79 replies to this topic

[ninadora]

oh my, bananna ketchup sounds devine! how is the bottled product? worth it to buy?

[andiesenji]

oh my, bananna ketchup sounds devine! how is the bottled product? worth it to buy?

I like it, it is a bit spicier than our "regular" ketchup but actually has a smoother taste.
I especially like it blended with mayonnaise or Miracle Whip (I know, I know, but it has its uses) to make the "Russian dressing" popular in the 40s and 50s.

[andiesenji]

And here is one of the chutneys I make that is hot and spicy. It is a good basic recipe, you can substitute other fruit, increase the heat by using hotter peppers, or leave them out entirely if you do not like the heat.

This chutney is excellent with poultry and meats and is particularly good with cheeses.

Tiny cheese tarts topped with a dollop of this chutney make nice little starters.

This is an original family recipe, not from any cookbook.

Hot & Spicy Peach/Lime/Ginger chutney

2 cups 5% acid strength cider vinegar
1/4 cup fresh lime juice, pulp included
Zest from the lime

5 pounds peaches nearly ripe peaches
2 or 3 hot banana peppers, roasted and peeled, seeded. (other hot yellow peppers may be substituted)
1 lemon, peeled, quartered, seeded, and diced
Zest from the lemon
1/2 pound Sultanas or golden raisins
1/2 pound dried white or other light colored figs, finely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped nuts (optional) pecans, walnuts or pistachios
3 cups sugar (Splenda may be substituted for reduced sugar product)
1/2 cup candied ginger, coarsely chopped (or 2 tsp ground ginger)

Mix cider vinegar, lime juice, pulp and zest in a 5 quart or larger non-reactive stock pot. Glass, enamel, SS or anodized aluminum. Do not use plain alumnum. This is easy to make in a large crockpot, less chance of scorching.

Blanch peaches in boiling water for half a minute, immediately transfer to iced water. Skins should slip off easily.
Chop peaches into 1/2 inch pieces and add to vinegar mixture.

Blister the pepper skins over a flame, remove skin , split and seed peppers, chop finely.
Add to peach/vinegar mixture.

Mix together the lemon, Sultanas, figs and nuts (if used) and add to the peach/pepper/vinegar mixture.

Place the pot over medium heat and bring to a simmer, stir every few minutes. Reduce heat to low and continue cooking and stirring until peaches are tender and appear translucent.

Add the sugar or Splenda and the ginger, continue cooking, stirring often until the liquid has reduced and chutney has thickened. This will take about 1 1/2 hours.

Meanwhile, wash and sterilize 5 pint canning jars, and the lids. Place the jars into a wire canning rack in canning kettle.

When the chutney is finished cooking, immediately ladle into the jars, using a canning funnel to keep the jar rim clean. Fill to within 1/4 inch of the top. Make sure rim is clean and dry, wipe with a dry cloth if necessary.
Place the lids on the jars, then the rings, but do not tighten.

Place canning kettle on burner, pour boiling water into kettle to within 1 inch of top of jars.
Turn on burner and when water returns to boiling, set timer for 15 minutes.

At end of 15 minutes, remove from water bath and place on thick towel. Using another towel, tighten lid ring. Allow jars to cool on towel, you will hear the lids "ping" as they cool down and will see a dimple in the center of the lid. This shows the seal is intact.

Edited by andiesenji, 24 June 2004 - 06:06 PM.

[andiesenji]

Easy Sugar-Free Spicy Ketchup

The following is an original recipe for a very easy homemade spicy (or not) ketchup that also is a nice gift from your kitchen.

Andie's Sugarless Spicy Ketchup
Yield, 10 - 1/2 pint jars.

4 quarts tomatoes, peeles, cooked and strained (may be canned tomatoes)
1 Jalapeño (or other hot) pepper, seeded and chopped (optional, omit if you do not want it spicy)
3 cups apple cider vinegar
2 1/2 cups Splenda
1 Tablespoon Celery seed, ground
1 Tablespoon Allspice, ground
2 Tablespoons Cinnamon, ground
1 Tablespoon Star anise, ground
2 Tablespoons kosher salt (or sea salt if you prefer)
1 Tablespoon Black pepper, Ground

Combine all ingredients in an 8-quart, non-reactive pot
(stainless steel, enamel or anodized aluminum, do not use shiny aluminum).

Cook over low heat, stirring frequently until it is reduced by half.

Remove from heat and allow to cool, process in food processor
or put through a medium fine food mill so that ketchup is smooth with no lumps.
Return to cooking vessel and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly.
(may also be heated in microwave, stir after every 5 minutes of heating)

Using a canning funnel, ladle into hot, sterilized 1/2 pint jars,
allow 1/2 inch headroom.
Wipe rims and apply flat canning lid and ring but do not tighten.
Place in hot water bath and process for 15 minutes.
Tighten ring.
(May use 5 pint jars if you wish.)

This is an original recipe by Andie

Note: I do a lot of canning. For hot water processing I use an electric roaster. It has a wire rack that covers the entire bottom and will hold more jars than the typical round canner or stockpot. It is also not as deep so it is easy to place and remove the jars. It maintains the correct temperature and additional boiling water can be added from a teakettle.

Edited by andiesenji, 26 June 2004 - 06:59 AM.

[andiesenji]

Here is the verde (green or tomatillo) sauce I made today.

Ingredients cut into chunks. Tomatillos, onions, peppers, Jalapeños are customary but I like these Caloro, they are about the same heat level as the jals, but have a fruity flavor.
I usually use 6 to 8 large cloves of raw garlic but since I have a lot of already roasted garlic I am using that instead.


Salted, peppered and tossed with oil and roasted garlic.


After roasting for 45 minutes in a 450 degree oven.


Ready to pulse.


Pulsed for 40 seconds.


Two quarts of green magic!


This sauce is now ready to be combined with chicken stock and cooked down a bit for an enchilada sauce, or with a little pork stock for pork stewed in verde sauce.

[helenjp]

Hey, andiesenji, what are those peppers?

They look very similar to a thing being sold in Japan as "Anastasia Russian sweet pepper", which seems to be unknown in any other part of the world!

[sashimi]

This thread is fantastic. I just wanted to thank you for documenting your experiences like this, andiesenji.

[andiesenji]

Hey, andiesenji, what are those peppers?

They look very similar to a thing being sold in Japan as "Anastasia Russian sweet pepper", which seems to be unknown in any other part of the world!

They are called Caloro or Caloro Yellow Wax. The simple heat index is 5, the same as Jalapeño.
They have a fruity flavor a bit like apple, which makes a nice flavor combined with the tomatillos.
(Manzano or Rocoto peppers also have this apple flavor but they are much, much hotter.)

You can see a photo of immature ones HERE
before they have begun to turn color. Scroll down - they are in alphabetical order.
I picked all the ones with color but didn't have enough so picked some not quite ripe. It is okay to use the immature ones, they just don't have all the flavor of the more mature ones.

They are easy to grow and the plants bear heavily. I only have 4 plants and got all these peppers. There are a lot more tiny ones and lots of blooms.

[ajmac1972]

Wow did I luck into finding this! thanks for the great recipes. I made a variety of mustards a few years ago as holiday gifts, and they were huge hits...You've all given me the inspiration to do it again this year.

Mustard is perhaps one of my favorite things, and though I've found some interesting blends, I've never found one as good as the ones I made...wish I hadn't lost the recipes.

Andie...I'll be sure to use yours!

The salsa verde looks wonderful...now if I just wasn't married to a man allergic to the entire garlic/onion family...I'm printing it out so I can make it when he travels!

Thanks!
AJ

[Anything_but_liver]

One of my favorite cookbooks, published in '86, is called Fancy Pantry by Helen Witty. It is full of "put-by elegant edibles" including many mustards, ketchups - mushroom and otherwise, mushroom essence, vinegars, nectars, fromage blanc, tapanades, potted hams, etc. etc. The book has been long out of print but it's available used at Amazon for $6. It really is a nice book.

[andiesenji]

One of my favorite cookbooks, published in '86, is called Fancy Pantry by Helen Witty. It is full of "put-by elegant edibles" including many mustards, ketchups - mushroom and otherwise, mushroom essence, vinegars, nectars, fromage blanc, tapanades, potted hams, etc. etc. The book has been long out of print but it's available used at Amazon for $6. It really is a nice book.

I have that one and it is a great book!! Ialso have her Better Than Store Bought written with Elizabeth Colchie
Also Barry Bluestein and Kevin Morrissey's Home Made in the Kitchen;
Salsas, Sambals, Chutneys & Chowchows by Chris Schlesinger & John Willoughby;
Joy of Pickling by Linda Ziedrich; The Whole Chile Pepper Book by DeWitt and Gerlach;
and The Incredible Secrets of Mustard by Marie Antol,

These and this one I bought in 1963, A Book of Curries and Chutneys by Veach & Brown have been my main inspirations.

I may have used a recipe exactly as written in these sources once or twice, however I can never leave something alone and have developed my own recipes and methods as I discovered flavors I preferred and easier ways of preparing the material.

I have a huge collection of books on pickling, preserving, canning, anything and everything imaginable but there is always something new to learn, some new ingredient used or combined with other ingredients in ways different to those I know.

[andiesenji]

I have been asked to repost my recipe for mustard from scratch (or rather from seed) by someone who emailed me directly because they couldn't locate the topic or post in which it appeared.

Here it is:
MASTER MUSTARD RECIPE
an Original Recipe by Andie
First let me say that I grow my own mustard because I like to, however it is not necessary. You can find whole black and brown and white or yellow mustard seed in any Indian market and there are plenty around so you should have no difficulty finding a source.
This is the basic mustard recipe I use - it is easy to adjust it for your taste and
add various spices, herbs, condiments that make it to your taste. I use mostly black and brown mustard, however a yellow or white variety has crept into my mustard patch in the last few years and it now makes up about 5% of the total. (I am not going to pick them out one by one.)
I do not use honey because one my friends has a severe allergy to honey or something in honey - so I use apple jelly for the basic sweetener in sweet/hot mustard, or half apple jelly and half orange marmalade, or whatever.
This is for a coarse, homestyle type mustard which will not be creamy.
Measure out 2/3 cup of the mustard seeds, dump them into a fairly fine wire strainer and shake to get rid of any bits of stem or hull that has not been removed in the threshing. Rinse with cold water and leave to drain in the strainer.
In a glass jar with tight fitting lid place the following
1/2 cup apple cider or rice vinegar (seasoned or unseasoned).
1/2 cup sweet mirin or any sweet white wine.
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon sugar - brown or white
Add the mustard seed, close tightly and shake briefly
Set aside and allow to soak overnight or at least for 8 hours, (you can leave it for days or even weeks, the seeds will not spoil, they will just get softer)
If you are around, shake the jar a couple of times in the interval or stir it with a long handled spoon but if you don’t think of it don’t worry it is not absolutely necessary.
Pour into blender and start on low speed, gradually increasing speed as the seeds break up. The mustard will begin to thicken, stop after a few minutes and stir to check on consistency, you may have to add a bit of water if it becomes too thick. (If the seeds have taken up all the moisture then you will have to add some liquid.)
When the mixture just begins to hold its shape, stop blending and add 1 cup of either apple jelly, orange marmalade, red currant jelly, apricot jam - or a mixture of any or all.
Continue blending until you can no longer see any whole seeds in the mix.
Pour into a glass jar, cap tightly and refrigerate for a day or so the mustard can mature and mellow a bit.
At this point this is going to be a fairly hot, sinus-clearing mustard.
The mixture will thicken a little but should still be somewhat runny and will have a sharp bite. (tastes a bit "raw")
THE NEXT STEP IS IMPORTANT!
At this point it has to be cooked a bit to modify the flavor, reduce the "bite". You can cook it in the top of a double boiler over barely simmering water until it thickens to spreadable consistency.
OR
You can do it in the microwave in just a minute or two.
In a wide bowl or casserole dish, which will allow the mustard to foam up 3 times its depth without going over the sides, pour the mustard so it is about 3/4 inch deep.
At 50% power, nuke it for 20 seconds- stir, repeat the 20 second cook, stir
again and repeat.......
This should take a total of perhaps 2 minutes (at most) cooking time.
As you stir the mustard back down after it has foamed up, you will begin to notice that it is thicker and has begun to look slightly translucent and shiny.
At this point let it cool and taste it. Some of the harsh bite should be gone but you should still be able to taste the spiciness.

MOST IMPORTANT!
This is the way to adjust the taste of the mustard. If you cook it too long the flavor will be gone. If you plan to add anything to it, such as mayonnaise, or mix it into sour cream or cream cheese or ??? leave it a bit spicer than you would if using it straight. The additive will lessen the pungency of the mustard and you will lose the "bite" of the mustard.
Put the finished mustard back in the (washed and scalded) jar, cap tightly and store in fridge.
Now you have a basic mustard to which you can add green peppercorns or horseradish, or cranberry relish, or chutney, hot peppers, carmelized onion, roasted garlic, etc., the only limit is your imagination.
If you have an Asian market buy some of the sweet chile sauce (Mae Ploy is my favorite brand), which is not too hot, and add some of this for a little different flavor, absolutely fantastic with pork or sausages such as bratwurst.
You can mix it half and half with sour cream, mayonnaise or Miracle Whip for a mustard dip. Try it with veggies, with fried or grilled chicken strips.
If you mix it with tartar sauce it makes a great dip for deep-fried crab balls.

[andiesenji]

I have had a couple of requests for this recipe so am posting it on this thread. It was earlier posted on the "Ketchup Conundrum" thread.

Mushroom Ketchup
About 1 1/4 cup very hot water - close to boiling.
3 ounces dried porcini or dried shiitaki mushrooms. (buy the big container at Costco or Sam's Club, they are wonderful.)
1 1/2 pounds Italian or brown mushrooms
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (or sherry vinegar if you can find it)
1/4 cup dry sherry
1/2 teaspoon allspice, freshly ground
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly ground
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
1/4 teaspoon Angostura bitters (If you don't have this on hand, use 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce)
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce, Tabasco or Crystal or ??
1/4 cup of carmelized onions, the browner the better.....
Use filtered water if possible. I find that I get the best results with it.
Put the filtered water in a one quart Pyrex measure and microwave until nearly boiling.
Break the dried shiitaki mushrooms into the hot water and weight them down with a saucer so they will be covered by the water.
Allow to stand for about 30 minute. They should be soft.
Remove mushrooms from the liquid with a slotted spoon.
Filter the liquid using a paper coffee filter and save in the refrigerator tightly covered.
Chop the soaked mushrooms into small dice. If the stems are too tough, discard them.
Quickly wash and drain the fresh mushrooms.
Place both types of mushrooms in the bowl of a food processor.
Pulse several times until the mushrooms are finely chopped.
Turn the mixture out into a quart jar, add the salt and mix well.
Cover the container tightly and place in the refrigerator.
Keep refrigerated for 2 to 3 days, stirring once or twice a day or shake the jar vigorously.
Place a fine mesh strainer over a large bowl and line with a cotton dish towel (or a piece of washed, unbleached muslin). Pour the mixture into the strainer and allow to drain, pressing on the mixture with the back of a spoon to express as much liquid as you can.
Gather the corners of the cloth and lift out of the strainer and twist to express even more liquid from the mushrooms.
When you have wrung out as much liquid as possible, don't discard the mushrooms, set them aside.
Now strain the liquid through a paper coffee filter in a strainer into a saucepan, or saucier, about 1 1/2 to 2 quart.
Now add the liquid from soaking the porcini or shiitaki mushrooms
Place over low heat and bring to a simmer.
Add the remaining ingredients.
Simmer for about 40 minutes, uncovered.
Add the mushrooms and continue simmering at a gentle simmer for an additional 20 - 30 minutes.
Remove from the heat, allow to cool somewhat.
Pour into food processor and process for about a minute, stopping a couple of times to scrape the sides down so that everything is emulsified. (you can also use a blender but do it in small batches)
Return to the saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly.
Immediately pour into hot, sterlized 1/2 pint jars, cover, and cool.
Store in refrigerator or in the freezer if you won't be using it up within a month.
Yield, about 2 1/2 cups.
Andie Paysinger

[Episure]

Andie Paysinger,(now I know your name )

Thanks for reviving one of my favourite topics and posting yet another recipe.
In my neck of the woods the price of tomatoes has fallen to less than 10 cents a kilo so it's time for me to exploit the prices dynamics to my advantage.

[andiesenji]

I am reviving this thread because someone sent me a PM asking for my recipe for green tomato chutney which I have added to Recipe Gullet but am adding it here as well, just in case some more of you have extra green tomatoes to use up.

However, if you don't want to use them all you can wrap each tomato (make sure there are no blemishes or bruises) individually in newspaper and place them in a wire basket that will allow air to circulate around the little packages and make sure they are in a cool, dry place. Remove one, two or however many you need, unwrap them and place on a windowsill to ripen. The tomatoes should keep several weeks.


Green Tomato Chutney, spicy and sweet. Makes about 16 pints
A family recipe from Kentucky - the western end, not the "blue-grass" area.

4 pounds green tomatoes
3 large or 4 medium barely ripe mangoes (other fruit can be substituted, firm peaches, tart, firm apples, barely ripe papaya or similar fruits. You should have about 6 pounds of fruit.
3 large yellow onions (do not use the very mild or "sweet" onions)
6 banana peppers (hot) peeled and seeded. You can also use other medium hot peppers of your choice. If using smaller peppers use enough so you have about 1 1/4 cup of chopped peppers.
1 cup sultanas or other light or golden raisins.
2 cups raw sugar, use turbinado or light brown as a substitute. Or you can use 1 cup white sugar and 1 cup dark molasses.
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger - if not available, use 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger.
2 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt (Diamond Flake) if you use the finer grind use only 2 tablespoons.
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 cups apple cider vinegar
Water

Blanch and peel the tomatoes, peaches, peel the other fruit and remove cores and seeds.
Chop all fresh ingredients into 1/2 inch dice, approximately.

Place the vinegar, sugar, salt, ginger, spices and raisins into a large non-reactive pot.
Bring to a boil.

Add all the fruit and onions, stir well. If more liquid is needed to cover the fruit, add up to 1 1/2 cups of water.

After liquid has returned to a boil continue cooking for about 30 minutes.
Reduce heat to a simmer and cook uncovered for about 2 1/2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally.
The mixture should be thick and the fruit should look slightly translucent.
About 2/3 through the simmering time, remove some to a small dish, taste and adjust flavor, adding additional spices, salt or sugar if necessary.
At this point you can also add fruit syrups, hot sauces, etc., to adjust the taste if desired.
This is a very versatile recipe, stamp your own mark on it by varying it to suit your taste.

When done, ladle into hot sterilized jars. Clean the top rim of the jars carefully, place the lids and add rings loosely. Process in boiling water for 15 minutes.
Finished amount can vary depending on how much the fruit cooks down. I have gotten as much as 20 pints using very firm fruit.

My grandfather liked this made with coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts cooked with the fruit. So there was always a separate smaller pot prepared the way he liked it. I still make a couple of pints this way, just for old times.
Andie

Edited by andiesenji, 18 October 2005 - 11:46 AM.

[Chris Amirault]

After making some corned beef the other day, I realized I wanted to be able to tailor the mustard to my cure. Thus, I have been following Andie's recipe above for mustard using the following:

1/3 c brown mustard seeds
1/3 c yellow mustard seeds
1/2 c mirin
1/2 rice vinegar
1 t white sugar

After an overnight soak, I blended the seeds until the seeds had broken up. (I had to add probably 1/4 c water overall.) I did not add the fruit base at the next step, but instead pressed the mustard through a medium sieve to get out most (not all; I'm not going for dijon purity here) of the hulls. I'm now letting it sit in the fridge for a bit.

After the thickening tomorrow, I think I'm doing to make two batches, one a sweeter one with more sugar and some roasted garlic and the other a sinus-clearing one with reconstituted horseradish powder. Results to follow.

Is anyone else making condiments this season?

[andiesenji]

I'm always making condiments.
Right at the moment I have some mustard seed soaking, which has been "working" for a couple of weeks. It certainly won't hurt it to sit around for awhile.
I plan on using some of the boiled cider syrup with a little of it to see how that develops.
I am going to make a batch of mushroom ketchup as soon as a box of 'shrooms I ordered arrives.
And I am going to make chili sauce next weekend, my neighbors and I are getting together to make a large batch - at least a hundred pints. We make the basic stuff in the big batch then "adjust" our own for the flavor and heat we want.
I also have a batch of sambal that is aging or maturing prior to final adjustments, diluting, "tasting" and canning.
The tasting of sambal is tricky, as only minute amounts can be tasted due to the extreme heat of the chiles. I employ rice as a carrier and simply stick a new bambook skewer into the sambal then stir the rice with it. That will allow me to check the flavor as well as the potency of the chiles without my tastebuds suffering from sensory overload!

I want to mention one thing about making the sweet or sweeter mustard. If you can find palm sugar - the wet stuff in a jar, try using that to sweeten a small batch of mustard.
It does have a flavor that is stronger or more assertive than cane or beet sugar and it seems to me that it "marries" nicely with the mustard. I don't mean that you should run right out and buy some, but just keep it in mind for the future.

Edited by andiesenji, 08 October 2007 - 02:28 PM.

[Chris Amirault]

I've got palm sugar in the pantry. Thanks for the rec! I'll report on how it goes.

[catinthehat]

Wow - great topic!!
I love to make all kinds of things from scratch, but hadn't really thought of mustard. I will be trying this very soon. Thanks so much for the detailed posts and photos!

My dad used to make the most amazing homemade catsup that tasted like a cross between regular catsup and BBQ sauce. I've asked him for the recipe, but he cooks like I do (just throw in what you've got and see what happens) and he can't find a recipe, nor can he remember how it did it (it was 20 years ago). Does anyone out there have a homemade catsup recipe that sounds similar? I would love to make a bunch of it. Thanks for any help.

[Terrasanct]

Does anyone here have a recipe for any Asian red chili sauces? There are a few kinds I love, but haven't been able to find a recipe for them.

[fiftydollars]

Hello Andie,

Would you mind sharing your basic sambal recipe?

I have a lot of peppers in my garden right now and I am hoping they will be good for making a chile paste.

Thank you!

[Pam R]

I want to mention one thing about making the sweet or sweeter mustard.  If you can find palm sugar - the wet stuff in a jar, try using that to sweeten a small batch of mustard. 
It does have a flavor that is stronger or more assertive than cane or beet sugar and it seems to me that it "marries" nicely with the mustard.  I don't mean that you should run right out and buy some, but just keep it in mind for the future.

I'd also suggest brown sugar instead of white.

[andiesenji]

Hello Andie,

Would you mind sharing your basic sambal recipe?

I have a lot of peppers in my garden right now and I am hoping they will be good for making a chile paste.

Thank you!

My recipe varies all the time but this is what I use as a rough guide:
Sambal

about 1/2 to 3/4 cup chopped dried whole chiles. Plump in a little water, or I steam them till soft. Remove seeds and any stem, fibrous ribs, etc., then chop.
I use a combination of several chiles and it varies depending on what I have on hand.
I like the inclusion of anchos, though not traditional and of course the hot chiles.

4 to 6 large garlic cloves
1 small onion, or half a larger one, cut in quarters and roasted in a little oil with the garlic

1/4 cup palm (wet) sugar

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger or fresh galangal

about 1 tablespoon cider vinegar (coconut or palm vinegar if you have it)

up to 1 tablespoon tamarind paste, use more if you like the flavor

1/2 teaspoon 5-spice powder

coconut or palm oil - 1 tablespoon or so.

I steam the chiles before trying to seed and stem them, then chop them into manageable pieces.

I like to bash them in a mortar while the garlic and onion is roasting, adding the sugar, salt and ginger or galangal.

When the garlic and onion are roasted (similar to confit) I add that and the vinegar and bash and blend everything into a paste.

I scrape this into a skillet into which I have placed a dollop of oil, about a tablespoon or so, and fry it over low heat, stirring constantly for a minute or two.
Add the tamarind paste and the 5-spice powder. You can substitute any spices you like, this is not carved in stone.

Continue cooking until it is evenly “browned” to a deep caramel color.

There are some great recipes at Asia Recipe.com

I don't use the shrimp paste or other seafood ingredients because I am allergic to shrimp.

[infernooo]

When making home-made mustard, has anyone else found that making your own sucks and the store bought stuff is way better? I swear I followed all the recipes in here 100% and just didn't care for the taste of the final product... and I'm not very fussy either. (This isn't intended to offend, just my observations / personal tastes)

[Lindacakes]

Sister Andie,

Thank you so much for these wonderful recipes. I have a confession to make: I am afraid of canning. I'm fascinated by canning, I own several books, I collect recipes, but I'm afraid. You made the comment about garlic and botulism. What's up with that? Botulism? Argh. I am afraid of canning.

Your disciple,

Linda


My meager contribution: Chili Colorado

I freeze this in little half cup containers and put it on all sorts of things, but especially Trader Joe's chili cheese tamales, often adding guacamole, black beans, etc.

[andiesenji]

Sister Andie,

Thank you so much for these wonderful recipes.  I have a confession to make:  I am afraid of canning.  I'm fascinated by canning, I own several books, I collect recipes, but I'm afraid.  You made the comment about garlic and botulism.  What's up with that?  Botulism?  Argh.  I am afraid of canning.

Your disciple,

Linda


My meager contribution:  Chili Colorado

I freeze this in little half cup containers and put it on all sorts of things, but especially Trader Joe's chili cheese tamales, often adding guacamole, black beans, etc.

I never, ever, infuse garlic in oil without heating it. The spore that cause botulism are destroyed once the material is heated to a certain point and held at that point for a certain time.
Acid foods above a certain percentage of acid also INHIBIT the growth and development of the toxins produced by the spores.

Long, slow roasting of garlic in oil, which is how I treat a lot of garlic, will destroy the botulinum bacteria.

The government regulations require commercial processors to cook potentially dangerous foods (low acid foods) at 250 degrees Fahrenheit for 3 minutes.
That is the key for killing the bacteria itself.

Now, one has to remember that if one has a can or a jar of possibly contaminated food, the bacteria has already produced the toxins that cause the disease. Do NOT use anything that has been canned, jarred and or processes, i.e. cold-infused oils, oil-processed peppers, green beans, etc.
Anything pickled with acid content above 4.0 is just fine.
Read this Wikipedia article about: Botulism

On much older threads, I have described my method of slow-roasting garlic in a pot full of oil.
I store this at room temperature in my pantry. I have used numerous gallons of the stuff during the past 30-some years and never had a problem.
I used to buy fresh garlic but for the past few years have bought the big containers of peeled garlic at Costco, Sam's Club or Smart & Final.
I put the garlic in a 6-quart deep roasting pan or Dutch oven (often a Corning Visions Dutch oven), add a jug of virgin olive oil - I like the stuff in the gallon tin container. Extra-virgin is not needed, just the regular stuff, mild is better than the strong green stuff.

The pot goes into the cold oven and the temp is set to 275 degrees F. The timer is set for two hours.
At the end of that time I will fish out one or two of the largest garlic cloves, mash them on a piece of bread and see if the roasting has reached the level of sweetness that I want. Sometimes, if the cloves are really huge, it will take another hour.

Needless to say, you and most of the people in your neighborhood will be aware that you are cooking the garlic. Unless someone really hates the stuff, it is not unpleasant. For people who really like garlic, it is lovely.

You can give it a try in much smaller batches but you must check the temp of the oil with a candy or frying thermometer to make sure it reaches 250 degrees F and stays there at least three minutes and that is in the bottom of the pot where the garlic cloves have settled.

Ladle it into a clean, dry jar and cap it tightly. When you are ready to use it, scald a ladle or tongs and dry them well, to retrieve some of the garlic cloves and pour out as much oil as you want.
As long as you don't introduce any moisture into the oil, it will keep at room temp for a few months without any hint of rancidity. If you do get some water into it, you can store it in the fridge but but the entire jar inside something that you can seal. Otherwise the entire fridge will smell and taste of garlic.

For other stuff, try canning pickles, tomatoes or tomato sauce. The acid content is so high botulism is not a danger.

[andiesenji]

When making home-made mustard, has anyone else found that making your own sucks and the store bought stuff is way better? I swear I followed all the recipes in here 100% and just didn't care for the taste of the final product... and I'm not very fussy either. (This isn't intended to offend, just my observations / personal tastes)

Certainly no offense is or should be taken!
You have to please yourself. Some people don't like whole grain mustard and some people don't like sweet mustards.
The companies who produce mustard commercially have spend many millions on perfecting a product that will appeal to the most people. At least now one knows the contents contain nothing that is harmful.

At one time people liked to make their own mustard because when it was made in small factories or shops, the owners sometime added other stuff to extend the mustard. Some really weird stuff was added.

By all means continue to use whatever you like. Making one's own is just an adventure in seeing how much diversity can be developed in the home kitchen.

[Jmahl]

What a brilliant idea. I will be trying to make a batch of mustard soon.

Jmahl

[infernooo]

When making home-made mustard, has anyone else found that making your own sucks and the store bought stuff is way better? I swear I followed all the recipes in here 100% and just didn't care for the taste of the final product... and I'm not very fussy either. (This isn't intended to offend, just my observations / personal tastes)

Certainly no offense is or should be taken!
You have to please yourself. Some people don't like whole grain mustard and some people don't like sweet mustards.
The companies who produce mustard commercially have spend many millions on perfecting a product that will appeal to the most people. At least now one knows the contents contain nothing that is harmful.

At one time people liked to make their own mustard because when it was made in small factories or shops, the owners sometime added other stuff to extend the mustard. Some really weird stuff was added.

By all means continue to use whatever you like. Making one's own is just an adventure in seeing how much diversity can be developed in the home kitchen.

Thanks for the reply :-).

The funny thing is, I really am not very fussy which is why I found it strange that something potentially so good (home made stuff is 99% of the time better than store bought) didn't fare too well with me. I bought top quality stuff, tried letting it mature for just a day, a few days, a week, a few weeks... but it still tasted a bit off and flat.

Also, I love both sweet and spicy and wholegrain and smooth mustards - I love them all which once again makes me wonder if there is something I am doing wrong.

[fiftydollars]

Hello Andie,

Would you mind sharing your basic sambal recipe?

I have a lot of peppers in my garden right now and I am hoping they will be good for making a chile paste.

Thank you!

My recipe varies all the time but this is what I use as a rough guide:
Sambal

about 1/2 to 3/4 cup chopped dried whole chiles. Plump in a little water, or I steam them till soft. Remove seeds and any stem, fibrous ribs, etc., then chop.
I use a combination of several chiles and it varies depending on what I have on hand.
I like the inclusion of anchos, though not traditional and of course the hot chiles.

4 to 6 large garlic cloves
1 small onion, or half a larger one, cut in quarters and roasted in a little oil with the garlic

1/4 cup palm (wet) sugar

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger or fresh galangal

about 1 tablespoon cider vinegar (coconut or palm vinegar if you have it)

up to 1 tablespoon tamarind paste, use more if you like the flavor

1/2 teaspoon 5-spice powder

coconut or palm oil - 1 tablespoon or so.

I steam the chiles before trying to seed and stem them, then chop them into manageable pieces.

I like to bash them in a mortar while the garlic and onion is roasting, adding the sugar, salt and ginger or galangal.

When the garlic and onion are roasted (similar to confit) I add that and the vinegar and bash and blend everything into a paste.

I scrape this into a skillet into which I have placed a dollop of oil, about a tablespoon or so, and fry it over low heat, stirring constantly for a minute or two.
Add the tamarind paste and the 5-spice powder. You can substitute any spices you like, this is not carved in stone.

Continue cooking until it is evenly “browned” to a deep caramel color.

There are some great recipes at Asia Recipe.com

I don't use the shrimp paste or other seafood ingredients because I am allergic to shrimp.

Thanks, Andie!