Party time!

Well, it is summer and time for deck parties.  I have been very remiss this past year keeping up with this blog for many reasons.  The first of which would be the fact that I have not cooked as much as I should be!  Second, it has been a crazy up and down year.  The down is the fact that my husband has been diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer.  The up is the living that I am making him do (plus all the traveling for school I've done).  This year, so far, I have been Lisbon, Portugal; Paris, France; Tampa, FL; Boston, MA; and Colorado Springs, CO.  Trips to be taken during the rest of the year: Tampa, FL; Stratford, ON, CA (for the Shakespeare festival); San Antonio, TX; and possibly back to Tampa, FL (to see my g'pa and meet with my colleague).  This along with working full time and all the art stuff I've been working on.  I am so proud of the fact that it seems I am getting a handle on painting and drawing now.  Most proud of this painting drawn and then painted from a picture I took outside Monet's house in Giverny, France:

Oh, and I forgot to mention that I adopted these two rascals:

So, yes, I think I have a few excuses, but I think we are settling down a bit now.  And, of course, the CSA has started for this summer, so it's time to start cooking again.  I got lucky in that the CSA started in time for my first party.  I didn't get pictures of the food, but I will put the recipes up because I used a LOT of what I got from both of my CSAs for this party.

Braised Pork 

For this batch, I used my time-honored braised pork recipe, but mixed up the herbs a bit because of what I had available:

• 1 3.5 pound pork shoulder roast*
• 6 sprigs fresh thyme
• 4 sprigs Thai basil*
• 1 can chopped green chiles
• water
• salt & pepper

Trim the fat on the roast.  Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.  Place in a large Dutch oven.  Add green chiles, thyme and basil.  Pour water over all until halfway up the roast.  Bring to a boil and then cover and reduce heat to simmer for about 3 hours or until the roast reaches an internal temperature of 180 - 190F.  Remove from the Dutch oven and cover with foil.  Allow to cool until able to be handled.  Pull pork, removing most of the fat as you pull.  Serve with BBQ sauce.

Homemade BBQ Sauce

I also prefer to make my own BBQ sauce when I make my pulled pork.  And I always get positive comments when it is all said and done.  Unfortunately, I no longer have my sorghum, so I substituted molasses.  It gave it a darker flavor which I wasn't sure about, but in the end, everyone liked it.  I would like to find sorghum again because it is perfect for my BBQ sauce.

•  3 cups ketchup
• 1 cup molasses
• 1/2 cup cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup honey
• 4 thyme sprigs

Place all ingredients in small saucepan.  Heat until boiling; reduce heat and simmer 1 minute.  Adjust flavors as needed.

 Memphis-style Coleslaw

So, if you are going to serve pulled pork, you need coleslaw, right?  I don't eat it myself (have never liked raw cabbage), but there is always someone who wants cabbage with their BBQ.  And, of course, I had just gotten cabbage from the CSA, so why not, eh?

• 1/2 medium head green cabbage*, shredded
• 1 small head radicchio*, shredded
• 2 carrots*, peeled and grated
• 2 Cups mayonnaise (I used olive oil mayo)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 Cup seedy mustard
• 1/4 Cup cider vinegar
• 2 Tbsp celery seeds
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Wash and prepare the vegetables and place in a large bowl.  Mix remaining ingredients in a small bowl and then pour 2 cups of dressing over the vegetables and mix well.  Add more dressing as needed.  Allow to marinate in refrigerator a minimum of 3 hours before serving.

Bourbon BBQ Baked Beans

 And of course, since I had BBQ sauce left over and other fresh veggies, I decided to go ahead and make baked beans as well.

• 4 (15-oz) cans Pinto Beans, drained & rinsed
• 8 oz bacon*, cooked & crumbled
• 1 onion, diced & browned
• 4-6 cloves garlic*, minced and browned
• 1 large red pepper, diced and sauteed
• 1 Cup BBQ sauce
• 1 Cup brown sugar, lightly packed
• 2 Tbsp molasses
• 2 Cups homemade chicken broth
• 1 Cup bourbon (I used Knob Hill)
• Salt to taste

Drain and rinse beans and place in crock-pot.  Saute the vegetables and add to crock.  Add remaining ingredients.  Mix well.  Cover and cook for 10 hours on LOW or until the beans are the consistency desired and the alcohol has cooked down.

*CSA ingredients. 

Cabbage and Sauerkraut

About once a year, I get both cabbage and sauerkraut in the share. When that happens, it is time to make Kapusta soup. Kapusta is the Slavic word for cabbage. In my husband's family, when they say kapusta, they are generally talking about sauerkraut. John's grandmother made a kapusta soup when he was a kid from cabbage, sauerkraut and yellow split peas. This is the recipe I am using today. I wasn't sure of proportions for the sauerkraut, so I thought maybe I could find a recipe online. What I found was that this is a very traditional Ukrainian recipe. The only difference being the addition of fresh cabbage. I think the cabbage adds a freshness and heartiness to the soup, so I completely understand why his grandmother added it. It is cooking now on the stove and smells heavenly.

 Kapusta Soup

•   1-1/2 cups dried yellow split peas
•  water
• 1 large onion*
•  1 stick butter*
•  1/2 large head cabbage*
•  2 1-lb bags homemade sauerkraut*
•  64oz chicken stock

 Soak split peas overnight in water.
 

Peel the onion, cut in half and then slice thinly.  Melt butter in large Dutch Oven; add onions and saute until translucent. While onion is cooking, coarsely chop cabbage. Add the cabbage to  the onions and cook until cabbage wilts.

Add stock, sauerkraut, peas and soaking water.

Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer.

 Simmer until split peas are cooked.

*CSA ingredients 

Minestrone

I will be the first to admit that despite my Italian heritage, I have never dabbled in trying to make a minestrone.  However, I ended up with many of the ingredients to do just that with this past week's CSA, so I decided to play around and see if I could manage to do the soup justice.  Let me first mention here that I love making soups in my Crockpot.  It just makes life easier because I don't have to watch it and stir it every few minutes, etc.  So, while this is a minestrone-like soup, I wouldn't call is a real minestrone.  I am not sure than most people would know the difference, so in the end I could probably call it minestrone, but I do feel a little strange putting it out there as such.  You can be the judge.  Oh, yeah, and there is one other thing.  The recipes all call for carrots, which I did not have.  I did, however, have golden beets, so I chose to substitute those for the carrots.  It seemed to have worked, although, again, normally, you do not have beets in a minestrone.

Crockpot Vegetable "Minestrone"

• 2 cups chopped cabbage*
• 1 bunch Swiss chard*, stems and leaves chopped
• 6 Roma tomatoes*, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 3 golden beets*, quartered and sliced
• 1/2 medium Cousa zucchini*,  cut in thirds and sliced
• 4 cups chicken stock*
• 1 (15-oz) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15-oz) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 Tbsp dried basil
• 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• Kosher salt, to taste
• Fresh grated parmesan cheese

Place all ingredients, except parmesan, into crock of Crockpot.  Cook on HIGH for 1 hour, then reduce heat to LOW and cook for 6-8 hours or until cabbage is tender.  Adjust seasoning.  Serve sprinkled with fresh parmesan.

*CSA ingredients 

Cabbage

I always dread when I get cabbage in my CSA share.  Having made stuffed cabbage before, I know how drawn-out the process is.  You basically have to take a whole day to make it.  And getting the balance between meat and rice is such a difficult prospect.  Well, this week, we got one head of cabbage to split between us, so I asked my husband what else I could make with it.  I had thought Kapusta Soup (cabbage, sauerkraut and yellow split peas), but that requires some time as well, and I have a ton of cooking to do this weekend.  I also have to start packing up my apartment and getting things moved. 

My husband, whose family is almost entirely Ukrainian (there is Russian in there as well), has favorite dishes from when he was a child.  I have learned to make many of them, but there are always new ones if I ask.  Today, he asked for Fried Cabbage.  Not only is this a quick, easy dish, but it is also made entirely from CSA products.  It's not often that I actually manage to do that. Oh, and if I didn't mention it, this is probably the tastiest dish I have made in a long while, although it doesn't meet my requirements for protein. It's probably a good thing I cannot eat much of this because of my stomach size (and my guilt over the lack of protein).

Fried Cabbage

•  1/2 large head of cabbage*
• 1 large sweet onion*
• 3/4 lb butter*
• salt, pepper and caraway, to taste

 Remove the big outer leaves of the cabbage.  Wash the cabbage to remove dirt and bugs.  Core the cabbage, removing the big ribs as well. Shred the lettuce.

Just a note here: can you believe this is HALF a head of cabbage?

 Thinly slice the onions.  In a large Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium-High heat.  Add onions and cook until they are limp.  Add all of the cabbage and cook, stirring, until the cabbage is cooked, but not mushy.  Season as desired.

*CSA ingredients

Boiled dinner

This week we received a nice pork roast in the share. We also received a cabbage, Yukon gold potatoes, turnips, and apples. Since it's snowing outside, and also close to St. Patrick's Day, I figured boiled dinner would be a great comfort meal for today.

 Boiled Dinner

•  1 4-5 lb pork roast*
•  1 large potato*, diced
•  1/2 head cabbage*, wedged
•  1 large winesap apple*, wedged
•  1 large turnip*, wedged
•  1 cup apple cider*
•  7 cups water
•  1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
•  1 tsp sea salt

 Place vegetables and apples in bottom of crock. Place roast on top. Pour cider and water over roast and add spices and salt. Cover and cook on HIGH for 3-5 hours, until roast is 160°F in the center. Remove roast and allow to temper 5 minutes. Turn cooker to LOW and cook until potatoes are fork tender. Slice pork thin and serve with vegetables and apples.

*CSA Ingredients

Winter Vegetables

Today, I need to use up winter vegetables. I also need dishes that will fit into my pre-op diet which is pretty basic. I couldn't quite find a recipe that appealed tome, so I am going to do what we used to call potluck. I am going to take all the vegetables I have and make a fresh vegetable soup. Seems an appropriate dish for a snowy winter day.

 "Pot Luck" Vegetable Soup
 Note: This soup is made with vegetables I had in my kitchen. You may use whatever you have available.

•  1/2 head cabbage*, chopped
•  2 turnips*, peeled and diced
•  1 large Yukon gold potato*, peeled and diced
•  celery heart and leaves (about 4 stalks), sliced
•  6 oz mushrooms, quartered
•  2 cups sweet corn*, frozen or fresh
• 2 cups frozen peas
•  1 small sweet potato*, peeled and diced
•  12 cups water
•  4 Tbsp beef stock flavoring ^
• 1 tsp dried thyme
•  1 Tbsp dried marjoram
•  1 bay leaf
•  1 Tbsp minced garlic

 Prepare all vegetables and place in large Dutch oven or stockpot. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil over med-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until vegetables are well cooked.

^Note:Use a good beef, chicken or vegetable stock if you have one. I did not have one, so I used a stock base.

*CSA ingredients 

What to do with Leftover Goose

Today's adventure is using up leftover goose. Since I managed to get some beautiful stock made, I  decided to make soup. I looked for recipes, but couldn't find one that was quite what I was looking for, so improvise it is!

Leftover Goose Soup

•  about 5 cups leftover goose meat, *shredded
• 6 cups goose stock *
• 6 cups water
• 1/2 head white cabbage, *shredded
• 1 large sweet potato, * diced
• about 3 cups leftover stock vegetables (potatoes, carrots, onions) *
• 2 apples roasted in goose *
• 1 pkg dried wide egg noodles *

Bring stock and water to boil in a large Dutch oven. Add cabbage and sweet potatoes. Returns to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are cooked. Add goose meat, cooked vegetables and apples to soup. Bring to a boil. Add noodles and cook 9 minutes. Makes about 12 (1-1/2 cup) servings.

* CSA ingredients

Cabbage, Cauliflower and Leeks

Today I am making a soup with cabbage, cauliflower and leeks. I actually was a little put off by the contents of the last CSA package because I wasn't sure what I would do with all of those items. As I was searching for ways to use some of them together, I ran across the following recipe on Allrecipes.com. It takes care of not only my vegetables, but also provides me with a soup that is hearty and won't be a problem for my braces-sensitive teeth.

Spanish Garlic and Vegetable Soup
adapted from http://allrecipes.com/recipe/spanish-garlic-and-vegetable-soup/detail.aspx

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium head cabbage, chopped*
• 1/2 head cauliflower, chopped*
• 2 leeks, sliced*
• 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped*
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
• 4 teaspoons tomato paste
• 1 quart water
• 1/4 cup milk or light cream
• 1 tablespoon butter*
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add cabbage, cauliflower and leeks. Cook, stirring constantly, for a few minutes until cabbage wilts. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste, and continue to cook for another minute or two, stirring constantly to prevent the garlic from burning. Stir in 2 cups of water, then cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
2. Pour in the diced tomatoes and the remaining 2 cups of water, and return to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Reserve 2 cups of the liquid, and puree the remaining soup in a blender or food processor. Return the blended mixture to the reserved liquid, and stir in milk and butter. Return to a boil, and cook for 1 minute. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve.               

*CSA ingredients

Saturday 2/12/11

When we woke up this morning, we were flipping through the few channels I get with my antennae and ran into Rick Bayless's cooking show.  He was making fresh cheese and then made quesadillas with fresh corn tortillas, serreno ham and squash blossoms (and the fresh cheese) that looked so good.  It got me thinking about the cheeses that I have in the refrigerator from my CSA packages and decided that with those, the eggs and the bread that we got last package, I could make a really yummy savory bread pudding.  I did some research to get an idea of proportions and came up with the following recipe:

Savory Breakfast Bread Pudding

Makes 4 servings

·         3 cups day-old bread, cubed*

·         2 eggs*

·         4 egg whites*

·         1 cup half and half

·         ½ cup 1% milk

·         4 oz feta, crumbled*

·         3 slices turkey bacon, diced

·         2 cups mixed greens, chopped*

·         ¼ cup feta or grated parmesan (optional)

1.       Toast bread cubes in 350 oven, about 10 minutes, stirring halfway through the time.  Leave oven at 350. 

2.       In a bowl, mix together eggs, egg whites, half and half and milk until thoroughly blended.

3.       In a 9X9 baking pan, toss together bread cubes, bacon, mixed greens and feta.   

4.   Add bread cubes to greens and bacon.

 5.       Pour egg mixture over bread cubes.

5.       If desired, garnish with additional feta (or parmesan) for brown crust.

6.       Bake at 350 for 40 minutes, or until thermometer inserted in to center reads above 145 degrees.

Makes 4 servings.

Weight Watchers PointsPlus value: 8

*CSA package items

While I was putting all of this together, I looked at how long it would take to bake and decided we needed something to tide us over, so I cut two thin slices of the bread (which is very yummy, by the way) and toasted it.  Then I spread the toast with the fresh cream cheese from the last package and some homemade low-sugar raspberry jam.

This reminds me of the biscuits and clotted cream from high tea.  So yummy!

I made the bread pudding lower fat by using egg whites and half and half instead of whole eggs and cream.  I was a little afraid of the texture, but it came out nice and creamy in the end.  To quote one of my favorite movie lines "I know you aren't supposed to say this about your own food, but YUM!" (Julie & Julia). 

While the bread pudding was baking, I threw together another version of the cabbage soup I made last week.  I don't have regular tomatoes, so I had to use Rotel tomatoes with chiles.  Here's today's recipe:

Southwestern Cabbage Soup

• 5 cups cabbage, coarsly chopped*
• 8 oz kielbasa*
• 3 (14.5-oz) cans Rotel tomatoes w/ chiles
• 2 (16-oz) cans tomato sauce
• 1 can water

Mix all ingredients in crock of slow cooker.  Mix well and cook on HIGH for 2-3 hours.  Switch cooker to LOW and cook another 4-6 hours.  Makes 8 servings.

Half of this will be going home with John this weekend.  I hope I have freezer space for the rest since I leave for Hawaii on Wednesday.  The next package will come when I am in Hawaii.  I will let you know what I am expecting when I get the email from Trevor.