Navy Beans - Thick and Hearty

I admit it I'm getting lazy lately.  These were too easy (after the propane tank was refilled - woops).    After two days on the stove they are just right.  Thick and hearty comfort food.  A nap is next on my agenda.

Super Easy Navy Beans

1 (16 ounce) pkg dried Navy Beans
1 (4 ounce) piece of Salt Pork (great with leftover holiday ham bone)
1 Onion, medium dice
4 stalks Celery, medium dice
3 cloves Garlic, finely diced
2 tsp. dried Thyme (or 5-6 stems fresh thyme)
1 Bay leaf
Salt & Freshly gound pepper
4-6 Cups Chicken Stock (not broth)

Pick through Navy beans for small rocks or debris, rinse and drain.  Combine all ingredients in a large heavy stock pot.  Bring to a rolling boil for approximately 2 minutes.  Run out of propane, let rest for at least an hour while you get tank refilled.  You actually need to let them sit for at least an hour before beginning to simmer. Bring pot back to boil then reduce to simmer.  Simmer, covered, for at least 3 to 4 hours. Better if refrigerated overnight.  Reheat and bring to simmer uncovered.  Discard Salt Pork. Break up some of the beans with the back of your spoon if you like to help thicken.  Serve steming hot in front of a great fooball game on TV.

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Roasted Salmon and Roasted Garlic, Zucchini and Tomatoes

I was raised in Houston, Texas and spent each summer on the on or near the Gulf of Mexico either from my Aunt and Uncle's home in Corpus Christi or fishing with my dad.  I love salt water and living in South Texas near the Hill Country and it is beautiful but I feel rather land locked sometimes.  When everything is just out of sorts for me, I need my salt water fix.  It has never failed me.  It always works.  As a result, I love seafood!  Oysters, shrimp, crab and all kinds of fish...Grouper is probably my favorite(we refer to that as a "Top of the menu" fish).  Following grouper, it's snapper, red fish, speckled trout, flounder(not in that order) and the list goes on and on with the seemingly endless numbers of tasty fish the beautiful Gulf of Mexico provides.  I love it and it is not fishy.  And that, brings me to this.  I would like to take a moment to address something I hear all the time from people, that say they don't like fish, "it's fishy".  FRESH fish is NOT fishy.  If it is get rid of it!!  If you find yourself in a situation like I am now, having to buy it from a grocery store, then ask lots of questions.  Where did it come from, what is the texture like when it's cooks, and ask to smell it.  Don't be shy.  It's not cheap and it's worth it to get the freshest seafood you can.  I got lucky enough to find a business in San Antonio that supplies seafood to restaurants and they will sell it to the public.  Believe me, it's fresh and it's not fishy!

Having said all of that, I struggle with salmon.  It doesn't come from the Gulf of Mexico, so I have trouble with creating recipes for it.  I love it raw, as sushi and I love it smoke with all of the usual suspects, purple onion, capers, egg etc.  But cooking it, is a real challenge for me.  I have tried Asian methods, I have tried cream dill sauces,etc. nothing really taste right to me.  So I decided to go back to basics after I had salmon at a dear friend's house for her birthday, and I loved it!  I was given some fresh salmon that another friend caught in Alaska.  So here's the method I learned from the birthday girl and we had it for dinner tonight.  I sprayed a cooking sheet with my buddy Pamela.  Placed the steaks on the pan, sprinkled them with some flaked lemon salt I had and fresh ground pepper.  Tossed it the oven at 350 degrees.  After about 15 minutes, I turned off the oven, cracked the door and let it sit there while I finished preparing the rest of dinner.  After I pulled it out of the oven, I drizzled it with really good olive oil and transferred it to our plates.  Really yummy!  Maybe there is hope for me afterall.  I just got off the phone with another friend that suggested I take the leftover cooked salmon, shred it with forks, place a little of it on a small square of puff pastry.  Top it with a dab of cream cheese and capers.  Fold over the top with the pastry, brush it with egg whites and bake.  That may be our late night snack.

The zucchini was super simple!  I diced a couple of fresh zucchini, tossed in some cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced onion, 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, fresh ground pepper and salt.  Poured about a 1/4 Cup olive oil and tossed it all together.  Baked, uncovered, at 450 degrees for about 15 minutes.  After removing it from the oven I sprinkled about 1/2 Cup freshly grated parmesan cheese and served.

Daddy, you asked me to let you know what I came up with for the salmon, here it is!

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Augustine's Chili Rellenos and Perfect Spanish Rice

We have been growing this idea for quite awhile!  After our drought this summer I thought the garden was a total loss.  Even the jalepenos we grew were not hot at all and worse, they literally had no flavor. Very Strange.



Then the rains came and everything changed.  We actually have grass growing again and all of the plants are happy happy happy.  My jalepenos not only have flavor but they are nice and hot!  My poblano plants started budding out and growing big and beautiful peppers.  It has rained for weeks now, somewhere in the neighborhood of 9 to 12 inches, depending on who you talk to.  Today, at our house, it's 3 inches so far!  My poor garden is confused about what time of year it is and we are reaping the benefits! 



Since my summer garden is finally producing these beautiful poblano peppers, we have been watching and waiting with anticipation to harvest and make our dear friend's Chili Rellenos.  I have always wanted to make them, but I think it's one of those things that is best learned from a friend, hands on, not from a cookbook. 

After picking them and washing them, it was time to roast them!  I love this part.  I turn on all the burners and stradel the flame with the peppers, turning them over and over until they are completely black(if you don't have a gas stove, you can do this under the broiler or on your grill outside).  As soon as one is blackened, it gets tossed into a bowl and covered with a large plate until I finish all of them.  The steam in the bowl losens the charred skins so they can easily be peeled.   The house fills with the most amazing aroma and my poor husband has to listen to me everytime he passes through the kitchen.  "Doesn't this make your mouth water", "They are so beautiful", "Can you smell these", "Oh, come look!"  Poor guy, this is my normal routine and we have been through this many many times.  We will go through this many more times in the years to come.  He knows this.  I gotta hand it to him though, he feigns excitement just for me.

It's my personal preference, but I do not hold the peppers under the water to remove the charred skins.  I am afraid they might lose some of their amazing flavor.  I scrap off the outside with my fingers and rinse the charred pieces off of my hands under the water.  The peppers are then split down one side, opened up and the seeds are then removed.  We pat them dry, just in case, so we don't get splattered when it's time to fry.

My mouth is watering again!



The poblanos are then filled with Panella or Oaxaca cheese and secure with tooth picks.  They are rolled in plain flour and set aside.  Meanwhile, August instructed me to seperate some eggs.  Whites in one bowl, yolks in the other.  One of the best things about August's Chili Rellenos, is that the batter doesn't fall off.  The technique that I learn is new to me and it works!  The whites are beaten (with a mixer unless you are a marathon mixer) to very soft peaks.  Basically, super foamy.  The yolks are beat seperately.  Then whites and yolks are gently combined.  You'll want to hold off doing this until just before you fry.

He's such a cutie!!  I am learning from the Master!!

That's me pretending I'm actually doing something.

Remember we dusted them with flour.  Combined the whites and the yolks.  August then dipped the floured poblanos into the egg mixture to coat and carefully layed them in the hot oil (we used Canola).  They are fried until they are light golden brown and just like he said, the batter stayed on!  Amazing!!

Earlier, August started his beautiful Spanish Rice.  This rice is the most delicate, fluffy, tender rice I have ever had!   He heated a large pan over a med-high heat.  The rice is added to a dry pan.  Tossed around with a spoon to keep it from burning.  Added chopped fresh garlic and onion, dry sauted that too.  Meanwhile, it a seperate sauce pan he heated water.  The hot water was then added to the rice along with the seasonings.  Do not stir the rice, cover with a tight fitting lid, reduce heat to low and simmer until the liquid is absorbed.  What a HUGE difference.  The hot water added to the rice, instead of cold water, August said, keeps the rice from getting sticky.  The lack of any kind of fat helps too.  He's right, it was perfect!

Taaa-Daaaaaaa!

August served the Chili Rellenos with fresh tomatillo sauce he brought with him from home.  Sprinkled them with fresh pomegranet seeds he brought from his mother's garden.  And it was amazing! 

Augustine's Most Tender Spanish Rice

1 Cup rice

2-3 Cups VERY HOT water

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

1/4 onion, finely diced

1 Tbl. Knorr Caldo de Pollo (Chicken Boullion)

2 Tbl. Fideo Ole'

1 tsp Cumin powder

2 -3 Tbl Cilantro, roughly chopped

Heat water in a sauce pan.  In a seperate pan, toast rice in a dry pan on med-high heat.  When it starts to change color add garlic and onion. Saute for a few minutes longer.  Add hot water to rice.  Season with chicken bullion, Fideo Ole' and cumin.  Cover pan with a tight fitting lid.  Reduce heat to low and simmer until liquid is absorbed, try not to mess with it!  Once rice is cooked, remove lid, toss with cilantro and serve.

Thank you August!  That was a fabulous meal!  Great Food and Great Friends....perfect evening!

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Soupe A' l'oignon (French Onion Soup)

Soupe A' l'oignon

4 T butter

2 T olive oil

2 lbs onions, thinly sliced (about 7 cups)

1 tsp salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

1 T sugar

1 T balsamic vinegar

1 1/2 tsp thyme (fresh if you have it)

3 T flour

2 qts beef stock (I usually include some chicken stock)

1/4 - 1/2 C dry red wine

In a heavy 4 - 5 quart stock pot, melt the butter with the olive oil over moderate heat.  Stir in the onions, salt, pepper,sugar, balsamic vinegar and thyme.  Cook uncovered over low/med heat, stirring occasionally for 20 to 30 minutes or until the onions are a rich golden brown.  Sprinkle flour over the onions and cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes.  Add the red wine to deglaze then add beef/chicken stock.  Bring the pot to a low boil then turn down to simmer for another 40 minutes (or longer).  Occasionally skim off any fat.  Taste for seasoning.

Croutes

12 - 16 one-inch thick slices of French bread (I always make more than we need to have a couple per serving)

2 tsp olive oil

1 garlic clove, cut in half

1 C grated Gruyere cheese

While the soup simmers, make the croutes.  Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Spread the bread slices in one layer on a baking sheet.  With a pastry brush, lightly coat both sides of each slice with olive oil.  Bake for approx 15 minutes on each side.  They should be completely dry and lightly browned.  Rub each slice with the cut garlic.  While they are still warm, top each slice of bread with shredded cheese and set aside.

To serve, place croutes in individual bowls and ladle the soup over them.

Serves 6 - 8.

I've been making this soup for at least 25 years, we all love it.  Now the kids are grown and I still make the same amount and freeze the rest.  It's even better the next day!  A great recipe to make ahead.

Bon Appetite!

Remember to skip on over for Tasty Tuesdays!  http://www.beautyandbedlam.com/

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We Rolled Away From The Table

I'm not eating again for at least a week.  So good and deliciously rich.

 Blackened Mahi mahi with fresh Crab, Shrimp and Bay Scollops with Bearanaise Sauce

4 Mahi mahi steaks about 1/2 pound each

1/4 C butter + 2-3 Tbl for coating fish

approx 3 Tbl Tony Chachere's seasoning, or your favoite cajun seasoning

1/4 C dry white wine

Juice of one lemon + 1 tsp grated lemon rind

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 bunch chives, finely minced

1 Tbl fresh tarragon, roughly chopped

1/4 tsp cayenne

3/4 pound medium shrimp, peeled and devined

3/4 pound bay scallops

8 oz lump crab meat

1 recipe basic Bearnaise Sauce (you can use a package in a pinch)

Rinse and dry Mahi mahi steaks.  Spread 2-3 Tbl butter on steaks to coat both sides, season liberally with Tony's seasoning on both sides.  Heat dry/clean large cast iron skillet frying pan on high until smoking hot.  Once pan is very hot, lay filets down carefully and cook for approx 4 minutes on each side until cooked through, do not overcook, you want the fish to stay moist.  Set aside and keep warm.



Please note:  This will smoke ALOT, you need good ventilation.  If your skillet is seasoned well and hot enough your filets should not stick. 

To prepare sauce, in a separate large skillet melt butter on med-high heat, add tarragon and saute garlic until soft, do not brown.  Add lemon juice, white wine and cayenne. Cook until reduced by half to concentrate flavors.  Add shrimp and scallops, saute until just cooked through, do not overcook.  Add crab, 1/2 of chives and lemon rind, heat until warmed through.  Combine with prepared Bearnaise Sauce.

To serve, transfer filets to warm plates.  Ladle sauce over each filet, garnish with chives and serve.

I served this with Wild Rice/Wild Mushroom Pilaf and Steamed broccoli with lemon and butter.

Wild Rice/Wild Mushroom Pilaf

1 C. wild rice prepared to package directions

1 C dried wild mushrooms, hydrated

1/2 C celery, diced

1 small onion, diced

1 lg clove garlic, minced

2 Tbl butter

3 Tbl Teriyaki Sauce

Just before rice is ready, melt butter and saute, mushrooms, celery, onion and garlic until softened.  Add Teriyaki sauce and continue to saute until almost all of liquid is absorbed.  Add mushroom saute mixture to wild rice and toss together lightly and serve.  Serves 4

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