Bruschetta

I'm awful when it comes to posting in here. Truth be told I'd rather spend time making food than blogging about it. I post more frequently in Yummy Recipes (general recipes) and in Metal Porkchop (ferments) on Facebook, because it's faster. However, today I'm sick and don't feel like doing much, so here I am. I can't believe the last post I made was in January. Geez!

By lunchtime I had enough energy to make a tasty meal. So if I can make it while I'm sick, anyone can make it whenever.

I used 4 heirloom tomatoes, a variety that I grew this summer and then froze. Home-grown sun-ripened tomatoes of any variety can't be beat in flavour. I realize that not everyone has access to such treats, so to make up for the loss of flavour, add a bit more spices and a pinch of sugar--the pinch size depends on the size of your batch. It's easier to add than to take out, so always taste before adding more.

Here are the steps:

Heat up butter, add chopped garlic--local is best and most flavourful. The amount depends on your taste buds. I used 4 cloves for my single serving, because I love garlic, plus it's an antibacterial, which I need right now.

Then add chopped onion. I used one small local onion.
I scored a 10 lb bag for 99¢ (compared to $3 for 2 heads of garlic). Small onions are great for use with daily meals, because you can use a whole one and not have to bother with storing the other half.
Side note: If you don't mind the onion smell, onions are a great way to clean the air: just leave a wedge on a plate.

Simmer for a few minutes, then add rosemary, oregano, thyme, and basil. Stir and add tomatoes. Simmer until they soften. After 15 min or so, if you have too much liquid, remove the lid and simmer  until most of it cooks off.

Slice a baguette, toast it if you like, and top each slice with the tomato mixture. You can stop there, or keep going. I added slices of lachsschinken and marscapone. The 4 pieces were my lunch, but if you're making these as appetizers, you can make smaller servings.

Just in time for the holidays! Enjoy! (I did, and I already feel better.)

Chestnut Butter

Chestnut butter is delicious, but impossible to find here, so I make my own. Even chestnut paste is difficult to find.  This chestnut butter recipe is very simple.  All I used were whole chestnuts (only available around Christmas time here), honey, seeds from a vanilla bean, a pinch of salt, and some water.

Cut x's into chestnuts and boil them for about half an hour. Rinse in cold water, peel. Use a food processor and add all ingredients, add enough water to get a spreadable consistency (see photo below). Put into a jar and refrigerate. Chestnut butter like pumpkin butter is dicey when it comes to canning, because they're both so thick, so don't bother, unless you have access to an industrial canner.

Meyer Lemons

Meyer lemons are delicious, and here in Canada they're only available for a short time around Christmas. Each year I buy a bunch and preserve them in various ways. They're sweeter than lemons, their skin is more delicate, and they are very fragrant.

Here are some of my preserves:

Meyer lemon marmalade, which can be used on scones, bread, cakes, cupcakes, mixed into yogurt or ice cream (vanilla or sweet cream), or on its own; it's awesome.

Three ingredients: lemons, sugar, water. That little pouch of cheesecloth contains the lemon seeds, which provide all the pectin you'll need for this tasty treat. Canning time 5 minutes.

Candied Meyer lemon slices:

lemon slices, water, sugar, cook down until all the liquid is gone. You can lay out the slices on a plate/cookie sheet/ parchment paper to dry. I don't bother, just put the slices in a jam bowl with a lid.

Meyer lemon sugar:

Grated Meyer lemon skin and cane sugar. You can do this with salt (and some herbs) as well and use as a rub for fish and chicken, in salads, wherever you want a savoury lemon flavour.

Meyer lemon chutney:

Meyer lemon slices with maple smoked sea salt, shallots, and truffle oil. I kept these in the fridge for a whole year. Very strong, so a little goes a long way. Had both chutneys with various white fish at Christmas. You don't need to wait that long, just give it a week or two for the flavours to mingle. By the end of the 12 months all the oil had been absorbed into the lemons. The flavour was very intense and salty. 

Meyer lemon slices with crushed juniper berries, chilli flakes, maple smoked sea salt and oil.

Another thing I do is wash, dry, and freeze whole Meyer lemons (I do this with regular lemons as well). Then instead of squeezing lemon into my morning water, I grate the whole thing, so I get juice, pulp, and skin.  You can also dehydrate slices and use in tea or water, or dehydrate skins (peel off before squeezing out juice which you can freeze in ice cube trays and add to water) and then crush/crumble into salads, soups, tea. Another way to preserve is to slice the lemon and layer it in a jar with sugar (I use raw cane sugar) and store in the fridge, then when I feel like lemon tea I just add a slice to my cup. Just don't waste any part of these yummies.