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).