Grandpa's Home Cooking

Irish Beef Stew

Farmers Market, Dingle, Ireland, August 2011

I wanted to make a good Irish Stew as soon as soon as we returned home from Ireland. How nice it would have been to buy the ingredients at the Dingle, Ireland, Farmers Market. But I found great local produce here in Durham, North Carolina.

I didn't have an Irish Stew recipe that suited me, but I found one on the Internet and then adapted it to make the stew I had in mind. Here are the ingredients I bought to make the stew. 

Ingredients:

• 8-10 nice firm red potatoes cut in bite-size chunks
• 6 carrots, peeled, sliced into thick chunks
• 4 stalks celery, cut in chunks
• 4 bay leaves
• 3 pounds stew beef (chuck) cut into bite-size chunks 
• 1 cup flour, put into a bowl to roll meat
• salt
• pepper
• garlic powder
• olive oil
• 1 large onion , diced
• 4 large garlic cloves, minced
• 2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce
• 32 ounce box of beef broth
• 1 envelope of onion soup mix
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 (12 ounce) Irish beer (A stout is nice!)

Note that some Irish farm folks might use lamb instead of beef as thousands of sheep can be seen as you drive through the beautiful contryside of quilted emerald green fields. They also raise beef, but you see more sheep than cows as you drive through the country. Tis lovely! 

Instructions:

This recipe requires a large crock pot and will provide at least 10 servings, so you may wish to halve the recipe. And it is good enough to have!

Put your vegetable chunks in the bottom of your crock pot. All those pretty potatoes, carrots, and celery.  Throw 2 bay leaves on top.

Pour a couple of Tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet, set it on a burner of your stove and turn the heat to a medium setting. Mix the flour salt, pepper, and garlic pepper in a bowl.  Coat each chunk of beef in flour and brown the  chunks of beef. You'll likely need to brown the meat in 3 batches. Add more olive oil to the skillet for each batch.  Toss the browned beef into the  crock pot. Keep the skillet hot.

Add the onion and garlic to the same skillet and saute the onions until they're translucent. Then scoop the onions into the crock pot. Then pour a little beef broth in the skillet to deglaze the pan, making sure to scrape up the brown bits and pour these goodies in the crock pot.

Mix the remaining beef broth with the tomato sauce, onion soup mix, and remaining seasonings. Add this goodness to your crock pot. Now pour a nice 12 ounce Irish beer intpo the crock pot. If you figure you need a little more liquid, you can open a second beer. Pour a little into the crock pot and drink the rest!

Now you can cook the stew in your crock pot for 8 lovely hours and sniff your day away getting hungrier and hungrier for a golden bowl of Irish Stew. If you don't have 8 hours, start the crock pot on the high setting for an hour or so and then turn it down to low.

Serve this with Brown Irish soda bread. If you don't have the time to bake the bread, eat the stew with a crusty peasant bread.  Serve the stew with your favorite beverage and enjoy!

Two pictures follow; 1) the Irish Stew and, 2) a picture from an Irish Pub where you might order a similar stew and enjoy some traditional Irish music while you're eating.

These locals gather at one pub just about every night to make lovely music. The guy on the drum uses about a 4" bone rod wedged between the little index finger (over his 2nd and 3rd finger) and moves his hand back and forth rapidly to make 2 beats and does it so fast that your eyes can't follow it. He is very, very good. Many, if not most, Irish play instruments and sing. There are pubs all over the place and about all of them offer traditional Irish music every night. This is an Ennis pub. We stayed in Ennis one night in route to Dingle. Ennis is a nice small, old fashioned Irish town.  Notice that one person was drinking a beer, 3 were drinking coffee, and 1 an orange juice. A good deal more patrons were drinking a Guinnis, but a t surprising number of customers were drinking coffee or a soft drink. Pubs are family places in Ireland. You'll see children their with their parents. We heard two little Irish girls, one in each of  two pubs, rise to sing a ballad to the customers. I didn't see any tipsy people in any of the many Irish pubs we visited.

Just A Monday Night Pot Roast

So what makes this roast different than your exquisite Sunday pot roast? Well, that you prepared a delicious pot roast to make Monday night special. It is also a simple meal to prepare. This pot roast was slo-roasted in my cast iron Dutch oven and in a 325 degree oven. And, the flavor of this roast was sensational.

Note: If you're only cooking for one,  you can 1) make yourself a complete pot roast. Eat what you want and freeze the extra servings. Thaw and warm the extra servings when you want them, or 2) roast a steak in a small Dutch oven, using the same ingredients, and roast either in the oven or a mini-crock pot.  Yeah, they make  and sell small crock pots for single folks. 

I browned all sides of the perfectly marbled chuck roast in my well seasoned Dutch oven.  Then I added all of the layers of flavor. I used my big fork to raise the roast enough to fill the bottom of the pot with chopped Vidalia onion. I then poured all of the liquid ingredients on the roast. Then I tucked the vegetables around the side of the meat. This resulted in a beautiful presentation and a delicious roast. I covered the Dutch oven with my cast iron lid and slid the pot into my pre-heated 325 degree oven at 2:00 pm. I forgot the pot until 6:00 pm when I took it from the oven, removed the lid, and smiled. Picture perfect. But the real reward was when we started eating the roast. There were a lot of "Oh this is delicious" remarks from those about the table.

It is important to select a well-marbled chuck roast. Don't buy too lean a roast or you'll likely serve a tough piece of meat. And I avoid picking up a roast with big chunks of fat. I look for a piece of meat that has nice thin lines of fat throughout the beef. If you don't see what you want, ask the butcher to show you "a nicely marbled roast." They'll find one!

Ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 3-4lb well-marbeled chuck roast. A 4 lb roast is pictured.
• 1 large onion, chopped (I like sweet whites, but yellow onions are also good)
• 1 10 oz can of cream of celery soup
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup water
• lavishly pour Kitchen Bouquet (liquid gold!) over the meat*
• 4 stalks celery, cut in 1-2 inch chunks
• 3-4 leeks or large green onions
• flour
• salt and pepper

* Never forget to use the Kitchen Bouquet 'gravy mix' that great grandma, grandma, and your mother used to make pot roasts! You'll likely find it on the sauce aisle of your supermarket (but not at Whole Foods). You got to go Krogering or to the Food Lion to buy Kitchen Bouquet's liquid gold. They better never quit selling this good stuff!

Instructions:

Put enough flour in a pan or on a plate to coat all sides of the beef. Press each of the four sides of the beef into flour. Salt and pepper the meatboth sides of the floured meat. Put 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a Dutch oven and put the pan on a medium hot stove burner. Brown all sides of the meat. Add the liquids. Arrange vegetables around the sides of the roast. Cover the Dutch oven and slide it into a preheated 325 degree oven.  Remove the pan from the oven in 4 hours. The roast should look beautiful and perfectly cooked and ready to carve and eat.

I set the Dutch oven on a straw pad on the table and cut and serve the meat and vegetables each person's plate at the table. We pass the serving bowls of mashed potatoes and sweet baby peas and eat the delicious Monday night meal to kick off the beginning of another happy week.

 

Cukes & Onions and Tomatoes Are In

Nothin' could be fina than sittin' down to eat Grandpas cukes n' onions and a big ol' tomato fresh from the garden on a summer's eve. If you're like me, you'll want more love. So I'd serve some other garden treats like hot corn on the cob drippin' with butter and salted well, and while you're at it, why slide not a pan of slo-roasted vegetables on the table.  This is a garden love feast. Serve it all up with a pitcher of sweet iced tea. You're looking at a gallon jug of cukes & onions that I can pull out of our refrigerator for a great instant meal side.

You'll find my cukes and onions recipe, dated just over a year ago, June 7, 2010, in my category for Side Dishes. Just look at my blog Category List in the right column of the blog and click on side dishes. Then scroll down until you come to the cukes and onions recipe. Also look at the Cottage Cheese Farm Salad recipe which follows the Cukes & Onions recipe. Cottage Cheese Farm Salad also includes fresh summer cucumbers and tomatoes.

I've constructed this blog to be just like a cookbook so that you can easily find recipes I've posted in the past. This is a recipe you don't want to forget!

Put a crock of cukes & onions on your table for lunch and supper. They offer goodness and a fresh bright taste to every meal. Add them to your salads. Eat them for a snack. 

It's a great time to visit your local farmers market and stock up on wonderful fresh produce.

Salmon With Lemon & Honey

My father, Lloyd Pipes, often said to me, "Son, food must look good, smell good, and taste good to be good. We eat with all of our senses. So you must always make sure the food you serve looks good, smells good, and tastes good." I prepared this salmon to meet his criteria.

Served simply with a baked potato and a nice garden salad, this is a perfect supper.

Ingredients:

• Fresh Atlantic Salmon
• Extra Virgin Olive oil
• Honey
• Lemon
• Parsley for garnish

Instructions:

There are, it seems, endless ways to prepare fresh salmon. Here is a ways that tastes good, smells good, and looks good.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Wash and then rub the salmon with extra virgin olive oil and place the fish in a baking dish. Spread honey over the top of the fish. Squeeze lemon on the fish and then put slices of lemon on top of the fish. Bake the fish until it is cooked through, about 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillet. Plate the fish and garnish the plate with a fresh green such as parsley.

Monet’s Soup: Potage à la Dauphine

First I will share with you a little retro scene brought up to date in today's real world. I will then share the recipe. Then I will present the Mrs. verdict. Did she like the soup? And finally, I will present a picture of our kitty, Frisky, who is always nearby and sniffing when grandpa is cooking.

Some of you folk may recall a classic 1940s or 1950s scene between a husband and wife. George comes home from the foundry, swinging his lunch pail and smiling broadly as he climbs the steps of 'his' old front porch. He greets Florence with a peck on the cheek, and he says, “Hi Honey, I'm starving, what’s for supper?” The wife trembles a bit, smiles, and fearfully replies “I’ve cooked something new to surprise you George.” His smile disappears and he says, “Like, what?” Florence announces her special creation. And George raises his nose and gives her a :-(,

Now here's an up-to-date 2011 version of this old story brought to life. The husband is the cook.

My wife comes to the front porch to greet me this morning before going to work. I was sitting in an old fashioned, 1940's style  white wicker chair, and I was looking at Monet’s cookbook. I cautiously said, “Hey, sweetheart, I’m going to make you a very special Monet soup for our supper. It will be great with a wonderful spinach salad and a glass of chilled Pinot Grigio on what will be a very hot night.” Nancy’s big smile gives way to a questioning look :-? She deadpans, “Uh, what kind of soup, Ross?” I gave her my big smile and said ... "It's a Claude Monet soup ... it's his Potage à la Dauphine!"

"What kind of soup, Ross:-?"

"Oooh ...  ees what will be a wonderful cream of turnip soup :-!"

The Mrs. wrinkles her nose way up and gives me one of these replies: :-(, 

A discussion follows and Grandpa agrees to a modification. He will add brocolli florets to jazz up the taste a bit, to give the soup more flavor. Here's the recipe and then I will tell you the outcome. Does the Mrs. like the soup?

Ingredients:

• 6-8 small white turnips (about 1 1 /4 pounds)
• 1 & 1/2 quarts of water
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, cut in slices to ease melting (1 stick)
• 2 cups of light cream half & half, or 1/2 cup salted butter, cut in slices (I used half & half)
• 1-2 cups of broccoli florets (the Mrs. idea, optional)
• Salt, pepper, & garlic powder to taste*

(*Combine 1 cup of salt, 1/4th cup of black pepper, and 1/4th cup of garlic powder in a jar. Cap the top and shake. Use your fingers to sprinkle the seasoning mix. Keep your jar handy and use the seasoning mix often.)

Instructions:

Cut off the leaf and root. Scrap and wash the turnips well. You may want to use a potato peeler to take off the outer skin. Put the turnips in a pot with 1 & 1/2 quarts of water and the 1/4 cup of the sliced butter. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer over low heat for about 30 minutes or until the turnips crush easily. 

Strain and reserve the liquid. Use a potato masher to puree the turnips. Pour the liquid back over the turnips. Put the pot back on a very low heat. While the liquid and puree'd turnips are reheating, add the half & half, cream, or butter slices. Stir until the mixture is smooth. Do not let the soup boil. Season the soup with the mix of salt, pepper, and garlic powder and taste:-)  (so that you'll know how Monet tasted the soup!) Then, if you wish to do as the spouse suggests, add the brocolli florets and keep the pot simmering until the brocolli is soft and the soup is hot. Serve with the pride you feel when you have prepared a special dish for your love. 

Serve the soup with a big spinach salad and with artisan French bread and butter. Claude Monet wanted a soup served at the beginning of every meal. 

The verdict: "It's very good!" 

And finally, here's a picture of our kitty, Frisky, with her tongue out!  

Roasted Poblano Pepper and Corn Chowder

This is a really nice soup with just enough warmth to soothe your soul.  It is gentle. You need not worry about it being too spicy. It contains wonderful ingredients and has a rich  taste. Serve Roasted Poblano Pepper and Corn Chowder as a meal or to compliment a meal. It is so good that the people at your table are likely to eat the entire pot of soup in one setting.

Double or triple the recipe to serve it to a crowd. This is a terrific soup to serve to a group.

Ingredients:

• 1-2 Tbsp butter
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 ½ -2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• 2 red potatoes, diced with skin on
• ¼ tsp cumin
• 1/8 tsp red pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 14.5 oz cans cream style corn
• 1 can evaporated milk
• 8 oz. cream cheese, cut in pieces
• 1 large poblano pepper, roasted, peeled, and diced*

* To roast the pablano pepper: Cut off the top of the pepper and take out all of the seeds. Place on a foil-lined baking sheet about six inches under broiler. Broil on each side for about 5-6 minutes. The skin should be blistered. Remove the pepper from oven and wrap it in the foil. Put the foil/pepper in a zip-topped bag and let it rest for at least 10 minutes. When you're ready to make the soup, unwrap the foil and peel the skin off of the pepper. Then dice the pepper pulp.

Instructions:

Melt butter in soup pot, add onion, and sauté until tender. Add 1 ½ cup vegetable or chicken broth and diced red potatoes and seasonings. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10-12 minutes until the potatoes begin to get tender. Add the cream corn and evaporated milk. Simmer another 10-12 minutes. Add the cream cheese and the diced poblano pepper. Stir and heat until the cream cheese is melted, and the soup is hot (but not boiling). Serve this soup with tortilla chips or a good crusty artisan bread.

This soup will become a favorite!

Strawberries Forever

Grandpa created this dessert in 1978 when I was dating Nancy. I had invited her to come to my apartment for dinner. I was shopping for our meal at the Treasure Island store on the near north side of Chicago. As I selected special foods, I began to think, "What will I do for a special desert?" I came up with this idea and set about to make it a reality. It was very special. Nancy loved it and said, "What do you call this?" I came up with the name in a flash and said, "Strawberries Forever." You must taste this dessert to fully appreciate the name!

Ingredients:

• Premium strawberry ice crean
• Fresh, red ripe strawberries, cut into quarters
• Amaretto Di Saronno (The original Italian Liqueur)*
• Whipped cream

*Buy only this brand or you'll be disappointed. What is it? It tastes like an almond liqueur. Therefore, people assume it contains almonds. It does not. It is a combination of fruits and spices. But it tastes soooo delicious you might wish to drink a little glass of it from time to time, especially after a memorable meal. I suggest you buy a large bottle.

Instructions:

Put a luscious big scoop of premium strawberry ice cream in a glass. Spoon fresh red ripe strawberries on top of the ice cream. Pour Amaretto di Saronno Italian liqueur over the strawberries and watch it slide down over the ice cream. Ahhhh yes. Now pull another big scoop of premium strawberry ice cream from the container and put it on top of the strawberries. Spoon more cut strawberries on top of the ice cream. Then pour more Amaretto di Soronno on top of the strawberries. How much do you pour?:-) Well, as much as you like. Remember. This is for your love. Finally, cover the top with whipped cream and top the creation with a whole fresh strawberry.

Salmon With Honey & Ginger

Here's a wonderful way to prepare fresh salmon. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray a suitable baking dish with cooking oil. Lightly coat both sides of the salmon with extra virgin olive oil. Put the salmon in the baking dish, skin side down. Cover the top meat side of the salmon with wildflower or orange blosson honey. Peel a piece of fresh ginger. Use your grater or a sharp paring knife to chop fine pieces of fresh ginger all over the top of the salmon. Bake the salmon to your satisfaction for 20 to 30 minutes.  This is so delicious I may now use this recipe everytime I prepare salmon, which is about twice a week.

Some people who have medical issues just rub their salmon with extra virgin olive oil and bake it. I know of folks who eat salmon every night and say it has improved their medical. Whn I told my doctor I eat salmon at least twice a week he said, "Excellent!" 

Irish Pub Stew

Twill be St. Patty's Day before you know it, so you may want to get the ingredients to make this Irish Stew. There are pubs in Ireland that make this stew every day of the year for the lads and lassies who eat at their establishment. I got the recipe from the book Irish Pub Cooking and I made a pot of the stew for our dinner yesterday. We'll enjoy it again tonight.

You'll want to serve this stew in bowls with the juices. I put some on a plate to photograph the goodness of the stew.

"Pull up a stool, sup a pint, and tuck into some delicious pub food."

Ingredients:

• 4 Tablespoons of all purpose flour
• 3 pounds of lamb, cut in chunks
• 3 large onions, chopped
• 3 carrots, sliced
• 1 pound of potatoes cut in chunks
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• A scant 3 1/2 cups of beef stock (A carton of beef stock contains 4 cups)
• Salt and pepper
• 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsely to garnish

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.

Put the flour in a plastic zip lock bag with some salt and pepper and shake the bag to mix the ingredients. Add the chunks of lamb to the bag and close and shake the bag to coat the meat. (You'll need to do this in batches.)  Arrange the chunks of floured lamb in layers on the bottom of your large casserole dish.

Add a layer of onions, then the carrots, and finally the potatoes. Sprinkle on the thyme and then pour in the beef stock. Cook your casserole for 3 hours. Garnish the bowls of stew with chopped parsley.

Maple & Thyme Baked Salmon

Here's a wonderful way to prepare, bake, and serve fresh salmon. Put a nice coat of your best Vermont Maple syrup, seasonings, and chopped fresh thyme on a beautiful piece of fresh salmon and bake the fish at 350 degrees for 18-25 minutes. It's a healthy choice and mild in flavor. A light coating of maple syrup provides a delcate sweetness. Dressed and baked with the leaves of aromatic thyme you'll enjoy a delicious taste and a visually attractive entre. We eat with our eyes, nose, and taste so all of our senses are blessed with this wonderful fish. You can easily prepare this sensational salmon as well as a pricey gourment restaurant.

I saw a similar presentaion in the food section of our local newspaper and I made a very slight adjustment to the preparation instructions for this recipe. The fish looked and tasted so nice that my wife said she would like have it often. The portion pictured can be halved for a generous serving for two (each serving is about a half pound).  Serve more or less to your need, but allow  a two to three inch wide cut from a center section of a fresh salmon filet for each person. This amount is all a person needs for a great meal. Serve the fish with a baked sweet potato, sauteed fresh asparagus, and a dazzling salad and you'll enjoy a perfect and healthy meal. 

Ingredients:

• 1-2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil
• A nice piece of fresh Atlantic salmon
• 2 -3 Tablespoons of fresh lemon thyme (or regular thyme), chopped
• Seasonings*
• Maple syrup

* I make a well balanced blend of a seasoning mix.  Combine 1 cup of salt, 1/4th cup of black pepper, and 1/4th cup of garlic powder in a wide-mouth jar. Cap the jar top and shake the seasonings well. Use your fingers to sprinkle several pinches of the seasoning mix on both sides of the salmon.

Instructions:

Lightly grease a baking dish with a very thin coating of olive oil. Season both sides of the salmon with a light dusting from your seasoning jar containing a mix of salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Rub a light coating of maple syrup on both sides of the fish. Place the fish in a lightly oiled baking dish and bake the fish in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. A very thick cut might require an aditional amount of baking time. 

Note: If the supermarket where you shop does not have fishmonger to service their fish department, just pick out a package of wrapped salmon that is big enough to meet your serving needs. If there is a fishmonger available, ask the person to cut enough salmon to serve an approximately 2 & 1/2 to 3 inch serving per person wedge from the center a salmon filet. You could ask the fishmonger to trim off the skin off of the salmon filet, but it isn't  necessary to remove the skin and perhaps easier to manage with the skin.

Roasted Maple Pork Tenderloin, Braised Red Cabbage, & Black-eyed Pea Salad

Here's the finale! A delicious and tender roast pork tenderloin. Serve this roast with a braised red cabbage and a black-eyed pea salad and you'll have a great dinner. (Scroll down or use the index to find the recipe for the braised red cabbage and black-eyed pea salad sides.) 

This is a delicious meat option that is often overlooked. Although called tenderloin, the meat may not be tender if not carefully prepared. The cook can influence the outcome. The tenderloin is the leanest cut of pork. As you know, without fat, meat may end up being really tough--unless you prepare the meat to achieve a better result.

Great grandma used her muscle power and a great big sharp kitchen fork to tenderize lean meat. You can do the same--or--you can use a modern hand tool, such as a Jaccard Tenderizer, to get a super result. Put the tool on the meat and push down. This tool has many blades to penetrate the meat. Secondly, great grandma didn't overcook the meat. When she looked in the oven, and she may have even poked the center of the roast with her index finger, she knew when the meat was done just right. Great grandma may have also used her carving knife to make a cut in the middle of the roast to see if it was still slightly pink.

A roast ought to be still slightly pink in the center to be done just right! You lose the pink and you've over-cooked the meat and it's going to be d-r-y and t-o-u-g-h. Fortunately you and I have the option to buy an instant read thermometer and check the roast temperature often enough to make sure we do not cook the meat beyond 160 degrees. That is done! If you don't have an instant read thermometer--use your eyes to look for doneness, your index finer to feel the doneness, and cut into the center of the roast with your carving knife to see if the center of the roast is still a little pink! Suit your self on doneness, but I prefer to serve the meat at a bit less than 160 degrees (155 degrees), but still done. To each his own. 

The picture is of 1/2 of a 3lb pork tenderloin roast I prepared. Spoon some of the liquid from the pan on the roast (I didn't do this for the photo to keep the picture clear.) I spooned baked Granny Smith apple chunks around the roast.

Three pounds will serve 6. If you buy a prepackaged roast, as I did, and you have a small family, you'll probably have enough meat for two dinners. We like to prepare enough food for two meals. 

Here's how to prepare a pork tenderloin roast.

Ingredients:

• 2.5 to 3 pound pork tenderloin roast
• 2/3rds cup maple syrup
• 3 Tablespoons dijon mustard
• 2 Tablespoons apple cider (or whatever juice you've got)
• 1 Granny Smith apple chopped 
• 2 Tablespoons of soy sauce
• Salt and pepper (I like to use my mix* of salt, pepper, and garlic powder)

* Combine 1 cup of salt, 1/4th cup of black pepper, and 1/4th cup of garlic powder in a jar. Cap the top and shake. Use your fingers to sprinkle the seasoning mix over the meat. Keep your jar handy and use the seasoning mix often. 

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a small mixing bowl, mix together the maple syrup, mustard, apple cider, apple chunks, and soy sauce.

Get your cutting board and tenderizer tool out and set them on the counter. Put your pork tenderloin roast onthe cutting board and use your tenderizer to puncture the entire roast! Use a big cooking fork if you do not have a tenderizing tool.

Put the meat in a roasting pan. Pour the sauce over the roast. Season the meat to your liking. Roast the meat at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. Baste the meat every 15 minutes or so. After 30 minutes when the meat starts looking near done, start using your instant read thermometer to check the temperature. The meat will be done at 160 degrees.  (I prefer the meat to be roasted to 150 to 155 degrees).  When the roast is done to suit your taste, let the meat sit for 10-15 minutes before you start carving it.

Delicious Braised Red Cabbage

This is a wonderful dish to serve with a pork roast. I'll bet your family table hasn't had this braised sweet and sour red cabbage dish since your great grandmother was cooking. I served it with a roast pork tenderloin and we ate it in abundant quantities.  The recipe makes about twice as much as you see pictured. I got this recipe from the book Louis Osteen's Charleston Cuisine, Recipes from a Low Country Chef.  I took a cooking class with Mr. Osteen at the gourmet emporium, A Southern Season in Chapel Hill, NC.

Ingredients:

• 1 large red cabbage, cut into ribbons or chunks
• 1/4th cup duck fat or peanut oil (Mmm Duck fat!)
• 1/2 cup carrots, sliced thin
• 4 cups yellow onions, sliced thin
• 1 cup red wine
• 3 cups chicken stock or broth
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 ths tablespoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• (forget the bay leaf ... yadda yadda)
• 1 sprig fresh parsley
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• 4 cloves fresh garlic (a big tablespoon of minced works)
• 2 cups unsweetened chestnuts (I didn't add this schmaltz because I didn't have it:-)

Instructions:

Core the cabbage and chop the whole head in threads or bite size chunks. WOW ... its a lot! Don't fret because it will cook down and you'll be happy, happy, happy that you have it all.

Now melt that lovely duck fat in a heavy bottomed non-reactive pot (or whatever pot you got) over medium-high heat. Saute the carrots and onions stiring the pot frequently until the onions are translucent. Add the cabbage until you can get it all in the pot and then simmer the pot until all of the cabbagge is all wilted.

NOW ... have a sip of red wine from your full glass and add the cup of red wine, stock, vinegar, salt, pepper, sugar,garlic, and  herbs to the pot.  Stir the pot well. Adjust the heat to a simmer and heat the pot for 1/2 hour. If you have the chestnuts, add 'em now! Simmer the pot for another 1/2 hour.

Delicious!

 

Grandpa's Black-eyed Pea Salad

I came up with the idea for this salad as I considered a menu to prepare a special Saturday night dinner for Grandma. I'm calling it a Black-eyed Pea Salad, though it occurred to me that it could be called Grandpa's Carolina Caviar. Nancy liked this salad so much she asked me to please fix it often. Together, we ate the whole bowl of salad in two meals (about twice the amount pictured). 

I served this black-eyed pea salad with a delicious braised red cabbage and a wonderful roasted apple pork tenderloin. I'll post the braised red cabbage and roast pork tenderloin recipes soon. 

Ingredients:

Here's the exact ingredients; but use whatever you have on hand and/or what is available!

• 2 1/2 to 3 cups black-eyed peas, cooked but still firm  (not mushy!)*
• 1 cup white onion, chopped fine
• 1 cup yellow, orange, and green bell pepper, peppers chopped fine
• 1 stalk of celery, cut  lengthwise in three strips and sliced thin
• 1 carrot, cut lengthwise in three strips and sliced thin
• 1 cup chopped cucumber
• Grandpa's sweet and sour dressing (see below)
• 4 very small heirloom tomatoes (red, blush, orange, and/or yellow), chopped

* Use dried black-eyed peas. Rinse twice. Put in a saucepan. Pour water to provide two knuckles of water above the peas. Bring to a boil & tun heat to simmer for an hour or until the peas are cooked but are still firm. You don't want 'em mushy! Hold on there!! You also need to check that water level regularly and pour more water in the pan if the water gets low. You don't want burned peas and a burned pan. Use canned black-eyed peas if you must, but mark my words that they'll be too soft.

Grandpa's Sweet & Sour dressing:

• 3/4ths cup of sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup vinegar
• 1/2 cup salad oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Combine the vegetable ingredients and pour on just enough dressing to coat the vegetables. Salt and pepper the salad to taste and serve it when you feel like it:-). If you end up with too much dressing, just do a little dance and pour the leftover in a canning jar and refrigerate. You'll use it up soon enough on salads or on another batch of black-eyed pea salad. My wife likes it so much she said, "Why don't you make more of that salad the first of the week."

Here's a picture of a dinner plate with rounds of roast pork tenderloin the braised red cabbage, and the black-eyed pea salad. 

Kabobs!

Here's a great way to make everyone happy, happy, happy. Marta will not eat salmon or fish. Period. But she loves chicken, chicken, and chicken! Grandma loves salmon, all kinds of fish, and will occasionally tolerate beef, including steak. Grandpa loves steak! We all love vegetables. So grandpa fixed up this meal to give everyone what they like, so that everyone will be happy, happy, happy.

From the top of the picture down we have a salmon kabob, a chicken kabob, a NY strip steak kabob:-), and a family kabob of extra vegetables and chicken.

How hard is this? Not. This cooking project requires that you first broil one side of the chicken, steak, and vegetable kabob. Use your tongs to turn the kabobs to the flip side when the first side is cooked perfectly. Then add the salmon kabob to the rack (because fish doesn't require as much time to cook). You can cook both sides of the salmon kabob while the flip side of all of the other kabobs cook. When you see the first side of the salmon kabob cooked, flip it over to the second side. And when all of the kabobs are perfect use your hot pads to pull the pan out of the broiler.

And wala! All four kabobs are cooked perfectly and are ready to serve at the same time! 

Ingredients:

• 2 and 1/2 inch strip of salmon fillet (a Whole Foods/other store fishmongers are delighted to cut only as much as you request).*
• 1/2 of a skinless boneless chicken breast (ditto Whole Foods/other meat cutters are delighted to cut and wrap only what you want).* 
• 1 NY strip steak
• 1 large onion cut into large pieces
• 1 Orange and/or yellow pepper cut into large portions
• 1 Green bell pepper cut into large portions
• Seasonings (Marta loves Toronto Rub which is pictured on her chicken kabob, Grandma wants just a little salt, and Grandpa wants his mix of salt, pepper, and garlic powder.)
• wood or metal kabob skewers (available at most stores) 

* If your store fish or meat counter is not staffed, ring for a butcher. Ask them to cut a package open and cut and package only what you want. I've yet to find one who hasn't been happy and/or agreed to cut and package only what you need!

Instructions:

Preheat range broiler.

Add sections of meat or fish and vegetables to kabob skewers.  Set the kabobs on a metal rack on a broiler pan or in a dish as shown in the picture. Broil one side of the meat and vegetable kabobs until the food is well done. Use your tongs to turn the kabobs. Add the uncooked salmon kabob to the broiler rack. Cook both sides of the fish kabob while the flip side of meat and vegetables cook. When all of the kabobs are broiled, use your tongs to move the skewers to a sering platter and serve immediately.

You can bet that our cat, Frisky:-), wasn't sitting in "Frisky's big chair" when this meal was served. She was at her usual place on the floor by Grandpa's feet, looking up wantonly in my eyes every time I looked down. Here's Frisky all nice and cozy in her big chair.

 

 

 

Island She-Crab Soup w/ Fresh Marjoram

My 100th post since Grandpa's Home Cooking was launched March 12, 2010.

♫ If your fond of sand dunes and salty air, quaint little villages here and there♫  ... then you may love Island She-Crab Soup. Try topping it with chopped fresh marjoram. Nancy went out to our herb patch on a cold January night and picked and chopped some fresh marjoram for our soup. Ooh, oh, oh, is that a nice flavor to lift an already great soup up a notch. If you make this soup in the summer, try chopped marigold leaves.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup crab meat, drained and flaked*
• 2 cans cream of celery soup
• 3 cups milk
• 1 cup half and half
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 boiled eggs, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4th teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/4th teaspoon white pepper
• 1/4th cup of good dry sherry
• Chopped fresh marjoram or marigold leaves

*Ask the fishmonger about crab meat options. For this supper, Nancy got the soup started while I sat at a table and carefully picked the crab meat out of leftover Dungenous crab, added it to the pot, added the seasonings, and served the table. You can also use fresh Blue crab, Snow crab leg, Alaskan king crab leg, or even canned crab meat. 

Instructions:

This is easy cooking. Just combine the celery soup, milk, cream, eggs, butter, Old Bay seasoning, Worcestershire, garlic, and white pepper in a large soup pot or dutch oven. Stir the soup while bringing the mixture to a boil. Then add the crab meat and lower the heat to medium. Stir the soup until heated through. Then stir in the sherry. Ladle the soup into bowls and sprinkle the top of the soup with chopped fresh marjoram or marigold leaves. 

Here are Nancy and I pictured on our first ferry boat crossing to Ocracoke Island, NC, circa 1978.(33 years ago). We were newlyweds. I believe we got the She-Crab soup recipe from the Island Inn while we were on this trip. We would soon move to Kansas City, Missouri. A year later we returned to Chicago where we lived on the 32nd floor of a hi-rise apartment just off of Michigan Avenue. We had a nice view of the The John Hancock Center, Lake Michigan, and the Chicago Skyline. With North Carolina still on our mind, we finally moved here in 1986. 

 

Fabulous Sandwiches On 2 Buns

Hey Joe, don't call 'em Sloppy. Try Fabulous! Put this elegant meat and vegetables with sauce combination between the two halves of a hamburger bun, plate it, and dine on gourmet. This gourmet burger will expose the ahhh ... industry standard fast food sandwich ... to be the awful cardboard burgers they are. You must also know this meat and vegetable with sauce ... provides 2 fabulous sandwich options. For the second option, trying spooning this gourmet burger combination on a hot dog tucked into a delicious bun and WOW ... the kids and adults will go nuts. Plate up either or both sandwiches with chips (the one that you can't eat just one) and an ice cold diet cherry Pepsi and ...  ♫Do da, do da ...shake on over here with another of those super sandwiches♫

But. Wait a minute. Add an optional can of pinto beans to the recipe and kick this dish up at least one notch. You can still serve the combo on sandwich buns or plate some as a meat dish.

An added attraction: Dip into your Seasoning Jar and dust a little seasoning on top of your meat and sauce. (The Seasoning Jar is a canning jar containing a mix of 1 cup of salt, 1/4th cup of coarse black pepper, and 1/4th cup of garlic powder.)

Yes! Your family will love this meal. This meal could become a Friday night special!

Ingredients:

• 1 and 1/2 pound of 80/20 ground chuck (leaner if you like, but a little fats good)
• 1 medium size yellow or white onion, chopped to provide large chunks (see photo above)
• 1 medium size green bell pepper, chopped to provide large chunks (see photo above)
• 1 can pinto beans, drained of juice (optional)
• 1 can (15.5 oz) Hunt's Manwich Sauce (also contains vegetables)
• Hamburger and/or hot dog buns
• Cooked hot dogs (optional to provide 2 sandwich choices)

Instructions:

Brown the beef in a sauté skillet. Drain off the grease. I put a large colander in the sink and pour or spoon the burger into the colander. Momentarily set the cooked meat aside.

Use the same skillet to lightly sauté  the onions and green peppers. (Look at the picture above. You want the vegetables to be large chunks and lookin' good when you return the beef to the skillet.) Return the meat to the skillet and use a spatula to mix the beef and vegetables well.

Season the meat and vegetables with salt, coarse black pepper, and garlic powder (use the combined seasonings from your mixed seasoning jar ... refer to the above). 

Spoon the meat, vegetables, and sauce on sandwich buns. Serve immediately. 

Monet's Leek & Potato Soup

Soup was served at every evening meal in Monet's house. What a great idea. It sounds as if it was the customary 1st course. At our house, a delicious soup and a fresh rustic baked bread, and one of Grandma's beautiful salads is enough food to satisfy as our complete meal. Tonight I prepared Monet's Leek and Potato soup for our dinner. It is delicious. The soup and slices of a rustic French bread provided us with enough food for a hearty cold winter night dinner. Afterward, we relaxed in our living room listening to classical music and enjoying a fire in the fireplace.

I'm happy to have a beautiful used copy of Monet's Table, The Cooking Journals of Claude Monet. The book is available online and at bookshops. You might enjoy using this book to prepare meals for your table. This book contains beautiful photographs of Giverny, writing about the family's life at Giverny, and Monet's favorite recipes. The book contains recipes for Soups (11), Eggs, Sauces, Appetizers and Side Dishes, Poultry, Meat, Game, Fish, Desserts, Teas, Jams, and Preserves. I'll continue to prepare recipes from this book and post some on Grandpa's Home Cooking. 

Soupe aux poireaux et pommes de terre (Leek and Potato Soup):

 

1/2 cup unsalted butter

6 large leeks, white parts only, cut into 1/2 inch slices

1 teaspoon salt

4 large potatoes, sliced (with slices quartered)

fresh parsley, chopped for garnish

seasonings

Provides 4 servings

 Heat 1/4 cup of butter in a (heavy) pan and sauté the leeks. While they are cooking, heat 1 quart water with the salt to just below a boil. Add the water to the leeks, all at once. Cover the pan, reduce the heat and simmer for 45 minutes. Add the sliced (I quarter) potatoes, add seasonings, cover, and continue cooking the soup for 20 minutes. Add the rest of the butter before serving. Sprinkle parsley over the top of the soup. Delicious.

Now. A word about the potatoes. I researched this and learned from Kate's Global Kitchen that for making chowder and chunky soups one should select waxy low-starch varieties such as Superior, Kennebe, Red Bliss, and other white and red skinned potatoes. I selected red skin potatoes. Monet's recipe says to slice the potatoes. For ease of eating, I quartered the slices. The firm texture holds up even after a long simmer. 

For rustic soups that rely solely on the starch from the potatoes to thicken them, the best are high starch russets or medium-starch Yukon Golds.

Monet's recipe said nothing about seasonings. Adding salt and pepper is a given. However, I use a mix of seasoning which includes salt, pepper, and garlic powder. I have a glass canning jar which contains a mix of 1 cup salt, 1/4th cup pepper, and 1/4th cup garlic powder. I added a couple of pinches of this seasoning to this soup. (I warmed leftover soup for lunch the day after and it was really good.)

And there you have it. Why not have one of Claude Monet's artistic soups for super. I'll be making another of his other favorite soups soon.

Country Sausage & Fried Taters

This old *Hoosier still likes to make and eat Country Sausage and Southern Fried Taters! Yep. Just like Pappy used to eat, except this batch was made from shredded taters and on-yown instead of sliced tater rounds and shredded own-yons. I still like to fry up sliced taters, but I think the country sausage and shredded taters looks pert good together in my cast iron skillet.

Yes, I fried the taters with yellow onions in my cast iron skillet just like my great grandmother fixed 'em for pappy. And they tasted real good. Although, I must admit, I think I like to eating the sliced fried tater rounds a  bit more. Why? I don't know. They just seem to be more like the real deal. Maybe it's because they're a little greasier. (Oh I can hear the howling clear down here in NC.)

The sausages were broiled. I always broil sausage rather than fryin' them to cut back on eatin' grease. You get enough grease from eating the taters:-) And all together, it is an unbeatable combination. Specially if you put a little catsup on your plate and pull your fork full of taters, onions, and sausage through the catsup on the journey up to your mouth.  Try 'em. This is the way to put a little taste of the South in yo mouth!

Ingredients:

• 3-4 peeled and sliced potatoes or a bag of shredded potatoes
• 1-2 yellow onions, sliced (white onions are too sweet)
• Crisco:-) or vegetable oil
• 1-2 pounds of country sausage (as much as your bunch can eat)

Instructions:

Turn the heat under a heavy skillet to medium. Put enough Crisco, vegetable oil, or saved bacon grease in your skillet to fry the taters golden brown. About a fourth cup will do just fine. Use a spatula to keep turning the potatoes now and them to get them to brown evenly. When I fry round potato slices I look to fry them to a uniform golden brown. As the potatoes start to brown I turn the flame down as slow cooking is the best way to get the potatoes golden. 

I prefer to broil the sausage. Set a rack on a pan. Put the sausages on the rack. Then put the pan in the oven under your broiler. Use tongs or a spatula to turn the patties now and then until they are fried just right--just like you see them in the picture. I put the sausages on the potatoes and then set the cast iron skillet on the dining room table for folks to serve themselves.

This is another one of those meals that serves well with a glass of ice cold milk, a glass of red wine, or a cup of hot coffee. Whatever suits you! Make sure to set a bottle of catsup on the table because this provides a a fine taste to round out the meal.

*Hoosier:

Just what is a Hoosier. That's a person who was born and raised in Indiana. This old Hoosier, as were others my age, the children of ancestors who moved up from Kentucky--or in the case of A. Lincoln, folks who moved down to Indi-aner from Illinois. What does Hoosier mean? I don't know. There are many theories on this. The one I like best is that it was a quick, slurred salutation exchanged by town folk--"Hows Yor?" -- Meaning, how are your kin doing.

It has been said that Hoosiers were folk who moved up from Tennessee or Kentucky to get flat farm land or to find jobs in manufacturing. I suspect both are true, except southern Indiana is beautifully hilly.

And by the way. There is a southern state that no one considers southern. It's Indiana.

Russian Cabbage Soup

The flavors in this soup are amazing. We're going sit down to a enjoy bowl of hot Sweet Russian Cabbage soup tonight, while the snow falls all about us. After dinner, with beautiful classical music on the radio and a comfortable chair in front of a roaring fire in our fireplace, we'll still savor the flavors in this delicious soup as we enjoy each other's company. What more could you ask for? You can love this soup wherever you are and whatever the weather. And the after taste of a variety distinctive flavor's will continue to amaze you. 

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 Pounds lean ground beef
• 1 (14.5 oz) Can diced tomatoes
• 2 Medium carrots, chopped
• 1 Yellow onion, chopped
• 2 Tablespoons white vinegar
• 1/2 Cup white sugar
• 1 1/2 Teaspoons salt
• 1/2 Teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 Quarts beef broth
• 3 Tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 Head cabbage, shredded

Instructions:

1. In a heavy soup pot, brown the beef and drain the fat!

2. Add the onions, carrots, cabbage, and garlic and cook until the onions are transparent.

3. Add the last of ingredients.

4. Simmer the soup for 45 minutes or until the carrots are tender.

5. Join hands at the table and prepare for a love feast.

Wherever you are and whatever the weather, you'll have a gourmet meal with this sweet Russian cabbage soup. 

When I made this soup I pictured a peasant family gathered about a candle lit table in Siberia, and looking out their window at the snow blowing across their field. As I cut the onion for my soup, I pictured a snowy night in front of the colorful and beautifully lit St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow. I've never been to St. Basil's but I'd love to stand outside on a snowy night and look at the great onion domes.

Country Ham, Bean, & Collard Greens Soup

Here's comfort for a cold winters night. Tasty. Nutritious. And just plain good, with rich flavor, warmth, and goodness for your body. It's easy to make. You'll wish to have enough of this soup to provide at least two meals. You can use regular ham, but I like to make it with country ham. If you can't find a slice of country ham at your grocer (and you probably won't), go on out to the Cracker Barrel country store on I-Whatever. I expect you'll find a slice there. Either way, country ham or city ham, this soup's good.

As for the beans, Emeril Lagasse convinced me that canned beans are good. But if you want to mess around picking through and soaking dried beans, go right ahead.

Ingredients:

• *2 Cans of white beans (Great Northern or Cannellini will do the trick) 
• 1/2 pound country ham cut into 1/4" x 1" pieces (Put your ruler away. You want small pieces)
• 1 Yellow onion, diced into small pieces
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic (Don't you leave this goodness out!)
• 6 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 4 cups of chicken broth
• 8 oz fresh Collard Greens (Yeah, you can use spinach, arugula, or even mustard greens)
• Salt and pepper to taste (If you use country ham, you may only need add black pepper)

* If it makes you feel better, soak 1/2 pound of dried Great Northern beans over night and use them in place of canned beans. 1/2 pound of dry beans equals 2 cans of cooked beans and vice versa:-)

Heat the olive oil in a heavy soup pot over medium high heat. I like to use my cast-iron Dutch oven to make soup. Add the onion, garlic, and thyme. Stir good to combine and saute the ingredients for 6-8 minutes. The onions ought to be translucent (and not burned brown). Add the beans, ham, and chicken stock and simmer until the beans are tender, but not mushy. Now add your greens and continue to simmer the soup until the greens are wilted. 

Serve your soup with fresh cornbread. Grandma made a pan of fresh pan o'cornbread for our supper. It goes so well with this soup!

Country Sausage & Rice Casserole

This is a great one dish hearty supper. And it is easy to fix. Use any ground sausage you wish, but if you can find bulk country sausage it is wonderful in this dish. Around here the place to buy it is Cliff's Meat Market. But you can find packages of country sausage at the supermarket too.

I haven't had sausage this good in years! There is nothing to compare with fresh farm prepared country sausage. 

Ingredients:

• 2pound of bulk country sausage, browned 
• 6 cups of cooked rice (2 cups of uncooked rice cooked will yield 6 cups)
• 4-5 stalks of celery, chopped
• 1 large sweet onion chopped
• 1 Green bell pepper, chopped
• 1/4 cup parsley, chopped
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 1 cup (or more) of chicken broth
• Salt
• Pepper
• 2 Tablespoons of fresh chopped parsley

Note 1: My daughter, Stephanie, makes this dish and she adds a can of the Rotel diced tomatoes with green chiles (mild).  This sounds very good to me!

Note 2: I love white basmati rice. You can buy it in bulk at Whole Foods. Try it. The aroma and taste is wonderful.

Instructions:

1. Chop the vegetables and set them aside.

2. Cook the rice. Rinse the rice with water in a strainer several times. Then pour the rice in a saucepan. Add water to be one index finger knuckle above the rice. Boil until the water is level with the rice. Put a lid on the pan and turn the heat to low. Do not take the lid off of the rice until you're instructed to do it:-) Cook the rice on low for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, set the pan off the burner for an additional 15 minutes to allow the rice to steam. Then take the lid off the pan and use a fork to fluff the rice. Pout the cooked rice in a casserole bowl and set the dish aside.  

3. Brown the sausage in a frying pan over medium heat. Drain the excess oil. Use a spatula to move the sausage into the casserole with the rice. Stir the sausage and rice together. Set the casserole aside.

4. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

5.  Sauté the celery, onions and bell pepper in butter in a frying pan over a low medium hot burner. Add salt and pepper as desired. When the vegetables are cooked through, use the spatula to transfer the vegetables into the casserole dish with the rice and sausage and stir the ingredients together.

6. Pour a cup of chicken broth over the rice, sausage, and vegetables and stir. 

7. Put a lid on the casserole dish and put the casserole in the oven and heat for 30 - 40 minutes. If you need to keep the casserole warm for more time than is needed to reheat the dish, add a little more chicken broth if it is needed and reduce the temperature of the oven to 225 degrees.

8. Sprinkle fresh chopped parsley over the top of the ingredients in the casserole and serve. 

Serves 4-6. Multiply the ingredients as is required to serve a crowd. Make this dish for a church pot luck dinner, covered dish dinner, or bake an extra large casserole in an aluminum pan to take to the community shelter.

Crab Legs

King and Snow Crab in your fishmonger's refrigerated case is generally precooked. Ask the fishmonger to be sure. All you need do is warm and serve the crab.  How easy can it get? You can warm the crab in your oven or briefly boil or steam the crab.

If the seafood is frozen, thaw the crab in your refrigerator for about 10 to 12 hours. If you do not have this much time, you can immerse the crab legs in cold water. My experience is that a family dinner size portion of meat will thaw in cold water in less than an hour.  I don't like to thaw or warm crab legs in a microwave.

I prefer to warm crab in a steam basket over boiling water or by dropping the legs in boiling water for 5 to 7 minutes. You may prefer to preheat your oven to 350 degrees and warm the crab on cookie sheets for 8-10 minutes.

Use crab leg crackers or kitchen scissors to cut the shells and extract the meat with your fingers. Dip the crab meat in hot butter or cocktail sauce and enjoy eating this delicious treat. I find that clean scissors make the job easier.

Serve the crab legs with a salad, baked potato, and a nice white wine. I like to serve a good Alsatian Gewürztraminer. I love the herbal fragrance and taste of this wine with seafood.

King crab for the Pacific Northwest is more expensive than Snow crab. Although pricey, you can minimize the cost of crab legs by buying and freezing the crab when it's on sale.

Standing Rib Roast

There is nothing to compare with the taste of a delicious standing rib roast. But prime roasts are pricey, so when you splurge make sure you get a good piece of meat. I suggest you go to a good butcher and be specific in communicating your needs. Be generous in ordering a roast to serve your guests and family.

If you want a lean cut, ask for a lean cut. I don't ask for a lean cut and here is why. You really need some fat to get a juicy, tender roast. I tell the butcher I wish to have "a well marbled roast." This should tell the butcher you want enough fat on top and within the grain of the meat for the roast to be tender, juicy, and flavorful. The rest is up to you. Cook it long enough that it fits the taste of the people at your table, but not so long that it is overcooked.

If you demand a lean cut, expect to eat tough meat. 

First decide first on how much roast to buy. A general guideline is that you'll serve two people to a rib. Therefore, a three rib roast will serve about 6 people. 

Chefs like to serve a roast medium rare. However, most people will say they want the meat to be cooked medium, medium well, or well done. You'll often have at least one person who'll say, "Well done." So you might ask, "How can I satisfy everyone?" You may not, but here is my suggestion for coming close.

First. I suggest you not attempt to cook a pricey roast without using a digital meat thermometer. I would cook the roast until the middle is done to a temperature of 145-150 degrees. If more people ask for medium well, roast the meat until the temperature of the middle of the roast is about 155 degrees. 

Start roasting the meat at 425 degrees for 15 minutes to sear the roast and then drop the temperature to 325 degrees. I start taking temperature readings when the meat has been in the oven for about an hour. Take frequent readings. I've discovered that if the center is cooked to medium, the end pieces will be cooked to medium well or near well done. Cut and serve to your guests accordingly. Give end slices to those who prefer well-done meat. 

This plan usually works for me and it may or may not work for you. It is a challenge to meet everyones wish. It's much easier for a chef at a restaurant who can selectively heat portions of roasts to the desired doneness. 

If you want some more precise instructions and don't mind wading through a lot of detail, you might wish to refer to  http://whatscookingamerica.net/Beef/ClassicPrimeRib.htm. This site provides some nice charts to help you select your meat and determine how long to cook the meat.

Here are some do's and don'ts.

• Do rub the meat with olive oil.

• Don't salt the meat because salt draws the moisture out of meat when you roast. You don't want that. You'd like a juicy roast. Let your guests salt and pepper their meat to taste at the table.

• If you're tempted to trim fat off the roast, I'd wait until after the meat is roasted. The roast needs to be roasted with fat to make it juicy and delicious. 

• Do stand the roast bone on the rack above a pan containing about an inch of water or white wine.

• Buy roasts when they are on sale and freeze them to thaw and roast for special occasions. 

I roasted the meat pictured to medium well and was enjoyed by all. I like to roast enough meat for everyone to have their fill. If some is leftover, that's fine ... it can be sent home with guests or served at a second or even a third meal. My preference is to serve the whole roast at the table. Slice half or more than half of the roast and leave the knife on the platter. 

I like to serve mashed potatoes, green vegetable, and a nice salad with this meal.

A Dish of Hot Beans, Onions, & Potatoes

Would you like to make the job of preparing supper easier? When you're feeling fresh in the morning, snap some beans, chop some sweet onion, and peel and cut up some nice redskin potatoes. Put the vegetables in your crock pot. Pour a box of organic chicken broth over the vegetables. Season the pot with salt and pepper. Then put the lid on the crock pot and set the temperature on low. Let those vegetables cook slowly all day long. Peek now and then and stir the pot.

I would have liked to add a few more ingredients to the pot, but the family would not have approved, so I didn't. What other ingredients would I have added? Heh, heh, heh ... you can bet on it ... that I would have added some apple smoked bacon grease and a hefty shot or two of balsamic vinegar.  It also would have been excellent to add some chopped cabbage. I like'em like that. But, sometimes the cook has to instead add a dash of temperance.

Now when I was a boy, way back into the 1940's, times were tough. Those were war years. I remember I loved spending a lot of summer days and nights at Grandpa and Grandma Pipes house. They were poor. For the most part, we got along grand. I only remember being in trouble once. On the third night in a row grandma once again sat  a dish of hot cooked green beans, cabbage, onions, and potatoes on the table for our dinner. All were from grandpa's garden. I said, "You mean, we're having beans, cabbage, and potatoes for dinner again?" (Yeah, and we had already said grace.) Grandpa said, "Son, you go to your room and not come down until breakfast." I was to go to bed with no dinner. I lay in bed and wished for some beans, cabbage, onions, and potatoes. Besides, I knew there was also going to be toast and grandma's homemade jam.

Tastes good. Been even better if the vegetables and been cooked with a little bacon grease and balsamic vinegar:-)

Delicious Sea Scallops

R.C. Wilson often asked, "Just what is a scallop?" "It's a muscle." "A what?" "It's a muscle that powers the sea Mollusk to swim freely. Scallops don't have brains, but they do have eyes." "Well, how do they know where they're going if they don't have brains?" "Ah well, ahh?" 

These beautiful shells are not clinging to a rock beneath the ocean like other shellfish.  What are shellfish? Shellfish is a term for exoskeleton-bearing aquatic invertebrates used as food, including various species of mollusks, crustaceans, and echinoderms. Say what? Well, a lot more could be said, but what's the point? They are delicious seafood! And yes, they are rich in nutrients.

Aren't there little baby scallops good too? Yes. They cook in half the time and are also very tasty!

Jumbo scallops can be pricey. I love fresh jumbo scallops. But if they're priced at $23.99 a pound, I mosey on over to the frozen seafood department. There I'll find a bag full at half the cost. They taste the same but are a little smaller. I usually just salt them and fry them in a little olive oil. Today I added a tablespoon of butter to the oil and seasoned them with Herbes de Provence. You can also season them with thyme.

What are Herbes de Provence? They are a collection of herbs frequently used for cooking by people who live in the south of France. It depends on which French person you talk to as to what this collection might include. I've found there are a lot of combinations. When you buy a bottle of herbs labeled Herbes de Provence it might contain dried  marjoram, rosemary, thyme, sage, savory, fennel seeds, and basil. Others might, for example, include lavender, ginger, coriander. Whatever! The bottle you buy or the mixture you prepare is likely to be very good. 

So why not get busy and prepare some delicious scallops. Salt them and roll them in Herbes de Provence and cook them just so. Yum. Here is my recipe.

Ingredients:

• Fresh or frozen jumbo or large scallops
• Salt
• Herbes de Provence
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon butter

Instructions:

Season the scallops with salt and Herbes de Provence. 

Heat olive oil on a medium high stove top burner. Add 1 Tablespoon butter. Use tongs to set the scallops in the hot skillet. Cook them for 1-2 minutes until the one side is golden brown. Gently turn the scallops with tongs and cook them for 1 -2 minutes until the second side is golden brown. Use your tongs to take them from the skillet to a pretty plate and serve them.  They are this easy to prepare!

If you use the baby scallops, they'll cook to a golden brown in exactly 1 minute on each side.

Whether jumbo, large, or small, they are fine dining. Scallops can be served as a main course or as an appetizer. 

Grandpa's Chili, Famous Since 1949

Everyone, it seems, has their own chili recipe. And many think their chili is the best! I’m not an exception. I came up with this chili recipe in 1949. After I got home from school, mother called me from her office and said, "Son, I'm tired, I don't suppose you'd like to make a pot of chili for the family dinner." I jumped at the chance. She knew I loved to cook and that I had watched her make chili many times. But I took this opportunity to make the chili the way I wanted and invented the following recipe. I'd be very surprised if anyone makes chili like I do. But you ought try it, you might really like it.

Ingredients:

• 28.5 ounce can of original Hunts Diced Tomatoes
• 15 ounce can Hunts Tomato Sauce
• 1 can of Campbell’s Tomato Soup (an 8-year old's addition and I still use it)
• 2 cans dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed in a colander
• 2-3 large carrots, diced
• 4 stalks of celery, remove the strings and  slice
• Chopped leaves from one stalk of celery
• Large sweet onion, diced
• Water
• 1½ pounds of ground chuck
• Bunch green onions, diced
• Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon basil
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• Salt and fresh ground pepper
• A few shakes of Tobasco sauce, (or Cholula Sauce)

Mom used a little chili powder when she thought I wasn't looking and wouldn't notice.  A kid wouldn't use chili powder or hot sauce in 1949. Now I like to use Mexican Cholula sauce because it has a wonderful bright tomato taste.

This pot ought to provide 12 large servings.

Instructions:

Pour the diced tomatoes, 2-3 cans of water, tomato sauce, tomato soup, kidney beans, carrots, celery, sweet onion, onion, salt, and freshly ground pepper in a 4 qt or stock pot, and begin to heat the ingredients using a moderate setting (lower the setting if the soup starts boiling). Stir now and then.

Meanwhile, crumble and lightly brown meat in a skillet. Add salt and pepper to taste. As the meat begins to brown, add the chopped green onions, and about 5 healthy shakes of Worcestershire sauce. When the meat is browned, pour the contents of the skillet in a colander to drain off as much grease as possible. Then pour the meat mixture into the soup pot, add the spices and a couple of shots of Cholula sauce (if desired).

Finish heating until the chili is ready to be served.

I like to serve the chili with both soda crackers and club crackers and I always butter my crackers. I know. The Fat Police be on you if they catch you doing this! When I was a kid, I'd lather the butter on the cracker and then I'd spoon some of the soup solids on top and it it:-) You can't take the boy out of some men.

Now I want to tell you of something good that you can do. Make a big pot of this for folks living in an Independant Living Facility. Divide the contents of the pot into freezer containers and freeze the chili. When folks don't feel like going down to the dining room now and then, they can take a container out of their freezer, thaw it, heat it in their microwave and have a fine dinner. Provide thawing and heating instructions. 

You going to have a crowd for dinner. Make as much chili as you'll need. This is a fine meal for a crowd. They'll love being served this chili on a cold winter's night. Serve some Merlot with it, or ice cold milk if that's what your crowd might like. A glass of ice cold milk goes great with this chili.