Cherry Salsa with White Fish

Cherries are sturdier than many other fruits, so you can make your salsa up to a day ahead of time, just keep it airtight in the refrigerator.  It’s great with grilled chicken, steak, and tacos, too.

Choose whitefish for this dish because the cherry jalapeño salsa works best with a mild fish.  Cherries are one of the most assertive fruits, so like you do not place two pungent herbs together because they fight for control, Salmon or other strong fish might compete with the flavor.  

Cherry Salsa with White Fish

Salsa

2 cups finely chopped cherries

1/2 jalapeno, seeded, and finely minced (leave seeds in for more heat)

3 Tbsp finely minced red onion

juice of 1 large lime

fresh chopped cilantro to taste, about 2-3 Tbsp

Fish

2 lbs whitefish fillets (4)

2 lemons

butter or olive oil

Directions:

Combine the salsa ingredients in a bowl and toss. Taste to adjust the lime juice, cilantro, or jalapeño. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Preheat oven to 425F. Arrange the whitefish in a single layer on a baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper, and then either dot with butter or drizzle with olive oil. Tuck the lemon slices around the edges of the fish. When the oven has reached temperature, bake the fish just until it is opaque and flakes with a fork, about 10-12 minutes. Put the pan under the broiler briefly to get some charring on the surface.

Serve the fish with the lemon slices topped with a generous amount of the cherry salsa. 

Notes : Use tilapia, halibut, cod, trout, or sea bass in place of the whitefish.

To find any recipe featured this month - use the search box and type: SCJSep

To find any theme recipe from this year type: recipe2018

For 2018 the monthly recipe themes will be:

   January - Chicken Soup (ChickJan)

   February - Beef Stew (StewFeb)

   March - Jambalaya (JambMar)

   May - Ham and Shrimp Dishes (ShrHamMay)

   June - Bread recipes (BreadJun)

   July - Grilling (GrillJul)

   August- Garden Delights (GardAug)

   September - Salsa, Corn and Jelly (SCJSep)

   October - Squash Dishes 

   November - Pumpkin Recipes 

   December - Herbal Cocktails 

Savory Grapefruit Jelly

This is perfect to make with the savory you have in the garden before the frost comes.  But if you don't have any, dry will work too!

Savory Grapefruit Jelly

Makes four 8 oz. (1/2 pint) jars

4 tablespoons of fresh or 2 tablespoons of dried summer savory

2 cups of ruby red grapefruit juice (1-1/2 cups of flavored juice)
3-1/2 cups of sugar
2 tablespoons of lemon juice (Can also try a lemon herb vinegar which I used)
1 pouch of liquid pectin

STEPS:
STERILIZE Wash jars, lids and rings.  Boil jars in a pot of water for 10 minutes.  Place lids in hot water.  You don't need to boil them.

STEEP Place 2 cups of juice and herbs in a 3-1/2 quart saucepan.  Bring to a boil and count to ten. Take off the burner, cover and steep for 15 minutes.  Taste and steep longer if necessary.
BOIL In the meantime, measure 3-1/2 cups of sugar and the lemon juice or vinegar of your choice in another 3-1/2 quart saucepan.  Cut open the pouch of liquid pectin and stand in a measuring cup until you need it.  Add 1-1/2 cups of flavored juice to the sugar and lemon juice or vinegar.  Bring to a hard rolling boil that can't be stirred down.  Take off the burner and quickly add the liquid pectin, put back on burner and return to full rolling boil and allow to boil for 1 full minute.  Skim off any foam.  Pour hot jelly into prepared jars and process in a water bath for 20 minutes.

To find any recipe featured this month - use the search box and type: SCJSep

To find any theme recipe from this year type: recipe2018

For 2018 the monthly recipe themes will be:

   January - Chicken Soup (ChickJan)

   February - Beef Stew (StewFeb)

   March - Jambalaya (JambMar)

   May - Ham and Shrimp Dishes (ShrHamMay)

   June - Bread recipes (BreadJun)

   July - Grilling (GrillJul)

   August- Garden Delights (GardAug)

   September - Salsa, Corn and Jelly (SCJSep)

   October - Squash Dishes 

   November - Pumpkin Recipes 

   December - Herbal Cocktails 

Corn Relish - Weekend Recipe

No theme month of Salsa, Corn and Jelly would be complete without a Corn Relish.  This one is my favorite because it is easy and savory without being too sweet.  The peppers in green and red really make it very colorful.

Corn Relish 

8 ears corn, husked and cleaned

2 pounds tomatoes - peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped

1 1/2 cups chopped green bell peppers

3/4 cup chopped red bell pepper

1/2 cucumber, chopped

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup white sugar

2 cups apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon celery seed

1 teaspoon mustard seed

Directions:

Cut the corn from the cobs. Scrape the cobs with a large spoon to remove remaining juices.

In a large saucepan, mix the corn kernels and juice, tomatoes, green bell peppers, red bell peppers, cucumber and onion.

In a medium bowl, mix the sugar, cider vinegar, salt, celery seed and mustard seed. Pour into the saucepan over vegetable mixture. Bring to a boil, then simmer 1 hour.

Transfer the finished relish to sterile jars. Preserve by canning or refrigerate until serving.  Will keep about a month.

To find any recipe featured this month - use the search box and type: SCJSep

To find any theme recipe from this year type: recipe2018

For 2018 the monthly recipe themes will be:

   January - Chicken Soup (ChickJan)

   February - Beef Stew (StewFeb)

   March - Jambalaya (JambMar)

   May - Ham and Shrimp Dishes (ShrHamMay)

   June - Bread recipes (BreadJun)

   July - Grilling (GrillJul)

   August- Garden Delights (GardAug)

   September - Salsa, Corn and Jelly (SCJSep)

   October - Squash Dishes 

   November - Pumpkin Recipes 

   December - Herbal Cocktails 

Herb Tea Jelly

This is a great way to make a jelly that is different every time you make it by simply using a different herb tea.  Use your own tea blend or any of the 22 versions of herb tea available from Backyard Patch Herbs to make a perfect Herbal Jelly you can give as a gift or serve to guests.  I love Calming Spirit, Lemon Lavender Splash, and Lavender Peppermint as my favorites to make jelly from.  These photos show jelly made with Calming Spirit.  The lavender makes a darker jelly so it does not look pale and plain. If you are interested in learning to can jellies and other preserves, check out my Community Ed classes.

Basic Herb Tea Jelly

1 3/4 cup water

14 tsp. loose tea in one or more tea infusers or a coffee filter

1/4 cup orange or related juice

3 cups sugar

1-3 oz. package of liquid pectin

Directions:

Bring water to a boil in a saucepan and add tea.  Steep for 30 minutes.  Remove tea bag or infusers add juice and sugar to brewed tea and bring to full rolling boil.  Boil for 2 minutes.  Remove from heat and add pectin, return to full rolling boil and allow to boil for 1 full minute.  Skim off any foam.  Pour hot jelly into prepared jars and process in a water bath for 20 minutes.

Makes 8 to 12 1/2 pint jelly jars.

This jelly is a great combo to use with cream cheese or in our Surprise Muffin Mix.

To find any recipe featured this month - use the search box and type: SCJSep

To find any theme recipe from this year type: recipe2018

For 2018 the monthly recipe themes will be:

   January - Chicken Soup (ChickJan)

   February - Beef Stew (StewFeb)

   March - Jambalaya (JambMar)

   May - Ham and Shrimp Dishes (ShrHamMay)

   June - Bread recipes (BreadJun)

   July - Grilling (GrillJul)

   August- Garden Delights (GardAug)

   September - Salsa, Corn and Jelly (SCJSep)

   October - Squash Dishes 

   November - Pumpkin Recipes 

   December - Herbal Cocktails 

Paper Bag Salmon with Asian Salsa - Weekend Recipe

This salsa is made to go with fish.  The tangy flavors are perfect for a rich fish like salmon.

Paper Bag Salmon with Asian Salsa

1 lemon

4 salmon fillets, about  1/3 pound each, skin and bones removed

1 Tbls vermouth, or brandy

salt and pepper, to season

Salsa of Asian herbs

¼ cup olive oil

4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

1 Tbls soy sauce

1 tsp fish sauce

½ tsp sugar

1 small red onion, finely chopped

1 roma tomato, seeds removed and cut into fine dice

1 small Lebanese or English cucumber, peeled, seeds removed and chopped into fine dice

1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped

1/2 cup spearmint or apple mint, finely chopped

1/2 cup Thai basil, finely chopped

1/4 cup crispy fried shallots (optional)

Directions

For the fish

Pre-heat your oven to 400F.

Thinly slice half of the lemon, reserving the other half for the salsa. Place the lemon slices on a sheet of parchment paper on a baking sheet and arrange the salmon fillets on top so they are tightly packed and touching.

Sprinkle salmon with the vermouth and season with salt and pepper. Pull the parchment up over the fish and fold to enclose the salmon and bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes until cooked through.

While salmon is cooking prepare the Salsa.

For the salsa, heat the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat and fry the garlic until lightly browned and fragrant. Add the soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar and the juice of the reserved half lemon and set aside to cool. Chop onion, tomato, cucumber and herbs and place in a medium sized bowl.  Once the garlic mixture is cool, combine it into onion, tomato, cucumber and chopped herbs in the bowl. Make sure the herbs are well mixed in.

To serve, open the salmon parcel and cover the salmon with the salsa and sprinkle with crispy shallots.

To find any recipe featured this month - use the search box and type: SCJSep

To find any theme recipe from this year type: recipe2018

For 2018 the monthly recipe themes will be:

   January - Chicken Soup (ChickJan)

   February - Beef Stew (StewFeb)

   March - Jambalaya (JambMar)

   May - Ham and Shrimp Dishes (ShrHamMay)

   June - Bread recipes (BreadJun)

   July - Grilling (GrillJul)

   August- Garden Delights (GardAug)

   September - Salsa, Corn and Jelly (SCJSep)

   October - Squash Dishes 

   November - Pumpkin Recipes 

   December - Herbal Cocktails 

Lemon Verbena Lady's Pineapple Sage Jelly

This month the theme is corn, salsa and jelly.  I have located a few herb jelly recipes from some great herb jelly makers, with salsa and corn recipes from my archive to utilize the fact that the tomatoes and corn are at their prime.  I am teaching some canning classes this fall so I thought I would experiment with recipes I can include in the classes and share those with you!

This first recipe is a Pineapple Sage Jelly - I love this plant and unlike many herb is flowers very late in the season and is a great nectar plant for late season pollinators.

Lemon Verbena Lady's Pineapple Sage Jelly 

Makes four ½ pint (8-ounce) jars 

As many of you know my favorite herb is Lemon verbena.  It is not native to zone 5a, so I grow it in pots, but I have traveled to Guatemala and seen it in its natural habitat growing 6 to 10 feet tall. Early in my herb career I found the blog of LemonVerbena Lady.  Someone who loves this herb as much as I do.  A writer for many years for Herb Companion and Mother Earth News, she was a maker of herb jelly regularly and I love her recipes better than most I find.  So with a Jelly theme, I thought I must share one of hers first.  She suggests that you use one 12-ounce can of Old Orchard Pineapple Juice, frozen concentrate, reconstituted with 3 cans of water instead of a purchased pineapple juice.  She says one can will give you enough juice for three recipes of this jelly.

2 cups of pineapple juice
1 1/2 cups pineapple sage leaves, packed
3 1/2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons of rice wine vinegar, white wine vinegar OR lemon juice, your choice of one
1 pinch of salt
1 pouch of liquid pectin

Directions:

Wash and dry the pineapple sage in paper towels, then coarsely chop it. Put the pineapple sage in a large saucepan, and crush the leaves using the bottom of a glass. (or use a food processor.) Add the juice, bring slowly to a boil, and boil for 10 seconds. Remove the saucepan from the heat, cover, and let sit for 15 minutes to steep.

Photo courtesy of Lemon Verbena Lady

Strain 1 1/2 cups of liquid from the saucepan and pour through a fine strainer into another saucepan. Add the vinegar of your choice (or lemon juice), salt and sugar, and bring to a hard boil while stirring. When the boil can't be stirred down, add the pectin. Return to a hard boil that can't be stirred down and boil for exactly 1 minute, then remove saucepan from heat.

Skim off the foam and pour the hot jelly into four hot, sterilized (in boiling water for 10 minutes) half-pint jelly jars. Leave 1/2-inch (or less) headspace and seal at once with sterilized 2-piece lids. I just leave my lids in hot water not boiling until you need them. Can the jars in a boiling water bath for 5 minutes.

To use: I would use this jelly on thumbprint cookies, cream cheese and crackers for a quick appetizer or a teaspoon or two as a glaze for the last 15 minutes of baking chicken or pork.

To find any recipe featured this month - use the search box and type: SCJSep

To find any theme recipe from this year type: recipe2018

For 2018 the monthly recipe themes will be:

   January - Chicken Soup (ChickJan)

   February - Beef Stew (StewFeb)

   March - Jambalaya (JambMar)

   May - Ham and Shrimp Dishes (ShrHamMay)

   June - Bread recipes (BreadJun)

   July - Grilling (GrillJul)

   August- Garden Delights (GardAug)

   September - Salsa, Corn and Jelly (SCJSep)

   October - Squash Dishes 

   November - Pumpkin Recipes 

   December - Herbal Cocktails