How to: Fermented Hot Sauce

Yes, yet another kitchen post, but fear not my friends, crafty subjects will be back very soon. In the meantime, let me share with you this yummy experiment of mine.

Three weeks ago, I told you I was overwhelmed with the productivity of my spicy pepper plants. I made a drying string with a bunch of them but I had still many more to use. Sooooo, today, I'm going to share with you my technique to make Fermented Hot Sauce. What I like with this recipe (It's actually more of a technique then a recipe) is that it can really be customized to suit your tastes. Depending on the peppers you use it can range from a little spicy to blown-out-of-your-mind-spicy! You can also play with the texture, starting from the chunky kind to a smooth sauce of even a runnier product similar to tabasco. 

Why fermented you may ask. Well fermented foods are more nutritious than cooked ones, keep for far longer, have health benefits and taste delicious. (I plan on eventually, dedicating a post on all the benefits of fermented foods, and talk more about why I love them.)

Without further ado, here is what you need to make fermented hot sauce:

 

The sauce is basically composed of peppers and a bit of garlic (which is optional) that are let to ferment in brine. For my sauce, I use the cheyenne peppers growing on my balcony and some mild peppers I bought at the farmer's market.

 I have two advice about the kind of peppers to choose. 

First, go for local and organic as much as possible. I have read that imported and/or treated peppers would not ferment as well (or even ferment at all) because they may lack the bacterias responsible for lacto fermentation.

 Secondly, if you mix different colors you may end up with an odd looking sauce, which is perfectly fine if you don't mind (think poblanos and cherry bomb...brownish sauce!).

Now, how to prepare for the fermentation. The first thing you want to do, is to prepare you brine. One tablespoon of salt for two cups of water is a good ratio.

 Bring some water to a boil and pour over your sea salt. Stir to dissolve completely.

 Depending on the volume of peppers you have, you will need more or less brine. Two cups was just enough for my amount of pepper. Set the brine aside to cool.

While your brine is cooling down (never pour hot brine over your fruits or vegetables as it may kill the good bacterias), prepare your peppers. 

Slice the peppers. You can keeping the seeds and membranes, your choice.

And then, chop them roughly. They don't need to be minced, as they will be pureed once fermented. Look at these crunchy peppers!

Fermentation is best done in glass or ceramic containers as they are non-porous materials. Mason jars are perfect for the job. I filled one jar with the mild peppers, hoping that if the cheyenne were too pungent for my taste, I could mix them later to dilute the spiciness. More on this later.

Same preparation step with the cheyenne peppers. 

The garlic cloves only need to be peeled.

Again, keep the seeds or not depending on the spiciness and texture you like.

Fill the jars, adding a garlic clove in each, if you choose to use some.

They're not that visible, but on top of the peppers, I added glass weights. These weights are food safe and are made to keep the vegetables submerge in brine at all time. Floating vegetables can cause spoilage as they are exposed to air bacterias and not protected by the salty brine. I've seen people use other types of weight (ziploc bag filled with more brine, cabbage leaves, ceramic weights or even small plates in the case of bigger jars) just make sure they are food safe and clean.

Press the vegetables, crushing them as much as possible. You want a bit of headspace as the fermenting process will make things bubbling and expending a bit.

Pour the cooled brine on top of that and ensure there is enough to cover everything entirely.

Then, you need to cover the jar so nothing gets in them. Some people use pieces of fabric and rubber bands or an airlock device made to fit on mason jar covers. I use Pickle Pipes from Mason Tops and I like how simple and easy they are to use. They keep things out of the jar and still let gas/pressure escape so I don't have to remember to open the jar occasionally.    

Place the jars in a dark spot and forget about them for a while. It could range from a week to a month depending on the climate you live in. Colder temperatures make for a slower progress in fermentation. Taste the peppers after a week and see if you want to wait longer. The more you let them ferment, the more tangy they get.

This is what they looked like after a week and a half. Sadly the one on the right had molds on the inside top of the jar. Some seeds weren't submerged! I had to throw it out, not wanting to take any risks.

See all the bubbles and the sediments at the bottom? These are all good signs of a thriving ferment. 

I let the remaining jar ferment for another week or so. I removed the glass weight and gave it a stir before taking this picture to show you the peppers.

Poured out of the jar. Once fermented to your liking, you could just pop the jar in the fridge and eat the peppers, just like pickles. This could totally be your final result. 

If you want to make it into a sauce, carry on reading.

Drain the peppers, keeping the brine aside.

Puree in a blender or a food processor, adding brine a little at a time. Stop adding brine when you like the consistency.

This is a close up to show the texture I got. I added maybe 25% of the brine in my puree. For more liquid product, you could add all the brine and even strain the sauce in a fine sieve. You would end up with a texture closer to tabasco sauce. This sauce will keep for months if not years in the fridge. The fermentation process having acidified the peppers.

That's it for my hot sauce technique! What fermented food do you like? Do you make it yourself? I would like to hear from you!

6 Foods to can this Fall

All around me, I hear people say: No, not yet, not the end of summer already! But I, I don't mind because fall is my favorite season. Fresher days are perfect for cooking with open windows. Taking a long walk without toasting in the sun is nice too. The cool wind and the shorter days also bring back my knitting obsession! But that's not what I want to talk about today. Today, I want to show you my list of "must can" this coming season. Fall is, most of all, bounty season! So, it's time to use all those delicious and colorful fruits and vegetables. Put them in jars to preserve them for the months to come.

I based my list on my personal tastes but also on what I find to be a "good deal". I select canning recipes that contains mostly local and seasonal produces (remember, I live in eastern Canada). Also, it must be something I know we like to eat and that will be used within the next year. When canning, I find it important to choose ingredients and meals you know you eat regularly. Wasting home canned goods is not only wasting good food, it's also wasting your time and efforts!

So here it is, my list of 6 must can of the season!

Tomatoes

Diced, crushed, pureed or cooked in marinara sauce, tomatoes are just so versatile. I use them in homemade spaghetti sauce, casseroles and soups all the time. Canning tomatoes yourself means you can choose the type of tomatoes you prefer. Think italian tomatoes, yellow tomatoes, organic tomatoes, cherry tomatoes etc.

Vegetables in water

Just like the ones from the grocery store but better! Why better? Because they're made from vegetables that you choose yourself (local, organic or from your own garden!). Again, you choose, beets, carrots, beans, peas, potatoes etc. You even get to choose the color and the cut. Why not try yellow beets for a change or mix green and yellow beans in the same jar.

You ABSOLUTELY need a pressure canner to safely preserve these.

Fruits in syrup

Stone fruits come to mind first: Peaches, plums, apricots, pears and cherries. But berries can be preserved in syrup too. Strawberries, blueberries, gooseberries, even grapes and currants. I sometimes make jams, but I prefer fruits in syrup. The product is pretty (nice gift idea here!) and it's so good on sponge cake, pancakes, greek yogurt or oatmeal! For a little variety, try flavoring your syrup with a vanilla bean, a cinnamon stick or a citrus peel.

Applesauce

Apples are a staple of Quebec's fall. We grow many varieties. Some are sweet, others are tart. Some are better for cooking, others are at their best when eaten raw, but they're all delicious in their own way. I can applesauce in 500ml and 250ml jars to eat as a snack or to use in recipes (baking mostly). I can it plain, but you could add spices and sugar. Actually, adding two tablespoons of sugar per litre of product will extend it's life in the fridge once the jar is open.

Cubed winter squash

This one, I haven't tried yet. In the fall, I always go to the farmer's market and buy many winter squashes. I just love to see them so I decorate my apartment with them! When winter comes in, I end up with a ton of ziplock bags of pureed squash in my freezer. I do use them in soups and quick bread, but they take up space I would rather use for raw meat, seafood or bagels and bread. That's why I want to try canning cubed squash in water with my pressure canner and see if it makes good pie!

French onion soup

In fact, I want to try many kinds of soup in the pressure canner, but this one comes first! We love onion soup around here and onions are so cheap in the fall, I must give it a try. I want to try this recipe. I know, it's in french haha! If I like the result, I plan on sharing a translate version with you. This site is such a great resource. I've learned so much on pressure and water bath canning from this blogger, I wish everyone could read it!


There you have it, my priority list of foods to can this coming season. Have you tried any new canning recipe lately? What do you plan on canning this fall?

Waste nothing: Strawberry stems syrup

Ahhh July! July in Montréal means the abundance of local fruits and vegetables. It means nice, warm and long summer days. A time for vacation, a time for contemplation, a time for taking the time.

For some years now I've wanted to make strawberry jam. Sadly local strawberries, strangely enough, are often more expensive than imported ones, and even more expensive than other local fruits. But boy are they worth your hard-earned dollars! Sweet, plump and so flavorful, they really are the joy of the season!

I've grab my box of strawberries will touring the Jean-Talon market, which is also a real joy at this time of year. All the smiling people, the wonderful smell of fresh produce and seeing the big piles of green onions, fresh herbs, huge lettuces and tons of berries made my day.  I bet you could get them at a better price if you can go directly to a producer near you though.

Traditional strawberry jam

Using fresh and local (and more expensive) produces really motivates me to make the best out of every bite. That's why when I use strawberries, in addition to the main recipe, I make strawberry stems syrup. It's super simple and really good on pancakes or to sweeten your cup of jasmine tea.

Here is what I do:

Hull your strawberries, leaving a bit a flesh on the stems and use the fruits in a recipe as you would normally. When you're done hulling the strawberries, place the stems in a plastique bowl or glass jar and cover them with water. Close the jar or bowl and refrigerate for 24 hours. The next day, filter the liquid through a fine mesh and compost the strawberry stems. Measure the volume of flavored water you have obtained. Transfer to a pot and add the same volume of sugar. Bring to a boil and stir to make sure the sugar is well dissolved, then turn off the heat. There you have it, a delicious treat and nothing was wasted! This strawberry syrup will keep in the fridge for several weeks and can be used in many ways! Get creative, pour it over Greek yogurt or in sparkling water.

Strawberry stems simple syrup

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Fall bounty

Where have I been, you might be wondering. Well, the end of summer has been very busy. This year I was lucky enough to have a garden three times bigger than last year. Let me tell you, it was three times the work! Though a lot of veggies ended up as squirrel's snacks, I've picked a lot of onions, cabbages, cherry tomatoes, swiss chard and tones of fresh herbs, to my absolute delight. Now that it's getting frosty at night, everything has been picked and the lot is clean and empty. In the past weeks, I've canned produce both from the garden and the market. From classic dill pickles to simple diced tomatoes and even some new recipes like the green tomatoes and red peppers marinade. Most of the time, I make small batches of three to six jars, since there is only two of us. I really like to make and use these. Using fresh and local produce is important to me and makes me feel proud.

But, as you might guess, I haven't stop knitting! The Pink Lemonade Socks pattern had been on my list for a long time, and I finally made them! I used the same yarn I choose last spring for my Broderie Gloves, that is Knit Picks Stroll in Dandelion. I absolutely love this yarn, soft to the touch, with a very springy texture. Plus it's superwash! As for the pattern, I only have good things to say. Easy to follow, simple mock cable instructions. It's a toe-up pattern, but if you haven't tried it yet, I think it could be a good first toe-up socks project.

 

(Ravelry projet page: http://www.ravelry.com/projects/sweetteasoftskein/pink-lemonade-socks)

Hope you all have a nice week-end, full of hot teas and cozy knitting!

Some lemons later... my blanket progress

Lemons! I see recipes with them everywhere these days. But I don't complain about it, they are a bit of sunshine in our long winter! Lemon and poppy seeds muffins, lemon meringue pie, lemon and ginger tea... but what about the salty side of lemons? I used to like lemon in savoury dish only on fish but I've discovered over the years, that they are fantastic with many other savoury food. I think about a whole roasted chicken with lemon slices and oregano or a couscous salad with a lot of parsley and lemon juice! So, while the lemons are in season, I made some salt preserved lemons and as it's crazy easy, I wanted to show you...

 

All you need is some lemons, a clean air-tight jar, and sea salt. First, you want to scrub your citruses (especially if they aren't organic) to get rid of the wax they put to make them last longer. Next, you need trim the ends and cut the fruits in quarters. You can either cut all the way through or if you have a big jar, you can only make deep slits in your lemons and  keep them whole. Then, pour a layer of sea salt in your jar and add a lemon. Pour some more salt on the lemon (taking time to fill the slits with salt) and add another lemon etc, squeezing as many lemons as possible in the jar. You want the jar as full as possible because it will help lemons to be covered in their juice later. Don't forget to add salt between each piece. When your jar is full, add some more salt on the last lemon and seal.

 

That's it, now you wait. I've left my little jars on the counter top for 3 days, shaking them a little every day, to give time to the lemons to render some juice. As they weren't totally covered at that point, I opened the jars and added a little juice from another lemon, re-closed the jars and put them in the fridge. I will wait at least 2 more weeks before tasting them, but I can't wait! I bet they will be delicious with barley or with roasted meat. Be warned though, they will be very salty, so you might want to give them a rinse before using them.

  

And while these macerate in the fridge, I'm working on the blanket I started in November (http://sweetteasoftskeins.blogspot.ca/2013/11/to-unravel-or-not-to-unravel.html). I'd like to finish it this winter... I'm at my 6th stripe, so probably half-way. As always, I'm super eager to start new projects but i've to many things lying around half done so I'll be trying to finish a couple before starting new any big project.