Preheat oven to 250°F.
Cut tomatoes in half, toss in olive oil to coat, and arrange cut side down on oiled sheet pans.
Add onion or shallot on top of tomatoes. Sprinkle with herbs and liberally salt and pepper. Roast approximately 1½ to 2 hours until skins are loose and flesh is soft.
Peel skins off tomatoes and discard. Dump the contents of the sheet pans into a large bowl and, using an immersion blender, blend into chunky soup. Adjust seasonings.
Serve either warm or cold with a dollop of crème fraîche or sour cream and some chopped fresh mint for grown-ups. Add alphabet noodles or cooked rice for kids. Stir in toasted croutons and drizzle with olive oil and Parmesan for a classic Pappa al Pomodoro. Add fresh basil and garlic, and you have a chunky pasta sauce. Add fresh oregano, and it becomes pizza sauce. Freezes beautifully, can be canned if you are ambitious, and lasts up to a week in the fridge.
To make a sandwich: In a bowl, mix the two grated cheeses until well combined. Butter one side of each slice of bread with half the butter. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bread slices, buttered sides down, and divide the cheese mixture equally between the two slices of bread and sprinkle with grains of paradise. Cook until cheese begins to melt, covering with a lid if necessary. Flip one piece of bread onto the other, and cook until crisp on outside and completely melted within.
Delia’s Fried Chicken
SERVES 4 TO 6
1 gallon whole milk
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons dried thyme leaves
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 cloves garlic, whole
1 whole fryer, cut into 8 pieces
2 cups flour mixed with 1 tablespoon seasoning salt
4 eggs, beaten
Peanut oil for frying
Bring milk, salt, thyme, nutmeg, and garlic to simmer in large pot. Add chicken and maintain gentle heat until almost cooked through, about 15 minutes. Cover, turn off heat, and leave in milk for another 30 minutes. Remove chicken from milk and pat dry. Dip pieces in flour, then in egg, then in flour again, and set on rack until all chicken is coated. Heat oil to 350°F, and fry chicken in batches until coating is golden and crisp and chicken is hot, about 5 minutes per batch.
Healthy Baked Fried Chicken
SERVES 4
1 cup bread crumbs
½ cup Parmesan, grated
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
½ cup fat-free buttermilk
4 tablespoons olive oil
Preheat oven to 375°F. Mix bread crumbs with Parmesan in shallow dish. Dip chicken in buttermilk, let excess run off, and then coat chicken in crumb mixture. Arrange chicken on tray, and drizzle each breast with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Bake 15 to 18 minutes until done.
Corned Beef Hash
SERVES 6 TO 8
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
¾ cup onion, minced
5 cups good-quality corned beef, chopped fine
4 cups potatoes, cooked and diced small
2 tablespoons beer
Salt and pepper, to taste
Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil to shimmering in a wide skillet, and sauté onions until translucent, but not caramelized. Mix corned beef, potatoes, onions, and beer in a large bowl and taste for seasoning. Heat remaining oil in the skillet and place hash mix in an even layer, pressing down to make a solid mass. Let cook a few minutes until the underside is browned and very crispy. Flip over, in sections if necessary, and cook other side until crispy as well (this can be done in two skillets or in batches, depending on whether you have one large enough for the whole recipe). Hash should be only about ½-inch thick in skillet. Serve with poached, scrambled, or fried eggs and hair of the dog.
Healthy Hash
SERVES 4 TO 6
2 tablespoons chicken stock
1 cup onion, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
2 cups canned kidney beans, 1 cup slightly mashed
with fork
1 cup smoked turkey, chopped
1 cup broccoli, cooked and chopped
4 cups potatoes, cooked and diced
Salt and pepper, to taste
3 tablespoons olive oil (for cooking)
In a nonstick skillet, heat chicken stock and add onions and celery and cook until translucent. Add onions and celery to rest of ingredients; mix well. Heat oil in skillet and place hash mix in an even layer, pressing down to make a solid mass. Let cook a few minutes until the underside is browned and very crispy. Flip over, in sections if necessary, and cook other side until crispy as well (this can be done in two skillets or in batches, depending on whether you have one large enough for the whole recipe).
Hash should be only about ½-inch thick in skillet. Serve with scrambled egg whites, poached eggs, or tofu scramble.
Covenant Club Creamed Spinach
SERVES 4
5 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
1¼ teaspoons salt
1 cup whole milk
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons onion, minced
20 ounces frozen spinach, chopped
¼ cup water
1 cup sour cream
¼ cup Parmesan
Salt and pepper, to taste
Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in flour and salt until creamed together, and cook for 1 minute. Stir in milk a little at a time. Increase the heat to medium. Add nutmeg. Constantly stir with a whisk until mixture is thick and smooth.
Remove sauce from heat and set aside.
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat, add onions and cook until translucent. Add spinach and water to pan, lower the heat, and cover. Stir several times until spinach is heated through.
When spinach is almost done, add white sauce, sour cream, and Parmesan. Stir well and simmer until completely blended. Add salt and pepper to taste.
For a healthier version, substitute reduced-fat margarine for the butter, skim milk for the whole milk, and reduced-fat sour cream for the regular sour cream.
Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies
Really? C’mon. Just buy the Nestlé chips and make the recipe on the back of the bag.
Healthier Chocolate Chip Cookies
MAKES 2 DOZEN COOKIES
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup butter, softened
¾ cup organic brown sugar
1 egg
¼ cup skim milk
5 ounces dark chocolate chips or bittersweet chocolate
chips
½ cup rolled oats
Preheat oven to 350°F. In a medium bowl, mix the flours, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon with a whisk to combine. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and milk, and combine well. Mix in flour mixture. Add chocolate chips and oats. Drop rounded teaspoons on greased cookie sheets, and bake 12 to 14 minutes until browned around the edges.
Bacon
I like to cook my bacon on a sheet pan in a 400°F oven for 15 to 20 minutes until crisp. And here is some of what I like to do with it.
Bacon PB&J
MAKES 1 SANDWICH
¼ cup creamy peanut butter
2 slices white bread
2 tablespoons strawberry jam
2 slices crisp bacon
Spread peanut butter on one side of a piece of bread and jam on one side of the other piece. Put bacon on top of peanut butter and close sandwich.
Honey Bacon Butter
½ pound unsalted butter, softened
4 tablespoons honey
½ cup crisp bacon, crumbled
Blend well and put on pancakes and French toast.
Healthy Bacon
Eat in moderation. There is no substitute
.
Basic Stuffing
SERVES 12
1½ cups onion, chopped
1½ cups celery, chopped
Celery leaves from 2 heads, chopped
¼ cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon dried sage
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon dried marjoram
2½ sticks butter
1 extra-large loaf (about 2 pounds) country bread or French
bread, cubed and toasted until totally dry
1 package soft rolls or hot dog buns, torn coarsely
1 16-ounce box or can chicken stock (as necessary to
moisten)
Salt and pepper, to taste
4 large eggs, beaten
Sauté onions, celery, and herbs in 1½ sticks butter. Toss with bread. Add stock slowly until moist but not overly soggy. Taste for seasoning. Stir in eggs and mix well. Put in deep foil pan. Melt remaining stick of butter and drizzle on top of bread crumbs.
Bake at 400°F for 25 minutes covered. Uncover and bake another 20 minutes. If you want extra moistness, melt another 4 to 8 tablespoons butter in 1 cup chicken stock and pour over top when you uncover the stuffing, then continue cooking.
For a healthier version, substitute whole wheat bread for the country bread, use 2 tablespoons butter and 3 tablespoons olive oil to sauté the veggies, and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Use 4 egg whites instead of whole eggs. For extra moistness, just use the chicken stock and omit the extra butter.
Cheeseburgers
SERVES 4
1½ pounds 80 percent lean ground chuck
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
4 slices cheese of your choice
4 buns
Condiments of your choice
In a bowl, break up meat with your hands and distribute seasoning evenly. Toss lightly with your fingertips to mix. Divide meat into four equal portions. Toss meat back and forth between hands to form a ball, and then gently press to make a patty. Depress patty in center slightly. Grill over direct heat without pressing down on patties 2½ minutes on first side. When well seared and brown, flip burger and cook additional 1½ minutes, uncovered. Cover patties with cheese and cook additional minute for medium rare, up to 2½ minutes for medium well. Serve on buns and top with preferred condiments.
Turkey Burgers
SERVES 4
1½ pounds ground turkey (lean but not all white)
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon canola oil (for cooking)
Mix all ingredients lightly until well blended. Follow directions in cheeseburger recipe for forming patties. Heat oil and cook patties to internal temp of 160 degrees, then let rest, covered, for 5 to 10 minutes, before serving.
Good Enough to Eat Page 25
