Shrimp Stuffed Tomatoes

1 lb small, round tomatoes (I used campari)
8 oz cooked salad shrimp*
1 dill pickle spear, minced
1/4 cup finely minced celery
3 tablespoons-1/4 cup finely minced onions
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons minced Italian parsley
1 tablespoon Old Bay
juice + zest of one lemon

Directions:
Cut the top of the tomato off and core it. Mix together the remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Spoon the salad into the tomatoes. Serve.

*Really, really tiny shrimp. I find it in the freezer section.

My thoughts:

I enjoyed these more than I thought I would. Not that any part of the recipe was unappealing but I wasn't sure if there would be texture issues with the tomato/shrimp combo. Luckily there was not. Growing up I used to eat a tuna salad stuffed tomato (from our garden, not a small one like these) which I honestly think I got the idea for from a Strawberry Shortcake cookbook I bought in a Scholastic order in about 1984. But stuffed tomatoes were good then and they are good now. Who doesn't like a dish that is both easy to make and delicious? They worked equally well as appetizers and lunch.

Fried Pickle Chips with Zippy Feta Dipping Sauce

Ingredients:
16 oz sliced pickles, drained
2/3 cup Instant Blending Flour*
2/3 cup cornmeal
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
salt
pepper


for the dipping sauce
8 oz sour cream (reduced fat is okay)
4 oz crumbled feta
1/4 cup minced chives
3 tablespoons mayonnaise or buttermilk (if needed to thin out the sauce)
2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
pepper



canola oil for frying

Directions:

Mix together all dipping sauce ingredients. Set aside. Heat about 1/2 to 1 inch of oil in a large, shallow skillet, enough to cover the pickles. Meanwhile pour the egg, flour and cornmeal into separate shallow bowls. Stir the the spices to the cornmeal. Stir the Worcestershire sauce into the egg. Dredge each pickle in the flour, then in the egg then the cornmeal. Drop the pickle slices into the hot oil, taking care that they do not overlap or bump into each other. Cook until golden on all sides, about 1 minute. They should float to the top when ready and not need to be flipped. Remove to a paper towel lined plate to drain. Serve hot with the dipping sauce.



*aka Wondra flour. It is very fine and dissolves easily in water (or in this case, doesn't make the pickles too thick with flour). Use all purpose if you have to.

My thoughts:

Fried pickles are a bit of a Southern thing but they can be found on menus else where. I've had several different varieties including ones breaded with panko, bread crumbs and even crackers but I think the best flavored ones have a cornmeal crust. The slightly sweet flavor complements the salty pickle. I've heard complaints about the difficulty of getting the cornmeal to stick to the pickle but this is a fool-proof recipe. The trick is thoroughly dredging in super fine powder before the egg dip and resisting the urge to soak the pickle in anything other than pickle juice. Ranch dressing is a bit more traditional but I had it with a cheesy dip before and I liked the combination a lot so I developed a robust a zesty feta sauce to go with them. It was the perfect partner.

Smokin' Hot Pickled Okra

Ingredients:
3 1/2 lb medium sized okra
3 cups water
2 1/2 cups white vinegar
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup pickling salt
2/3 cup minced dill
6 large cloves garlic
6 teaspoons chipotle flakes
3 teaspoons yellow mustard seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons celery seed

Directions:
Bring the water, vinegars and salt to a boil. Prep the lids/jars.  I highly recommend using wide mouth jars. Okra is bulky and I was able to fit more in the wide mouth jars than the regular ones. Fill each jar tightly with okra. Evenly divide all of the spices and garlic between 6 pint jars. Top with dill.



Pour in the boiling vinegar mixture, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Poke down any okra that has floated too close to the top. Close the jars and process for 10 minutes in a hot water bath. Allow to sit at least one week before eating.

Yield: about 6 pints

Note: Note: A great source for canning information is the Blue Book guide to preserving. I highly recommend it for learning how to can. Here are some of the canning books and equipment I find useful.

My thoughts:

While September is mildly depressing between memories of heading back to school and the knowledge that fall and its bitter cousin, winter is just around the corner, I do like September's produce. A lot of my summer favorites (peaches, nectarines, plums, tomatoes, berries) are still available but I am also able to find winter squash, Brussels sprouts, apples, pears and some of the best okra I've seen in ages. I know okra is some what polarizing but I love it. Cooked (or pickled) properly, it doesn't have any of the dread producing ooze and is incredibly fresh and crisp. This recipe is some what nontraditional but I love anything smoky spicy so I used chipotle pepper flakes rather than red and it added a whole new level of flavor to the okra. I added celery and mustard seed because they are two of my favorite spices and I think they added a fresh flavor which is always welcome when canning.

Hot Slice (of Pickle)

Ingredients:
4 lb pickling cucumbers, sliced
3 cups water
2 cups white vinegar
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup pickling salt
6 teaspoons peppercorns
6 dried pili pili peppers
3 teaspoons crushed red pepper
3 teaspoons yellow mustard seeds
1 1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 large shallots, minced


Directions:
Bring the water, vinegar and salt to a boil. Prep the lids/jars. Evenly divide all of the spices, shallot and garlic between 6 pint jars . Add the cucumber spears. Pour in the vinegar mixture. Close the jars and process for 10 minutes in a hot water bath. Allow to sit 2 weeks before eating.

Yield: about 6 pints

Note: A great source for canning information is the Blue Book guide to preserving. I highly recommend it for learning how to can. Or check out this online guide.

My thoughts:

Can you stand more canning? I have done so much canning this year, I barely have any non-canning recipes saved up to post. I am actually a little annoyed that it is suddenly so cool and I have nothing to can right now. I did a ton of canning during the long stretches of high heat and humidity we've had recently and it was pretty brutal, even though I was canning late at night so I could go to bed and escape the hot kitchen and downstairs. Anyway, these pickles are really good. I wanted to make a sandwich slice that was different than the spears I had made and came up with the idea of a hot and spicy pickle. They are so good on a hamburger and I can't wait to have them in the middle of a grilled cheese sandwich. YUM!

Tip: It is a little harder to gauge how many slices fit in each jar since they are sliced and not always evenly so make sure you prep a couple of extra jars just in case.

Triple Dill Pickles

Ingredients:
4 lb pickling cucumbers, quartered length-wise
3 cups water
2 3/4 cups white vinegar
1/4 cup pickling salt
6 teaspoons yellow mustard seed
6 tablespoons dill seed
3 teaspoons dillweed
6 bay leaves
6 cloves garlic
1/2 cup minced dill

Directions:
Bring the water, vinegar and salt to a boil. Prep wide-mouth pint lids/jars. Place 1 bay leaf, 1 teaspoon mustard seed, 1 tablespoon dill seed, and 1/2 teaspoon dillweed in each jar.



Add the cucumber spears and one clove garlic to each jar. Evenly divide the dill among the jars. Pour in the vinegar mixture. Close the jars and process for 10 minutes in a hot water bath. Allow to sit 2 weeks before eating.

Yield: about 6 pints

Note: A great source for canning information is the Blue Book guide to preserving. I highly recommend it for learning how to can. Or check out this online guide.

My thoughts:

Pickles! I sent my husband to buy pickling cucumbers the other day and he came back with 15 lbs. He helped cut up the cucumbers (thank goodness!) and I ended up canning 22 jars of pickles in three varieties. These are the first ones I've opened. To my delight they stayed pretty crisp and have wonderful but not overpowering dill flavor. I was a little worried that using dillweed, dill and dill seeds would end up being too much but it really wasn't. There was just a depth of flavor that one normally doesn't find in a pickle. I hope the other ones I canned turned out just as well! After a while, I felt like I was living in a pickle factory and I think I developed "pickle wrist" from trying to really pack the cucumbers in there. But it really wasn't difficult at all, just a little time consuming.

Zydeco Beans

Ingredients:
3 lb French green beans, ends trimmed (also called haricots verts)
3 cups water
3 cups white vinegar
1/3 cup pickling salt
1/2 cup minced fresh dill
1 head garlic, peeled
1 1/2 tablespoons yellow mustard seeds
1 1/2 tablespoons dill seed
1 tablespoon red chile flakes
1/2 teaspoon celery seed

Directions:
Prep 6 pint jars and lids. Whisk together the spices in a small bowl. Set aside. Bring the salt, vinegar and water to a boil. Meanwhile, stuff the warm jars with the green beans. The easiest way to do this is to lay them on their sides and fill them horizontally. Drop in one or two cloves of garlic. Evenly distribute the spices among each jar. Sprinkle with dill. Lightly shake the jars to help distribute the spices. Pour the boiling liquid into the jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Process in a boiling water bath for 8 minutes. Allow to pickle for one week (at least!) before opening.


Note: A great source for canning information is the Blue Book guide to preserving. I highly recommend it for learning how to can. Or check out this online guide.

My thoughts:

I honestly had never had zydeco beans until I made these. I had first heard about them in a novel and they sounded great (Spicy pickled green beans? Yes, please!) but there aren't exactly a staple here in Baltimore. So of course I had to make my own. I am not 100% sure these are 100% authentic but they are so delicious. Seriously, the best pickle I have ever had. I may or might not have eaten 2 whole jars in less than a week. I'm working on my third and honestly, I was sort of hoping that my mom wouldn't like the jar I gave her so she'd give it back to me and I could eat them. Isn't that horrible? Next time I am doing two batches. Or three. Maybe more.

So, what are you waiting for? Go make these pickles! They will keep for a year on the shelf but I hardly think they will last that long. They are great as a snack or as a drink or salad garnish. You can even use the prepped French green beans that some supermarkets sell and save yourself the hassle of cutting off the ends.

Savory Pickled Beets

Ingredients:
3 lbs peeled, cooked beets cut into 1/4 inch slices
3 teaspoons yellow mustard seeds
2 teaspoons dill seed
2 teaspoons peppercorns
1 1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon salt
3 bay leaves
1 1/2 cups white vinegar
2 cups water
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 onion, sliced thinly (about 3/4 cup)


Directions:
Place all of the ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Prep your jars. Pack the beets into the warm jars and ladle the pickling solution over them. Leave a 1/4 inch headspace. Process in a water bath for 30 minutes.


Note: A great source for canning information is the Blue Book guide to preserving. I highly recommend it for learning how to can. Or check out this online guide.

My thoughts:

Last summer my goal was to teach myself how to can. I didn't get to it because I was unexpectedly busy developing recipes for my cookbook but I have read dozens of canning books just waiting for the growing season to begin here. It turns out canning is a lot easier than I thought. It is slightly trickier to develop a new canning recipe because I have to make sure that I use enough ingredients to actually fill the jars and acidic ingredients to keep it safe enough for water bath canning but it isn't terribly difficult. The ratio of brine to vegetable is pretty consistent in the recipes I've read so when I decided to make my canning debut, I had a good idea how much vinegar I needed to pickle my beets. I have always loved the idea of pickled beets but most commercial jars of beets and recipe call for a much sweeter and cinnamon-clove spice flavor profile than I'd want to eat. I really wanted pickled, pickled beets, if that makes sense. I wanted the flavors to be closer to that of a cucumber pickle. So I followed the basic ratios but used the ingredients and flavors that I would enjoy. I am happy to stay I succeeded! The flavors are savory and sharp but still complement the beet. Lovely directly out of the jar and in salads.

Quick Pickled Carrot-Cucumber Salad

Ingredients:
4 medium carrots, sliced diagonally
3 Spring onions, greens and white, chopped*
1 cucumber, peeled and sliced diagonally


dressing:
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
2 cloves garlic, grated
1 inch knob ginger, grated
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes


Directions:
Whisk together all of the dressing ingredients. Toss with the rest of the salad ingredients. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.



*I find that occasionally there is a tightly packed and slightly tough little section right where white bulb meets the green. I normally just toss that part and just use the bulb and the upper 3/4 of the greens.

My thoughts:

This is a crisp, fresh tasting salad that is a great way to show off some in season vegetables. It can be made up to a day before you serve it which makes it a great choice for picnics and parties. I got my inspiration for this salad from the little bowls of pickled vegetables that often accompany Vietnamese dinners or that adorn b�nh m�. This recipe is similar in spirit to those pickles but with a slight twist: the addition of sesame, which I think lends an extra layer of flavor and texture and helps the vegetables from fully absorbing the dressing and becoming soggy too quickly.

Quick Pickled Onions & Beets

Ingredients:
2-3 beets, peeled and cubed
4-6 medium to large onions, sliced
32 black peppercorns
red wine vinegar
white vinegar

4 pint jars

Directions:
Place 8 peppercorns in each jar. Fill the jar with sliced onions, leaving about 1/2 inch on the top. Add about 4-5 cubes of beets. Over a sink or a bowl, fill the jar about 1/2 way with red wine vinegar and then the rest of the way with white vinegar. Seal and refrigerate 1-3 days before serving.

My thoughts:

I admit I made these just for the color, but they are also very tasty. The onions stay a little crisp and are pickle-y and slightly sweet. I made it with half red wine/half white vinegar but you could make it all with one vinegar or another if you prefer, I just did half and half because my bottle of red wine vinegar was running low, but it worked very well. They would be great served along side some steak, on a burger or even on a salad.

Dill (Refrigerator) Pickles

Ingredients
1 1/2 lb small pickling cucumbers (like Kirby), cut in half lengthwise
2 cups white distilled vinegar
2 cups cold water
4 cloves garlic, sliced
3 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon dill seed*
1 tablespoon mustard seed*
1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon celery seed

fresh dill

Directions:

Evenly divide the garlic, dill and cucumbers among four wide mouthed pint jars. In a large bowl, mix together vinegar, water, red pepper flakes, celery seed, salt, mustard seed and dill seed. Use a funnel to fill each jar with brining liquid.**The spices may float to the bottom, so use a spoon to evenly divide anything that is leftover into the jars. Cap tightly and refrigerate at least one week before eating.


*Before adding the mustard seed, red pepper and dill seed, I crushed them slightly in my hand.

**I suggest you do this over a large bowl. The cucumbers start to float and displace liquid. Add the overflow back into the brining mixture before you fill up the next jar.

My thoughts:

I have always wanted to make dill pickles at home but traditional canning always seemed a little scary. Refrigerator pickles seemed to be the logical solution. These pickles came together super fast and look so pretty in their jars. Judging by how delicious they smelled going into the jar and how pickle-y my hands smell now, they should be fantastic.