4-6 long eggplants
1 sweet bell pepper
3 roma tomatoes
One whole head of garlic
1 can garbanzo beans
Juice from half a lemon or one lime
Olive oil
Salt & pepper
Preheat oven to 375. Skin strips off eggplants and cut in half lengthwise. Cut and clean bell pepper, removing all seeds, stem and core. Cut tomatoes in to thick slices. Cut the top layer off of the garlic head, exposing the tops. Place all items on a baking sheet and drizzle olive oil over everything. Lightly salt to taste and roast @ for approximately 30-40 minutes. About half way through, turn everything over and continue cooking until liquid evaporates from peppers and tomatoes. This may take more than 40 minutes. If so, remove eggplants and set aside until everything else is ready. When all items are cooked, place everything into a food processor. You will need to cut the eggplant into smaller chunks. Add drained garbanzo beans. Add salt and pepper and lemon or lime juice to season. Slowly begin to pulse all ingredients. Your mixture will begin to break down into a pasty concoction. Taste and adjust. Pulse again. Do not overpulse. Your mixture should appear colorful and pretty. Most important, the citrus juice from the lemon/lime will give it a special zing. Spread over crackers or dip some pita bread slices into it and enjoy.
Variations:
Marinated artichokes
Olives
Sundried tomatoes to replace fresh romas.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
PORTUGUESE BEAN SOUP
Here's one of our family favorites. I take this to potlucks, I share it with friends who need "comfort" and I make this a meal in itself every couple of months in my household. Elyse loves the soup and the cabbage. My friend Walter loves this recipe so I finally put it down on paper for him. Pastor Sonny loves this soup too. There is something in it for everyone. I hope you enjoy it too. Enjoy!
2 ham shanks
1 med onion
2 medium carrots
2-3 nice stalks of celery
4-5 small potatoes
1/2 head of head cabbage
2 c. uncooked macaroni
2 cans of beans (your choice)
2 cans of stewed tomatoes
2 -3 quarts of water or stock
1 ring of portuguese sausage
Assorted herbs as desired (bay leaf, oregano, basil, thyme)
Salt to taste
In a large pot, bring water to a boil and add ham shanks. Reduce to medium and let cook for approx. 40 - 45 minutes or until meat is beginning to separate from the bone. Remove from pot into a separate bowl and let cool. Peel carrots and chop carrots and celery into bite size pieces. Add to the boiling water. Add salt or chicken/beef boullion and lightly season to taste. Reduce heat and cover it. Let it simmer for 20 minutes. After the ham shanks cool off enough to handle it (about 15-20 minutes), carefully cut off the meat from the bones, and cut into bite size chunks and set it aside. The meat should not be completely cooked, nor falling off the bone. It should be somewhat firm, but not hard. Pliable but definitely not overcooked.
In the meantime, rinse and cut potatoes into bite size chunks. Add potatoes, macaroni, tomatoes and juices to the pot and bring it back up to a boil. Sprinkle herbs into pot, re-season the soup and bring it back up to a boil. Cover and reduce heat and let it simmer until the potatoes and the macaroni are completely cooked. This should be another 10 to 15 minutes. Be sure to stir frequently to make sure that the macaroni does not stick to the bottom of your pot. Add more liquid if necessary and re-adjust your seasoning accordingly. The mixture in the pot will begin to naturally thicken on its own with the starches from the potatoes and the macaroni. Finally add the chunks of ham into the pot. Add beans including liquid. Cut sausage and cabbage into bite size pieces and add into the pot. Cover and let the whole pot simmer again for another 10 minutes. Keep stirring occasionally. Check all veggies for doneness and turn off the stove when done.
Serve with fresh croutons and a salad. Or better yet, fresh cornbread. Yum.
2 ham shanks
1 med onion
2 medium carrots
2-3 nice stalks of celery
4-5 small potatoes
1/2 head of head cabbage
2 c. uncooked macaroni
2 cans of beans (your choice)
2 cans of stewed tomatoes
2 -3 quarts of water or stock
1 ring of portuguese sausage
Assorted herbs as desired (bay leaf, oregano, basil, thyme)
Salt to taste
In a large pot, bring water to a boil and add ham shanks. Reduce to medium and let cook for approx. 40 - 45 minutes or until meat is beginning to separate from the bone. Remove from pot into a separate bowl and let cool. Peel carrots and chop carrots and celery into bite size pieces. Add to the boiling water. Add salt or chicken/beef boullion and lightly season to taste. Reduce heat and cover it. Let it simmer for 20 minutes. After the ham shanks cool off enough to handle it (about 15-20 minutes), carefully cut off the meat from the bones, and cut into bite size chunks and set it aside. The meat should not be completely cooked, nor falling off the bone. It should be somewhat firm, but not hard. Pliable but definitely not overcooked.
In the meantime, rinse and cut potatoes into bite size chunks. Add potatoes, macaroni, tomatoes and juices to the pot and bring it back up to a boil. Sprinkle herbs into pot, re-season the soup and bring it back up to a boil. Cover and reduce heat and let it simmer until the potatoes and the macaroni are completely cooked. This should be another 10 to 15 minutes. Be sure to stir frequently to make sure that the macaroni does not stick to the bottom of your pot. Add more liquid if necessary and re-adjust your seasoning accordingly. The mixture in the pot will begin to naturally thicken on its own with the starches from the potatoes and the macaroni. Finally add the chunks of ham into the pot. Add beans including liquid. Cut sausage and cabbage into bite size pieces and add into the pot. Cover and let the whole pot simmer again for another 10 minutes. Keep stirring occasionally. Check all veggies for doneness and turn off the stove when done.
Serve with fresh croutons and a salad. Or better yet, fresh cornbread. Yum.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Summer is ending
Here in Hawaii we do not get the obvious seasonal changes, but something about this time of year makes me acutely aware that summer is ending, and we are heading into the cooler fall season. Maybe it is the fact that all the kids are back in school? Maybe it is the temperature in the air? Maybe the sound of the stillness out of doors on a serene Sunday morning? Whatever it is, something gets me thinking about comfort foods. I am a soupy kind of girl, afterall. I created an italian inspired dish, to serve over noodles, but the next day it was easily converted into a delicious soup for the soul. Enjoy!
ITALIAN SAUSAGE STEW - DAY 1
6 italian sausages, skinned and broken apart into small pieces (you can do this in the pan while it cooks)
1 medium onion
3-4 cloves of garlic
2 sweet bell peppers, sliced
1 medium zucchini, sliced into large diagonal strips
1 can stewed tomatoes (14 oz)
Italian seasoning
Drizzle olive oil into a heated skillet. Saute sausages and garlic. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Add in onions and peppers. Stir gently to mix all, and let set for a couple of minutes until the peppers begin to soften. Add in zucchini and stir. Add canned tomatoes and seasoning, and bring everything to a low boil. Reduce heat and let it simmer for 10-12 minutes. Taste. Turn off heat and serve immediately over your choice of cooked pasta.
DAY 2
Turn your leftovers into a delicious soup by putting it into a pot and adding water or chicken broth. If you use water you will need to re-season the mixture according to your taste. Add left over pasta into the soup and serve immediately with croutons. Garnish with fresh parsley or basil if desired.
ITALIAN SAUSAGE STEW - DAY 1
6 italian sausages, skinned and broken apart into small pieces (you can do this in the pan while it cooks)
1 medium onion
3-4 cloves of garlic
2 sweet bell peppers, sliced
1 medium zucchini, sliced into large diagonal strips
1 can stewed tomatoes (14 oz)
Italian seasoning
Drizzle olive oil into a heated skillet. Saute sausages and garlic. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Add in onions and peppers. Stir gently to mix all, and let set for a couple of minutes until the peppers begin to soften. Add in zucchini and stir. Add canned tomatoes and seasoning, and bring everything to a low boil. Reduce heat and let it simmer for 10-12 minutes. Taste. Turn off heat and serve immediately over your choice of cooked pasta.
DAY 2
Turn your leftovers into a delicious soup by putting it into a pot and adding water or chicken broth. If you use water you will need to re-season the mixture according to your taste. Add left over pasta into the soup and serve immediately with croutons. Garnish with fresh parsley or basil if desired.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
HAMBURGER BARLEY STEW
1 package barley
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 medium chopped onion
2 cloves garlic
1 medium carrot
2 stalks celery
1 can tomato paste
6 c. water
S & P
Cook barley according to package directions. In a separate pot, cook brown ground beef, onion and garlic until meat is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Add diced carrots and celery and cook for another 5 minutes. Add tomato paste and water, season to your desired taste and simmer for about 20 minutes until everything is well blended. Serve over rice. Enjoy!
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 medium chopped onion
2 cloves garlic
1 medium carrot
2 stalks celery
1 can tomato paste
6 c. water
S & P
Cook barley according to package directions. In a separate pot, cook brown ground beef, onion and garlic until meat is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Add diced carrots and celery and cook for another 5 minutes. Add tomato paste and water, season to your desired taste and simmer for about 20 minutes until everything is well blended. Serve over rice. Enjoy!
SUMMER SALSA
Lately my inspiration has come from various fruity flavors. We recently had an abundance of smooth creamy sharwil avocados, and I began running out of ideas to use them. Who would know that I'd get tired of eating guacamole every day, or putting beautiful thick slices into sandwiches and salads? But I did. So I created a fresh corn relish to serve in a halved avocado, and called them avocado boats. The kids loved them! And I even shared some boats with the neighbors who gave me the avocados, as I am sure they were tired of guacamole too. :)
1 cup corn (frozen kernels, gently reheated and cooled) or kernels from 2-3 medium sized fresh cobs
1/4 c. chopped red onion
1/2 red or yellow sweet bell pepper
Fresh chopped cilantro
Salt & pepper
Vinegarette:
1/4 c. balsamic or other flavored vinegar
2 T. honey
1/2 c. olive oil slowly drizzled into liquid
Salt & pepper to taste
Mix first relish ingredients together. Slowly add vinegarette. Re-season to taste. Spoon mixture into avocado boats. Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves and serve as a cool side dish. Bon appetit!
1 cup corn (frozen kernels, gently reheated and cooled) or kernels from 2-3 medium sized fresh cobs
1/4 c. chopped red onion
1/2 red or yellow sweet bell pepper
Fresh chopped cilantro
Salt & pepper
Vinegarette:
1/4 c. balsamic or other flavored vinegar
2 T. honey
1/2 c. olive oil slowly drizzled into liquid
Salt & pepper to taste
Mix first relish ingredients together. Slowly add vinegarette. Re-season to taste. Spoon mixture into avocado boats. Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves and serve as a cool side dish. Bon appetit!
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Hi Eddie
My husband works away from home on another island and lives in a house with 5 other guys. Yes, guys. They all take turns cooking and he is always looking for inspiration to create a manly man meal. Rather than copying recipes each week, I will post them here, and he can check come to my virtual kitchen and get his inspiration here. So Eddie, this post is for you:
Sunday, February 3, 2008
I've been published!
One of my crazy passions is collecting recipes and recipe books. Among my massive collection I have books, articles, clippings, and ideas posted on oil-stained paper, napkins, or just about anything that will hold ink. To my delight, in 2006 I had been published in this book entitled Hawaii's Best Soups, Sides and Salads. This was definitely a reward for the countless hours I have spent in the kitchen preparing meals for my family. 2007 brought yet another thrill to find out I had been published again, in a book by the same author. This new book is a culmination of all of her five previously published books, in a new book entitled "Best of the Best Hawaii Recipes." Bon appetite!
Kitchen is open!
Welcome to my ordinary kitchen! This is where I feed my love for food, and the stomachs of those I love. In this kitchen, there is no fancy cookware or excessive use of fancy gadgets. Here exists a room which is truly the heart of my home. My family members are often the first to test any of my new recipes enjoy the best of my family favorites. Unfortunately, they are also the ones to judge my recipes-gone-bad. I do not take it personally. There is nothing really "special" about what I do here, except that I do put my heart and soul into every part of it, or I don't do it at all. Whether it is to prepare meals for your family or for a special event, I am here to encourage you that cooking doesn't have to be a lot of work and can actually be fun.
So grab a cup of tea or a glass of wine and come visit me in My Ordinary Kitchen to try my recipes, get safety ideas & kitchen tips, and gain simple ideas on how to spread that joy into your own kitchen.
Bon apetite!
So grab a cup of tea or a glass of wine and come visit me in My Ordinary Kitchen to try my recipes, get safety ideas & kitchen tips, and gain simple ideas on how to spread that joy into your own kitchen.
Bon apetite!
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