Maque Choux

A great side dish to accompany jerk chicken.


8 medium ears of fresh corn
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
1 small green sweet pepper, chopped (1/2 cup)
2 tablespoons margarine or butter
1 medium tomato, cut up
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

Remove the husks from corn; scrub with a stiff brush to remove silks. Rinse. Use a sharp knife to remove corn from cobs, cutting two-thirds of the way to the cob. Scrape cobs with a dull edge of a knife. (You should have about 4 cups.)

In a 3-quart saucepan cook onion and green pepper in margarine or butter about 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in corn, tomato, salt, black pepper, and red pepper. Cover and cook over low heat about 20 minutes or until corn is tender. Season to taste. Makes 6 side-dish servings. 


(Found this recipe from an on-line forum, no credit was given as to who created it. It's pretty delish though!)

Lentil Sausage Soup

This is a delightful soup brought to you by The Barefoot Contessa (Episode: Tale of Two Soups). It's the perfect soup for a cold winter night with a wonderful meaty flavor in which thick rich lentils add to the hardiness of this flavorful soup. We often have bulk mild Italian sausage on hand which is easily subbed for the kielbasa, just brown in a separate pan and add at the same time.

Ingredients
1 pound French green lentils (recommended: du Puy)
1/4 cup olive oil, plus extra for serving
4 cups diced yellow onions (3 large)
4 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts only (2 leeks)
1 tablespoon minced garlic (2 large cloves)
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3 cups medium diced celery (8 stalks)
3 cups medium diced carrots (4 to 6 carrots)
3 quarts Homemade Chicken Stock, or canned broth
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 pound kielbasa, cut in 1/2 lengthwise and sliced 1/3-inch thick
2 tablespoons dry red wine or red wine vinegar
Freshly grated Parmesan, for serving

Directions
In a large bowl, cover the lentils with boiling water and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Drain.

In a large stockpot over medium heat, heat the olive oil and saute the onions, leeks, garlic, salt, pepper, thyme, and cumin for 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are translucent and tender. Add the celery and carrots and saute for another 10 minutes. Add the chicken stock, tomato paste, and drained lentils, cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 1 hour, or until the lentils are cooked through and tender. Check the seasonings. Add the kielbasa and red wine and simmer until the kielbasa is hot. Serve drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with grated Parmesan.

Southwestern Chicken Corn Chowder

INGREDIENTS:
1 boneless/skinless chicken breast OR 6 chicken tenders
2 tbl butter
1 scallion, white and green parts separated, thinly sliced
1 medium carrot, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp dried oregano
course salt and ground pepper
1 baking potato, peeled and cut into 1/2" pieces
1 package (10 oz) frozen corn kernels (I use a can of corn and it turns out just fine)
1 can (14.5 oz) reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup of 2% milk
1/2 cup of 1/2 & 1/2
Tabasco or chili powder (for optional heat)

DIRECTIONS:
In a medium saucepan, melt 1 tbl butter over medium heat. Brown chicken on both sides. Remove. Add 1 tbl butter and white part of scallion, carrot, chili powder and oregano; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until scallion is soft, about 2 minutes. Add chicken back in along with potato, corn, broth, milk and 1/2 & 1/2.

Bring to a boil over medium-high, and reduce to a simmer. Cook until potato is easily pierced with the tip of a knife, 15-20 minutes. Remove chicken and shred; return to pot. Stir in green part of scallion and season with salt and pepper (and other spices if you want it more flavorful or heat). Refrigerate in an airtight container up to about three days.

This was a recipe I altered slightly from a recipe out of Martha Stewart's Everyday Food Magazine. This is also excellent with a side of cornbread. It freezes well too so if you want to double up the recipe and freeze some for "easy dinners" later on it makes it convenient. As a last note the chicken could easily be removed for a vegetarian version of this chowder which is basically the original recipe.

Potato Leek Soup

I made a potato leek soup today with potatoes, leeks and thyme from the garden. This soup came out smooth, creamy and delicately delicious. It's my own creation.

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup sliced leeks
5 - 6 potatoes, peeled and chopped (yukon gold is a good choice)
Salt and Pepper
1 - 2 TBL butter (or butter sub)
Chicken stock
1 Garlic clove crushed
1 teaspoon Mustard
1/2 cup Sour cream
Fresh thyme

Put leeks, potatoes, salt, pepper and butter in a soup pot, sautee for a few minutes till the onion is soft.

Add enough stock to just cover the potatoes. Set it to simmer. While simmering add a clove of garlic, a teaspoon or two of mustard. Simmer till the potatoes are cooked through. Turn off heat. Add two teaspoons of fresh thyme.

Take off the heat and put it in a bowl mixer with a whisk. Add about 1/2 cup of sour cream and whisk till smooth. Add more broth or water if it's too thick. Garnish with parmesan cheese and fresh thyme. Or for a heartier version...

2 lbs bulk Italian sweet pork sausage
1 bunch Kale

In a separate pan sauté bulk Italian sweet sausage until browned. Add in sliced chopped kale to taste. Cook till kale is wilted. Add to finished potato soup. Garnish with parmesan cheese and fresh thyme.

Nora's Dilly Beans

These are seriously the best dang pickled green beans I've ever had. Nora is this wonderful old woman who's been gardening and canning going on seven or eight decades now. I'm pretty sure she knows best and I can only hope to follow in her footsteps. These beans are both at once sharp and tangy. Such a delightful way to capture the summer harvest!

4 Pint canning jars (do not use quarts!)

In each Pint put:
Fill each pint half way with straight beans (Kentucky Wonder are recommended), then add
2 clove garlic
1 teaspoon cayenne [be sure your cayenne is fresh]
1 head fresh dill weed
Finish stuffing with beans

Make liquid of:
2 1/2 cups water
2 1/2 cups cider vinegar
1/4 cup pickle salt
Bring to a "boil" and pour over beans leave 1/4 inch room at top of jar.

Prepare canning lids and pot. Put hot lids on jars, add rings to finger tight.
Process in hot water bath for 10 minutes .
BE SURE THE WATER IS BOILING when you start the time
If you double the liquid it could cover 9 pints and that would be a canner full.

Have fun - READY TO EAT IN 2 WEEKS
**************************
Nora Beardsley's recipe