Garlic Dill Pickles

Grandma used to can and Mom did also, to a lesser degree ~ they were stocking their farm cellars for winter.  

Grandma’s cellar was filled with shelf after shelf of beautifully colored Mason jars filled with all sorts of fruits and veggies.  

Mom even canned beef from our own cattle after they were slaughtered, which to me was excellent; especially around Thanksgiving and Christmas when she made Mincemeat Pie. 

I just never got into canning and it’s still a mystery to me.  I always figured I would poison people if I tried it so I have no interest in canning anything.   

Then, when I came across recipes for pickles that require no canning, I knew they were meant for me.  There are countless recipes for refrigerator pickles with some heating the brine, some with more salt, more sugar, more garlic and more dill weed than this recipe contains.  So you can customize this recipe to your liking. 

These 2 jars won’t get us through the winter, but they’re perfect to enjoy right now.  They’re crisp and crunchy with just the right tang.  I cut the cucumbers, make the spicy brine to pour over them, refrigerate and wait.  They do get better; tangier as they age.  This is almost as easy as going to the grocery store and picking up a jar off the shelf!

Garlic Dill Pickles

Ingredients:

20 small pickling cucumbers

2 quarts cold water

½ cup cider vinegar

1 tablespoon pickling spices

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

1 teaspoon sugar

1/3 cup kosher salt (do not use iodized salt)

4 garlic cloves, divided and lightly smashed

2 sprigs fresh dill heads, divided

Method:

Wash 2 quart mason jars.

Wash cucumbers without scrubbing them.

Trim 1/8-inch from the blossom end of each cucumber and slice into halves or quarters, whatever size you want them to be.

In each quart jar, layer 1 dill sprig, 2 garlic cloves and half of the sliced cucumbers.

In a large bowl, stir together the remaining ingredients until the salt and sugar are dissolved.

Pour half the brine over the cucumbers in each quart jar, making sure the cucumbers are submerged.

Place the lid on the jars and screw on the rings until tight.

Place jars in the refrigerator and allow to set for 2 days before tasting.

Crunchy delicious!

Be sure to visit my friend, Linda’s blog @My Kind of Cooking for great tips and recipes. 

Gingery Pork Meatballs in Gravy

Lately, I’ve been addicted to roast pork with dried fennel seeds added.  Then I started thinking about how pork meatballs would be.  Meatballs are great!  They’re wonderful as an entrée and appetizer also.  You get big flavor without spending a lot of money. 

I never add breadcrumbs to meatballs as it always seems to me that it makes the meat mushy and mealy.  Years ago when I was a teenager, my Mom, who was a great cook, asked if I would like to make spaghetti and meatballs for friends invited over for dinner.  I had made it before, just for my parents and myself though and it was great, so I told her I would cook the dinner.  Instead of using the meatball recipe I had used before, I saw a recipe that sounded good in one of Mom’s cookbooks so I tried it. 

After they came out of the oven, I sampled a meatball and was really upset.  They were soft and mushy!  I couldn’t believe it!  The only thing different was the addition of dried bread crumbs.  Mom said they were fine and it was too late to do anything about it anyway. 

Then I took Julia Child’s advice ~ “I don’t believe in twisting yourself into knots and explanations over the food you make.  Such admissions only draw attention to it and then they think, “Yes, you’re right; it really is awful.”  You know what your guests do after you apologize for your flop --- they go to great lengths to reassure you that it’s fine.  Forget it!  Just eat it and act like it’s the best thing you’ve ever made or eaten!

I learned two important things from this cooking adventure ~ do not try a dish for the first time when company is coming for dinner and don’t add bread crumbs, oats, etc. to meatballs!

Maybe meatballs are just a tiny version of meatloaf and that’s why I like them so much!  These are really great meatballs; it has to do with the touches of ginger and fennel!  I served the meatballs and gravy over rice and then forgot all about taking a photo because we were hungry and wanted to eat dinner!

Gingery Pork Meatballs in Gravy

For the meatballs:

2 pounds ground pork

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1/3 cup onions, chopped

½ teaspoon dried fennel

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 large egg, lightly beaten

For the gravy:

3 tablespoons drippings or butter

3 tablespoons flour

2 cups beef stock

1 tablespoon ground pepper

¼ teaspoon salt

Method:

For the meatballs:

Combine all ingredients well in a large bowl and form into meatballs.

Place on baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes or until done.

Remove from oven, drain and reserve 3 tablespoons drippings.

Make the gravy:

Heat drippings or butter over medium high heat in a saucepan.

Stir in flour and cook until lightly browned.

Slowly pour in broth, salt and pepper.

Bring to a boil and whisk until smooth and thick.

Add meatballs to gravy and heat thoroughly.

Serve with noodles or rice.

About 6 servings

ENJOY!!!

Be sure to enter my giveaway for Chef John Besh’s “My New Orleans” cookbook that was posted on October 29, 2010!

Check out my friend, Linda’s blog, at My Kind of Cooking for her great recipes and cookbook giveaway!

Roasted Zucchini and Squash with Fennel

I had some zucchini and summer squash in the refrigerator and was preparing to stir-fry them last night.  Then I changed my mind and decided to roast them.  And after tasting them, we were glad I did.  Sometimes, it’s a good thing to change your mind!

Have you ever roasted fennel?  It’s sort of amazing how the fennel undergoes a transformation into a sweet, caramel flavor and then the garlic infuses the zucchini and yellow squash.  Add some salt and pepper, sprinkle with lemon zest and Voila!  You have a great side dish for dinner.  I served it with a green salad with a vinaigrette dressing and pork chops.

Summer squash plant

This is simple and a great combo of flavors.  Not only were the vegetables delicious, they are nutritious and the calorie count was right on spot!

Zucchini plant

Fennel plant

                                                                                                         

Roasted Zucchini and Squash with Fennel

Ingredients:

1 zucchini, cut into small spears

1 yellow squash, cut into small spears

½ fennel bulb, cut into chunks

1 small onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

2-3 teaspoons olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

¼ teaspoon lemon zest

Parmesan cheese for garnish, optional

Method:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Coat baking sheet with olive oil cooking spray.

Place vegetables on baking sheet.

Drizzle with olive oil and toss.

Season with salt and pepper.

Bake for about 25 minutes until fork tender.

Top with lemon zest and Parmesan cheese, if desired.

ENJOY!!!

                                                                                                 

Pork Loin with Garlic, Lemon and Fennel

Wow! Succulent pork loin with fragrant garlic, zesty lemon and fennel; it made my mouth water, and Bill’s also when it was roasting away! This is a delicious pork roast! 

It is so moist and tender you can cut it with a fork. If you like the flavor of garlic on roasted pork, you will love the added twist the lemon gives it but, the secret ingredient is fennel seed!

You need to do this roast just for the aroma alone; the fennel seed emits a wonderful fragrance! 

The fennel plant looks similar to dill and do not confuse it with anise; they are from the same family, but are not the same.  Fennel seed tastes warm and sweet and ancient peoples believed it promoted good eyesight.  

It was also considered to increase strength.  In ancient Greece, fennel was the mighty symbol of success.  In more recent history, the Puritans referred to fennel as the “meeting seed” since they relished chewing on the seeds during their meetings.  

Today, fennel seed is used as an after-dinner breath freshener in many countries and is considered to aid in digestion.

I love pork loin because it is a versatile meat and is a snap to prepare.  You can put a rub or paste on it, pop it in the oven and move on to something else for an hour or more.  Everything seems right with the world when the aroma of a nice pork roast is coming from your oven.  Serve it with a baked potato or rice and a vegetable and you will have yourself a hearty, good meal!

Pork Loin w/Garlic, Lemon & Fennel

Ingredients:

3 pounds pork loin

4 garlic cloves, crushed

¾ teaspoon lemon zest

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

Method:

Place pork on cutting board or plate.

Combine remaining ingredients and spread evenly over pork.

Set pork loin in roasting pan.

Bake at 375 degrees for about 1-1 ½ hours, until internal thermometer reads 160 degrees.

Remove to serving plate, let set 10 minutes and slice.

Serve

Enjoy!

Place this on your dinner table and you will have everyone eager for a bite!