used to pickle pumpkin.  I don't know her recipe, but I made up my own.  I didn't measure, just eyeballed amounts.  Here is what I used:

- large Cinderella pumpkin (Rouge Vif d’Etampes)

I used the one on the left for pickling, the one on the right to make pumpkin butter.

- apple cider vinegar
- white vinegar (for a few jars, just so I can compare the taste)

There were a lot of pumpkin cubes, so I made the brine in 3 batches, and for one of them I used white vinegar, which isn't as acidic as apple cider vinegar, so don't use as much water with it.

- filtered water
- sugar
- bay leaf
- cloves
- black peppercorns

Directions:
- peel and cube the pumpkin, be ready for some serious exfoliation of your skin
- bring to boil all ingredients, except pumpkin, and boil for a few minutes
- place the cubed pumpkin into the boiling mixture and boil for about 5 minutes, don't over do it, or the pumpkin will cook and start to fall apart
- place into hot clean jars and can as you would any food in a jar, boiling for 10 minutes.

I tasted the brine and it was yummy.  I hope this turns out as good as I remember it, it's been over two decades since I've last tasted my gran's pickled pumpkin.

Apple Custard Pie with Oatmeal Walnut Crumb Topping

I've never cared much for apple pie, regardless of quality and price range.  I had some apples and cream that needed to be used up, and a frozen dough disk, from when I made a couple of extras.  After contemplating, I decided to make an apple pie based on what I had in my pantry.  I did make an apple pie once before and didn't like it.  I love this pie.  Apple pie wasn't the problem, I just never had this apple pie.  Here's what you'll need:

Filling Ingredients:
- 3-4 peeled and thinly sliced apples (I used Gala, because it's what I had)
- 1/2 cup of 35% cream
- 1 egg
- 3 tbsp demerara rum (or bourbon)
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon

Topping Ingredients:
- 5 walnuts (it's all I had)
- 1/3 cup not instant oatmeal
- 1/4 cup cold butter
- 1/3 cups flour
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- pinch of salt

Directions:
Set oven to 375 degrees

- Whisk together: cream, rum, egg, sugar, and cinnamon
- Add sliced apples, the thinner the more surface for coating, and mix together
- Pour into unbaked crust

For Crumb Topping:
- Place walnuts, oatmeal, flour, cinnamon, and salt in a food processor, and pulse just to mix
- Cut in butter, and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs
- Sprinkle on top of filling

Bake pie at 375 for an hour.  Tastes delicious hot or at room temperature.  It would work cold as well.  I had two and a half slices already, and I'm debating if I should have another.

This is a trick I use when I roll out the pie crust dough.  Place the dough disk between 2 sheets of parchment paper, that way there is no sticking and mess on the counter.  This is great especially in small working spaces, like my kitchen.  Once you have the right size, peel off one side, and flip into the pie plate, press gently into the plate, and then peel off the remaining paper.

Use a fork to create a few vent holes:

Thinly sliced peeled apples:

Apples stirred into the custard mixture:

Pour the mixture into the unbaked crust:

Sprinkle with walnut oatmeal crumbs:

Bake at 375 for an hour, et voila:

Tastiest apple pie my taste buds have ever experienced:

 I am super pleased with this recipe.  Enjoy!

Kale and Chicken and Raspberry Custard Tart

I was at the farm the other day and picked up two chickens, 60 eggs, 4 pork chops, and a few leeks.

I baked one whole chicken for dinner Friday, and there was enough for yesterday, and still some left over for today's lunch.  I posted a baked chicken recipe back in September, this one may have been slightly different, but similar idea.  I used some fresh lemon oregano and s&p as rub, carrots, bay leaf, and leek.

Here is the tasty kale recipe I made up today.  I'm very pleased with this tasty dish, normally I just sautée kale in butter, sometimes with garlic, but this is way tastier.

Ingredients:
- butter
- garlic (I used one large clove of local garlic, which is much more flavourful than the Chinese import)
- slivered almonds
- caraway seeds
- cumin seeds
- s&p
- 4-5 plum (Roma) tomatoes
- bunch of kale


Melt butter in a pan, add garlic, slivered almonds, then diced tomatoes.  I used 4 or 5 for 1 bunch of kale.  In the mean time take a sweet potato, wash/ scrub and cube it, then steam it, this way it retains its shape and doesn't get mushy around the edges.  Once the tomatoes have softened, add caraway and cumin seeds (crush them so they're more flavourful), s&p, stir, add kale, occasionally stir until it softens and shrinks.  Add the steamed sweet potato, stir.  Done.  So tasty.

Very steamy.

What was left of the chicken.  I love meat closest to the bone.

For dessert I made a raspberry custard tart.  Last time I made pie (pecan), I made enough dough for three pies, so I froze two.  I still have one in the freezer, and I keep thinking about a slice of pie I had a couple of years ago at The Pie Shack in Toronto.  The pie was called autumn harvest, and it was made with peaches, plums and apples, and had a top crust.  I'm thinking of making one with apples and plums and a crumble topping.

Enjoy!

Global Pork Shortage

http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/story/2012/09/25/bacon-shortage-pigs.html

Seems like the world may be coming to an end with this unavoidable global bacon shortage.  The apocalypse has begun.  As for the corn and soy prices increasing, I say F both of those things.  Pigs should be eating oats.