The Amish Canning Cookbook (21 page)

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Authors: Georgia Varozza

BOOK: The Amish Canning Cookbook
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Sauté fennel in olive oil until transparent; blot fennel to remove excess oil.

In a large pot combine fennel, carrots, broth, and water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Mash soup mixture using a potato masher; there will still be food bits.

Ladle hot soup into hot jars, leaving 1-inch headspace. Following the pressure canning directions in chapter 4, process pints and quarts for 35 minutes at 10 psi, adjusting the psi as necessary for your altitude according to the altitude adjustment directions. Makes about 6 quarts.

Note: If you want creamier soup, when you are ready to heat and serve, you can puree soup in a blender before heating. You can also add a dollop of sour cream on each serving for a nice touch.

Chicken Corn Soup

3–4 lbs. stewing chicken, or pieces
1½ gallons water
2 bay leaves
½ tsp. thyme
salt and pepper to taste
3 quarts corn, fresh, frozen, or canned

In a large pot combine the chicken, water, bay leaves, thyme, and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer until chicken is cooked through and tender, about 1½ to 2 hours. Remove chicken and cut meat off bones; dice meat into bite-sized pieces. Remove bay leaves and skim fat off the top of the broth. Return diced meat to the broth and add corn. Simmer soup for about 5 minutes or until corn is heated through.

Ladle hot soup into hot jars, filling jars about halfway with chicken and corn, and then filling the jars to the top with broth, leaving 1-inch headspace. Following the pressure canning directions in chapter 4, process quarts for 90 minutes and pints for 75 minutes at 10 psi, adjusting the psi as necessary for your altitude according to the altitude adjustment directions. Makes about 10 quarts.

Chicken Soup

5 quarts chicken broth or stock
3 cups diced cooked chicken
1½ cups celery, diced
1½ cups carrots, sliced
1 cup onion, diced
salt and pepper to taste

Note: This recipe has a lot of broth, which makes it perfect for making chicken noodle soup. When ready to serve, simply cook a handful of noodles right in the soup (which will thicken the soup somewhat) or cook the noodles separately and then add them to the hot soup. Also good with cooked rice.

Combine broth, chicken, celery, carrots, and onion in a large pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Ladle hot soup into hot jars, leaving 1-inch headspace. Following the pressure canning directions in chapter 4, process quarts for 90 minutes and pints for 75 minutes at 10 psi, adjusting the psi as necessary for your altitude according to the altitude adjustment directions. Makes about 6 quarts.

Chicken Stew

4 lbs. chicken pieces, or 1 large stewing chicken
5 cups chicken stock (saved from boiling the chicken pieces)
1 28-oz. can diced tomatoes, drained (or use 2 quarts home-canned tomatoes, drained)
3 large potatoes, peeled and cubed (about ½ inch)
2 cups onion, chopped
5 carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch lengths (half the lengths also if they are big in diameter)
3 celery ribs, chopped
2 cups butter beans or lima beans (fresh or frozen)
2 cups corn (fresh or frozen)
2 bay leaves
½ tsp. rosemary
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
½ tsp. black pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup okra (optional)

Place chicken in a large pot and add water to cover. Bring to a boil and reduce heat, cover, and simmer until chicken is cooked and tender, about 1½ hours. Remove meat from bones and cut into large bite-size pieces. Skim off fat from broth; measure out and save 5 cups broth.

Return skimmed broth to pot; add the vegetables and simmer for about 15 minutes or until vegetables are heated through and just beginning to soften. Return chicken to pot and add okra if using. Continue to simmer for about 5 more minutes.

Pack hot stew into hot jars, leaving 1-inch headspace. Following the pressure canning directions in chapter 4, process quarts for 90 minutes and pints for 75 minutes at 10 psi, adjusting the psi as necessary for your altitude according to the altitude adjustment directions. Makes about 6 quarts.

Chili Con Carne

4½ cups dried pinto or kidney beans
2 quarts water for soaking beans
4 to 5 lbs. ground beef
2 cups onions, chopped
1½ cups peppers, chopped (bell or hot)
4 tsp. salt
1½ tsp. black pepper
4 to 6 tsp. chili powder
3 quarts crushed or whole canned tomatoes

Cover beans with 2 quarts water, cover, and let soak in the refrigerator or a cool place for about 12 hours. Drain. Add fresh water to cover; cook for 30 minutes; drain.

In a large pot, brown ground beef, onions, and peppers if using; drain off fat. Add salt, black pepper, chili powder, tomatoes, and drained cooked beans. Bring mixture to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes.

Pack hot into hot jars, leaving 1-inch headspace. Following the pressure canning directions in chapter 4, process quarts for 90 minutes and pints for 75 minutes at 10 psi, adjusting the psi as necessary for your altitude according to the altitude adjustment directions. Makes about 6 to 7 quarts.

Clam Chowder

Note: Milk and butter are not part of this recipe as those ingredients are not safe to can. Milk and butter are added when ready to serve the chowder (see below for directions)
.

½ lb. salt pork, diced
1 cup onion, chopped
3 to 4 quarts cleaned chopped clams in juice
2 quarts potatoes, peeled and diced
2 quarts boiling water
salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot brown the salt pork and drain off fat. Add onion and cook until tender. Add clams with their juice, potatoes, and boiling water; boil for 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Ladle hot chowder into half-pint or pint jars (
do not use quarts
), leaving 1-inch headspace. Following the pressure canning directions in chapter 4, process half-pints and pints for 100 minutes at 10 psi, adjusting the psi as necessary for your altitude according to the altitude adjustment directions. Makes about 10 pints.

To serve chowder:
For every 1 pint of chowder used, add 2 tablespoons butter and 2 cups milk. Place all ingredients in a saucepan and heat through.

Cranberry Sauce

4 cups sugar
4 cups water
8 cups fresh cranberries
grated zest of 1 orange (optional)

In a large pot, mix together sugar and water; bring to a boil while stirring to dissolve sugar. Turn heat to high and boil hard for 5 minutes. Add cranberries and return to a boil; reduce heat and boil gently, stirring often, until cranberries burst and the sauce begins to sheet off a metal spoon (takes about 15 minutes of boiling time). Add the orange zest if using.

Ladle hot cranberry sauce into hot pint or half-pint jars, leaving ¼-inch headspace. Process half-pints and pints in a boiling water canner for 15 minutes at 0 to 1,000 feet, 20 minutes at 1,001 to 6,000 feet, or 25 minutes at 6,001 to 8,000 feet. Makes about 4 to 5 pints.

Farmer’s Soup

2 lbs. hamburger
2 large onions, chopped
2 cups celery, chopped
3 cups potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 cups carrots, sliced
salt and pepper to taste
1 quart tomato sauce
5 quarts water or beef broth

Brown hamburger and onion; drain fat. In a large pot, combine browned meat mixture with remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil and simmer for several minutes, just until vegetables begin to soften.

Pack hot soup into hot jars, filling each jar about halfway with food pieces and filling to the top of the jar with the cooking broth, leaving 1-inch headspace. Following the pressure canning directions in chapter 4, process quarts for 75 minutes and pints for 60 minutes at 10 psi, adjusting the psi as necessary for your altitude according to the altitude adjustment directions. Makes about 7 quarts.

To serve:
This soup is good served heated as is. But it’s extra tasty if you mix 3 tablespoons cornmeal with ¼ cup cold water and stir the mixture into your hot soup; continue heating and stirring soup for several more minutes or until soup is thickened slightly.

Green Tomatillo Salsa

5 cups tomatillos, peeled and chopped
1½ cups Anaheim chilies, seeded and skinned (see below for instructions on how to skin them)
½ cup jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
4 cups onion, peeled and chopped
1½ cups lemon juice
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 T. ground cumin (or you can use finely chopped fresh cilantro)
3 T. oregano leaves (not ground)
2 T. salt
1 tsp. black pepper

To skin the Anaheim chilies, you will need to char the skins, allow them to steam so the skins loosen, and then rub the skins off the chilies. To char, you can place the chilies on a roasting pan and then broil them in the oven, turning them as they char so all surfaces get blackened; or you can use a backyard grill and char them over the open flame, making sure to turn them so they are completely charred. Once the chilies are charred, immediately put them between two damp towels or place in a paper bag and close up the top. Allow them to steam for about 10 minutes. Next, remove them from their steamer container and—
using gloves!
—rub the skins. They should slip right off. For bits that want to adhere to the chili, use a sharp knife to remove those areas.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that you can get away with not using gloves when working with hot peppers. I learned this painful lesson the hard way, and I don’t advise it!

Mix all ingredients in a large pot and, stirring frequently, bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring enough so that the bottom doesn’t scorch.

Fill pint jars with the hot salsa, leaving ½-inch headspace. Process pints in a boiling water canner for 15 minutes at 0 to 1,000 feet, 20 minutes at 1,001 to 6,000 feet, or 25 minutes at 6,001 to 8000 feet. Makes about 4 pints.

Hamburger Stew

3 lbs. hamburger (need about 6 cups browned meat)
2 quarts green beans, strings removed and snapped into 1½-inch pieces
3 quarts potatoes, peeled and cut into 1½-inch cubes
salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, brown hamburger and drain grease. Add green beans, potatoes, and salt and pepper; add enough water or beef broth to cover; bring to a boil and simmer for about 5 minutes.

Ladle hot stew into hot jars, leaving 1-inch headspace. If necessary, top off jars with boiling broth or water, maintaining the 1-inch headspace. Following the pressure canning directions in chapter 4, process pints for 75 minutes and quarts for 90 minutes at 10 psi, adjusting the psi as necessary for your altitude according to the altitude adjustment directions. Makes about 7 quarts.

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