sur la table – Livingleen

Its the freaking weekend folks! Time to celebrate with some sweet treats from a jar! This weeks Foodie Friday is all about preserving summer & the class Phil & I took at Sur la Table.

We made spicy plum chutney, peach & rosemary jam, blueberry ginger preserves & pickled watermelon rind…SOOO yummy! With the exception of the preserves, which has a shelf life of about a year, the delightful summer treats will stay fresh for 1-1 1/2 months in the refrigerator.

While I would love to share all the recipes we learned, the pickled watermelon rind was definitely the most interesting, so here goes…!

Pickled Watermelon Rind

4lb watermelon quartered
8 cups water
2 heavy tbsp coarse salt

2 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups apple cider vinegar
8 whole black peppercorns
1 cinnamon sticks
1/2 teaspoon pickling spice
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
2 jalapenos (seeded and sliced)

Start by putting 8 cups of water & salt in a large pot onto stove to boil. Prep watermelon by removing pulp from rind (try to keep a small light pink layer on the rind) & cutting off the green skin. Cut into 2 in pieces, add to boiling water & cook for about 5 minutes (until tender). Remove from heat and transfer to metal bowl. Combine second set of ingredients into a sauce pan and bring to a boil (stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved). Pour pickling liquid over rind pieces and cover. Allow to cool in the fridge & enjoy!

*Best if allowed 8 hours in pickling liquid*

Especially in the summer, pickled watermelon rind is a nice addition to cheese plates and bbq dishes!

‘Til next time, keep smiling!

It might be raining, sleeting and gloomy out today but I wont let it spoil the fact its FRIDAY!!! WOOHOOOO!! This Foodie Friday recipe comes from last night’s Mastering Seafood class at Sur La Table! We had an amazing time! The instructor was wonderfully energetic, the recipes were easy to follow, the food tasted amazing and the aromas coming from that kitchen were nothing short of heaven!

We started with some basics about knife skills, seafood purchasing/storing and then moved right into grilling! We made grilled shrimp with a citrus marinade, Mediterranean seafood stew, Citrus steamed mussels with herbs, and seared scallops with tarragon butter. I will admit I didn’t learn a ton of new information nor techniques, but I get the inside scoop on the best pans to achieve a good sear and picked up some pretty awesome kitchen gear!

I am sharing the Mediterranean Seafood Stew recipe. Frankly I think the weather is perfect for some hearty stew!

Mediterranian Seafood Stew

2 tbsp EVOO
1 small onion (finely chopped)
1 small fennel bulbs (quartered, cored and sliced)
1 medium red pepper (cubed)
1 medium garlic clove minced
14 oz crushed tomatoes
pinch of red pepper flakes
1 bay leaf
3 pinches of saffron
1 cup dry white wine
3 cups seafood stock
8 oz white fish (cubed)
1 lb. mussels (soaked and scrubbed)
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp parlsey
salt and pepper to taste

*Start with some EVOO, cook down the onions and fennel, add the red peppers and cook until soft. Toss in the garlic and cook for about one minute before adding tomatoes and red pepper flakes. Allow mixture to cook together for a few minutes before adding wine, saffron and stock then continue to cook for about 10 minutes until it thickens a bit. Stir in your fish, then your mussels and cover the pot. Cook until all the mussels begin to open, stir in the lemon juice and add salt/pepper to taste. Sprinkle with parsley and serve!

Like I said, we had a great time, and the recipes were super yummy! The only problem was were were still hungry when we left, so even though we just spent 3 hours cooking/eating, we still stopped for a glass of wine and bite to eat on the way home..