Spiced Molasses Apple Butter

We are enjoying the perfect fall season here in Northwest Washington.

Today, I needed to meditate on the garden. It is an important garden chore, you know. The sun came out, lighting the sky all brilliant blue. The golden light glinted through the dancing red and yellow leaves. The wind scuttled the leaves across the grass and the seagulls and crows swooped through the air, calling calling. A glorious fall day. I went out, planning to just sit on the step with my coffee, staring at the soil with a soft, unfocused gaze and an empty, peaceful mind.

I pulled a weed. It came up easily, revealing beautiful, dark, soft soil. So I grabbed a shovel, moved around some heavy wooden beams left by the last owner, and formed a bed. I turned the soil over: full of earthworms. We will add leaves, our kitchen scraps, some manure and grass trimmings, and in the spring we will we ready to plant. This is satisfying work.

The waiting is delicious.

Then I came inside and ate toast with apple butter made from the apples from our tree. It is this apple butter I actually want to tell you about today. I am thinking about apples a lot lately: what I love about them, and what I love about fall. I love gingerbread, apple crisp, big soft molasses cookies, apple cake, wassail, mulled wine, and walking into a warm house full of these warm spicy scents.

I wanted this apple butter to taste like that. The apples from my tree are sweet, so I didn't add much sweetener: just a touch of molasses, for sweetness and body, and some spices, because it's fall. The resulting apple butter is full of apple flavor and not heavy on the molasses. It can easily be paired with savory dishes like pork chops or roast turkey. I'm enjoying it with peanut butter in sandwiches or on toast with labneh.

Spiced Molasses Apple Butter
makes about 6 cups 

First, make the apple puree:
 8 pounds apples, cored and quartered
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
4 cups apple cider

Peel the apples if desired. Remove the core, quarter them, and place in a large pot with the apple cider vinegar and the apple cider. Cook over moderate heat until the apples are very soft, 20-30 minutes. When cooled slightly, puree the soft apples using an immersion blender(affiliate link) or food processor.

Next, prepare the apple butter:
8 cups apple puree
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Measure the apple puree back into a heavy pot. I use a dutch oven. Add the molasses and spices and cook uncovered at a bare simmer for several hours, until the butter has thickened to your liking and mounds on a spoon. Stir occasionally. Do not allow to burn. When the apple butter has reached the desired consistency, taste for sweetness and adjust the spices, if you like. 

Prepare your water bath, jars, and lids. Fill sterilized 1/2 pint jars with the hot apple butter, leaving 1/4 inch head space. Wipe the rims with a damp cloth, affix the lids and rings, and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

At home in the northwest

We are here.

 Our first night in our house in Oakland, we couldn't sleep for the noise: the BART train, the dogs barking, the traffic, the neighbors arguing. We thought it was strange, having moved from San Francisco, that our new neighborhood seemed so much noisier.

It is peaceful here. The fog, the cool moist mornings, the dew on the apple tree; everything is beautiful and quiet. We are slowly unpacking. The boxes don't bother me. Neither does our long to-do list.

Under these tarps is our veggie garden area. I hope to build raised beds in the next couple of weeks, and allow them to compost until it's time to plant in the spring.

There are lots of little bird houses all over the place.

We harvested lots of apples from our tree. I don't know what variety they are, but they are delicious fresh and in the apple cake I made.

This box is in cold storage in the garage.

The rest I will be turning into apple butter, pie filling, apple crisp, pickled apples... yum. Recipes coming soon.

Limbo

I wish I had a photo of all the half-packed boxes around here, but we must've packed the camera charger because no one can find it and the battery is dead. We are moving to the Pacific Northwest in 11 days.

I am daydreaming about the projects we'll do, the garden we'll grow, the things we'll cook, the fresh Dungeness we'll catch and eat, and the simple, frugal, local life we'll lead.

Thanks for your understanding of the radio silence around here. I hope to be back soon.

On housekeeping

"Modern housekeeping, despite its bad press, is among the most thoroughly pleasant, significant,and least alienated forms of work that many of us will encounter even if we are blessed with work outside the home that we like... Seen from the outside, housework can look like a Sisyphean task that gives you no sense of reward or completion. Yet housekeeping actually offers more opportunities for savoring achievement than almost any other work I can think of. Each of its regular routines brings satisfaction when completed. These routines echo the rhythm of life, and the housekeeping rhythm is the rhythm of the body. You get satisfaction not only from the sense of order, cleanliness, freshness, peace and plenty restored, but from the knowledge that you yourself and those you care about are going to enjoy these benefits."
-Cheryl Mendelson, Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House (affiliate link)

This book is inspiring me to turn over a new leaf this season. I wish someone had given it to me when I got married, or left the nest, but I am happy to come across it now. I think I'll go clean out the refrigerator now.

Magic Mushroom Immunity Soup (vegan, gluten-free)

I don't even like mushrooms. Well, I didn't until I learned about the amazing medicinal properties of mushrooms. They fight cancer! They are antibiotic, antiviral, antifungal, and they lower cholesterol. Anyone who has used them recreationally knows that mushrooms have powerful bioactive effects, but those are not limited to the psychedelic ones. Paul Stamets, a mushroom expert, calls them a "functional food." I love that term. The Huffington Post ran an interesting article about the properties of different medicinal mushrooms. Mushrooms as medicine is well documented since ancient times.

This is not a beautiful soup, nor is it quick. But it is robust, nutritious, medicinal, and delicious. It doesn't take long to cook, but there is quite a lot of chopping involved. You could throw it all in the food processor to save time, but I find the chopping meditative. Especially on a rainy day like today. I started making this immunity soup last winter, and I have noticed many fewer colds, sniffles, flus, scratchy throats, and cold sores blowing through our household. Now, I crave it a couple of times a month.

Even if you don't like mushrooms either, don't be afraid to give this soup a try. It's medicine! I find if I chop the mushrooms finely enough, the texture doesn't bother me, and the flavor is pleasant. You can always add plenty of ginger, garlic, jalapeno, and miso to cover the mushroom flavor if you like. 

Magic Mushroom Immunity Soup
makes 4-6 servings 

2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 small onion
8 ounces medicinal mushrooms (I like shitakes and forest nameko)
a knob of fresh ginger, grated (at least 2-3 tablespoons)
1-2 (or more) hot peppers, minced, plus more for garnish if desired
4 (or more) garlic cloves, minced
1 daikon radish, sliced thin
1 bunch kale, or sea vegetables, or other hearty green
2 cups veggie broth, preferably homemade
fresh (unpasteurized) miso paste
fresh herbs
fresh lemon juice
rice noodles or steamed rice

Heat the coconut oil in a soup pot. Put a separate kettle of water on to boil. To the coconut oil, add the onion and allow to soften while you chop the mushrooms. Remove the woody stems from the mushrooms and put the stems in a mug or Pyrex measuring cup (affiliate link); cover with 2 cups hot water and allow to steep. (This is your mushroom "broth" and separate from the veggie broth. You will add both later.)

Add the chopped mushrooms to the onions and saute gently while you chop and add the ginger, garlic, hot peppers, and daikon radish. 

When everything has softened, after 10-15 minutes or so, strain the mushroom stems from the broth and add the liquid to the pot, along with 2 cups of veggie broth and 2 cups of water. Add the kale. Bring to a simmer and cook until the greens are tender, 20 minutes.

(During this time, make the steamed rice or cook the rice noodles to the package directions in a separate pot.)

When you are ready to serve, place 1 tablespoon miso paste into the bottom of each bowl. Ladle the soup over top, stir to combine. Then add the steamed rice or rice noodles. Top with a squeeze of lemon juice, fresh herbs, sliced hot peppers, and hot sauce.

I wish you good health!

Perfect Pork Chops with Quick Skillet Applesauce

Start with the highest-quality, bone-in, rib chop you can find. Organic, pasture-raised pork is best. You want thick chops, about an inch and a half. This is not a quick recipe, but it isn't difficult, so plan ahead. It's a nice thing to make on a chilly fall day when you want to spend time in the kitchen. My pork chops are a three step process: Brine, bake, sear, eat.

Okay, four steps.

These pork chops are worth all the trouble, though. This method tenderizes the meat, cooks it gently, then the last sear in a hot pan gives it a fragrant, crispy, bacony crust. This method works well for thick steaks, too. Check out The Science of Good Cooking (affiliate link) for details on why it works. 

Plan to allow the chops to brine for at least 1 hour, but not more than four hours or they will get soggy. I mix up the brine in a large liquid measuring cup. 

 For the brine:

1 cup hot water
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1/4 cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon peppercorns, crushed
1 teaspoon mustard seeds, crushed
a  few whole allspice berries, crushed
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
a handful of fresh herbs from the garden: rosemary, thyme and sage are good

Add the hot water, salt, sugar, and vinegar to a large measuring cup and stir well until the solids are dissolved. Lightly crush the spices in a mortar and pestle or with a rolling pin. Add the remaining ingredients to the brine. Make two 1 inch slits in the fatty edge of each pork chop with a sharp knife: this will help them lie flat as they cook. Nestle in the pork chops (add a bit more water or broth if needed to mostly cover the meat) and place in the refrigerator to brine for 1-4 hours. 

To bake the pork chops:

Remove the pork chops from the brine. Pat them dry and allow to warm on the counter for about 45 minutes. Preheat the oven to 275F. Place a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet. Put the pork chops on the wire rack, and bake until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 120-125F, 30-40 minutes. Pay close attention toward the end of cooking time; overcooked pork is tough and tasteless.


While the pork is baking, start the applesauce:

 2 tablespoons coconut oil
1/2 red onion, chopped fine
2 small apples, chopped
1 pear, chopped
pinch chili powder
pinch ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons jam (homemade nectarine habanero is great here)
1 cup chicken stock
salt and pepper to taste

In a saute pan over medium heat, warm the coconut oil. Add the onion, apple, and pear and allow to soften, stirring frequently, 10-15 minutes. Add salt, pepper, chili powder, and cinnamon and toast until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the jam and chicken stock and stir to combine. Simmer over low heat until the fruit is broken down and thickened, and the pork chops are nearly ready. Puree with a food processor or immersion blender.

Pan-Fry the Pork Chops 

Remove the pork chops from the oven. Heat a heavy-bottom pan over high heat until screaming hot. Add 1 tablespoon coconut oil. When smoking, place in the pork chops. Let sizzle until golden brown and crusty, about 2 minutes per side. Brown the fatty edge by holding the pork chops upright with tongs. Allow the pork chops to reach an internal temperature of 145F, then remove to a plate and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Top with the skillet applesauce. Serve with mashed potatoes, something green, and a glass of wine.

With inspiration from:
Cook's Illustrated
Nopa, my favorite restaurant in San Francisco, and my favorite pork chop
and Married with Dinner

Wild Fermentation

"Your body is an ecosystem that can function most effectively when populated by diverse species of microorganisms. Sure, you can buy 'probiotic' nutritional supplements containing specific selected bacteria that promote healthy digestion. But by fermenting foods and drinks with wild microorganisms present in your home environment, you become interconnected with the life forces of the world around you... Wild fermentation is a way of incorporating the wild into your body, becoming one with the natural world. Wild foods, microbial cultures included, possess a great, unmediated life force, which can help us adapt to shifting conditions and lower our susceptibility to disease. These microorganisms are everywhere, and the techniques for fermenting them are simple and flexible."

Sandor Ellix Katz, Wild Fermentation (affiliate link)