Buffalo, Beans and Greens Soup

Buffalo, Beans and Greens Soup

 

A friend recently drove cross-country from Portland to New York. She told me about a diner she stopped at in Wyoming expecting to order a burger deluxe or a BLT. Her waitress suggested their specialty, something they called Buffalo,  Beans and Greens, Soup.  She tried it and liked it enough to get the recipe. If you can’t get buffalo/bison, it would work with ground beef too. You can substitute spinach or mustard greens for the collards.

Buffalo,  Beans, and Greens, Soup
Ingredients:
  • Olive oil for browning
  • Salt and black pepper
  • 1 diced parsnip
  • 1 diced carrot
  • 1 diced onion
  • 1 tbsp. tomato paste
  • 2 minced garlic cloves
  • ½ tsp. red pepper flakes (or to taste)
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • 12 oz. ground buffalo
  • 1 qt. chicken stock
  • 1 – 15 oz. can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 bunch collard greens
  • ½ cup chopped parsley
Heat some oil, salt and black pepper in a pot, brown the meat and remove it. Add the onion, carrot and parsnip to the pot and cook until softened, about 10 minutes. While that’s cooking, wash the collards, discard the thicker stems and chop the leaves into bite sized pieces.

When the vegetables are done add the tomato paste, garlic, and red pepper. Mix thoroughly and then return the browned meat to the pot.
Buffalo,  Beans, and Greens, Soup

Add the stock and beans and simmer for 25 minutes. If you want a thicker soup, mash some of the beans and vegetables with the back of a spoon. If you want it thinner, add some stock or water
Check for seasoning and add the greens and cover. Cook for 10-15 minutes until greens are soft. Buffalo,  Beans, and Greens, Soup
The greens will fill the pot when you first put them in, but they’ll wilt in a few minutes.Buffalo,  Beans, and Greens, SoupJust before serving stir in the chopped parsley. Serve with hot sauce.

Click here for updated GALLERY
Portfolio and Yelp

Pompeii Food Stand

The ruins of Pompeii with Vesuvius in the background.

New discoveries are still being made at Pompeii. There was an article in Colossal about a Pompeii food stand that was recently uncovered.POMPEII FOOD STAND

Archaeologists Have Uncovered an Impeccably Preserved Food Stand in Pompeii

by GRACE EBERT

“Mallard to go, anyone? Archaeologists have unearthed an ancient thermopolium—aka the Roman equivalent of a street food vendor—at the Regio V site in Pompeii. The well-preserved stand is decorated with multiple frescoes featuring a nereid (nymphs of Greek mythology) riding a sea horse, tall jars with two-handles that commonly were used for storage, and some of the formerly available fare, like mallards and chickens. A rendering of a muscular dog adorns another side of the stand with the insult, “Nicia cineadecacator,” scribed nearby. Various food-based remnants were found, as well, including duck bones, fava beans, wine, and a paella-style dish of pork, goat, bird, fish, and snail, alongside cooking dishes, flasks, and storage vessels.”

For the full article click here. POMPEII FOOD STAND


POMPEII FOOD STAND

I was in Pompeii last year. This is a picture I took of a wine shop.

Click here for updated GALLERY
Portfolio and Yelp



Slow Cooker Moroccan Chicken and Chickpeas

Slow Cooker Moroccan Chicken and Chickpeas

After everything is chopped and cut, just put it in the slow cooker and forget it for a few hours. 
 
Slow Cooker Moroccan Chicken and Chickpeas
Ingredients:
  1. 2 – 16 oz. cans of chickpeas drained and rinsed
  2. 1 – 15 oz. can of plumb or cherry tomatoes drained
  3. 1 red bell pepper cut into 1 inch pieces
  4. 1 medium red onion chopped
  5. ½ cup golden raisins
  6. 2 tbsp. tomato paste
  7. 2 tbsp. water
  8. 1 tsp. ground cumin
  9. ½ tsp. sweet paprika
  10. ½  tsp. cayenne (optional)
  11. 4 or 5 boneless/skinless chicken thighs cut into 1 in. pieces
  12. 2 tbsp. creamy peanut butter

Slow Cooker Moroccan Chicken and Chickpeas

Slow Cooker Moroccan Chicken and Chickpeas

Slow Cooker Moroccan Chicken and Chickpeas

Place ingredients 1 to 5 into the slow cooker.  Mix ingredients 6 to 10 in a bowl, pour into slow cooker and mix well.  Place chicken in an even layer on top.

Slow Cooker Moroccan Chicken and Chickpeas

Turn slow cooker on low, cover and cook for 6 hours. Add the peanut butter, mix well and serve with rice or couscous.

Click here for updated GALLERY
Portfolio and Yelp

Cajun Meatloaf

Cajun Meatloaf

Meatloaf isn’t one of my favorite things. I generally prefer my ground beef in the form of a medium-rare, charred on the outside, hamburger. But this Cajun meatloaf is different. It has interesting spices (no ketchup), and because there’s so little filler it looks and taste meatier.
Cajun meatloaf
Ingredients:

For the meatloaf-

  • 1/3 cup plain breadcrumbs
  • 1/3 cup of tomato puree
  • 3 tsp. of Cajun spice mix
  • 1 minced garlic clove
  • 1 cup Cajun Trinity
  • 2 tbsp. of Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 pounds of ground beef
For the topping-
  • 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/4 cup of tomato puree
  • 3 tbsp. tomato paste
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
If you have a meatloaf pan, great. If not, you’ll have to improvise. Cover a rack with foil and punch holes in it with a skewer. This will prevent the fat from accumulating at the bottom of the pan and making the meatloaf greasy.
Add the breadcrumbs, tomato puree, Cajun seasoning, minced garlic, and Cajun trinity, and Worcestershire to a bowl and mix it. Add the chopped meat and mix it. The best way to do that is with your hands.  Get it thoroughly mixed and form a loaf.Cajun meatloaf
Grease the foil with olive oil spray. Put the meat mixture in the pan or on the rack (whichever you’re using) and form a loaf. Roast for 50 minutes.Cajun meatloaf
To make the topping, mix the Worcestershire, tomato puree, and paste in a small bowl. After 50 minutes remove the meatloaf and coat it with the sauce. Put it back in the oven and roast for another 20 minutes.Cajun meatloaf
When it’s done, let it rest for 10 minutes before cutting it. It’s great for dinner and the leftovers make perfect sandwiches.

Click here for updated GALLERY
Portfolio and Yelp

Gingerbread

Gingerbread

My Aunt Lena made the best gingerbread. Whenever she made it, usually after I asked her to, I’d have it for dessert and breakfast. I recently tried some gingerbread recipes and came up with this one that’s a lot like hers.
gingerbreadIngredients:
  1. 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  2. 2 tsp. ground ginger
  3. 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
  4. ½ tsp. salt
  5. 1 tsp. baking soda
  6. 2/3 cup coffee
  7. 2/3 cup mild-flavored molasses
  8. 4 tbsp. butter
  9. 2/3 cup brown sugar
  10. 1 large egg
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Grease a 9-in square pan with butter. Mix dry ingredients 1 to 5 in a bowl.
Heat but don’t boil the coffee, molasses, butter, and brown sugar in a small pot. Let it cool and then whisk in the egg.
gingerbread

gingerbread
Combine the wet and dry ingredients and stir until the mixture is smooth. Pour it into the buttered pan and bake for about 35 minutes.
gingerbread
Gingerbread is  perfect plain but you can also dress it up with fruit and heavy cream.

Click here for updated GALLERY
Portfolio and Yelp

Seafood Sauce

Seafood Sauce

For this one I used clams, mussels, shrimp and lobster tails. Add what you like, crabs, scallops, octopus, fish filets, etc. It’s important to steam the clams and mussels separate from the sauce. One sandy clam or mussel can ruin a whole pot of sauce.

Seafood Sauce

Ingredients:
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • Salt, black and red pepper to taste
  • 3 minced garlic cloves
  • ½ tsp. oregano
  • 2 – 28 oz. cans crushed tomatoes
  • 12 little neck clams
  • 18 mussels
  • 1 doz. shrimp cleaned and shelled
  • 2 lobster tails cut into 2 inch pieces
  • 1 lb. linguine
Start a pot of salted water for the linguine.
Lightly sauté the garlic in oil in a pot large enough to hold the sauce and shellfish. Add salt, red, and black pepper to taste and the oregano. Add the crushed tomatoes and bring to a simmer.

The clams and mussels need to be steamed in a separate pot in case any are sandy. Heat one & a half cups of water and add the shellfish. (Clams and mussels take different amounts of time so it’s easier to do them separately.) Cover the pot and let it steam 8 to 12 minutes (until they open). Discard any shellfish that didn’t open. Add the shellfish to the tomatoes sauce and carefully pour the remaining broth into the sauce leaving any sand behind.Seafood Sauce
Seafood Sauce

 

Seafood Sauce

Start to cook the linguine and at the same time add the lobster and shrimp to the sauce. When the pasta is done the sauce will be too. Put the pasta, and shellfish sauce in a serving platter and serve. Please, it’s seafood so no cheese on this sauce.

Seafood Sauce

Click here for updated GALLERY
Portfolio and Yelp