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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)