Spicy bean soup

1 ham bone and ham trimmings

1 pound Great Northern beans

1 large or two small onions, diced

2-3 ribs of celery, diced

2-3 carrots, sliced into "coins"

2 cans Ro-Tel diced tomatoes with green chilis

1/2 tsp to 1 tsp white pepper (to taste) (can use black pepper if you don't have white

1/2 teaspoon ground Ancho chili pepper if you have it

dried savory, 1 tsp

Herbs de Provence, approx 1 tsp

 

First, make the ham stock.  Cut as much "good" ham as you can off of the bone and put back in the fridge.  Put the ham bone in a large pot or kettle, cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat so the water is just simmering. Simmer for about 2 hours.

When the broth seems ready -- the ham that was still on the bone should be about to fall away -- remove the bone and any "used up" pieces of ham that may have come away. (This can be done in advance and the broth refrigerated overnight, then brought back to a simmer when you're ready to proceed.)

Rinse the beans and inspect them, getting rid of any stones or other trash and any beans that are discolored.  Add them to the simmering broth. Cook until tender, about an hour. Test by removing a bean from the pot and seeing if you can easily smash it with the back of a spoon.

Meanwhile, wash and chop the celery, carrots and onion. Saute them in a bit of oil and butter, seasoning with a little salt, but not too much at this stage, because ham is usually pretty salty!

When beans are tender, add the sauteed vegetables, the diced tomatoes with chili, the herbs, and the ham that you rescued earlier from the bone. Taste and season with salt if needed, and peppers to taste. 

 

Notes: This soup as I made it is not as thick as typical bean soup, although that will depend partly on how much water you use to make the broth and how much broth you use to make the soup! If the soup is thicker than you'd like, just add more water!

The canned diced tomatoes with green chili really add the zing, but if you don't like that, go with regular canned tomatoes. 

Cornbread makes a nice accompaniment. You could, of course, add frozen corn or other veggies of your choice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stuffed red bell peppers

 

In this case, frugality was the mother of invention, or at least of improvisation. I had a couple of red bell peppers that I knew I should use, a few Campari tomatoes (which I hope will be the last tomatoes I need to buy from a store for a while) that were getting ready to give up, and some leftover roast chicken that I wanted to use for something besides a sandwich.  I also had some uncooked Faro (a grain) that has been in the fridge for a while because I didn't want it to go rancid or anything, and some ingredients in the freezer that had been there a while: homemade pesto,  homemade chicken broth, a package of shredded mozzarella, and a package of pepperoni that has been frozen since sometime during the pandemic. I also had a bunch of green onions that I bought a couple of weeks ago and ended up not using as I had intended. So, here's what happened.

2 red bell peppers, cut lengthwise from stem to bottom, stem, rib and seeds removed

Filling:

2 cups (measured uncooked) faro, rinsed and cooked according to pkg.

5 Campari tomatoes (approximately golf-ball size)

Leftover roasted (or rotisserie) chicken, diced/shredded, about 2 cups

2 cubes frozen chicken broth

2 cubes frozen pesto

Frozen pepperoni, chopped, about a cup

6 green onions (chop white/green part for mix, save green tops for garnish if desired)

1 pkg shredded mozzarella, approximately half in the mix and the rest on top.

Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes

 

Notes:

1.    1. This makes way too much filling for the 2 peppers that I had, but I just put it in the casserole dish underneath the stuffed peppers. Because, really, the filling is (mostly) the point. Having extra is not a problem!

2.  2.   I did not add salt and pepper to the mix, because I was using ingredients with varying amounts of seasoning in them: the chicken, the pepperoni, the chicken broth (made from bones of a very seasoned roast chicken), the pesto. Once it was all baked and had a chance for the flavors to meld, it was actually pretty close to perfect. I added a sprinkle of salt to my serving, just because I like food saltier than many people do.

3.    3. If I weren’t using the pepperoni or a highly seasoned Italian sausage, I’d probably add red pepper flakes or at least black pepper.

4.   4.  I have a silicone compartmentalized tray that makes cubes that are just a wee bit bigger than a standard ice cube tray. I use it to freeze chicken broth, pesto, even eggs (one egg fits nicely in one compartment). Once frozen, the food can be popped out and put into a plastic bag or other container. When I want a bit of that ingredient for a recipe, I can just take one or two cubes out of the bag, and I’m good.

II5. I am not fond of green bell peppers, but I suppose you could use them instead.

 

I

 

 Basic French bread recipe

(adapted from The Fleischmann Treasury of Yeast Baking, copyright 1962) I've been making this so long that I don't really use the recipe

for 2 loaves

2-1/2 Cups warm water (105 to 115 degrees F)

2 packages active dry yeast 

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon oil or melted butter

7 cups (approx) unsifted flour

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for crisper crust, 5 minutes before end of baking, brush loaves with

1 egg white

1 tsp cold water

(or for softer crust, brush with a little butter)

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Measure warm water into large mixing bowl. Sprinkle in yeast and stir until dissolved. I usually add a bit of the flour and the oil and let the yeast start working for 15-20 minutes, then add the salt and start adding the rest of the flour a cup or so at a time, stirring with a sturdy wire whisk or dough whisk until dough is too thick for that utensil; then mix with floured hands until dough is only slightly sticky. Turn out into a floured counter or board and knead for a couple of minutes. Clean the bowl, lightly oil it, put the dough back in the bowl and turn the dough to oil the top. Cover with a clean cloth and let rise in a warm place free from draft until doubled, about an hour. 

When dough has doubled, "punch" it down and divide into two. Roll out each half into a rectangle about 15 by 10 inches, then roll up each rectangle tightly to form the loaf. Place on lightly greased baking sheet or baguette pans and let rise again, about 1 hour.

About 15 minutes before the hour is up, put a pan of water on the lowest rack of the oven and start preheating the oven to 450.

Slash top of loaves with razor blade or knife.

Bake at 450 for 25 minutes in middle rack of oven, until loaves are golden brown. If you want to do the glaze thing, brush on the egg white/water mixture about 5 minutes before baking is down.