What foods do you make from Scratch?

[Jill Reichow]

Hmmm, used to cann all of the fruit we ate...peaches, pears, cherries. But the poor stoves that we had moving around forced me to give up on those.

I still make all of our applesauce (30 qts. last year). We go apple picking in the fall. The majority of the 6 bu. we pick turn into applesauce. Some I make apple rings out of and dehydrate.

I make all the jams and jellies that we eat, including pancake syrups. Our favorite is black and blue. Combination of blackberries and blueberries. We pick the berries fresh in the summer. I end up freezing for breads and muffins and cereal, and makes jams and sauces......the only problem we have is the schnauzers like to eat the berries out of the bucket as we pick.

I make all the marinara we use (26 qts. last year). some years the garden gods are good to me and I can use homegrown. Last year I had to buy them from the farmers market.

I grow all the herbs we use and dry for the winter months. I do regret not containing the oregano as it's like a weed. Fresh pesto sauce is a snap. Freeze extras for the winter.

We dehydrate fruits and 'matoes. I make the rainsins that we use. Fruit leathers and yogurt leathers are great. Dried apple rings, pears, bananas.

I make pasta on a regular basis. I used to make all the pasta we ate. Now I use alot of (gasp) store bought. Make tortellini and ravioli.

The house is never without cookies. The only cookies we buy are oreos. Cakes and bars homemade, natch.

Homemade rolls and breads are a given. Potato cinnamon rolls are the favorite. Bread is the first thing I make when we move into a new house.

Custard based ice cream in the summer months. Homemade peach, followed by triple chocolate and strawberry are the most common requests.....

I try to grow enough green beans and wax beans to feed us through the year. I blanch them, then throw in the freezer. Have been asked to forgo the zucchini this year by the sons. I'm going to plant it just to irritate them

soups and stews a given. Cream of broccoli is the fav in the house, followed by chicken noodle.

We have a smoker and will smoke turkey, pork and a beef roast to have to freeze and eat.

we made Galliano one year. Decided not to do it again after it etched the inside of the blender.

[ShawtyCat]

Hey Jill! Can I move in with you? Im real adoptable and cute....really. And what is Galliano??

Im with Suzanne....can someone share the "How Do You Make Fruit Leather?". Pwwwweeeessseee!!!

[Jill Reichow]

Jodi, come on over. The house is under remodeling, but we'll put clean sheets on the bed and that bath is clean....or so I hope! You will be responsible for a meal, though!

The way I make fruit leather and yogurt leather is to use (for fruit)puree of the fruit, spread it on a a special sheet for the dehydrator(it's almost like silpat)that the fruit won't drip through. Put it in the dehydrator and let it go. It dries and gets leathery. Store in an airtight container.

For yogurt I use custard yogurt and do it the same way. Spread out fairly thin and dry. It really intensifies the flavor of the yogurt.

I started doing this when my boys were young because I didn't want them to have all the sugar in the purchased fruit roll ups.

Made the raisins one day on a lark...now they won't eat store bought!

Galliano is the liquor(sp) that you use to make harvey Wallbangers....I'm showing my age. That drink was REALLY popular when I was in college.....

[Svadhisthana]

Bread
Pasta
Fruit and vegetable juices
Veggie stock
Crackers
Ice cream
Soups
Salsa
Pesto
Biscuits
Scones
Sauces
Tortillas



CompassRose,

I would love some recipes/techniques for the fake "meat" you make from gluten.

[CompassRose]

Svadisthana, I have to confess that most of the gluten things I'm making lately are coming straight off Vegsource, where Bryanna Clark Grogan has been on some sort of wild fake-meat mania lately. Sausage! Meatballs! Ham! Corned beef! She just reposted her entire seitan file at
http://www.vegsource.com/talk/beginn...es/123227.html

plus a bunch of "fish" recipes at
http://www.vegsource.com/talk/beginn...es/123344.html

The ham is here:
http://www.vegsource.com/talk/beginn...es/123226.html

All of the ones I've tried have been darn good (the corned beef, for one, was amazing, and the "chicken" is a standard around here) although I've found that if I follow the cooking liquid recipes exactly, it comes out a tad salty for my taste. Her technique for bread-machine kneading and slow-cooking seitan is particularly useful.

I'm having a lot of fun with it; I make the "fake meat," then go through all my "normal" recipes and make meaty stuff with it. I did up a traditional sauerbraten that turned out really nicely (well, I liked it, but A. didn't care for the extremely medieval sort of quality it had). A. made traditional Tibetan "meat" stuffed dumplings called momos out of the "roast beef," and they were a big hit at a party he took them to, which included a group of Tibetan monks visiting from India.

[Isa]

I always try to make everything that can realistically be made in a regular kitchen. But what I enjoy the most is making things like mustard, marshmallow, hard candies.

[ShawtyCat]

Hey Isa,

Question. How do you make marshmallow? I think confec. sugar has to be an ingredient but can't think of what else might go into that.

Jodi

[Shimmer]

I agree with the basic idea of pureeing the fruit and spreading it on a food dehydrator sheet. I must say the one mistake my mother always made was not straining the puree of the fruits that have a lot of seeds. And dehydrating only makes blackberry seeds that much more crunchy, believe me!!! I would also play around with adding some lemon juice (to limit it from turning brown) and a little bit of sugar, depending on the fruit.

We always found that it took longer to dehydrate the pitted fruit leather (pear, nectarine, and peach) than the berry leather.

After its done, roll it up and wrap sections in plastic wrap. Do not over dry. I suggest spreading it out 1/4-1/2 inch or so, otherwise you end up with crackly fruit sheets that aren't easily moved around.

We would also combine fruits for fun, fruits that don't typically get combined in anything else... blackberry peach, strawberry nectarine.... Fun!!!

~~Shimmer~~

[CompassRose]

Marshmallows are just a sugar/corn syrup/water mix cooked to firm-ball stage, mixed with gelatin and then beaten for ages and ages and ages.

I tried making them once, but only ended up with marshmallow cream. Could've been either my mixer (I've heard you really, really need a stand mixer for making marshmallows, as a hand mixer just doesn't have the "oomph") or my vegetable gelatin. It was nameless bulk brand from the health-food store, and I've also heard that Emes Kosher-Jel, and Emes only, is the only kind of veg gelatin that will cut it for marshmallows.

Anyway, it was pretty good marshmallow cream. I probably won't try again, though, until the Kitchen-Aid fairy comes and blesses me with her goodness.

[alexia]

Here's an old Gourmet recipe for jmarshmallows, and I think I remember that Martha has one on her site:

MARSHMALLOWS: (g:12-82, 1 1/2 lbs)
4 Tbs unflavored gelatin
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
2 egg whites at room temperature
pinch of cream of tartar
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbs cornstarch
flavorless vegetable oil for baking pan
2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 cup cold water and let soften 15 minutes..
In heavy 2 quart saucepan combine granulated sugar, corn syrup and 1/2 cup hot water; cook over moderate heat, stirring and washing down crystals (brush/cold water) til sugar dissolves;
boil, undisturbed til candy thermometer registers 240f.
x
Remove from heat; add gelatin mixture. transfer to mixer and beat til white and fluffy.
x
In another bowl,, beat whites with tartar and pinch of salt to stiff peaks; add them to gelatin mixture, beating, and beat til thick and begins to be somewhat stringy.

Beat in vanilla and cornstarch and pour into an oiled 9" square pan dusted with some of the confectioners' sugar. Sift 1/3 cup remaining confectioners' over top and let dry, uncovered, overnight.
x
Run knife around edge of pan and invert candy onto cutting surface. Cut into 1" squares with sharp knife dipped in hot water. Dredge marshmallows in remaining confectioners' sugar shaking off excess. Store in airtight container lined with wax paper, separating layers with wax paper. Makes 1 1/2 lbs.

[monkeymay]

Good thread!
Just put up a new batch of limoncello for the summer cocktails, and am hoping
the batch I'm making with tangerines and jasmine flowers will taste as fabulous as it smells! Cherries have just appeared at the market - when I get a really good bunch I will be putting those up in grappa and saving for the holidays... My cured olives from last fall are almost gone, along with all my dried tomatoes, peppers and caponata from last year's harvest. This year I have promised myself to try to make 'strattu, a double concentrated tomato paste, from the five San Marzano plants in the garden...

I make my own ricotta for the ricotta cream in my cannolis (and make the shells from scratch) when it's the kids' birthdays - cannolis are their favorite
things to eat!

Note to Jill Reichow -
I have a recipe of an anise liqueur called Zammu for your Galliano recipe-
I guarantee it will not etch the sides of your blender!

[Jill Reichow]

I have made marshmallows for my dad. He used to tell my mother that the only thing she didn't make was 1)soda crackers; 2)jerkey; 3)marshmallows. So mom made the soda crackers (we always made swedish flatbread but that didn't count!) and the jerkey and I made him the marshmellows. Burned out my hand mixer doing it....good excuse to get the stand mixer. They were wonderful. Now dad has quit complaining!

The next time I make marshmallows, I'm going to use a gelatin with a higher bloom. I uses just plain knox and I read that a better grade will produce nicer marsh. But then, seeing no one else I am pals with do this I guess they wouldn't care what they looked like!

Monkeymay, I'll take the recipe if you care to share. The only liqueur I have made lately is Baileys'. Do you share you ricotta recipe???? PLEASE???

shimmer, I always make my fruit leathers and yogurt leathers crisp. Weird I know, but the boys liked to suck on it. So I would make round circle of leather and let them at it.....boys are such delights.

[monkeymay]

Jill-
Here's the recipe for the ricotta and the anise liqueur. They both come from
"Sweet Sicily" by Victoria Granof, a book I had the great fortune to help with on the research. The ricotta recipe calls for goat cheese, which is much closer to the taste of Sicilian ricotta, but you can omit it if you like.

3 1/2 quarts whole milk
2 cups half and half
1/3 cup distilled white vinegar
4 ounces unflavored goat cheese

In a stainless steel or enamled saucepan, whisk together the milk, half and half, and vinegar. Insert a candy thermometer into the pan (make sure it doesn't touch the bottom). Over low heat, bring the mixture to 170 degrees, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking or scorching.

While the milk is heating, line a colander or strainer with a double thickness of damp cheesecloth and place it over a large bowl.

As the milk mixture approaches 170 degrees, it will separate into solids and nearly clear liquid (whey). When this happens, immediately turn off the heat and scoop out the curds with a slotted spoon, transfering them to the prepared colander.

Allow the curds to drain and cool at room temperature for at least an hour.
If you are adding goat cheese, blend it now. Transfer to a 1 quart container and refrigerate, tightly covered, for up to 3 days.


Anise Liqueur

1 quart vodka
3/4 cup aniseed
1 three inch cinnamon stick, broken
2 tablespoons coriander seed
2 whole cloves
1 strip orange zest
2 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups water

In a glass jar with a tight fitting lid, combine the vodka, spices and orange zest. Leave in a cool dark place for 2 months.

After the 2 months have passed, combine the sugar and water in a saucepan and bring it to a boil, stirring till the sugar is dissolved. Let cool completely.

Add the sugar syrup to the vodka mixture. Filter through a double thickness of damp cheesecloth set in a strainer and pour into a glass bottle.
This will keep indefinitely if stored in a cool dark place, (as will most things) and it will improve in flavor.

Enjoy!

[Jill Reichow]

monkeymay, thanks much for the recipes. They look wonderful. Except I have to wait 2 MONTHS for the liqueur? What torture! 'll let you know how it turns out.............

[terrarich]

I am just getting started, but will have my very own yard soon to grow some veggies and herbs. Currently I make from scratch:

Tomato sauce
Hollandaise
Pasta
Bread
Stocks
Spice Blends
Ice Cream
Salsa

I am looking forward to utilizing home grown produce soon.

terrarich