Welcome to February, known to the Cherokee as the "Starving Moon." It was a time when stored food was running low, but the spring greens and awakening wildlife had yet to appear. No doubt, it was a time when the most vulnerable often died.
We are fortunate to have any and all foods available to us year round, from fresh asparagus in January to strawberries for Christmas. This is a recent phenomenon. Supermarkets did not begin to appear everywhere until after World War II. I can recall my mother, who was born in 1926, saying that celery and oranges were special treats available only during the Christmas season.
Thus, we need only go back in time a few decades to know that pickled, dried, and otherwise preserved foods were essential to our ancestor's survival in the Appalachian region. Most famously, our hams and bacon form the flavor base for iconic Appalachian foods. Beans or greens made without cured pork have only recently come into vogue, and are definitely non-traditional.
Our ancestors made pickles out of everything from watermelon rinds to pig's feet, demonstrating that the "zero waste" food movement is, in fact, old hat around here. To this day, I stock the pantry every summer with pickles, the choice depending upon what is seasonally or locally abundant. Using them throughout the cold months brings a touch of warm weather to the table. Did you know that pickled okra can substitute for fresh in a gumbo or fry? It will have lost its thickening ability, but the characteristic flavor remains. You can make pickles out of virtually any vegetable or fruit.
Dried foods were also important to our ancestors. Apple stack cake would not be the same without dried apples for the filling. Green beans, or "leather britches," were typically strung on thread and hung on the side of a building to dry in the sun. Dried herbs not only provided flavor enhancement in the kitchen, but also were the basis of numerous home remedies.
Home canning and freezing are enjoying a resurgence. These are among the best preservation methods for a wide range of foods, provided the methods are properly carried out. Nevertheless, if you want the true experience of traditional flavors, plan on pickling or drying some of your produce during the coming season.
Next Starving Moon, you will be glad you did.
Showing posts with label home food preservation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label home food preservation. Show all posts
Saturday, February 2, 2019
Friday, January 19, 2018
Homemade Corned Beef
Do you make the traditional corned beef and cabbage for St. Patrick's Day? If so, start now if you'd like to have the best corned beef you have ever tasted. It should be ready just in time for the "wearin' o' the green." And if you haven't an Irish bone in your body, you can still enjoy some damn fine comfort food.
"Corning" is merely a salt curing process. The name originated in the British Isles, where the coarse salt used resembled barley "corn." Added spices helped prevent spoilage as well as contributing flavor.
To corn beef at home, you need only to remember this simple ratio: one ounce of kosher salt for each pound of beef. Place the beef in a large zip-closure bag and sprinkle it with the salt and your preferred spice mixture. Close the bag, and place it in the refrigerator.
Each day, turn the beef, and massage it through the bag, pressing the spices into the meat. After a couple of days, the bag will accumulate a small amount of liquid. This indicates the cure has begun. For the first week, turn and massage the bag every day. Thereafter, continue to do so occasionally. After two to three weeks, the beef will be ready to use, or you can leave it in the bag in the refrigerator for up to six months. You can also cut off a portion of the cured beef and return the remainder to the bag.
The best cuts for corning are the ones comprised of a single muscle, with very little fat and no connective tissue. While brisket is the traditional cut used, chuck eye, top round, and eye of round roasts make delicious corned beef.
You can purchase a commercial pickling spice mix, or make your own. For two pounds of meat, I suggest a teaspoon each of yellow and brown mustard seeds, a half teaspoon of black peppercorns, a half teaspoon of whole allspice, and two bay leaves, crumbled. Crack the peppercorns and allspice in a mortar, or place them in a plastic bag and crush with a heavy skillet. Mix them with the other spices and the salt before sprinkling on the beef.
When you are ready to cook the beef, remove it from the cure and rinse it well. Cover with water, using a quart per pound of meat, and add half a medium onion, chopped, per pound of beef. Bring to a boil, adjust the heat, and simmer gently for two hours or until the meat is meltingly tender. Add vegetables to the pot for the last half hour of cooking.
"Corning" is merely a salt curing process. The name originated in the British Isles, where the coarse salt used resembled barley "corn." Added spices helped prevent spoilage as well as contributing flavor.
To corn beef at home, you need only to remember this simple ratio: one ounce of kosher salt for each pound of beef. Place the beef in a large zip-closure bag and sprinkle it with the salt and your preferred spice mixture. Close the bag, and place it in the refrigerator.
Each day, turn the beef, and massage it through the bag, pressing the spices into the meat. After a couple of days, the bag will accumulate a small amount of liquid. This indicates the cure has begun. For the first week, turn and massage the bag every day. Thereafter, continue to do so occasionally. After two to three weeks, the beef will be ready to use, or you can leave it in the bag in the refrigerator for up to six months. You can also cut off a portion of the cured beef and return the remainder to the bag.
The best cuts for corning are the ones comprised of a single muscle, with very little fat and no connective tissue. While brisket is the traditional cut used, chuck eye, top round, and eye of round roasts make delicious corned beef.
You can purchase a commercial pickling spice mix, or make your own. For two pounds of meat, I suggest a teaspoon each of yellow and brown mustard seeds, a half teaspoon of black peppercorns, a half teaspoon of whole allspice, and two bay leaves, crumbled. Crack the peppercorns and allspice in a mortar, or place them in a plastic bag and crush with a heavy skillet. Mix them with the other spices and the salt before sprinkling on the beef.
When you are ready to cook the beef, remove it from the cure and rinse it well. Cover with water, using a quart per pound of meat, and add half a medium onion, chopped, per pound of beef. Bring to a boil, adjust the heat, and simmer gently for two hours or until the meat is meltingly tender. Add vegetables to the pot for the last half hour of cooking.
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