Orange marmalade OR How Irma Rombauer reached down from kitchen heaven and bitch-slapped me.

Irma's first step, soaking the quartered citrus

Hey, I don't know everything.
I keep learning. Lets me know I'm alive.
 This is my story of how I dropped the ball. Don't worry, I picked it up and carried it to score.
 Sometime last year I ended up with sack upon sack of oranges. Folks in Phoenix grow LOADS in their yards and once they find out you want some they will start leaving it on your doorstep. SO. Being me I wanted to find a way to utilize it all. I did some research (My copy of "Joy of Cooking" again) and taught myself how to make orange marmalade. I used ol' lady Irma's formula which is more than a little time-consuming and labor-intensive. What the hey, I'm single I have lots of time.

Wait for it.

 Like most cookbooks written back then her chapter on preserving begins with lots of practical information on procedure, technique and wisdom. I skipped all that. DUHHHH.

I've used that formula many times. It's old-fashioned but it always worked for me. This year I wanted to make marmalade to give as Christmas presents. Her formula calls for 4 oranges, one lemon. I needed to make much much more so I did the math and started with 10#'s of oranges and lemons. I even took pictures. Here's some.

Here's me showing how to hand shred the fruit 

oo what a waste of time, 10 pounds of oranges

the cooking of the fruit, 5 hours

inedible sludge

 Failure. Even though I stood over it and kept stirring during the whole reduction process. The sugar-water ratio didn't turn in time for the peels to be cooked all the way through so I kept it on heat until all the white part disappeared. Unfortunately by then the sugar had started to caramelize. I was left with singed, orange flavored, soft-candy stage CRAP. 

 I did it. It was me. I didn't thoroughly research the process. Irma says it right there. These recipes have been tested for these amounts and should not be expanded unless by a very practiced and experienced cook. Well crap, Irma. The REASON she used the whole peel was because commercial pectin wasn't readily available in 1931 and so she had to use what was available in the pith of the peel. 

 Back to the drawing board, or in this case the cutting board. 

 Another 10 pounds of oranges. Back to research mode. Here we go. 

Mise-en-place

10 pounds of clean fresh oranges

3 lemons

7 cups of sugar (abouts)

4 cups water and any juice, no more. Separate in half. The best way to do this is to dump any juice off your cutting-board into a large measuring cup and then add water to total 4 cups. 

reserve 1/4 cup of the sugar in a separate container

2 packages of pectin. I did NOT use the low-sugar pectin. You'll use all of one packet and a little of the second. 

pinch salt

Peeler

sharp knife

about 16-18 8oz BALL jars

a big pot of boiling water

another big pot for cooking the fruit

a small pot for cooking the peels

Grab your peeler. Take off JUST the orange part. Leave behind the white spongy evil part of the peel. 

Now with your hands remove as much of the white part from the fruit as you can. Discard. 

Slice fruit across to make wheels. Catch as much of the juice as you can. Remove any of the seeds and spongy white stuff from the center. Chop up the fruit and dump into a large pot for now. 

Now, slice up all those peels. In 2 cups of your 4 cups of water and juice bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Set aside. 

Take the separated 1/4 cup of sugar and combine it with the contents of 1 packet of pectin plus just a bit from the second packet. Stir it into your fruit. 

Add the peels still in the water they cooked in, plus liquid. Add the rest of your remaining 2 cups of liquid. 

Add your pinch of salt and the rest of the sugar (6 3/4 cups)

Bring to boil and simmer covered for 20-30 minutes. DO NOT LEAVE THE KITCHEN. 

Keep it all on heat. Simmering, give it a good, deep stir every couple minutes. 

Let's get those jars ready. 

In a large pot cover the jars with water and bring to boil. Also boil any tongs and ladles you'll use. 

 Add the lids and rings after 10 minutes. Take back down to low-heat. With a pair of tongs reach down and remove jars. 

Fill and carefully put on lids and rings. Tighten, and put back in hot water (off heat for 5 minutes. This will ensure a tight seal.)

Place bitchin' labels on lids. Mine are purple. GO WHS RAMS GO !!

It can take up to 2 weeks for the marmalade to set firmly. Relax. If it seems loose, give it more time. 

I'm still cooking poor, eating rich. 

Go get your grub on. Ciao

Here's what's available this season. $4.99 an 8oz jar. 

If you live outside PHX then there'll be a shipping cost added. 

To warm the heart.

My friends. It's cold. Even here in my desert paradise. It finally feels like Christmas is on it's way.
  Let's pause, dive into the kitchen and create something to warm the bones.
  This is a classic French dish that I dig out every year. Smoked sausage, mustard and potatoes. A grip of bitter herbs and some dry white wine.
 I'm sending out love to you all. A bowl of this will cure any cold. Warm every Scrooge-heart. Gives you the strength to brave the mall.
 Watch "A Charlie Brown Christmas" over a steaming bowl and I promise that Santa will visit you.
 Yes I believe in Santa.

So here it goes

Chef Nick's Ragout of shallots, smoked sausage and mustard.

Mise-en-place

about a dozen shallots, peeled (bwaahahahha)
3 carrots, peeled and sliced
4 cloves garlic peeled
2 TB mustard seeds
some dry white wine (most of a bottle)
some beef stock (maybe 2 cups)
a grip of red-skinned potatoes, quartered
a jar of French mustard (do you have any grey-poupon?)
a bunch of bitter herbs, parsley, thyme, rosemary, chopped fine
one or two dried Bay-leaf
a pound of smoked sausage, sliced thick
Kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper
a big heavy pot

Peeling shallots is a bitch. The dry skins are sticky and thin. Man up. Slice off both ends and with the tip of a sharp knife make a thin slice along the length. Peel the jacket off.

like this

With the peeled garlic and shallots you should have a big plate of this

Heat up your big pot, add some oil. Drop your mustard seeds in. They pop like corn so wear a shirt.

Once they start to pop add the shallots. Toss around with some salt and pepper.

Let those go around on heat for about 15 minutes and then add the carrots, toss around. 

Add half of your herbs. Toss around again. Add Bay leaves. 

Let it all go on medium heat for 30 minutes. Add the white wine and beef stock. Let it go boil for 10 minutes. Add the 'taters. 

Bring it all to a boil and simmer for 40 minutes. Test the potatoes with a fork. If they slide off they're done. 

Great job. Now here's the magic. Mustard is a natural thickener. Scoop out about half of the jar and blend into the pot. Bring it back to hot. Add the sausage. Warm thru and take off heat. Garnish with any remaining herbs. Serve up. This will kill any cold germs. It laughs at the flu. Warms you from the inside-out. Eat up. 

We are cooking poor, eating rich. Get your grub on. Ciao

I remember Autumn

I remember Autumn. Little known fact about me. I spent a big chunk of my boyhood in Toledo, Ohio. Falling leaves, crisp frosty mornings and just the hint of winter.
 The truth? I'd rather miss it and still be able to spend Thanksgiving in shorts and t-shirts.
 However; Ohio has apples in the way Arizona has oranges.
 This Christmas I'm making apple butter for the family. I started today with beautiful Granny-Smith and a couple Honey-Crisp. This will take me most of the day. I don't mind. I've found that something made by my own hands for the people I love means so much more than anything I can buy. Let's begin.

Mise-en-place

4-5 pounds apples. A blend of different kinds is super. I started with Granny-Smith for the acidic complexity. I also used some Honey-Crisp for the sweetness. Smell what you select. Use what you think is best.

1 cup apple-cider vinegar
2 cups water
Sugar (maybe 4 cups) adjust the amount according to your own tastes. If you are using more sour apples then add more sugar, if using sweeter apples then you may find less is better.
pinch salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon cloves
One pinch Nutmeg
grated rind and juice of one lemon
AND Chef Nick's secret ingredient ONE WHOLE JALAPENO . This is a trick I was taught by Chef Aaron Lightner. The spicy pepper will heighten and brighten the spices. Don't worry it doesn't make it through the whole process.

Equipment
One big pot for the apple stuff
A food-mill or large colander with spatula.
One big pot for sterilizing the jars
A pair of tongs
Good sized ladle
I used BALL jars.

Quarter all the apples. Leave skins on, don't core. Pectin is an amazing substance and there is LOADS of it in the parts we usually cut off. Put in the large pot. Add the water, vinegar, whole pepper,  lemon stuff and spices.

Bring to a boil and cook for about 20 minutes. Pull out the pepper and discard. Test the softness of the apples with a fork. They should slide off.  

Place your colander over a big bowl and using your big man muscles lift up the pot and pour entire contents through your colander. Reserve the liquid. Look, I know most of you have stopped reading at this point because this seems really HARD. If I can do this so can you. 

You'll get a big mass of THIS. 

Smoosh and smear this through either your colander or through a food-mill. Either way. Separate the skins, seeds and what-not. Squeeze it through. Discard that mess. 

Put the apple mush back on heat in a large pot. Pour reserved liquid through a wire-mesh strainer back into the pot. Bring all back up to a boil and STIR.

 Here's why is takes all day. You need to stand there and stir over heat until it reduces and turns brown and really thick. It can take up to 2 hours, sometimes longer. Think happy Christmas thoughts the whole time. Plug in your iPod. In the end it's completely worth it.

Some words about jarring. Sterilize all the lids and jars in boiling hot water. Make sure water covers everything. Sterilize any other equipment you'll need. Ladle, tongs. Bring it to a boil and let it go for at least 20 minutes. Reduce heat to low and keep it all under-water until needed. Once done remove pot off-heat but we'll still need that hot water so don't discard. 

OK so it took a long time. We're almost done. Pull out a jar at a time and fill using a ladle. Hold with clean towel. If you spill along the sides use a PAPER towel to wipe it down. Here's a cool kitchen tip. Paper towels are sterile. 

Pull out the lids (2 parts) and screw them down TIGHT. Place jars back into hot water for 10 minutes, this will ensure a tight seal. 

Remove jars from water carefully and put them somewhere outside of any drafts to cool down. You'll hear a weird sucking sound as they seal. Check the dimple on the jar lid and it should be depressed all the way in. 

That's IT finally. Santa would be proud. Wasn't that fun? 

We're cooking poor, eating rich. Get your grub on, Ciao !

Happy Thanksgiving. Love to you all. 

Chef Nick on a soapbox.

Beloved friends. It's been nearly 3 years now and the American economy is still in tragic shape.

 We can get through this. Yes we can. Somewhere nearby is a patch of dirt. Turn it over and start planting. We are a nation of pioneers. 

  I know they told you that stopping at the local fast-food drive-thru saves you time. It isn't true.

  Yes. Ronald, the King and Jack lied to you. Here's the truth. 

 You spent about 5 minutes waiting in your car deciding what to order and then shoved it  down your babies food-holes. The bag you gave them has almost no real nutrition in it. Let's compare. 

 You could have cooked at home. By cooking I mean really cooking, not opening a can, tear open a micro-waved trough of garbage. Cooking. Your Grandma would know what that is. Cooking at home saves you money, time and your health. 

Money = time. Health problems = money. Therefore, health problems=money+time. 

 Once not long ago our Mom's and Grandma's knew this. They had lived through the Great Depression. 

Waste then meant you starved. Not "wahhh Mommy I'm starving I want McDonalds whaaaahh." 

Starved, dead.  

Don't be afraid. We still have all the power. You have a patch of dirt nearby, plant it. You have neighbors, let them borrow from your garden, ask to borrow from theirs. 

 Friends. My list of what to always keep in your kitchen. Have you been paying attention? 

First off, plant an herb garden. why pay money for what anyone can grow? Rosemary, basil, thyme, parsley, oregano, all grow well anywhere. 

basil parley oregano tarragon 

 Pay a premium at any grocery store for what you can grow yourself for pennies? No, never.  

Rice and beans. Get your grub on with any combination of these. Two complex carbs equals a complete protein. Jambalaya. Paella. Texas Chili. Stupid easy. Lentils, black, pinto are my favorites. 

ALWAYS keep a bag of IQF fruit in your freezer. you'd be surprised how often I pull out a hand-full to make a desert sauce or add to a BBQ sauce. Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries. Puree and add sugar, strain. Done. 

A well stocked spice collection. You can cure a world full of ills with enough nutmeg. Spices are ground seeds and barks and what-not from rare and tropical plants. Dried herbs are a waste of money, except Oregano. Essentials are cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice, curry powder, turmeric, cardamom. 

AP flour. Yeast. Salt. Sugar. Learn to bake your own bread. They can't take this away from us. It's called the STAFF OF LIFE for a reason. The ancient Egyptians, Romans and Greeks knew this. How did we forget? If you need an easy formula for bread, message me. 

 Baking Soda. Baking Powder. Corn Starch. 

Kosher salt. Fresh ground black pepper. Kosher works best, not as obnoxiously salty as the stuff in the blue round container and easier to grab by the finger pinch. Fresh ground pepper is easy. Buy whole cloves and crush under a heavy pot. I keep both in a small dish by the stove, ready to go anytime. 

Keep a bottle of red and or white wine around. 

Chicken and beef stock. OK look, yes making this yourself will make me proud but if you really don't have time for gosh-sakes don't get that crap in a can. If you want to learn how to make your own, call me. 

Olive oil. Pick one. 

Plant more, save more. 

garlic harvest

In your fridge. Onions, Carrots, Celery, Garlic. These are the basis for everything. 

Pasta. Yes my family is Italian so perhaps I'm prejudiced but I can always find a reason to add a handful to just about anything. I always keep some ribbon (like linguini) and some small (like ruote) on hand. 

Dried are just fine

Save all your kitchen scraps and start a compost heap. Add it to your garden to replenish the soil. 

we call this our "thanks for coming" pile

Save all chicken and beef bones. Use to make stock.

DO NOT throw away sour milk. Make BISCUITS or SODA BREAD or PANCAKES. 

Just for fun I always keep a package of puff-pastry in the freezer. Makes a quick crust for pot-pies or a quick Palmiers for desert. 

Above all. You can feed yourselves despite what they tell you. 

We are cooking poor, eating rich. 

Get your grub on, CIAO

my tomatoes plus flowers