Vietnamese Bun Cha (meatballs)

Posted on April 14, 2022 by Chatty Kathy

This bowl featured lightly sauteed bok choy, and a pile of fresh veg – cucumbers, radish, tomato, fresh herbs and scattered with fresh chives.

another night we sauteed peppers and zucchini, adding mint and basil with chopped peanuts

Cooking the bright flavours of Vietnam are the only way we can travel there right now and this one bowl was packed with lightly carmelized pork patties, tender rice, sautéed vegetables and the crunch of pickled vegetables. Finish it all off with fresh vibrant herbs and peanut crumbles. Don’t forget the nuoc cham to drizzle over! In Vietnam this is often served with enough of the nuoc cham to make you think it is a soup, here I just drizzle enough to make each bite sing! You can easily serve with rice noodles instead of the rice, but we sure do miss fresh rice noodles in Vietnam, so we often use rice. I guess I have to figure out how to make fresh rice noodles at home…

MEATBALLS

8-10 ounces ground pork
1 tbsp fish sauce
2 tsp white sugar
1/3 cup finely sliced green onions
1 clove minced garlic
1/4 tsp each freshly ground white pepper and sea salt

Oil – for frying.

NUOC CHAM

3 tbsp white sugar
3 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
1/3 cup warm water
3 cloves minced garlic
1 small birds eye chili (or 1/2 tsp chili pepper flakes)

PICKLED VEGETABLES

This is really just a guideline – use whatever vegetables you think complement the vegetables that you are sautéing.

2 cups very thinly sliced vegetables – use a mandolin if possible

In a bowl mix up the vegetables, and toss with 1/2 tbsp each salt and sugar, then pour over:

3/4 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup warm water

Make this at least an hour before dinner to allow the quick pickling to work.

INSTRUCTIONS

Mix all the nuoc cham ingredients together and set aside to allow those flavours to get to know each other.

Mix all the meatball ingredients together and form meatballs, then pat down into little patties.

In a lightly oiled fry pan fry all the patties until they are golden brown and slightly sticky.

SERVING

Pork patties
Sautéed vegetables of your choice
Cooked rice or rice noodles
Pickled vegetables
roughly chopped roasted peanuts, basil, cilantro & mint

Centre the rice or noodles in the bowl, and circle that with the pork patties, sautéed vegetables, pickled vegetables and drizzle with the nuoc cham. Finish with a sprinkle of fresh herbs and peanuts. Dig in! Serve with a little bowl of the nuoc cham to dip your pork into for a little extra juiciness.

Amazing Flour Tortillas

Posted on March 7, 2021 by Chatty Kathy

Let me know if you find anything more appealing than a basket of fresh flour tortillas

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
1/3 cup rendered lard, duck fat, vegetable shortening or unsalted butter
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt

Heat the milk in a small saucepan over medium heat until tiny bubbles start to form around the edges of the pan (the milk should be 180 degrees F), 4 to 5 minutes. Immediately remove from the heat and stir in the lard until melted. Let cool for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl until completely combined. Pour in the warm milk mixture and stir with a rubber spatula until a shaggy dough forms.
When cool enough to handle, knead the dough in the bowl until almost completely smooth, about 3 minutes; do not overwork, the dough should be soft and only slightly elastic and not sticky. Wrap in plastic and let rest at room temperature for 1 hour to relax dough.
Divide the dough into 16 balls about a scant 3 tablespoons each (or 46g.). Arrange the balls on a rimmed baking sheet and cover with a damp kitchen towel until ready to use.
Working with one dough ball at a time, roll out on a lightly floured surface to a 7-inch round.
Heat a medium cast-iron skillet or large griddle over medium-high heat.
Working with one at a time (unless using a large griddle), cook the tortillas, reducing the heat if they are getting dark too quickly, until air bubbles form on the surface and the bottom is brown in spots, about 30 seconds. Poke any large bubbles with a fork to release steam, flip the tortillas and cook until brown in spots on the other side, about 30 seconds. Stack and wrap the tortillas in a clean kitchen towel and keep warm. Repeat rolling and cooking the remaining dough balls.

This soft, supple dough was so easy to work with – 16 tortillas rolled out in 20 minutes.

Love the way the tortillas start to puff up – you just know deliciousness is coming.

Can NOT wait for family dinners to resume (damn you Covid), and I just know everybody is going to love these pork carnitas with fresh flour tortillas.

This soft flour tortilla is just perfect for wrapping up tender pork carnitas, pickled onions, avocado and cilantro. Don’t forget to squeeze lime over it all! The absolute best carnitas can be found in Michoacan, but we’ve found amazing carnitas at the mercado in Mexico City as well. Until we can travel again, we satisfy this craving at home.

Rick Andrew Martinez is my idol. His recipes are always amazing, and this one is no exception. By far it was the easiest recipe to work with and roll out, but what made this recipe SO amazing was the taste. Can’t be beat. Seriously, can’t be beat. I copied this recipe right from his post on Food Network, and if you want more amazing content just check out anything he does.

The BEST meatballs!

Posted on June 8, 2020 by Chatty Kathy

When you request spaghetti and meatballs at Nana’s house you better be prepared to make the meatballs! Stella loves to, and we all agreed that they were the absolute best meatballs ever. In fact, I had a hard time keeping enough left in the sauce to have dinner. Tasters kept appearing in my kitchen …..

This shows a double recipe, all measured exactly to what Stella feels is the perfect meatball size …. 38 grams. If you aren’t in a hurry your kids are great at this!

1 pound ground meat (I like a combo of beef and pork)
1/2 cup panko-style breadcrumbs
1/3 cup milk, any kind
2 tablespoon finely chopped parsley, plus more to serve
2 tablespoons finely grated parmesan or pecorino romano cheese, plus more to serve
2 teaspoons coarse or kosher salt, divided
Red pepper flakes and/or freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
2 large eggs
2 garlic cloves, minced

Place meat, crumbs, milk, parsley, cheese, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, onion powder, eggs, and one-third of your minced garlic in a large bowl, and mash everything together with a fork or potato masher until evenly mixed. Using wet hands if needed, form mixture into 2-inch meatballs and arrange on prepared tray. Roast for 12 minutes, until cooked through (you can cut one in half).

Ground beef and pork well mixed and ready for forming.

Making sure each meatball is 38 grams takes time …..

Almost 7 now, Stella likes to do it all, even if Nana’s freaking (quietly!) while she puts stuff in or takes it out of the oven.

From this point you can serve them however you like – we like them simmered in a tomato sauce just until heated through. They are so soft and tender with just the right amount of seasoning. I always make enough to freeze half for another dinner, for us that means doubling this recipe.

This recipe came from the amazing Deb at smitten kitchen.com, and she also lists her easy tomato sauce for simmering … if you haven’t been to her website, or read any of her cookbooks, make sure you do! Always delicious, and manageable for doing with kid helpers.

Coconut Prawn Curry

Posted on May 11, 2020 by Chatty Kathy

This sauce is incredibly good. How, I wondered, did so much flavour show up in 25 minutes?

I managed to get a few sprigs of cilantro on here for a photo, but it was ready so quickly, and smelled so heavenly there was no fancy plating for a photo!

I’ve made it with some jumbo prawns tonight but you could easily substitute any protein you like, or go straight vegetarian and you will be so glad you tried it.

SHRIMP & MARINADE

1 lb extra large shrimp, peeled & deveined
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp lemon juice (freshly squeezed please)

CURRY SAUCE

1 tbsp coconut oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp fresh minced ginger
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp Madras curry powder
1 can (14.5 ounce) diced fire roasted tomatoes
1 can (13.5 ounce) coconut milk

cilantro for garnish

rice for serving

INSTRUCTIONS

In a small bowl toss the shrimp with the marinade ingredients. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 10 minutes.
While the shrimp is marinating, heat the oil in a medium size skillet. To it add the onion, and cook for 2 or 3 minutes until the onion softens and becomes translucent. Stir in the garlic, ginger, pepper, salt, coriander, turmeric and curry powder. Cook for another minute.
Add the diced tomatoes with juices and all, the coconut milk, stir and bring to a boil. Cook for about 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Add the shrimp with the accumulated juices from the marinade and cook for another 2 minutes or until the shrimp is pink and cooked through.
Serve over hot rice and garnish with cilantro or parsley.

I’d say the only way you could be disappointed by this dish is if your spices are old. They really aren’t meant to last forever just because they are dry!

Get your prawns gently tossed in the marinade and put in the fridge until you are ready to add them to the curry sauce. (I used chili flakes rather than cayenne pepper today)

Follow the instructions on how to build your flavour base – it really is important in many dishes, but I find especially so in Indian food.

The next night we still had enough for another meal – so I lightly sauted some fresh vegetables in a sauce pan until just tender crisp. Then add the sauce and heat only enough to warm through. This keeps the individual flavour of your vegetables and doesn’t overcook either the remaining prawns or the curry sauce.

Make sure to serve these with Garlic Herb Naan – just what you need to sop up this inviting sauce.

These were my best naan ever! So tender, with dough that is very easy to work with. As an added bonus they freeze well so for nights when it is just the two of us I only cook half and freeze the other half …. ready for fresh frying when I am.

I have a lot of “authentic” food bloggers I follow for cooking dishes from India, Thailand, and Mexico just to name a few. This recipe came from a fellow Canadian! If you haven’t been to Jo’s website ….. http://www.jocooks.com then I recommend you do. She has specific hints to make everything better, and is well worth a read.

Wonton Soup

Posted on May 2, 2020 by Chatty Kathy

A gloomy April day needs just this kind of soup – so much flavour and just packed with fresh vegetables. I think the miso is what really bring the flavour bomb.

Loads of vegetables, a few wontons and the best broth you could wish for.

1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
4 cups chicken broth
3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon chili oil
4 ounces shiitake mushrooms
2 baby bok choy
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon yellow miso paste, or more, to taste

FOR THE WONTONS

8 ounces medium shrimp, peeled, deveined and diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon reduced sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon Sriracha, optional
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
36 2-inch won ton wrappers

DIRECTIONS:

In a large bowl, combine shrimp, garlic, green onions, oyster sauce, soy sauce, ginger, sesame oil, Sriracha and pepper.
To assemble the wontons, place wrappers on a work surface. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the shrimp mixture into the center of each wrapper. Using your finger, rub the edges of the wrappers with water. Fold the dough over the filling to create a half-moon shape, pinching the edges to seal; set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon sesame oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
Whisk in chicken broth, soy sauce, mushrooms and 2 cups water.
Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until mushrooms have softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in bok choy and green onions. Stir in miso paste until well combined, about 1-2 minutes.
Stir in wontons until cooked through, about 2 minutes.
Serve immediately.
This soup is as flexible as the ingredients in your fridge – I like to prep them and stir fry them separately, which keeps them fresh and bright.

A huge pile of fresh vegetables disappears in a hurry in this delicious broth.

Serve this incredible soup with these crispy scallion pancakes for a total win.

The soup recipe is courtesy of http://www.damndelicious.net and I’d recommend looking at her recipes …. everything I’ve tried has been fantastic.

Lamb Barbacoa

Posted on April 11, 2020 by Chatty Kathy

Pretty simply delicious. Feels just like you are at a roadside stand or a local Mercado in Mexico. Serve with a salad and dinner is ready.

I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do with the pack of frozen lamb stew meat in my freezer …… This turned out to be perfect! It helps that whenever we come home from Mexico we bring dried peppers so I always have a good stock on hand. The only thing I didn’t have, in fact, was the agave leaf, or banana leaf. I’m sure it will add another dimension of flavour when I try that, but honestly this was just fantastic without.

FOR THE LAMB

12-inch chunk of an agave leaf (penca de maguey) or 1 large banana leaf, optional
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 pounds boneless lamb shoulder (you could also use beef or pork – marinade works with either)
1 12-ounce bottle of beer (optional but I love this!)
Salt

FOR THE MARINADE

2 dried guajillo chiles, stemmed, seeded and torn into large pieces
2 dried ancho chiles, stemmed, seeded and torn into large pieces
3 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 canned chipotle in adobo sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, preferably Mexican canela
1/2 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano

FOR SERVING

Your favorite hot sauce or salsa
A little chopped white onion or pickled red onions
A handful of cilantro leaves

This recipe came from Rick Bayless, and I have copied it here exactly as he posted it, but I’ve added my changes in the bold Italic font.

Roast the agave leaf being careful not to touch the exposed flesh of the agave) over an open flame, turning every few minutes until pliable and charred, 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the thickness. (If using a banana leaf, run it briefly over an open flame to soften it.) Cut into 3 pieces. We are in the midst of Covid-19 pandemic, so I wasn’t about to run out to the store and try to buy agave leaf or banana leaf (the closest we can get to either of these is frozen banana leaf). I just left this part out.

In the stovetop-safe insert of your slow cooker or in a very large (12-inch) skillet, heat the oil over medium-high. Pat the lamb dry with a paper towel, sprinkle generously with salt and lay it in the insert of skillet. Cook, turning occasionally, until richly brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Fit the insert into the machine or transfer the meat to the slow cooker.

Combine all the marinade ingredients in a blender with 2 cups of water and blend to a smooth puree. Pour through a medium mesh strainer into the slow cooker. Nestle the pieces of agave leaf or banana leaf under and around the meat and pour the beer over the top, if you are using them. Cover and turn on the slow cooker to high. Your barbacoa will be done in about 6 hours, though you can hold it for longer. (My slow-cooker can be programmed to switch from high after 6 hours to a “keep warm” temperature for up to another 6 hours. Some slow cookers click to “keep warm” automatically; others need to be switched manually.). I put the seasonings and the torn chile peppers into the blender along with hot water, and allowed it to sit for about 20 minutes before blending. This allowed the peppers to soften nicely and they blended up very smoothly.

Given that we are just “at home” these days, I didn’t use the slow cooker, but browned the meat well before adding it to a heavy cast iron dutch oven, covering with the marinade and slowly roasting at 275 for about 3 hours. Honestly, I prefer this method most of the time anyway as it allows for the sauce to be richer.

Just look at how rich that sauce is …. I don’t find the same result in a slow cooker.

When you are ready to serve, coarsely shred the lamb and arrange it on a warm platter. Skim any fat from the sauce that remains in the slow cooker, then taste it. If you feel it would be better with a more concentrated flavor, pour it into a medium saucepan or remove the insert and set it over high heat. Boil for a few minutes to reduce that quantity, then taste and season with salt if it needs it. Spoon as much as you like over the lamb or beef. (I like to sprinkle coarse salt over the meat at this point.) Serve the barbacoa with the hot sauce or salsa, onion and cilantro. Grab some tortillas, if you like, and you’re ready to make some delicious tacos.

Needless to say, it isn’t necessary to make your own tortillas, but I love doing it. I’m still struggling with getting my corn tortillas worthy of being a Mexican Abuela, but my flour tortilla game is strong!! On Saturday mornings at one of our favourite mercados in Mexico City we have found the absolute B E S T pork carnitas. This is the only spot we’ve ever seen this done, but they are making their tortillas loaded with herbs, so I tried that today. Pretty successful, if I do say so myself. I just kept adding herbs until it looked and smelled about right.

Most people come home from Mexico with decor, or tequila …… we bring home tortilla baskets, dried chile peppers and mezcal to make barbecue sauce.

Sweet & Spicy Pork Tenderloin

Posted on February 25, 2020 by Chatty Kathy

Pork

This flavour knocked it out of the park, especially considering how quickly it all comes together! Put your rice on, throw the pork in the pot and stir fry some vegetables while the pork cooks. Presto – you’re done. I think this one might go on regular rotation.

2 lbs pork tenderloin, cut in bite size pieces
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp minced ginger
1 tbsp sesame oil
1/2 cup soy sauce (I prefer low sodium soy sauce)
3 tbsp raw sugar
1 tbsp chili garlic sauce
1 tbsp gojuchang (Korean chili rice pepper paste)
2 tbsp Thai sweet chili sauce
1 1/2 cup water

GARNISH:

thinly sliced green onions
toasted crushed peanuts

Saute pork pieces in saucepan with the vegetable oil, just until lightly browned. While that is happening, stir the rest of the ingredients together and pour over the pork. Bring to a boil. It looks like a lot of liquid but don’t worry, it will reduce and coat the pork with a shiny sticky glaze.

Once the liquid has come to a boil turn the heat down to a simmer and allow the pork to cook for about another 30 minutes, uncovered, until it is tender and the sauce has reduced somewhat.

Garnish wth the green onions and peanuts. Serve with rice and vegetables sautéed in garlic and ginger.

I haven’t tried anything other than the pork, but I imagine it would be just as good with chicken or beef – or even tofu if you are looking for a vegetarian option.

Flour Tortillas with bacon fat

Posted on December 9, 2019 by Chatty Kathy

Sunday dinner. Warm, fresh tortillas. Life is good.

Yes, that’s right. BACON FAT. So good, you will wonder why you haven’t done it before. In Mexico pork is featured in so many ways, all good. (Ever had carnitas??). Well, these tortillas are so darn good Stella told me that I needed to get them on the blog right away, as this is the 2nd time (in her 6 L O N G years) that she has been instrumental in the whole rolling/cooking process and if a 6 year old can do this – so can you! Effort vs reward is huge. Stella gets the rolling going and Sloan (at 9) is in charge of the stove and cooking them. They both know just when to turn the tortillas with the right amount of bubbling and browning going on.

SO EASY!

3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup bacon fat (cold)\
1 cup warm water

Stir flour and salt together, then work in the cold bacon fat with your fingers. Slowly add the water and work until a cohesive dough forms. Not sticking together? Add a bit more water. Too sticky? Add a bit more flour …. You get it. Knead until you have a soft but firm dough – cover and allow to rest for 30-60 minutes. (or as long as you need it to)

Divide this into 12-14 pieces and roll into balls. Let sit for a few minutes to allow the dough to rest – this makes it much easier to roll. (keep covered)

Roll until super thin – and cook on a dry hot skillet. Every stovetop is different and you may sacrifice the first couple to the frypan, but thats okay, once you realize your perfect temperature you are good to go.

Cook for approximately 1 minute on the first side and you will see bubbles form. Only flip when you peek underneath and see brown spots appearing. Flip it over and continue cooking until you get more of those lovely brown spots. On my stovetop (flat ceramic) I can’t cook it higher than 5 (or medium) otherwise things burn before cooking through but experiment with your own surface.

Keep warm in a covered container as the steaming also helps with the cooking process.

This recipe serves 6. If you aren’t feeding 6, then just keep the dough in the fridge and pinch off enough to make yourself a couple tortillas a day!

Stella is 6 and she’s already done this a couple of times, at her insistence this recipe is going on the blog so we all remember it. Big sister Sloan is making the guacamole in the background before stepping over to the stove to keep the cooking going.

Just look at those bubbles forming – we all get excited! (yes, I know, kitchen geeks)

This is exactly what you are looking for. Heaven in a wrap.

Tonight we served carne asada with these tortillas, and it was amazing.

Honestly …. you really don’t like pork? (sorry Meg & Amy). Use store bought lard or shortening.

Empanadas

Posted on December 1, 2019 by Chatty Kathy

Most cultures have a pastry/hand pie like this one ….. empanadas are famous in many countries, but I’ve only had the pleasure of eating them in Mexico so that is what I have fashioned these after. They can be deep fried, but I prefer baking them for fluffy, flaky pastry and creamy filling. Extra bonus points for the way your house smells while they are baking!

In today’s version I used chicken, onion & red pepper, topped with a chunk of jalapeño havarti. The tomatillo salsa was delicious for dipping!

Empanadas are such a treat. These will give you flaky pastry, and a creamy tasty filling.

Make sure when you roll out your dough that you do it a little thinner than you would for a pie – you want to make sure you have a good ratio of filling to crust.

Saute onions and garlic until softened, then add red pepper and cook for only a couple more minutes. Stir in cooked shredded chicken and season to taste. In this version, I added a couple of tablespoons of tomatillo salsa, and then topped with jalapeño havarti cheese for an extra bit of kick and creaminess.

Other suggestions for empanada filling:

ground meat seasoned with taco spices, topped with Oaxaca string cheese
leftover pulled pork and pickled red onions
wilted spinach, sautéed mushrooms and feta cheese
go sweet with fruit, cinnamon and a bit of vanilla

I’ve included my pastry recipe here, but if you aren’t into making your own pastry go ahead and use a prepared frozen pie shell. Just take it out and roll it a bit thinner.

Cut your pastry into rounds, brush beaten egg around the outside and then put about a tablespoon or two of filling in the middle, add some cheese on top. You will want enough filling so that your ratio of stuffing to pastry is tasty. Fold edges up together and press to seal. Set them on a baking sheet and pinch/crimp the top to make sure it is well sealed.

Brush beaten egg over the top of the sealed empanada, and then poke a hole so steam can escape and the pastry doesn’t leak too much of your goods outside the shell.

Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. You can also freeze them on a cookie sheet at this point and bake later, from frozen. Just bake a little longer.

Oh, these were G O O D. Before baking season the tops with salt and pepper.

Everybody loves flaky pie crust – but people are divided on whether to use shortening, lard or butter. Through trial and error, I think I have found the best of them all – by combining lard and butter. Try it ….. so light and flaky – you will love it.

1 egg
1 tbsp vinegar
3/4 tsp salt
3 cups white flour
3/4 cup cold vegetable lard or (if you prefer) shortening
3/4 cup cold butter
5 tbsp very cold water
Lightly beat egg and vinegar

Whisk flour and salt

Using a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in lard/butter until pea sized. Add very cold water to egg and vinegar mixture. Make a hole in the center of the flour blend and stir in the egg/vinegar/water combination. Work just until pastry comes together – adding slightly more liquid if it doesn’t, and if it is too wet, add a wee bit more flour. Work together just until it all comes into a solid mass. Knead very lightly on floured surface. Wrap tightly and put in the fridge for at least 40 minutes.

Roll on lightly floured board until just thin enough to use for pie dough.

This recipe makes enough for 1 smaller pie (top and bottom) or a large deep dish pie crust bottom.

Mexican Pickled Vegetables (Escabeche)

Posted on November 30, 2019 by Chatty Kathy

Today’s version included potato slices, onions, carrots, cauliflower and zucchini.

Have you ever noticed those bowls of pickled vegetables at every taco stand you’ve been to in Mexico? They are easy to make at home, fantastic to have in the fridge and add a flavourful zip to any side dish (or pizza!). This recipe is perfect, feel free to use whatever vegetables you have on hand ….. I’d skip broccoli though as I have found that it doesn’t keep either it’s bright colour or crunch.

Ingredients

8-10 jalapenos
3 carrots
1 onion
4-6 cloves of garlic
olive oil
1.5 cups white vinegar
1 cup water
1 Tablespoon salt (Kosher or sea salt)
1/2 teaspoon oregano (use Mexican if you have it)
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
8-10 cracked peppercorns
1 bay leaf

Instructions

Give the jalapenos a rinse and then cut into 1/4 inch slices.
Peel the carrots and cut into 1/4 inch slices
Peel and quarter the onion, chopping into thin slices
Peel and roughly chop the garlic
Heat a dollop of oil in a medium sized sauce pan on medium-high heat
Saute the onion and garlic for a few minutes
Add the jalapenos, carrots and the spices: ½ teaspoon oregano, ½ teaspoon cumin seeds, 8-10 black peppercorns, 1 bay leaf.
Briefly saute and then add 1.5 cups white vinegar, 1 cup water, and 1 Tablespoon sea salt
Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer
Simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the jalapenos turn army green
Fill each jar with the veggies and top with the brine
Store in an airtight container in the fridge
The jalapenos and carrots will have most of their flavor after a few hours of resting in the brine

I’ve tried a few recipes now from a blog …. “Mexican please”, and they are all great! This is no exception. I don’t use quite that many jalapeños (usually 2-3 large ones) and I also put in whatever vegetables I have on hand, cauliflower, zucchini, radish etc. Just make sure to not overcook the more delicate vegetables. For items like cauliflower and zucchini I only add them to the cooking liquid for a couple of minutes. Be mindful of the amount of liquid you have and make sure you have enough to cover the vegetables once you get them into your pickling jars. It is okay to top up with a bit more vinegar or water if need be.

chattykathychatsandcooks

Family, Friends and Food!

Category Archives: pork