Archive for March, 2008

Everyone knows that I am a big advocate for teaching folks how to cook. Look, there aren’t many things you have control over, young or old, but when given the opportunity you should attempt to have control over what goes in your stomach; since you are what you eat.

I spent Easter Sunday with my daughter who is seriously interested in learning to cook. She said she wants to be a “good cook.” I think she now understands that anyone can throw water in a pot and boil an egg or spread butter, cinnamon and sugar on bread to make cinnamon toast, but not everyone can cook greens and cornbread from scratch or roast a bird.

I can’t really remember when folks stopped cooking like my grandma Lula Simpson who could make a possum sing; but I think it was somewhere around the early 1960s or a bit before. It was when Mr. Kentucky Fried, Mickey D’, and charbroiled burgers came into being. People were so impressed with getting what they wanted “quick” that the idea of waiting for food became a nuisance, a pain, throwing patience and pressure cookers aside. I say this, because as my daughter was cooking and growing hungrier by the minute, I saw what most folks felt back in the day, impatience and a strong desire to have the food “quick, fast and in a hurry.”

Homemade, scratch, “dump” cooking has never been prepared “quick, fast and in a hurry.” Years ago, we did not live in a quick, fast and in a hurry type world. I wanted so badly to tell my daughter, what you want to do is just not in your genetic make-up. She was born to the “quick, fast and in a hurry” generation and trying to perform like the slow and easy tortoise who as we all know wins the race.

Unfortunately my daughter was not really in the mood to hear this and just gave me a disturbing look that let me know that if that damn bird had to stay in the oven one more minute; or if that dressing was not ready to leap out of the oven onto her plate in the next 30 seconds, there would be trouble, serious trouble.

Luckily the timer had four minutes on it and I just got up and headed to pull everything out of the oven, ready or not. Fortunately for the bird and the dressing they were both ready for lift-off.

It was strange as I watched my daughter cook and sat explaining what and why this or that had to be done, I never really paid much attention to how I worked my culinary magic. I just worked it. How did I know to add a pinch of this or another egg to the dressing to get just the right consistency? It was all due to experience; and I reminded myself and my daughter that the only way you become a good cook is by doing.

There are books, classes, television programs and online lessons; nothing replaces good old fashion practice; or should I say that four letter word, work! Anyone, everyone becomes a good cook by working at it, plain and simple.

For those who were wondering what we had for dinner, the menu included:

• Homemade Yeast Rolls
• Roasted Cornish Hens
• Collard-Cabbage Green (a hybrid cross between collards and cabbage common in North Carolina)
• Cornbread Dressing
• Cranberry Sauce
• Southern Pecan Pie (Recipe below)

My daughter was so proud of her accomplishments (and she had a right to be) she photographed everything and put it up on her social networking page to taunt her friends and other family members; and I am certain that this will not be the last homemade meal she will prepare. If given the opportunity I will attempt to put photos of her delicious delicacies on my blog for all to see.

Everyone knows I do not end a blog without a recipe unless I am running out of time. I am sharing my favorite Southern Pecan Pie recipe. Let me first tell you though, I use only Ronald Reginald Melipone Mexican Vanilla, it is my signature vanilla and makes all the difference in anything you bake or cook that calls for vanilla. If you use another brand and don’t like the pie, shame on you.

Southern Pecan Pie
Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

• 1 (9-inch) pie shell
• ¾ cup sugar
• ¾ cup light corn syrup
• 3 eggs, (large) beaten
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract (Ronald Reginald Melipone Mexican Vanilla)
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup pecans, chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. In a large bowl, combine sugar, corn syrup, eggs, vanilla, salt and mix with electric mixer until opaque, about 5 minutes.
3. Stir in pecans and pour into pie shell.
4. Bake in preheated oven 45 minutes. Check after 30 minutes, if crust is browning too fast cover with aluminum foil. When the pie is done, it may be a bit loose* in the center, but will set as it cools; do not over-bake.

*When I say loose in the middle, the pie should not still be liquid, just a bit loose, it will firm up as it cools.

Refrigerate any leftovers and serve at room temperature or warm.

In recognition of St. Patrick’s Day I am going to provide the recipe for an inexpensive, tasty, filling soup that epitomizes the color green…in a good sort of way, depending on who you ask. This is one of my favorite soups because it is cheap, flavorful, filling and easy to prepare. Pea soup is by no means an American phenomenon. The legume was orginally cultivated by the Greeks and Romans and the soup was made most famous in the English nursery rhyme: Pease porridge hot, Pease porridge cold, Pease porridge in the pot Nine days old. The word Pease is actually how the English say “peas.”

There are green split peas and yellow split peas and depending on where you are from, one version may be more popular than the other. For example in Finland the peas are green, in Sweden the peas are yellow. Some folks dress their pea soup with tiny diced carrots while others use some form of pork, usually smoked sausage, ham or bacon. I personally like carrots and smoked sausage, however I have prepared it with no meat at all and it is equally delicious.

So if you don’t know what to serve in honor of St. Patrick’s Day, pull out your Dutch oven and make a delicious pot of Spit Pea Soup, it will warm the hearts and tummys of all who eat it.

Patty’s Day Pea Soup
Makes about 3 quarts (freezes well)

Ingredients:

• 2 quarts water
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 pound split peas, rinsed
• 2 pounds smoked sausage, (kielbasa, beef or turkey smoked sausage)
• ½ cup onion, diced fine
• 1 cup carrots, diced fine
• ½ cup celery, chopped fine
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper

Adjust seasoning if needed Directions:

1. In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, large enough to hold 3 quarts; add oil and heat to medium high
2. Add onions, sausage, carrots and celery and saute for 7 minutes
3. Add 2 quarts of water and the pound of peas to the sauteed vegetable mixture and bring to a boil
4. Reduce heat, add hot sauce, salt and pepper and continue simmering the soup until it is slightly thick and the vegetables are tender, about 35-40 minutes
5. Serve

And for dessert serve that ever popular…

Fluffy Pistachio Pineapple Stuff

When I was in the U.S. Navy living in Okinawa, Japan, stationed on Kadena Air Base, one of my best friends shared this recipe with me. She made it all the time and I have to admit it is pretty tasty considering all the artifical stuff it is made from. This is what I call “Fun Food” the stuff you make once a year, to remind yourself why you eat healthy everyday. It is pretty good though!!!

Ingredients:

• 1 (16 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 1 (3.4 ounce) package instant pistachio pudding mix
• 2 drops green food coloring (optional)
• 3 cups miniature marshmallows
• 1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple, undrained
• 1 cup chopped pistachios or walnuts (reserve 1/2 cup for serving)

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine whipped topping, pudding mix and food coloring if desired
2. Fold in the marshmallows, 1/2 cup nuts and pineapple
3. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, over night is better
4. Just before serving, sprinkle with remaining nuts

Look, times may be tough and money might be tight, but there is no reason you can’t entertain for St. Patrick’s Day, have a few friends over for a pot of soup, a keg of beer and some of that green fluffy stuff.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Rice and beans, beans and rice. No, we’re not there yet, however I am old enough to have lived through a few recessions and I can tell you it is not fun. I have to say my mother and father best prepared me for the information I am about to share with you. I am certain that their parents and grandparents best prepared them. Living through tough economic times is rough for everyone and 2008 is going to test your belief in mankind, but you can and will survive and thrive if you exercise discipline, patience, and due diligence. Prayer helps too!

Here are a couple of things you might consider.

1. Stop eating out. Just stop. I know that if you are accustomed to eating lunch with coworkers or friends it will be difficult. Change your mindset and think, would I be doing this if I had no job? Remember $7 here and $18 there adds up. Take a bag lunch, invest in a quality lunch bag with beverage holder and call it a day.
2. Organize your debts so you will know exactly what you owe. Clean up the lowest debt first then hit the big stuff. Get together with friends and have a yard sale. Sell everything that is taking up space, simplify your life. You know spring cleaning makes room for new blessing to enter.
3. Consider a second job. I know you are a busy person and you are thinking. “I can’t take on anything else.” I don’t mean that kind of second job. I don’t want you to sell sweet smelly stuff or any of those other products that might put more money in the hands of the distributor than your own. I mean a job that does not call for a lot of investment. Consider becoming a tutor, what would it take to become an ESL tutor? check into it. Do you live in an area where a number of people speak English as their second language? Do their children need help in school? Parents love to invest in their children and will pay. Tutors make $20-$45 per hour depending on the subject you’re tutoring. Math tutors make the most money. Are you interested in becoming a Mystery Shopper? Do you make jewelry? Can you turn a simple hobby into a money making experience. If you can sell name brand sweet smelly stuff, you can sell those lyrics you write, or those little scrapbooks you make out of newspaper. My dad always said everyone should have a side hustle and he was absolute correct; it gives you a sense of control over your future, or a least part of your future. You also never know when a side hustle is going to take center stage and cause you to tango right into Bank of America.
4. Remember everything is cyclical and the recession will pass. This is a good time to go back to school or become certified in a new skill. Did you know you do not need a Master’s degree to get a PhD? This is not true for all subjects but for some it is. Check you local colleges and universities to see if there are programs near you and check some of the online institutions. Education is a great defender against a recession. Why? When all else fails hire yourself out as a contractor and work for a number of small businesses. Become an independent sales representative for small companies. If you are an administrative assistant, check into becoming a virtual Administrative Assistant for two or three companies. They will pay you less, but you will not be working for them 40 hours per week giving you a more flexible work day, to saaaay…go back to school.
5. Learn to cook. Food takes up a large part of every human beings budget (13-30% depending on who you ask). People love to eat and they love to socialize. One of the best bits of advice I can give anyone who lives on their own, is “learn to cook.” Never, ever leave your gastrointestinal system at the mercy of restaurant owner’s; you will pay a dear price in the long run. Restaurants are not in the business of feeding you healthy, filling food. Restaurants are in the business of making money and don’t you ever forget it. There are some restaurants that take pride in serving good, health conscious food, but they are few and far between. Learn to cook for yourself. You don’t have to become a gourmet chef but learn to prepare the food you love and you will never be hungry!

I have been living in North Carolina for almost three years and I still can’t find a restaurant that provides consistently good food. I know this is an issue everywhere, but for those restaurant owners in the Raleigh/Durham area, they don’t realize that the worse sin you can commit is to prepare consistently bad food and pawn it off as good or even fairly decent. I don’t eat out a lot, but when I do, I want good food. I know there are a lot of issues that restaurant owners have to deal with today and many will say, “It’s not my fault, I’m doing the best I can. The reason we have lousy food is because:”

No one properly trained the kitchen staff
There are no really good chefs out there
The kitchen staff does not speak English
The kitchen staff cannot read
The kitchen staff cannot follow directions
The kitchen staff cannot cook
The kitchen staff lied about their culinary experience
The kitchen staff won’t come to work
The kitchen staff doesn’t care
The kitchen staff is lazy
or
I know I’m the owner but I don’t care about serving tasteless food
I know I’m the owner but I don’t care about serving food that is old
I know I’m the owner but I don’t care about serving bread that is stale
I know I’m the owner but I don’t care about the quality of the meat being served
I know I’m the owner but I bought this restaurant from someone else and they always did it this way
I know I’m the owner but I have too much on my plate and I just can’t worry about that
I know I’m one of the owners, but this is not my responsibility, the other owner handles this, I just keep the books

Look, this is the way it works, as the owner of an eating establishment you are responsible for the quality of the food you serve. If you don’t care about the food you service close your establishment or your customers will close it for you!

Hello people!!! It is 2008 and I wish diners would stop patronizing fooderies that pass off “nasty food” as delicious culinary works of art. It just ain’t so!

At what point do we grow some backbone and say “Hell No We Won’t Go” and exercise our options, our culinary dollars and sense. Your restaurant does not have to have a menu containing 120 items, everyone is not a Coney Island. If you have five or six entrees that are “consistently exceptional” you will have people lined up out the door, I promise.

When I first came to Cary, North Carolina my daughter and I would purchase a Philly Cheese Steak sandwich, hummus and grape leaves from this little Mediterranean Restaurant across the street from where we lived. It has since gone out of business and it really should not have. The restaurant would be open today if the owner took pride in what he was selling; unfortunately he did just enough to get by. The little place had a huge problem with “inconsistency.” One day the food was great, the next day it was lousy. Some days the hummus had garlic and lemon juice, other days it had nothing. Look if you can’t seem to get your recipes straight (and you’re the only one cooking) close your restaurant and become a used car salesman. I guess that’s what he did.

I know we are in a recession/depression and food prices are soaring, but if you want to remain open and keep customers coming through your doors, pay attention to the quality of your food. I honestly think, and this is my opinion and my blog, so don’t get upset, not that I would care; but I honestly think that food in the south sucks, there I said it. What people in the south are pawning off as good food is a travesty. Oh, there is an exception, the food in New Orleans, Louisiana (pre-Katrina) had a tendency to be pretty good, but it really depended on where you ate.

I even went to a “Ruth Chris” the other night and my daughter’s filet mignon was overcooked, the creamed spinach was undercooked and the mashed potatoes were made from a box. I could have screamed!

I am going to push for a revolt against all restaurants that attempt to force us to eat their nasty, flavorless food.

From this day forward I would like all who read this blog to get up and walk out of any restaurant that attempts to serve you bad food. Leave behind a ticket that says, “Serving Bad Food Will Put You Out of Business.” The CWD (Cooking with Denay) Bad Food Police. We certainly can’t put these restaurant owners in jail, but we can ticket them!

Honestly, I would rather have three or four superior restaurants to choose from than three or four hundred lousy ones.

If you know of any really great restaurants in the Raleigh/Durham area please send their names and addresses to me so I can check them out and put them on the CWD (Cooking with Denay’s) Super Fantastic Restaurant List.

Good food is just hard to come by today!!!! …but it shouldn’t be…

I was in the mood for some good old fashioned vegetable soup and immediately realized there was no restaurant around that served it. You know the kind mom use to make. My mother is a master vegetable soup maker. She could whip up a batch of vegetable soup on a cold Saturday afternoon, with cornbread on the side and make a dreary gray day into something spectacular, like a trip to Venice.

I searched and searched a number of recipes in my collection of ancient cookbooks, browsed the Internet and could not find a recipe that even closely resembled the one my mom used, which was more along the line of “dump cookin.” I did note that many recipes called for water or broth and I want to say for the record, neither tends to have much flavor. The primary reason food is tasteless or bland is because no flavor was added to the base of the recipe. Let’s examine the contents of water, broth and stock.

Water:
A generic liquid that exist in every food source; and some may say water has no taste but I beg to differ because if I blindfold you and give you a glass of orange juice, and then a glass of water, you will be able to tell the difference. The issue with water is that it is like a chameleon of sorts, it takes on the flavor of the dominate host it’s paired with. Unfortunately, if the dominate host is flavorless, well you know the rest.

Broth:
Chicken broth is a combination of the meat from the chicken combined with salted water and vegetables, usually boiled. The flavor is not as rich as stock and can be down right bland. Most of the canned broths that you find in grocery stores are not rich in flavor and are heavily salted; although there are some low sodium brands now available.

Stock:
Chicken and beef stock, good old fashioned stock is made from bones, marrow and cartilage. These three items contain collagen, the main ingredient in gelatin. Richly flavored homemade chicken gravy that has been refrigerated forms a gelatinous “gel” over the top of the gravy, this does not usually occur with chicken broth. Stocks are best made from scratch and I have never purchased a can stock that was deserving of my seal of approval.

Why make your stock from scratch? You will never get the taste or intense flavor from a canned product. A stock is made by sautéing the bones of the caucus (i.e. beef bones, chicken necks, backs etc) in your favorite oil with onions, celery and a clove of garlic; browning everything in the pot. The smell will make you crazy, then just when the caramel color has peaked, add your water and bring to a rolling boil; reduce the temperature, skim the foam and place it on a medium low simmer for at least 4-8 hours. This is the process, not the recipe.

Why cook the stock so long? The collagen in the bones will moisten and melt into the water, bringing out the true “essence” of flavor. You will never, ever be able to get this divine flavor in a can. I do not salt my stock I leave that process for later when I am using it in a particular dish.

There are two types of stock, simple and rich. A simple stock is used in soups, stews, and dishes that call for you to simmer food slowly. A rich stock is used when a sauce requires lots of flavor, and a small amount of liquid.

Below is my recipe for making a simple stock.

Ingredients:

• 2 ½ quarts cold water
• 2 onions, quartered, plus skins
• 1 large clove garlic, peeled and quartered
• 2 ribs celery, with leaves, washed and cut into four pieces

Stock can be made with bones and any excess meat or poultry (excluding livers and gizzards), or shells or carcasses from seafood, used in the recipe you’re preparing.

You may also use the following amounts:

For Poultry Stocks:
2 pounds backs, necks, and/or bones from chicken, ducks, or geese

For Beef Stocks:
2 pounds beef shanks or other beef bones

For Pork Stock:
2 pounds pork neck bones or other pork bones (not smoked)

For Seafood Stock:
2 pounds rinsed shrimp heads if you can find them or shells and 1/2-1 pound of dried shrimp (found at most Asian Markets) or crawfish heads or crab shells. You can also use the carcasses of a fish or fish heads if you can find them.

My favorite way to make a stock is to sauté the bones, meat, vegetables in a large stock pot until brown and caramelized. Then add my cold water, enough to cover all the ingredients in the pot. I bring everything to a boil over high heat, then gently simmer at least 4 hours, preferably 6 to 8 if possible, replenishing the water as needed to maintain 1 quart of liquid in the stock pot. Remember to skim off any foam. Partially cover the pot with the lid while it simmers. When your stock is finished, strain and cool it and store in plastic containers with lids in the freezer until needed. Cooking your stock for 30-45 minutes is better than using plain water, some flavor is better than none at all.

If you want to make a richer stock, do not add any more water and allow your stock to simmer and reduce down to 1 pint (16-ounces) this stock will have an intense flavor.

You know I cannot end a blog without a recipe and here is my favorite red sauce Creole Smoked Sausage Sauce. The recipe makes about 3 cups and I use it when I am in a pinch and need to dress up a meal. Use this sauce over scrambled eggs, omelets, rice, mashed potatoes, chicken livers, fried fish, take your pick and let your imagination run wild.

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup smoked pork sausage, diced (substitute beef or turkey)
• 1 cup onions, chopped fine
• 1 cup celery, chopped fine
• ½ cup sweet bell pepper, chopped fine
• 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
• 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes (use fresh if in season)
• 1 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon carrot, minced fine*
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
• ½ teaspoon ground thyme
• ½ teaspoon dried basil leaves
• ½-1 teaspoon hot pepper flakes (if you like your sauce hot add 1 teaspoon)
• ½ teaspoon black pepper

Melt the butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onions, celery, bell peppers, bay leaf; then add the garlic and all the other seasonings; stir thoroughly. Sauté until the onions begin to turn brown about 7 minutes. Stir in the sausage and sauté for another 3-4 minutes. Add the can of diced tomatoes, hot sauce and the tablespoon of minced carrot. Stir and simmer on low heat for 15 minutes.

*Some tomato sauce recipes call for sugar; I use carrot that is finely minced. It works just as well if not better taking the bitter edge off any tomato based sauced.

**If you do not want to use sausage you may substitute one large peeled, diced eggplant. The sauce takes on a whole new meaning and the flavor is divine.