A Love Letter to Enid

It’s been a while since my last post, but I have a perfectly good explanation: my dog ate my homework.

You know how some people just inspire the crap out of you?  My high school art teacher was/is one of those people.

In a school where boys were expected to be jocks, or permanent residents of the metalwork room, her classroom was a safe haven for the creative Goth nerd that I happily was (still am, really.  It’s just my hair that’s less absurd).

She’s one of those “cool” teachers who never tried to be our best friend by dumbing herself down.  There was never any question who was in charge in that classroom (even my attempts to hi-jack the stereo are proof of that).  There was never any “oh Captain, my Captain” grand-standing, or such twee attempts at getting on anyone’s good side.

We learned. 

We grew.

We were inspired.

And we did all of those things because Enid somehow held that space for us.  In the course of a few one hour sessions a week she heard our adolescent gripes, perceived persecutions, and (completely self-indulgent) woes.  All the while helping us to hone our skills, find our voices, merge the two, and get it down on canvas.

After these many moons we’ve thankfully reconnected through the many-tentacled Cthulu of social media.  The only difference in my esteem of her now is that I see she’s incredible in her home life too!  Stunning photography, mouth watering recipes, a wicked sense of humour, and a geek-tastic appreciation of all things pun-related (a woman after my own heart).

So it’s in the spirit of a sheepish student walking in with his belated assignment that this post comes to you.

Shared with me as a birthday prezzie (from my beloved Enid), I give you:

Enid's Even Better Plum BBQ sauce

16 c plums, halved & pits removed
8 c apples, cores removed, and cut into chunks
1/2 c apple cider vinegar

4 cups homemade blackberry juice,
1 head fresh garlic, peeled
2 Tbsp tamarind

1 Tbsp kosher salt
1 tsp mustard
1 1/2 Tbsp fresh chopped ginger
1 large white onion, peeled and cut into chunks,

1/2 med red onion, cut into chunks
1 habanero pepper with seed, stem removed if necessary

1 c molasses
3 cans tomato paste

Put all ingredients in a large stockpot.  Bring to a simmer, and allow to cook slowly for 5 hrs or so, stirring often.  Blitz smooth in blender, simmer some more, can in boiling water for 10 min.

A few words about this (yes, I’m still arguing with teachers): this recipe is not set in stone.  For example, the first batch I made fell short on a few ingredients. I didn’t have blackberry juice or tamarind at my disposal.  I did, however, have a bag of frozen mixed berries in the freezer (blue, black & raspberries), which could be quickly thawed, and the juice pressed out of them. 

I also added a couple pinches of cumin seeds, used only white onions, and instead of habanero pepper I threw in a few dried guajillo peppers.

You can also adjust the sweetness after you’ve blended your sauce.  Honey, maple syrup, brown sugar, agave nectar etc, are all great options.  At this point you can also add other things like cayenne for extra spiciness, a bit of ground cumin, or even some smoked paprika if you believe unsmoky BBQ sauce is nothing less than heresy.

As for advice on the canning side of things, well, once more I direct you to YouTube or bernardin.ca.  This was my first attempt at canning, and as I type this the lids are still popping away in the kitchen, so who’s to say I know what I’m talking about. 

So, I dedicate this post not only to Enid, but to all teachers, and friends who are teachers, and those who once were teachers, and friends who have been inspired by teachers.  They not only take responsibility for our education (often going WAY beyond "two plus two equals..."), but it turns out they have some damned fine recipes in their repertoire, too.