Turkey Soup 2012

So this year's version has a few changes that fall under the "whatever you have lying around" category, but it was good enough to warrant its own post.

1 turkey carcass
1 onion, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1 quart water.

Boil for 2 1/2 hours. Remove turkey bones. Process broth with blender til chunky.

Add:
5 or 6 carrots, chopped

whatever you have lying around, in this case:
2 sweet potatoes, sliced

Cook until vegetables are done. Add 1 tsp mace, 1 can condensed milk, salt and pepper to taste.
chicken broth and water to cover.

I really don't like sweet potato, but I've been hearing that they have lots of beta-carotene, as well as being lower in GI effect so thought I'd throw them in and see what happened.  I was going to put in some barley as well but forgot, so I have a packet of barley sitting on the counter.

Excellent.  Really tasty soup.

Egg & Cheese Casserole

Serious comfort food.  Serve for breakfast with Sticky buns or for dinner with Cornflake Baked Chicken (which for some reason I've never posted here. That will have to be fixed.).

5 slices bread, cubed
1/2 pound Velveeta cheese,cubed
layer in a buttered casserole dish (9 x 12 ish)

Combine:
3 beaten eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 tsp salt
pinch dry mustard
dash of Worcestershire sauce

Pour over bread and cheese.

Melt 1/4 cup butter and drizzle over whole.

Refrigerate overnight (or at least for several hours) then bake at 300º for one hour.   Let stand for about fifteen minutes before serving.

You can also double this for a large baking dish.

Dire Illness Chicken Soup

Standing at the stove in a stuffy haze, really want some chicken soup. No idea what should go in as I always just open a can of Campbell's (which I don't have on the shelf). So here goes.

3 cups chicken stock from the store
1 small carrot, grated
2 tbsp yellow onion, grated
1/2 cup or so of soup noodles (These are thin and short, about an inch and a half long and work perfectly. Can't remember what they are called but I generally find them in the Mexican section of my grocery store. I'll update this when I buy another pack)
salt and pepper
1/2 tsp or so celery seed
1/2 tsp or so basil

Bring to a boil and cook for a while.
Eat hot.

Wow. It was incredible. Of course I was sick and dying for chicken noodle soup so my judgement may have been tainted, but I'm going to run with it.

Mushroom Stuffed Pork Roast

Bring a boneless pork loin to room temperature. (Any size will do but you will need to watch the cooking time for smaller roasts. A 3 pound roast will take about an hour in the oven).

Pour 2 cups boiling water over about two cups of mushrooms (dried Porcini, Crimini, whatever you like) and let stand for 30 minutes. (I used Crimini's that I had left over and which had dried out slightly and this worked perfectly). Remove mushrooms and reserve mushroom water by pouring through a coffee filter or fine sieve.

Stuffing:
1/2 cup shallots or yellow onions, chopped
3 - 4 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup fine bread crumbs
1/4 cup chopped parsley leaves
2/3 of soaked mushrooms, minced
Salt and pepper to taste

Saute onion and garlic over medium high heat until softened.
Transfer to a bowl and add remaining ingredients.
Let cool.

With a long thin knife cut a slit through the center of the pork loin (about an inch to an inch and a half wide) and stuff it with the mushroom stuffing. You can push it through with a wooden spoon or just keep pushing it in with your fingers.

Season outside of pork loin with salt and pepper.
Heat 1/2 Tbsp oil over high heat in a cast iron skillet until it just starts to smoke, then brown loin on all sides (about 1 1/2 minutes total).

Transfer skillet and loin to 375º oven. Roast for about an hour or until internal temperature reaches 155º.

Rest for ten minutes, slice and serve.

Gravy:

Deglaze hot frying pan with juice of two limes. Add two cups of stock, reserved mushroom liquid, and remaining mushrooms (chopped). Simmer, stirring occasionally, for about five minutes.

Tuscan Pork Roast

Bring a pork loin to room temperature. I used boneless, I've seen recipes that call for deboned then retied.

Smash eight or nine garlic cloves, four tablespoons rosemary (fresh if possible), a couple teaspoons of salt, and a couple tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Grind it all up really well into a nice paste.

Rub the outside of the loin with the garlic mixture, then poke a hole through the center with a long knife. Stuff the hole with the remaining garlic mixture. Make more if necessary. Let stand for about 30 minutes to marinate.

Bake at 350º until you get a center temperature of 155º. Start checking after about an hour as the time will vary dramatically depending on the size of your pork loin.

Let rest fifteen minutes then slice thinly and serve.

Struttin' Sauce (Kansas City Style BBQ)

1 Tbsp canola oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup tomato puree
3/4 cup cider vinegar
3/4 cup water
6 Tbsp brown sugar
6 Tbsp chili powder
1/4 cup tomato paste
3 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
3 to 4 tsp celery salt
1 Tbsp prepared yellow mustard
1 Tbsp fresh ground black pepper
1 Tbsp corn syrup
1 Tbsp liquid hickory smoke

Saute onion and garlic in oil until soft. Mix in remaining ingredients and cook until it thickens, about 30 minutes. If you want it thinner add water.

Creole Chicken Stew

2 large chicken breasts, cubed
1 cup celery, chopped
1 small onion chopped
2 carrots, sliced thinly
1 green pepper, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 small can diced tomatoes
1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced
1 tsp non-sugar sweetener
2 Tbsp Essence of Emeril
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Saute chicken in olive oil til lightly browned. Add rest of ingredients. Cook over very low heat for four to five hours, or in crockpot for six to seven. Season to taste with more salt, pepper, and Essence.

Feta Garlic Cheese Sauce

1/4 cup (half stick) butter
3 to 4 cloves garlic
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp dried mustard powder
1/2 to 3/4 cup crumbled Feta cheese
1 egg yolk

Melt butter over medium heat.
Add smashed garlic and stir briefly.
Stir in flour and whisk for about two minutes to eliminate "floury" taste.
Slowly add milk, stirring constantly.
Bring to boil, stirring constantly to prevent sticking and scorching.
Add cheese in small handfuls and stir til melted.
Add spices.
Remove from heat.
With whisk, dip some sauce and add to the egg. (This prevents the egg from curdling). Return egg and cheese mixture to sauce.

Serve over pasta.

Spaghetti ala Carbonara

My take on a classic recipe.

Cook 1/2 pound of spaghetti, angel hair, or fettuccine. I recently switched to Dreamfield's. They make a variety of low glycemic pastas which are excellent. Make sure you cook the pasta al dente (slightly chewy when you fish a piece out of the pot and eat it).

While the pasta cooks:

Mix and set aside.

1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Saute 1/2 pound Spicy Italian Sausage.

When pasta is done drain and add to egg mixture while still hot. Toss quickly to cook the egg. Top with sausage and more Parmesan cheese.

Christmas Pudding (aka Plum Duff)

And the best thing is, no candied fruit!

1 cup ground suet (Atora makes a vegetarian suet but I have not tried it)
1 cup whole wheat bread in small pieces
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup raisins and currents
1 cup flour
cut up ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup sour milk or buttermilk

Combine dry ingredients, stir in milk. Put in a well greased steaming bowl (I just got this one for my birthday but this is the traditional style bowl, covered with wax paper held on with a rubber band) and simmer for 3 hours in a covered pan.

Turn out.

This can be served immediately or stored indefinitely. If you are going to store it for later, wrap in cheesecloth, soak with about a 1/4 to 1/2 cup of brandy or rum, and seal in a plastic container.

To serve, heat 1/8 cup brandy or rum on stovetop, pour over pudding, and light with a match. If I were a company I would put a warning label on this suggestion, but you are an adult and should be able to figure it out.

Serve with hardsauce.

Hardsauce

1/3 cup butter, softened
1 cup confection sugar
1 capful rum
Mix well and chill.

Perfect Prime Rib

Let meat stand at room temperature for at least one hour (preferably three)
Preheat oven to 375º
Place meat, fat side up, in shallow roasting pan.
Cook roast for one hour. Turn off oven and let sit for one to one and a half hours. Do not open oven door for any reason.
About 30 to 40 minutes before serving, turn on oven to 375º. Your roast will be rare when the internal temperature is 120º, medium at 125 to 130º.
Cover loosely with foil and let sit for ten to fifteen minutes.
Serve immediately.