PRESERVING CELERY IN OIL



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The Italians still preserve in olive oil, so why can't we Americans?  Oil in itself does not ward off bacteria, a cause for concern with many folks, but it does create an effective barrier against direct contact with air. Good olive oil has a balance of fatty acids that resist oxidation, and as any good cook knows, air is not our friend when it comes to canning or preserves.

When preserving vegetables in oil, they are often cured for a short period in either brine or vinegar, or sometimes in a mixture of both. The idea is to preserve the crunch. The ‘pickled’ vegetables are then placed into clean, sterile jars, covered with oil and shelved for later use.

I have found it best to start with a layer of oil in each canning jar before adding your vegetables, as this helps prevent the formation of air bubbles. Also, make sure your vegetables stay completely covered in oil after you start using the preserve. I sometimes keep mine in the refrigerator, taking them out in the morning to rest on the counter and return to room temperature before using them. This helps with the 'crunch' factor.

Though preserving vegetables in olive oil tends to be expensive, as good quality olive oil is not inexpensive, it is a lovely way to put by many vegetables that are wonderful in summer salads, on a pizza, or as side dish.

I particularly like eggplant and peppers preserved in oil. All three items: celery, eggplant and peppers, contribute nicely to salads and antipastos, and the left over oil can be used in all kinds of interesting ways.

PRESERVING CELERY IN OIL

INGREDIENTS

Celery

1/4 Cup Kosher Salt

1/8 Cup Raw Sugar

1/3 Cup White Wine Vinegar

1/4 Cup roughly chopped Mint

1/2 Cup Scallion or Ramps with greens, julienned

Olive Oil to Cover


 

DIRECTIONS

Trim celery sticks and finely slice on the diagonal reserving the leaves and trimmings for soup stocks or seasonings. Follow suit with your onion of choice.

Combine celery, onions and salt, mix well and leave to stand for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine vinegar and sugar in a small heavy-based saucepan and stir over heat until sugar dissolves.

Simmer, uncovered and without stirring, until reduced by one-third and slightly syrupy – you should have about ¼ cup.

Using your hands, gently squeeze away any excess liquid from celery and onions, add to vinegar and let sit for a minute or two.

Pack into wide mouth canning jars, layering with mint.

Split cooled vinegar syrup between jars, top with olive oil. Make sure all vegetables are covered with oil and there are no air bubbles between layers.

Cap tightly and keep in dark, cool pantry or refrigerator until needed.




Here are several recipes from old cookbooks that use the versatile celery in some interesting and vaguely familiar ways.


 CELERIS AU LARD

From The Belgium Cookbook; Editor: Mrs. Brian Luck, Published 1815


INSTRUCTIONS

Take one pound of celery, cut off the green tops, cut the stems into pieces two-thirds of an inch long; put into boiling salted water, and cook till tender. Take one-half pound potatoes, peel and slice, and add to the celery, so that both will be cooked at the same moment. Strain and place on a flat fire-proof dish. Prepare some fat slices of bacon, toast them till crisp in the oven; pour the melted bacon-fat over the celery and potato, adding a dash of vinegar, and place the rashers on top. Serve hot.



STUFFED CELERY

The Suffrage Cook Book; Compiled by Mrs. L. O. Kleber, Pittsburgh. The Equal Franchise Federation of Western Pennsylvania, Published 1915


INSTRUCTIONS

A most delicious relish is made with Roquefort cheese, the size of a walnut, rubbed in with equal quantity of butter, moistened with sherry (lemon juice will serve if sherry be not available), and seasoned with salt, pepper, celery salt, and paprika; then squeezed into the troughs of a dozen slender, succulent sticks of celery.

This is a very appropriate prelude to a dinner of roast duck.

 

PICKLED PEPPERS IN OIL

 

Several years ago, I developed a pickled pepper recipe for a friend. Daryl had given me some seeds from a pepper he had wrapped up in tin foil. He had been to a restaurant for dinner and complimented the chef on the meal, particularly the peppers. Well, the peppers were imported from Italy and the chef had given Daryl an actual dried pepper (hence, the tin foil wrapping).

Knowing that I like to grow things and being excited at the prospect of harvesting bunches of these delicious peppers, he passed the seeds onto me. We had one good season. Disappointingly, the second and third years (generations) never produced enough peppers for pickling; possibly, they were a hybrid. Anyway, I have a few seeds left from the last lonely pepper - one a third generation plant produced - and I am going to try planting one more time. Though a bit disappointing in the pepper production arena, the whole experience did lead to a wonderful recipe for preserving peppers.

I wanted to do Italian style preservation in what I assumed would be just olive oil, but every recipe I found was more towards pickling. I queried all my foodie friends and relatives, searching high and low for recipes on preserving peppers. Finally, I modified one recipe from many. 

You can use any kind of pepper in this recipe: sweet, hot, or a combination of both.  We certainly continue to enjoy peppers bottled this way and hope you will too.

NOTE: If using any hot peppers, please make sure to wear some kind of glove while cutting or stemming. Do not rub face or eyes - even if you get a sudden, uncontrollable itch!

PICKLED PEPPERS IN OIL

INGREDIENTS

4 pounds Peppers

1/4 Cup Raw Sugar

1/2 Cup Water

1 Cup Oil

2 Cups White Vinegar

2 cloves Garlic

1/2 Tablespoon prepared Horseradish

DIRECTIONS

Wash Peppers.  You may stem and pack them whole or slice them into circles, depending on your preference and size of canning jars. Do not worry about removing seeds.

In a stainless steel pot, combine all ingredients. Simmer for 15 minutes.  Do not boil.

Using a slotted spoon, pack Peppers into sterilized jars.

Bring remaining pickling juice to a roiling boil.  Remove from heat. Using ladle, evenly divide liquid between jars of peppers.  You may place garlic cloves into two jars or discard, as desired.

Jars need to be filled leaving only 1/4 inch headspace.  If you do not have enough picklingjuice, top off containers with olive oil.

Clean rims.  Adjust caps.

Process in a Boiling Hot Water Bath: 10 minutes for half pints or pints, 15 minutes for quarts.

Makes about 8 half pints. Stores on shelf, unopened, for 1 year.

Refrigerate after opening.

PRESERVED EGGPLANT ITALIAN STYLE

I am moved into my new home – albeit not completely unpacked and organized, yet – the holiday season has passed, and I have slowed down on my canning and preserving, so I finally have a few moments to post some more recipes and photos from all my small batches I put by at the end of the harvest season!

I really, really like eggplant. I like it as parmigiana or as a grinder, sprinkled on an antipasto salad, on bruschetta or focaccia – or if it is Preserved Italian Style in oil, sometimes I like it straight from the jar.





A variety of eggplants and tomatoes, fresh from the garden, ready for preserving.


The problem here in the United States is that when you preserve certain vegetables in oil the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) consider it ‘risky business’. The Italians have been doing it for centuries without serious consequences, but I would not advise anyone to can or preserve something in a way that could be detrimental to their health. The recipe I am going to share with you should be refrigerated. Because the eggplant is soaked in red wine vinegar (making it ‘acidic’) before canning, the process is safe.

As a disclaimer, though, I must insist that anyone planning on canning or preserving fruits and vegetables should educate himself or herself with the processes for safe canning and preserving. A great place to start is with the National Center for Home Food Preservation’s guidelines found here.

In the meantime, if you would like to preserve Eggplant Italian Style, it is fairly simple. All you need are some sterile jars and lids and a few basic ingredients: Eggplant, Red Wine Vinegar, fresh Basil, dried Red Chilies and good Olive Oil.

Simply peel your eggplant and cut it into squares. I like mine about ½” in size. Toss these with plenty of salt, and then set them in a colander inside a large bowl to drain for a minimum of 1 to 2 hours, but it is best if you can let them rest overnight. They should shed a substantial amount of liquid.



Stone Crock, Red Wine Vinegar and Eggplants.


After the cubes have rested, press as much remaining liquid out of the eggplant as you can. Use your hands, a wooden spoon, a dessert plate – whatever works for you. Then let the eggplant rest on some paper towels and drain for another little bit.

While the eggplant cubes are resting, get yourself a stone crock that is clean and sterile (make sure you rinse thoroughly with boiling water) or similar deep container that will hold your cubed eggplant with a little headspace. Make sure you have a clean plate whose circumference is slightly smaller than your stone crock or container, and a clean jar filled with dried rice or water. The jar will be used to weigh down the plate, keeping the eggplant cubes submerged in the Red Wine Vinegar.

Cubed eggplant in the crock soaking in red wine vinegar.

Place the drained eggplant into your container and cover with red wine vinegar, cover with plate and rest jar on top, if necessary - then set aside for 1 to 2 hours. Pour eggplant into a colander and press off red wine vinegar.

Using a slotted spoon pack the eggplant into pint jars, layering with 2 or 3 leaves of fresh basil. Press each layer down firmly, and pour any excess vinegar out of jar. Top with one small dried red chili pepper. When each jar is full, cover the contents with your favorite olive oil leaving a ¼” of headspace. Secure the lids on the jars and refrigerate.

Let the flavors meld for at least a week, before decanting. When ready to use remove from refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature before using in your favorite recipe. Return any leftovers to the refrigerator after opening.



Preserved Eggplant Italian Style!