Text 22848, 123 rader
Skriven 2015-01-12 08:20:00 av MICHAEL LOO (1:123/140)
     Kommentar till en text av NANCY BACKUS
Ärende: ailments 60
===================
 ML> As Walter Piston said to a friend of mine, "Gotta
 ML> keep tryin'."
 NB> Trying can include accepting help, you know... ;)

We'll see tonight, when the first leg of my adventure
involves the milk train from Kingston to Washington.
I have to take the bridge to the southbound track and
then hoist 2 weeks' luggage onto the Amtrak. I would
still prefer not to accept help, though my left knee
has temporarily quit working (bend it and shooting
pains happen).

 ML> normal servings, though less frequently than before
 ML> and not the gargantuan quantities that used to unduly
 ML> impress people.
 NB> Promising, actually...  maybe you'll be back to your normal
 NB> eventually, even if not immediately...  :)  But even a few bites of
 NB> enjoyment is better than none.. :)

I've found that my capacity for protein is returning,
to the point that I can ingest a pound at a sitting on
special occasions. Other things not so much - the taste
buds get bored and tell the stomach to accept no more.

 ML> Yesterday I had a cup of chili with a tablespoon or more
 ML> of "extra hot chilli" from India - I was fine. The ghost
 ML> guys were nasty hot, though.
 NB> You'll probably get back to being able to tolerate them eventually.

Never had them before - they are 5x as hot as ordinary
Habaneros or Scotch bonnets - a new and rather nasty
phenomenon. For me, the former royalty at 200000-300000
units were the limit (though their rotten fruit taste made
them extra unappealing to me).

 ML> I'm figuring too that before people had the luxury of
 ML> such things as angoras and alpacas, they made do with
 ML> what they had, most likely shorter-haired things. Or
 ML> did they just make felt?
 NB> When it was short enough and fussy enough, I suppose they did just
 NB> make felt from it.

Though I'd imagine large quantities of water were needed
for that, so in arid places that had short-haired domestic
animals they might have had to toil and spin anyway.

 ML> Serve with a pear-and-port compote.
 NB> There, finally...  something other than applesauce to accompany the
 NB> latkes... ;)

Pear and port compote
Categories: preserve, sauce
Yield: 5 L (almost 6 qt)

10 c prepared pears, (18 medium, 4 1/2 lb, 2 kg)
1 c dark raisins
1 c golden raisins
1/2 c coarsely chopped dried apricots
1 orange, zest & juice
1 lemon, zest & juice
1/2 c lightly packed golden brown sugar
2 ts ground cinnamon
2 ts nutmeg
1/2 ts ground ginger
1/4 ts pickling salt
1 c slivered blanched almonds, optional
1/4 c port wine

Place 5 clean 500 ml mason jars on a rack in a
boiling water canner; cover jars with water and
heat to a simmer (180F/82C). Set screw bands
aside. Heat sealing discs in hot water, not
boiling (180F/82C). Keep jars and sealing discs
hot until ready to use.

Peel, core, and chop pears. Measure 10 c; set
aside.

Combine raisins, apricots, juice and zest of
orange and lemon, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg,
ginger, and salt in a large stainless saucepan.
Add pears. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.
Boil gently, covered, stirring occasionally,
30 min. Uncover and oil until thick, stirring
frequently to prevent scorching, about 15 min.
Stir in almonds, if using, and port; boil 5 min
longer, stirring constantly.

Ladle compote into a hot jar to within 1/2" (1 cm)
of top of jar (headspace). Using nonmetallic
utensil, remove air bubbles and adjust headspace,
if required, by adding more compote. Wipe jar rim
removing any food residue. Centre hot sealing disc
on clean jar rim. Screw band down until resistance
is met, then increase to fingertip tight. Return
filled jar to rack in canner. Repeat for remaining
compote.

When canner is filled, ensure that all jars are
covered by at least 1" (2.5 cm) of water. Cover
canner and bring water to full rolling boil before
starting to count processing time. At altitudes up
to 1000 ft (305 m), process filled jars 20 min.

When processing time is complete, remove canner lid,
wait 5 min, then remove jars without tilting and
place them upright on a protected work surface.
Cool upright, undisturbed, 24 hr; DO NOT RETIGHTEN
screw bands.

After cooling check jar seals. Sealed discs curve
downward and do not move when pressed. Remove
screw bands; wipe and dry bands and jars. Store
screw bands separately or replace loosely on jars,
as desired. Label and store jars in a cool, dark
place. For best quality, use home canned foods
within one year.

Bernardin Home Canning 

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