Lip smacking Split Pea Soup

This is delish!  Didn't take long to make.  The ham hock is from Green Meadows farm in Hamilton.  They raised pigs on the farm this year.  Very gently smoked.

4 to 6 servings
1/4c olive oil
1 large onion finely diced (I used a white onion)
2 carrots finely diced
2 stalks celery finely diced.  (Try to make all the veggies about the same size)
1 lb bag of split peas, rinsed
11/2 lb smoked ham hock (or your leftover ham bone)
2 quarts chicken stock, water or combination (I used chicken stock)
Salt and pepper to taste. (I would put some salt with the veggie saute and wait to correct seasoning at the end.  The pork might be salty.  I didn't add any at the end)

In a large saucepan, saute onion, celery and carrots over medium-high heat.  Add the split peas and ham hock cover by about 2". (That would have been another quart and then the soup would be too thin.  So I didn't cover the ham hock just the peas.

Bring to a boil and simmer for about 1 hour until the soup is thick and the peas have almost disintegrated, but not quite.  Season.  Remove ham hock and shred.  Serve with some of the ham on each bowl of soup.

Happy Eating!

Roux Who?

A roux.  It's a thickening agent for stove top cooking.  It's the basis for many sauces and gravies.  You can thicken almost anything with a roux.

In a small to medium sized saucepan over medium heat melt 1T of butter.  When foamy whisk or blend with spoon 1T of flour.  You need to cook the flour for a minute or so to get out the floury taste.  From here add 1C of your liquid.  I like to add in three or so pours until it's all incorporated.  I like taking a little time to see how thick it's going to get and depending on the application I might add a little less or more.  Reduce heat and let it bubble.  Correct seasoning.

Some tips: 

• The longer the roux cooks the darker it gets and it can take on a little bit of a nutty flavor.  Your resultant sauce will be darker as well.  This is helpful when you are making beef gravy.
• Some people say the liquid should be hot as well.  ie.  Adding hot to hot or cold to cold.  In the case of a roux, it would get lumpy.  I don't heat my liquids....a few more spins of the whisk or spoon.

Simple, quick and a must know for all cooks!

Happy Eating!

Sunday Night Dinner

We had a great long Sunday lunch this afternoon at the Continental...review coming soon.  Being not very hungry I put together these crostini.  Heirloom tomatoes, basil, locally made mozerella and parmesan cheese.

Directions:

Slice a loaf for french bread on the angle and toast under the broiler on high.  When they come out rub with cloves of garlic.

Top with tomatoes then the basil and the mozerella and sprinke with parm.  Drizzle olive oil and return to broiler until cheese gets bubbly or brown.

Before

After...and so yummy!

Happy Eating!





Ribeye and Panzenella

Nothing better than a Rib Eye steak medium rare.  Along side is my version of Panzenella.  Pretty basic.

Chop up what tomatoes you have...particularly ones that are very soft.  Add a smashed clove of garlic that you'll pick out before serving.  Add 1/2 red onion thinly sliced.  Add about 1/2 cup or less of olive oil.

I went out into the herb garden and just picked what looked good.  Parsley, chives and oregano.  Chop finely and add to bowl.  Mix well and allow to sit for at least an hour.

If you have stale bread all the better, but if not tear up a french loaf and lightly brown under the broiler.  I had stale bread and did not toast.

When ready to serve, cut up some cucumber add to bowl.  Salt and Pepper to taste and add bread.  Coat with the juices and serve at once.

You can scale this from a dinner for one to a neighborhood block party.

Happy Eating!

Freezing Veggies.

Hi,

Being members of the "farm" we get tons of veggies some weeks.  Last Thursday it was almost two quarts of aging green beans.  Way more green beans than I want to eat in a week so I decided to freeze some.  Below is my method and some pics to help get the process across.

Steps

Get a pot big enough to amply hold the veg.  Fill with water, salt generously and heat on high until boiling.  Set up a large bowl with ice and water for dumping the green beans in after cooking to stop the cooking process.

Rinse green beans well and drain.

I pinch the end off where the bean attaches to the vine.

When the water is boiling hard, drop the beans into the water.  Set a timer for two minutes.

You want to get them back to the boil as quickly as possible.

When the beans are finished, drain and immediately plunge into the ice water to stop the cooking process.

Once cold, spread them out on a cookie sheet.  Try to make sure that none are touching.

Get them in the freeze.  When solid, take out and place in a freezer bag pushing out as much of the air as possible.  Air is the enemy of frozen food.  This way you can take out a few for a salad or all for a dinner side.



Also date the bag.  It will be a wonderful treat in December when those tasteless beans from South America appear in the market.

Happy Eating!











Cucumber Soup

This recipe was super easy...I didn't need any water to thin out at the end.  I guess my cukes had a higher moisture content.  Also added some garlicy croutons and snipped chives on top.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/chilled-creamy-cucumber-soup-recipe2/index.html

Turkey burgers with veggies

I came up with this one for dinner last night.  I think if the carrots were a little smaller, they would have fully cooked.  Still very tasty.  I find the low fat ground turkey to bland.

Ingredients
1lb Ground Turkey - 93% fat free
1 Piece of sliced white bread, crust removed
1/2 Green pepper coursely chopped
1/2 Large carrot cousely chopped or one medium
1/3 Red pepper coursely chopped
1 Clove garlic
1T Dijon mustard or to taste
3T Chopped parsley
1 Egg, slightly beaten
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350

In the bowl of the food processor, add the bread in chunks and whir until they resemble course bread crumbs, remove from bowl.

In the same bowl add all of the veggies and chop until small pieces, not pureed.  It will be about the same size as the bread crumbs.

Add all ingredients to a large bowl and mix well.

Divide into four servings and shape into hamburgers.  In an oven safe grill pan cook 4 minutes on each side and then put into oven until it reaches about 160 degrees internal temp.

Served with a large garden salad.

Happy Eating!

Home Canning Books

I really like the new edition of "Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving", c.2011 by Jarden Home Brands.  It has so many new additions since the last printing.  Some of the relishes and chutneys sound very interesting.  I'm to try a couple and I'll let you know.  It's also my bible.  Whenever I have a question about temperature, processing times, etc. I open it right up.  Also, it has step-by-step directions for canning some of the more popular veggies and fruits.

I don't know if it's still in print, but I also like a lot "Blue Ribbon Preserves", c.2001, Linda J. Amendt and published by HPBooks.  I'll bet you can get on Amazon or Ebay.

I have a bunch others but they have lots of recipes that just weren't appealing to me.  Some of them branch off into freezing, drying and other methods of preserving that are just uninteresting.

If you have special canning books you can recommend, please leave a comment.

Happy Eating!

Hard Boiled Eggs.

With the chickens, we get lotsa' eggs, well most of the time.  Here's a simple recipe for hard boiled eggs that have no green ring and a great consistancy.

In a small saucepan, fill two thirds with water and add four or so eggs.  Make sure all of the eggs are under the water.

Heat on medium high or high until it comes to a boil.  When it does, remove from heat and let stand for 15 minutes.  Then run cold water into the pan until cool enough to handle.  Peal and eat.

Works every time