Tomatoes 2011

Tomatoes are my favorite thing of the summer but the really good ones are coming to an end. They are still in the farmer’s market but not as good looking as in June and July. Tomatoes don’t set fruit well in our heat.

Tomatoes are good for you so that is the good thing. They are rich in cancer-fighting lycopene. Lycopene is one of the most concentrated carotenoids found in the blood, organs and tissues of the body. The potent antioxidant capabilities of carotenoids neutralizes free radicals, which have long been believed to be risk factors for many age-related degenerative conditions, including heart disease and cancer.

Tomatoes also seem to be a weapon against prostate cancer in men, and cervical and ovarian cancer in women. A study has shown that men who ate more than 10 servings of tomato-based foods a week had a 35 percent lower risk for prostate cancer than the men who ate less than one and a half servings per week. Similarly, other studies have shown that high carotene intake, especially a diet high in lycopene, significantly reduced the risk of ovarian cancer in premenopausal women.

To enjoy all the benefits of tomatoes, you may need to eat 10 servings of cooked tomatoes or tomato products every week. Just be sure to mix the tomatoes in an oil base, such as olive oil to enhance lycopene absorption. For example, tomato sauce would be a much better source of lycopene than a raw tomato.

My favorite way to eat tomatoes is sliced with olive oil, basil, and mozzarella cheese; salt and pepper.  Sliced with mayonnaise on white bread can’t be beat.

But I have tried to find some new different tomato recipes this summer and have come up with a few. The first is a tomato cobbler, which is really sweeter than I would have liked, but it would suit many people’s taste, I am sure.  Just last week a friend at church told me how she liked the recipe.  Another is from my new cookbook by Andrea Reusing, Cooking in the Moment, which I will talk about later on in a future article. She won the James Beard award for the best chef in the Southeast this year. It is a cream of tomato soup using tomato stems with leaves. Quite clever I would say!

From ‘Martha Stewart Living’, July 2011.

Tomato Cobbler

Serves 6-8

For the Filling:

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 medium onions, thinly sliced

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

3 pounds cherry tomatoes (I used regular tomatoes cut up. My friend did it both ways.)

3 tablespoon all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes

Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Biscuit Topping:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoon baking powder

Coarse salt

1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1 cup grated Gruyère cheese (2 ¼ ounces), plus 1 tablespoon, for sprinkling

1 ½ cups heavy cream, plus more for brushing

Make the filling: Heat oil in a large high-sided skillet over medium heat. Cook onions, stirring occasionally, until caramelized, about 25 minutes. Add garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Let cool.

Toss onion mixture, tomatoes, flour, and red-pepper flakes with 1 ½ teaspoons salt and some pepper.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Make the biscuit topping: Whisk together flour, baking powder, and 1 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry cutter or rub with your fingers until small clumps form. Stir in cheese, then add cream, stirring with a fork to combine until dough forms. (Dough will be slightly sticky.)

Transfer tomato mixture to a 2-quart baking dish (2 inches deep). Spoon 7 clumps of biscuit dough (about ½ cup each) over top in a circle, leaving center open. Brush dough with cream, and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake until tomatoes are bubbling in the center and biscuits are golden brown, about 1 hour to 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack. Let cool for 20 minutes.

This dish can stand on its own or could be served with a meat course.

From Cooking in the Moment, by Andrea Reusing.

Cream of Tomato Soup with Tomato Leaves

Serves 8-10

4 pounds (about 20) very ripe plum tomatoes, peeled, halved, and seeded, juice reserved

Kosher salt

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 cups minced onions (about 3 small)

2 large garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

¼ cup dry sherry

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

½ cup heavy cream

2 cups whole milk

A handful of tomato stems with leaves

Freshly ground black pepper

Cut the tomatoes into ¼-inch cubes, put them in a bowl, and season with 1 teaspoon salt.

Melt the butter in a heavy nonreactive pot over low heat. Add the onions and garlic and season with 1 teaspoon salt. Sauté the vegetables for 12 to 15 minutes, until they are soft.

Raise the heat to high, stir in the flour, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Pour in the sherry and scrape the bottom of the pan as it bubbles away. Stir in the tomato paste. Add the tomatoes and their juice, 2 teaspoons salt, and the cayenne. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes, until the tomatoes are tender.

Stir in the cream and then the milk. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the tomato stems. Let steep for 10 minutes; then remove and discard the stems.

Before serving, reheat and check the soup for seasoning. Add a little water if the soup seems too thick, and serve with freshly ground pepper at the table.

Birthday 2011

I wanted to go to Galatoire’s Bistro in Baton Rouge for my birthday in July.  We like it even though it is different than New Orleans.  But I found out they had closed---maybe to reopen in a new location?  OK then, I’ll just go on down to New Orleans----only to find out they were closed as well, for a July vacation.  I did have a great birthday at Le Foret, a relatively new restaurant in NOLA.

But I recently got my Galatoire’s fix and had my favorites, Oysters in Brochette and Soft Shell Crabs.  I have often had the crabs fried but this time decided to have them with sauce Meunière with lemon and capers.  And I had them as Galatoire’s often prepares them, with lump crab meat on top!

Galatoire’s is one of New Orleans’ most cherished restaurants.  Jean Galatoire, born in Pau, France, struck out on his own to make his fortune in America.  He first settled in Birmingham, Alabama, where he owned a small inn and restaurant.  Birmingham today has one of my favorite restaurants, Frank Stitt’s Highlands Bar and Grill.  But New Orleans got Galatoire’s.

We had our lunch with one of our sons.  Neither of our two favorite waiters was there so we told the maître d’ to choose one for us.  Katherine had only been there three months but we will remember her.  While we had our favorite cocktail, the Sazerac, she brought us menus.  We hadn’t had a menu in ages.  Our son had read somewhere that Galatoire’s had some of the best fried chicken in New Orleans!  It’s not on the menu, but he ordered it (It is available to those in the know.) and after tasting it, “It’s up there!”

I went with my old favorites.

From Leon Galatoire’s Cookbook

Soft-shell Crabs Sauce Meunière

½ cup clarified butter

½ cup Meunière Sauce (given below)

1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley

1 lemon (cut into wedges)

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

Clean the crabs by removing gills on the sides of each crab. Also, move the flap located on the underbellies. Lightly flour each crab on a baking sheet

Heat equal amounts of butter in two large sauté pans. Place the crabs belly up in the pans (4 to each pan). Sauté for 3 minutes on each side until nicely browned.

Remove from pans and place belly up, facing opposite directions on each serving plate. Top with 1 tablespoon Meunière Sauce on each crab. Garnish with lemon wedge and a pinch of finely chopped parsley on each crab. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serves 4.

Meunière Sauce

1 lb. butter

1 tbsp. red wine vinegar

1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

In a medium, heavy pot, melt the butter over a medium-low heat setting, constantly stirring with a wire whisk until the butter achieves a dark brown tint. Mix equal portions of  vinegar and lemon juice and drip small amounts into the butter while vigorously whisking. Note: The vinegar mixture will cause the butter to rise and foam quickly so it is important to mind your whisk.

Remove from heat and strain through a fine sieve. Warm and mix well before use.

You can add capers to this at the end to make a true lemon and caper sauce. I really liked the capers that the restaurant had added this time.

Oysters en Brochette

Serves 6

18 strips of bacon

36 large oysters

2 cups milk

1 egg

Pinch of salt

1/8 tsp. white pepper

Dash Tabasco sauce

2 cups cooking oil

2 cups flour

3 slices toast, cut in wedges

6 lemon wedges

1 tbsp. finely chopped parsley

Cut each bacon strip in half. Blanch bacon in boiling water for 3 minutes. Remove and place on paper towel and pat dry.

Arrange oysters and bacon strips on brochette skewers, alternating one oyster then one bacon strip, etc., with a half-dozen on each skewer.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the milk, egg, salt, pepper, and Tabasco to make a batter and whisk well. Preheat oil in a deep frying pan over a medium heat setting. Pour flour into a baking pan with 2-inch sides. Dip the brochettes into the batter to fully cover then dredge into flour. Shake off excess flour and place a few at a time into the frying pan. Allow the brochettes to fry, turning every 2 minutes or so until golden brown.

Transfer to paper towels then to serving places. Garnish with a toast wedge, a lemon wedge, and parsley.

Horseradish

is time to celebrate National Horseradish Month, which is July. Horseradish (Armoracia rusticana) has been selected by the International Herb Association as Herb of the Year, 2011. For thousands of years the herb has been known for both its medicinal and its culinary virtues. Like its strong-flavored cousins (including mustard, radish, and cress), horseradish has a distinctive sharp bite, which pairs perfectly with its other relatives—broccoli, cauliflower, and brussel sprouts.

The hot and spicy horseradish root has been used medicinally by everyone from ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans to medieval and contemporary Europeans and Americans for everything from arthritis and rheumatism to digestive disorders, coughs, congestion, poor circulation, and high blood pressure.

Native to Russia and parts of Europe, horseradish was brought to America by the early colonists, and it is now naturalized throughout the land. A perennial hardy to -20 degrees F, it grows best in full sun and should be kept evenly moist and fertilized regularly. To keep it from becoming invasive, grow it in a container 14 to 16 inches wide. After the first year, it can be harvested in the late fall or spring.  It does best in cool, moist soil so I have never had a great deal of luck with it here in the deep South.  Could I grow it in a pot and bring it inside in the summer!?

Additional culinary uses for horseradish also date from ancient times. It is one of the five bitter herbs used in Jewish Passover meals. In the 17^th century, it was mixed with tansy and wormwood to create “horseradish ale,” used to revive weary travelers, and European chefs discovered how perfectly it compliments meats and seafood in sauces. By the 1800s, it was being grown commercially in the American Midwest, and H.J. Heinz would introduce it as the first product of what would become one of the world’s most successful food manufacturing companies. It is also good for you: Rich in vitamin C, one tablespoon of prepared horseradish contains no calories and no fat.

Today, horseradish is different from other herbs in that most of us know it as a commercially prepared condiment rather than a plant in your garden.

Six things to do with a tablespoon of prepared horseradish.

1.      Stir it into a cup of ketchup or chili sauce along with the juice of half a lemon for a quick seafood cocktail sauce.

2.      Add it to a cup of tartar sauce; serve with fried seafood.

3.      Stir it into a cup of your best mayonnaise along with ½  teaspoon each granulated garlic and celery seed. Spread generously on both pieces of bread to dress up a roast beef sandwich.

4.      Stir it into ½ cup sour cream mixed with ½ cup whipped cream; serve with beef rib-eye steaks hot off the grill.

5.      Stir it into the sauce for beef stroganoff for an extra kick that goes so well with sour cream, mushrooms, and beef.

6.      Serve it with corned beef and cabbage or spread it on a Reuben sandwich to cut the richness.

This recipe is the essence of summer using horseradish. I think it is the perfect soup for a hot summer day.

Gazpacho with Horseradish

Makes 6-8 servings

2 large ripe tomatoes

1 cucumber, peeled and seeded

2 green onions

1 small sweet onion

2 ribs celery

3 cloves garlic

1 48-ounce can vegetable juice cocktail

¼ cup fresh basil

2 tablespoons wine vinegar or freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon prepared horseradish

½ teaspoon ground cumin

Tabasco sauce to taste

Salt and pepper to taste

Thin cucumbers for garnish

Basil chiffonade for garnish

Sour cream (optional) for serving

Cut vegetable into large chunks and add to blender or food processor with all the other ingredients. Blend or pulse a few seconds, leaving small bits of vegetable for texture. Adjust seasonings to taste. Transfer to a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Chill in refrigerator several hours, allowing the flavors to marry.

Serve in chilled bowls and garnish with thin cucumber slices or finely chopped fresh basil. If you basil is in flower, scatter a few blossoms in each bowl; they are especially flavorful and beautiful. Serve dollops of sour cream atop soup, if desired.

Peaches

Alabama has bragging rights when it comes to peaches. There are 4,500-5000 acres designated to growing peaches and production is valued at $10-$15 million. The Chilton County Peach Jam Jubilee is this weekend, June 24, 4-10PM. The Peach Jam was started in 2005 by the Chilton County Chamber of Commerce, and this event is part of the Chilton County Peach Festival, which has been celebrated for over 50 years. Its mission is to provide a safe and friendly environment for the central Alabama community. You can enjoy music, food, art and crafts and the best thing is that it is absolutely free.

I always stop at Durban Farms when I am in Chilton County. They have the most delicious varieties of peaches and those peach pies are not bad. It is right off the Interstate and is always busy in the summer. I think the peach ice cream brings in the customers.

Good peaches are seasonal and need to be used at their peak. These recipes are for you to do now. So go buy some good peaches, bring them home and cook a good pie or cake or just enjoy them by themselves and let the juice run down you face.

Peach Crumble Pie

(From Everyday Food July/August 2011)

Serves 8

For the Crust:

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for rolling

¼ teaspoon fine salt

2 teaspoons granulated sugar

½ cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

For the filling:

3 pounds peaches, halved, pitted and cut into ½ -inch slices (8 cups)

2 tablespoons light brown sugar

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

For the Crumble:

1/3 cup packed light-brown sugar

1/3 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)

1/3 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

6 tablespoons (3/4-stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Make crust in a food processor, pulse flour, salt, and granulated sugar until combined. Add butter, pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, with a few pea-size pieces of butter remaining. Sprinkle with 3 tablespoons ice water. Pulse until dough is crumbly but holds together when squeezed (if necessary, add up to 2 tablespoons ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time); do not overmix. Form dough into a disk, wrap tightly in plastic, and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour (or up to overnight).

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly flour a rolling pin and work surface and roll out dough to a 12-inch round. Place in a 9-inch pie plate, fold overhang under, and crimp edges. Make filling in a large bowl, toss together peaches, brown sugar, and flour until combined. Make crumble: in a small bowl, combine brown sugar, flour, and oats, using your hands, work in butter until large clumps form.

Transfer peach filling to pie shell, then sprinkle crumble evenly over top. Place pie on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until juices are bubbling and topping is golden, 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack 1 ½ hours before serving. (Store covered, at room temperature, up to 2 days.)

Fresh Peach Cake

(From Food Network Magazine June 2011)

Serves 8

¼ pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 ½ cups sugar

2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 large ripe peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced

½ cup chopped pecans

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch square baking pan.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and 1 cup of the sugar for 3 to 5 minutes on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy. With the mixer on low, add the eggs one at a time, then the sour cream and vanilla, and mix until the batter is smooth. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the batter and mix just until combined. In a small bowl, combine the remaining ½ cup sugar and the cinnamon.

Spread half of the batter evenly in the pan. Top with half the peaches, then sprinkle with two-thirds of the sugar mixture. Spread the remaining batter on top, arrange the remaining peaches on top and sprinkle with the remaining sugar mixture and the pecans.

Bake the cake for 45-55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve warm or at room temperature.

I love this quote from Courtney Walker, the 2011 Miss Georgia Peach winner. “To me, there’s nothing better than a hot summer day with peaches and ice cream, sweet and smooth with a bit of tart—like a lot of Southern women, come to think of it!  Sweet with a little sassiness.”

Sunday lunch at the Newtons

Even though I like to cook, I always enjoy being invited to someone’s house.  A fellow choir member at Grace Church who grew up on a nearby plantation invited us for lunch after church recently. She and her husband, George had been away for many years but returned to the Feliciana’s a few years ago and built a charming French Creole inspired house facing a courtyard in the golfing community of The Bluffs on Thompson’s Creek.  The back of the house overlooks the creek.

We started the afternoon with a favorite drink of theirs, Milk Punch, an icy concoction of milk and bourbon. There was talk of family and the Louisiana art on their walls, of the heirloom furniture descended in Ann’s family and of Ann’s garden.  Ann’s parents had been good friends with the couple who lived at our home in the 1950’s and Ann shared with us stories from that era.  Then it was a sit down summer luncheon served seemingly effortlessly by Ann.

All the food was delicious and Ann gave me all the recipes.  I enjoyed the meal so much I thought I should share.  You should try these. They are wonderful recipes for a hot summer day.  They came from an old Junior League cookbook called River Roads. I noticed that Ann had contributed the Asian Salad to the original cookbook.  Last Sunday at church, George was praising a cold avocado soup Ann had done.  I may need to get that recipe too.

Asian Salad

8 servings

2 c. cooked Quigley’s rice or Mahatma’s saffron rice

1 c. sliced carrots

2 c. cooked, chopped chicken

2 Tbsp. green onion, chopped

1 c. frozen petite green peas (Ann unthaws these peas by heating 2 minutes in the microwave)

Sauce:

1 c. mayonnaise

¼ c. fresh lime juice

1 tsp. ginger

1 Tbsp. curry

1 tsp. garlic salt

2 Tbsp. salad oil

White pepper to taste

Condiments:

1 c. coconut

1 c. chopped peanuts

1 c. green onion

1 c. Peach chutney (recipe given below)

Boil and remove chicken from bones and chop. Cook rice and cool. Mix with chicken, green onions, carrots and peas. Combine sauce ingredients and fold into salad. Chill for several hours, then taste and adjust seasonings. Stir and chill overnight. Stir again before serving on bed of lettuce surrounded by small dishes of condiments. Homemade rolls and fresh fruit complete a delightful cool summer dish for a luncheon or pool side supper.

Peach Chutney

1 c. (any brand) peach preserves

½ c. yellow raisins

¼ c. small pecan halves, or coarsely chopped large ones

¼ c. cider vinegar

1 tsp. Oriental ginger

Combine ingredients in saucepan and boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring. Chill after cooking. (Ann says this makes more than you need, but is good with goat cheese on crackers).

Mango Salad

Serves 20

1 (32 oz.) can mangoes with syrup (Can use just mango juice)

8 oz. cream cheese

2 pkgs. apricot jello and 1 pkg. lemon or orange

2 c. boiling water

Blend mangoes with syrup and cream cheese in a blender or food processor. Dissolve the 3 packages of jello in boiling water and combine with cream cheese mixture. Pour into a mayonnaise lined 2 ½ quart mold, or in an 11x13 inch pan. May add a dollop of mayonnaise and fruit on top.

She also served some small biscuits with the meal.  I cup bisquick, ½ stick soft butter, 4 oz. soft cream cheese (she noted she added about ¼ cup cheese, and sprinkled with cayenne). Bake 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes to get about a dozen tiny biscuits.

Bon appétit as Ann wrote when she sent me the recipes.

Jefferson II

The 22^nd Jefferson Symposium, which we attended in Charlottesville, was entitled “Thomas Jefferson and Plantation Life.”  This included a good deal about the enigma of Jefferson the author of “All men are created equal,” and Jefferson the slave holder.  And was Jefferson the father to several of Sally Hemings’ children?  We had the Pulitzer Prize winning author of The Hemingses of Monticello as one of our speakers, Annette Gordon-Reed.  When one participant asked her, “Didn’t you say a couple years ago that there is no concrete evidence that Jefferson is the father?” she replied, “Yes.”  “Who do you think is the father?”  “Jefferson, without a doubt.”  We learned also about the animals at Monticello, the attempt to produce wine, the soil loss due to the lack of contour planting on the ‘little mountain’ which has left gullies to this day.  Jefferson is known for his vegetable garden which was on a terrace below the house and has been reconstructed.  He kept a garden book where he recorded the planting of hundreds of varieties of fruits, vegetables, and herbs in search of improved varieties of existing plants or new and useful additions to his collection.  His plantings were a catholic and highly experimental amalgamation of wheat from Ireland, grapes from Italy, and tarragon from France, alongside peppers from Texas and cucumbers from Ohio.  In the thousand-foot-long kitchen garden terrace he cultivated 70 different species and 330 varieties of vegetables.

Was Thomas Jefferson a vegetarian?  He cannot be called a vegetarian, as we understand the term today.  In his own time, however, he was unusually moderate in his consumption of meat and was notable for the variety as well as the quantity of vegetables he ate.  “I have lived temperately, eating little animal food, and that not as an aliment, so much as a condiment for the vegetable which constitute my principal diet.”(TJ)  “He ate a great many vegetables and little meat, contrary to the custom of his countrymen.”  (Ellen W. Coolidge, granddaughter) “He ate heartily, and much vegetable food, preferring French cookery, because it made the meats more tender.” (Thomas J. Randolph, grandson) “He enjoys his dinner well, taking with meat a large proportion of vegetables.” (Daniel Webster)

What was his favorite vegetable?  He didn’t say but if one looks at the frequency a vegetable is planted or purchased we learn he loved English peas, sowing some 23 different varieties; lettuce was the most common vegetable purchased in the Washington markets for the President’s House.  Monticello salads consisted of a mixed bouquet of greens: spinach, endive, orach, corn salad or mache, pepper grass, French sorrel, cress, and ‘sprouts.’  Salad oil was a perennial obsession for Jefferson.  He referred to the olive as “the richest gift of heaven.”  When he found domestic olive oil imperfect and imported oil too expensive, Jefferson turned to the possibilities of a salad oil extracted from the seed of the sesame plant, or benne, which Jefferson acclaimed the species “among the most valuable acquisitions our country has ever made.”  Jefferson was a pioneer grower of ‘tomatas.’  Cabbage was the second most commonly purchased vegetable bought by Jefferson from the Monticello slaves, and it was the second most purchased vegetable in the Washington markets.  He planted 18 varieties in his garden. He grew perennial vegetables such as artichokes, asparagus, and sea kale.  Nasturtiums leaves and flowers were used in salads and the seeds used as substitute capers.  French tarragon was a favorite herb.

The following recipes are from Dining at Monticello, edited by Damon Lee Fowler.  They are from several sources relating to Thomas Jefferson’s family.  The author has made an effort to achieve ‘doable authenticity.’  Ingredients and techniques closely align with eighteenth century practice yet clarity and often twenty-first century technology has been added.

Okra Soup (Six other gumbo or okra soup recipes appear in the family manuscripts, one simply entitled soup, suggesting it was almost commonplace.)

Okra Soup

Serves 18

4 quarts water

1 pound young okra (each 3 inches long) trimmed and sliced

1 large white onion, peeled and finely chopped

2 cups fresh lima beans, or 1 package (10 ounces) frozen lima beans, thawed

Salt

Whole black pepper in a pepper mill

1 chicken (3 ½ pounds), cut up as for frying, setting aside the back and neck for another use

4 ounces salt pork, sliced about ¼ -inch thick and blanched

2 large sprigs each, fresh parsley and thyme, tied together in a bundle with kitchen twine

1 pound (about 3 medium) pattypan or yellow summer squash, trimmed and diced

5 medium potatoes, blanched, peeled, cored, and diced (about 2 cups)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 rounded tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour

3 cups cooked white rice

Bring the water to a simmer in a large saucepan or Dutch oven. Stir in the okra and onion and return to  a simmer. Reduce the heat as low as possible and cook at a bare simmer for 1 hour. Add the lima beans and simmer for another 30 minutes, or until the beans are just tender.

Season liberally with salt and a few grindings of pepper and add the chicken, salt pork, herb bundle, and squash. Raise the heat briefly to return to a simmer, lower it once more, and cook at a bare simmer until the chicken is fully cooked, about 1 hour. Add the tomatoes and continue simmering for another hour. Remove from the heat and discard the salt pork and herb bundle. The soup can be made ahead and cooled, covered, and refrigerated. When chilled (about 6 hours or overnight), remove and discard any fat that surfaces. Otherwise, let it cook until all the fat settles to the top, and skim it off.

When ready to serve the soup, return it to a simmer over medium heat. Knead together the butter and flour in a small bowl and stir it into the soup, simmering until lightly thickened, about 4 minutes. Serve it in warmed bowls with a whole piece of chicken in each bowl and about ¼ cup of white rice spooned into the center of each serving.

Stuffed Cabbage (This is one of the recipes copied out by Jefferson himself and entitled ‘a cabbage pudding.’)

Stuffed Cabbage

Serves 4-6

1 large green cabbage (about 2 pounds)

8 ounces lean beef sirloin, finely chopped

8 ounces beef suet, finely chopped

1 small white onion, peeled and minced

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs, such as thyme, marjoram, or summer savory, or 2 teaspoons crumbled dried herbs

¼ cup dried bread crumbs

3 large egg yolks, lightly beaten

Salt

Whole black pepper in a pepper mill

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Remove the outer green leaves of the cabbage, saving several if they are unblemished, and wash well under cold water. Slip the cabbage and any reserved outer leaves into the pot, return it to a boil, and cook until the outer leaves soften and can be pulled back easily, about 15 minutes.

Lift the cabbage out of the water and drain in a colander, leaving the water in the pot. Carefully pull back two or three rows of leaves, but leave them attached to the stem. Cut a large cross through the center, going all the way to the stem, but taking care not to puncture any of the outer leaves. Bend back the outer layers of the center and cut out the rest of it, leaving the outer leaves attached at the base.

Finely chop the center portion of the cabbage and toss in a large bowl with the beef, suet, and onion. Stir in the herbs, bread crumbs, and egg yolks and season liberally with salt and several grindings of pepper.

Spread a 14-inch-square piece of double-folded cheesecloth flat and place the cabbage in the center. Gently pull back the leaves and pack the stuffing into the center, being careful not to break the outer leaves. Fold the leaves back over the stuffing and wrap any reserved leaves around it so that the cabbage appears whole. Fold the cloth over the cabbage, wrap it with twine, and knot it securely.

Bring the cooking liquid back to a boil. Carefully lower the cabbage into it, return to a boil, and lower the heat to a gentle simmer. Simmer until the filling is fully cooked and the cabbage is tender, about 2 hours.

Lift the cabbage from the pot, draining well, and remove the cloth. Transfer it to a warm serving platter and rub it with butter. Serve whole, cutting it into individual wedges at the table.