Split Pea Soup

Hearty, warm, comforting and delicious,

perfect for a cold winter day!

   When I grew up, Sundays were always days for special meals.  After going to church as a family, we would come home and make a delicious brunch.   Fresh squeezed orange juice, from the orange tree in our yard.  Eggs of some fashion whether baked as a quiche, or stove top as scrambled, omelets or fried, and of course bacon or sausage.  Toast was always slathered with lots of butter and my mom's homemade jam. 

 To finish off the meal we had some type of muffin, danish or homemade sweet roll. My father would take this with a second cup of hot coffee and go sit in the living room and read the Sunday paper.

The kids would clean up the kitchen and my mom would start to prepare our evening meal.  Usually a big roast or ham.   

If she prepared a large ham, there was sure to be split pea soup on the menu later in the week for dinner.

 Growing up this was one of my favorite soups!

After the ham had been sliced and eaten, and the crisp fatty skin had been fought over (with 6 kids, everyone wants a bit of the rind) the large flavorful bone went into the stock pot, with the dried split peas and cooked all day, filling the house with the most amazing aroma!

The results of cooking split pea soup with a ham bone, gives the most wonderful flavor to the soup.  If you don't have a ham bone, you can still achieve delicious split pea soup, using other pork products.  Give it a try and I think you will be delighted with the results.

As Always,

ENJOY!

INGREDIENTS

1- 16 oz. bag of dried split peas

1/4 onion chopped

3 carrots chopped

3 celery ribs chopped

1/2 cup bacon ends, chopped(Trader Joe's sells this product)

       or ham hock or pork belly

8 cups water

salt to taste

16 oz. ham steak, cut into cubes

1/2 tsp. thyme

3 bay leaves

crusty bread or croutons for serving

In a heavy pot begin to brown chopped bacon ends. Cook slowly for fats to render out into pan.  Add onion, carrots and celery to a food processor.  Chop into small pieces.  Add to cooking bacon.  Saute a few minutes until softened.  Add thyme, bay leaf, split peas and water and salt.  Bring to a low boil, reduce heat and simmer for 1 1/2 hours or until peas have softened and blended into broth. Add cubed ham and simmer for another 15 minutes.  Add more salt if needed.  Serve hot with bread or croutons.

note:  For a more pea like taste, put one bag of defrosted frozen peas into food processor and puree.  Add to the soup stock at the same time you add the ham. 

Graham Cracker Toffee 2

A thin layer of caramelized sugar covering a crunchy graham cracker!

The ratio of butter to brown sugar for this recipe is different than my previous graham cracker toffee recipe.  The previous recipe had equal portions of butter and sugar, which creates a hardened brown sugar coating once baked.  It remains rich with the brown sugary texture and flavor. 

This recipe has a ratio of double the butter to sugar.  Once baked it makes a much more caramelized sugar coating, which is very thin and crisp.  You can see through it, right to the graham cracker.

Whichever recipe you choose, they are equally delicious.  The best part is, it will be one of the fastest and easiest little bars you will ever make!

As Always, 

ENJOY!

INGREDIENTS

8 graham cracker sheets (16 squares)

1/2 cup butter (l stick)

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup chopped pecans

   Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a 9 x 13 pan with parchment paper.  Lay the cracker squares in a single layer covering the bottom of the pan, as close together as possible. 

    In a small sauce pan heat the butter and sugar.  Bring to a boil on medium high heat and stir constantly for 4 minutes.  Remove from heat and add the chopped pecans.  Pour hot mixture evenly over the crackers and spread with a rubber spatula to the edges.  Bake for 8 minutes.

    Let cool completely and break or cut into squares.  Store in an airtight container.

Graham Cracker Toffee

This is such a fast and easy treat to make.  Eat it as a bar cookie, or break it over ice cream, or even your morning oatmeal!

I used an 11x17 cookie sheet to increase the number of bars.

I used sliced almonds, mixed with the melted butter and brown sugar.

Spread topping evenly to all the edges.

As Always, 

ENJOY!

INGREDIENTS

• 8 sheets graham crackers ( I added more crackers to fill an 11x17 cookie sheet)
• 8 ounces salted butter (2 sticks)

• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 cup chopped pecans or sliced almonds

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Line a 13-by-9-inch baking sheet with parchment paper.

Break the sheets of graham crackers on the perforated lines into smaller 1-by-3-inch rectangles(I prefer them as 3x3 squares), and lay them out on the prepared baking sheet as close together as possible, covering the entire sheet. (using the 1x3 rectangles to fill the edges.)

Mix the butter and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Once the butter and sugar mixture comes to a bubble, add the chopped pecans or almonds and stir together.

Pour the mixture evenly over all of the crackers. Bake for 10 minutes and then cool, about 30 minutes. Break or cut into pieces to serve. (drizzle a pretty design of melted chocolate over the top of the bars before breaking apart, if you choose to add chocolate to this recipe).

note:  I doubled the number of graham crackers to fill a 11 x 17 cookie sheet

Seville Orange Cake

A perfect slice of cake to go with a cup of Irish Breakfast Tea.

Hot out of the oven, flipped and spread with warm marmalade.

Once cooled, spoon icing over the top of cake.

This cake is moist and goes great with tea.  Perfect to have on hand if friends stop by.

8 inch round cake pan, greased and lined

3/4 cup butter at room temperature

3/4 cup + 2 Tbs. sugar

3 extra large eggs, beaten

1 1/4 cups self rising flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

7 Tbs. Seville orange marmalade, gently warmed

2 Tbs. milk

ICING

1 cup confectioners sugar

2 Tbs warm water

Preheat oven 350 degrees

   Beat the butter until creamy.  Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs, beating well after each addition. Sift the flour and baking powder and gently fold into the mixture. Add half the marmalade and milk and gently fold in.
   Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Spread to level.  Bake 45-50 minutes or golden and firm to the touch.  Turn out onto a wire rack and immediately brush with the remaining warmed marmalade.
Let cool completely.
     Mix the sugar and warm water, until smooth and lump free. Spoon over the top of cake and let it run down the sides.  Let set about one hour.  Store in an airtight tin, eat within 4 days.

Recipe courtesy of THE BAKING BOOK by Linda Collister
   

Spelt Trofie with Carrot-Top Pesto

Lightly floured trays filling up with hand rolled trofie pasta.

A steamy saute pan bubbling away with the carrots and trofie.

Trofie pasta with pesto and hazelnuts on top.

The carrot-top pesto blended into the trofie pasta with some additional 

toasted hazelnuts on top.

This was an extensive recipe, but well worth the effort.  The pasta was delicious.  A bit garlicy but good balance between the sweet,nutty taste of the spelt flour pasta, the multi herb/greens pesto, and the caramelized carrots with red pepper flakes. 

Since this recipe requires preparation of three elements of the dish, I highly suggest some of the tasks to be completed a day or two ahead.  Pesto keeps very well in the refrigerator for a few days, or freeze it if you like, but definitely make this ahead.  The carrots could be sliced ahead and the hazelnuts, toasted ahead as well.

On the day you choose to prepare this dish your main task should only be creating the pasta shapes. They are really fun and easy to make, if you have young children, they can help out as well.

As Always,

ENJOY!

recipe courtesy of Tasting Table

INGREDIENTS

For the Pasta Dough:

2 cups (9 ounces) spelt flour

¾ cup water, plus more as needed

For the Carrot Stems and Leaves:

8 cups boiling water

1 tablespoon salt

1 bunch carrot stems with leaves attached, cleaned (4 ounces)

For the Carrot-Top Pesto:

½ cup toasted hazelnuts

1½ teaspoons roughly chopped garlic (1 clove)

1 cup roughly chopped blanched carrot leaves

1 cup packed basil

1 cup packed parsley

½ cup finely chopped blanched carrot stems

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

¼ cup grated Parmesan

¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt, to taste

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the Trofie Pasta:

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 cups 1-inch carrot pieces (5 to 6 medium carrots)

Kosher salt, to taste

1 garlic clove, thinly sliced

½ teaspoon crushed red chile flakes

3 cups spelt trofie

¼ cup packed grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

¼ cup basil

½ cup carrot-top pesto

2 tablespoons chopped toasted hazelnuts

DIRECTIONS

1. Make the pasta dough: In a medium bowl, mound the spelt flour and create a well in the center. Pour the water into the well and use your hands to mix until a dough forms. Transfer the dough to a clean work surface and knead to form a smooth, elastic dough ball, about 10 minutes. Wrap in plastic and let rest 30 minutes to 1 hour.

2. Meanwhile, blanch the carrot stems and leaves: Make a small ice bath. In a medium saucepan over high heat, bring the water to a boil and season with 1 tablespoon of salt. Add the carrot stems with their leaves attached and blanch until they turn bright green and soften, about 2 minutes. Shock immediately in the ice bath for about 3 minutes, then dry and roughly chop the leaves, yielding about 1 cup. Finely chop the stems, yielding about ½ cup.

3. Make the pesto: In a food processor, pulse the hazelnuts and garlic to a fine meal, about 20 seconds. Add the carrot leaves, basil, parsley and carrot stems, and pulse to chop, another 20 seconds. Add the white wine vinegar and Parmesan and, with the machine running, add the olive oil in a slow and steady stream, stopping and scraping the sides as needed. Continue to pulse until the mixture is smooth, not chunky, yet not quite a purée. Season with salt and pepper, cover and store in the fridge for up to 5 days. Makes about 1½ cups.

4. Roll the pasta dough: Line a sheet tray with parchment paper and dust it heavily with spelt flour. Using a rolling pin on a spelt-flour dusted surface, roll the pasta dough to a 1/16-inch thickness. Cut into ½-by-¼-inch pieces. Working one piece at a time, use the palm of your dominant hand and roll each piece on the flat kitchen surface forward and into the shape of a slightly twisted toothpick with pointed, tapered ends. Transfer to the floured sheet tray. Makes about 5 cups uncooked trofie.

5. Make the trofie pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. In a separate, 10-inch sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the carrots and season with a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until charred, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and chile flakes, and cook until fragrant, another 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and keep warm.

6. Add the trofie to the boiling water and cook until just shy of al dente, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain the cooked trofie, reserving about 1 cup of the pasta water. Add the trofie and 3/4 cup of the reserved pasta water to the carrots, adding more water as needed. Return the skillet to medium-high heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the trofie is cooked through and the liquid has reduced to a sauce, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the Parmesan and basil, taste and adjust seasoning. Transfer to a platter and top with the pesto and chopped hazelnuts. Serve.  

Green Salad in Winter

In Winter time, most folks are not thinking of going to a farmer's market.  I feel very fortunate though, to live in a climate, that the farmer's markets are year round, and I have several good ones on different days of the week that are not too far from my location. 

If you do have a farmer's market near your home, I suggest you go even in winter to find all those fruits and vegetables that are so different and wonderful. 

Our bodies seem to crave all these citrus fruits in the winter that are so high in Vitamin C. Right now the markets are full of them.  So incorporate some of these into your salads.

For the salad pictured above, I used Butter Leaf lettuce, Red D' Anjou pear, toasted Pecans, and Kumquats.  The dressing was very simple, good Extra Virgin Olive Oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

It is the culmination of all these flavors that make this salad great.  

Do a little experiment for yourself.  Make a deconstructed salad one step at a time. Test for yourself, how the balance of a lettuce salad comes together  Different fruits, different nuts, which do you really prefer?

Step 1.  Wash lettuce and spin dry.  Tear by hand(don't chop) the lettuce into small bite sized pieces.

               TASTE

Step 2. Drizzle good Extra Virgin Olive Oil on to greens, toss

              TASTE

Step 3.  Squeeze a bit of lemon juice onto greens, toss

               TASTE

Step 4. Sprinkle with Salt, toss

              TASTE

Step 5. Sprinkle with pepper, toss

              TASTE

Step 6. Slice 2 or 3 fruits of choice, Place one lettuce leaf with one bite sized piece of fruit.

              TASTE

Step 7  Toast 2 or 3 types of nuts. Place one lettuce leaf with one chopped nut.

              TASTE

       Now that you have tasted each element of a salad, in a deconstructed manner, I hope that gives you an idea of what the accumulation of all the flavors do to your pallet.  Pick your favorite winter fruits and nuts and make a salad. Find something interesting and unusual at your Farmer's market to add to your winter salad.  Once combined it will bring a bit of sunshine to your plate.

As Always,

ENJOY!

Cauliflower with Tandoori Chicken Skin

This cauliflower recipe not only looks great, but is so delicious!

This recipe can seem daunting, but it is well worth your efforts.  With three separate elements, it does take some time and planning.  It may not be your weeknight recipe, but with some planning you could easily cut your prep time on the night you will serve it.

In my opinion, I think the Raita could be made a day ahead. You could also have your cauliflower cut and put into a ziplock the day ahead as well.  I have not tested the idea of cooking your chicken skin the day ahead, but to remain crispy it would have to be in an airtight container, if prepared the day ahead.  Just allow yourself enough time and then enjoy your end results.  

Once you taste the Raita, I am sure you will find many other uses for this amazing sauce!

As Always,

ENJOY!

Recipe courtesy of: Tasting Table

My personal prep tips: If you do not want to fry the cauliflower, try tossing it lightly with some cooking oil and putting it under the broiler, to get a nice crisp brown outside.   If chicken skin is not your thing, or you don't want to spend the time( it is the most time consuming factor of the recipe)  Try a different spicy, crispy type snack that can be added as your flavor topping.  If wanting to stick with the tandoori idea, but not the chicken skin, then maybe add tandoori seasoning and oil to panko, or thin bread slices, or thin potato slices, or basically anything that is going to crisp and brown in the oven.  Crumble this topping over your cauliflower.

INGREDIENTS

For the Tandoori Chicken Skin:

Chicken skin from one 3½-pound chicken

1 tablespoon canola oil

2 tablespoons tandoori masala spice

½ teaspoon kosher salt

For the Raita:

½ cup packed cilantro leaves, plus more for garnish

½ cup packed mint leaves

⅓ cup buttermilk

⅓ cup whole-fat Greek yogurt

1 small garlic clove, roughly chopped

¾ teaspoon garam masala

¼ cup canola oil

Kosher salt, to taste

For the Cauliflower:

Canola oil, for frying

1 small head cauliflower, cut into 1½-inch pieces (10 cups cauliflower florets)

Kosher salt, to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Make the tandoori chicken skin: Place the chicken skin onto a cutting board, skin-side facing down, and use the back of a large knife to scrape away the fat. Lay the cleaned chicken skin onto a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet and chill in the fridge to dry out, uncovered, for 1 hour or up to 24 hours.

2. Preheat the oven to 300°. Place the air-chilled chicken skin in a large bowl and massage with the oil, masala and salt. Return the skin to the wire rack, laying it flat and skin-side up, and and bake until crisp, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Cool for a few minutes before cutting into large pieces.

3. Make the raita: In a blender, mix the cilantro, mint, buttermilk, yogurt, garlic and garam masala on medium speed until smooth. Lower the speed and add the oil in a steady stream until emulsified. Adjust the seasoning to taste with salt. Makes 1 cup and can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.

4. Fry the cauliflower: In a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, add enough oil to fill to a 2-inch depth and bring to 400° over medium-high heat. Working in batches of 3, fry the cauliflower, flipping occasionally with a large slotted spoon or spider, until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Transfer the cauliflower to a paper towel-lined sheet tray and immediately season with salt. Repeat with the remaining florets.

5. To serve: Spoon 3 tablespoons of raita into the bottom of 4 serving bowls and place the cauliflower over top. Garnish with chicken skins and cilantro leaves, and serve with the extra raita.

Recipe courtesy of: Tasting Table