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Oct 27 2014

Maple and Onion Jam

Posted by Erica Lea in Step-by-Step Recipes

I have to admit that canning is one of my biggest cooking fears. I’m probably the world’s biggest canning baby. The thought of putting food in a pot that builds pressure that could potentially blow slightly terrifies me. I know this is highly unlikely, but the complication of the process also scares me.

While I was reading over Veronica’s recipe for this Maple and Onion Jam, I noticed that she used the water bath method. Right away my apprehension was greatly reduced. All that’s required is processing the jam for 10 minutes in boiling water. It really is that simple.

The flavor of this jam is kind of amazing. I definitely wouldn’t say it’s strictly savory because it is quite sweet; it’s jam, after all. And it’s amazing on toast. Or grilled cheese. But I’ll get to that later.

Here are all of the lovely ingredients you’ll need: olive oil, sweet onions (I used some local Walla Walla onions), salt, pepper, thyme, maple syrup, and apple cider vinegar.

Step one: If you’re wearing mascara, make sure it’s waterproof, because we’re gonna chop a lot of onions. Does anyone else roll their eyes and do a little dance when their eyes start to smart? I’m pretty certain it helps.

I actually only needed two large onions to get the required eight cups of chopped onions. If you’re using small or medium onions, you will, of course, need more.

Now it’s time to cook down your onions. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet.

Add your chopped onions and cook until the onions become translucent, about 10 minutes or so.

Add the salt, pepper, and thyme.

Isn’t it pretty?

Turn down the heat and cover your skillet. I don’t have a lid for my cast iron skillet, so I improvised and used the largest lid I had.

Once the onions have cooked for another 10 minutes or so, pour in the maple syrup. Oh yeah.

Cook uncovered for another 15 minutes, or until most of the liquid has evaporated. I had to cook mine for at least an extra 10 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in the vinegar.

Ladle the jam into (sterilized) jars and screw on the lids.

Process in a (boiling) water bath for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the jars and allow to cool. I say, “Another one bites the dust!” when I hear the ping of the jars sealing. My toddler probably thinks I’m crazy.

I think this is the tastiest jam I’ve ever made. As soon as I open a jar, my kitchen smells wonderful. There are so many potential uses: on burgers, toast, as a relish for meat (pork pairs well), or fancy grilled cheese.

I made a grown-up grilled cheese with butter, thinly sliced apples, Havarti, bacon, and the onion jam. It’s one of the best things I’ve created in a while.

Notes:

I recommend filling your canning pot with water and turning on the heat first thing. It takes FOREVER for a large pot of water to boil.
As I mentioned before, you don’t need a special canning pot for water bath canning. All you need is a large, deep pot and a round rack to keep the jars off the bottom of the pan. I’ve heard that you can even use lid rings!

Many thanks to Veronica for sharing her recipe here on Tasty Kitchen. If you want to see more of her comfort-food recipes, stop by her blog, My Catholic Kitchen. Her Caramel Apple Bread and Butter Pudding sounds really good right now.

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Maple and Onion Jam

by Veronica @ My Catholic Kitchen on December 11, 2012 in Canning

See post on Veronica @ My Catholic Kitchen’s site!

5.00 Mitt(s) 1 Rating(s) 1 vote, average: 5.00 out of 5

Description

Maple and onion jam is sweet and savory. It makes a great foodie gift. You probably have all the ingredients in your pantry.

Ingredients

¼ cups Olive Oil
8 cups Sweet Onion, Quartered And Sliced Thin
2 teaspoons Kosher Salt
1 Tablespoon Thyme
1 teaspoon Black Pepper
1 cup Maple Syrup
¼ cups Cider Vinegar
5 jars 4-ounce Size Canning Jars With Lids And Rings, Sterilized According To Standard Safe Canning Practices

Preparation Instructions

In an 8 inch skillet (I use my cast iron) heat the olive oil and add the onions. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes or until the onions become translucent. Reduce the heat to medium low and add salt, thyme and pepper. Cover the skillet and cook for another 10 minutes. Increase heat to medium and add maple syrup. Bring to a boil and lower heat just a bit so you keep it at a simmer. Cook uncovered another 15 minutes. At this point most of the liquid should have evaporated. Remove the skillet from the heat and add the vinegar.

Ladle the mixture into hot sterilized canning jars (I used the 4 ounce kind) leaving a 1/4 inch head space. Wipe off the jar rims with a damp clean towel and adjust the lids. Process in a water bath for 10 minutes. Remove from the water bath and cool. Wait for the lovely ping of the lid when it seals.

This makes about five 4 ounce jars.

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Erica Kastner has always been one of our most cherished members of the Tasty Kitchen community. She shares her wonderful recipes and amazing food photography on her blog, Buttered Side Up, and she also writes about crafts and posts more of her beautiful photography in her personal blog, Simple Days. There really isn’t much that this amazing young wife and mother can’t do, and we’re thrilled she does some of it here.

Nov 17 2014

Tropical Thai Chicken Curry

Posted by Natalie | Perry's Plate in Step-by-Step Recipes

I love Thai food. And I’m thankful for the fact that I can walk into almost any grocery store in this country and buy tropical fruit and Thai curry paste. Isn’t it amazing that we have access to all of these things? It wasn’t that long ago when ethnic flavors and produce just weren’t available here. It’s fantastic.

You know what else is great? Easy, approachable ethnic recipes to make during the holidays. I can only eat so much bread, potatoes, and heavy cream, you know? I need recipes that are quick and different from the typically rich meals of the season.

Enter: Tropical Thai Chicken Curry This recipe submitted by Anetta is exactly what I was looking for. If you prep the ingredients ahead of time you can have this on the table in about 15 minutes. Really.

Here, I’ll show you.

You’ll need a few things, but luckily they’re all relatively easy to find. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, pineapple, mangoes, fresh basil, a lime, coconut milk, a sweetener (I used coconut sugar), red Thai curry paste, and fish sauce.

The coconut milk, curry paste, and fish sauce can be found in that Asian section I was talking about. Or an ethnic grocery store, if you’re lucky to have one in your town.

Don’t ask me what fish sauce it. And don’t smell it. Just use it and you won’t be sorry.

First, get a big, sturdy pan out and warm up the half of the coconut milk until it’s bubbly.

Add the curry paste.

If I’m not mistaken, red curry paste is the most spicy of the Thai curry pastes, followed by green paste and then yellow being the least spicy.

Because I have little ones I need to feed, I was conservative with the amount I initially added, but I ended up putting more in later. And it still wasn’t too spicy! I’m pretty sure the coconut milk and sweetness from the fruit mellowed it out. So, don’t be shy with it!

Once you get the paste incorporated and a lovely salmon-colored sauce started, add the fish sauce (you smelled it, didn’t you?), sweetener, and lime juice.

The recipe originally called for wild lime leaves, but I was unable to find them. Perhaps I could have looked harder, but I didn’t want to tote my crazy never-wants-to-stay-in-the-cart-monkey-child to one more place.

So, I took Anetta’s advice and used half a lime. And kept my sanity.

Now, add the rest of the coconut milk.

In go the thinly sliced chicken, mango, and pineapple chunks.

The next time I make this, I think I’ll add a handful or two of butternut squash chunks. It’ll blend right in! (It’s physically painful for me to make a meal without vegetables. There, I said it.)

Stir it well, then cover and let it simmer for a few minutes until the chicken is cooked through. It’ll go fast and give you just enough time to chiffonade the basil.

To chiffonade sounds fancy, but it just means you’re cutting the basil into little strips. That’s all. You could even say it with a French accent.

First, stack the leaves.

Roll them tightly.

Then slice it up!

When the curry is finished, sprinkle the basil over top.

Aaaaaand serve.

I used brown basmati rice, but you can use jasmine rice, quinoa, or even cauliflower rice if you’re watching your grain intake.

Be sure to check out Anetta’s Tasty Kitchen recipe box. Hers should really be called a treasure box with so many easy recipes from around the globe. Check out her blog, The Wanderlust Kitchen, too!

Note: I replaced the water in the recipe with additional coconut milk. I make my own coconut milk, which tends to be thinner than commercially canned coconut milk. Next time, I’ll just leave it out completely or reduce the coconut milk to get some of the water out.

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