Basic Vegetable Soup -killertomato

This recipe is so basic and simple it seems silly to print it except that we've eaten so much of it lately that I think it's worth noting if not simply for this one reason: After a stretch of eating it for 4 or 5 days straight,we were beginning to curse the monotony until I noticed everyone's skin just glowed.

We radiated.

We didn't even know we'd been missing all the nutrients necessary to have the complexion we wished for until push came to shove and it was time to throw everything in pot and cook it.

Incidentally, I grew up eating this, alternately with a steady diet of beans and cornbread (with chow chow), just about every night. Really, my parents would joke that I must've come from another planet for making faces. But for all the redundancy and pinings for a more glamorous lifestyle, no one ever got sick and we all had fabulous skin- and of course I know now that this diet probably sent my brother and me to college. This is impossibly cheap as well, so enjoy...

• In a large stock pot, take a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of flour and stir constantly over medium to make a roux.
• After it has become a golden sort of cream and coffee color, put about 4 cups of tomatoes in. They can be canned or fresh, but if fresh, scald briefly and peel first.
  
• Stir into roux and add salt or pepper. If using canned tomatoes from the store, you can throw in about 2 Tbsp of sugar to cut that metallic taste.
  
• Now put all vegetables that you have available into the pot and add more seasoning and stir again.
  
• Fill the pot with water, and any herbs you like. I prefer to keep it more or less simple, 2 T. dried oregano, 1 tsp. thyme, 1 T. paprika, 1 tsp. file, dash cayenne and a bay leaf. (Then I add some fresh basil when I take it off the stove because we have gobs of it growing in the yard.)
  
• Bring to a boil and simmer for an hour.

"roasted stew and biscuitry" -Anti Chef

It's cold here. I spent the better part of Election Day standing outside "stumping" for a couple of really educated people I know who were running for local Board of Education seats. I don't really like politics. I like good food, mind bending dialogue, rain on warm summer days and the under dog. But at times when one finds the self in a 'povertous' stretch one will often make choices contrary to those made in a time of more financial clarity. Isn't that what this blog is about??? Where am I ?

Anyhoo - when I'm not standing out in the cold to try and be of help to a friend, or answering the forwarded office phones for seventy five dollars a week whilst the boss and Mama play in Jamaica, I like to spend my time writing cerebral horror poems and cooking meals that warm both heart and home. I made a roast over the weekend with the expectation of my in laws. I won't bore you with that recipe...unless you ask me. But you know how a roast has all kinds of good accompaniment with the carrots, onions, celery and parsnips...resulting and including bad ass gravy....mashed potatoes, and nice green side. I chose peas, which I added to a saute of tiny little diced carrots, onion, and some butternut squash I had laying around. Again with the butternut squash and peas and carrots recipe, later...ask nicely this time. (hay zoos) It was a nice supper. So - you know there's leftovers. Ahh....that's where I was, am....the leftover thing.

Get the casserole dish...and don't worry about any habit you may see forming. Trust your old pal the anti chef here, it's me kids...this is going to be great, and it wont hurt a bit.

You need basically enough stuff to fill a 9 x 9 inch or 9 x 13 inch dish, and a can of biscuits. Yeah, you could make some, but most people exist in a world so busy that they never have time to even let the biscuit they get from a drive through cool before they eat it, let alone envision or dare i imagine undertake the "old fashioned" task of actual biscuitry. They, much like I, perpetrate counterfeit biscuitry...obtaining previously manufactured biscuits - either canned, or baked from a mix and served warm, over counters, through windows....bad, bad, biscuit. So, make some of your own if you have the time, the recipe and the balls....go ahead....what, okay Cutiepie....i will also post my Grandma's biscuit recipe they are nice, ask nice...whatever.



So take all of the leftovers, slice the roast into chunks, cut up the onions and carrots and parsnips and celery from the roasting operation, throw 'em in a nice large sauce pan with the leftover bad ass gravy, and green pea and butternut side remnants....heat this up slowly and gently....that's slowly....and ....gently....then pour this "stew" into whichever baking dish it best fits in. You want a thick stew consistency, but if your gravy has gotten too thick it won't work, you may have to thin the mixture out a little with some sort of liquid....water or stock....stock if you have it, but water is cheap. Also if your gravy has gotten too thick...it is probably not bad ass, but somehow, you will live.



Once you have your "stew" in the baking dish place a layer of biscuits on top and bake as directed on the biscuit can...I did it at 350 for about 17 minutes...you just want to make sure the "stew" is well heated before going into the oven with the biscuits and everything should be just fine. Also, with most canned biscuits being really thick, I like to rip them into thirds by tearing them, "flaky" ones are really easy to separate into three different "layers" and this bakes up nicer than full biscuit size....gives you a better stew to biscuit ratio...very important, or at the very least, a ratio not to be under considered. Just bake the extra biscuits on the same baking pan as the "roast and biscuit" cooks on.

This is one of those flying by the seat of your pants ones, but it is also really, really easy. Once you have gone through the four to five hour process the day before to prepare the roast and everything else this is a breeze. And bear in mind, I got a 2.69lb eye of round roast for about thirteen bucks...add the veggies and all we are looking at maybe twenty and it feeds four grown ups and a two year old for two full meals....well, she will be two in a couple of months, but they fly by. Time flies by...so spend it with the ones you love. Embrace unemployment if you must, and go back to the roots on how to survive the tough times. Buy good quality products to feed your family with, and make the most of everything you buy...and that will excuse you, and me...for canned biscuits once in a while. Our country didn't seem as fat and lazy to me when "the king, the clown, and the colonel" (thanks Tony Bourdain) weren't getting so much of our time and money because the schedules we maintain to actually provide for our families do not allow us time to actually see our families...fast food has gone from a treat, or cheat, to a way of life for many of us, and it is a bad scene.

I guess I should throw up a biscuit recipe, since in my Grandmother's day, having flour, baking powder and shortening "around" was part of having a kitchen, and making biscuits was more common than making a fuss at the counter over whether or not you wanted cheese, or mayo on that...think about it...think about your grandma.
-ac

Butternut Squash and Potato Gratin -Anti Chef

Alright, here's one that all of you can make, but some of you may think you can't, but you really can. There are just a few ingredients, easy, no frills cooking instructions, and it is a wonderful side dish that goes well with most anything.I came up with this by bastardizing a recipe for a potato gratin that I have used for years. It is a great recipe, but I found myself one day without enough potatoes to make a gratin, cakes, mashers or anything, so I got creative. I was actually fairly amazed at how well it turned out. I would put it on any fall menu were I still game-fully employed in the regular restaurant industry. I hope you will try it out, and I hope you like it.

ingredients:

- one small to medium butternut squash, peeled
- enough small to medium sized potatoes to make the squash weigh two pounds (about two), peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
- one quarter sweet onion, thinly sliced
- 1.5 c. heavy cream ( do not be scared here)
- 3/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese ( you can use the expensive stuff if you want, but you don't have to, and most folks have this on hand already)
- salt and pepper to taste
- sprinkling of dried thyme, about a teaspoon

method :

- first of all, I must try and demystify the butternut squash. Sure, you see them in the store and think, "hmm I bet that would be good, but I dunno....looks like a lot of work..." Stop right there. It is easy as pie to break one down if you follow a simple procedure. Use a normal vegetable peeler to peel it, although you may have to be a little more aggressive in your peeling stroke, it will peel just like a carrot. Make sure when you peel it that you get all traces of green rind looking stuff off, down to the flesh. Once you have it peeled, lop off both ends with a sturdy knife. If big knives scare you, place a kitchen towel between your hand and the blade of the knife as you apply even pressure over the whole of the knife, one hand on the handle, the other over the back of the blade. At this point I like to break it down further in two steps, the "neck" and the "bulb". The neck is easy, just slice it down the center along it's length, and then slice those halves into 1/8 to 1/4 inch pieces. The bulb requires a little more cleaning, but not that bad. Just slice it in half and use a spoon to scoop out all the seeds*. Then break it down so that you have slices similar to those of the neck. Easy squash butchery, there ya go! Now you are ready.

- since the recipe calls for 2 pounds of vegetable matter, you will need to use a scale, but not really though, although it is great to have a digital scale around the house for baking etc. If you can't find one at your local kitchen supplier, or you don't want to visit your local "head shop" then go on line. There are many different types of scales, you just want to make sure you get one that will allow you to use various forms of measure (metric/standard...) and that will handle poundage. I like to start by placing a large, light weight bowl on my scale and "taring" it, or "zeroing" it out.

- as you begin to cut up your veggies, add them to the bowl, that way you can keep an eye on the weight, start with the potatoes first, then the squash and again, if you really go over, just use a little more cream and a bigger casserole dish.
- once all of your veggies are in the bowl, potatoes, squash and sweet onions, add all the other stuff and mix well. use the same bowl you measured in, less mess.
- transfer the ingredients to a lubricated 9"X9" casserole dish and use your hands, or a spatula to press it evenly into the dish. if the stuff looks a little dry, no matter, the squash will release a bit of moisture during the cooking process and provide all the liquid the dish needs. if you have gone over with the veggies and they don't fit, move up to 9"X13" and increase the cream in the recipe by one half cup, for a total of 2 cups...the cheese, that's your call.
- cover the dish and bale @ 350 degrees for about 45 minutes, carefully remove from the oven using potholders and remove the covering. place the casserole back in the oven for an additional 20 minutes, or until she starts looking too browned.
- allow the dish to rest 10 to 15 minutes to set, then enjoy. this will provide a nice side dish for at least 6 to 8 people ( with the small casserole)

* cook's notes.
1) yes, if you so desire to go through the laborious task of sorting seeds from pulp, they are very much roast-able like pumpkin seeds, good garnish material, or additions to morning cereals, hot or cold.
2) you may choose to dress this one up by using fresh thyme in the dish, and fresh parsley or chives as a garnish, and I absolutely LOVE the use of fresh herbs as well as other ingredients whenever possible, however, the theme of this show is to make the most out of what you have, most folks have dried thyme in their spice rack, and if you don't, and you like my recipes. do yourself a favor and get some SOON. It is a big favorite of mine and shows up frequently.
3) This recipe suggestion, like most of mine, is but a template...a place from which to start exploring. I use Yukon Gold potatoes because I love them, but you can use any potato you want, sweet potatoes even. I have heard that the more orange the food, the better it is for you, but I AM NOT A DOCTOR, NOR A NUTRITIONIST AND YOU SHOULD RESEARCH NUTRITION FACTS ON YOUR OWN, maybe we can eventually set up a ling to a website for that type of info??? But my point is, play around a bit, mix and match flavors and ingredients, I bet a little curry powder would go a long way in here. In any case, get familiar with easy to make recipes like this one so that you can throw together good, home cooked foods for your soul and your family.

Quick Tarts -killertomato

This old recipe still does tricks. These savory quickies can be baked large or small, for a surprising addition to lunch or dinner, cold snack from the fridge or little party bites. The filling is versatile as long as you have egg and milk to make the custard. I love it because you can throw in extra cheese you have on hand, vegetables you need to use or whatever you wish- try walnuts and blue cheese- yet they look and taste like something special. At my house, they add some protein when paired with vegetable soup or work perfectly when going to a potluck. Plus, the dough freezes well. I may make a large batch before the holidays to pull out at random.
*

Pastry:

1/2 tsp salt

1 c. sifted flour

2/3 c. butter, shortening or lard

6 oz cream cheese
*

Sift salt and flour. Blend in fat and cream cheese with pastry cutter or quickly in a stand mixer with paddle attachment. On a floured board, roll out, fold, roll out again. Repeat. Press pieces into muffin tins or tartlet forms. Your fat and cheese must be cold as when making pie crust.
*

Filling:

1 egg

1 c. milk or half and half

pinch of salt

3 green onions

handful grated cheese (most any will do)
*

Line small or large tins with dough. Beat egg slightly, add remaining ingredients, pour into cups. For mini tarts, bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes, when filling quivers only slightly. For larger sizes, bake at 300 degrees for about 30 minutes. YUM. These never last long.

Colder Days Are For Stewing -killertomato

There's a phrase in Italian about hens, "La gallina fa buon brodo", meaning "The old hen makes good stock." B brought home a hen recently after discovering it at the Sweet Auburn Curb Market in Atlanta. You can buy many different cuts of meat there that aren't offered at conventional grocery stores, such as pigs' feet, offal and whole birds with their necks and all. We usually choose to buy a whole bird and butcher it at home. You get a lot more for your money and can pull meat out of the freezer for a while afterward. All you need is a very sharp knife. A tough old bird like a hen goes for a very fair price, since you pretty much have to stew it if you want to be able to chew and swallow the poor dear. You'll know it's an older one if it is large (around 10 lbs or so), should say "stewing hen" somewhere but don't count on that, and is more difficult to butcher. By the way, places like the market we bought this one from may butcher it for you if you ask.
 *

I'm sure there are other sayings about how the bird may be old but it isn't finished yet, because roosters and hens alike make a lovely and decadent stock. Coq Au Vin is probably the most popuar dish to make at home using rooster or hen, but at the time, we had all caught a cold, the baby was cranky and I needed to make my baby some chicken soup. B made a simple stock after butchering by covering the carcass in a large pot and covering it with water. For the next two hours, he skimmed the "clouds" off the top of the water as it simmered. Then added a mirepoix (though he would never call it that as he is presently being tutored in a strictly Italian methodology) along with peppercorns and simmered for one more hour.
 *

Any piece of the hen can be used next, I used the breasts and wings. They were coated in flour and seared in olive oil until browned. I think butter would be a good option here, but whenever we are cooking with the baby in mind, we have to be mindful of fats, sugar, and sodium. Then, in a dutch oven, sauteed more carrots, onions, and celery- since we had those particular vegetables- salt and peppered them, and added the chicken. Then about half the stock, plus about five or six sliced okra which were coming in strong out in the front yard, dropped in a bay leaf and baked at 250 degrees for about 3-3 1/2 hours. This is a lot like making short ribs. The meat should fall off the bone when it's done. You could never put an older bird like this in the oven and roast it without the liquid to braise it. The inside of the meat might get tender enough, but there is an outside layer that people have probably attempted to make boots out of.
*

I feel so bad that I don't have pictures to accompany this procedure. For one thing, it happened before this blog was even a thought in my head. I do have a link to a diagram on butchering a chicken, though: http://recipehut.homestead.com/chicken_photo.html.