rounding out September

Cumin and Paprika Pickled Turnips, Chinese Plum Sauce, and Ajvar

So back a week or so ago, I pickled some turnips with paprika and cumin.  I ended up using ground cumin seed instead of the required cumin seed, so cross your fingers!  I halved the recipe from Canning For a New Generation and that all seemed to work out.  My husband had the day off and was a bit put off by the overwhelming vinegar and  cumin smell!

Next up, I finally was able to make that Chinese Plum Sauce I have been wanting to try, having acquired some star anise from Savory Spice Shop earlier in the week.  I copied this recipe down from Put 'Em Up and did note that while I was to "discard the star anise," nothing was said about fishing out the skins.  The immersion blender did not fully puree the skins and the whole affair was somewhat thicker than I'd have thought but it tastes marvelous so there you have it!

Pureed eggplant, peppers and onions for Ajvar

after adding the apple cider vinegar - no, I did not fully peel the peppers, the bitter doesn't bother me and I was in a bit of a hurry :)

Finally, I made some Ajvar from Urban Pantry by Amy Pennington.  I need to get this book for its varied recipes and unique ideas.  Ajvar is a tasty Serbian relish made up of roasted eggplant, roasted peppers, and onions and works well as a dip, a sandwich spread, a pasta sauce, or something to slide in next to your eggs if you roll that way.  I used one single hot pepper which added a fair amount of heat, so the next batch I make up will have only sweet peppers.  It was very simple and something I foresee endless variations on.  Pennington's version is definitely a short cut to what I later looked up online.

Good thing I picked all my green tomatoes last night - this is my back yard this morning!