Soup Beans, Masa Cornbread, Brussels Sprouts and Butternut

Salmon & Shells Casserole

Sally spent the weekend in New York City, going to the theatre and other fun things, while I stayed home and took care of our guests.  Her return flight got in about 6:30, and I needed something for dinner that could be precooked and either hold its temperature or be quickly re-heated -- a casserole.  This is what I came up with:

1/2 bag frozen Peas

2 Salmon filets

Spice Blend of choice

4 oz sliced Mushrooms

3/4 jar Alfredo Sauce

1/2 box Large Shell pasta

Shredded cheese and Panko for topping

Dust the salmon filets with your favorite spice blend (I use Pride of Szeged Fish Rubtm).  Broil the salmon filets for 12 minutes, until flake-able.  Allow to cool while you boil up the pasta to package directions for al dente.  Cool the pasta.   

In a large bowl, fold together the pasta, flaked fish, frozen peas and mushrooms with the Alfredo sauce.   Turn the mixture out into  9x9 baking dish and pat it flat.  Top with a handful of shredded cheese and then a handful of Panko, and bake at 450F for 45-60.  

I baked it for 45 minutes, then turned the heat off just before I went to pick up Sally at the airport, and left the casserole in the oven.  When we go home, the casserole was still nice and hot. 

Very, very yummy.  As Sally said, it was a really upscale tuna casserole!

Stuffed Butternut Squash

I've stuffed a lot of different vegetables before, but never Butternut Squash.  It was a desperation move, actually.  I'd had a Spaghetti squash and a Butternut squash for a while, and decided to make Spaghetti Squash Boats.    But when I went to pick up the Spaghetti squash, my finger went through the side!! Oops.  It'd been sitting on the counter far too long!  Now what?  I had a hour to come up with something before Sally got home...   Hmmmmm.  stuffed butternut??  Why not?!

I par-cooked the squash for 3 minutes in the microwave (after punching a hole into the seed cavity to allow heat/gas to escape).  Then I sliced the squash lengthwise, removed the seeds, and nuked it a further 5 or 6 minutes until done but firm.  Then I carved away meat from the middle of the neck to give me a place to stuff.  That neck meat was added as cubes to the filling I made from 1/2lb of ground sirloin, half a can of tomato sauce, some mushrooms and onions and red bell pepper.  The stuffing was flavored with Ras al Hanut, the quintessential Moroccan spice blend.  

Stuff the squash, top with just a little cheese and bake for about half an hour to heat everything through.  De-lish!

Brussels Sprouts

Ever seen what these tasty mini-cabbages look like growing in the field?  Check this out:

That's about 30 inches of sprouts -- only about half of one stem!

Soup Beans

In the South, particularly Appalachia, it's Soup Beans, not Bean Soup.  Bean soup is thin and watery, Soup beans are thick and unctuous (but never pureed).

1 lb dry White Beans
8 cups Water
1 Hambone with scraps or 1/4 lb diced ham
1 Tbsp Thyme

It has been proven numerous times that you do not need to soak beans prior to cooking.  Soaking does not separate out good beans from bad, nor does it shorten the cooking time by even 5 minutes.

Thyme is a simple herb that should be added to every pot of beans you cook, regardless of type.  It is the perfect flavoring for any bean.  Salt, if you must, and a little cracked pepper is all you need.

Ham is another perfect flavor to add to white beans.  I used the bone from our bone-in Thanksgiving ham, which went from the platter to the freezer in November.

Put everything in a large pot set over medium heat and cook for an hour or thereabouts until the beans are tender.  You may need to add a bit of water, but remember this is not Bean Soup, you're making thick Soup Beans.

Don't forget the Beanotm!


Masa Cornbread
Soup Beans practically demand a side of cornbread! 

Lots of folks make cornbread from a box, like Jiffy Mixtm.  I like to work from scratch when I can.  This recipe is pretty simple, and uses Southwestern Masa Harina corn flour rather than yellow or white Cornmeal.  Same great taste.

Vinegar in the milk is a simple way to make faux buttermilk.  Easier than going out and buying buttermilk especially for this dish.

1 cup Milk or Half & Half
1 tsp White Vinegar (I used Rice Wine vinegar)
1 cup Masa Harina para tamales (Maseca brand is the best)
1 cup AP Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
2 Tbsp Sugar
1 tsp Salt
2 Eggs, beaten
2 Tbsp Butter or pan-spray

Preheat oven to 350F.

While that's going on, mix the milk and vinegar and set aside for 5 minutes while you...

...mix together the flours, baking soda and powder, sugar and salt.   Stir in the eggs, vegetable oil and milk.  Mix together well.  You may need to add a bit more milk to make this a batter rather than a dough.

Prep your pan (I use at least a 9" pie dish) with the butter, then pour in the batter.  Bake for 20-30 minutes until the cornbread is lightly golden brown.

Serve with butter along those soup beans.

If you want a thinner pone, use a larger diameter dish, or a 10"-12" cast iron skillet (preheat in oven as it comes up to temp).

Sally Cooks, Gumbo Timbale, Mushroom Farro Risotto, Educated Golden Beets

Sally Cooks!!

Once a year, Sally cooks, and I enjoy the fruit of her labor!  Usually she cooks our British Christmas dinner, but last week she also cooked this beautiful Balsamic Glazed Salmon dinner with purple potatoes and roasted vegetables! Very tasty and colorful as well!

For the salmon, she used the leftover Balsamic Reduction that I made for the Strawberry-Farro Salad I made a week or so back.  Vegetables and potatoes came from our SW Florida Produce Co-Op box.

Gumbo Timbale (a.k.a. Inside Out Gumbo)
We needed a dish to take to the Americana Community Music Association Christmas party and Open Mic last Saturday.  This timbale is not only great tasting, but the presentation is great as well.  There was only one small slice left, so folks seemed to like it.

Basically this is the same recipe I wrote about here:
https://foodingaround-kiltedcook.blogspot.com/search?q=Rice+Timbale

The difference between that recipe and this one is the filling. 

I got a bag of Gumbo vegetable blend from the frozen food section of the megamart, then added a diced red bell pepper, a couple sticks of celery diced, and half each of a red onion and white onion also diced.  I simmered that together with some Cajun seasoning (I like Tony Cachere's tm) until cooked through, and I tightened the concoction at the end with a sprinkle of Wondratm.

For the crust, you basically cook up 3 cups of short-grain "sticky" rice and let it cool.  Then beat 4 eggs together with about a teaspoon of Turmeric for color.    Mix the rice and eggs together very well.  Using a paddle or spatula and your wet hands, pack the rice around the bottom and side of a greased 8" springform pan, in a layer 1/2" thick (measure it, don't go by eye like I did the first time).  Use about 2/3 of the batch of rice).

Fill the rice shell with the gumbo mixture,

then top the whole thing with the remaining rice.  Bake at 450F for 45 minutes.

Let the timbale cool at least 15 minutes before removing the pan side, and carefully transfer to a platter for slicing and serving.  A serrated breadknife is a good choice for slicing.

Farrotto -- Mushroom Farro Risotto
I told you last week I was going to try this.  Sally's Mum came to lunch on Sunday and I prepared this alongside some really nice sausages.

1 cup dried pearled Farro
1 lb Mixed Mushrooms, chopped
1 Shallot, diced;  Green Onions would also work
4 Tbsp Butter, divided
2 Tbsp EVOO
3-4 cups Broth, kept warm
1 cup White Wine
Parmesan cheese and/or Parsley for garnish

In a large pan or skillet on medium heat (I used 350F to start then half way through reduced to 300F), cook the mushrooms and shallot in half the butter until they are softened.  Add the Farro and cook a bit while you measure out the wine.  Add the wine to the pan and cooking until it is almost all absorbed.

Add a ladle of broth at a time, cooking until each is absorbed.  I made broth from 4 cups of water and a half teaspoon each of these powdered mushrooms. 

You'll want to stir fairly frequently to prevent sticking.

Keep adding broth and cooking until the Farro is tender, but still retains some chewiness.  Taste, and season with salt & pepper as you go along. You don't want a lot of liquid in the final product, it's not a soup after all, so go slower at the end.  Total time maybe 30 minutes.

Stir in the other two Tbsp of butter and serve, topped with a bit of Parmesan cheese and/or minced parsley if you want.  As you can see, I served the risotto as a side to some nice sausages and steamed green beans.

This one is a real winner, folks!!  Will be making variations on this Farrotto many more times in the coming months.

I see no reason why you couldn't make this by adding all the liquid after the shallots and mushrooms are cooked.  You'd want to keep the temperature medium, and the cooking pan covered, so that the grain has a chance to absorb the liquid, rather than having the liquid evaporate.


Educated (Harvard) Golden Beets

College educated!  Why "Harvard"?  No one knows for sure. Could have been named by Yale students because of the Harvard red color and the 'thick' sauce of the dish.  Or it may be a mis-pronunciation of a tavern name.  Or a chef named Harvey(ed).

As a kid growing up, this was my favorite way to eat beets.  Usually the dish uses regular red beets, but I decided to make it with these beautiful Golden Beets we've been getting from the Co-op.
\

Harvard Sauce
1/3 cup Sugar
1-1/2 tsp Corn Starch
1/2 cup Sherry Vinegar (Apple Cider vinegar also works well.)
1/4 cup Water

Whisk all together.  Bring to a low boil and cook for 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and pour over the cooked beets.  Toss to coat, and serve.

Short and Sweet....

... and tangy and oh so tasty!

Strawberry Basil Salad with Balsamic Glaze
I found this recipe by blogger Celeste while looking for something neat to do with the season's first strawberries and a bunch of basil from our SW Florida Produce Co-op.  Serves two plus a lunch portion.

1 cup uncooked Farro
2 cups quartered Strawberries
1/2 cup diced Red Onion
Juice of a medium Lemon
1/4 cup torn or chopped fresh Basil
1/2 cup Nuts -- chopped Walnuts or Pecans, Pine Nuts if you're rich.
1/4 cup halved Green Olives or Caper Berries (not capers themselves, which are seeds)
1/4 cup Craisins
1/4 cup diced Cucumber
Balsamic Glaze -- see below

Farro is an ancient grain; some food scientists think it is the Mother grain, from which wheat, emmer, barley, rye, etc. were all derived by primitive genetic manipulation (not gene tweaking, but rather Mendelevian genetics).

Cook up the cup of Farro in 3 cups of water -- a rice cooker works just fine.  After cooking, rinse the cooked grain to get rid of most of the stickiness, and spread it out to let it dry. 

Here's the Farro cooked and then toasted to help it dry.

You can also just cook Farro in a pot on the stovetop, or treat it sort of like a risotto. You could even toast the cooked grain under your broiler for an added layer of flavor.   That's what I'm going to do next week -- toast the grain a bit first, then cook it up like those Rice-aroni things we used to get, and then treat it like a risotto -- adding tons of mushrooms  as I add the liquid.

While the grain is cooking, chop the onion, basil and strawberries, etc.

Top:  craisins, strawberry quarters, chopped pecans

Middle:  cucumber, basil
Bottom:  balsamic glaze

Assemble the salad items and toss to combine well.  Plate, and then drizzle with the balsamic reduction.

Observations:  This is a really good "not a salad" salad!  Would have been better if I had put the red onion in and left the craisins out.  Next time I'll cop or rip the basil, not cut it chiffonade.  A handful of crumbled feta or even sharp white cheddar would not go amiss here, either.  You want a good balance of sweet, salty and sour or tart, whatever you add to this dish.

Balsamic Glaze
In a small pot, simmer together twice as much balsamic vinegar as maple syrup (or honey) until the liquid is reduced by half and the result coats the back of a spoon.  I started with a cup of vinegar (use the cheap stuff) and half a cup of seagrape honey (because that's what I had... again use the cheap stuff if you have it).   When reduced, cool and reserve.  Can be stored in the fridge for weeks.

Apple Yam Bake

I first posted this recipe back in 2014.

1 large Honeycrisp or Ambrosia Apple

1 large fairly cylindrical Yam

1/2 cup Sweet Onion, sliced thin

1/3 cup Golden Raisins, minced

1/2 cup Apple nectar

1 clove Garlic, minced

1/2 cup Orange juice with pulp

1 tsp "Curry Powder" of your choice

1 tsp powdered Ginger, or 1 Tbsp fresh grated Ginger

Fillet the apple as I've shown you in the past. Cut the 'half moon' slices 1/8" thick. 

Peel the yam, microwave it for a few minutes to soften them just a bit for easier slicing.  Halve the yam lengthwise and slice it into 1/8" thick half moons as well. 

Arrange alternating slices of apple and yam in a fan around a 9" pie pan. Stack additional slices of each in the center, to fill the pan.

Combine the juices, raisins, garlic, curry powder and ginger in a small saucepan, and bring to a boil. Cook for 6-8 minutes to combine the flavors. In a small skillet, sweat the onions until fragrant and translucent, but don't let them brown.

Place the onions in the center of the apple-yam fan, pour the juice overall and bake in a pre-heated 375F oven, covered, for 30 minutes until the yams are fork tender.

Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate to serve the next day.  Makes a great holiday Potluck dish!