Syrup Packed Pears

I love it when people give me food. Almost everyone knows that I like to cook, so many of my friends and family bring me harvested goodies from their gardens and orchards. Just this year I've received pecans, apples, squash, peppers, blackberries, peanuts, peaches and most recently pears. These pears arrived on Thanksgiving along with my Daddy. They were, let's just say, ripe. My Mama picked up an overflowing bag from the porch and set them immediately back down. "Are you sure these are still good?" she asks. "They may be a little too far gone," Daddy says. Nah. I salvaged 3 ½ quarts of luscious perfectly ripe pears from 2 bulging Wal-Mart bags.

My first thought was to make pear honey but, alas, I only had 2 pint jars. It being Black Friday I was not about to set foot in a store so I opted to freeze them for a later use. I've been throwing around the idea of a mincemeat pear cobbler. That aside, here's how to syrup pack pears. If you are interested in preparing other foods check out The National Center for Home Food Preservation. It's pretty comprehensive and I've always had good results.

First, you'll need to make a 40% syrup, which is also called heavy syrup.
You'll need 2 ¾ c. sugar for every 4 c. water. This yields roughly 5 1/3 c. syrup. It's recommended that you use ½ - 2/3 c. syrup for every pint fruit but you'll also need some for boiling. (I made 4 batches, ~21 c., for 3 ½ qt pears, which was WAY more than I needed. 2 batches would have been plenty.)

1. Wash, peel and core fruit. Slice medium pears into twelfths, large ones into sixteenths.
2. Combine the sugar and water in a medium to large pot. Bring to a boil.
3. Heat pears in boiling syrup for 1 to 2 minutes, depending on size of pieces.
   
4. Drain and cool.
5. Pack pears and cover with cold syrup. Leave head space.
6. Seal and freeze.

Mulled Apple Cider

I've been making this during the holidays for several years now. It's super easy and seems to be crowd pleasing. You can make it in a crockpot, which is my preferred method, or on the stovetop. This year I made way more than we needed for Thanksgiving and so I have almost a gallon in my fridge. I developed this really bad cough with everyone over spreading around their nasty foreign germs. Sucking down cough drops to get to sleep has irritated both my throat and my tongue. This cider seems to be one of the only things that soothes the irritation and I can't help but feel like the goodness of the apples helps crutch up my immune system. Aside from being witch-doctorish medicinal it is really tasty and refreshing both steaming hot and cold straight out of the fridge. I'm going to freeze maybe a half gallon to take along with us when we go to my brother-in-law's at Christmas. I have no don't that it will freeze well once strained but I'll get back with you on that.

Makes ~1 gallon, can be doubled

1 gal apple cider
1/3 -½ c. maple syrup, depending on taste
3 or 4 - 4" cinnamon sticks, broken
1 tsp whole allspice berries
1 tsp whole cloves
1 tsp vanilla extract OR 1 vanilla bean, split
1 orange, unpeeled, sliced

Place all ingredients in crockpot or large non-reactive pot. Any leftover cider can be added in later or saved for another use.
Heat in crockpot on HIGH ~2 hrs.
If using stovetop method; bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer ~10 min. Remove pot from heat and let stand ~15 min before serving.
Keep warm not more than 8 hrs. Cider will become bitter if heated too long.

The Ever Elusive Meatloaf

A great meatloaf recipe is like my own personal holy grail, a great treasure but never quite achieved. Both of my parents are excellent cooks. When I was a kid my Mama owned several classic recipe books, including the prerequisite giant Betty Crocker tome, stuffed full of clippings and notes. None of these was I actually allowed to touch. It was the Calling All Cooks, dogeared and slightly grimy from my Daddy's fingers, that was the first recipe book that I remember using. This book was relegated to him because the recipes were reader submitted which meant risky. Mama was and still is very practical and no nonsense when it comes to cooking. She simply didn't have time to fiddle with an untested recipe and then likely see it fail. Daddy was different. He saw it as a challenge. I think my enjoyment of all things culinary, that calming feeling of getting lost in cooking and of pouring over recipes, first began to take shape when serving as a sous chef in my Daddy's kitchen. Over the years I have tweaked and altered a recipe that came from the yellow Calling All Cooks until it really no longer resembles its origin. While it is good and receives gracious compliments from my friends and family, I still feel unsatisfied and will continue my seemingly never-ending quest.

Serves 4-6

Meatloaf

2 tbsp butter
1 large onion, finely chopped; reserve 1/4 c. for glaze
½ green bell pepper, finely chopped, reserve 2 tbsp for glaze
1 ½ tsp garlic, minced
2 eggs
¼ c. ketchup
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
½ c. heavy cream
2 c. fresh breadcrumbs
1 lb ground chuck
½ lb ground pork
1 packet beefy onion soup mix
¼ tsp pepper

1. In a skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat.
2. Add onions and bell pepper.
3. Cook until vegetables are softened.
4. Add garlic and continue cooking for 2 minutes.
5. Remove from the heat. Set aside to cool slightly.
6. Preheat the oven to 350° F.
7. In a large bowl, combine all remaining ingredients and vegetable mixture.
8. Mix until just combined well. Do not over mix.
9. Press meat mixture firmly into a large loaf pan.
10. Top with glaze if desired.
11. Bake 45 min - 1 hour or until sauce is glazed and meatloaf is done through.
    
12. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Glaze

¼ c. canned tomatoes, chopped or crushed
¼ c. onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp green bell pepper, finely chopped
½ tsp garlic, minced
¼ c. canned tomato soup
½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp red wine vinegar
¼ tsp pepper

1. In a small bowl, combine all ingredients. Mix well.
   
2. Pour the sauce over the uncooked meatloaf.

Italian-American Meatballs

Spaghetti with meatballs, followed closely by pizza, is usually the first thing that comes to mind when Americans picture Italian food. Our idea of Italian cuisine is actually a marriage of the cuisine of early Italian immigrants and American culture. Most of what you’ll see in “Italian” restaurants around the US is Italian-American cuisine, complete with an abundance of red tomato sauce, also know as gravy. When longing for their homeland many early Italian-Americans from the southern regions of Italy relied on staples such as dried pasta, tomato sauce and olive oil, while those from the northern reaches of Italy preferred rice, fresh pasta and butter. Over time a wonderful compilation emerged full of creamy risottos, rich meat gravies, luscious osso bucco, fresh pestos, and, of course, a myriad of pasta dishes including lasagna and spaghetti.

These meatballs combine all the flavors that one may associate with Italian food. Regardless of the origins savory garlic, salty Parmesan cheese, and zesty herbs never fail to please. You can prepare the meatballs well in advance because they freeze beautifully, raw or cooked without tomato sauce. Just thaw them in the fridge overnight or add about 20 min to the cooking/reheating time. I have listed several different methods for cooking the meatballs. I prefer Method 3. You can just form the balls, cover with sauce and foil, stuff them in the oven, and walk away for half an hour. Some people like bite-size balls and others hand-size, remember to vary the cooking time accordingly. The following times are for 1 ½ “ balls (about half dollar size). These are great served with long pastas or on hoagies with some gooey, melted mozzarella.

Serves 6-8

1 lb ground beef
½ lb ground Italian pork sausage, casing removed
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 c. fresh bread crumbs
2 tsp garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
2 tsp onion powder
2 tbsp dried parsley (1/3 c. fresh, finely chopped)
½ c. Parmesan or Asiago cheese, grated
½ tsp dried basil, margoram, or sage; or a combination (2 tsp fresh, finely chopped)
1 tsp pepper
2 tbsp olive oil (Method 1 & 2)

1. Combine all ingredients, except olive oil, in a large bowl.
2. Knead and squeeze to combine but do not overwork or the meat will become tough.
3. Shape into 1 ½ “ balls (~ half dollar size)

Method 1 – Serve as is or with sauce

1. Heat olive oil in skillet at medium heat.
2. Brown meatballs on each side 5-7 min or until done through (~15-20min total).

Method 2 – Serve as is or with sauce

1. Preheat oven 450°F.
2. Cover bottom of shallow baking dish with olive oil
3. Place meatballs in single layer on pan.
4. Brown in oven ~10 min or until done through, shaking pan occasionally.

Method 3 – Served with sauce

1. Preheat oven 350°F.
2. Place meatballs in casserole dish, stacking is fine.
3. Pour entire jar of spaghetti sauce over balls.
4. Cover tightly and bake ~30 min or until done through.