Old Fashioned Split Pea Soup

Old Fashioned Split Pea Soup

I always make this after we’ve had a ham with the bone in.

Ingredients

1 Ham Bone
1 package Dried Green Split Peas (1 lb)
1 Spanish Onion
1 Cup Carrots chopped
1/2 Cup Celery chopped
1 Tablespoon Butter
1 12 oz Can of Beer
7 1/2 cups Water
1 Bay Leaf
1/2 teaspoon. Thyme
1 tablespoon White Vinegar
1 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco Sauce

Directions

In a large pot, melt 1 tablespoon butter.
Add 1 chopped onion, 1 cup chopped carrots and 1/2 cup chopped celery.
Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes

Add 1 ham bone, 1 package dried green split peas, 1 12 oz. can beer, 7 1/2 cups water, 1 bay leaf, 1/2 teaspoon thyme, 1 tablespoon white vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce.

Cover and bring slowly to the boil
Reduce heat, skim foam from the top and simmer gently, covered for 2 hours.

Remove the hame bone, shred the meat and reserve. Discard bone and bay leaf.

Puree soup in blender.
Return soup to pot and add meat.
Simmer for 5 minutes.

May be frozen.

Stuffed Grape Leaves

Stuffed Grape Leaves

Grape leaves grow in abundance in New York State. They can be seen growing up wire fences or trailing along telephone wires. During the early summer, we often stop the car to pick a bag full. If you are not planning to make stuffed grape leaves immediately, you can freeze them. Be sure not to wash the grape leaves before freezing. Just pack the leaves between two solid pieces of cardboard or place in a tin foil baking dish, then wrap in silver foil and cover with a ziploc freezer bag. The cardboard or baking dish prevents the leaves from cracking and breaking. When needed, the grape leaves thaw in a few minutes. Just throw the frozen leaves into a bowl of cold water and the leaves start to separate immediately and are ready to be rolled.

Ingredients

1 lb ground lamb meat
grape leaves
1/2 cup rice                                
2 teaspoons. salt
2 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon pepper
4 - 5 Lemons
2 tablespoons butter





Directions

Wash 1/2 cup rice in cold water, then drain water in a colander. Place rice in bowl, add 1 teaspoon pepper, 2 teaspoons salt, 2 teaspoons allspice to rice and mix together.
Squeeze 1/2 cup lemon juice over rice mixture. Add 1 lb. ground lamb meat gradually. Mix together well with your hands. Over time, the rice expands and the meat mixture gradually stiffens up so at this point, place filling in refrigerator for 30 minutes. Remove from refrigerator and squeeze 2 lemons into the mixture to keep it moist.




To fill the grape leaves, take a small amount of stuffing,

shape the mixture into a sausage shape, and place at the bottom half of the leaf.

Fold over sides and then roll up completely.

 

Once you have used all the stuffing, in the same bowl add 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, 1 tablespoon olive oil and enough boiling water to measure 3 cups. Pour over the stuffed grape leaves and top with 2 tablespoons of butter.
Place a plate upside down over the top and simmer covered for 50 minutes.

 (If making the day before, cook for approx. 1/2 hour and then finish cooking the next day and it will be just ready for serving. Do the same if freezing, this dish freezes well. Leave the stuffed grape leaves in pan, cover with silver foil and put in freezer). Make sure you test one for tenderness, it may take longer than 50 minutes. Also make sure the liquid has not steamed away, may have to add a bit more water.Or these can be frozen uncooked for up to two months. Freeze on a plastic lined tray uncovered, then store them in an airtight container. Thaw and cook as directed.

To serve, place a platter over the top of the pan, and then flip the platter and saucepan over very fast so that the grape leaves come out and should remain in a cylindrical shape on the platter. It can fail! However the grape leaves stay intact and don't get damaged if you try to take each one out individually. Garnish with sliced lemons. Serve with Greek yoghurt.

grape leaves ready for picking

Time to pick Grape Leaves!
 

Grape Leaves grow wild all over Upstate New York, we dug up a grape vine growing alongside the road and planted it in our garden. Right now, the leaves are tender. Delicious wrapped around tabuli and perfect for stuffed grape leaves. Pick as much as possible and if not using right away, freeze in a plastic bag to use later. Put the bags in a aluminum pan to create a sturdy base, the leaves can crush easily when frozen. Do not wash the leaves. When using frozen leaves, just drop the leaves into cold water and start using right away.

When picking, pinch the stem as close to the leaf as possible without tearing the leaf.

Corn Salad

Corn Salad

Ingredients

8 ears corn
1 red pepper
1 orange pepper
4 peaches
lemon
oil
salt pepper
cilantro

Directions

Drop the husked corn whole into a pan of boiling water, simmer covered for 4 minutes. Make sure the water comes part way up the corn, you want to steam the corn.
Chop 1 red pepper, 1 orange pepper, peel and slice 4 peaches and break off a handful of cilantro leaves.
Cut off the corn kernels and place in a bowl. Add the peppers, peaches and cilantro.
Add salt and pepper.
Mix together 3 tablespoons oil and the juice of 2 lemons.
Add to the corn mixture and toss.
Serve chilled.

Steam Roasted Salmon

POACHED SALMON

If you are making salmon

using salmon fillets, this is excellent.
It’s from the Slow Mediterranean
Kitchen by Paula Wolfert. This
method is a steam roasted salmon
at a slow low temp.


Ingredients

You need salmon fillets,
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper


Directions

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit. Position one rack in the lower third of oven and another in the upper third. Carefully place a skillet of boiling water on the lower oven shelf. Place the salmon on an oiled baking sheet. Sprinkle generously with salt and
pepper. Bake until the salmon is firm to the touch, approx. 20  minutes. Let the salmon rest for 5 minutes before serving. The color of the salmon will not turn dull, the texture will be very moist and easily flakes. Serve with lemon wedges and Hollondaise sauce.
Sprinkle some chopped chives over the fish.


HOLLONDAISE SAUCE
This is my mother’s recipe, it always works!

Eggs
Butter
Lemon
Salt
Tabasco

Heat 1 cup of butter in a saucepan
Into  the container of an electric blender, put 4 egg yolks, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, ¼ teasp salt, a shake of Tabasco sauce. Cover container and blend on low speed, remove cover once it’s going slowly and pour in the hot butter in a steady stream. When all the butter is added, turn off the motor.
Serve immediately with the salmon.

macaroni cheese

Macaroni Cheese

Ingredients

2 cups Elbow Macaroni
3 tablespoons Flour
2 cups Milk
1/2 cup Grated Cheddar Cheese
Salt
Pepper
2 tablespoons butter

Directions

Bring a pot of water to the boil, add salt and macaroni and cook until tender. Drain through colander and place in a shallow casserole dish, add a tablespoon butter, mix and cover.
To make the sauce, first grate 1/2 cup cheddar cheese and set aside.In a saucepan, take 2 tablespoons flour, stir in 2 cups milk, a shake of salt and pepper and 1 tablespoon butter. Turn on the heat and stir continuously until the sauce begins to thicken and bubble a bit. Turn off the heat and immediately stir in 1/2 of the cheese.
Add the sauce to the macaroni and stir in well.
Sprinkle the remainder of the grated cheese over the top and place under the grill to brown.
You can make this ahead and grill just before serving.

Pineapple Platter

Pineapple Fruit Platter

This wonderful fruit presentation 
was shown to me by my friend
Jennifer Scalione.





Ingredients

1 whole pineapple
1 bunch red seedless grapes
Strawberries
Watermelon


Directions

Slice the pineapple lengthwise first,
 cutting right through the leaves  















Next quarter the pineapple halves

           








To remove the core,
slant the knife at an
angle and slice half way,










 then turn the pineapple and slice at
 an angle on the other side








Remove the core which is shaped like a triangular prism..............
Now slice between the outer skin and fruit, half way in,

 and then do the same on the other side.





Slice across the quarter pineapple down to the
skin, but not all the way through.

Garnish with grapes, strawberries and watermelon,