Beef Stock

2 1/2 pounds beef and veal bones

1 pound lean beef (top round steak or beef shank) cut into three pieces

3 quarts water

1 large onion quartered

1 large carrot, cut into 4 pieces

1 large rib celery with leaves, cut into 4 pieces

1 plum tomato, cut in half

3 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley

1/2 teaspoon salt, or more to taste (optional)

1. Place the bones in a large soup pot with enough cold water to cover. Bring to a boil, uncovered, over high heat. Remove the pot from the heat. Discard the water, reserve the bones, and rinse the pot. Return the bones to the clean pot.
2. Add the meat pieces and the 3 quarts water. Bring to a bopil over high heat. Add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil again, then reduce the heat to a vedry slow but steady simmer, and simmer, partially covered, 3 hours. It is important to keep the broth at a simmer; if it boils, it will become cloudy.
3. Strain the broth through a fine sieve, lined if desired with several layers of dampened cheesecloth. Discard all but the broth, unless you want to try my mother's way of cheering up the meat. Cool the broth and refrigerate. covered overnight. The next day, remove and discard the congealed fat on top. Use immediately or refrigerate up to 3 days, or freeze up to 6 months. If you refrigerate for a few days, be sure to bring the broth to a boil before using. Makes about 2 quarts.

TIM'S NOTES: I am not sure this is the best beef stock recipe, but it is tasty enough, and one of the easiest around. The author's mother "cheers up" the boiled meat by shredding it, and serving it with a dressing of oil, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper. If your finished soup (using this stock) has salt in it, I would recommend omitting the salt in the stock making stage. If you think your finished soup needs more salt, you can always add more later.

Witch's Brew

1 1/2 pounds hamburger, browned

1 green pepper, diced

2 large onions, chopped

5 stalks celery, diced

1 (28 ounce) can whole tomatoes

1 (15 ounce ) can kidney beans

1 (4 ounce) can mushrooms

1/4 pound bacon, fried and cut into pieces

4 cups cooked noodles, drained

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2/3 cup grated cheese

Stir together browned hamburger, green pepper, onions, celery, tomatoes, kidney beans and mushrooms. Add bacon and drained noodles. Add salt and pepper and pour into greased casserole dish. Top with grated cheese. Bake 40 minutes at 350 degrees.

Cranberry Chicken

1 Tablespoon butter

1 small onion, coarsely chopped

3 pound chicken thighs, skinned

2/3 cup ketchup

1/3 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

1 Tablespoon cider vinegar

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries, rinse

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a 10x 15 inch baking pan, combine butter and onion. Roast uncovered until onion is pale gold, stirring occasionally. Push onion to one side of pan. Place chicken thighs side by side in pan (not on top of onion). Bake uncovered for 25 minutes.
3. In a bowl, combine ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, mustard and cranberries. Scoop browned onions out of pan and stir into mixture. Space chicken evenly in pan and spoon cranberry mixture over chicken.
4. Bake about 20 minutes more, until cranberry mixture is slightly caramelized and chicken is no longer pink at the bone in the thickest part. (Cut with a small sharp knife to test).

TIM'S NOTES: This is another recipe that can be seasonal. Cranberries are usually only found around the Holiday season. So if you want this recipe at other times of the year, snap up some cranberries around the Holidays, and put them in your freezer.

I also don't use bone-in chicken thighs. I like to use the boneless skinless thighs. They might be a little more expensive, but they are worth every penny. One of the things that I have found is that after step #2, there may be a lot of juice in the pan. It is a wise idea to remove some of this juice or your sauce may be too runny. You will see what I mean!

Chipotle Chili Puree

Chipotle peppers are actually dried smoked jalapenos. Canned in adobo, a flavorful red sauce, they are packed with heat and smoky flavor and add a quick spark to a dish. You can find small cans (three ounces) with brand names such as herdez or Embasa in the Latino foods aisle of most grocery stores or in Latino markets.

If you can't use an entire can within a week, just put the puree in a zippered plastic bag or in ice cube trays. Store it in the refrigerator for up to three weeks, or freeze it.

1 (3 ounce) can chipotle chilies in adobo.

Put the entire contents of the can in a food processor or blender, and puree. refrigerate in a covered container topped with a thin layer of oil to prevent a crust from forming on top.

TIM'S NOTES: Put a little dab of this puree in anything that you want to have a little heat

Turkey and Quinoa Meatloaf

TURKEY AND QUINOA MEATLOAF

1/4 cup quinoa

1/2 cup water

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 large clove garlic, chopped

1 (20 ounce) package cround turkey

1 Tablespoon tomato paste

1 Tablespoon hot pepper sauce

2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 egg

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon water

1. Bring the quinoa and water to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium low, cover, and simmer until the quinoa is tender, and the water has been absorbed, about 15-20 minutes. Set aside to cool.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onion; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute; remove from heat and cool.
4. Stir the turkey, cooked quinoa, onions, tomato paste, hot sauce, 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, egg, salt and pepper in a large bowl until well combined. The mixture will be very moist. Shape into a loaf on a foil lined baking sheet. Combine the brown sugar, 2 teaspoons Worcestershire, and 1 teaspoon water in a small bowl. Rub this paste over the top of the meatloaf.
5. Bake in the preheated oven until no longer pink in the center, about 50 minutes. An instant read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 16o degrees. Let the meatloaf cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

TIM'S NOTES: Instead of making this meatloaf free-form, I used a greased loaf pan. Rub the top of the meatloaf with the brown sugar/Worcestershire paste as directed and bake for about 50 minutes as directed and let stand 10 minutes before slicing. And instead of hot pepper sauce (which usually means Tabasco) I used 1 Tablespoon of Chipotle Chili Puree, which I will make a separate post for. I liked the flavor of the chipotle chili puree better.

Tuscan Beans with Sage

I am completely enthralled with sage at the moment because it will be going to sleep for the winter soon, so must use it up!

TUSCAN BEANS WITH SAGE

1 to 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh sage

6 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

1 Tablespoon olive oil

2 1/2 cups chopped fresh or canned tomatoes (28 ounce can, drained)

1 1/2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

3 cups cooked cannelini beans (two 15 ounce cans)

salt and ground black pepper to taste

Combine the sage, garlic, and oil in a large saucepan and saute on medium-low heat for several minutes, until the garlic is golden. Add the tomatoes, lemon juice, and cannelini and continue to cook for about 10 minutes, until everything is hot. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately or chill to serve later.

TIM'S NOTES: Do not use dried sage in this recipe! MUST be fresh. Cannelini are just white kidney beans. You can make your own by soaking 1 1/3 cups of dried cannelini beans over night in water with a sprig of sage to enhance the flavor. Cook until done. I suggest using the canned beans just because they are more readily available, easier, and less time consuming. This, coming from a man who makes his own candied orange peel! Shortcuts are good.

Ide Hill Gingerbread

I received this recipe from a British friend a few years back. Ide Hill is a village in the Seven Oaks District in Kent, England.

IDE HILL GINGERBREAD

2 cup sifted all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon allspice

1 Tablespoon ground ginger

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup molasses or golden syrup

1 cup sour milk or buttermilk

1/2 cup shortening, melted

3 ounce can candied orange peel

crystallized ginger (optional)

Sift together dry ingredients. Combine eggs, molasses, sour milk, and shortening. Gradually add to the dry ingredients, beating thoroughly. Stir in orange peel. Pour into 8 inch square pan. Arrange crystallized ginger in pattern on top. Bake in a moderate oven (350 degrees) for 40-50 minutes.

TIM'S NOTES: As always, I have some notes on this subject. Real English gingerbread uses golden syrup and candied orange peel, so if you can find it, I suggest using Lyle's Golden Syrup instead of the molasses. It makes more of a blond gingerbread. I use buttermilk in this recipe, but if you choose to use sour milk, here is how to make it. Add 1 Tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar plus enough milk to make one cup. Let stand 5-10 minutes.

Now about the candied orange peel. Candied peels (orange, lemon, and citron) can only be found in the supermarkets from Thanksgiving to about New Year's Day. So buy some them, and keep it in a cool dry place. It is an Armageddon food. It will last until Doomsday! You might even want to stock up because sometimes they put it on sale at the end of the season. Anyway, I don't know how much 3 ounces is. It usually comes in a little plastic tub, and the weight is on there, so guesstimate 3 ounces. If you don't have any candied peel and just can't live without gingerbread, you can make your own. A little bit of work, but easily done. Make a simple syrup of equal parts water and sugar. For this recipe, I suggest 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar. With a small sharp knife, peel an orange vertically in about 1/2 inch wide strips. You just want the orange part and not the white pithy part, so if you get some of the white pith, try to shave off as much of it as you can. Bring the simple syrup to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the orange peel strips, lower the heat slightly (just enough to keep it at a nice simmer) and cook until the orange strips start to become clear looking. Remove them from the syrup and cool on wax paper. Then mince them up for the gingerbread. I like to add the orange peel to the dry ingredients because each piece becomes coated with flour and they don't stick together

For the melted shortening, I use butter. Make sure to cool it slightly before adding it to the liquid mixture.

As for the crystallized ginger, I don't make a pattern on top. I usually just take a couple of large pieces, mince it up and sprinkle it across the top of the gingerbread as a garnish. I suggest using it, but it is quite expensive, and if you can't find it, you may omit the crystallized ginger. If you do use it, it is usually better to buy it in the bulk foods section of the grocery store because you can buy just as much as you need.

Basil Pesto

Well, my friends...That time of year has come....the weather has turned cooler and my pot of basil has stopped growing. It still looks well, but you can tell that it is not going to grow much more. I usually do this the first week in September, but we were having such lovely weather that I though I'd let the basil alone for a few days. When the weather turns cooler and the basil stops growing, I whack it all off and make basil pesto. I do this because it's no use trying to winter the basil over, and I also need the pot to plant spring bulbs. When the spring bulbs are done, it is time to plant basil again. I have done this for many years now. I have always made pesto out of the basil, but in the last few years, I have started a tradition of having pasta with basil pesto on Christmas Day. It's a lovely tradition, and eating the pesto brings back the memory of warm September days. This pesto can be used for many things. It can be used on pasta, on garlic bread, on toasted bagels, in soups, on fish...use your imagination!

Basil Pesto

3/4 cup olive oil

2 cups fresh bail leaves, stems removed

1/2 cup fresh parsley

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon minced garlic

2 Tablespoons pine nuts (see Note)

1/2 teaspoon salt

pepper

1 to 2 teaspoons hot water (as needed)

Place all ingredients except hot water in a food processor and process with metal blade for about 45 seconds. If desired, thin with hot water. Cover and refrigerate, or freeze in ice cube trays. After freezing, pop out cubes and store in the freezer in a plastic bag. Makes 1 1/2 cups sauce.

NOTE: If desired, use toasted pine nuts. Place pine nuts in a shallow pan, and bake 3 to 5 minutes at 350 degrees. Watch carefully!

TIM'S NOTES: I usually pack the measuring cup when measuring the basil leaves, and the parsley. I try to use plain old Italian Basil, and I like to use Italian Parsley if I can get it. If not, the curly leaf parsley will do. I also toast the pine nuts. I don't freeze this in the ice cube trays, but just in a heavy plastic container. The ice cube tray thing is a nice idea, I've just never done it. It would be easy just to add a couple of cubes to a pot of soup.

Mushroom Soup a la Marie Louise

MUSHROOM SOUP A LA MARIE LOUISE

8 Tablespoons oil

1 large onion

2 carrots

2 stalks celery, including leaves

5 cups water (more if needed)

1 bay leaf

1 bouillon cube

1 teaspoon dried thyme

salt and pepper to tasste

1. Cut the celery, carrots, mushrooms, and onion into thin slices. Mince the onion.

2. Pour the oil into a soup pot and heat. Add the onion. Saute the onion for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring continuously. Add the celery and carrots and continue to stir for another 2 minutes.

3. Pour the water into the pot. Add the mushrooms, bay leaf, bouillon cube, thyme, salt and pepper. Bring the soup to a boil and then let it cook over low heat, covered, for about 40 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and serve the soup hot.

TIM"S NOTES: This recipe is from a cookbook called 12 months of Monastic Soups and for this reason, these soups tend to be a little ...well...monastic and simple. They are very economical to prepare, but use the finest ingredients to get the best results. There may seem to be a lot of oil in this soup, and there is, but it is necessary to the flavor of the soup, so I suggest using a good quality olive oil. Also, use a good quality bouillon, like Knorr. My preference for this recipe is chicken bouillon, but you could probably use vegetable bouillon as well. Here again, the recipe says one bouillon cube. My Knorr bouillon is one cube per two cups of water, so I have added two cubes to this recipe, and left out the salt until checking the saltiness at the end of cooking. Also, be generous with the thyme. I think this soup is good when you are not feeling well because mushrooms and thyme supposedly have curative properties.

Virginia Folk Medicine

Today, I woke up with a sore throat and I was reminded of this neat little recipe from Virginia Folk medicine. I suggest it to a lot of people, but I suspect they never try it, though it works like a charm. Use it when you throat gets a little ticklish, when you are feeling a little puny, or when you have a full blown cold. It will still help. My friend's mother drank this every day and wasn't ever sick. Not sure I'd want to drink it every day...

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar (must be apple cider vinegar)

1 Tablespoon honey

8 ounces (1 cup) boiling water

Place vinegar and honey in a small mug. Add the boiling water to the mug, and stir until honey is dissolved. Sip carefully!