By Cathy Barrow
I’ve been a canner for decades, and for many of the early years, that meant no more than a batch of raspberry jam or a few jars of mango chutney, maybe some dill pickles. About six years ago, I began to stock my pantry in a different, more practical way. Some of that change was spurred on by a pledge to eat more healthfully, to buy food grown locally and to reduce trash (plastics, tin cans and foam packaging). But I can’t deny that a good part of my growing interest in DIY happened because I just love a good kitchen project.
Are you ready to up your kitchen game? And please understand: There won’t be even a whisper of finger wagging if you’re not embracing an entirely DIY kitchen life; but if you are trying to make better food choices, if you aim to eat locally year-round and if you want to know what goes into everything on your plate, there is no better place to begin than canning under pressure.
Let’s start with the elephant, a.k.a. the pressure canner: hulking and heavy with gaskets, dials, clamps and something called a petcock. It’s an intimidating, expensive piece of kitchen equipment, but it can change your preserving habits from hobby to sustainable practice. (See the accompanying sidebar.)
The pressure canner might look like the first stop on the road to DIY crazytown, but once I examined the groceries I was carrying home and considered which of those I could make myself, I found I was using it at least twice a month. We’re talking pantry workhorses: chicken stock, ready-to-eat soup, canned corn, plus canned black, kidney and pinto beans. Once I took on tomatoes, salsas and barbecue sauce, the investment in a pressure canner was a no-brainer.
I’m going to get into some science here; stick with me. Acidity, referring to pH and not to flavour, is the primary reason to use the pressure canner. It’s likely some of your favourite foods are low acid (high pH): onions, garlic, peppers, corn, beans and many tomato preparations such as salsas. Foods with those ingredients need special care for safe preserving. They must be brought to 241 degrees to kill food-borne toxins (such as botulism). Water-bath canning, in which jars are lowered into boiling water, brings the contents of the jars to 212 degrees and is safe for high-acid foods, such as most fruit jams, or foods that are acidified with vinegar, including most pickles. It is impossible to bring the contents of the jar to the necessary 241 degrees without the aid of the pressure canner.
With a pressure canner, you can put shelf-stable stocks (bone broth) and low-acid/high-pH vegetables (chili peppers, corn, beets) on the shelf without pickling. Tuna and salmon are sensational treats when pressure-canned and cured in oil. Your own pressure-canned meaty chilis and soups are microwave-ready staples you can feel good about sending off to your college student.
And for all you tomato gardeners and tomato canners, here’s what I found as the biggest selling point. Using the pressure canner to put up tomatoes is faster. Quarts process for 15 minutes instead of 45 minutes. For those of us who, annually, put up 50 quarts or more (ahem), I swear this gives you back an entire day of your life.
I store this behemoth in my basement and haul it out a few times a month. Making most pressure-canning recipes can be stretched out over two days, if that’s easier for your busy schedule. In the case of dried beans, I soak the beans in the morning. At dinnertime, I simmer them for the required 30 minutes while chopping and prepping. While dinner cooks, I pack the jars and prepare the canner. And by the time we sit down to eat, the canner is ready to process. I leave the whole thing to cool overnight; the next morning, I remove the jars, then wash, label and store them. At this point, it’s an activity that seamlessly blends into the rest of my kitchen life.
Cooking beans via the pressure canner is my favourite way to go. The beans’ essence seems almost enhanced, with a velvety texture and exceptionally fresh, nuanced flavour. Recently, I’ve made minestrone, black bean burritos, cassoulet, hummus and ribbolita.
What I like best about them is their broth. Steve Sando, the effusive founder of online heirloom dried bean retailer Rancho Gordo, agrees: “The bean broth, to a bean person, is just as important as the bean. When you use commercial beans you have to wash it off.”
According to the Bean Institute, draining and rinsing commercially canned beans removes up to 41 per cent of their sodium content. Of course, cooked, no-salt-added beans are more widely available now, as well as the new asceptically packaged beans. But none of them includes that creamy, flavourful broth. When you can your own beans at home, it’s possible to enjoy the broth and control, or eliminate, the salt.
No bean recipe, whether it involves cooking up a pot on the stove to eat now or preparing them for canning, can escape a debate: to pre-soak or not to pre-soak. For canning, the National Center for Home Food Preservation recommends pre-soaking and simmering beans before pressure canning. Yet the question of whether to soak dried beans before cooking them remains a sticking point among bean lovers. Some rogue home canners (I’m looking at you, Mr. Sando) are using a new method: half-filling the jars with dried beans, covering with boiling water to a 1/2-inch head space, then proceeding straight to the pressure canner.
In unscientific testing of my own, I found that pressure canning using that method gave inconsistent results; the freshness of the dried beans was a factor. Within a few months, canned older beans looked withered and loose in the jar, having absorbed all the glorious bean broth.
I pressure-can black beans, pinto beans, kidney beans and cannellini beans, as well as black-eyed peas, borlotti beans and my personal favourite, Rancho Gordo’s Moro bean, which is a sensational choice for refries. Garbanzos get a workout as hummus or chana masala. Tarbais are cassoulet-ready. Because all those beans take the same amount of time to pressure-can, it’s possible to process several varieties all at once — brilliant efficiency, to my mind. Most pressure canners hold seven quart jars or 19 pint jars, or about 3 1/2 pounds of dried beans, processed.
Jars of beans fit right into a regular dinner rotation, but go ahead and share them with two of my favourite no-fuss recipes for a big gathering.
Garbure, a classic recipe from the southwest corner of France, makes the most of all the winter vegetables in the market. It simmers away in a ham-flavoured broth until the cabbage melts into a thick and sturdy stew. Ladle it hot over a garlicky thick toast and finish with a scattering of duck confit.
Or serve a mountain of nachos oozing with melted cheese, crisped chorizo and those exquisite beans.
Still not convinced? I started canning beans at home for the variety. For years, I cooked up a big pot of beans — typically one pound of dried beans at a time. My husband and I would diligently dig in for days, but the two of us could not eat them all before they turned sour or just bored us to tears. I tried freezing them in smaller quantities, but then I was faced with frozen beans that were not at all useful when I wanted to make dinner right then and there.
Now, I reach for a glass jar of beans, homemade, delicious and just enough for the two of us.
FOUR STEPS TO PRESSURE CANNING
1. Fill the jars to the recommended head space, clean the jar rims, place the lids and finger tighten the rings.
2. Place the jars on a rack in the canner. If needed, jars may be stacked with a rack between them.
3. Clamp or seal the lid, then bring the water to a strong boil. Soon, a pale gray stream of steam will flow from the vent in the lid. Once that has been solidly coursing for 10 minutes, cap the vent with the petcock.
4. The pressure will begin to rise once the vent is closed. Keep the heat high, but once the pressure is reached, adjust the heat as needed to maintain the pressure. Begin timing the processing from the moment the gauge reaches the required psi. If the pressure drops below the recommended psi, you must start the timing all over again.
RECIPES
CLASSIC GARBURE
Classic Garbure. This thick soup-like stew (or stew-like soup) is said to be done when a ladle “stands in the pot.” [Deb Lindsey/The Washington Post]
8 servings
This thick souplike stew (or stewlike soup) is said to be done when a ladle “stands in the pot.” Use any combination of root vegetables, but be sure to include a potato for the way it contributes to the texture of the final dish. Stir in the beans in the end to keep them whole, or earlier if you want them to integrate into the broth.
If your refrigerator includes the heel of a country ham, a ham bone, a chicken carcass or other flavouring ingredients, add them along with the bacon to flavour the broth. If you prefer a vegetarian garbure, begin the recipe with the next step, adding the garlic and herb bundle to the vegetables, then proceed.
A salad of bitter greens and a bold red wine are perfect accompaniments.
MAKE AHEAD: The garbure can be refrigerated for up to 3 days; freezing it is not recommended.
From Cathy Barrow.
6 sprigs thyme
1 stem rosemary
10 stems flat-leaf parsley
4 ounces thick-sliced smoked bacon, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 cloves garlic, plus 1 large clove, crushed for the bread
2 quarts water
2 leeks, white and light-green parts only, cut into 2-inch pieces and cleaned well
2 medium onions, cut into quarters
3 medium carrots, scrubbed well and into 2-inch chunks
2 ribs celery, cut into 2-inch chunks
3 small turnips, trimmed and cut into quarters
1 medium parsnip, trimmed and cut into 2-inch chunks
1 small savoy cabbage, quartered, cored and sliced in ribbons
1 large russet potato, peeled and cut in 1-inch pieces
4 teaspoons kosher salt, or more as needed
1/2 teaspoon cracked black peppercorns, or more as needed
2 pints (32 ounces) pressure-canned borlotti, cannellini or other white beans (see accompanying recipe)
4 duck confit leg quarters, at room temperature (optional)
8 thick slices country bread, stale or lightly toasted, for serving
Use kitchen twine to tie together the thyme, rosemary and parsley stems.
Toss the herb bundle in a 6-quart or larger Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed soup pot, along with the bacon, 2 cloves of the garlic and the water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low; cover and cook for 30 minutes to 1 hour, stirring occasionally, while you prep the vegetables.
Add the leeks, onion, carrots, celery, turnips, parsnip, cabbage and potato to the pot. Season with the salt and pepper. Stir well and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat; cook uncovered for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
Discard the herb bundle (plus any bones or inedible pieces of meat that have been used to flavour the soup). Chop any other meat into bite-size pieces and return them to the pot as needed.
Stir in the beans and any liquid from the jars they were in. Taste, and add salt and pepper as needed. Cook uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring a few times.
If you’re using the duck confit, crisp the duck legs skin side down in a skillet over medium-high heat; this will take about 8 minutes. When the skin has crisped well, turn and heat through, about 5 minutes more. Remove from the pan; if desired, bone the duck, shred the meat and chop the crispy skin.
Rub the slices of country bread with the garlic, then place a slice in each wide, shallow bowl for serving. Ladle a generous amount of the garbure over each one. Top with the crisped duck confit, if using. Serve hot.
Nutrition | Per serving (without meat): 290 calories, 14 g protein, 47 g carbohydrates, 6 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 10 mg cholesterol, 1,130 mg sodium, 13 g dietary fibre, 10 g sugar
BLACK BEAN AND CHORIZO NACHOS
Black Bean and Chorizo Nachos. Assemble this dish at the last minute and serve it piping hot, so the cheese is still melty. [Deb Lindsey/The Washington Post]
8 servings
Assemble this dish at the last minute and serve it piping hot, so the cheese is still melty.
For best results, create multiple layers of chips and chorizo. Shredded chicken or pork barbecue may be substituted for the chorizo, or opt for a meatless version.
Serve with guacamole and a little hot sauce on the side.
From Cathy Barrow, author of “Mrs. Wheelbarrow’s Practical Pantry: Recipes and Techniques for Year-Round Preserving” (Norton, 2014).
8 ounces fresh Mexican chorizo, casings removed
20 ounces corn tortilla chips
5 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated
5 ounces pepper jack cheese, grated
2 cups (1 pint) cooked black beans, drained (may substitute pinto beans; see accompanying recipe)
12 pickled or fresh jalapeno pepper slices (seeded, if desired)
2 ripe tomatoes, hulled and coarsely chopped
4 scallions, white and light-green parts, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro, for garnish
Pickled red onions, for serving (optional)
Mexican crema or sour cream, for serving (optional)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Have a baking sheet at hand.
Place pinches of the chorizo in a small skillet over medium heat; cook for about 5 minutes or just until the sausage loses its raw look yet remains moist, using a spatula to break it into crumbles. It will not be cooked through.
Spread half of the chips on the baking sheet. Evenly scatter half of the cheeses, half of the beans and half of the partially cooked chorizo over the chips. Repeat with the remaining chips, cheeses, beans and chorizo. Bake until bubbly, cheesy, hot and crisp, 18 to 20 minutes.
Top with the jalapeno slices, tomatoes, scallions and cilantro, and with the pickled red onions and crema or sour cream, if using. Serve right away.
Nutrition | Per serving: 680 calories, 25 g protein, 60 g carbohydrates, 39 g fat, 14 g saturated fat, 60 mg cholesterol, 880 mg sodium, 8 g dietary fibre, 2 g sugar
PRESSURE-CANNED BEANS
3 or 4 pint jars
Use the very freshest dried beans available. Old beans will soak up the cooking liquid in the jar. There’s nothing wrong with that, but the cooking liquid is so delicious, it’s a shame to see it disappear.
Each brand of pressure canner comes with its own set of operating instructions; follow the manufacturer’s recommendations for processing.
It might make sense to process at least 5 pounds at a time, getting a few different types of beans in the canner all at once. Make a jar of any of the leftover beans to mix into soup. You’ll need 3 or 4 clean pint jars with new rings and lids.
MAKE AHEAD: The dried beans need to be soaked overnight. The pressure-canned beans can be stored in a cool, dark place for up to 1 year.
From Cathy Barrow.
1 pound dried beans, such as black, pinto, kidney, cannellini or a combination
1 bay leaf
About 2 quarts cold water
Kosher salt (optional)
Rinse the beans well, and pick through them to remove any stones or debris. Cover the beans with cold water in a large bowl or pot, and soak overnight.
Rinse and drain the beans. Add them, along with the bay leaf, to a 4-quart or larger stockpot. Pour in the water, using enough to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a murmuring boil over medium heat; cook gently, adjusting the heat as needed, for 30 minutes. Skim any foam from the surface.
Set a colander over a large bowl and pour the beans and liquid into the colander; reserve the cooking liquid and discard the bay leaf. Ladle the beans into the clean jars, filling them no more than two-thirds full. Add the bean cooking liquid, leaving a 1-inch head space. Add 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt to each jar, if using.
Slip a bubbler or plastic knife inside each jar and dislodge any air bubbles. Add more liquid or boiling water, if necessary, and remove air bubbles again. Clean the rims of the jars. Place the lids and rings on the jars, and finger-tighten the rings.
Process at 10 pounds of pressure in a weighted gauge pressure canner; check the manufacturer’s instructions. (Adjust the pressure for altitudes above sea level.) Process for 75 minutes.
Allow the pressure to return to zero and the canner to cool completely before opening the pressurized lid.
Take the jars from the canner and remove the rings, testing each seal. Rinse the jars well. Label and date each jar, then store (without the rings) in a cool, dark space for up to a year.
Nutrition | Per 1-cup serving (based on 4 pints): 190 calories, 12 g protein, 35 g carbohydrates, 1 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 0 mg sodium, 9 g dietary fibre, 1 g sugar