RECIPE: Split Pea Soup with Ham

Even though it's technically 'spring', it's been cold out and I've been making  warming foods.

Original recipe: Ham and Split Pea Soup in Cooks Illustrated The Best Soups and Stews

I've made this recipe twice, and both times it was a success.  Both times I omitted the potatoes and replaced the 2.5 pounds of smoked bone-in picnic ham with a 1# ham hock. 

Split Pea Soup with Ham

Serves 6-8

• 1 smoked ham hock
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 pound (2.5 cups) split peas, rinsed and picked through 
• 1 t. dried thyme
• 2 T. EVOO
• 2 medium onions, chopped medium
• 2 medium carrots, chopped medium
• 2 medium stalks celery, chopped medium
• 1 T. unsalted butter
• 2 medium cloves garlic, minced
• Pinch sugar
• Ground black pepper
• Minced red onion (optional)
• Balsamic vinegar

Place the ham, bay leaves, and 3 quarts of water in a large stockpot or dutch oven.  Cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the meat is tender and pulls away from the bone, 2-2.5 hours.  Remove the ham meat and bone from the bop.  when the ham is cool enough to handle, shred the meat into bite-sized pieces and set aside.  Discard the rind, fat, and bone.

Add the split peas and thyme to the ham stock.  Bring back to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer, uncovered, until the peas are tender but not dissolved, about 45 minutes.

While the ham is simmering, heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat until shimmering.  Add the onions, carrots, and celery and saute, stirring frequently, until most of the liquid evaporates and the vegetables begin to brown, 5-6 minutes.  Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the butter, garlic, and sugar.  Cook, stirring frequently, until deeply browned, 30-35 minutes,

Add the sauteed vegetables and shredded ham to the pot with the split peas.  Simmer until the peas dissolve and thicken the soup to the consistency of light cream, about 20 minutes.  Season with ground black pepper to taste.

The soup can be refrigerated in an airtight container for 2 days. Warm the soup over low heat.

Ladle into bowls, sprinkle with red onions, if using, and serve, passing balsamic vinegar separately.

This soup gets thicker as it sits.  Add a bit of water if you prefer a thinner soup.

RECIPE: Chicken Roulades with Asparagus, Pimiento, and Gouda

Every now and then, I crave something 'fancy' for dinner, and came up with this recipe as a way to use up some asparagus that was languishing in the fridge.  Compared to the recipes I researched, this one is on the easy side.

Chicken Roulades with Asparagus, Pimiento, and Gouda

Serves 2-4

• 4 chicken breast halves
• 1 t. Dijon mustard
  
• 20 asparagus spears, about 4" long
• 4 slices Gouda cheese (High Mowing is similar to Gouda)
• 4 roasted red peppers*
• 4 toothpicks or wooden skewers
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 T. ghee

Before I prepare any recipe with raw chicken, I put down a piece of plastic wrap on which I do all my prep work.  I then fold it up and toss it, to prevent bacteria from contaminating my cutting board.

Preheat the oven to 375F.

Pound the chicken breasts to and even 1/4" thickness.  Snip the tendon every 1/4" to prevent it from contracting when it cooks.

Spread each breast with 1/4 t. Dijon mustard.

Cut the cheese into 1/2" strips.  Cut one pimiento into 1/2" strips. Lay these on the chicken breasts.

Place 5 asparagus spears in the center of each breast and then fold the ends in, overlapping them.  Secure the ends with a toothpick or skewer.

In an oven safe casserole large enough to hold all 4 roulades (I used a 3-quart oval Le Creuset), melt the ghee on medium heat.  Add the roulades, toothpick-side UP, and brown the bottoms, about 5 minutes.

Before browning.

After browning

DO NOT TURN THEM!  You'll just make a mess, the cheese will stick to the pan, and browning the other side won't add much to the end result.

While the roulades are browning, add the cream and the remaining pimientos to a 1-pint ball jar and use an immersion blender to puree the pepper.  STOP when the mixture starts to thicken or you'll end up with butter!  (In the photos below, I used 1 cup cream and it was way too much!  1/2 c is plenty.)

Pour the cream over the roulades, cover the pot, and bake them for 15 minutes.

Before baking

After baking

The sauce will separate but it will still be delicious!   Remove the skewers and serve!   I served them with arugula salad with avocado dressing (avocado, EVOO, balsamic, and red onion).

RECIPE: Moroccan Salad with Orange Cilantro Dressing and Pistachios

Original Recipe: moroccan-salad-cilantro-orange-dressing

I made merguez meatballs for dinner last night, and wanted a salad to accompany them.  When I stumbled on the above recipe that would use up the oranges DH bought last week, AND the last few roasted pistachios, I had to try it.  I was serving rice with the meatballs so I omitted the bulgur.

The salad tasted delicious, but I wasn't happy with the directions.  Processing the orange in my food processor made a HUGE mess and it never got creamy.   I also needed to double the amount of EVOO and ACV for the size of my orange.

The next day, an immersion blender did a better job on the leftover dressing than the food processor had done, and with no mess, so I will use it in the future.  I heated up a few meatballs and served them with the salad for lunch.  The meatballs are spicy and the salad was a nice light counterpoint.

Moroccan Salad with Orange Cilantro Dressing, Pistachios and Dates

Serves 4 with extra dressing

• For the dressing:
• 1 large orange, peeled and halved
• 2 T. EVOO
• 2 T. apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

• For the salad:
• 1 c. dressing
• 1/2 cup pitted dates
• 1/4 cup pistachios
• orange supremes from 1/2 large orange*
• 4 c. salad greens
• OPT: ground sumac for garnish

Check the halved orange for pits and remove them.  Combine the first 4 dressing ingredients in a blender and puree.  Or, use an immersion blender and a 1-pint jar.  Add the chopped cilantro and pulse to blend.

If your dates are old, cover them with hot water for a few minutes to soften them.  Chop into 3/8" pieces.

*To make orange supremes: cut away the orange peel with a serrated knife, and then separate the orange segments by cutting between the white membranes.  Cut each supreme in half.  If this is too much work, peel the orange and separate the segments, then cut each one into thirds.

Salad fixings

Toss all the salad ingredients in a bowl and drizzle with dressing.  Sprinkle with sumac and serve immediately.

Extra dressing can be refrigerated for several days.

Basmati, Merguez Meatballs, Moroccan Salad, Chardonnay

RECIPE: Roasted Salted Nuts - Almonds, Pistachios, Peanuts, or Walnuts

Peanuts are cancer preventative for blood type A, and my husband LOVES them, but organic roasted AND SALTED peanuts are impossible to find, so I've been making them at home.

For myself, while I prefer to soak and then dehydrate the walnuts, almonds and pistachios that I eat, I have used this recipe for them, too, when I can't wait the 3+ days it takes to make them.

The recipe is for 4 cups but it can be scaled up or down.
I usually make 8 cups and season each batch differently.

Roasted Salted Nuts - Peanuts, Almonds, Pistachios, or Walnuts

Thai Chili Peanuts, Rosemary Almonds, Salted Pistachios, Harissa Peanuts

Makes 4 cups

6 T. water
1 T. himalayan pink salt
4 c. raw nuts
2 t. ghee neutral oil (I use safflower for peanuts and pistachios, and almond for almonds)
OPTIONAL: 2 T. seasoning (I've used rosemary, cayenne, harissa and Thai chili paste)

Preheat oven to 375*.  I use our small toaster oven for this and make 2 cups at a time, which is exactly what the tray will hold.

* Almonds should not be heated above 266F or you will create acrylamide, a carcinogen!  They will take longer at this temperature, but will be healthier.

In a small bowl, heat the water with the salt, and stir until the salt is melted.

Combine the salt water with the nuts and stir to insure they're all coated.

Transfer to a shallow baking dish and spread in a single layer.

Roast for 15-20 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through.  The nuts are done when the inside is slightly brown.  If  you taste one, it will still be a little on the soft side but, don't worry, it will firm up as it cools.

After 15 minutes, start checking them every minute as they go from underdone to burnt very quickly.

Transfer the warm nuts to a bowl and stir in the oil.  Add additional salt and/or any DRY seasoning like rosemary, cayenne, or a dry spice blend.

Rosemary is very good with almonds and walnuts, cayenne and other hot peppers are good with any nut. 

Cool to room temperature and serve, or store in a clamp-top jar to preserve freshness.

Roasted and Salted Peanuts.

IF YOU WANT TO ADD A WET SEASONING like harissa or Thai curry paste:

If you add the wet seasoning before you roast the nuts, the seasoning will burn before the nuts are done.

If you add the wet seasoning with the oil, after the nuts are cooked, they will get soggy.



What I've been doing is roasting the nuts 3/4 of the way, about 12 minutes, transferring them to a bowl and adding the wet seasoning, and then roasting them for an additional 6-8 minutes.  You will need to experiment with your particular seasoning to see how it fares.

Roasted peanuts with Thai chili paste before the final roasting.

After roasting with the Thai chili paste, the raw green color disappears and the nuts are crunchy.  I store them in clamp-top jars to keep them fresh.

Thai chili peanuts

 

RECIPE: Pork Tenderloin with GF Rosemary Garlic Cream Sauce

We haven't had pork tenderloin in a long time, so I made this to illustrate the technique I use for making a gluten free cream sauce.

Pork Tenderloin with GF Rosemary Garlic Cream Sauce

Serves 3-4

• 1 small pork tenderloin, about 1 pound, silver skin removed
• 1 t. EVOO
• 2 t. ground rosemary
• 2 t. garlic powder
• 1 t. cayenne or to taste
• 1.5 cups heavy cream
• salt to taste

Preheat oven to 400F.  (I make this in our convection toaster oven.)

Combine the rosemary, garlic and cayenne in a small bowl.

In a shallow roasting pan, rub the EVOO over the pork, then salt the tenderloin on all sides.  Sprinkle it with half the seasoning mix.

Roast for 16-18 minutes.  Pastured pork tenderloins are generally small, and we like our pork medium-well so I cook them for 16 minutes.  If  you prefer well done, leave it in for 18 minutes.

Remove from the oven, tent with parchment paper, and let rest for 5 minutes.



While the pork is cooking, make the sauce:

In a medium sauce pan - yes, you need such a big pan because THE CREAM WILL BUBBLE UP TO THREE TIMES ITS ORIGINAL VOLUME - combine the cream with the remaining seasoning mix. 

On medium heat, bring the cream to a boil.  THE CREAM WILL BUBBLE UP TO THREE TIMES ITS ORIGINAL VOLUME!  Stir occasionally and adjust the heat so it doesn't boil over.  In the photos below you can see it's nearly boiling over!!

Let the cream boil like this until it's reduce to 3/4 cup, about 15-20 minutes.  It should coat a spoon.

Add salt to taste, and keep warm on low heat until the pork is ready to serve.  Stir occasionally to prevent a film from forming on the top.



Slice the pork into 3/4" pieces and serve, draped with the sauce. In the photo below, I filled the small pitcher with sauce, and poured what didn't fit in the pitcher over the meat.  I served it with roasted broccoli, but the sauce would be just as good with asparagus or green beans.  

This is HALF the tenderloin! 

My husband likes to use the leftover pork in a sandwich so I only served half of it for dinner and there was one small bit left!

RECIPE: Basmati with Cumin, Fennel ,Mustard and Turmeric

I had a craving last week for caramelized onions.  I also had a craving for basmati rice.  So...I created this recipe to satisfy both those cravings, using the spice mixture I love from this cauliflower recipe.   

Basmati with Caramelized Onions, Cumin, Fennel, Mustard Seeds and Turmeric

Makes 4-6 servings

• 2 cups basmati rice
• 4 cups water
• 4 T. ghee, divided
• 1 T. himalayan pink salt
• 4 large onions, chopped
• 1/8 t. asafoetida (also called hing powder)
• 12 fenugreek seeds
• 1 t. cumin seeds
• 1 t. fennel seeds
• 1 t. brown mustard seeds
• 1 t. ground turmeric (please buy one that's low in lead)

In a medium saucepan over med-high heat melt 1 T. ghee and saute the rice until it's opaque.  Add the water and salt and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, covered, for 20 minutes.  Remove from heat, put a dishtowel between the pot and the lid to absorb steam, and let sit for 10 minutes.

While the rice is cooking, in a large saute pan over med-high heat, melt 2 T. ghee and saute the onions, stirring occasionally, until medium to dark brown.  It should take about 30 minutes.

In a small fry pan over medium heat, melt the remaining 1 T. ghee.  Add the asafoetida, followed quickly by the whole spices.  Cover and shake the pan until the mustard seeds stop popping.  Reduce heat to low and add the ground turmeric.  Stir for a minute or two, then remove from heat.

Add the spice mixture to the rice.  Toss to combine, top with the onions and serve.

RECIPE: COVID Chicken Broth with Leeks, Carrots, Onions, Garlic

I'm calling this "COVID-19 Broth" because I developed it to help us resist the disease.

Several of the practitioners I follow recommended collagen-rich broth, as well as alliums (onions, leeks, scallions), carrots and garlic, to boost your immune defenses.  I needed to make more broth anyway, but I was all out of chicken feet, which are rich in collagen, so I adjusted my recipe slightly:  I increased the amounts of the above mentioned vegetables, and added collagen powder.  If you have trouble sourcing feet, this is one way to overcome that.

I made a large batch, so we could have some every day.  You can scale down if necessary.



Please read the detailed directions in this post first, before proceeding with this recipe.

COVID-19 Chicken Broth with Extra Collagen

Makes 12 quarts

3 whole chickens, with feet if possible
1 T. apple cider vinegar
1 T. himalayan pink salt
4 leeks, cleaned and chopped into 1" pieces
10 carrots, scrubbed and chopped into 1" pieces
4 heads of garlic, halved
2 cups chopped onions and/or onion skins (I used the skins, I keep a bag in the freezer)
1 bulb of celeriac, scrubbed, or 4 stalks of celery, cut into 1" pieces
1 small bunch parsley
4-5 bay leaves
1 t. allspice or juniper berries
12 scoops collagen powder from pasture raised animals

Preheat the oven to 400F.

Place the chickens in a deep roasting pan and roast until they're nicely browned, 30-45 minutes.

Fill a large stockpot with 12 quarts water (my pot holds 16 quarts) and add the vinegar and salt.

Transfer the chickens and any juices into the stock pot filled with water (BE CAREFUL - I didn't realize their cavities were full of fat, and I made a HUGE mess on my cooktop!!).

Fat everywhere!!

Turn heat on low, and bring slowly to a gentle simmer.  Adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer - small bubbles rising up through the water - DO NOT LET IT BOIL!!  If it boils, your stock will be cloudy.  Cook, with the cover on, for 24 hours.

Chicken in 12 qts water before and after 24 hours.

Add the vegetables, herbs and spices and cook for 12-24 hours.

Veggies in broth before and after 24 hours.

Strain the broth and discard the meat and veggies.  I used a large cheesemaking bag set over a colander, set over an 8-quart bowl.  I removed the solids first, using a skimmer, and discarded them.

Even without the solids, the pot was too heavy for me to tip the broth into the strainer so I used a 1-quart saucepan as a ladle! 

Removing the solids, then straining the broth.

Isn't this the most beautiful chicken broth you've ever seen?!  I couldn't believe how rich it looked and tasted!

Can you believe this is CHICKEN broth?!

My pressure canner will only hold 7 quart jars so I transferred 7 quarts of broth into an 8-quart stock pot to reduce its volume.  I set this stock pot over medium heat, to maintain a gentle boil, and let it cook with the lid off until reduced by half, about 2 hours. 

Here comes the hard part...adding the collagen powder.  

I used this recipe by Fearless Eating as a guide:  Adding collagen powder to broth

If you add the collagen powder to hot liquid it will clump.  DON'T DO IT!  When I tried it (yes, I had to see for myself) it seized up immediately and I was unable to break up the big clumps!

Fearless Eating recommends adding it to cold water, but I didn't want to dilute my beautiful broth so I transferred 6 cups of broth to a baking dish to cool.  You can see it in the 'beautiful' photo further up.

When the broth reached room temperature, I added one scoop at a time using a fine mesh strainer and whisking in-between.  It still clumped a bit towards the end, but those small clumps dissolved when I added it to the warm stock.  I used half the amount called for in the Fearless Eating recipe because I didn't want it aspic hard, just pleasantly viscous.  After adding 12 scoops I knew I couldn't add any more so I set it aside to gel.

Adding collagen to cool broth, starting to gel, solid after a few minutes!

By the time I had managed to get all the collagen into the cooled broth, the remaining broth wasn't warm enough to melt the now-solid collagen-broth so I turned my attention to the stock reducing on the cooktop.

When it had reduced by half, I stirred in half the collagen-broth.  After it melted, I transferred 3 quarts into quart jars, and put the remaining quart into two pint jars for immediate use.

I then transferred the remaining 4 quarts of stock into the same pot, heated it to just under boiling, and stirred in the remaining collagen-broth.  I transferred this into 5 quart jars which gave me 4 quarts for my pressure canner, and 1 quart for immediate use.

In the photo below are the 4 quarts of full strength stock on the left, and 1 quart of the double-strength stock on the right.  It's so rich it looks like beef stock, doesn't it!  I also couldn't tell the difference between the full strength and the double strength so I labelled them before I processed them.

Chicken broth ready for the pressure canner.

NOTE: I left 2" headspace because I didn't want to risk loosing any of this delicious nectar, which is why, if you were counting, I ended up with 4 quart jars of double strength stock and 5 quart jars of single strength which adds up to more than the original 12 quarts of liquid - each jar held less than a full quart.

 

On the left is a photo of the cooled double broth.  I add 2 T to a small mug, add a bit of Himalayan pink salt and fill it with hot water.  Imagine how stiff the broth would be if I had used double the amount of collagen!  (The cloudy stuff on the top is fat.  There would be more if I hadn't spilled it all over my cooktop!)

RECIPE: Pasta Arrabiata with Avocado

Well.  It's been so long since my last post, I need a refresher course on how to do it!   Like most people, I've been dealing with limited grocery shopping, and having to cook mostly from my pantry.  I created this recipe when I had a craving for a quick and simple pasta dish. Arrabiata means spicy, so this has a bit of a kick to it.  The fresh tomatoes, scallions, and parsley lighten the jarred sauce.

Pasta Arrabiata with Avocado

Serves: 4

• 12 ounces pasta (I use Jovial GF cappelini, which is in-between angle hair and spaghetti, and cooks very quickly, but you can use any pasta shape you like)
• 1 jar pasta sauce (I used Yellow Barn Arrabiata because it's BIODYNAMIC!)
• 1/2 c. grape or cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 2 green onions, sliced 1/8" thick 
• 1 T. minced parsley
• 1 t. cayenne or red pepper flakes, or to taste
• 1 t. garlic powder, or to taste
• 2 T. EVOO, plus more for serving
• 1 ripe avocado, cut into 1/2" pieces

Cook the pasta in boiling salted water according to the directions on the box.

While the pasta is cooking chop the tomatoes, scallions, and parsley.   Stir the cayenne and garlic into the jar of pasta sauce.

When the pasta is ready (if you break one piece apart, the opaque center should have just disappeared), reserve 1 c. of the cooking water and then drain, returning the pasta to the pot it was cooked in.

Set the pot over low heat and add the tomatoes and green onions.  Stir to combine.

Add the jar of pasta sauce.  Stir gently to combine and heat the sauce.  If the pasta is too dry, add a little of the reserved pasta water.  Taste and adjust seasoning.

Sprinkle with parsley, drizzle with EVOO and serve, topped with the avocado.


NOTE:  If you don't use all the avocado, store it in the fridge in a small glass container with some onion.  The photo below was taken after 2 days in the fridge.  It looks pretty good for a 2-day old avocado!

RECIPE: Spicy Baked Chicken Tenders

Here's another recipe I concocted years ago for a fast meal.

My husband and I only like the chicken breast meat, so when I buy several chickens to make stock, I remove the breasts.  I separate the tenders, remove the tendons*, and then freeze the breasts and the tenders separately.  When I need a quick meal, the tenders defrost quickly.

Spicy Baked Chicken Tenders

Serves 2

• 8 chicken tenders (from 4 chickens), tendons removed*
• 1 T. EVOO or melted ghee
• 2 T. seasoning (I use Old South BBQ, harissa, curry, zataar, whatever strikes your fancy!)
• salt, if your seasoning mix doesn't contain it.

Preheat oven to 400F.  I use our toaster oven, which heats up quickly.

Line a small baking pan with parchment or a silicone mat.

Lay the tenders on the mat and drizzle with half the melted ghee or EVOO.  Rub it in.

Sprinkle them liberally with your seasoning mix and add salt if necessary.  Flip them over.

Drizzle with the remaining melted ghee or EVOO, rub it in, and season liberally.

In the photo above, I used Old South BBQ and, as you can see, I don't skimp! 
In the photo below, I used Zataar.

.
Bake for 7-8 minutes.  This is a hot oven - any longer and they'll be tough and dry.

Remove from the oven, cover with a sheet of parchment, and let them rest 2-3 minutes.

Serve.  We like them with mayonnaise.

They're also great sliced and added to salad, or in chickpea fatteh (recipe coming soon!)




* In the photo below you can see the chicken breasts on the left, and the tenders on the right.  In the center of each tender is a large white tendon that will be tough after it's cooked.  I remove them.  Grab the end of the tendon (yes, it's slippery!) and slide a sharp knife along each side. 

NOTE: You CAN make this with whole breasts, sliced 1/2" thick against the grain to resemble chicken tenders, but they won't be as tender.  If  you bake the breasts whole, it will take a LOT longer than 8 minutes to cook them through.

RECIPE: Matcha Latte

Green tea is supposed to offer protection against COVID-19 (among all the other great things it's supposed to do for you), but I really don't like it!  So, I came up with this recipe to mitigate its flavor, and I can tolerate it this way.

Matcha Latte

Serves 1

• 1/2 teaspoon matcha
• 2 T. water, heated to 180F
• 1/2 t. honey
• 1-1.5 c. almond mylk heated to 180F (cow, sheep, and goat milk alters the bioavailability of the polyphenols in the tea)

Green tea is best when it's 'brewed' at around 180F so heat your water to that temperature.

Pour the water over the tea and whisk to combine. 

Add milk and honey, stir to combine, and enjoy!


NOTE: I use raw honey and raw mylk, so I do not heat the mylk, I drink this cold, and I add the honey after the mylk so the warm tea doesn't kill the honey.