Thursday, December 27, 2007

Split Pea & Ham Soup

This recipe is close to that found in Best Recipes.

Add a ham bone with a lot of meat on it and a couple of bay leaves to a soup pot with 3 quarts of water. Simmer for 2-3 hours.

Remove ham and add 1 lb of split peas. Shread ham into bite sizes bits when cool.

While ham is simmering, sauté carrots, onions, and celery over low heat until golden brown, about 40 minutes.

After peas have simmered for 45 minutes, add ham, vegetables and some cubed potatoes to the soup. Simmer until potatoes are cooked, about 20 minutes.

Serve with balsamic vinegar and diced red onion.

This recipe is very adaptable for volume and quantity of ingredients. Everyone likes a lot of ham.

Saturday, December 15, 2007

Rice pilaf with ground chuck

Another rice pilaf recipe? Sheesh!

Brown ground chuck. I used a couple of hamburgers that we had frozen. Strain out fat.
Saute vegetables - I'm using onions and carrots.

Add meat to vegatables. Add rice (I usually use arborio) and garlic and saute until nutty smelling, a couple of minutes.



Add stock, bring to simmer, and cook for 15 minutes in a 350F oven. When done, let rest another fifteen before opening.

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Grilled turkey & cheese

Heat a cast iron skillet. Add butter.
Put cheese (I used cheddar) on heavy bread. Top with turkey meat and another, buttered slice of bread.
Grill over medium heat for 2-2.5 minutes, until toasty brown.
Turn the sandwich over and repeat on second side.
Let sandwich rest a couple of minutes before cutting.

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Frittata and Brussels Sprouts


We make frittatas frequently. Its a great way to use left over pasta.

The technique is quite simple. Take pasta, mix with eggs and bake. Everything else depends on what you like and have available. We had left over spaghetti with a meat sauce.

Saute a leeks or onions and some chorizzo in a cast iron skilled. Bring the pasta to room temperature in a microwave and add a couple of beaten eggs. Mix in the sausage and leeks.

Pour the mixture back into the pan, pushing it into the corners. Top with some cheese and raw onion or leek.

Cook on stove over medium high heat for about 5 minutes. The goal here is to form a socarrat like you have with a good paella.

Bake in a 350F oven for 15 minutes. Let it rest for at least five minutes before removing from pan.

Trim the Brussels sprouts. Put about an inch of stock in a sauce pan and boil, covered, until tender, about 8 minutes.

Monday, December 3, 2007

Baked Chicken with Potatoes and Carrots


Cut a 3-4lb chicken into pieces. Remove the backbone, wing tips, and ribs. Bring chicken for several hours.

Gravey: Saute onions and carrots in a pan. Add chicken parts and brown. Cover and sweat for about twenty minutes. Add water and simmer for about four hours. Strain out solids and thicken with corn starch (I'm assuming you know how to do this).

Rinse and dry the chicken. Season to taste. Brown well in a hot skillet being careful to not overcrowd the pan.

Peal potatoes and carrots and put them in a baking pan with garlic. Season to taste.
Put browned chicken onto vegetables. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes.

Amy's Chili

3 large organic free-range chicken breasts
3.5 cups organic chicken broth
3 cans 15ish oz. each Cannelini (white kidney) beans
1 half green pepper, 1 half red or yellow or orange pepper
1 medium onion
mushrooms if you like
1 small can green chilies (like, a really tiny can) half-n-half (a couple smidgens added after everything is mostly cooked)
1 t cumin
1/2 t. ground oregano
salt & pepper
something spicy like Cayenne if you like it that way - I like to let people throw on what they like after it's cooked to please the different tastes

Sautee chicken breasts (I usually throw in minced onion and use a Chili/Lime seasoning on it). Drain and rinse the beans, then throw chicken in with rest of the ingredients except for the half-n-half. Use the spices to your liking. Cook in 3.5 quart crock pot on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours. Or cook on stove for 2-3 hours. After it's mostly done its cooking (maybe hour before serving), use holy spoon (spoon with holes) to strain out beans and chicken into small/medium mixing bowl. Use a whisk or masher or fork to mash up a bunch of the beans and chicken and add it back in to thicken it up. Then 'bout 30 minutes before serving pour in some half-n-half to finish the thickening (about half cup?).

xo