Gazpacho With a Texas Accent

Stonegable is one of my favorite blogs!  Yvonne always has beautiful photographs, and delicious recipes.  Miss Yvonne has the prettiest blog in blog-land!  (Thanks, Pee-Wee)  She recently posted a recipe for Gazpacho using fresh garden ingredients.  My sweet hubby LOVES the stuff!  Our 52nd anniversary was Monday, so he took me out for a lovely meal at a local fresh seafood restaurant.  I thought I would surprise him by making Gazpacho today.  I adapted Yvonne's recipe to our Texas taste, and it turned out great!  Next time I make it, I will add some cold seasoned shrimp to it as well.  It was very, very good!

Ingredients:
2 1/2 C V8 juice
1 C fresh tomatoes, finely chopped
1/2 C celery, finely chopped
1/2 C cucumber, finely chopped
3/4 C red, green and yellow peppers, finely chopped
1/2 C sweet onion, finely chopped
3 TBS white wine vinegar
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 TBS olive oil
3-4 drops of Tabasco sauce, or to taste
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
3-4 TBS fresh cilantro, finely chopped
Juice of 1 1/2 lime
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste

Lime Wedges for garnish
1 avocado, diced for garnish
Sour cream for garnish

Instructions:
Prepare ingredients and place in bowl with V8 juice.  Put soup in refrigerator for an hour or so to chill and allow flavors to meld.  Place in bowls to serve, and top with sour cream and diced avocado.  If desired, add cold, seasoned boiled shrimp. Serve lime wedges on the side.

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Nanny's Irish Beef Stew

Saint Patrick's Day is this week, and it makes me think of my Irish ancestors, and the beautiful Emerald Isle they lived on before they came to America. Some arrrived in the colony in the 1600's, the last to arrive came in 1784 from Cork, and settled in South Carolina. They came to my hometown in Georgia in 1825, and put down permanent roots there. The family names were Blair and Andrews. My grandmother spent a lot of time with her grandmother, Elizabeth Andrews Hodges, a descendant of these families. She taught my grandmother to cook...and assured her that they were "lace curtain Irish"...not so sure what that means, but I heard it from my grandmother..a lot. :) This is my grandmother's recipe, and she called it Irish Stew...she also called all brown skinned white potatoes, Irish Potatoes. She thought cooking and food were all about family, and family tradition, and passed that idea on to me. Wow..how I loved my Grandmother!

Ingredients:
2# marbled stew beef, in cubes
1 box Swanson’s beef stock
1 box of water (measured in the empty stock box)
2-3 cans finely diced tomatoes (start with two, and add more if more tomato flavor is desired)
2 onions cut in cubes
4-5 potatoes, cubed
3-4 carrots cut in rounds
2 TBS vegetable oil
1 1/2 TBS Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. garlic salt ½ tsp. pepper
1 TBS flour for thickening

Instructions:
Put garlic salt and pepper on beef, dredge in flour, and brown in oil. Stir well. Add Worcestershire sauce, broth, water and tomatoes. Simmer for about an hour or two. Add onions, potatoes, and carrots. Cook until done. Taste, and add extra seasoning if needed. Serve in Irish Soda Bread bowls, or with Garlic Texas Toast (I use frozen kind.)

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Chicken Noodle Soup

Another of our sweet neighbors had surgery last week.  She is on a very restricted diet for a few weeks, so I made her this simple soup.  It is easy to make, and has a nice, mild flavor.

Ingredients:
1 small whole chicken
1 box of chicken stock
3-4 C water
1 medium onion, chopped
1 C carrots, sliced in rounds
1 C celery, sliced
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. fresh thyme. minced
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 C thin egg noodles
Parsley, optional

Instructions:
Put chicken in large pot, add stock and water.  Cook chicken until done, then remove from pot.  Add all remaining ingredients to pot, except noodles.  Simmer for about an hour to allow flavors to marry.  Remove chicken meat from bones, then add to soup.  If the broth is too rich, add water.  Bring to boil, and add noodles, cooking per package instructions for al dente.  Garnish with chopped parsley, if desired.

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Hearty Split Pea Soup

I don't like cold weather at all, but I do love cooking and eating soups and stews to warm from the inside out.  This is one of my personal favorites.

Ingredients:
Leftover ham shank bone, with some meat on it
1 bag split peas, rinsed and picked over
4 medium potatoes, cubes
1 onion, diced
1 carrot, grated on large side of grater
1 box Chicken stock
1 TBS. bacon grease
1 bay leaf

Instructions:
Saute vegetables in bacon grease until soft, add ham bone and chicken stock.  Cook for about 15 minutes, then add washed split peas and bay leaf.  Simmer until peas are done, adding water if necessary, so soup doesn't get too thick.  I do not strain this soup, because we love the pieces of potato and chunks of ham in it. Yum!

Fake Ginger's Pasta Fagioli

This is the perfect for cold winter  nights served with crisp garlic bread, and a green salad.  It comes from Fake Ginger's blog.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled & chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 lb hot Italian sausage (casings removed if necessary)
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 1 -2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, to taste
• 1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 3 – 4 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
• 1 can cannellini beans
• 1 cup ditalini (or other small pasta)
• Parmesan cheese, for serving

Instructions
Heat olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium high heat. Add the diced onion and cook until it just begins to soften, about 2 minutes. Add celery and carrots; cook, stirring frequently, for another 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook just until fragrant, about 30 seconds.Add the sausage to the pot, crumbling as it cooks. Cook until the sausage is no longer pink. Stir in Italian seasoning and red pepper. Stir in tomatoes and stock Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes.Stir in the beans and ditalini. (Add an extra cup of stock or water at this point if it’s boiled down too much.) Simmer for 6- 8 minutes or until pasta is tender.Serve piping hot with Parmesan cheese.  


Sharing with Foodie Friday 

JFK's Favorite Chowder

It is getting colder outside. If you are looking for a delicious, light meal, this Chowder is perfect! My father-in-law found this recipe in the Atlanta newspaper in 1960 when JFK was running for President. It was called JFK's Favorite Chowder, and it quickly became our favorite too! This is not a thick chowder, but has the consistency of soup. It is delicious and comforting on a cold day.
Ingredients:
1-1½# firm fleshed white fish (Haddock, Cod, Halibut)
10 slices Salt Pork, cut in very small cubes
2 TBS butter
1 large onion, chopped
4 stalks celery and a few leaves, chopped
6 Yukon Gold potatoes, cubed
1 tsp. salt and ½ tsp. pepper
2 bay leaves
1 box chicken stock
1 quart whole milk (I use half and half)

Instructions:
Fry diced salt pork in large pot until brown and crisp; drain and save. Add onions, potatoes and celery to drippings. Sauté until soft. Add salt and pepper, stock and bay leaves. Bring back to a simmer until vegetables are done, then and add fish, cook until done. Add milk and butter. I use half and half because it makes a richer dish. Cook on low until hot. Do not boil soup. Sprinkle pork pieces on top when serving.
I am sharing this recipe with On the Menu Monday and Foodie Friday's

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ingredients:
1 pkg. corn tortillas
½ C oil
2 C chicken, diced
1 onion, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large, ripe tomato, chopped
2 qts. Chicken broth
1 TSP. salt and pepper
1 tsp. cumin
Fresh cilantro, chopped (to taste)
Ripe Avocado, sliced
Jack cheese, grated

Instructions:
Cut about ½ of the tortillas into strips and fry in oil until crisp; drain. In same oil, sauté chicken until cooked, then add onion, celery, tomato and garlic. Put in broth and seasonings and simmer 20-30 minutes. Add cilantro to taste (about 1 TBS) and simmer 10 minutes more. Put cheese in bottom of bowls, add soup and garnish with avocado, tortilla strips and cilantro. Careful of cilantro, it dominates other flavors.

My Aunt Ticky's Chicken Soup

Ingredients:
Whole chicken, about 3#
1 box Swanson’s chicken stock
Large onion, chopped
4-5 potatoes, cubed
2-3 cans finely diced tomatoes
I can niblets corn, drained
2 small green Tabasco peppers (the ones in vinegar in a small jar-optional)

Instructions:
Wash chicken, place in large Dutch oven. Season with salt and pepper. Add all the stock. Cover and boil until done. Remove chicken, let it cool. Add onions, and tomatoes to broth. Simmer until onions are clear. Add cubed potatoes, cook until done. Remove chicken from skin and bone, add back to soup.  Adjust seasoning to taste.  Add drained corn. When well heated, it is ready to serve with saltine crackers and Tabasco Sauce for those who like it.
I always called my Aunt Zulee "Ticky", and I'm not sure why. She used to make this soup when we came to visit. It is a very simple, but delicious soup. The original recipe was created by my Uncle Len, who made it with different types of game when he went hunting.

Cream of Artichoke Soup

Ingredients:
2 cans artichokes, not marinated
½ stick butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1 ½ cans evaporated milk
1 ½ cans chicken stock
1 bay leaf

Instructions:
Drain artichokes; reserve liquid. Quarter artichokes. Saute chokes, onions and garlic in butter in a soup pot. When soft, add stock, artichoke water, bay leaf and the evaporated milk. Cook over low heat for 15 minutes, being careful not to scorch or boil. It will curdle if it boils!
I usually serve this as my soup course for Christmas Dinner.  It is delicious.