Food Preservation 101
This week our Executive Chef & CEO Wes Levesque was asked to create a video for the staff members at Clio teaching them the basics of food preservation. He created some awesome fermented food and pickled food recipes as well for you to try at home. With a lot of us working from home and trying new hobbies, this is a great way to spend time with your family (or put down the sourdough for a minute) and enjoy the end product from home. You can use what you’ve learned in this video for so many other recipes as well! Fermented foods have so many health benefits and we’ve linked below some articles about gut health and the long term benefits of including preserved and fermented food in your diet.
You can watch the full instructional video here:
https://clio.wistia.com/medias/gezbt4c3bs
Our favourite part of the video is when Wes uses the very technical term: “Jar Picker Upper”.
FUN FACT:
You can can almost any food but be careful of the PH level. To preserve properly, try to make sure you have acid in your recipes. If the PH is above 4.6 you must use a pressure canner.
Black Pepper Jam
INGREDIENTS
1 cup low sodium soy sauce
2 apples peeled and diced
1 cup brown sugar
3 green onions
½ cup bottled lime juice
2 tbsp grated ginger
2 tbsp coarse ground black pepper
½ cup fermented black beans
DIRECTIONS
Bring liquid ingredients to a simmer over medium heat. Grab your largest pot and fill ¾ with water and set to high on a separate burner. Once boiling turn down to a simmer.
While the liquid ingredients are heating up, chop the green onion and grate the ginger and add to saucepan.
Add the ground pepper and black beans and simmer for 10 minutes. Meanwhile put your desired jars, lids and rings into boiling water to sterilize in a separate saucepan.
Take jam, lids and jars off the heat after 10 minutes. Mash jam with a fork to desired consistency.
Pour your jam carefully into heated and sterile jars. Wipe off the rim with a clean damp cloth. Add lid and fasten ring loosely on the jar.
Carefully drop the jars into the pot of water. Put on the lid and simmer for 10 min.
Take out the jars and place them on a dry towel on the counter. Try not to agitate the jars and do not tighten the rings until the lids have sealed. Allow up to 4 hours for jars to seal, but most will likely seal within an hour of taking them out of the pot.
Store in a cool, dry space. Refrigerate jars that do not seal.
FERMENTED KIMCHI
1 large Napa Cabbage or 2 smaller Napa cabbages
1 bunch lacinato/black kale
4 carrots grated
6 garlic cloves minced
1 tbsp ginger
4 green onions chopped
1 small daikon cut in 2 inch match sticks
1/4 – 1/3 cup Gochujang paste or Korean red pepper powder*
1 Asian pear peeled, cored, and grated
2 tablespoons of fish sauce or soy sauce
1/4 cup sea salt
INSTRUCTIONS
Cut the cabbage in quarters and cut the cabbage into 1-2 inch pieces, and put into a large bowl.
Put 1/4 cup of salt into a small bowl of warm water and stir until dissolved. Add the saltwater to the bowl of cabbage leaves and mix it up using your hands, ensuring each piece gets a good covering of salty water.
Leave the cabbage in the bowl at room temperature for 3-4 hours. The salt will start to draw out the water from the cabbage. You will see a brine at the bottom of the bowl.
Strain the cabbage through a colander. Some people quickly rinse it once or twice with water, but not necessary. Put the cabbage back into the bowl.
Add the grated carrot, match stick daikon, crushed garlic, green onion, grated ginger, grated pear and mix together.
Measure 1/3 cup of Gochujang and 2 tablespoons of fish sauce OR soy sauce, and vigorously mix thoroughly until completely covered. I suggest wearing disposable gloves, so the peppers don't burn.
Pack Kimchi tightly into glass jars, leaving a few inches from the top. Close the lid and allow to sit in a cool dark place for at least 48 hours (longer to increase sourness). Periodically open up the jars to release the pressure that builds up. Bubbles will likely appear, this is normal. When it's ready, place in the fridge, where it should last 3 months or more.
FUN FACT:
You can use the liquid from your kimchi once it’s fermented to be a starter to ferment other foods (like the black beans in the black pepper jam).
FUN FACT:
Use this same pickling liquid for any other vegetable. If you have an abundance you can follow these directions and can them as taught in the previous recipe!
Quick Pickled Red Onions
INGREDIENTS
2 red onions julienned
¾ cup apple cider vinegar
¼ cup rice wine vinegar
¼ cup filtered water
1 tsp sea salt
1 bay leaf
1 tsp peppercorns
1 tbsp honey
INSTRUCTIONS
Slice your onions to your desired thickness. Set aside in a glass bowl.
Bring the rest of the ingredients to a boil.
Once the ingredients come to a boil pour them over the onions in your thick glass bowl.
Put the bowl into the refrigerator and let cool for 2+ hours.
Store in a lidded container in the fridge and enjoy for up to 6 months.