Lentil Soup
The exact amounts are, of course not all that important. After all, It’s soup!!
2 cups dry lentils
1 pint of water (add more later if needed)
2 quarts beef stock
1 potato (diced)
2 carrots (diced)
3 T. white wine vinegar
Salt
Dry sherry
Parmesean cheese
Add all the ingredients (NOT the sherry or parm) into a stock pot and cook over med-low heat until the ingredients to soften to the texture you like best. Depending on the age of the lentils, this will usually be done in 60 to 90 minutes
Serve in a large soup bowl…Drizzle with a bit of the dry sherry and top with the parmesean cheese.
Simple, and as good as it gets!
Posted by admin on April 26th, 2011 under Uncategorized | 58 Comments »Caesar Salad
My Mom has the greatest recipe for this salad. It isn’t too far off from many others I have seen online, other than the use of lime juice. And we have been using it for 35 years!! The dressing is as follows—
1/2 cup Extra virgin olive oil
one very juicy lime (about 3 T. juice)
3/4 t. worst sauce
1/2 t. dry mustard or dijon
1 (or 2) cloves crushed garlic
1 whole egg
4 anchovy fillets (diced very fine) (you can soak them in a bit of milk first if you wish)
Posted by admin on January 8th, 2011 under Uncategorized | 59 Comments »Italian Sausage
I am making this as I write, so I may update soon—so far, so good
2 pounds ground pork (from a pork shoulder/butt)
1 1/2 T. salt
4 garlic cloves (crushed)
1 T. fennel seed (lightly roasted and lightly ground-spice grinder)
1 T. paprika
pinch of cayenne
pinch of red pepper flakes
1 1/2 T. marjoram
1/1/2 T. basil
2 T. red wine vinegar
1 t. sugar
a pinch of black and white pepper
just enough water to mix if needed
Posted by admin on December 20th, 2010 under Uncategorized, pork | 2 Comments »Ginger Pork Sausage
I love this one—it’s adapted from the classic written by Ruhlman and Polcyn— Charcuterie
I use this as a breakfast sausage
1 pound ground pork
1 t. salt
1 T. fresh ginger (chopped fine)
1 T. fresh sage (chopped fine)
2 cloves garlic (chopped fine or crushed)
1/4 t. black pepper
1/4 t. white pepper
add just enough water to mix well
form into 2 1/2 oz. patties—freeze until needed
As I mentioned, I love sausage…this one is a favorite!
Posted by admin on December 20th, 2010 under Uncategorized, pork | 143 Comments »Focaccia
This is really good and really easy…
1 packet quick rising yeast
a pinch of sugar
2 or 3 T of hot tap water
mix above ingredients in a small bowl to proof (make sure the yeast is live)
3 cups AP flour
1 T.salt
a pinch of sugar
1 T. minced rosemary
Mix the above ingredients in a large mixing bowl
then add the yeast mixture—along with
3/4 cup lukewarm water
1/4 cup olive oil
Mix well, and knead for 5 or 6 minutes—add flour or water as needed ( I like it to be just slightly sticky)
shape into a ball, place back into a bowl and let rise in warm place until doubled (about an hour)
Knead again for 2 or 3 minutes, then roll it out to fit a 9X13 pan
Let it rise again (about 45 minutes)
Press your fingers into the dough about every inch or so
Brush the top liberally with olive oil, and sprinkle with kosher salt
Spread sauteed onion over the top and bake in a pre heated oven (375) for about 30 to 40 minutes-till golden brown
Posted by admin on December 19th, 2010 under Bread, Uncategorized | 102 Comments »A Recent Conversation
The phone rings…A friend is checking in…
Friend Of Well Seasoned: So, whatcha doin’ ?
Well Seasoned: I’m just sitting down to lunch
FOWS: What did you make yourself this time?
WS: A beef rib sandwich with horseradish
FOWS: That sound great
WS: Yeah, it’s pretty good, but the beef doesn’t have much flavor…I was making beef stock with ribs and I hate to throw stuff away
FOWS: OK whatever…what are you gonna do with the beef stock?
WS: I will freeze some for soups and stuff, but I mainly wanted to make an espagnole sauce
FOWS: (pause pause) Ok what then?
WS: Then I will take all that and make a demi-glace
FOWS: You are insane
WS: I know…
Posted by admin on October 4th, 2010 under Uncategorized | 66 Comments »
A New Idea
It was many years ago that I first read “The Frugal Gourmet” by Jeff Smith. In his Introduction, Smith mentioned things like cooking from scratch, using good ingredients and taking the time to do cook properly. As an aside, he also mentions that you have to be organized and spend perhaps one day a week doing a lot of cooking and prep work. That’s where this post comes in as I have been busier than ever, and for the first time in many years, I do not have the time to cook my kind of food for dinner.
What I will attempt to do is prepare a menu for the week and do as much cooking as possible on one single day. For most people, it might be a Sunday, but for me it will be on Monday, as I can usually sneak out of work a bit early,and take that day off after a busy weekend of golf. I will try to post with ideas, cooking times, recipes, and how to get and stay organized. It will be a challenge for me, because although I have spent a ton of time in the kitchen, being organized has never been my strong suit!
I envision one longer post per week, with a few of the weeks recipes tossed in as needed…Always subject to change of course…
Posted by admin on September 20th, 2010 under A New Idea, Uncategorized | 103 Comments »Chicken Marsala
I don’t make these old classic recipes as much as I used to, but this one shows up on the menu at least once a year.
2 chicken breast (skinless, boneless) and using a meat pounder, flattened to about 3/8 of an inch. Some recipes call for as thin as 1/4 inch, but I find very little taste with such a pounding.
flour (seasoned with salt and pepper) for dredging
olive oil
1/2 yellow onion
2 garlic cloves (minced or crushed)
mushrooms
1/4 cup Marsala wine
1 or 2 T. chopped parsley
a splash of white wine
In a good sized skillet, heat 2 T. olive oil and add the sliced onion and mushrooms. When almost done, add the garlic and cook till the mushrooms give up their juices while trying not to brown the onion. Remove the mushroom/onion/garlic mix to a separate bowl. Deglaze with a splash of white wine, then pour it over the mix. Add a bit more olive oil to the pan, bring back to medium heat and add the dredged chicken breasts. Saute for about 90 seconds (barely brown) on each side, then remove to a plate. Add the mushroom mix to the pan along with the parley, let warm through, add the Marsala. Let it reduce slightly (or more if you like), add the chicken breasts back to the pan warming them and coating them well. Plate the chicken breasts, and pour the sauce mixture over the chicken pieces.
Posted by admin on July 23rd, 2010 under chicken | 103 Comments »Italian Pork Stew
THIS IS A WORK IN PROGRESS
1 and 1/4 pound pork shoulder (cut into 3/4 inch chunks)
place in a hot sauce pan with a bit of olive oil
salt
let brown…stirring from time to time
a better crust on the meat means more flavor
10-15 mins?
add 1/2 onion (chopped) stir
add 2 or 3 garlic cloves (chopped)
sprinkle with a bit more salt—a pinch or 2 of thyme
barely cover with stock
add 1 good sized tomato (chopped) or about 1/2 can wholew tomatoes (squeezed or chopped)
bring to a boil…lower to a simmer … barely cover with a lid
let simmer for at least 2 hours…check on it occasionally and add water as needed
Posted by admin on July 7th, 2010 under Uncategorized | 105 Comments »Taco Seasoning
Save money, use your own ingredients and get superior flavor…Sounds like a no brainer, but I doubt too many folks take the 3 or 4 minutes needed to throw this together!
2 T. chili powder (I usually have several types around, and since two tablespoons equal six teaspoons, two teaspoons of three different chili powders will give you some variety)
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. onion powder
1 t. dried marjoram (or oregano)
1 t. paprika
1 t. ground cumin
1 T. salt
several grinds of black pepper
Mix well…I use about 2 1/2 T. per pound of meat
And now all of you know what I had for lunch!!
Posted by admin on July 4th, 2010 under Uncategorized | 73 Comments »
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