Category Archives: Recipes

Recipes

Spicy Beans for a Cold Month

Last night, I was rooting around my refrigerator to see if anything should be used before it went bad, and I found the following items: a wrinkled sweet red pepper that had no mold and about a quarter cup of cilantro salsa, again with no mold. What to do with them? In my cupboard, I had a can of black beans, and my freezer yielded a cup of frozen corn. Well, why not make some spicy beans? But rather than having them over rice, which would be delicious, I would use them as a stuffer for baked potatoes. Last fall, I bought 50 pounds of organic Yukon Golds from Farmer Kev, and although the potatoes are still good, they are sprouting eyes, so now I am planning to use potatoes in a variety of ways.

The ingredients
The ingredients

Before I get started on the actual recipe, I want to emphasize that this is one of those adaptable dishes that can accommodate many kinds of beans and various vegetables. Therefore, the following recipe should be used as a place to start as much as a recipe to follow. I used garlic to jazz up the beans, but onions would work, too. Or, if you wanted to get really bold, onions and garlic. If you have a hearty digestive system—alas, I don’t—go for it. It’s winter.

The cooking
The cooking

I always use my Yankee husband, Clif, as an indicator as to whether a dish is successful. These spicy beans not only got a “Pretty darned good” from Clif, but he also went back for seconds, using tortilla chips as a base for the beans. He liked these spicy beans so much that he suggested I make them especially for nachos. “That would give them some snap,” Clif said. (With the Yankee emphasis being on “some” rather than “snap.”)

Ready to eat
Ready to eat

It certainly would, and I just might make these beans for nachos on a cold Saturday night in January or February, when the snow crunches and squeaks underfoot, the nose pinches when you take a deep breath, and the frost doesn’t leave the windows, even during the day. Warm inside, cold outside. A cozy time of the year.[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:13]

 

Recipes

Rochelle’s Gingersnaps

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As I’ve mentioned before, my mother was a terrific baker. Pies, cakes, cookies, whoopie pies—she could make them all, and my, they were tasty. But gingersnaps were one of her specialties, and they were eagerly sought by family and friends.

So eagerly, in fact, that the gingersnaps didn’t always make it to their intended destination. Not long ago, my mom’s friend Esther—who is also my friend—told me of the time my mom dropped off a batch of gingersnaps at Esther’s house. The cookies were to go to a function that both Mom and Esther had been invited to, but for some reason, Mom couldn’t attend. However, Esther could go, and when Mom dropped off the cookies, she told Esther, “Feel free to have a cookie or two.”

Esther gladly did as she was told. But one cookie led to another, and Esther ate so many of the gingersnaps that there weren’t enough to bring to the function.

“What did you do?” I asked Esther.

“I had to make my own gingersnaps to add to hers,” Esther replied.

And who can blame Esther for indulging? These cookies are irresistible, spicy with a wonderful snap. As a bonus, if the gingersnaps are stored in a tin, they keep very well, for a week or so.

I have already made several batches of gingersnaps to give as presents, and I will be making more before the holiday season is over. I have used Mom’s original recipe, blotched and in her own handwriting. Somehow, it brings a little of her into my kitchen as I cook.

As Christmas approaches, may your kitchen smell like ginger, cinnamon, and cloves.

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:12]

Recipes

Zesty Salsa, Chicken, and Rice Casserole

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The other day, I found this in my refrigerator.

I wondered what to do with it before it went bad. I looked around for what I else I might have to go with the salsa, and here is what I found:

Chicken, rice, corn, olives, and Colby cheese. Why, I had the makings of a casserole. But I wanted to give the salsa a little zest, so I took out the following:

Cumin, cinnamon, and maple syrup to flavor the salsa. But, still there was one more thing I needed, a little something for a crunchy top.

Et voilà! Casserole.

And that, dear readers, is why it’s great to have a well-stocked pantry and freezer.

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:11]

Food for the Soul, Recipes

Roasted leek and Tomato Soup by the Fire

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Yesterday, Clif bought a fire pit for our backyard. It’s something I’ve been wanting for a while. On our bike rides along Memorial Drive and the lake, we often see people grouped around fire pits as dusk comes and the temperature drops. Somehow, there is something so cozy and satisfying about sitting around a fire. I suppose it takes us back to our tribal days, when the fire was a source of heat, companionship, and sustenance. Do we have ancestral memories? I don’t know, but fire in a pit or in a fireplace or in a wood stove still has an irresistible pull.

Naturally, we wanted to use the fire pit immediately. For dinner that night, I had planned a roasted tomato soup and corn bread.

“How about if we eat soup and bread by the fire?” I asked Clif.

“Sounds good to me,” Clif replied, and we did just that.

In the morning, I roasted the tomatoes, as well as some leeks. When they were cool, I whirred them in the food processor and then stored the mixture in the refrigerator. When we got back from our afternoon bike ride, I chopped some garlic, sizzled it in a bit of oil, added the tomatoes and enough water for a nice consistency, and let it all simmer for 45 minutes or so. Then, a bit of milk to smooth the soup and a cup of small pasta to give it a little bulk.

As we slurped soup around the fire, I asked Clif, “What do you think?”

“Pretty darned good,” came the response. “Smooth and fresh tasting.”

The dog, in Sheltie fashion, circled the patio until the night came, at which point he settled down beside us by the fire. Dog and people by the fire. How primal is that? The night became chilly and damp, but the crickets sang their fall song. We stayed outside until the fire burned to embers, and then we reluctantly went inside.

Clif, with Liam behind him, by the fire

I expect sitting around the fire pit will be one of our favorite things to do this fall. Along with bike riding, of course.
[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:9]

Recipes

The Simplest Recipe For Sugar Snaps—Ever

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Not long ago, my Facebook buddy Sarah Fuller wrote about the abundance of sugar snap peas this time of year, and she suggested I might want to share a good recipe or two for them on A Good Eater. Well, as it happens, I have a favorite way of fixing sugar snaps, and it’s so simple that it hardly qualifies as a recipe. In addition, the recipe, if you want to call it that, is wonderfully adaptive to other vegetables—broccoli, zucchini, carrots, bok choy, sweet peppers, and summer squash. Cooked chicken, beef, shrimp, or tofu could also be added, but the vegetarian version is so tasty that the protein additions aren’t necessary. Finally, this is a perfect summertime recipe. It’s all cooked on the stove top, which means there will be no heat coming from the oven to add to an already hot house.

Parboiling the sugar snaps
A few basic ingredients
Making a well for the garlic. Adding it last keeps it from burning.

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:8]

 

Recipes

Fish With Parsley Sauce

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A year or so ago, I posted this recipe inspired by our British friends “from across the pond.” Simple though it is, fish with parsley sauce is tasty enough for company, as my husband, Clif, notes each time I serve this dish. It also gets his Yankee seal of approval: “Pretty darned good.”

Over the year, I have tweaked the recipe a bit, adding more butter and flour for a thicker sauce and adding a bit more parsley. Also, Clif has since added a recipe feature to this blog so that the recipes can be presented in a traditional format.

Therefore, with the changes, I decided to feature fish with parsley sauce again. Here’s to all things British—to tea and scones and dogs and literature and theater and even Queen Elizabeth, bless her, on her Diamond Jubilee.

 

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:7]

Recipes

A Casserole For A Gray Week: Recipe For Rice And Salmon Casserole With a Yogurt Dill Sauce

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Another day of rain, and the report from my friend Kate in New Hampshire is that the slugs are out in droves. Little beasties! I hope the Maine slugs stay away from my gardens. Here at the little house in the big woods, we have armies of slugs just waiting to attack my plants, and by summer’s end, my hostas are chewed to shreds.

But let us turn our attention to a more pleasant topic like, say, casseroles. Now, I know that casseroles have a bad reputation and deservedly so. Back in the old days, when I was a child, casseroles often consisted of cream of mushroom soup, noodles, hamburg, and, the finishing touch, Veg-all. How I dreaded suppers that featured this casserole.

So for years, I avoided making casseroles the way cats avoid water. I wanted nothing to do with them. But as time went by and my cooking skills improved, I began to wonder: Could I make a tasty casserole using good ingredients? I wasn’t sure, but it seemed as though it was a challenge worth exploring. After all, casseroles are warm, hearty, and thrifty. If casseroles could be made to taste good as well, then they would be a reasonable meal to make on week nights for the family.

I decided to start with the cream of mushroom soup substitute, which, of course, is a basic white sauce made with a roux of equal parts butter and flour. But the white sauce would need jazzing up, I knew, so I  added a chopped clove of garlic to the roux as it bubbled. A good move, but I found an all-milk white sauce to be still a little bland, and I decided to use half yogurt and half milk for the white sauce. The results were much better, a tangy white sauce with a nice touch of garlic. From here, there were many possibilities, but the route I took was with rice, peas, and canned salmon. Because I was using salmon, I added a teaspoon of dried dill—fresh would be even better—to the white sauce. The rest was pretty simple. Into a large mixing bowl, I emptied a can of salmon and to this I added frozen petite peas, cooked; cooked rice; and mushrooms, sliced and sautéed. I poured the white sauce over this mixture and stirred it all up. In a large buttered casserole dish, I alternated layers of the rice-salmon mixture with shredded cheddar cheese, ending with the rice-salmon mixture. On top, I put roasted almond slivers. Then, into a 350° oven it went, for 40 minutes or so, until the edges were bubbling.

The verdict from my Yankee husband, Clif? “Not too bad.” Which means good enough for seconds.

This is not a company meal—it is still too plain for that—but it is an acceptable family meal, one that won’t be dreaded and surreptitiously fed to the dog when no one is looking.

As a bonus, on a gray, damp day, there is something cozy about having a casserole bubbling in the oven. I know I’m getting all Betty Crocker here, but in a world that is often hard, cozy can be very nice indeed.

 

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News, Recipes

AN UNCONVENTIONAL EASTER DINNER

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Easter dinner

Now that the children are grown, except for the odd bag or two of chocolate eggs, Easter is no longer a big celebration in our house. Therefore on Sunday, my husband, Clif, and I decided to go to Portland Stage Company to a matinée performance of Heroes, a very witty play adapted by Tom Stoppard. As the house was nearly full, it seems that plenty of other folks had decided this was a good way to spend an Easter afternoon.

Because our daughter Shannon and her husband, Mike, live in South Portland, we dropped off our dog, Liam, with them before going to the play.

“Do you want to come for dinner afterward?” Shannon had asked earlier.

“Sure!” I had answered, never one to pass up an invitation to dinner.

Keeping in mind my recent decision not to eat meat, Shannon found a Martha Stewart recipe called Easiest Indian Stew, and she made this for our “Easter” dinner. Readers, Easiest Indian Stew is fast food at its best. It doesn’t have many ingredients—chickpeas, tomato sauce, ginger, curry, garlic, onion, and rice—it is quick to make—less than a half hour—and it is good for you. As a bonus, the whole house is fragrant with garlic and spices as the stew simmers.

Shannon made corn bread to go with the stew. A perfect accompaniment.

The stew was a hit—Clif could have easily gone back for thirds—and we all agreed that it would be good for any day. I could certainly eat it once a month, and I will be adding it to my repertoire of quick but healthy dishes.

Now, I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that other ingredients could be added to this stew: peanuts, roasted cauliflower, peppers, broccoli, to name a few. A bit of allspice could be added to give it “dimension,” as Rosa at The Flaky Tart puts it. We added red pepper flakes to give the dish a little heat.

However the stew was good as is, and I’ll be making it sometime soon. Very soon.

Recipes

FAST FOOD A LA GOOD EATER: ASIAN WRAPS

As I noted in yesterday’s post, it’s a busy time for me right now, and during these times, even a homebody must have a few tricks up her sleeve, so to speak, so that she can prepare quick, tasty, yet nutritious meals. As a rule, my husband, Clif, and I eat out once a week at some local restaurant where the food is fresh but can still only be considered a treat. (I also slide in a solo lunch trip to The Flaky Tart once a week.) Often we go to The Red Barn in Augusta or to Bolley’s Famous Franks, also in Augusta. Both places feature delicious fried seafood, just perfect for our weekly treat.

The other six days, I cook dinner, and because I am a homebody, I usually have time to make meals that require lots of chopping and simmering. But not right now. So for the next week or so, the emphasis will be on fast food at home, but homemade rather than overly processed.

One of my absolute favorite quick meals—so good that I could happily eat it once a week—is something I’ve dubbed Asian wraps. In brief, here is what I do. I cook 1 cup of rice as directed on the package. Since I use organic white basmati, this only takes 10 minutes or so. I know that brown rice is better for me, but I can’t help it—I like white basmati better. While the rice is cooking, I steam about 1 cup of broccoli and grate one carrot. I grind some peanuts. There is a bit of a cheat with this dish as I use packaged tortillas and a ginger soy sauce from Trader Joe’s to finish it off. Dedicated cooks could make their own tortillas as well as a ginger soy sauce, but then the meal wouldn’t be quite as quick, and that is today’s emphasis.

Despite the store-bought tortillas and the bottled sauce, this is a tasty, nutritious meal that can be made oh so quickly. I hardly need to add that many other vegetables and even meat could be added to this wrap, and when they are in season, we use veggies that we either grow or get from Farmer Kev. Sugar snaps are especially good and so is sautéd zucchini. A chopped fried egg would be a nice addition as would sautéd peppers or onions. Whatever suits your fancy.

Recently we had those wraps, and I photographed the assembly process as Clif made a wrap. Note: The corn in the photos was used as a side, but the corn could have easily been added with the other vegetables.

 

Everything in place

 

First comes the rice

 

Then broccoli and shredded carrots

 

A garnish of chopped peanuts

 

A touch of sauce

 

It’s a wrap!

 

A full plate for Clif

 

 

News, Recipes

IF PATTIES DON’T WORK OUT, THEN MAKE HASH

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Recently, I was given a big bunch of fresh basil. Oh, happy day! How I love it, and I can’t wait until the time comes when I can harvest it from my own pots. I made a tomato sauce with a lot of the basil, but there was still some left over, so I decided to make potato patties with tuna and basil.

As my daughter Shannon has noted, I have a tendency to be a “recipe, shmecipe,” kind of person. Sometimes this is a good thing, especially when I make soups. It has led me to all sorts of experiments that have been very tasty. But sometimes this recipe, shmecipe approach can lead to mistakes, and this is what happened with the patties.

I started out with 5 medium red potatoes and boiled them. My husband, Clif, loves potato patties, and it seemed to me that five would make enough for leftovers as well as seconds for Clif. (He is a seconds kind of guy.) While the potatoes were cooking, I chopped two heaping tablespoons of basil and one clove of garlic. When the potatoes were done, I riced them and added the basil, garlic, salt, and pepper. So far, so good. Now how much milk and butter to add? This is the point when a recipe would have been handy. As it turned out, I sloshed too much milk—about half a cup—into a saucepan and added a pat of butter. When the milk and butter were heated, I added half to the potato mixture. The consistency was just right, and I knew it. But what was I going to do with the rest of that organic milk and butter? Throw it out? I don’t think so. My brain was stuck in one gear—getting supper ready—and I couldn’t think of how I would use that bit of extra milk and butter for anything else.

Therefore, into the potatoes went the rest of the milk and butter, and now the potatoes were too soupy. No surprise, but darn! I added an egg and a small can of tuna. Still too soupy. I added some grated cheese. Ditto. What to do? Another egg. Heavens, what a mess, and still so runny that I had to ladle by spoonful the mixture into the hot frying pan. (I had used about half the mixture.)

Still, I had hope. I thought maybe if the patties sizzled for five minutes on one side, then they would be firm enough to flip. Well, they were not, and the patties broke up as I tried to flip them.

With my hopes dashed, I considered my options. This was our supper, and I had to come up with something, and that something was hash. I had used about half the mixture for the patties, now smashed to bits in the pan, and I dumped in the rest as well. I let the underneath get very brown and then flipped the whole thing as best as I could so that it would brown on the other side.

The results? Well, readers, I lucked out yet again. The hash was so good that not only did Clif go back for seconds, but he ate all that remained. There were no leftovers, and “I could have eaten more,” Clif admitted a little sheepishly. “That hash was pretty darned good.”

Recipe, shmecipe, indeed! But next time, I will only use 1/4 cup of milk, and I will measure it.