Zuppa di Scarola e Ceci: escarole and garbanzo bean soup

Brrrrr...it's cold outside!  Make this for dinner on Valentine's Day and cuddle up close with someone you love :)

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(WHAT YOU WILL NEED)

the perfect pasta for soup

64 ounces chicken broth
1 head Escarole
1  15-ounce can garbanzo beans, drained
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 pound ditalini (half a box), uncooked
salt/black pepper/garlic powder
olive oil
parmesan cheese (for grating)
dutch oven or soup pot
crusty bread



A head of escarole looks like this:

Wash it as you would any lettuce.  Break leaves into big pieces. Set aside.

Drizzle approx 3 tablespoons olive oil in large dutch oven.  Add garlic and garbanzo beans and saute over medium heat for approx 3-5 minutes.  Sprinkle salt over beans.

Add torn escarole pieces a few at a time, stirring to coat all with oil.  Add a little broth to wilt leaves.  When all are coated and wilted, add all the broth and as much pasta as you'd like.  Add a few shakes of the garlic powder and bring to a light simmer, cover, and let cook over low heat until the pasta is al dente (or to your liking), stirring occasionally.   

When soup is ready, turn off the stove but do not remove pot from the heat.  Let sit for approx 15 minutes to soak up some of the broth.  Adjust seasonings.

Heat up bread in the oven so it is hot and crusty

Serve soup in bowls with parmesan cheese grated over the top and some bread on the side.

Hoppin' John

Long considered the staple of new year’s luck in the South, Hoppin’ John is always eaten on January 1st to ensure prosperity.  It’s made with black eyed peas and rice, sometimes a ham hock and sometimes giblets.  My recipe is simple in that it’s a one-pot meal…it goes from stovetop to table effortlessly, with little cleanup.  Perfect.  Just follow the cooking instructions on the box of rice and you’re good to go.  Pass it with freshly shredded cheddar cheese (for melting on top) and Texas Pete’s Pepper Sauce…and the strongest bloody mary’s you can make!  As your New Year's Eve hangover starts to fade and 2022 comes into focus, get ready…the best is yet to come!  :)

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mmmmmm...

WHAT TO BUY:

1 - 16 ounce can black eyed peas, drained
1 - 6 ounce box Long Grain and Wild Rice - not quick cooking (I use Uncle Ben's)
Hot Sauce (I use both Crystal and Texas Pete Pepper Sauce)
butter
cheddar cheese, freshly shredded

Follow the directions on the back of the rice box--that's all.  As you're putting the rice and seasoning packet into the water:  add 1 tablespoon butter, as much Crystal hot sauce as you'd like (I do 10 shakes of the bottle...lol) and the can of black eyed peas. Stir, then cover and heat as directed (my rice box says 20 min).

Remove from heat and let rest for 5 minutes.  Bring pot to the table.  Spoon into bowls, passing shredded cheddar cheese and Texas Pete Pepper Sauce on the side.

Now sit back and wait for your good luck to arrive...

Crockpot Chicken and Gravy

You're busy getting ready for the holidays:  shopping, menu planning, cooking, decorating, kids home on break.  It's a whirlwind of activity but you still have to eat.  Make something that cooks itself, like this dinner--it's crockpot sourcery I tell you.  Pure magic.  With gravy :)

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(WHAT YOU WILL NEED)

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1 envelope chicken gravy

chicken broth

salt/pepper/garlic powder

1 bag baby carrots

1 celery stalk, cut in large dice

1 small onion, peeled and quartered

2 or 3 fresh thyme sprigs

parsley

*Note:  serve with mashed potatoes

Place celery, onion, and carrots in crockpot.  Season chicken with salt, pepper, and garlic powder and place on top of vegetables.  Open soup and spoon over chicken, covering the top.  Fill both empty soup cans with chicken broth and pour around the chicken.  Sprinkle gravy packet over and around the chicken, mixing in with spoon.  Add in thyme sprigs. Cover, and cook on low heat, 5 1/2 - 6 hours.  Chicken is done when it breaks apart easily with a fork..

When done, break chicken into large chunks with 2 forks, stir all together and cook another few minutes .  Take out thyme sprigs.  Ladle into bowls with mashed potatoes and sprinkle with parsley.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Hot Brown

 

A specialty of the Brown Hotel in Louisville, KY since the 1920's, and one of my all-time favorite lunches.  It's an unexpected way to use some of that leftover turkey on day 2 after Thanksgiving, and your family will think you're a genius.

The acid of the tomatoes is needed to cut through the richness of the decadent sauce, so make sure they are firm when you use them, and not overly ripe.

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(WHAT YOU WILL NEED)

               serves 4

4 slices white bread, crusts cut off

4 large roma tomatoes, sliced

leftover turkey breast 

paprika

parsley (freshly chopped, or dried flakes)

8 slices cooked bacon

oven-safe individual dishes, buttered

for sauce:

1/2 stick butter

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup whole milk

1/2 - 3/4  cup freshly grated parmesan or pecorino romano cheese, plus a little more for the top

1/8 cup chicken broth

splash dry white wine

salt/pepper

First you need to prepare the hot browns in the dishes:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Place a piece of bread in each buttered dish.  Top with turkey and lay tomato slices around the dish.  Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.  Place the dishes in the oven to toast while you make the sauce.

ready for the oven

Make the sauce:  melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat.  Whisk in flour until it forms a roux--cook a few minutes until it browns, stirring often.  Whisk in cream and milk.  As it thickens, whisk in wine and broth. Continue whisking until it has thickened slightly.  Remove from heat and add in the cheese, whisk until smooth.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Take dishes out of the oven and pour sauce over each, covering the top completely.  Sprinkle  lightly with more grated cheese and paprika--place under heated broiler for approx 5 minutes, until they begin to bubble and brown nicely.

Remove from oven, cross 2 cooked bacon slices over the top, finish with parsley, and serve immediately with knife and fork.

Italian Beef

It's such a great time for sports right now:  football, baseball, and hockey, all at the same time. And one of my favorite things to eat on any game day is Italian Beef.

It’s hot, spicy, peppery, garlicky beef roast cooked with pepperoncini rings, on a (sorta) crusty but also chewy sub roll, and here are your choices:  HOT  - topped with Giardinera (Italian pickled vegetables with a bite) and pepperoncini rings …..SWEET – topped with Italian sweet peppers…WET (the roll dipped in the juice that the meat is cooked in)…or DRY (not dipped).  No surprise, I like mine SWEET, HOT, AND WET.

The best Italian Beef I ever had happened by accident.  I found myself at Streeter Tavern on Rush, in Chicago. They don't serve food but Downtown Dogs is next door and they let you order from there.  Awesome!  And they had Italian Beef.  Double yay!  It was the spiciest, pepperiest version I ever had and my lips were ON FIRE even while we were walking back to the hotel in the stinging cold.  Delicious.  This recipe is just like that. 

Chicago is a friendly city, and it loves its food and sports. So it's fitting that all the dishes it’s known for, especially this one, are meant to be shared.  So get your crockpot out and call your funnest friends.  The times I’ve spent in the city sharing friendship, food, love, and laughter are some of the best of my life—I wish the same for you :)

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WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

a crockpot

1    3.5--4.5 pound rump roast

1    12 ounce jar sliced pepperoncini rings (plus a little juice)

1 packet dry Italian Dressing packet (I use Good Seasons)

1 can beef consommé

1/2 - 1  teaspoon each:  salt, cracked black pepper, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder

1 small onion, peeled and quartered 

Sandwich rolls

Toppings:  sweet pepper rings, Giardiniera

Serve with chips or fries, and ice cold beer

The Goods:  sweet and hot

Trim roast of fat and place in crockpot.  Sprinkle seasonings and dressing packet over roast.  Pour consommé over and around the roast.   Add a splash of pepperoncini juice, then drain the reminder of the jar and pour pepperoncini over and around roast.   Add quartered onion.  Cover, and cook on low for 7.5 -- 8 hours.  Longer if your roast is bigger.  It's done when it can be shredded.

Remove meat to pan and shred with 2 forks. 

shredded, with the pepperoncini and onion that it cooked in

Place back into juice briefly for flavor, and then ladle meat back into pan. Save juices for dipping.

Sandwich rolls should be split, but not all the way through.  Place in microwave for a few seconds to warm.  Add meat and toppings.  Dip in juice if desired and eat immediately.

sweet, hot, and wet

Grilled Plum and Nectarine Salad

When I was growing up, my grandmother had a wooden bowl of plums and nectarines on the kitchen table every day in the summer.  The breeze would blow through the screen door in late afternoon and carry with it the smell of fresh ripe fruit that would permeate the house with its sweetness, heavenly!  

This salad is the perfect way to usher in Fall and use the last of the seasonal fruit.  It's a good light lunch on its own, or as a first course with grilled chicken or roasted pork.  And do I even need to tell you it's a natural pairing with a chilled glass of bubbly prosecco?  It is, just in case you’re wondering  :)

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Serves 4

(WHAT YOU WILL NEED)

3 nectarines, halved and pitted (you can also use peaches or apricots)

4 plums, halved and pitted

1 ball fresh mozzarella, torn into bite-size pieces with your hands

1 container baby arugula

prosciutto di parma, torn into pieces 

balsamic glaze

olive oil

fresh lemon juice (maybe 1/2 of a lemon)

salt/pepper

pinch of brown sugar 

grill or grill pan

Brush cut sides of fruit with a very little bit of olive oil.  Grill on both sides until nice char marks form. Remove and sprinkle cut sides of fruit with a pinch of brown sugar.  If the halves are too big, cut into quarters.  Set aside and let cool for approx. 10 minutes.

Place arugula in a large bowl.  Drizzle with olive oil and a fresh squeeze of lemon juice, mix together.  Season with fresh salt and pepper.  Lay out on platter.

On top of arugula, place fruit, mozzarella, and pieces of prosciutto.

Drizzle all with balsamic glaze and serve immediately.

BBQ Sundae

                         

All your favorite barbecue foods in one place...on one fork...in every bite.  Heaven!  Creamy macaroni and cheese, tangy baked beans, spice-rubbed pulled pork, and vinegary coleslaw, piled on top of each other, and topped off with a dill pickle! 

The pork cooks itself in the crockpot, and you can buy the rest.  I serve mine in small mason jars, but if you're having a few friends over for Labor Day Weekend, you can assemble them in clear plastic cups and your guests can just throw them away when they're done--EASY!

Barbecue, cold beer, your closest friends, and no dishes to wash...it really doesn't get any better than this :)

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(WHAT YOU WILL NEED)

your favorite macaroni and cheese

your favorite baked beans

your favorite coleslaw
your favorite barbecue sauce

small dill pickles

corn muffins or Texas Toast

For pulled pork:
crock pot
1 5-6 pound pork butt
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
2 teaspoons table salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons sugar
1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dry mustard 
2 small onions, peeled and quartered

Put onions in bottom of crockpot.

Mix brown sugar, both paprikas, salt and pepper, and rub all over pork roast with your hands.  Place roast in crock pot on top of onions.

This is a Western Carolina sauce so it's a vinegar base, not a tomatoey one.
In large measuring cup, mix: vinegar, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and dry mustard. Stir well and pour approx. 1/3 - 1/2 of the mixture over the roast.  Save remaining sauce for later.  Cover and cook on low approx.  8-10 hours.

When pork is fork tender, remove to large pan and shred with 2 forks.  Add some more sauce to it and mix.

Cook macaroni and cheese and baked beans.  Get coleslaw ready and put out with the pulled pork.  Layer your sundae like this:  macaroni and cheese on the bottom, baked beans, pulled pork, some barbecue sauce if you think it needs it, top with coleslaw and a pickle.

Serve with corn muffins or Texas Toast.

barbecue heaven