Friday Food Find: The Biggest Mandarin in the World

Recently I found myself walking around the market perusing the produce. I felt a tap on my shoulder, turned around and saw a person with a huge orangy & bumpy piece of citrus in hand.  “Miss, would you like to try a piece?” he said.    But of course, I chimed back.  He handed me a segment.  I took it, placed it in my mouth and bit down.  Immediately there was a burst of bright sunshine; rays of sweet juice exploding in my mouth.  I think I may have found nirvana.

Who knew that it could happen with a sweet not so little piece of citrus: the biggest madarin in the world.

 The Sumo.  

It can be found in local markets such as Whole Foods and Central Market.  Check it out because they won’t be in the markets for long.  

If you are feeling a bit daring and rather than going for the easy peel, slice the Sumo and sprinkle a little cinnamon over the flesh.  It’s delish. 

Spice & Herb Simple Syrups

I love a simple syrup to add to a cocktail or mocktail especially in the summertime! And now we’re almost there; at least down here in Texas. I tried my first, what I’ll call unusual-ingredient-infused, cocktail at Gramercy Tavern in NYC. It came with an essence of Kaffir lime. Well, I was hooked and spent a significant amount of time trying to figure out how they concocted this incredible beverage that captivated my senses; not to mention quite refreshing after a long day walking around the Big Apple. That was several years ago. Guess what? I’ve never be able to replicate that recipe. And you know what, I don’t want to! The memory and experience was so wonderful that I’m OK with keeping it just so.

That said, here is a super simple recipe for infused simple syrup that will not only flavor your summertime beverage but also sweeten it - if that’s what you want!  

Ingredients

1C water
1C granulated sugar
1C fresh herb leaves (with stems) or 1 Tbls of spice seeds  

Process

Combine sugar, water and 1C of basil leaves in a saucepan. Cook over medium high heat until sugar is dissolved. Turn heat down to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Take off heat and let steep for 15 minutes or until cooled.  Separate herb or spice from syrup with a sieve.  Discard herb or spice.  Place into a container that can be tightly sealed and refrigerate.  Refrigerate for up to one month.  Freeze for up to 3 months.

Yields 1 cup.

The two simple syrups you see in the picture are made with fennel seed and mint.

Presto! Snap! It's Pesto!

Basil was the theme of this past weekend’s garden harvest.  Piles of basil scented my kitchen while I hand-picked deep green leaves for their next journey to the table as…pesto.  This is a simple and quick recipe to use when you have a little basil that needs to be used.  Once done it can be frozen for future use.  And can be used for any variety of food stuffs.

Ingredients

6 C of fresh basil leaves, tightly packed
1 ¼ C parmesan Reggiano 
¾ C toasted pine nuts
5 medium cloves of fresh garlic
2 Tbls of fresh lemon juice
½ to 1 tsp of kosher salt
¼ - ½ tsp of pepper
Up to 1 C of extra-virgin olive oil

Process 

Place first 5 ingredients in a food processor.  Add ½ tsp of salt, ¼ tsp of pepper and ½ of the olive oil.  Process the ingredients on high until mostly blended.  Stop, remove top and scrape down the processor bowl.  Replace the top and continue blending until all ingredients are incorporated and texture is smooth.  Drizzle more olive oil in while processor is running if pesto looks dry and has not come into a completely smooth texture.  Taste.  Add additional salt and pepper if needed. Process to mix in salt and pepper if necessary. Stop processor, scrape pesto out of bowl into a non-reactive container, seal tightly and store in the refrigerator.  Pesto can be stored in fridge for up to 1 week.  Otherwise, use immediately with cooked pasta (1lb of cooked pasta to up to 1C of pesto).  

Yields up to 2 1/2 Cups.

Tips & Permissions

*Pesto can be made with your favorite nut (always toasted). 
*The cheese in pesto can be replaced with Grana Pandano or Manchego.  
*Pesto can be frozen for up to 3 months in tightly sealed freezer bags.
*Pesto can be blended into cream cheese for a dip.

Trending Pickles: Watermelon Rinds

Please don’t say it!  Ok, I will…I’m trending now.  I am cringing as I say it but there it is.  And here is the one of the new trending foods: pickles.  A few years back a dear friend gave me her mother’s watermelon rind pickles as a housewarming gift.  Honestly, I thought it a little weird-watermelon rinds-pickled?  I have since been educated to the Southern history of the rind and thought I’d just try it out myself.  On my quest for the most fabulous pickled watermelon rind I took a look of several recipes.  There was much said about how to process the rind and other stuff.  Then I found a House & Garden recipe from 1962.  I stopped right there.  So giving credit where credit is due, of course, I did modify the recipe to meet the weight of the rind once cut.  Also, I added some extra spices to liven it up; and didn’t follow the traditional hot-bath jar process. Yes, it is a bit unconventional but yields a delicious “trendy” result – if I do say so myself.

Ingredients

4-6 C of pickling salt
6 pounds watermelon rind, with green skin & a little pink flesh
8.5 cups sugar
5 cups white vinegar
5 cups water
3 oranges, sliced very thinly
3 lemons, sliced very thinly
4 whole pieces of star anise

Pickling Spices & Fresh Ginger Root
5 sticks cinnamon
1 tablespoons whole allspice
1 tablespoon mustard seed
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 tablespoon fennel seed
1 tablespoon cardamom seed pods, crushed
1” piece of fresh ginger, julienne

Process

Cut a watermelon as you would usually. Scrape off any pink flesh from rind. Cut rind (both green & white) into ¼ to 3/4” squares. The objective is to get the pieces as close to the same size as possible.  Place cut rind into a deep non-reactive container. Cover with cold water & add the salt (salt to water ration is: 1/4 cup salt to 1 quart water).  Leave the rind in the salt water overnight.  The next day drain the rind & rinse with cool water. Place in a deep, non-reactive stock pot, cover with fresh water and cook 1/2 hour, or until just tender.  At this point the green skin may still be a little tough. That’s ok.  Drain rind again.  In same stock pot, stir together sugar, vinegar, water and fruit. 
Add all pickling spices and ginger root to the sugar mixture.  Begin to stir mixture thoroughly with a wooden spoon.  Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring semi-consistently until the sugar dissolves. Add watermelon rind and cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the rind is translucent and the juices syrupy. Ladle hot mixture into sterilized preserving jars.  Cover each jar and seal.

Sterilizing Jar for Refrigeration

Run jars and tops through the dishwasher at high heat.  Take out of dishwasher with a clean cloth.  
Try not to touch the parts of the jar and tops that will be in direct contact with the pickles.
Pour hot pickles into a jar leaving a 1” gap at the top. Repeat for each jar.
Secure lids on each jar and tighten firmly.
Let cool then place into the refrigerator immediately.
This process is for refrigeration storage only.

Tips & Permissions

1. It is OK to leave a little bit of the pink or yellow flesh on the rind.  In fact, if a little of the pink is left it becomes brighter & adds a little pop of color to the pickles.
2. Rind can be cut any size you want-really.  It is contingent of how much cutting you want to do, how big your jars are & just plain preference.
3. Non-Reactive means using a tool or pan that with not react with acids-no aluminum or uncoated iron.  Can use stainless steel, Pyrex (glass), coated metal.
4. If you do not like pickling spices in your pickles then place all spices in a cheesecloth bag.  Place in stockpot with all other pickling ingredients.
5. Please feel free to experiment with spices and herbs. In this recipe I used fennel seed which is unusual but adds a phenomenal flavor dynamic.  When trying out new spices and herbs always think about what works with the ingredient you are pickling.
6. I’ve always like to make my own spice combos.  That said, I think it’s important to know what a traditional pickling spice packet contains.  This is a general ingredient list for a traditional pickling spice packet: peppercorn, allspice, ginger (pwd), bay leaf, juniper berry, cardamom seed, dill seed, mace, coriander seed, mustard seed, cinnamon stick, cloves

Sesame Seeds: A Toasting

Sesame seeds are those little tiny “flat” seeds that stick to the top of your mouth, lodge in-between your teeth and give you that familiar crunch when munching down on them. And you can’t just munch on one seed. No, it’s at least several at a time. If you are a fan, like me, then here is a quick and simple way to toast your most commonly found hulled sesame seeds.

As the seeds touch the heat in a hot pan, the perfume that hits the air is earthy, mellow and heady.

1/2 C of hulled sesame seeds

Place a small sauce pan on the stove. Bring heat up to medium. The inside bottom of the pan should feel hot to the touch. Pour sesame seeds into pan. Distribute the seeds so that they coat the bottom of the pan evenly. Do not walk away! Watch over the seeds lovingly; moving them around gently every minute or two. You will notice that the seeds will begin to have a shine to them. This is the oil coming out of the seed as it heats up. The heat will cook the oil making the seed turn a golden brown.

Once the seed has turned a golden brown take the pan off the heat and gently scatter the seeds on a cool surface. This will rapidly stop the cooking so that the seeds will not overcook or burn.

Store seeds in an airtight container & in a cool place. The seeds will last for up to 2 weeks. I love to eat toasted sesame seeds sprinkled in salads, on cooked fish, in rice and on toasted sweet buttered bagels. Tip: Never leave your seeds alone on the stove.