Fall Book Giveaway

Fall is here! And in honor of this most glorious of seasons, I'm giving away some very gently used Gooseberry Patch cookbooks: Flavors of Fall, Good for You!, and Thanksgiving/Pumpkin recipe booklets. Three prizes, three winners. Just leave a comment here by Friday, Oct. 1, noon Pacific time, and tell me what's your very favorite thing about fall.

If you want to enter more than once, you can mention the giveaway on your blog or on Facebook and enter again.

And make sure, if you don't have a blog, to leave an email address so I can let you know when you win.

Happy fall, y'all!

Summer Food Wrap-up

With Kahuna's gardening prowess and my enthusiasm for playing with my food, we've had a good summer here at the castle. Here's my wrap-up of the season -- or, What I Learned (about Food) on My Summer Vacation. 1. Most tragic food blunder: garlic paste. Thinking this was a good way to preserve

our garlic harvest, I used fully half of the year's crop, roasting and turning it into a paste to use on bread, in stews, etc. Result: a very mellow-tasting spread that doesn't even make a decent piece of garlic bread.

Grrrr.

Epic fail.

2. Most ill-advised historical food experiment: these muffins from a 17th-century recipe. I don't remember the name, but I do remember they tasted like chalk and contained enough baking powder to make a horse float. A castle record: amount of time from taking first bite until entire batch is pitched into the garbage -- 1.2 seconds.

3. Biggest surprise: homemade "butter," whereby cream, blenderized and promised to magically transform into fresh home-made butter, instead resolutely remained cream, albeit slightly dazed cream. Said cream's sole action was, upon seeing daylight as blender top was lifted, to defiantly and maniacally splash into blender wielder's eye.

"Butter" - 1. Castle Queen - 0.

4. Biggest (pleasant) garden surprise: eggplant.

Our first time growing this, we grilled, roasted, and baked it. Vegetable medleys, ratatouille, eggplant Parmesan -- all were delicious. All were eaten within minutes.

Our mothers would never believe it: we actually like vegetables.

5. Most frequently made recipe: pear nectar. Or maybe peach nectar. What can I say? I love nectar. Probably because I love sugar, and after a summer of eating vegetables, I am a tad sugar-deprived.

6. Most triumphant garden victory: enough basil for homemade pesto. The fulfillment of a lifelong dream. Totally worth the wait.

Never mind that we received said basil as a gift, already a very large plant. The point is, at this date it is still a very large plant, thriving in Kahuna's garden and popping out an abundance of leaves daily.

You go, basil. You go.

So how about you? Any summertime hits, misses, surprises? Feel free to leave a link if you've posted about your summertime food adventures. We'd love to read all about it.

Pickled Peppers

Cue up the Peter Piper jokes, 'cause here come my pickled peppers.

Last year's crop of green peppers were eenie-beenie little things -- maybe golf ball size, if that.

But this year? This year our peppers have been amazing. Big as a softball. See?

We've had lots of them, and they're still going strong.

Kahuna is a sucker for anything pickled. So pickled peppers it is.

Here's a wonderful recipe I unearthed from the depths of my file drawers. It's from an ancient issue of Cooking Light, back when home-grown peppers were merely a twinkle in Kahuna's eye.

PICKLED PEPPERS

4 large bell peppers, either red, green, yellow, or any combination (about 2 lbs. total)

2 c. water

1/2 c. sherry vinegar or white wine vinegar or white vinegar

1/4 c. honey

1 t. black peppercorns

4 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 c. sliced onion (about 2 small)

Slice up peppers, lengthwise, into strips about 1 inch wide; discard stems and seeds. Set aside.

In medium saucepan, heat water, vinegar, honey, peppercorns, and garlic until boiling. Add peppers and onions and return to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and continue cooking for 20 minutes, or until peppers are very tender. (I cooked mine about 30 minutes.) Let cool, and pack into jars or plastic containers. Refrigerate. Serve with a slotted spoon.

I've made several batches of this, and what we didn't eat, I popped into the freezer. 'Twill be a wonderful reminder of warmer days come February.

So how about you? Any surprise successes in your garden this year?

NOTE: I'm entering this recipe in the Grow Your Own food roundup, held this month at Girlichef's blog.

Oreh Keyk or Walnut Bar Cake

Walnuts abound here in Bulgaria & are lovely much better than the shop bought variety!!! I have a huge tree along with a few smaller ones so plenty of nuts available, this year though the crop has been bad I have only managed a few kilo's along with every other tree in the area. Thank goodness last years was bountifull & I am still using them in my baking. The Bulgarian's use Walnuts in many traditional recipes & it is a protected tree you can't chop them down.
This is a really nice bar type cake, in fact it's not a cake at all. Small squares or bars are the best way to cut it.
I make this with the walnuts from my tree, last years crop.

7oz Walnuts coarsely chopped
8oz Butter/Margarine
10oz granulated sugar
11oz Plain flour

Pinch salt

1 Egg separated

1tsp Vanilla extract
Pre heat oven to 180c, 160c if fan
Chop all the walnuts
Butter a cake pan I use a square one as its easier to cut in bars
Beat butter & sugar together till it is creamed. Mix in the flour salt vanilla extract & egg yolk till it is well mixed or blended. Mix the walnuts into the mixture making sure they are well mixed throughout.
Pour into a greased tin , level & press down firmly. Brush the top with the egg white if you wish
Bake in the oven for 30 minuets, check its cooked with a tooth pick if not dry continue for 5 minuets etc
Cooking time depends on how deep the mixture is so related to your tin size
Turn out to cool & cut into bars while warm, not hot!

Apple Marrow & Corgette No Onion Chutney

This chutney should be called Garden Chutney as it's made from produce grown in every village house across Bulgaria. The ingredients are normal for every home. Even when you are growing plenty on your property many more will be gifted via neighbours so lots end up in chutneys. this chutney is warm in a spicy way not hot a really nice acompaniment to bacon & eggs, salami or spread in ham sandwich etc even with a salad or just with crusty bread which is how I like it. 

Marrow
Corgette
Cucumber
2lb Apples
You want the above ingredients to come to 6lb total
3 heads Garlic
1 pint Vinegar malt
400gr Sugar
1tbsp Ginger
2tsp Salt
1tsp Chinese 5 spice
1tsp Cinnamon
1tsp Nutmeg

Peel deseed & chop the veg & apples. Place all the ingredients into a large pan  & bring slowly to the boil. simmer it gently for 90 minuets or so till the vegetables are soft & the chutney is thick enough to leave a channel when a spoon is drawn across the top.
Put into sterilised jars & seal & once cooled store in a cool dry place.
Leave to mature for two months or more

Elderberry Jelly

Elderberry, this lovely looking berry grows profusely here in Bulgaria all along the hedgerows all over the village in fact my derelict house round the corner is over run with the wild bush during the summer. A beautiful looking bush & a must for finding something to make with them. I have no experience with wine making so new I couldn't do anything with them much this year (next will be different) so decided to make some jam & see what happens.
My neighbours were shocked when I gave them a jar of the Jam as they don't make anything from Elderberries. Such a shame as they are abundant & hold the promise of much.  I made this as a jam & quite honestly hated it so I gave a large jar away & was contemplating chucking the rest in the bin when an American FB friend clicked on my lightbulb moment when she said they fix messes with more sugar (Yes Vicki) well I didn't think it needed more sugar but got to wondering just what needed to be done as it had all the promise of a lovely sweet jam then had a bitter taste that took over! Kaboom strain out the berries & try it as a jelly!!!! Well folks now I can blog it as it is now something worth the effort & I will enjoy eating it & using it in cakes & puddings.
 I will find out the name for it as I didn't take any notice because I thought it was rank .....

Firstly please take note; The stalk branches leaves in fact every part of the bush is toxic so only use the berries!!!! Remove the berries from the stalks with the prongs of a fork.

2 kg Elderberries
2ltr Water
3kg Sugar
Juice of 1 lemon, optional
Wash the elderberries first then remove from stalks. Once you have weighed them put them into a large deep pan with the lemon water & bring to the boil then reduce heat to simmer then cook them for 30 minutes. Press the berries on the side of pan to soften the fruit & release the juice.
Add the sugar stirring all the time till all the sugar is dissolved then bring it to a rapid boil for about 15 - 30 minuets. test the setting on a plate after 15 minuets if not set test every 5 mins, do not over cook!
When the jam is ready, ladle into a flour sifter over a large mouthed jug & strain the juice through pushing at the berries to get as much juice as poss out, do this part bit by bit, jar by jar. By pouring the jelly into the jar using the jug there is no spillage over the rim!!! Seal jar & leave to cool overnight then store in a cool dark place. Enjoy!!!!
This will make aprox 3 x 1lb jars of Jelly
I use the utensils I have to hand & a flour sifter large jug do the job nicely

Shopska Salata or Shopska Salad :D

Shopska salad – Shopska is probably the most famous of Bulgarian salads,very refreshing & goes well with everything.
This is my personal favorite especially with all the lovely fresh tomatoes here & the creamy texture of the cheese.. We always have a bowl to share with our meal but invariably there is none left by the time our meal arrives! its also what we grow in the garden so easy & convenient.

Tomatoes
Cucumber
Spring Onions
Sweet pepper/s
Sirene cheese (or feta)
Peel the cucumber, cube tomatoes and cucumbers, finely chopped onions and depending on the season either baked or fresh sweet peppers. layer in a bowl
Sprinkle the grated cheese over the top of the salad & serve with oil, vinegar, lemon juice. I let individuals put their own dressing on as what one likes the other dislikes!