Every
once in a while I get a craving for an “off-limits” junk food dish: the pork
and turkey baked bean pie, accompanied by crisp relishes such as carrot
sticks, celery sticks, or radish roses fits the bill this month 😉 If you used store
bought beans, it’s super easy to make: if, like me, you make your own baked
beans – it’s a 2 day happening in the kitchen; I got the recipe for the Baked
Bean Pie from my ‘Better Homes & Gardens Jiffy Cooking’ cookbook –
and I made my own homemade baked beans to use in the recipe; I used my ‘Jewish
Cooking in America’ cookbook for the baked bean recipe: SO GOOD! I froze
the remaining baked beans for future meals.
For
the Chicken Bouillabaisse … a fancy name for chicken stew … I dug out my
‘Mediterranean Light’ cookbook. This savory meal has many of the similar
flavorings of a fish bouillabaisse – lots of garlic, onions, tomatoes, a hint
of orange peel, saffron, and cayenne. The beans add an interesting texture and
flavor to the dish. This bouillabaisse is very easy to make; and can be made
ahead of time and reheated. You can omit the potatoes, and serve the dish with
rice, if you choose.
And
the Baked Fish Fillets Spencer recipe comes from my ‘Joy of Cooking’
cookbook. The method used to cook the fish produces a tender crust outside and
a tender and moist interior. I rounded out my meal with *Spaghetti Squash w-Parmesan. YUMMY :-D
Every Election year I make a delicious bean soup, appropriately named Soup of the Inner Sanctum. I am making it this year. It will go a lot easier than the torturous omaba-pelosi-clinton-biden-harris charade painfully playing out. I always add a few eggs to my soups, to hard-boil for hiking snacks 😉
==BAKED BEAN PIE ~Serves 3 or 4
8
Turkey Dogs * ½ Tablespoon Dijon Mustard * 1 1-pound/5 oz. can
Pork & Beans in tomato sauce or 20-ounces homemade Boston Baked
Beans (*recipe follows), partially drained *
2 teaspoons Hot Dog Relish * 1 teaspoon instant Minced Onion * ¼
cup shredded sharp process American cheese
In
saucepan, combine beans, relish, and onion; bring to boiling. Pour bean mixture
into pie plate.
Slice
each hot dog down center (not through, just enough to open); brush each slit
with mustard. Arrange on bean mixture; sprinkle with cheese.
Bake
in moderate oven – 350-degrees, for 20 minutes or until meat is lightly
browned.
**What I did: I lined foil freezer
pans with foil; portioned the bean pie into serving sizes in foil freezer pans –
adding a buttered-foil-wrapped-cob of corn to each pan – covered the pan with
plastic wrap/labeled/covered with pan lid, crimped the edges … and placed in a
large baggie for the freezer: keeping 1 serving aside to eat for Supper,
Wednesday 😉
*Boston Baked Beans ~ Yield 6 to 8
servings
This baked bean recipe can also be cooked with a 3-pound Beef brisket
instead of ham ends. These beans are a winter favorite with me.
1
pound Navy or Kidney Beans * Ham ends for flavoring * 1 sliced
Onion * 1 Tablespoon Mustard * 1 Tablespoon Salt * ¼ cup
Brown Sugar * ¼ cup Molasses * 2 cups boiling Water (or to
cover)
Wash,
pick beans over – discard any stones; cover with cold water and soak overnight.
In
the morning, drain the beans, put them in a saucepan, and cover with fresh
water. Heat slowly and cook just below the boiling point until the skins burst
– about half an hour (this is best determined by taking a few beans on the
tip of a spoon and blowing over them; if done, the skins will burst).
When
done, drain the beans and put them in a large 6-quart casserole with a lid. Add
the meat and onion.
Mix
the mustard, salt, sugar, molasses, and water … and pour over beans. Cover and
bake slowly in a preheated 225-degree oven for 8 hours, uncovering the
casserole the last hour so that the meat and beans will brown.
NOTE: I cooked my beans in
a crockpot for 6 hours on LOW. If you use a crockpot, watch it to make sure
it does not get too dry. If too dry, slowly add BOILING HOT WATER enough to
moisten: do not use cold water or the crock will crack.
==CHICKEN BOUILLABAISSE ~makes 4 servings
This
recipe calls for a whole chicken … but I used 4 chicken breasts: the servings
are smaller, but that is what I wanted 😉 And I cooked this meal in my crockpot, set to LOW for 6
hours (cooked beans and steamed potatoes made separately and added later).
1
Chicken, about 2 pounds – cut into 6 to 8 pieces * 2 Tablespoons Olive
Oil * 1 medium Onion, thinly sliced * 1 Leek, white part only,
cleaned and sliced * 2 large cloves Garlic, minced * 1 pound
Tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and put through a food processor or 1
14-ounce canned Italian Plum Tomatoes * 2 additional cloves Garlic,
minced * 1½ cups dry White Wine * 2 cups defatted Chicken stock *
1 Bay leaf * ½ teaspoon dried Thyme * ¼ teaspoon Fennel seed *
2 pinches Saffron threads * 2-inch piece Orange Peel * 1 pound
fresh Fava beans, shelled or 2 cups dry Lima beans (*instructions for cooking follows) * pinch Cayenne pepper * ¾ pound new
Potatoes, scrubbed and sliced (optional) * freshly ground Black
Pepper * Lemon Juice and Parsley for garnish
Remove
the skin form the chicken pieces.
Heat
the oil in a heavy 3-quart (or larger) skillet and sauté the onion, leek, 2
garlic cloves, over low heat for about 10 minutes – stirring often to prevent
browning.
Add
tomatoes and additional garlic, and continue to sauté over medium heat for 5
minutes. Raise heat and cook over high heat for a few more minutes, stirring.
Add
chicken, salt lightly, and stir together with the tomato mixture. Cover and
cook 10 minutes over medium heat, turning the pieces once.
Add
the wine, chicken stock, bay leaf, thyme, fennel seed, saffron, orange peel,
and more salt to taste. Bring to a simmer; cover, and simmer slowly for 20 to
25 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
Meanwhile,
blanch the fava beans in salted water for 30 seconds; drain, and transfer to a
bowl of cold water. Pop them out of their thick shells. Steam for 5 to 8
minutes, until tender but still bright green. Set aside.
*IF USING LIMA BEANS: soak beans in
‘fridge overnight; drain and cover with fresh water and bring to a boil over
medium-high heat. Simmer for 1 hour, then use beans however you desire.
If
you are using potatoes, steam or boil them until tender; drain, and set aside.
When
the chicken is done, stir in the beans and the sliced potatoes. If desired.
Remove the bay leaf, and the orange peel, and add just a hint of cayenne. Add
pepper to taste and lemon juice if desired. Garnish with chopped parsley and
serve in wide soup bowls.
This
meal will hold for a day or two, in the ‘fridge.
IF USING A CROCKPOT, just dump all the ingredients (except potatoes and beans)
and cook as directed above:
**What I did: I lined the foil pan
with foil; portioned the potatoes and beans into serving sizes in foil freezer
pans, and ladled the bouillabaisse into the pan – covered the pan with plastic
wrap/labeled/covered with pan lid, crimped the edges … and placed in a large
baggie for the freezer.
==BAKED FISH FILLETS SPENCER ~4 servings
Preheat
oven to 550-degrees.
Have
ready: 4 skinned fillets of Fish
And
a plate of: dry Bread Crumbs
Fill
a shallow pan with: ½ cup warm Milk * ½ teaspoon Salt
Dip
the fillets into the milk, then into the crumbs – in that order; making sur
they are well coated. Place them into a well-greased oven-proof pan and gently
pour over them:
3
Tablespoons melted Butter or Bacon fat
Place
pan on top oven rack and bake 10 to 12 minutes – transferring at once to a hot platter
garnished with parsley and lemon wedges.
You
may serve with: Tartar sauce
*Spaghetti Squash with
Parmesan: https://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/spaghetti-squash-with-parmesan/0010ee79-c57e-409f-a290-a456e3e0e524
**What I did: I lined the foil pan
with foil; portioned the cooked squash into serving sizes in foil freezer pans –
added a fish fillet; covered the pan with plastic wrap/labeled/covered with pan
lid, crimped the edges … and placed in a large baggie for the freezer.
==SOUP OF THE INNER SANCTUM ~ serves 8
1½
pounds dried peas, navy, or lima Beans; washed * 2 Tablespoons Butter *
4 large Yellow Onions, chopped * 1 large Garlic clove, minced * 6
sprigs Parsley * ¾ teaspoon Thyme * 1½ large Bay leaves *
1 Carrot, chopped * ½ Lemon, sliced * 1 pound smoked Ham Hock, or
shank end of smoked ham * freshly ground Black Pepper * 1
Tablespoon Salt
Place
all ingredients in a crockpot. Set temperature to High and bring to boil.
Reduce
temperature to Low and cook for 6 hours – or until beans are tender.
Remove
ham; let cool. Remove 2 cups of soup with a little liquid – puree that, and
return to soup.
Cut
ham in small pieces; add to soup.
Reheat
carefully, and serve.
**What I did: I carefully portioned
the soup into x3 quart-sized freezer baggies; keeping 1 serving aside in a small
casserole bowl for a Supper meal.
https://jeastofeden.blogspot.com/2020/09/2020-cookathon-4.html
https://jeastofeden.blogspot.com/2020/07/2020-cookathon-3b.html
https://jeastofeden.blogspot.com/2020/05/2020-cookathon-2-continued.html
https://jeastofeden.blogspot.com/2020/02/2020-cookathon-1_11.html
