The Canning Kitchen (20 page)

Stir in the red pepper, garlic, oregano, basil, salt, chili flakes, black pepper and vinegar. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, uncovered and stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes.

Purée using an immersion blender (or a standard blender, working in batches). Return to the heat and continue simmering for another 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, to thicken. Remove from the heat.

Ladle into 10 clean 250 mL (1 cup) jars, leaving a ¼-inch (5 mm) headspace. Process in a boiling water bath canner for 35 minutes using the Processing Checklist on
page 17
.

TIP
Use any tomato variety you like, or even a mixture of varieties. For a spicy pizza sauce, add more chili flakes or 1 tsp (5 mL) cayenne pepper.

T
OMATO
K
ETCHUP

One of the most popular condiments in any kitchen, ketchup is a fun and kid-friendly project with ripe and juicy tomatoes. Making it yourself means intense tomato flavour with less sugar and salt than store-bought ketchups.

MAKES SIX 250 ML (1 CUP) JARS

8 lb (3.5 kg) tomatoes

1 cup (250 mL) diced yellow onion

3 garlic cloves, sliced

1½ cups (375 mL) white vinegar

1 tsp (5 mL) salt

1 bay leaf

¼ cup (60 mL) brown sugar

Using a knife, score an X in the bottom of each tomato. Submerge the tomatoes in a large pot of boiling water for 1 minute, then transfer immediately with a slotted spoon to a large bowl of cold water. (You may prefer to do this in batches.) Slip off and discard the skins. Cut out and discard the firm white stem ends. Gently squeeze out and discard most of the seeds through the stem end. Crush the squeezed tomatoes with a masher in a large, heavy-bottomed pot.

Stir in the onion and garlic. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook for 15 minutes, stirring frequently.

Purée using an immersion blender (or crush with a masher for a chunky ketchup). Stir in the vinegar, salt and bay leaf. Continue cooking at a gentle boil over medium heat, stirring frequently, until reduced by one half, about 60 minutes. Stir in the brown sugar about 10 minutes before the end of the cooking time. Remove from the heat and discard the bay leaf.

Ladle into 6 clean 250 mL (1 cup) jars, leaving a ¼-inch (5 mm) headspace. Process in a boiling water bath canner for 15 minutes using the Processing Checklist on
page 17
.

TIP
For ketchup with a kick, add up to 1 tsp (5 mL) cayenne pepper or a couple of minced bird’s-eye chilies to the pot during cooking.

B
OLD
T
OMATO
P
EPPER
S
ALSA

The secret to thick home-canned salsa is to toss the veggies with a little salt to draw out the water first, then replace that water with flavours like chili powder, garlic and zingy vinegar. Grab some crunchy tortilla chips and start scooping.

MAKES SEVEN 500 ML (2 CUP) JARS

8 lb (3.5 kg) tomatoes

1½ lb (675 g) yellow onions (about 3 medium onions
)

1½ lb (675 g) red bell peppers (about 3 medium peppers)

1 green bell pepper

2 tbsp (30 mL) pickling salt

4 garlic cloves, minced

1½ cups (375 mL) cider vinegar

¼ cup (60 mL) lemon juice

3 tbsp (45 mL) mild chili powder

With a sharp knife, score an X in the bottom of each tomato. Submerge the tomatoes in a large pot of boiling water for 1 minute, then transfer immediately with a slotted spoon to a large bowl of cold water. (You may prefer to do this in batches.) Slip off and discard the skins. Chop the tomatoes into 1-inch (2.5 cm) chunks, adding them to a cheesecloth-lined colander over a large bowl or in the sink.

Using a knife or food processor, finely chop the onions, red peppers and green pepper, adding them to the colander with the tomatoes. Gently stir in the salt. Let stand for 1 hour to allow the salt to draw excess moisture from the vegetables.

Without rinsing or squeezing, transfer the veggies to a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Stir in the garlic, vinegar, lemon juice and chili powder. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring frequently. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Ladle into 7 clean 500 mL (2 cup) jars, leaving a ½-inch (1 cm) headspace. Poke a non-metallic utensil inside each jar a few times to remove any air bubbles, topping up the salsa if necessary. Process in a boiling water bath canner for 15 minutes using the Processing Checklist on
page 17
.

TIP
Choose firm, ripe tomatoes for the best-tasting salsa. Prefer a fiery tomato salsa? Spice things up a bit by replacing the green pepper with 4 or 5 finely chopped jalapeño peppers. Or replace the mild chili powder with a spicy one.

T
ANGY
T
OMATILLO
S
ALSA
V
ERDE

Mexican food fans will love this salsa verde (green salsa) made with fresh tomatillos. The tomatillo looks like a green tomato but is in fact closely related to the cape gooseberry; both of them grow inside a husk. Enjoy with homemade enchiladas and tacos or scooped with crunchy tortilla chips.

MAKES SIX 500 ML (2 CUP) JARS

6 lb (2.7 kg) tomatillos

2 cups (500 mL) finely chopped yellow onion

1 large green bell pepper, finely chopped

2 to 3 jalapeño peppers, finely chopped

¼ cup (60 mL) pickling salt

5 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups (500 mL) cider vinegar

3 tbsp (45 mL) granulated sugar

2 tsp (10 mL) ground cumin

Pull off and discard the tomatillo husks. Scrub the tomatillos under cool running water to remove the natural sticky coating. Dice the tomatillos, adding them to a large colander lined with cheesecloth. Add the finely chopped onion, green pepper and jalapeños. Gently stir in the salt. Let stand, in the sink or over a large bowl, for 1 hour to allow the salt to draw excess moisture from the vegetables.

Rinse the veggies under cool running water. Gather up the edges of the cheesecloth and squeeze out the excess liquid. Transfer the veggies to a large, heavy-bottomed pot.

Stir in the garlic, vinegar, sugar and cumin. Bring the works to a full boil over high heat, stirring frequently. Lower the heat to medium and continue cooking for 5 minutes to soften the tomatillos. Remove from the heat.

Ladle into 6 clean 500 mL (2 cup) jars, leaving a ½-inch (1 cm) headspace. Poke a non-metallic utensil inside each jar a few times to remove any air bubbles, topping up the salsa if needed. Process in a boiling water bath canner for 15 minutes using the Processing Checklist on
page 17
.

TIP
Stirring salt into the vegetables draws out their excess moisture. Much of the salt is rinsed away before the moisture is replaced with vinegar for a tangy and flavourful salsa verde.

S
PINACH AND
H
ERB
C
HIMICHURRI

This simple and flavourful Argentinian green sauce is traditionally drizzled with olive oil and eaten with grilled meats and seafood, but don’t stop there. Try it in pasta and rice dishes for a flavourful punch of pickled herbs and garlic.

MAKES SIX 250 ML (1 CUP) JARS

1 lb (450 g) fresh spinach leaves

1 lb (450 g) fresh parsley, oregano, cilantro or basil (or a mixture)

8 garlic cloves, peeled

2 cups (500 mL) white vinegar, divided

2 jalapeño peppers, stems removed

Juice of 2 limes

2 tbsp (30 mL) pickling salt

Rinse the spinach and herbs well and pat dry with paper towel or a clean kitchen towel. Stuff half the spinach into a food processor or blender. Drop in the garlic cloves and pour in 1 cup (250 mL) of the vinegar. Pulse until smooth or very finely chopped. Stuff in the rest of the spinach and pulse again until smooth. Pour the spinach mixture into a large, heavy-bottomed pot.

Stuff half the herbs into the food processor or blender, along with the jalapeños and remaining 1 cup (250 mL) of vinegar. Pulse until smooth or very finely chopped. Stuff in the rest of the herbs and pulse again until smooth. Pour the herb mixture into the pot with the spinach mixture.

Stir in the lime juice and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Maintain a boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat.

Ladle into 6 clean 250 mL (1 cup) jars, leaving a ¼-inch (5 mm) headspace. Process in a boiling water bath canner for 15 minutes using the Processing Checklist on
page 17
.

TIP
If you buy fresh herbs and spinach by the bunch, leave the tie on and simply twist off or chop off the stems all at once. For a different chimichurri every time, mix in other leafy green herbs such as fresh mint.