Showing posts with label fermented food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fermented food. Show all posts

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Bring on the cranberries !

I was shuffling food in my freezer the other day , and I discovered  that I have an unnatural amount of cranberries in my freezer . They were very inexpensive this fall, we enjoy cranberry relish, but I believe 12 bags of these little beauties is just too much !. Happily I stumbled upon an recipe for a fermented cranberry relish while blog reading, and I decided to give it a whirl for myself. Should make a nice side relish for various poultry and pork dishes .


Fermented Cranberry Relish

  3c.  raw cranberries( from the freezer)
  2 Blood Oranges chopped into large sections
  1/2c.  sliced almonds soaked for 24 hrs in water and apple cider vinegar to remove phytic acid
 1/2c.  sugar( I use Splenda)
 1/2 c. orange juice
  1 t.  cinnamon
  2t.  lemon juice
  2 t.  sea salt

Process the cranberries, nuts, and orange sections in the food processor until they’re processed to a medium consistency (not large chunks, not liquified – somewhere in the middle).  Stir in the sugar,  juice, salt, cinnamon, and lemon juice.  If it looks like it needs some more liquid, add another 1/4 c. of juice.
Once everything is mixed well, put into a glass quart sized jar.  Press down so that the liquid rises up to the top, then add 2 t. salt to the top.   Cover and let sit on the counter at room temperature for two days to ferment.  Put it in the fridge after 2 days


I am still waiting to test the saurkraut taste wise. I moved it to the refrigerator the other day after it had been singing and bubbling on the counter. I released the gas a few times to prevent it from exploding, and what I smelled  seemed perfectly saurkraut-ish . Plans are to use some this week in a corned beef salad and as a side for one of the planned dinners. Meanwhile we sampled the apple beet relish  with lunch, after giving it a few more days to settle and chill



Lovely tasting stuff, this is ! As it sets the flavors mingle to create something similar to a sweet, horseradish sort of relish without the strong horseradish bite. We wound up eating it as a side for a couple of meals, and I now have a second batch brewing on the counter

                     

      Apple & Beetroot Relish

  3    large  apples (about 1 ½ pounds) -- cored but not peeled
  3  large  beets (about 1 ½ pounds) -- peeled
  2    star anise pods
  1   tablespoon  whole cloves
  1  tablespoon  unrefined sea salt

Shred apples and beets by hand, or in a food processor.
Toss the shredded apples and beets together until well-combined and mixed together.
Add the star anise and whole cloves to the apples and beetroot, and continue to toss until the spices are evenly distributed among the shredded fruit and vegetables.
In a mason jar  layer the apple and beetroot.
Periodically sprinkle unrefined sea salt over the layers of apple and beetroot and mash with a wooden spoon or mallet to encourage the fruit and vegetables to release their juices, creating a luscious brine to encourage the proliferation of beneficial bacteria.
Ferment in a mason jar  for a minimum of three to four days, or longer, depending on the level of warmth in your kitchen.After your apple and beetroot relish has sufficiently cultured, remove the star anise pods and whole cloves. Place the apple and beetroot relish into a blender or food processor and process until smooth.
YIELD: Approximately, 24 2-ounce portions.