Simple Chicken Soup

Recorded July 21, 2012. A lot simpler than beginning with an entire chicken. Cooking the chicken and vegetables separately gives better control over doneness.

3 lbs chicken pieces (drums and thighs)
8 black peppercorns
fistful of parsley
2 bay leaves
2 crushed whole garlic cloves
1 lb carrots, peeled and cut into 3 inch lengths
2 ribs plus leaves celery, cut into 3 inch lengths
3 medium yellow onions, peeled, whole
3 small parsnips, peeled and halved lengthwise 

Skin chicken pieces and cut away visible fat. Rinse well. Place in a 6 to 8 quart pot, and cover with water by an inch. Bring to boil over medium-high heat, permitting the foam that forms to coalesce and stick to the walls of the pot. Lower the heat to a fast simmer, and cook uncovered 25 minutes. Remove the partially-cooked chicken to a platter, and cover. Skim the stock of floating debris using a fine strainer and ladle. This step helps produce a clear stock. Tie the seasonings in cheese cloth, a paper coffee filter or a tea ball. Add the onions and the herb bundle to the pot and bring to a boil, lower heat to a fast simmer, and cook uncovered 10 minutes. Add the other vegetables and seasonings to the pot, adding water as needed, and simmer for 20 minutes. Return the chicken and simmer another 10 to 15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked and the vegetables are tender. Discard the herb bundle. As a first course, serve the stock plus matzo balls, kreplach, or egg noodles, cooked separately. Next, serve the meat and vegetables as a second course.

Grilled Baby Back Pork Ribs

St. Louis-cut Spare Ribs for a Recent Gathering

Recorded July 16, 2012. Prepared this way for many years. A Family Favorite.

1 slab of pork back ribs, about 3 lbs
3 T  general purpose dry rub
heavy duty aluminum foil

Preparation. Prepare ribs by rinsing, peeling off the membrane that lines the bony side, and cutting and scraping away as much visible fat as practical. Dry with paper towels. Cut between the 6th and 7th rib to yield two half-racks, easier to handle during cooking. Season the meaty side and rub in well. Marinate in the cold for 2 to 12 hours covered with plastic.
Grilling. Start a hot fire in a large kettle grill (Weber or similar) with about 3 quarts (3 L) of briquettes. When red-hot, push the coals to one side of the grate, and preheat and clean the grill. Start with meat side down directly over coals, grill for 2 to 3 minutes until beginning to color. If it flames up, move immediately to the 'cold' side of the grill to let the flare die down. Turn and continue to grill over hot fire, turning occasionally until both sides are nicely colored. Move the meat to the cold side of the grill, and cover tightly, and close top and bottom vents half way. Roast for about 10 minutes, turn and rotate the meat, continuing to roast and turn for a total of 35 to 40 minutes. Double-wrap each piece tightly in foil and return to the grill, with the vents closed. Let the meat steam for another 20 minutes. Let each bundle rest off-heat for 10 minutes before dividing into individual ribs. Variation: Add a tablespoon of soy sauce and a pinch of dry rub to each aluminum foil bundle before returning to grill. 
Serves 3 to 4. Suggested sides: all-american potato salad, onion-cucumber salad, kasha, white bean salad.

Grill-Roasted Potatoes

Prepared June 17, 2012

4 medium yellow potatoes (Yukon Gold™ is good)
3 to 4 T olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Scrub and dry potatoes. Prick the skin with a fork. Microwave on high for about four minutes, until partly cooked. Let cool, cut in half lengthwise, and toss in a dish with the oil and generous seasonings. Let stand, cut side down, to absorb the oil. Grill, cut side down, without turning for about 6 to 8 minutes over a moderate fire, until warmed through, golden brown, with nice grill marks. Serves 4 to 6.

Corned Beef Hash

Butter-Steamed Egg on Corned Beef Hash

Prepared June 5, 2012.

3 T butter, divided
2 c yellow or white onion, small dice
1 12 oz can corned beef, chopped
1 lb yellow potatoes (Yukon Gold™ is good)
freshly ground pepper and salt to taste
chopped parsley (optional)

Peel the potatoes and cut into 1 inch pieces. Cover with water and add salt. Bring to a boil and lower heat to a fast simmer. Cover and cook 10 minutes until potatoes test almost cooked with a knife point. Rinse under cold running water to stop the cooking and drain well. Spread on a cutting board to cool, and chop coarsely. Melt 2 T butter over medium heat in a 12-inch nonstick skillet, add the onions, salt lightly, and cook slowly until soft, about 6 minutes. Mix in the meat and potatoes, raise the heat to medium high, chop the ingredients together with a spatula, press the hash to form a compact cake, and cook 8 to 10 minutes undisturbed. Turn the cake over, press to compact again, and distribute the remaining butter, cut into pieces, evenly around the pan edge. Cook the bottom side until it's also brown and crisp. Taste for salt, season with pepper, and garnish with chopped parsley. Veriation: Top each serving with a poached or butter-steamed egg, as shown. Makes about 6 eight-ounce servings.

Ingredient: Toaster-Oven Bacon

Toaster-Oven Bacon, Butter-Steamed Egg & Blueberry Pancake

Published June 4, 2011. Restaurant and hotel chefs usually prepare bacon in large quantities in the oven. This toaster-oven method is easy to use in the home for small quantities. It is easier and cleaner than frying. A crisp, flat product emerges in 20 minutes or less. Great as a side dish, or as an ingredient in other dishes. Make extra to add bacon flavor and crispness to other dishes such as BLTs, appetizers, dips or salads.

4 slices thick-cut bacon
heavy aluminum foil larger than toaster-oven grill pan

Preheat a toaster-oven to 400 degrees F (ca 190 C; 465 K). Crumple the aluminum foil and then unfold and flatten it. Cover the toaster-oven grill pan with the aluminum foil. This creates sharp peaks to support the bacon without sticking and valleys to help the fat drain away as the bacon cooks, and greatly simplifies clean up. Arrange the bacon stretched out on the foil. Bake for 15 minutes, check for doneness, turn the bacon strips over and continue baking until crisp, another 2 to 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Keeps well in refrigerator or freezer, tightly wrapped in dry spot.

Ingredient: Durham-Style Q Sauce

Inspired by Sam Dillard's vinegar-spice-tomato-mustard sauce used and sold since 1950 in his Durham, NC BBQ restaurant. Sadly now closed and sauce no longer marketed it appears. [Update: a small supply was seen August, 2012 in a local supermarket's display of NC products.] Developed by DrDaddy in May, 2003 for use as a marinade, mop, and sauce for chicken, spare ribs, and pork shoulder.

1 c water
1/4 c vinegar
3/4 c tomato sauce
2 T prepared yellow mustard
1/2 t crushed red pepper
1/2 to 1 t Louisiana pepper sauce (Frank's™ is good)
2 t salt
2 t sugar
1 t tapioca starch (optional)

Measure the first three ingredients into a measuring cup, then add the others, and mix thoroughly. Microwave on high until 160 to 165 degrees F (72 C), stirring a few times. Store in a closed container in the refrigerator. Cover chicken or pork with sauce, and marinade in the refrigerator up to four hours. Grill over a medium fire, covered, basting and turning frequently.

Antipasto Salad

Antipasto Salad

Served as a first course before gnocchi in tomato cream sauce. A variety of bottled dressings were offered for individual use.

red leaf lettuce
iceberg lettuce
cucumber, peeled and sliced lengthwise
radish, sliced
ripe Kalamata olives
feta cheese, crumbled
green onions, sliced on the diagonal

The platter was chilled before assembling. Tear the lettuces into bite-size pieces. Arrange the other ingredients on top of the bed of lettuce as suggested in the photo.

Quick and Easy Pinto Beans and Rice

Devised and first prepared May 27, 2012.

3/4 c medium-grain Mexican rice
1 t salt
3/4 c water
1 20-oz can charro beans (La Costeña™ is good)
3 T olive oil, divided

In a tall microwavable container add the rice, salt, and 1 T of oil. Mix, cover loosely, and heat on high (1250W) for 1 minute. Add the water and the entire can of beans. Stir to combine, cover, and microwave on high until mixtures boils and most water is absorbed, about 10 minutes. Stir, cook loosely covered on #3 power for 15 minutes. Drizzle on the remaining olive oil and gently combine. Serves 6.

Cuban Sandwich

Recorded May 21, 2012.

sliced baked ham
sliced garlicky roast pork
sliced dill pickles
provolone, Swiss, or cheddar cheese
yellow mustard
softened butter
crusty French or Cuban bread

Cuban Sandwich Ingredients

Slice loaf lengthwise. Spread mustard on both inside surfaces. Layer ham, roast pork, cheese, and pickle slices on bottom and cover with top. Press down firmly and spread butter on the outside. Grill under a heavy cover or in a panini press until toasty and cheese has melted. Slice diagonally into sections for serving.

Hint: Making Perfect Gravy from a Mix

Recorded May 9, 2012. Perfected over many trials.

1 package gravy mix, any variety (to make 1 to 1-1/4 c gravy)
water according to package directions

Measure the required amount of water into a plastic measuring cup. Pour about 1 oz (30 ml) of this water into a tall 20 oz (300 ml) plastic container. Layer the gravy mix on top of the water, letting it become moistened, and then stir until smooth. Now, heat the remaining water in the microwave, add to the gravy mix, and whisk until smooth. Microwave about 90 seconds more, in short intervals, stopping to stir when gravy threatens to bubble over.

Hint: Freezing Abundant Tomatoes

Recorded April 30, 2012. Circumstances can sometimes provide ripe tomatoes in excess of one's immediate needs. This method preserves most of the nutritional and culinary value with a minimum of effort.

ripe tomatoes (cherry, grape, or globe)
pint-sized (500 ml) plastic freezer bags with zipper closures

Rinse and dry tomatoes. Cut away any blemished areas. On a sanitized plastic cutting board, dice a few tomatoes, and then chop coarsely with a chef's knife. Transfer the chopped tomatoes, including juice and seeds, to a large measuring cup. Continue until all of the tomatoes have been diced and chopped. Fill each bag with 8 oz (250 ml) chopped tomato. Exclude as much air as possible as bag is closed. Lie each bag down flat in metal baking dish, pre-chilled in the freezer. When the dish is full of bags, return to the freezer, until frozen solidly. Use whenever a sauce, stew, soup, or dip would benefit from addition of fresh-frozen tomato product.

Quick Corn Bread

Quick Corn Bread

First prepared and recorded June 26, 2008. Jiffy Mix™ is made in a small town not far from Ann Arbor, Michigan, where DrDaddy once studied. He saw the factory on his last visit to Michigan.

1 package Jiffy™ corn meal muffin mix
1 large egg
1/3 c milk
1/2 t baking powder 1 T olive oil
cooking spray

Beat milk and egg together in a bowl. Stir in mix, oil, and the baking powder with a spatula until batter is smooth. Set aside to rest while oven preheats. Place an 8 x 8 inch (20 x 20 cm) heavy metal pan in the cold toaster oven and preheat both to 400 degrees F (204 C) . Grease hot pan well with cooking spray. Pour and level batter. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until a toothpick comes out cleanly. Let cool 10 minutes, and cut into 9 servings. Pair with a soup or salad for a light meal. Or just slather the warm corn bread with butter and knock 'em down.

Apple Sauce

Adapted from an Alton Brown microwave recipe. Similar apple varieties, one tart, two sweet, can be substituted. First prepared April 22, 2012.

1 Golden Delicious apple
2 Fuji or similar apples
1/2 c apple cider
1 T brandy
1 T butter
1 T brown sugar
1/4 t ground cinnamon
pinch ground nutmeg
pinch salt and pepper

Peel, quarter, core, and coarsely chop the apples into half-inch pieces. Combine with the other ingredients in a two-quart saucepan over medium heat. Cook covered at a slow boil for about 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apples are soft. Off heat, mash to a coarse texture. Let cool covered and undisturbed to permit natural pectin to thicken the sauce. Serve warm or cold, with pork roast, pork chops, pancakes, potato pancakes, oatmeal or other hot cereal, or on its own as a light snack, dusted with a little cinnamon-sugar topping.
Variation #1: Stir 1/4 cup of ground roasted walnuts into the sauce half way through cooking for extra flavor and nourishment. 
Variation #2: replace a Fuji with the flesh from a ripe Japanese persimmon.

Roasted Carrots

Conceived, prepared and recorded April 14, 2012 as a side to grilled dry-rub spare ribs.

1 lb mini carrots
2 T butter
2 T olive oil
2 T brown sugar
2 T apple cider or orange juice
1/4 t granulated garlic
salt and pepper

Preheat toaster oven to 450 F (230 C). Mix ingredients in heavy 8 x 8 inch metal pan. Cover with aluminum foil. Roast covered 20 minutes. Stir. Return to oven uncovered for another 15 minutes until nicely colored and glazed by the syrup.

Quick and Easy Home Fries

Home Fries Crisping in a Skillet

First prepared and recorded April 16, 2012.

1 medium russet potato, scrubbed and dried
1 T oil
1 T butter
paprika
salt and pepper

Prick the skin and microwave for 3 minutes on high power (1250 watts). Let cool, quarter lengthwise, remove skin, and cut into half-inch (12 mm) pieces. In an 8-inch (20 cm) non-stick skillet over medium-high, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the butter. When sizzling stops, add the potatoes and season them well. Fry quickly, undisturbed, for about 5 minutes until nicely crisped on the bottom. Turn over, and continue frying another 2 to 3 minutes. Serves 1 or 2. Can easily be doubled, as in the photo.

Caramel-Glazed Apples

Caramel-Glazed Apples on French toast

First prepared October, 2009. Versatile side dish.

2 c (about 2 medium) peeled and sliced sweet but firm apples [e.g., Fuji, Braeburn, Honeycrisp, Cortland]
1/2 c apple cider
1 T brown sugar
pinch of salt
2 t butter, cut into pieces
1/2 t ground cinnamon
1/8 t ground nutmeg
1 t lemon juice

Combine first 4 ingredients in 10 inch skillet. Bring to a fast simmer, cover, and cook 5 minutes. Apples should be crispy-soft. Uncover, dot with butter and raise heat to a vigorous boil to reduce and caramelize the syrup, about 5 minutes. When it thickens and coats the apples, mix in the spices and lemon juice. Serve as a side dish with French toast or pork roast and chops (see markee at top of page), or as a dessert, alone or with ice cream.

Crusty Garlic Bread

Garlic Bread on a Homemade Server

Recorded April 11, 2012. A Family Favorite for decades. Great with robust pasta dishes, salads, or soups. For a similar product prepared in a skillet, see this recipe.

Italian or French bread, sliced 3/4 inch (2 cm) thick at 45 degrees
low-fat soft margarine or softened butter
granulated garlic
Parmesan cheese, grated or shredded

If the bread is a bit stale, mist slices lightly with water (see Hint) and turn over. Spread margarine or butter on each slice. Dust on garlic, and mix into margarine with a spatula or knife. Sprinkle on the cheese, and press it into the seasoned margarine. Arrange on a metal pan, and broil in a toaster oven until nicely browned, about 5 minutes. Serve in a basket, loosely covered to keep warm.

Hint: An adjustable plastic spray bottle filled with water often proves handy in the kitchen.

Split Pea Soup

Exploits a meaty ham-bone gift from the Grinnells after Xmas or the Williams after Easter. Developed years ago. Recorded (and prepared) January 5, 2010.

hip joint from honey-baked ham
about 1 lb meat cut from bone, trimmed of fat, and coarsely chopped
water to cover
6 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
4 carrots, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
1 T garlic, mashed
2 large bay leaves
1 lb split green peas, cleaned and rinsed
1/3 c quick-cooking pearl barley
2 t sugar
juice of a lemon
1 t freshly ground pepper
1 T sea salt

Put bone, meat, and bay leaves in a 8 qt heavy pot, and cover with water. Bring to a slow boil, and cook covered for 30 minutes. Skim as necessary and remove bay leaves. Remove the bone, cool, remove and reserve any meat. Add mushrooms, onions, carrots, celery, and garlic and cook at a fast simmer for 10 minutes. Add the split peas, and continue to simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching. Add the barley, and cook for 15 minutes. Add the bone meat back, and add the sugar, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Rest covered about 15 minutes. Correct seasoning and serve. Crusty garlic bread on the side is a good match. Pair with a yeasty ale.

Roasted Squash and Eggplant Lasagna

Vegetarian Lasagna with Tomato Salad

Recipe and photo by Ben, April 6, 2012. Julian (4 y.o.) liked it. Elliot (18 mo.) loved it. About 30 minute prep if you hurry.

1 medium butternut squash
1 large eggplant
olive oil

6 T butter
3-1/2  T all-purpose flour
2 shallots, minced
1 clove garlic,, minced
2 c whole milk
Handful of chopped fresh herbs (Ben likes oregano/parsley/thyme)

1 lb lasagna noodles, cooked
1/2 lb fontina cheese grated (freeze for 30 minutes first)
1/2 lb mozzarella cheese, grated
grated Parmesan cheese

Filling
Peel and cut squash into 1/2 inch (1.5 cm) cubes. Toss in oil and season. Roast at 425 degrees F (218 C) until tender. Peel and cut eggplant into 3/4 inch ( 2 cm) slices. brush with oil and season. Roast alongside the squash (will take about half the time). Mash the vegetables together while still warm. Set aside to cool.
Bechamel Sauce
Melt butter in saucepan over med. heat. When it foams add garlic and shallot. Cook stirring for 1 min. Add flour and cook stirring for 5 mins. Do not let it brown. Add milk while whisking vigorously. Add herbs. Cover and set aside.
Assembly
Spray a 9 x 13 inch pan. Spread a thin layer of bechamel on bottom of pan, then a layer of noodles, then filling and fontina. Then noodles. Then filling and fontina. Then noodles, then filling, then noodles, then the rest of the sauce. Then the mozzarella and then the Parmesan. 
Baking
Bake at 375 degrees F (190 C) for 35 minutes covered. Then remove cover and broil top until brown. Allow to rest 10 minutes before serving. Variations: If you like bleu cheese, it goes nicely instead of fontina. Caramelized onions would be great in the filling. Sliced tomatoes on top are nice, and bacon makes everything better!

Faux Krab Salad

Prepared April 3, 2012 for lunch. My firstborn says they are fun. Seafood sliders. They just hop on down.

12 oz imitation crab (surimi), coarsely chopped
1/3 c sweet red pepper, finely diced
1/4 c green onion, thinly sliced
1 rib celery, finely diced
1/3 c mayonnaise
1 T lemon juice
pinch Old Bay seasoning
1/2 t dried dill weed
salt and pepper to taste

Combine ingredients in a large bowl by gentle turning. Adjust seasoning. Chill. Serve mounded up on toasted hamburger buns. Serves 6 generously.