Keep Lettuce Fresh Longer

In recent conversations, several of my friends have remarked on how much water gets sprayed on lettuce in grocery store produce displays. The lettuce gets so wet that it rots within a couple of days of bringing it home. I know how frustrating that can be so I want to share a simple trick I use to keep lettuce fresh. Stored this way, it lasts days longer.

When I bring lettuce home from the store, I pull it apart, breaking the leaves off from the core and tearing away any discoloured or damaged parts.  I put the leaves in a big bowl and fill the bowl with cold water.  I let the leaves soak for a few minutes, swish them around a bit, lift them out into a strainer, empty the bowl, and rinse it out. I repeat the process twice more so that the lettuce has had three rinses.

After the third rinse, I spread a clean tea towel out on my work surface and lay the leaves out on the towel with some space between them.  If I have more leaves than will fit on a single towel, I lay another towel on top and spread the rest of the leaves on it.  

When the leaves have been spread out on the towel(s), I top them with with another clean towel

then roll the whole bundle up like a jelly roll.

I (usually) put the roll in a homemade drawstring bag made from cotton and lined with ripstop nylon. When I took these photos, my drawstring bag was in use for foraged greens so I used a couple of plastic bags from the produce section. If you're using plastic bags, slip one over each end of the roll, overlapping in the middle but not tightly fastened.

The reason this trick works is that the towels absorb excess water from the leaves and then the leaves take the water back in as needed. 

There's a bonus too:  Once the lettuce is rinsed and wrapped my prep is done so salad making or sandwich assembly take less time.

I hope you give this a try.  It really does work.

*If you use plastic bags to store your lettuce, please wash them and reuse them, or use them to make plarn (plastic yarn for knitting or crocheting), or recycle them after the lettuce is used up. Don't throw them in the garbage.  Mother Nature and I both thank you for being mindful.

Food For Hard Times: Poor Man's Sausage

I was scrolling aimlessly through Pinterest on a recent, rainy evening and came across a recipe from "I Cook and Paint," for Poor Man's Sausage.  I'm trying to find ways to stretch my food budget. I rarely buy sausage any more. I miss it, so I pinned the recipe and, a few days later, gave it a try. 

Poor Man's Sausage dates back to WWII; a recipe devised during a time of stringent rationing.  Meat was in short supply and this dish was intended to provide a substitute acceptable to a nation that grew up on meat and potatoes; folks who missed their morning fry-ups and Sunday roasts a lot. Because it originated during a time of hardship, the ingredients are common and simple as is the preparation.  The finished result is surprisingly good, similar in texture to a ground beef patty, and well flavoured. This recipe could be an appealing choice for those who buy the "Beyond" meat substitutes. It's far less expensive and has fewer additives.

I didn't have on hand all the seasonings listed in the recipe and I reasoned that going out to buy them would defeat the purpose of sparing my budget. I didn't have fennel so I left it out altogether, and I didn't have chili flakes so I increased the amount of black pepper. The finished patties were flavourful but less like Italian sausage than they would have been if I'd added the fennel. I'd add less poultry seasoning next time, but that's a personal preference. You could probably adapt this recipe to resemble any type of sausage you prefer simply by changing the seasonings and the simmering liquid.

I wasn't invested in keeping the dish vegetarian or vegan so I used a strong beef broth for the simmering stage in the cooking process. I reckoned it would add to the meaty flavourof the finished dish. Were I to keep it vegan, I'd want to choose a flavouring with lots of umami, so either soy sauce or liquid aminos.  "I Cook and Paint" thought this stage in the prep was intened to improve the texture of the patties, and I agree, but I also think it also helps the flavours of the seasonings to distribute throughout each patty.  Don't skip the simmering.

Here's the recipe as I amended it.  Please click through to the original recipe post for the preparation instructions. 

1 cup quick cooking (not instant) rolled oats

2 teaspoons poultry seasoning

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 teaspoons parsley flakes

3/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 extra large eggs, beaten

2 cups beef stock

The posted recipe says this quantity will make 4 or 5 patties but if you're intending to use them for breakfast sandwiches or burgers, you may want to double the recipe and make larger patties.

I had two of these patties as part of my main meal today. I enjoyed them but I think I'd like them better if they were served with a sauce or gravy. They could also be chopped or broken into crumbles and used in sauces or on pizza. 

This meatless sausage really is worth trying. I've printed it out and added it to my recipe binder. I'm sure I'll make it again and again.

Susan's Baked Peach Slices

My friend Susan was an enthusiastic dinner party hostess and her preparation and table settings were well known and appreciated by those of us who where lucky enough to dine with her. I learned a lot from her. She passed away in 2013 but I still think of her fondly whenever I cook something she taught me to make.

Susan was some years older than me, and first started hosting dinner parties in the mid-60's. Food tastes weren't as cosmopolitan then and the range of ingredients available to most home cooks wasn't as diverse. Menu variety was achieved by trying to find new and engaging ways to prepare commonly available foods rather than by searching out rare or unusual seasonings and ingredients. I think it's safe to say that most home cooks were more familiar with basic cooking techniques than home cooks tend to be now, and that they took a different and generally more frugal approach to shopping for and preparing meals. 

Susan's baked peach slices are a classic example of that approach to adding variety. She took three commonly available ingredients and combined them in an unexpected way, arriving at something new and surprisingly different to serve her guests. 

I can't really call this a recipe because quantities were never written down and, really, it's so simple to make that if you've prepared it once you'll be able to replicate it ever thereafter. Even so, I've decided to share it with you. It's inexpensive to make, and it comes together very quickly. It's a perfect fall-back for those occasions when you find yourself with unexpected guests, or for times when you'd far rather be visiting than labouring over a stove.

To make Susan's Baked Peach Slices, you'll need:

• Canned peach slices (or peach slices in jars), packed in either juice or light syrup.  Heavy syrup is too sweet.  (I try to allow about 1/2 of a 14 ounce tin or pint jar for each serving.)
• Brown sugar
• Curry powder

Drain the peaches and arrange them in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Sprinkle them with brown sugar; not so heavily they're entirely covered but enough to add a little sweetness and help the seasoning to stick to the fruit.

Sprinkle curry powder over the brown sugar.  Use a light hand. You don't want the spice to overwhelm the flavour of the peaches.

Just before you sit down to your main course, put the prepared peaches into a 350F oven.  They should cook for 20 minutes or so. If you're not ready for them by then, simply turn off the heat and leave the peaches in the oven to keep warm.

When you're ready to serve dessert, scoop vanilla ice cream onto pretty plates or into shallow bowls and serve the warm baked peach slices beside it.

See?  I told you it was easy.  Don't discount this dish though. It really is amazingly good.

Stretching Leftovers: Roasted Veggie And Chicken Hash

My husband worked on a Fisheries ship for most of our marriage, right up to his retirement. The ship's patrol area stretched along the BC coast from the Washington border in the south to Alaska in the north, and all the way out to the 200 mile limit. There were two crews on the ship. Each worked three weeks aboard and then spent three weeks ashore.

The crews were small and tight knit. Their work, which involved both enforcement and search and rescue, was often dangerous and their lives depended upon them working well as a team. It became a bond as strong as family.

The first Sunday morning after my fella and I moved in together, I awoke to find most of his crewmates sitting in the kitchen and living room. They'd climbed in through the spare bedroom window and as soon as I appeared they chorused "What's for breakfast, Mom?"

I knew full well that the boys were being protective of my guy. They were testing me to see that I'd be good to him, and assessing how well I'd fit into the group. I made coffee - lots of it - and then looked in the fridge and cupboards to come up with something to serve for breakfast. We had a couple dozen eggs, some leftover roast pork, potatoes, and leftover cooked veggies. I made hash from the pork, potatoes, and veggies, and paired it with scrambled eggs to make breakfast for all fourteen of us. It felt a little bit like the story of loaves and fishes. lol!

The hash was a big hit and the breakfast gathering proved so popular that the crew continued to come for breakfast every Sunday they were ashore, right up until the time we purchased our first home and moved to a different town. Even after we moved, "Hashed Everything" continued to be a menu staple at our house. It's an incredibly versatile dish and it makes excellent refrigerator Velcro, using up whatever small bits of leftovers I happen to have on hand.

This is the version I made last week: 

• 1 Tbsp oil, 1 Tbsp butter
• 2 cups diced crimini mushrooms
• garlic powder and poultry seasoning to taste
• 2 cups diced roasted vegetables (I had roasted potatoes, carrots, brussels sprouts, and green beans)
• 2 Tbsp. butter or a combination of butter and chicken fat (I saved the fat I removed from the top of the cooled pan juices leftover from roasting the chicken. Lots of good flavour there.) 
• 1/2 of a large roasted chicken breast, diced (A friend gave me a huge roasting chicken - more than 5 pounds - and the chicken breast I used was from that bird. If you're using leftovers from an average fryer - about 3 pounds - you might want to use a whole chicken breast.)

 Heat the oil and butter in a frying pan, on medium-high heat, until the butter is melted.

Add the mushrooms to the pan and season them to taste with garlic powder and poultry seasoning. Saute them until they're deeply browned. Remove the mushrooms from the pan and set them aside.

Melt the remaining 2 Tbsp butter (or combined butter and chicken fat) in the pan and add in the diced roasted vegetables.  Cook the veggies until they're heated through and nicely browned.

Add the diced chicken breast to the pan together with the cooked mushrooms.

Cook, stirring now and then, until the chicken takes on a bit of colour, then season the dish to taste. 

Serve piping hot.

This makes enough for two generous servings. 

I sometimes use hash as a base for baked eggs.  To do that, I preheat my oven to 350F. I spread the hash into an even layer across the entire pan. If the hash is cold, I put the pan in the oven until it's reheated. I use the back of a ladle to press down on the surface of the hot hash and make "nests" for the eggs. I crack an egg into each nest, season the eggs with salt and pepper, then put a lid on the pan. I put the pan in the oven until the eggs are cooked.

Yum!

Stretching Leftovers: Turkey and White Bean Soup

Last weekend was Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada. If I'm honest about it, Thanksgiving's never been a really big deal for me. It's always nice to have an extra day to visit with family and friends. Other than that I can quite happily let it slide by without any sort of observance, even more so since my husband passed away almost seven years ago. Cooking a traditional turkey dinner for just me seems more work than it's worth, and it's 'way too much food for a single person.

This year, I planned to have macaroni and tomatoes on Thanksgiving, with a salad on the side. That would've made me quite happy. It's quick, simple to prepare, inexpensive, and comforting. I did end up getting a turkey dinner though. On Sunday night, I had an after-dinner visit with friends and they sent me home with a generous plateful of leftovers from their Thanksgiving feast.

I'm all about making the maximum number of meals from whatever protein I'm cooking with, so I looked at that generous dinner - roasted potatoes and carrots, Brussels sprouts, stuffing, and turkey - and decided to figure out a way to make at least two meals of it. 

When I got home that evening, I put some dry white beans to soak overnight.  The next morning, I treated myself to the veggies and stuffing for breakfast (so good!) and I used the beans and the turkey to make a soup for supper that night. 

When it was time to make the soup, I gathered these ingredients: 

• The pre-soaked white beans
• 4 cups of homemade stock (I used an all-vegetable stock this time but chicken or turkey stock would be good too.)
• A bay leaf, a couple of sprigs of thyme, some parsley, a couple of sage leaves, and 2 cloves of garlic, peeled
• 1 cup of gravy (I used leftover chicken gravy from the freezer but if you have leftover turkey gravy, all the better)
• Approximately 1/2 cup of diced, cooked turkey breast
• A few chives for garnish

I put the white beans in a saucepan and poured the stock over them, then bundled the bay leaf, thyme, parsley, sage, and garlic together in a piece of cheesecloth, tied it off with some butcher's twine and added it to the pot too. I brought the pot to a boil, turned it down to simmer, put a lid on it, and walked away.  I returned after half an hour to begin checking on how tender the beans were and kept checking every 10 minutes or so until I decided they were at the right texture for me. (It took about 50 minutes.)

Once the beans were cooked I drained them, discarding the cheesecloth bundle of aromatics and reserving the stock I'd cooked the beans in. 

I set aside about 1/3 of the cooked beans and transferred the rest to my blender.  I added in the gravy together with enough stock to allow the blender to do its work, and hit the puree button. I checked the thickness of the puree and added in enough stock to thin it to a soup consistency.

The last step was to return the puree and reserved beans to the pot, stir in the chopped turkey, and reheat the soup. 

When it was heated through again, I tasted the soup to see if I needed to add salt and decided to leave it just as it was. All that was left to do after that was to ladle it into a bowl and snip a few chives over the top.

Simple, right?  It was surprisingly tasty.

This recipe made just over 3 cups of soup; enough for my supper and for lunch the following day.  

There was stock left over from cooking the beans so I cooled it, put it in the fridge, and used it to cook rice a couple of days later. Beans are rich in solable fiber so the stock not only brought flavour to the rice but added nutritional value as well.

I hope I can encourage you to think about ways to stretch a small amount of animal protein over a larger number of servings. With meat and poultry prices being what they are, it's a useful skill to have. 

If you have any questions about this recipe or suggestions for ways to use less meat to make more servings please do share them.  I always learn so much from you guys!

Over-Salted Food? Here's What To Do About It

 

The other day, my friend Donna told me she was mad at herself.  She'd made a huge batch of tomato soup and, because she was really tired, she'd accidentally over-salted it.  We've all done this at one time or another, right?  It's so easy to do: A moment's inattention or a misread recipe and there you are.

The last time I over-salted a batch of soup I went on Pinterest in search of solutions. I found lots of ideas there, some of them quite outlandish. The one that made the most sense to me was adding potatoes, the idea being that the potatoes would absorb some of the extra salt as they cooked. I tried it. Maybe I didn't put in enough potatoes, but the potatoes alone didn't fix the problem. 

If I'm honest, I already knew what needed to be done with the soup, I just didn't want to do it. I could add more ingredients until I arrived at a balance I liked, or I could use that salty soup to season other dishes. I didn't want to be eating soup for days and days so I opted for the second choice.  

I strained out the veggies and refrigerated them then ladled the liquid into small jars and froze it.  

I used the veggies in a cottage pie and, infused into the pie's gravy, their extra salt seasoned the entire dish. It turned out really well.  

Over the following weeks, I used the frozen liquid from the soup to cook rice and to poach chicken.  I used the poaching liquid from the chicken, diluted with some unsalted veggie stock, to make a new soup.

Because I usually don't realize my mistake until after I take them out of the oven, finding a way to use over-salted baked goods can be challenging.

If I've added too much salt to bread or biscuits, I usually reduce them to crumbs in my food processor. I use the crumbs as breading or as a topping for casseroles or gratins.  

If I over-salt a batch of pastry and realize my mistake before I've put it in the oven I'll roll it out into a sheet, dock it, score it into squares, brush it with an egg wash, and bake it without a filling. Because I don't add sugar to my pastry dough, I can either use baked pastry sheet for crackers or, if proves too salty for that, I can process it into crumbs as mentioned above. Unfortunately, if I've made a pie with that pastry before realizing my mistake, the best I can do is save the filling. The crust is, sadly, destined for the compost bin.

If a sweet baked good is too salty I often look to either caramel or chocolate to help restore balance.  I'll portion out some cooked fruit and/or ice cream, top it with a caramel or chocolate sauce, and then crumble my oversalted muffins, cake, or cookies over the dish. 

Dealing with an excess of salt in pie filling or pudding is more problematic. Really, the only thing you can do with the pudding is set it aside, make another - unsalted - batch and mix the two together. 

Salty pie filling is much the same. Scoop it out of the pie crust into a bowl, cook a second batch of pie filling on the stove top with no salt at all, and then mix the two together.  You can use the adjusted filling to make new pies but if you do that, having been cooked twice, the filling will have less texture. I prefer to use the amended pie filling between layers in a cake, or as the fruit layer in a trifle, or to mix it into my breakfast oatmeal over the course of several days. You can also fold it into a muffin batter if you first cut the fruit into smaller pieces.

I hope some of these ideas are helpful to you. I'm always pleased to learn new ways of reducing food waste so if you have a remedy for over-salted food not mentioned here, please feel free to share it in the comments. I'll look forward to reading your suggestions.