Preserving food was originally done because it was not possible to have the precious in-season foods any other way. In later years (when I was a child), it was done for economic reasons. Preserving your own food was much cheaper than purchasing canned produce from the grocery store. Now, it is usually more, or much more costly to preserve one’s own food. We do it to preserve the traditions of our past and, as importantly, to ensure that the food we eat is healthy, preservative, chemical and GMO free.

Look at the glistening spherules of roasted red pepper!

Come gather ’round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown

And accept it that soon
You’ll be drenched to the bone
If your time to you is worth savin’
Then you better start swimmin’or you’ll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin’.

Please play the music clip (below) to provide the mood for this post.

I am the wife of a Balkan man. Red peppers are abundant in that area of the world. In our area, we can only buy them at a reasonable price at this time of year. Usually, I only preserve regional, local food. But, I also work to preserve the heritage and traditions of our family, and make food my husband loves and will actually eat.

So, the ajvar marathon begins again this year with three cases of red peppers from the Italian Centre Shop (piled into two boxes) and roasted…

…and roasted…

…and roasted.

Until they look like this. (Roast all sides and the tops and bottoms, as needed, to loosen the skin.)

Below is all of the peppers. Ninety dollars worth. This is a very good price here. In the former Yugoslavia, this amount of peppers would be about thirty dollars. Maybe less.

It look me almost 4 hours to roast them all.

I use a bowl of water to rinse my hand in as I peel the peppers. Never run water over the peppers. Just peel off the skin, rinsing your hand regularly, until all is off each pepper; remembering to take off the stem and remove the seeds.

As I peel, I keep my “pieces of peppers” organized. The lovely fat perfect pieces go into piles to be frozen for roasted red pepper salad. The uneven and ripped pieces are placed in a bowl for the ajvar.

I will add it took me 12 hours to peel these peppers. Don’t do this many. Ever.

The peppers are then put through a meat grinder and ground on “fine”. This year, I actually had the meat grinding attachment for my Kitchenaide that I used. (This is a photo from last year, below.)

It worked out to almost be half ajvar (not made yet, in the bowls, below) and half peeled and roasted red peppers to freeze.

Yes, they do freeze beautifully. If I had them side by side: fresh and frozen, I would challenge you to tell me which was which… after the frozen ones were thawed, of course.

The ground roasted red peppers now need to be cooked and condensed in a similar fashion to tomato paste with that exception: we are not looking for a paste. We are looking for a distillation of the flavour and texture of the roasted pepper. So, into my paella pan they go. In the Easter European country side at harvest time in the later fall, one would see great cast iron pots brimming with ground roasted red peppers hung over fires, smoke billowing, while home owners stir and stir continually until this delicacy is done.

I will use our gas barbecue. It is pretty messy to do in the house as it sputters and splatters.

These peppers were bagged, labelled and frozen flat on cookie sheets.

Some people add a lot of roasted eggplant to this as it saves money and the eggplant takes on the flavour of the pepper. That would be good, too. It doesn’t save money here.

Some people add garlic. I love garlic, so added a considerable amount with 1/2 a cup of lovely olive oil for this entire amount (which was 1/2 teaspoon for every cup of ajvar at the finished stage) to prevent sticking to the pan.

See the liquid below. This needs to be stirred constantly until there is no more liquid at all.

The mixture is done when it parts and does not go back together and when no liquid seeps onto the part.

jars are sterilized and waiting.

Close, but still not done.

Now, it is done. That took about two and a half hours for this amount of ajvar.

Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won’t come again
And don’t speak too soon
For the wheel’s still in spin
And there’s no tellin’ who that it’s namin’
For the loser now will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin’.

I canned 14 250ml jars of ajvar and froze 12 bags of the roasted peppers.

It cost a little over a hundred dollars (including the jars and the bags) and took over 20 hours of hard focused work time.

Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don’t stand in the doorway
Don’t block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
There’s a battle outside and it is ragin’
It’ll soon shake your windows and rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin’.

Was it worth it? Absolutely…. but, I would never do this many again. I would do half of this amount. That is enough for us. That is a sane amount of time to spend on this project by myself.

Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don’t criticize
What you can’t understand
Your sons and your daughters
Are beyond your command
Your old road is rapidly agin’
Please get out of the new one if you can’t lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin’.

The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is rapidly fadin’
And the first one now will later be last
For the times they are a-changin’.

It is time to stand up for healthy GMO free food and preserve the heritage of those that came before. Yes, the times are a-changin’ and we need to change with them.

The idea for this flavour combination came to me in the late 80′s when I went through my “Greek Phase”. I put together coloured sweet bell peppers, purple onion, oregano, feta and I had a modern take on the Traditional Greek Salad. This was a very special salad in “those days”! The raspberry vinaigrette added the je ne c’est quoi that compelled everyone to eat a bite more than usual, and to dunk their bread in the dressing to slurp up the last cheesy bits. This became a dinner staple around our house for years, and a company favourite. We three gals (my two daughters, and I) could never get enough of it; people raved; I glowed in pride. And, today, I still make it, regularly. Nothing has changed except that I make my own vinaigrettes, and love to throw in fresh raspberries if I have them on hand. Pucker perfect!

I made this salad with my students for My Nutritious Lunch Project, and Muriel announced: “We’re eating a rainbow!” It is so true that colour and crunch add so much to the appeal of a flavourful salad. And this one has it all. It is a full meal, and just that satisfying.

When developing the recipe, I wanted to round out the flavour and texture with a nutty bite; the crunchy and creamy pine-nut fit. Toasted, they are the perfect compliment.

One late summer afternoon, I brought in a glistening basket of ripened red raspberries and put them into the fridge. When I was making this salad and reaching for the raspberry vinaigrette, I found myself stopping mid-reach. Instead, I opened the fridge and gathered a cool handful of the fresh jewels bursting with vibrant juices and tossed them in the salad. Now it exploded with flavour! There is nothing about this salad twenty something years later that is “new and fresh” to our 2010 contemporary, multicultural Canadian palates. But, what I love about it is that it has withstood the test of time, remains a family favourite, and a common company request.

Sweet Bell Pepper Salad with Feta Cheese and Raspberry Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

• 2 sweet red bell peppers, thinly sliced
• 1 yellow, orange and green bell pepper, each thinly sliced
• 1/2 a small purple onion, thinly sliced
• 400 g feta cheese, crumbled
• 1 generous tablespoon of Oregano leaves
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/3 cup pine-nuts, toasted
• 2 tablespoons EVOO
• 3-4 tablespoons rasperry vinegar, or rice wine vinegar (if adding raspberries)
• 1 cup of fresh raspberries

Instructions:

1. Toss all sliced vegetables into a salad bowl
2. Add the cheese, and oregano on top; refridgerate covered until ready to serve
3. Just before serving, add the oil and vinegar, and the salt and pepper
4. Toss to coat well; taste, and adjust seasoning, if necessary
5. Add the pine-nuts and raspberries and give a final gentle toss; serve immediately

Have you ever really sunk your teeth into the fleshy, sappy, juicy white flesh of a young living tree under its crunchy bark? And you think you have an experienced Canadian palate?

• 4-6 large garlic cloves, crushed (for a dressing to cover several roasted pepper slices)
• 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon of salt, crushed into the garlic until it makes a thick paste
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup of good balsamic vinegar (I use President’s Choice)
• Pour this over the roasted peppers and let them marinate in it for an hour or two.
• Then, drizzle with an excellent, fruity olive oil (I use President’s Choice), about 1/3 to 1/2 cup
• Serve with a meal and some really fresh crusty bread

Making Ajvar: Recipe

Ingredients:

• 20 roasted, peeled red peppers
• enough extra virgin olive oil to cover the bottom of a heavy pan (1/4 -1/2 cup)
• salt: start with 1 teaspoon and add up to one tablespoon, to taste
• vinegar: start with one tablespoon, and add up to two, to taste

Instructions:

1. Grind each piece of roasted pepper in a meat grinder; discard juice
2. Cover the bottom of a wide bottomed heavy pan with olive oil; heat to medium
3. Add ground peppers; cook until the essence of the fleshy bits is distilled
4. When a path is left by a wooden spoon as it trails through the mixture, it is done
   
5. Add enough salt to bring out the flavour of the Ajvar
6. Add a tablespoon or two of vinegar, depending upon taste
   
7. Freeze in freezer bags, or pack in 1/2 pint jars when hot, and seal (sterilize the jars, first, and have the lids hot, too); refrigerate

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The Blue Pear: Recipe

Ingredients:

• 400 g of Pizza Dough (recipe to follow all pizza recipes)
• 4 ounces of Walnut Pesto
• 1 red and 1 green pear, cored and sliced with a squeeze of fresh lemon
• 65 g of whole walnuts, toasted
• 3 – 4 medium bocconcini cheese balls, sliced
• 65 g of Gorgonzola Cheese
• fresh baby arugula; enough to cover the pizza
• 1 sheet of parchment paper, or a silpat, cookie sheet, and tongs

See the Grilled Pizza Slide Show in the Gallery for detailed pictorial instructions

Pizza Dough Recipe (makes four 400g dough balls):

Ingredients for the Pizza Dough:
•    1 tablespoons honey
•    1 ½  cups warm water
•    1 packages dry active yeast
•    3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
•    1 T extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for rubbing
•    1 ½  tablespoons kosher salt
•    ¼ c extra flour for kneading
(oil the extra bowl)

Instructions for the Pizza Dough:

1. Measure the honey, water and yeast into a bow; set aside until yeast rises (10-15 minutes)
2. Stir in the olive oil, flour and salt
3. Turn onto a very lightly floured surface, and knead (add no more flour, or the dough will be tough; just continue to knead until the dough is no longer sticky)
4. Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and rise until doubled
5. Flour counter very, very lightly; turn the dough onto the counter (dust hands with flour or dough will be sticky – do not add more flour); divide the ball into 4 parts, or use a scale to weigh each portion
6. Roll each piece into a ball and place on an oiled baking sheet. Rub the dough balls with oil, cover with plastic and refrigerate overnight OR
7. Wrap each ball individually with plastic wrap, label with name and date, and freeze.
8. When ready to use, remove from the freezer, and thaw overnight in the fridge; remove an hour before to rise at room temperature

Walnut Pesto Recipe (seven 125g portions):
Ingredients for the Walnut Pesto:
•    7   4 ounce containers to freeze pesto in
•    7 “Walnut Pesto” dated labels
•    200 g parmesan cheese
•    60 g parsley leaves and tender upper stems, or no stems (approximately 2 larger bunches, but weigh for accuracy)
•    200 g walnuts, toasted
•    6 cloves of garlic, cleaned
•    150 ml  walnut oil
•    150 ml olive oil
•    1 t salt

Instructions for the Walnut Pesto:
1. Toast the walnuts in a frying pan over medium heat (about 90 seconds), stirring constantly
2. Carefully weigh all of the ingredients into the food processor, and process until coarsely blended, not pureed
3. Fill the containers, label and freeze until ready to use

Preparing 400g of the  Pizza Dough for the grill:

1. Heat the grill to  high, and oil it (See the little “gadget” in the first photo frame below)
2. Stretch and pull the dough onto the back side of a cookie sheet until it is the same size, or a little smaller than the cookie sheet
3. Pick it up and place, or throw, it onto the grill, pulling the edges out once it lands on the grill as it will contract, to increase the surface area of the pizza
4. Watch it carefully, as this just takes 1 or 2 minutes; turn it over (using tongs) when it is bubbly all over, and grill marked well on the underside: the dough will lift off of the grill when it is ready (you will not have to rip it, or tear it from the grill surface)
5. Grill the underside for only about 30 seconds, just enough to slide it back onto the cookie sheet without sticking (this is the side you will cook once the toppings are on)

Putting The Blue Pear Together:

1. Cover the grilled side with the pesto (it will seem like there i not enough, but there is: spread it all the way to the edges), then place each of the ingredients onto the pizza in the order listed above, except the arugula
2. Turn the grill down to medium, slide the pizza back onto the grill (this is tricky as the bottom may be a bit sticky, use two tongs, or a huge under paddle) and close the lid (be careful not to burn the crust)
3. When the cheese is melted, the pizza is done (3 to 4 minutes)
4. Slide it back off of the grill, and don’t forget to cover it with the tender , spicy, baby arugula greens
5. Slice and serve immediately

The Metropolitan Meat (“Ah-ha! A “real” pizza!”)

The Metropolitan Meat: Recipe

Ingredients:

• 400 g of Pizza Dough (recipe to follow all pizza recipes)
• 125g (1/2 cup) homemade tomato sauce
• 250g (1 cup) meat sauce
• 100g of salami i prosciutto, thinly sliced, or shaved slices of ham (prosciutto cotto), or jamón Serran
• 1/2 large onion, thinly sliced
• 65g of bacon, fried and crumbled
• 3-4 mushrooms, thinly sliced
• very thin slices of fresh tomato
• fresh oregano, to taste (some on top of the cheese, for colour)
• 300g mozzarella cheese, shredded

Meat Sauce: Recipe

Ingredients for the Meat Sauce (makes 8 cups) :

• 1 kilo lean ground beef
• 1 large onion, diced
• 6-8 large cloves of garlic, minced
• salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1 tablespoon oregano
• 1 tablespoon basil
• 1 small can of tomato paste
• 1 28 ounce can of diced tomatoes

1. Spread the Tomato Sauce on the pizza dough; it will look like there is not enough, but brush it on, or use a flat edged spatula to ensure there is some everywhere (all the way out to the edge of the crusts) and there will be plenty of flavour there
2. Sprinkle and spread the meat sauce over the top of the tomato sauce to again cover the entire crust (yes, all they way out to the edges, again)
3. Add every other ingredient in the order listed above, and though it may not seem as though there is enough of each, just ensure that you have a little on every part of the pizza (out to the edges)
4. I bet you get the idea by now….

(See the slide show titled: Grilled Pizzas in the Gallery for pictoral instructions)

The Caprese is my personal favourite!

The Caprese:  Recipe

Ingredients:

• 125 g (1/2 cup) homemade sundried tomato pesto
• 4 whole (8 halves) oven roasted tomatoes
• 4-5 medium Bocconcini balls, sliced
• a handful of fresh basil leaves (or 10 large leaves)

Vine-Ripened Oven-Roasted Tomato: Recipe (enough for 6 pizzas)

Ingredients for Oven-Roasted Vine-Ripened Tomatoes:

• 24 vine ripened tomatoes, washed and halved
• 2 heads of garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
• 1/2 to 1 cup of extra virgin olive oil
• kosher salt, or sea salt

Instructions for Oven-Roasted Vine-Ripened Tomatoes:

1. Place each tomato half face down on a pyrex baking pan; drizzle generously with olive oil
2. Sprinkle with salt and garlic slices; this will be one large, or two medium pans
3. Bake in convection oven at 170ºF for 12 to 24 hours, depending upon the size of the tomatoes, turning them twice during the baking time
4. Pack 8 halves (4 whole tomatoes) with some of the garlic and oil into freezer containers
5. Label, date, and freeze until needed, then thaw overnight in the fridge, and use
   

Sundried Tomato Pesto: Recipe (9 portions)
Ingredients for Sundried Tomato Pesto:
•    9   125g, or four ounce freezer containers
•    300 g Parmesan cheese
•    180 g sundried tomatoes
•    150 g of pine nuts, toasted
•    50 g fresh basil leaves
•    10 large cloves of garlic, cleaned
•    375 ml  extra virgin olive oil

Instructions for Sundried Tomato Pesto:

1. Weigh the pine nuts, and then stir in frying pan over medium heat until golden and toasted all over (heat pan first, add nuts and toast, will take less than 3 minutes and never leave unattended)
2. Carefully weight all of the ingredients into the food processor, and process until coarsely blended, not puréed
3. Fill 9 freezer containers, place on lid, and label, date and freeze
4. Thaw over night in the refrigerator, and us

Putting it all Together I know you get the idea by now…. Sprinkle on the fragrant shreds of basil after the pizza comes off of the grill.

We are all hooked, and you will be, too, the first time you make one of these. I make a lot of the dough, sauces, and pestos at the beginning of the season, and freeze it so everything is ready to go whenever needed.

YUMMERS!

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