Curry in Wilmington

We had a very nice visit to Wilmington, North Carolina, recently. It was the 100^th birthday of a lady we have known for 35 years and her children really planned a wonderful tribute to her. The community center had a red carpet laid for her to walk down. I was impressed that a 100 year old could walk the red carpet. She was dressed in a black and white formal and she waved to everyone just like the queen. A bagpiper piped her into the building and everyone said “surprise” since Miss Dolly (that is her name) thought she was coming to sit for a portrait. We all sang ”Hello Dolly” in words that were changed to reflect her life in Wilmington. Food was provided by the Residents of Old Wilmington and letters were read to her from President Obama, Willard Scott, and the governor of North Carolina. Dolly you rock!

After the party I had our best friends for a curry dinner. I used the curry recipe that I had done for almost 35 years, but had not done lately. It is a great dish for cold weather. With a fire going and some good wine, it was a wonderful evening.

Don’t let this recipe scare you. It has lots of ingredients but all can be found in the grocery, and it is worth the effort.

Chicken Curry

From a 1974 cookbook entitled Step-by-Step Guide to Indian Cooking by Khalid Aziz. (I bought it back in 1975 because it was a British book and I felt it might be a bit more authentic.)

Makes 6-8 servings

1 4-lb. stewing chicken (take skin off and cut chicken into 8 pieces)

1 ½ cups ghee (clarified butter or you can use real butter)

1 ½ lb. onions

1 cup fresh chopped ginger

1 head garlic, about 7-8 cloves

2 ½ cups water

2 teaspoons turmeric

2 teaspoons garam masala

3 teaspoons salt

3 teaspoons cumin seed powder

½ teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon chili powder

10 cardamoms

10 cloves

4 bay leaves

5 sticks cinnamon

1 ½ cups yogurt

Take a heavy, 4-pint saucepan and melt the ghee, adding half the diced onions.

While they are frying on a gentle heat, liquidize the ginger, garlic and the rest of the onions with the water. When the onions are golden brown add the liquidized mixture and stir on a low heat for 10 minutes.

Now add the turmeric, garam masala, salt, cumin seed powder, pepper, chili powder, cardamoms, cloves, bay leaves, and cinnamon and stir for a further 10 minutes.

Then add the chicken pieces and yogurt. Cover the pan and cook on a low heat for 2 ½ to 3 hours. You will now have beautifully cooked chicken in which the spice has permeated the meat to the bone, and the flesh will fall away when properly done.

When the chicken curry has cooled, I take the meat off the chicken and remove all the spice pieces.  (The cinnamon sticks and bay leaves are easy to recognize but if you leave a cardamom pod, you will recognize it if you bite into it and that’s not good.)

This curry is served over basmati rice and with condiments which are passed around to each guest. I included peanuts, onions, green peppers, raisins, chutney, hardboiled eggs (chopped), coconut, chopped apples, green onions, and chopped bananas. You can add whatever you like to this list. My husband likes his favorite achar (mango pickle).

I had made Indian bread (naan) which made the meal complete. You have that recipe from another article.

Namaste.

Mardi Gras 2012

It is carnival time again! Seems to roll around fairly soon each year, and it is earlier this year. I already see many King cakes in all the stores. I would love to eat them but they are so sweet! And the parades are rolling!

I got my new issue of Louisiana Cookin’ and there was a recipe for gumbo just using greens. That seemed like a good idea to me so my husband went to the garden and found all the greens he could and we did this recipe for Gumbo Z’Herbes. You can make this recipe your own by using whatever greens you wish to use. The beauty of the recipe is that is can be made with or without a roux. So for your Mardi Gras party this year try Gumbo Z’Herbes.

Gumbo Z’Herbes

Serves 10

1 pound collard or mustard greens

1 pound spinach

1 pound turnip greens

1 pound green cabbage leaves

1 large bunch fresh watercress (optional)

1 large bunch fresh parsley (optional)

6 carrots, tops only (optional)

1 large bunch radishes, tops only (optional)

½ teaspoon cayenne

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 bay leaves

½ teaspoon ground thyme

½ teaspoon allspice (optional)

1 pound salt meat or ham, cut into small cubes

3 tablespoons vegetable shortening

1 bunch green onions, finely chopped

1 cup chopped yellow onions

1 garlic clove, minced

If using fresh greens, trim and wash well. Put greens in a large, deep pot and add enough water to cover. Add cayenne, black pepper, bay leaves, thyme, and allspice. Boil until greens are tender. Drain and reserve cooking liquid (you should have about 3 to 4 quarts.)

Once greens are well drained, chop them up fine, either by hand or with a food processor. If you are using frozen greens, cook according to package directions with spices, drain, and reserve cooking liquid.

If using a roux, skip to roux recipe. Melt shortening in a large skillet and brown salt meat or ham, yellow onions, and garlic. Return greens to reserved liquid and add cooked salt meat, onions and garlic. Simmer for about 2 hours.

Note: Some people add a couple of teaspoons of white vinegar during the final two hours of cooking time. Correct seasonings to taste. When it is prepared in this manner, you can choose to eat the gumbo with or without rice. The Cajuns always eat gumbo with rice.

With a roux;

Use the same ingredient list as above, with this addition.

½ cup vegetable oil

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Make a roux with the oil and flour. When roux is a warm brown color, add yellow onions and garlic, and cook until onions are soft, about 4 minutes. Add salt meat or ham and cook for a few more minutes.

Combine roux mixture with cooking liquid from the greens in a large, heavy pot over medium heat. Add green onions, and cook for 30 minutes. Add all of the greens and continue to simmer for 2 hours.

The only step omitted from the first recipe is the browning of onions and salt meat in the shortening.

Happy Mardi Gras!

Turnips

Recently a friend invited us to go and get some turnips.  The hunters who had been renting his land had left for the season and they had planted a field in turnips.  Do deer eat turnips?  It didn’t look like it in this huge field of turnips.  The field could have fed the whole county if they could have found it.  We had to use a 4-wheel drive to go the several miles back in the woods.  We pulled big and little until we had filled up all our bags.  I’m not a great turnip fan but I got out all my books looking for ways to eat turnips other than just boiling and served with butter.

Turnips are seasonal now and can be gotten locally if you don’t have any in your garden. They can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.  The leaves should be trimmed from the root before storing.  Young fresh turnips probably will not need to be peeled but for the older bigger turnips, use a vegetable peeler to remove the skin.

Julia Child has several recipes in her Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume I. I choose this                               one with bacon.  Everything tastes better with bacon! This dish could change your mind about turnips because it is tasty and would go well with pork, beef, duck, or turkey.

Turnip Casserole (Navets à La Champenoise)

Serves 6-8 people

2 ½ lbs. turnips, peeled and cut into quarters (8 to 9 cups)

A  ¼ -lb. chunk of bacon

A 3-quart, fireproof casserole about 2 inches deep

1 Tb. butter

2/3 cup finely diced onions

1 Tb. flour

¾ cup stock or canned beef bouillon

¼ tsp. sugar

Salt and pepper

¼ tsp. sage (You need this in the herb garden but can use dried from the grocery.)

2 Tb. minced parsley (Easy enough to grow in the herb garden but available in the grocery.)

Blanch the turnips for 3 to 5 minutes in boiling salted water to cover. Drain.

Remove the rind and cut the bacon into ¼-inch dice, making about 2/3 cup. Simmer for 10 minutes in a quart of water. Drain.

Sauté the bacon in the butter for several minutes until very lightly browned. Stir in the onions, cover, and cook slowly for 5 minutes without browning the onions.

Blend in the flour and cook slowly for 2 minutes.

Off heat, blend in the stock or bouillon, seasonings to taste, and the sage. Simmer for a moment, then fold in the turnips. Cover and simmer slowly for 20 to 30 minutes or until the turnips are tender. If sauce is too liquid, uncover and boil slowly for several minutes until it has reduced and thickened. Correct seasoning. May be cooked several hours in advance and reheated later.

Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Another way to treat turnips is to add Indian spices to jazz the taste up a little. This dish which I did last week is a winner and really good with Indian bread and rice.

From Madhur Jaffrey’s Indian Cooking

Turnips with Fresh Coriander and Mint (Rasedar Shaljum)

Serves 6

2 lb. turnips (weight without leaves)

4 tablespoons vegetable oil

12 oz. fresh tomatoes, peeled; canned tomatoes can be used (which I think is best when cooking tomatoes this time of year)

1 inch cube ginger, peeled and grated to a pulp

1 tablespoon ground coriander

½ teaspoon ground turmeric

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

15 oz. water

3 tablespoons very finely chopped, fresh green coriander (Mine is in the garden but it can be purchased in the grocery.)

2 tablespoons very finely chopped, fresh mint (You really should have some mint in the garden somewhere.)

1 ½ teaspoon salt

Peel the turnips and cut them in half, lengthwise. Put the cut ends flat against your chopping board and cut them, lengthwise, into 1/3 inch thick slices.

Put the oil in a fairly wide pan and set over medium-high heat. When hot, put in the tomatoes. Stir and fry for about 2 minutes. Add the ginger, ground coriander, turmeric and cayenne. Stir and fry another 2 minutes or until sauce is thick and paste-like. Add the turnips, water, fresh coriander, mint and salt. Cover, leaving the lid very slightly ajar, and cook on medium-low heat for 20 minutes. Stir a few times as the turnips cook. Now cover the pan tightly and cook on low heat for another 10 minutes or until the turnips are tender. You should have a little thick sauce left in the bottom of your pan which can be served spooned over the turnips.

If you don’t have sage, parsley, mint and fresh coriander in the garden, now is a good time to go buy some.  Use some of the leaves and then put the plants in the garden.  Parsley is a biennial, coriander an annual.  Sage and mint are perennial but be careful with the mint.  It spreads easily but not a bad thing to have spread.

Valentine's 2012

It is the time of year to think about what you are going to serve to that special someone on Valentine’s Day. Yes, I mean to cook for that special someone and not a reservation. I always go back to my favorite chef Frank Stitt in Alabama for some ideas. I have done this recipe many times before but I happened to see some good looking T-Bone steaks at Whole Foods (grass fed of course) and thought that this would be the perfect Valentine’s dinner. With a salad and some chocolate for dessert, it will be an easy evening for good food.

“Cowboy fillet” refers to a bone-in beefsteak. You can substitute a bone-in rib eye (also known as cowboy rib eye), a bone-in strip steak or a strip sirloin, or the more familiar T-bone or porterhouse. This is a wonderful recipe with whatever you choose to use.

Cowboy Fillet with Sweet Potato Hash Browns

Serves 4

Kosher salt

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch dice

1 tablespoon bacon drippings, or olive oil

2 medium onions, cut into ½ -inch dice

1 garlic clove, minced

1 marjoram sprig, leaves removed and chopped (could not find and did not use)

Freshly ground black pepper

1 ½ teaspoons olive oil

Four 10-12-ounce bone-in beef tenderloin fillets

Coarsely ground black pepper

4 slices Blue Cheese Butter (recipe to follow)

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 1 ½ teaspoons of salt. Add the sweet potatoes and cook until tender, 6-8 minutes. Drain, pat dry, and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat a large sauté pan over medium heat, then add the bacon drippings and let melt. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, 10-12 minutes. Add the sweet potatoes and garlic and cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until the sweet potatoes take on a little color, 3 to 5 minutes. Season with the marjoram (did not do), salt and pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

While the onions and sweet potatoes are cooking, heat a large heavy skillet over high heat. Add the olive oil and heat until almost smoking. Season the steaks with salt and lots of coarse black pepper. Reduce the heat to medium-high and sear the steaks, turning once, until nicely browned on both sides, then cook to desired doneness, 4 to 6 minutes total time for rare, 8 to 10 minutes for medium-rare. Transfer to a rack set over a baking sheet and let rest for 5 minutes.

Scatter the sweet potato hash browns onto individual plates and top each with a cowboy fillet. Garnish with the blue cheese butter.

This butter is excellent over baked potatoes, lamb chops, or crusty bread.

Blue Cheese Butter

Makes one 6-ounce log

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 shallot, finely minced

1 garlic clove, finely minced

1 ounce blue cheese, such as Bleu d’Auvergne, Fourme d’Ambert, or Roquefort crumbled

½ teaspoon finely chopped lemon zest strips

Juice of ½ lemon

Kosher salt to taste

1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

1 scant tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley

Melt 1 teaspoon of the butter in a small sauté pan over medium-low heat.  Add the shallot and the garlic and cook until just tender and fragrant, about 2 minutes.

Transfer to a bowl and add the remaining butter, the blue cheese, lemon zest and juice, salt, pepper, and parsley. Mix well, then taste and adjust the seasoning. Turn out onto a sheet of waxed paper, shape into a log, and roll up in the waxed paper. Refrigerate until needed. (The butter can be kept for several days in the refrigerator, wrapped in plastic wrap, or freeze it in smaller batches for use as needed, for up to 3 weeks.)

Happy Valentine’s

It is the time of year to think about what you are going to serve to that special someone on Valentine’s Day. Yes, I mean to cook for that special someone and not a reservation. I always go back to my favorite chef Frank Stitt in Alabama for some ideas. I have done this recipe many times before but I happened to see some good looking T-Bone steaks at Whole Foods (grass fed of course) and thought that this would be the perfect Valentine’s dinner. With a salad and some chocolate for dessert, it will be an easy evening for good food.

“Cowboy fillet” refers to a bone-in beefsteak. You can substitute a bone-in rib eye (also known as cowboy rib eye), a bone-in strip steak or a strip sirloin, or the more familiar T-bone or porterhouse. This is a wonderful recipe with whatever you choose to use.

Cowboy Fillet with Sweet Potato Hash Browns

Serves 4

Kosher salt

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch dice

1 tablespoon bacon drippings, or olive oil

2 medium onions, cut into ½ -inch dice

1 garlic clove, minced

1 marjoram sprig, leaves removed and chopped (could not find and did not use)

Freshly ground black pepper

1 ½ teaspoons olive oil

Four 10-12-ounce bone-in beef tenderloin fillets

Coarsely ground black pepper

4 slices Blue Cheese Butter (recipe to follow)

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 1 ½ teaspoons of salt. Add the sweet potatoes and cook until tender, 6-8 minutes. Drain, pat dry, and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat a large sauté pan over medium heat, then add the bacon drippings and let melt. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, 10-12 minutes. Add the sweet potatoes and garlic and cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until the sweet potatoes take on a little color, 3 to 5 minutes. Season with the marjoram (did not do), salt and pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

While the onions and sweet potatoes are cooking, heat a large heavy skillet over high heat. Add the olive oil and heat until almost smoking. Season the steaks with salt and lots of coarse black pepper. Reduce the heat to medium-high and sear the steaks, turning once, until nicely browned on both sides, then cook to desired doneness, 4 to 6 minutes total time for rare, 8 to 10 minutes for medium-rare. Transfer to a rack set over a baking sheet and let rest for 5 minutes.

Scatter the sweet potato hash browns onto individual plates and top each with a cowboy fillet. Garnish with the blue cheese butter.

This butter is excellent over baked potatoes, lamb chops, or crusty bread.

Blue Cheese Butter

Makes one 6-ounce log

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 shallot, finely minced

1 garlic clove, finely minced

1 ounce blue cheese, such as Bleu d’Auvergne, Fourme d’Ambert, or Roquefort crumbled

½ teaspoon finely chopped lemon zest strips

Juice of ½ lemon

Kosher salt to taste

1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

1 scant tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley

Melt 1 teaspoon of the butter in a small sauté pan over medium-low heat.  Add the shallot and the garlic and cook until just tender and fragrant, about 2 minutes.

Transfer to a bowl and add the remaining butter, the blue cheese, lemon zest and juice, salt, pepper, and parsley. Mix well, then taste and adjust the seasoning. Turn out onto a sheet of waxed paper, shape into a log, and roll up in the waxed paper. Refrigerate until needed. (The butter can be kept for several days in the refrigerator, wrapped in plastic wrap, or freeze it in smaller batches for use as needed, for up to 3 weeks.)

Happy Valentine’s

It is the time of year to think about what you are going to serve to that special someone on Valentine’s Day. Yes, I mean to cook for that special someone and not a reservation. I always go back to my favorite chef Frank Stitt in Alabama for some ideas. I have done this recipe many times before but I happened to see some good looking T-Bone steaks at Whole Foods (grass fed of course) and thought that this would be the perfect Valentine’s dinner. With a salad and some chocolate for dessert, it will be an easy evening for good food.

“Cowboy fillet” refers to a bone-in beefsteak. You can substitute a bone-in rib eye (also known as cowboy rib eye), a bone-in strip steak or a strip sirloin, or the more familiar T-bone or porterhouse. This is a wonderful recipe with whatever you choose to use.

Cowboy Fillet with Sweet Potato Hash Browns

Serves 4

Kosher salt

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch dice

1 tablespoon bacon drippings, or olive oil

2 medium onions, cut into ½ -inch dice

1 garlic clove, minced

1 marjoram sprig, leaves removed and chopped (could not find and did not use)

Freshly ground black pepper

1 ½ teaspoons olive oil

Four 10-12-ounce bone-in beef tenderloin fillets

Coarsely ground black pepper

4 slices Blue Cheese Butter (recipe to follow)

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 1 ½ teaspoons of salt. Add the sweet potatoes and cook until tender, 6-8 minutes. Drain, pat dry, and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat a large sauté pan over medium heat, then add the bacon drippings and let melt. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, 10-12 minutes. Add the sweet potatoes and garlic and cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until the sweet potatoes take on a little color, 3 to 5 minutes. Season with the marjoram (did not do), salt and pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

While the onions and sweet potatoes are cooking, heat a large heavy skillet over high heat. Add the olive oil and heat until almost smoking. Season the steaks with salt and lots of coarse black pepper. Reduce the heat to medium-high and sear the steaks, turning once, until nicely browned on both sides, then cook to desired doneness, 4 to 6 minutes total time for rare, 8 to 10 minutes for medium-rare. Transfer to a rack set over a baking sheet and let rest for 5 minutes.

Scatter the sweet potato hash browns onto individual plates and top each with a cowboy fillet. Garnish with the blue cheese butter.

This butter is excellent over baked potatoes, lamb chops, or crusty bread.

Blue Cheese Butter

Makes one 6-ounce log

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 shallot, finely minced

1 garlic clove, finely minced

1 ounce blue cheese, such as Bleu d’Auvergne, Fourme d’Ambert, or Roquefort crumbled

½ teaspoon finely chopped lemon zest strips

Juice of ½ lemon

Kosher salt to taste

1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

1 scant tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley

Melt 1 teaspoon of the butter in a small sauté pan over medium-low heat.  Add the shallot and the garlic and cook until just tender and fragrant, about 2 minutes.

Transfer to a bowl and add the remaining butter, the blue cheese, lemon zest and juice, salt, pepper, and parsley. Mix well, then taste and adjust the seasoning. Turn out onto a sheet of waxed paper, shape into a log, and roll up in the waxed paper. Refrigerate until needed. (The butter can be kept for several days in the refrigerator, wrapped in plastic wrap, or freeze it in smaller batches for use as needed, for up to 3 weeks.)

Happy Valentine’s

Chinese New Year 2012

The Chinese New Year began on January 23, 2012 which is considered the Chinese New Year’s Eve and the celebration will continue for 15 days until February 6^th, with the Lantern Festival. At the Lantern Festival, the Chinese people will carry lanterns into the streets or light candles in their homes. This holiday is the most important and longest holiday for the Chinese people. This year marks the 4710^th Chinese New Year, and this time it is the Year of the Dragon according to the Chinese zodiac calendar.

The dragon is the 5^th sign of the Chinese zodiac and is regarded as an auspicious symbol which stands for power, good luck, success, and happiness. In ancient times the Chinese New Year was considered the time to honor ancestors and heavenly deities, but today it is time to organize family gatherings and family feasts. Many Chinese travel far to return to their families so trains and airports are packed during this time.

We were listening to NPR recently and they were talking about a new Chinese cookbook called The Cultural Revolution Cookbook by Sasha Gong and Scott D. Seligman. Sasha Gong had been a young girl during the Cultural Revolution and these recipes are the ones her family ate during those times. There was not much food, but they used what they had and the food was simple but tasty. I decided to give these recipes a try since I pretty much had everything in my pantry except the pork belly or pork shoulder.  As you will note there are very few ingredients and all are easily obtainable.

Steamed Savory Egg Custard (This dish was easy in the Cultural Revolution since it did not require oil which was strictly rationed.)

2 eggs

3 ½ cups cold water

Salt

¼ scallion (spring onion) (From our garden.)

½ tbsp. sesame oil

Sprig of cilantro or parsley (At this time of year you should have both in the garden.)

Beat the eggs and add 1 ½ cups water and salt as desired. Mix well.  Cut scallion into small pieces.  Put the mixture of eggs and water into a heat safe dish with a cover.  Add the remaining water to the wok and bring to a boil. Place the covered dish in the wok.  Then cover the wok, decrease heat to medium, simmer 10 minutes.  Sprinkle the custard with the scallion and drizzle with sesame oil; garnish with the cilantro or parsley. Serve.

Tofu with Scallions and Sesame Dressing (low in fat, high in protein)

1 scallion

1 cake firm tofu

2 tsps. Sesame oil

Pinch of salt

Shred the scallion into small pieces by cutting on a bias.  Rinse the tofu; put in a microwave safe serving platter; warm in the microwave 1 minute or heat gently in an oven.  Cut up the tofu into 1 ½ inch cubes, sprinkle with scallions, sesame oil and salt.  The Chinese soaked the tofu in hot water to warm (about 10 minutes) since during the revolution there were no microwaves or even an oven.

Brain Food

Chairman Mao loved his “brain food” which was a traditional dish in his native Hunan and was considered “brain food.”

1 pound pork shoulder (This dish was traditionally made with pork belly which is much fatter.)

1 large piece ginger, about 1 inch

1 tbsp. cooking oil

4 tbsp. sugar

4 tbsp. soy sauce

1 cinnamon stick or ½ tsp. cinnamon

½ cup rice wine

Cut the pork into cubes, 1 inch to a side.  Smash the un-pealed ginger.  Heat the wok and add the oil.  When the oil begins to smoke, add ginger, then the sugar.  When the sugar is dissolved, add the pork; stir fry until the liquid evaporates.  Then add soy sauce, cinnamon and wine.  Mix well, cover tightly. Decrease the heat to medium and simmer ½ hour.

Rice is a good accompaniment to the pork dish.

These recipes were all done on the same day and our favorite was the Brain Food or the pork belly dish. The pork belly really caramelized in the sauce and was wonderful. The other two dishes were very similar and pleasant tasting, but nothing to rave about. The tofu gave us much protein so that was good! We like things spicy so perhaps I should have added a pod or two of pepper to the tofu and some hot pepper flakes to the custard?

Gong Xi Fa Ca (wishing you prosperity) in this Year of the Dragon!

Savory Sweet Potatoes

I am trying to do more seasonal cooking and cooking from the garden but the garden is rather bleak this time of year. We do have sweet potatoes in the cellar and some leeks in the ground. We like our sweet potatoes “savory,” not sweet, so I am always looking for ways to tone down the natural sweetness.  

Some people use the terms “sweet potato” and “yam” interchangeably, but the two root vegetables are actually unrelated. Sweet potatoes are native to the Americas. Yams are native to Africa. The entrenched misnomer and confusion are the result of at least three things. Spanish explorers came across the sweet potatoes growing in the Caribbean and called them batata, the same word they used for yams and white potatoes. About the same time, Portuguese explorers encountered sweet potatoes in Brazil and shipped them to Africa, where they were grown to provision Portuguese ships headed to the New World. Some enslaved Africans called them yams, probably from the West African word unyamo, which means ”to eat.” And in the 1930s, a moist orange sweet potato from Puerto Rico was marketed as a Louisiana yam to distinguish it from other sweet potatoes.

So much for the confusion.  They are healthy, Southern, and available right now.

My husband found this recipe somewhere, but cannot remember where he got it, so who knows where the credit should lie. It is a good, simple soup. So good with some hot bread.

Sweet Potato Leek Soup

Serve 4

2 leeks

2 tbs. olive oil

4 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½” pieces

2 cubes chicken bouillon

1 cup fresh cream or half and half

1 Tbsp. butter

Pinch ground cloves

Shredded parmesan cheese

Reserved leeks for garnish

Heat olive oil in a 2-quart pot. Add leeks and sauté them for 3 minutes. Add potatoes, bouillon, and enough water to cover and boil until tender, about 10-15 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Mash potatoes with potato masher and then add cream, butter, cloves, and cheese. Garnish with finely chopped leeks.

This recipe is taken from The New Southern Cookbook by Sheri Castle. My newest cookbook!

Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes

Makes 4 entrée servings or 8 side dish servings.

4 medium sweet potatoes (about 8 ounces each)

¼ cup heavy cream, warmed

4 thick bacon slices, cut crosswise into ¼-inch strips (about 4 ounces)

1 cup chopped onion

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

3 cups stemmed and thinly shredded kale or other similar leafy green (I used our mustard in the garden)

½ cup chicken or vegetable stock

¾ cup freshly grated aged Gouda or Gruyère cheese, divided

¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 350⁰F. Pierce the potatoes in several places with a fork. Place in a single layer on the oven rack with a sheet of foil on the rack below to catch any drips. Roast the potatoes until tender, about 40 minutes. When cool enough to handle, cut each in half lengthwise and use a melon baller or small spoon to scoop out the flesh into a medium bowl, leaving a ¼-inch thick shell. Arrange the shells in a baking dish large enough to hold them upright in a single layer.

Mash the potato flesh until smooth with a fork. Stir in the cream.

Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crispy. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain.

Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the drippings and add the onion to the skillet. Cook, stirring often, until softened, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in the kale and stock. Cover the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until the kale is tender, about 15 minutes. Uncover and cook until any remaining liquid evaporates.

Stir the kale mixture into the mashed potatoes. Gently stir in the reserved bacon and ¼-cup of the cheese. Season with the nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Divide the sweet potato mixture evenly among the 8 shells. Sprinkle the tops with the remaining ½ cup of cheese.

Bake until the potatoes are heated through and the cheese is melted, about 30 minutes. Serve warm.

If you have trouble with the shells or would just prefer, put the mixture into individual ramekins.

I am trying to do more seasonal cooking and cooking from the garden but the garden is rather bleak this time of year. We do have sweet potatoes in the cellar and some leeks in the ground. We like our sweet potatoes “savory,” not sweet, so I am always looking for ways to tone down the natural sweetness.  

Some people use the terms “sweet potato” and “yam” interchangeably, but the two root vegetables are actually unrelated. Sweet potatoes are native to the Americas. Yams are native to Africa. The entrenched misnomer and confusion are the result of at least three things. Spanish explorers came across the sweet potatoes growing in the Caribbean and called them batata, the same word they used for yams and white potatoes. About the same time, Portuguese explorers encountered sweet potatoes in Brazil and shipped them to Africa, where they were grown to provision Portuguese ships headed to the New World. Some enslaved Africans called them yams, probably from the West African word unyamo, which means ”to eat.” And in the 1930s, a moist orange sweet potato from Puerto Rico was marketed as a Louisiana yam to distinguish it from other sweet potatoes.

So much for the confusion.  They are healthy, Southern, and available right now.

My husband found this recipe somewhere, but cannot remember where he got it, so who knows where the credit should lie. It is a good, simple soup. So good with some hot bread.

Sweet Potato Leek Soup

Serve 4

2 leeks

2 tbs. olive oil

4 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½” pieces

2 cubes chicken bouillon

1 cup fresh cream or half and half

1 Tbsp. butter

Pinch ground cloves

Shredded parmesan cheese

Reserved leeks for garnish

Heat olive oil in a 2-quart pot. Add leeks and sauté them for 3 minutes. Add potatoes, bouillon, and enough water to cover and boil until tender, about 10-15 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Mash potatoes with potato masher and then add cream, butter, cloves, and cheese. Garnish with finely chopped leeks.

This recipe is taken from The New Southern Cookbook by Sheri Castle. My newest cookbook!

Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes

Makes 4 entrée servings or 8 side dish servings.

4 medium sweet potatoes (about 8 ounces each)

¼ cup heavy cream, warmed

4 thick bacon slices, cut crosswise into ¼-inch strips (about 4 ounces)

1 cup chopped onion

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

3 cups stemmed and thinly shredded kale or other similar leafy green (I used our mustard in the garden)

½ cup chicken or vegetable stock

¾ cup freshly grated aged Gouda or Gruyère cheese, divided

¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 350⁰F. Pierce the potatoes in several places with a fork. Place in a single layer on the oven rack with a sheet of foil on the rack below to catch any drips. Roast the potatoes until tender, about 40 minutes. When cool enough to handle, cut each in half lengthwise and use a melon baller or small spoon to scoop out the flesh into a medium bowl, leaving a ¼-inch thick shell. Arrange the shells in a baking dish large enough to hold them upright in a single layer.

Mash the potato flesh until smooth with a fork. Stir in the cream.

Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crispy. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain.

Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the drippings and add the onion to the skillet. Cook, stirring often, until softened, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in the kale and stock. Cover the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until the kale is tender, about 15 minutes. Uncover and cook until any remaining liquid evaporates.

Stir the kale mixture into the mashed potatoes. Gently stir in the reserved bacon and ¼-cup of the cheese. Season with the nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Divide the sweet potato mixture evenly among the 8 shells. Sprinkle the tops with the remaining ½ cup of cheese.

Bake until the potatoes are heated through and the cheese is melted, about 30 minutes. Serve warm.

If you have trouble with the shells or would just prefer, put the mixture into individual ramekins.

Burns Dinner

Through the years we have gone to several Burns dinners and enjoyed them overall.  On our trip to Scotland last summer we visited Ayshire for the first time.  Bobby Burns, the poet of Scotland, was born there January 25^th 1759.  We bought a book –‘The Ultimate Burns Supper Book’.  As it is billed this “practical (but irreverent) guide to Scotland’s greatest celebration” gave us the idea to host our own Burns Dinner. We love all things Scottish and a Burns Dinner to celebrate the bard should be fun.

The evening will begin with a Scotch of course! We brought back several kinds from the distilleries we visited last summer.  Our favorites are the smoky ones from the islands.

The usual grace said is the Selkirk Grace (said by Burns himself at the table of the Earl of Selkirk, July 1793):

               Some hae meat and canna eat   

               And some wad eat that want it

               But we hae meat and we can eat

               An sae the Lord be thankit.                                                                                                                                                    

              

The appetizer will be smoked salmon on potato cakes.  

Potato Pancakes with Smoked Salmon

Serves 4

1 lb. floury potatoes, peeled and quartered

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

1 oz. butter

1 oz. plain flour

¼ pint double cream (use heavy whipping cream if your cannot find the double cream)

2 tbsp. freshly chopped parsley

5 tbsp. crème fraîche (can use sour cream)

1 tbsp. horseradish sauce

8 oz. smoked salmon, slices

Salad leaves, to serve

Cook the potatoes in a saucepan of lightly salted boiling water for 15-20 minutes until tender. Drain thoroughly, then mash until free of lumps. Beat in the whole egg and egg yolk, together with the butter. Beat until smooth and creamy. Slowly beat in the flour and cream, them season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in the chopped parsley.

Beat the crème fraîche (sour cream) and horseradish sauce together in a small bowl, cover with cling-film and reserve.

Heat a lightly oiled, heavy-based frying pan over medium-high heat. Place a few spoonfuls of the potato mixture in the hot pan and cook for 4-5 minutes until cooked and golden, turning halfway through cooking time. Remove from the pan, drain on absorbent kitchen paper towels and keep warm. Repeat with the remaining mixture.

Arrange the pancakes on individual serving plates. Place the smoked salmon on the pancakes and spoon over a little of the horseradish sauce. Serve with salad and the remaining horseradish sauce and garnish with lemon slices and chives.

Now is the time for the ‘address to a Haggis.’  My husband will be in his kilt and will bring in the Haggis (which I will purchase not make), but since we have no piper, a tape of some bagpipes will have to suffice.  My husband will do an abbreviated version of the address:

               Ye Pow’rs wha gie us a’ that’s gude……And on our board, the king of food, A glorious Haggis!

To make this course more palatable I plan to serve it on an oatcake. I am going to try and make my own oatcakes. I have read that the secret is coarse oatmeal. Guess I will have to go to a good food store to fine this! You can buy these in gourmet food stores. They are served all over Scotland and especially at breakfast.

Oatcakes

Makes about 35-40

1 ½ cups self-rising flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

2 2/3 cups (coarse Scotch oats)

1 ¼ sticks butter

3 oz. water and milk mixed together

Sift the flour, soda and salt into a bowl and stir in the oatmeal. Rub the butter into the dry ingredients, then stir in the milk and water mixture. Sift some extra flour onto a table or work surface, and roll out the dough. Cut into rounds about 2 inches in diameter, and carefully lift them on a baking sheet.

Bake in a preheated moderate (350⁰F.) until golden pale brown, 10-12 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. When the oatcakes are cold, store them in an airtight container.

To freshen up oatcakes which have been kept for several days, heat them on a baking sheet in a moderate oven for 5 minutes-they taste slightly toasted and delicious.

A Shepherd’s pie with lamb, topped with neeps and tatties (turnips and potatoes) mashed with cream of course will be the main course. The final course will be sticky toffee pudding…and perhaps some Scottish cheeses (if I can find them) coffee and maybe a Scottish liqueur. Somewhere in the finishing of the meal we will toast the Queen, the President (or a toast to his replacement in 2012 depending on your politics.) Traditionally there is a speech known as ‘The Immortal Memory’ which I think we shall skip.  We can do the ‘the toast to the Lassies’ and ‘the toast to the Laddies.” We will end with the singing of Auld Lang Syne.