Brussels Sprouts ~ the educated cabbage...

Growing up amongst some wonderful Southern cooks, vegetables were a primary item at every meal. Luckily for me, I had a wise Grandfather, who knew how to make vegetables fun. Let’s just say he was before his time, using child psychology to get us to eat our vegetables. I always remember that when brussel sprouts were served, he would say that they were ‘the educated cabbage’.

Over the years, I have turn to brussel sprouts, because I really like them and they are versatile & easy to prepare. Here is my favorite way: cooked until deliciously tender inside and perfectly brown and crusted on the outside. Use brussels sprouts that are on the small size and tightly closed. You can finish these with many different types of cheese but I tend to go for dusting of Parmesan.

Bacon - Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients:
24 small brussels sprouts
8 slices hick cut slab bacon
2½ tablespoons reserved bacon grease for rubbing
fine-grain sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook bacon until crispy brown in a large skillet over medium heat. Remove and keep warm. Reserve 2½ tablespoon bacon grease and discard the rest.

Wash the brussels sprouts well. Trim the stem ends and remove any loose outer leaves. Cut in half from stem to top and gently toss in 1½ tablespoons reversed bacon grease. Place the brussels sprouts in the pan flat side down (single-layer), sprinkle with a couple pinches of salt, cover, and cook for roughly 5 minutes; the bottoms of the sprouts should only show a hint of browning. Cut into or taste one of the sprouts to gauge whether they’re tender throughout. If not, cover and cook for a few more minutes.

Once just tender, uncover, turn up the heat, and cook until the flat sides are deep brown and caramelized. Use a metal spatula to toss them once or twice to get some browning on the rounded side. Season with more salt, a few grinds of black pepper, and grated cheese. While you might be able to get away with keeping a platter of these warm in the oven for a few minutes, they are better if served immediately.

Serves 4

Slow-cooked Beef Stew...

In this day and age, when life seems to be controlled by many demands from all sides, here is a really great recipe you can use on those days when you need ease in the kitchen! It is very savory hearty slow-cooked beef stew. Just place all the ingredients in the slow-cooker and go about your day. Not only is it easy, the smells from your kitchen will have the family asking over & over, “When is dinner?”

Slow-cooked Beef Stew

Ingredients:
2 pounds lean beef chuck, trimmed and cut into 1 inch cubes
⅓ cup dried bread crumbs
1 teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 yellow onion, coarsely chopped
3 carrots, cut into thick bit size slices
6 medium red skinned new potatoes, quartered
4 stalks celery, chopped
2 teaspoon dried marjoram
⅓ cup quick-cooking tapioca
1 (4.5 ounce) can sliced mushrooms
1 teaspoon soy sauce
2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed tomato soup
1 cup beef broth
¾ cup frozen green peas, thawed

Combine bread crumbs with salt and pepper and toss with beef. Place coated beef cubes into a slow cooker and add onion, carrots, potatoes, celery, basil, tapioca, mushrooms, soy sauce, tomato soup and broth. Stir well, cover and cook on low for 10 to 12 hours or on high for 3 to 5 hours. About 20 minutes before serving, add peas.

Serve with a slice of crusty sourdough bread and a green leafy salad.

Serves 6

Fresh Plum Galette...

I always regret that summer is gone, and all the warm sunny lazy days become shorter in time. But alas, even here in the southeast, fall brings coolness to the air and a heavy morning dew at first light. These conditions helps produce an abundance of wonderful fruits which makes this season transition very pleasurable. My local Farmers’ Market is full of fruit such as apples, pears, and plums - all begging to be baked into some delectable dessert.



One of my favorites is a Galette, a rustic looking French country dessert. Traditionally it is made with the fruits of the season. A Galette is a free-formed open pie of sorts, where you place a layer of fruit on the top of sweet pastry; which is then carefully folded over the fruit toward the center forming an open pocket. The assembled Galette is then placed in a hot oven and baked until the fruit is bubbly and the pastry has become slightly puffed, set, and the edges are nicely browned.

Fresh Plum Galette

Ingredients:
Gallette
2 cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, chilled
6 to 8 tablespoons ice water

Plum Filling
6 medium ripe plums, pitted, sliced ⅛-inch
½ cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 tablespoon orange juice
2 teaspoons grated orange peel

Brandy flavored whipped cream

Preheat oven to 400° F.

To make Gallette:
In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, sugar and salt. Through the food tube gradually add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Transfer to a wide bowl; using a fork, mix in the water until flour is moistened.
On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, turn out pastry and roll into 14-inch circle. Set a side.

To make filling:
In a small bowl combine the brown sugar, orange juice and orange peel.



Arrange sliced plums around top of pastry to form a 10-inch circle; working out to in. Sprinkle the top of the plums with the brown sugar mixture. Carefully fold the outer pastry over plum toward the center forming an open pocket shape.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until pastry is golden brown

Serve in wedges with a dollop of brandy cream.

Country Chicken Pot Pie

With fall upon us – what is easier for dinner and tastes every bit as good than a hearty chicken pot pie. While the classic chicken pot pie is a wonderful recipe, down here in the Deep South; I like to add a few extra ingredients which will put this pot pie in a league all to its own. I like to serve it with mixed green salad and a glass of White Zinfandel.

Country Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients:
2 refrigerated pie crusts (15-ounce package), room temperature
½ cup all purpose flour
3 tablespoons tarragon
6 eight-ounce skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 stick butter
2 cups chicken broth
¾ cup sherry
1 cup heavy cream
1½ cups sliced carrots, blanched
16 small pearl onions, peeled and parboiled
1 cup diced red potatoes, boiled until almost tender, do not peel
1 cup peas, fresh or frozen
1 cup quartered artichoke hearts
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms

Place crust on working surface. Press out fold lines; pinch to seal cracks. Cut out 6 pastry rounds to fit top of six 2-cup ramekins. Combine flour and 1 tablespoon of tarragon in a shaker bag. Season with salt and pepper. Add chicken to flour; toss to coat. Melt butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chicken and any remaining flour to skillet; sauté until brown, about 2 minutes. Mix in broth, white wine, sherry, vegetables, onions, artichokes, and 2 tablespoons tarragon; stirring until smooth. Bring to a boil.
Stir in the cream and reduce heat to simmer, cover skillet. Cook for 45 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Transfer filling to ramekins. Top with pastry rounds and bake in a 425 degree F oven for 18 - 20 minutes or until golden.

Serves 6

Pimento Cheese Bisque

Several weeks ago I was visiting friends in Aiken, SC and had lunch at one of my favorite little restaurants, The West Side Bowery Café. The chefs there are brilliant and creative; serving a wide range of dishes, both classic and original – like their Pimento Cheese Bisque. Walking into The West Side Bowery Café you think you're in a first-rate Michelin-starred restaurant in any great city around the world. From the greeting to the seasonal menu, the daily specials, the service, the presentation and the warm thanks you'll receive when you leave, you'll have a wonderful dining experience. No one goes to The West Side Bowery Café only once.

After getting home from Aiken, I had to try and duplicate this wonderful soup. I started with my own pimento cheese recipe and then gradually incorporated it into a classic bisque base. Here is the recipe that developed:


Pimento Cheese Bisque
"This bisque is like no other. It has a great taste; it’s full of flavor and very satisfying."

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups hot milk
1 four-ounce jar pimentos, drained and chopped
¼ cup red bell pepper, chopped
¼ cup yellow bell pepper, chopped
¼ cup green bell pepper, chopped
½ cup sour cream
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
¼ cup Durkee's Famous Sauce ®
2 tablespoons Grand Marnier
1 pound sharp cheddar cheese, grated
Salt and cayenne pepper to taste
¼ cup Sherry
1 cup hot chicken broth (add to thin bisque, if needed)

Reserve 1 tablespoon each serving of the bell peppers for garnish



In a double boiler over boiling water, melt the butter and add the flour, stirring until blended. Add hot milk and stir until smooth.

Using a food-processor combine the pimentos, bell peppers, sour cream, Dijon mustard, Durkee’s, Grand Marnier and grated cheese - working in short intervals, pulse until the mixture is smooth.

Slowly add in batches the cheese mixer to warm milk, stirring until smooth. Do Not Let It Come To A Boil! Season with salt and cayenne pepper; Stir in Sherry.

Serve warm with a pinch of the combined bell peppers.

Serves 6

Chili-Orange Glazed Ribs...

Barbecued pork ribs are a favorite of mine for a weekend evening dinner. But this year you might pass on pricier baby back and St. Louis-style ribs and use a tasty alternative that can cost as little as half the price per pound. Flavorful country-style pork ribs, which are loin chops that have been cut into two pieces, have enough fat in them to make them suitable for slow cooking, yet are tender enough to cook relatively quickly on the grill. They are a great value because compared to baby backs and spare ribs; they offer far more meat than bone. They are sold boneless as well, which makes them well suited for stewing and braising. Look for this style of rib to be on sale for less than $2 a pound.

The pork ribs in this recipe are par-cooked in simmering salted water. This step ensures the meat will be moist and that the ribs will cook quickly on the grill without the sweet glaze getting too burnt. Make sure the grill isn't too hot, and be sure to turn the ribs every few minutes while basting constantly with the glaze. The results will be super tender, as well as perfectly browned and glossy.

Chili-Orange Glazed Ribs
Serve these succulent grilled ribs with corn on the cob or a hunk of corn bread and perhaps a heaping spoonful of creamy potato or pasta salad.

Ingredients:
4 pounds country-style pork ribs, bone-in
1 teaspoon salt ½ cup orange marmalade
½ cup chili sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon canola oil

Place the ribs and salt in a large pot with a cover or in a Dutch oven. Add enough water to just cover the ribs and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, to make the glaze, in a medium bowl, whisk together the marmalade, chili sauce, soy sauce, vinegar and oil. Set aside.

Preheat a gas grill to medium or prepare a charcoal fire. Oil the grill grates. Transfer the ribs to the grill and cook, turning and basting with the glaze often, until the ribs are well-browned and glossy, 20 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a platter to serve.

Serves 8

The Luncheon: Monet's Garden at Argenteuil

Claude Monet (1840 - 1926)

Zucchini Bread

I still remember the first time I encountered zucchini bread as a teenager. I had a hard time getting my mind around the concept. At the time, zucchini was something my mom made me eat, and not anything you would bake into something sweet. Fortunately, the pathway into my naturally resistant-to-new-foods teenage mind had already been cut with carrot cake. Heck, if you could get something that good out of carrots, why not zucchini? After one bite, I was sold forever. Grated zucchini, mixed into the batter, brings moisture and tender texture to what is essentially a spice cake.

Zucchini Bread
Do you have some fresh garden zucchini and don’t know what to do… make a sweet and spicy bread. You can stir it up and have it in the oven in minutes.

Ingredients:
3 eggs
1 cup oil
2 cups sugar
2 cups grated zucchini
1 tablespoon vanilla
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1¼ teaspoons baking powder
¾ cup nuts, chopped



In a large bowl, beat eggs and then add oil, sugar, zucchini and vanilla until blended. Stir all dry ingredients together and add to egg mixture. Fold in the nuts.

Spoon mixture into greased and floured loaf pans (⅔ full).

In a 350 degrees F preheated oven, bake for one hour or until golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean.

Yields: 2 large loaves

The old chef...

Claude Monet (1840 - 1926)

Cobb Salad

One of my favorite salads is the classic Cobb Salad; invented by restaurant manager, Bob Cobb, who in 1926 at The Brown Derby restaurant in Los Angeles, found a way to use up leftovers. Cobb went to the refrigerator and found an avocado, which he chopped with lettuce, celery, tomatoes, and strips of bacon. Later he embellished it with breast of chicken, chives, a hard-boiled egg, watercress, and a wedge of Roquefort cheese for dressing, and the salad was on its way to earning an international reputation. Chefs around the world have been putting their twist on this classic salad ever since.

Here is my basic recipe for a Cobb Salad that is easy and it can be a nutritious high protein lunch on these early fall days.


Eating Well Cobb Salad

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons white-wine vinegar
2 tablespoons finely minced shallot
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
10 cups mixed salad greens
½ pound sliced cooked chicken breast (1 large breast half) (see Tip)
2 eggs, hard-boiled, peeled and chopped (see Tip)
2 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1 large cucumber, seeded and sliced
1 avocado, diced
½ cup crumbled blue cheese (optional)

Whisk vinegar, shallot, mustard, salt and pepper in a small bowl to combine. Whisk in oil until combined. Place salad greens in a large bowl. Add half of the dressing and toss to coat.

Divide salad greens among 4 plates. Arrange equal portions of chicken, egg, bacon, tomatoes, cucumber, avocado and blue cheese (if using) on top of the lettuce. Put some dressing a small ramekin and serve on the side of your salad.

Makes 4 servings


A few of my cooking tips –

To poach chicken breast:
Place boneless, skinless chicken breasts in a medium skillet or saucepan and add lightly salted water to cover; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer gently until chicken is cooked through and no longer pink in the middle, 10 to 12 minutes.

To hard-boil eggs:
Place eggs in a single layer in a saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and cook at the barest simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, pour out hot water and run a constant stream of cold water over the eggs until completely cooled