Bess' Tomato Sauce

Made with home grown cherry tomatoes, (seeds from Diggers,) this is the most full flavored sauce you could imagine. There is no onion, so will keep well.


Bess's Tomato Sauce




1 k. tomatoes.
1 teaspoon each,ground cloves, black pepper, ground ginger ,( or 2 teaspoons of fresh grated ginger)
2 teaspoons of mixed spice
2 cloves of garlic , crushed
Pinch Cayanne
6g. salt
120g. white wine vinegar
200g. raw sugar

Place all ingredients except sugar, in saucepan and cook for 30 mins.,

 

Push through a strainer  to remove seeds.

Add sugar, to strained juice and simmer  for 60 mins.
 

Bottle into sterilized jars.

This makes , in volume, 1/2 of what you start with.

Lemon and Carrot Marmalade.

The original recipe for this came from the Victorian Department of Agriculture booklet about 60 years ago.  I have adapted it to suit any Citrus fruit and even add Grand Mariner to some jars.

Ingredients
350 g lemons , washed
100g grated carrot
500 Mils of water
1 tablespoon of lemon juice and pectin if necessary. I use Jamsetta.
Sugar,  which will be 3/4 of amount of liquid in pot.

Method.

Place 2 small saucers into freezer. This is for testing set of marmalade
Cut lemons in 1/2 and slice into thin 1/2 moons. Remove seeds.
Place grated carrot and sliced lemon, lemon juice and water into large pot. Lid off.
Simmer for 30 minutes or until rind of lemon is very soft.  Finger nail should easily go through rind.
For each cup go liquid in pot,  add 3/4 cup of sugar.  I usually have about 1 liter of liquid so add  750 gs of sugar.
Stir sugar while Marmalade is coming to the boil.
Boil briskly until set. Skim off any scum that floats to top.     Test after 15 minutes on saucers.  Put  about 1 dessert spoon of jam on saucer and place back in freezer.  After 5 minutes,  run finger through jam.  If it wrinkles and stays apart ,  then it will set.  If not , boil for another 5 minutes.  Test again.
When setting is reached, pour into sterile jars.  Put lids on immediately and carefully turn upside down.  After 10 minutes turn up right way.

This makes a very tasty sweet Marmalade.  It can be used in place of mixed peel in cakes, at base of puddings, poured over lemon cakes and od course on toast for breakfast.

You can substitute any citrus for the lemons .
You can double the recipe,  but cook for a little longer.

Plum liquor

This is very easy and can be served straight or over ice or with ice and Ginger Beer.
The bonus is that there are plums over that can be used in jam or a Crumble
This recipe and photo are from Isi,  who lives in Portugal.  I have adapted the recipe from the one she published on Forum Thermomix.

Ingredients

400g of water
800gs. Plums,  stones removed
300 Mils of Vodka
100g sugar.

Method
Steam plums for 30 minutes.  Allow to stand for 15 minutes after steaming to drain all the juices.
Add sugar and Vodka to liquid and simmer for 5 minutes.
Bottle into sterilized bottles.

Preserving Citrus Peel

Where instructions are for TMX, simply cut softened peel into 1/2 cm cubes.

Preserving.

Apple Jelly

Apples
Jelly
Jam,  with other fruits,  eg. Berries, plums.
Bottled in Microwave
Stewed and vacuum packed and frozen
Dried, leathers
Chutney

Apples can be peeled and cored,  these saved to make jelly or as base for other jams.  Assists with the setting of jams.
The Apple flesh can be dried or bottled or pulped and frozen or dried as leather.
Bottled apple can be used throughout the year for Apple Sauce, Crumbles , added to cakes, pies.
Dried Apple slices for snacks for Adults and children, added to muesli.

Windfalls are good and watch out along roads for wild Apple trees.

When making most jams and jellies, add 3/4 of a cup of sugar to 1 cup of liquid or pulp.  Juice of 1 lemon and if necessary some pectin,  Jamsetta is good.

Quince Jelly

All About Sour Dough . « on: September 03, 2012, 06:58:18 AM »

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Over the next few days I will try and explain the process of making a starter,  feeding it, storing and using it to make a loaf.  This is based on my experienced and I am not an expert.  but it works for me .

White Flour Starter.
Into a sterile glass jar mix 1/2 cup of bakers flour,  ( strong bread flour ),  with 3/4 cup of FILTERED water.
Place a Chux loosely over the top,  and place in a sheltered place outside.
You are going to capture wild yeast that lives in the air.
Leave for 3 to 4 days ,  to ferment.
You can bring inside now and sit it on the kitchen bench.
If it smells bad ,  chuck out and start again.
When it starts to have small bubbles on top,  stir in 1 tablespoon of flour and 1 tablespoon of Filtered water.
For the following 3 days feed with 1 tablespoon of water and flour.
When the starter is active,  ( with bubbles on the top and smelling a little like beer, ) , transfer to a larger sterile container and feed with equal larger amounts of water and flour.
This can be 1/2 cup of each.
This is to increase the amount of starter for use in following recipe.  ( you will need 400 g of starter.)
You can now use your starter to make bread or screw on top and place in fridge.
Instead of going to all this trouble,  you may be able to get a small amount of starter from someone else. If you do,  just put it in a large sterile jar and feed it to increase the volume.

If you leave your starter on the kitchen bench ,  you will need to feed it every day.  Only do this if you intend to make a lot of Sourdough bread., or want to build up the amount of starter.
If you place your starter in the fridge, best fed once a week.  However it will last a lot longer without a feed.  I left mine for 13 weeks last year when we went OS.  I don't recommend this as it took a lot of refreshing.  I think it was sulking. LOL.
When left in fridge it will develop a grey water on top,  just stir this back in and feed it.
When you take your starter out of the fridge and feed it, it needs 7 hours or overnight to become very active.  It is then that you can make your bread.
 
do not use all your starter, leave 1/2 cup in the jar and start feeding it again until you have enough for the next loaf.

Recipes.

It is best to start off simple.

This recipe is adapted to the TMX from 'Bread Revolution',  by Duncan Glendinning and Patrick Ryan.

Place into  bowl,
400g active starter,
500g bread flour
250g warm water, filtered.
2 teaspoons of each salt and sugar.
Knead for 10 mins. in the bowl as it is very soft.
Scrape/pour into lined bread tin. Cover with plastic
Let rise , in a warm place,until at least double. 
Brush with egg wash.
bake in oven 200/220 o C,  with water in dish in bottom of oven.  30 mins.

Hot Cross Buns

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This is the same recipe for Chookie's Hot Cross Buns,  but the Method is different as they are made by hand.

500g Bread flour
2 teaspoons of salt.
1 1/2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons of ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon of ground cloves
1/2 teaspoons of ground ginger
4 teaspoons of dried yeast

PLACE ALL IN LARGE BOWL AND STIR WITH  SPOON.

70g melted butter
250g warm milk
1 egg
30g sugar

MIX TOGETHER AND POUR OVER DRY INGREDIENTS,  STIR UNTIL ALL DRY INGREDIENTS ARE INCORPORATED AND DAMP.
STAND FOR 15 MINS.

ADD
100g of sultanas
70g of cranberries
30g of citrus peel

STIR IN WITH SPOON AND WHILE IN BOWL KNEAD 10 TIMES.
TIP ONTO A WELL FLOURED BENCH AND KNEAD 50 TIMES.

PLACE BACK IN BOWL AND SPRAY WITH WATER AND COVER WITH PLASTIC.
PLACE IN WARM PLACE AND ALLOW TO DOUBLE.  ( this can take up to 1 1/2 hours)

Set oven at 200 oC,  place a dish with water in bottom of oven.

REMOVE DOUGH FROM BOWL AND KNEAD 10 TIMES. 
CUT INTO 12/15 PIECES.
SHAPE INTO BALLS,  POKING IN ANY FRUIT THAT IS STICKING OUT. (it will burn if not poked in)
PLACE ON LINED OVEN TRAY WITH A GAP BETWEEN BUNS AS THEY WILL DOUBLE.
SPRAY WITH WATER AND SET IN WARM PLACE TO DOUBLE.  (about 30 mins.)
WHEN DOUBLE , PIPE CROSSES ON BUNS.  AND BAKE IN PREHEATED OVEN  200o C for 20 mins.

Piping Mixture, mix together to form a smooth paste
80g flour
100g water
pinch salt
1 teaspoon oil

Place in a small plastic sandwich bag,  seal ,  cut a SMALL hole in corner,  pipe crosses across buns.

WHEN BAKED BRUSH WITH A SUGAR SYRUP.
2 Tablespoons of water
2Tablespoons of sugar
BOIL TOGETHER FOR 2 MINS. 

             OR

BRUSH WITH EGG WASH BEFORE PLACING BUNS IN OVEN

1 egg mixed with 1 dessertspoon of water.

Because all ovens are different you will have to watch the first batch so temperature and time can be adjusted.