Thursdays Are For Cooking!
Today is a two-fer: one main course, and one soup or stew that is quick and easy to fix. And you might want to consider fixing a cast-iron skillet of cornbread while you’re putting this together, too.
If it’s chilly where you are, this recipe is good any time, but particularly on a chilly Autumn (or Summer) day, even if it isn’t officially summer just yet. The outdoor temp right now is in the 50s. This is Hurricane Herbert’s gift: go north, pull cold air from Hudson’s Bay into my AO, make me turn on the cotton-pickin’ furnace – in June, for Pete’s sake! No wonder I couldn’t find the cat last night: she burrowed under the fleece blankets and stayed there.
BBQ Beans w/Kielbasa or Smoked Sausage
Ingredients
2 15 oz black beans canned, drained and rinsed
2 15.8 oz Great Northern beans canned, drained and rinsed
1 1.25 oz can kidney beans canned, drained and rinsed
1 onion diced
½ cup barbecue sauce
¾ cup ketchup
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp mustard
1 tsp chili powder
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
½ cup maple syrup
¼ cup molasses
14.5 oz chicken broth
½ lb bacon cooked, cut into bite size pieces (optional)
2 lbs Kielbasa or smoked sausage cut into bite size pieces
Instructions:
In a large slow cooker, add all of the ingredients except for the kielbasa and stir gently to combine.
Place the kielbasa on top and cover with the lid.
Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or high for 4 to 5 hours. Stir in the kielbasa before serving.
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Next is this stew or soup recipe, which is good with or without the kale. It’s really more a thick soup than a stew, and it’s good with or without the addition of kale. The recipe says you get 8 servings. Yeah, but a soup mug is 28 ounces and I got just over 6 servings out of it, so take that into account.
Note: do NOT use chard as a substitute for kale. Chard has oxalic acid in it, and that stuff will give you kidney stones.
Sausage & White Bean Stew with Kale
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 14 ounce pkg of cooked smoked sausage, e.g., Kielbasa or andouille, cut in 1/2 inch slices
2 cups of chopped onion
1/2 cup of chopped celery
1/3 cup of chopped carrots (I used shredded carrots in a 1/2 pound pack to save some time)
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon of thyme, crushed
3 15 oz. cans of Great Northern or cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
3 14,5 ounce cans of chicken broth or stock
1 14.5 ounce can of whole peeled tomatoes, undrained, cut into pieces (I used a can of sectioned tomatoes to save time)
1 bunch of kale, washed, stemmed, and chopped (8 cups)
Salt and black pepper
Directions:
1 – in a 5 to 6 quart Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Add sausage, cook 6 minutes or until browned; occasionally stir the pieces. Remove to a plate when done.
2 – Add the next five ingredients, including the thyme, to the Dutch oven. Cook 8 minutes or until vegetables are tender but not browned, stirring occasionally.
3 – Stir in the cooked sausage, beans, broth, and tomatoes. Bring to boiling. Reduce heat, simmer covered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. (That means put down that tablet and pay attention to your food.) Stir in the kale. Simmer covered for 10 to 12 minutes more or until the kale is tender. Season to taste with salt & pepper
This is supposed to make 8 servings. I got about 7 out of it. A good sized soup mug holds about 28 ounces of stew or soup.
When I went to Walmart to get groceries, there was not one leaf or stem of kale in any of the three bins available to hold it. NOT ONE! So I fixed this without the kale and it is quite good without it. As I noted above, do NOT substitute chard for kale. Just make a batch without the kale and see how good and filling it is.
Strongly recommend either biscuits with butter (and maybe honey?) included, or a good skillet of cornbread made the old-fashioned way. Yes, I will find that old-fashioned cornbread recipe, and ditto a biscuits recipe and post them here.
On a chilly June night, when the temps dropped to the 40s and my Small Kitty was complaining about it (yes, I did turn the furnace back on), this is hearty and satisfying and is on my list of Quick & Easy Stuff.
Did anyone besides me notice that there was snow in Colorado a few days ago? If I have to turn the furnace on….
Category: Economy
Fried up our first batch of okra the other night. Been nomming on fresh corn (what the corn borers left us, anyway) and fresh green beans. Mrs. GB made up that squash casserole from my grandmother’s recipe as well. Plan to use some of our fresh tomatoes in tonight’s salad
Jalapenos coming on soon.
Are you coating the okra in a batter, or just frying it without?
Several ways to do that, Graybeard.
Sorry, Ex.
Around the GB compound – and in fact everywhere I’ve eaten fried okra in the Sunny South – it is in a batter.
I take several eggs (quantitiy dependent upon the amount of okra to fry) and beat them thoroughly, then mix in cornmeal until it is a consistency that pleases me, add salt and pepper until it feels right, and mix the sliced okra in that.
In a cast-iron skillet (sized according to the amount to cook) I have heated up about 1/4″ of oil. I drop the individual, battered, okra slices in the oil and fry until light brown (unless I get distracted by something and burn some).
I pull the fried okra out and place it in a bowl with some paper towels to absorb the excess grease, and get them on the table as soon as possible to eat them hot.
Am I forgiven, Ma’am?
GB! My Man! “…quantity dependent…” “…consistency that pleases…” “…until it feels right,…”
Only thing you forgot was, “…until the spirits of my ancestors whisper, that’s enough child!”
You will notice, Dear Readers, that there was NO SUGAR added to the corn meal in this recipe.
This same general idea can be used with squash, zookeenies, and for fried green toe maters.
Pro tip…cutting the bread on the bias means caddy cornered or on an angle.
5th/77th – I wasn’t sure the non-Southerners would understand, but I was thinking it.
And of course we never tell about The Secret Ingredient. At least, that’s what I’ve been accused of doing in the past. Although I have heard a recording of Ricky Skaggs telling about The Secret Ingredient his mother used in her “elbow drippin’ good” fried chicken. I’m surprised she hasn’t come back and slapped him for that.
One more thing about frying. Hit the *fill-in-the-blank* with a pinch of salt as soon as it comes out of the hot fat and is draining. It adds a nice flavor enhancer to the whatever it is. Hey, it was already good- make it great.
Now you done it. Gone and let the cat outta the bag.
It does work wonders, doesn’t it?
It’ll be alright GB. AW1Ed’s good people…for a Navy Puke! He won’t tell nobody.
The part about “let the cat outta the bag” just makes ’em think it was a recipe for a Chinese Food Dish.
ROFL
Yes, GB, thou art indeed forgiven!
Thank you, M’Lady.
A Tuscan version…
Sea Dragon’s Ribollita
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
4 ounces pancetta, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tbs tomato paste
1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes
2 bunches Tuscan kale, chopped
2 (15 ounce) cans cannelloni beans, drained
8 cups chicken stock
2 bay leaves
3 sprigs thyme
2 sprigs rosemary
1 (3 inch) piece Parmesan rind
1 slice toasted garlic bread per serving
Grated Parmesan, for serving
Heat oil in a heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, celery, pancetta, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook until the onion is golden brown and the pancetta is crisp, about 7 minutes. Add tomato paste and stir until dissolved. Add tomatoes and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to release any brown bits. Add the kale, beans, herbs, stock, bay leaf and Parmesan rind. Bring soup to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes.
Excellent! Adding that to my potluck stuff!
How come only one slice of garlic toast per serving? As much as I love garlic toast, I would feel…. well, unfulfilled with just ONE! 🙂
Its how they do it in Tuscany, but it is a thick slice. Almost like Texas toast.
Bruschetta
You’ll need:
FOR THE TOMATOES
4 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
4 large tomatoes, diced
1/4 c. thinly sliced basil
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. kosher salt
Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
FOR THE BREAD
1 large baguette, sliced ¼” thick on the bias
Extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing
2 cloves garlic, halved
You’ll do:
Preheat oven to 400°.
In a medium skillet over medium-low heat, heat oil. Add garlic and cook until lightly golden, 2 to 4 minutes, then remove from heat and let cool.
Make marinated tomatoes. In a large bowl, toss together tomatoes, basil, vinegar, salt, and red pepper flakes. Add garlic and oil and toss to combine. Let marinate for 30 minutes.
Brush bread on both sides lightly with oil and place on large baking sheet. Toast bread until golden, 10 to 15 minutes, turning halfway through. Let bread cool for 5 minutes, then rub bread slices with halved garlic cloves.
Spoon tomatoes on top of bread just before serving.
They won’t last long.
Mmmmm…balsamic vinegar. I still have three bottles of the good stuff I bought on a visit to Maniago in 2007.
I am going out on a limb here and say that the (optional) on the bacon part was the quantity or the thickness. Had some of this, along with all the other dishes this past weekend during the mini family reunion. Made several skillets of cornbread of which one was turned into a pan of chicken infused cornbread dressing.
From what I understand, coating your pan with oil before you cook the kale makes it easier to scrape the kale into the trash can.
Tanks Ex. Let’s eat! ps…I still have homemade cookies…and assorted ice creams.
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 :)!
It’s all good, but I’m with gitarcarver on beans. Pressure cooking dried beans is the way to go. If you don’t own one, (and why not?) the ‘fast’ pre-soak method beats the overnight one for convenience. With both you know exactly what, and how much, goes into the mix. Unlike canned, ninja.
*grin*
“Unlike canned, ninja.”
All I can say is:
gabn…..
😆😅🤣😂😉😎
For those who like to cook under pressure…. Ingredients 1 1/2 lbs Ground Beef (90%-93% lean) 1/2 lb Thick Cut Bacon, chopped (about 6-8 slices) 1 large Onion, diced 6 cloves Garlic, pressed or minced 2/3 cup Water* 1 lb Kielbasa Sausage, smoked (cut into 1 1/2″ pieces) 2 28 oz cans Pork & Beans (or baked beans) 1/2 cup Ketchup 1 (14 oz) can Red Kidney Beans*, drained & rinsed 1/2 cup Barbecue Sauce 1 1/2 Tbsp Dijon Mustard 1/3 cup Molasses 1/2 tsp Pepper 1 Tbsp Chili Powder 1 Tbsp Smoked Paprika 1 tsp Liquid Smoke (optional for a little deeper smoky flavor) To Finish 1/4 cup Brown Sugar Instructions First, get everything ready. Meat & veggies chopped, spices ready, garlic pressed or minced, measuring cups, etc. This helps the process go smoothly! Turn on the pot’s Sauté setting and add the ground beef, bacon, and onion. Cook until meat is no longer pink (you shouldn’t have to drain it unless you use a fattier meat. Leave some of the fat in there.. Add the garlic and stir. Let cook for a minute. Add the water and kielbasa. Add the remaining ingredients in order (except brown sugar), and do not stir, just push them down into the mixture to cover them. Put the lid on the pot and set the steam release knob to the Sealing position. Cancel the Sauté setting. Press the Pressure Cook/Manual button or dial, and then the + or – button or dial to select 8 minutes. Watch the pot until it comes to pressure. This is a pretty thick mixture, so you want to make sure you don’t get the burn message. If you do, remove the lid if the pin is still down (otherwise release any pressure first) and get your wood spoon down in there and scrape the bottom. Add another 1/4 cup of water if it looks too thick, close the lid, and reset. When the cook time is finished, turn the pot off (so it doesn’t go to warming) and let it sit undisturbed for 15 minutes (Natural Release).… Read more »
“make me turn on the cotton-pickin’ furnace “… Ex, you can’t say that!! Someone will whine WAAAAYYYYYCISSSSS!
That being said, we got three inches of snow Tuesday morning…so I hear ya