Basil Onion Pepper Jelly

In my search for a better pepper jelly, this one is a milder version with a wonderful sweet, herb flavor. The peppers are a blend of cubanelle, red cherry, sweet banana and tiny yellow bells from the garden. The basil and red onion add a depth of flavor that is wonderful when served as an appetizer on cream cheese with Ritz crackers.

Basil Onion Pepper Jelly

11 ounces peppers
5 ounces red onion
20 basil leaves
1 1/2 cups white vinegar
6 1/2 cups sugar
1 pouch Certo

Sterilize the jars and prepare the lids according to manufacturers directions.

Chop the peppers, onion, and basil in the food processor finely. In a large stainless steel pan, combine the pepper mixture with the sugar and vinegar and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Bring to a full rolling boil and add the Certo. Bring back to a full rolling boil and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and skim off any foam. Ladle into hot jars, wipe rims clean and secure the lids and rings. Place jars in a canner covering completely with water. Bring to a boil and process for 10 minutes. Remove jars and cool.

Jalopeno Cheese Grits Two Ways

For many years, Jalopeno Cheese Grits have been a family favorite. Served for breakfast, as a side with smoked chicken or BBQ, or the base for Shrimp and Grits, this is one recipe that can't be beat. This year I decided to try topping the grits with fresh tomatoes from the garden and it was definitely worth the effort. When fresh tomatoes are available, I will be adding them.

Jalopeno Cheese Grits

3 cups water
1/2 cup evaporated milk
3/4 cups quick cooking grits
2 beaten eggs
3/4 stick of butter
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated
8 ounces pepper Jack cheese, grated
1 - 4 ounce can chopped green chilis
3 or 4 shakes tabasco sauce
Optional: 3 - 4 cups fresh tomatoes, chopped

In a large saucepan, bring the water and evaporated milk to a boil. Gradually add the grits, stirring until thick, about 5 minutes. Add eggs and bring to a boil. Add butter, chilis, tabasco sauce, pepper Jack cheese, and all but 1 cup of the cheddar and stir until blended. Pour into a grease baking pan and top with tomatoes, if using, and 1 cup cheddar cheese. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 30 minutes.

Spicy Mustard Sauce

For our Labor Day BBQ, I decided to make a South Carolina mustard sauce. A quick search on the Internet resulted in a variety of recipes. After tasting, Kenny said it needed more sweetness and we decided to add some of our homemade pepper jelly. The result was a spicy, but somewhat tangy sauce. I plan to work on the recipe and next time cut down on the vinegar since the pepper jelly has a lot of vinegar.

Spicy Mustard BBQ Sauce

1 cup prepared yellow mustard
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons Hungarian paprika
1 teaspoon Worchestershire sauce
1 teaspoon black pepper
I cup pepper jelly
Juice of one lemon

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and simmer for 15 minutes. Serve with pork or chicken.

Labor Day BBQ a Success

It was a time to gather with friends and enjoy good food at the barn. The BBQ was delicious. The Boston butts were delicious. After rubbing with McCormick's Pork Rub - 1/2 jar for each butt - they were smoked the night before and reheated before pulling the pork. The 4 Boston butts served our 40 guests with some leftover to eat and freeze. Friends provided the sides and desserts to complete the wonderful meal. After the meal, we all settled down to talk about our summer and enjoy the beautiful evening. It was a great way to end the summer.

Labor Day BBQ

It is Labor Day weekend and time for a BBQ at the barn! Today we smoked 4 Boston butts. This is so easy. One tip I will give for preparing the meat is to wear gloves, the surgical kind, to apply the rub. It is amazing what a difference it makes -- the rub adheres to the meat, not to your hands! We smoked the butts at 250 degrees F. for 8 hours and they are cooling the frig, waiting to be reheated tomorrow and "pulled" for the meal.

This year's BBQ is pot luck, with friends bringing the sides and desserts and using all the mismatched plates and napkins. It is going to be a perfect end to the summer season, visiting with family and friends.

Fig Cake

At the Sprayberry family reunion each year, we all look forward to Boot's Fig Cake. The moist cake is packed with flavor and sweetness. It begins with a jar of Boot's fig preserves. This year she shared a jar of preserves and the recipe with me and it is becoming a house favorite. I wish I had a picture of the whole cake. It is a rich brown and absolutely delicious.

Boot's Fig Cake

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon soda
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup Wesson oil
3 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup chopped nuts (I used pecans)
1 cup fig preserves
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cloves

Mix dry ingredients together. Mix oil, sugar, eggs and buttermilk. Add to dry ingredients. Grease and flour a tube pan and bake at 325 degrees F. for 45 minutes. (In my oven, it took 55 - 50 minutes.) Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes and then turn onto a wire rack to cool. Spoon or brush glaze over the cake after cooling.

Glaze

1 cup sugar
1 stick oleo (I used butter)
1 teaspoon white Karo syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon soda

Mix well and boil 3 minutes. Pour or brush over cake.

As you can see, there wasn't much left! Thanks, Boots!

Fig Preserves

As a child, I remember my mother and grandmother making fig preserves. The strange looking brown fruit was cooked in syrup and left to stand overnight before cooking again the next day and preserving in decorative jelly jars. The sweet preserves were a staple at breakfast as a topping for hot biscuits and toast.

Several years ago we planted two fig trees with the hope of someday having figs, but that day has not arrived thanks to a late cold snap that has taken the summer harvest. But just 2 miles from our home, James and Mary are enjoying a bumper crop of figs and were kind enough to share.

Fig preserves are very simple to make but require an overnight soak. The 10 pounds of figs yielded 11 half-pints and 12 four ounce jars of preserves. James and Mary, thanks for sharing your delicious figs with us!

Fig Preserves

6 pounds figs, washed and stemmed

1 1/2 quart water

8 cups sugar

1 1/2 lemon, thinly sliced

Combine the water, sugar and lemon in a large pan and bring to a boil. Boil rapidly for 10 minutes. Remove the lemon and skim off any foam. Add all the figs to the syrup, a few at a time so the syrup continues to boil. Cook rapidly, stirring frequently, until the figs are translucent, about 30 minutes. Remove figs from syrup and place in a shallow pan. Boil the syrup until it is as thick as honey. Pour the syrup over the figs and let stand overnight, covered at room temperature.
The next day, heat the figs and syrup to boiling and continue cooking until the syrup is thick, about one hour. Stir frequently to prevent sticking.

While the figs are cooking, sterilize the canning jars and prepare lids and rings according to the manufacturer's directions. Spoon hot preserves into jars, leaving 1/4 inch head space. Add syrup to 1/4 inch from jar top. Remove air bubbles wipe rims and adjust lids. Process 5 minutes in a boiling water bath.

If you have leftover syrup, can or refrigerate it and use as a topping for biscuits, toast, pancakes or pound cake.

Eggplant, Artichoke and Prosciutto Parmesan

I love cooking from the garden and tonight's meal centered on today's harvest - tomatoes, eggplant and basil. The inspiration came from a recipe for Eggplant Parmesan that used eggplant minus the breading. I added frozen artichokes and prosciutto to create a more balanced flavor.

The counter was full of ripe tomatoes that needed to be cooked and preserved for later. I roasted the tomatoes as described in an earlier post and used some of them for the sauce. The Japanese eggplants were peeled, sliced and salted before frying in hot olive oil to a golden brown. The preparation was simple and easy and packs a lot of flavor in one dish.
Eggplant, Artichoke and Prosciutto Parmesan

2 Japanese eggplants, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
Olive oil
3 cups roasted tomato sauce
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/4 cup white wine
1 tablespoon fresh basil, thinly sliced
1 - 9 ounce package frozen artichokes
1 ounce prosciutto, thinly sliced
4 ounces fresh mozzarella
1 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan Reggiano

Salt the eggplants and allow to sit for 30 minutes. Rinse, drain, and pat dry with paper towels. Heat olive oil in a large skillet to 375 degrees F. Add eggplant and fry until golden brown. Drain in a paper towel.

In the same skillet, remove all but 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and saute the minced garlic until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and bring to a boil. Add the white wine and cook rapidly for 5 minutes. Add the basil and remove from the heat.

Cook the frozen artichokes in the microwave on high for 5 minutes.

In a baking dish, add 1/2 cup of the tomato sauce to coat the bottom of the pan. Add a layer of the eggplant and artichokes. Separate the proscuitto into thin strips and layer on top of the artichokes. Top with mozzarell and more tomato sauce. Repeat the layers one more time. Top with Parmesan and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. Allow to stand for 10 minutes before serving. Yield: 4 servings

Grilled Artichokes

Houston's Restaurant is one of our favorite dining places in Atlanta. I often use Houston's as a bribe to entice Kenny into a shopping trip to Lenox. I thought we had tried everything on the menu until our last visit. While sitting at the bar waiting on friends, enjoying one of their delicious Salty Dogs made with fresh squeezed grapefruit juice, the bartender told us about his favorite appetizer, Grilled Artichokes. Grilled Artichokes? How had we missed them? It seems that are a special menu item, only available when artichokes are in season. And yes, they were on the day's menu and on our table.

Wow, were they good. But how did they create this tasty treat? After questioning our waitress and a search of the Internet, we now have a pretty good duplication of the recipe. Artichokes can be a pricey item, but 2 artichokes - $2.50 each - were a generous serving for 6-8. These tasty thistles barely made it off the grill before being devoured. I served them with basil mayonnaise for dipping, but to be honest, they needed nothing to enhance the flavor. Grilled artichokes will be a regular addition to our menu.

Grilled Artichokes

2 artichokes
2 lemons
1/2 cup extra virgin 0live oil
4 clove garlic, finely chopped
Salt
Pepper

Fill a large bowl with cold water and squeeze the juice of 1/2 a lemon into the water. Wash the artichokes and break off the tough outer leaves. Trim the remaining tips and cut in half. Toss into the lemon water, making sure they are submerged in water.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season with salt. Add the artichokes and cook for 15 minutes. The artichokes should be tender. Remove the chokes (the fuzzy stuff in the middle of the artichoke) and drain thoroughly. Chill for 1 hour.

Combine the juice from one lemon, olive oil and garlic.

Preheat the grill and oil the grill rack. Baste the artichokes with the oil mixture on both side and place on the hot grill. Grill on both sides about 5 minutes or until brown. Serve hot with basil mayonnaise or a lemon aioli. Serves 6 - 8.

Roasted Tomatoes

It has been a long, productive day in the kitchen. Our 72 tomato plants are flourishing and now is the time to save them to enjoy during the winter months. In the past, the process for freezing tomatoes has been to dip them in boiling water, remove the skins, chop and freeze. This year I am trying something new. It all started with the selection of tomato plants. This year we planted Roma tomatoes in hopes of having a meaty tomato to use in sauces and soup. Inspired by this month's Gourmet magazine, I tried roasting the tomatoes with olive oil and garlic. After roasting the tomatoes, I used a food mill to remove the skins and crush the tomatoes which resulted in a very thick sauce with lots of texture and great flavor. The best part was the ease of preparation and cleanup. Today the garden yielded a harvest of Romas, Juliettes and Sun Gold tomatoes. The Juliettes look like a smaller Roma and have a great flavor. I cut the the Romas and Juliettes in half, drizzled with olive oil and added 6 cloves of garlic to the mixture. After roasting for 1-1/2 hours in a 425 degree F. oven, and run through the food mill, I had a thick rich sauce, suitable for soup for a rich sauce for pasta.Now for the Sun Gold tomatoes. These tiny, marble-size tomatoes are full of flavor. They were roasted for 1 hour along with the Romas and Juliettes. After being food milled, the sauce was thick and a beautiful gold color with a very sweet flavor. I don't think these will make it to the freezer, but will be added to pasta with some basil for dinner tomorrow night!