Category: Veggies

Succotash with Cream

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This recipe is from “The Food Journal of Lewis & Clark: Recipes for an Expedition”, a fascinating cookbook by Mary Gunderson. Mary combed through the historical records of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, looking for details about their provisions and what they ate on the expedition and recreated dozens and dozens of recipes.

We met Mary in 2007 at a cooking demonstration at Niobrara State Park in Nebraska, on a blazing hot Saturday evening.  She made some wonderful food and I bought her cookbook on the spot.

Every year at Niobrara, I bring that cookbook and we have one dinner  by candlelight, with recipes from the Lewis and Clark cookbook.  This is one of the simplest and one of the kids’ favorites.

2 cups fresh corn
2 cups fresh or frozen lima beans
1/2 cup water

1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
3 Tbsp half and half

Cook the corn, lima beans and water until the water is completely dried up. Remove from heat. Add salt, pepper and half and half and stir gently.

Spinach on Polenta

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More and more, we’re finding that we can’t resist the flavor of spinach that’s sauteed and just slightly wilted. This is a nice way to serve it and even people who don’t like spinach seem to like this.  (Check the prepared polenta label if you are being careful about Gluten.)

1 package of prepared polenta, sliced
2 Tbsp Butter

4 Tbsp butter (or 2 Tbsp butter and 2 Tbsp olive oil)
1/3 cup half and half
2 tsp crushed garlic (or a generous sprinkle of garlic powder)
1/3 cup good Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
Big bag of spinach (or two!)

Melt butter in your biggest frying pan. Saute the slices of polenta in butter until they’re warmed through. Remove and put on a platter and cover them to keep them warm. Add the 4 Tbsp of butter and garlic, and saute for a couple of minutes. Add spinach and start to turn it, using tongs or a big spoon. Keep adding spinach until it is all just wilted.

Add half and half, salt and pepper and parmesan cheese. Gently combine all the ingredients. Go easy on the salt at first, because the parmesan is pretty salty.

Ladle the spinach mixture over the polenta and serve hot.

Delicious Rice with Spinach

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From the Betty Crocker Picture Cookbook, with small variations.

3 cups cooked rice
2 cups torn spinach or baby spinach
1 tsp dried parsley
2 eggs
1 cup whole milk
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 Tbsp Barista (fried onions)
1/3 cup grated gruyere cheese, divided

Mix all together, saving about half the cheese. Put in a pie pan, sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Scalloped Corn

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2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp mustard
little black pepper
1/4 cup onion fried very brown (Barista in Urdu)
3/4 cup milk
4 cups fresh corn or a bag of frozen corn
1 egg, beaten
bread crumbs

Melt butter in a sauce pan, and stir in the flour, salt, paprika, mustard and black pepper. Add the fried onion and the milk and stir until it becomes a nice creamy gravy. Remove from the heat, and stir in the corn and egg. Turn out into a baking dish, and sprinkle with bread crumbs. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

Tayebba Auntie’s Peas

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Kumy’s aunt, Tayebba Auntie is another amazing cook, and she taught me this recipe when we were living in Karachi. It’s zingy and delicious.

1 lb. English peas in shell, soaked for 15 minutes in cold water and then drained
2 Tbsp Oil
1/2 tsp whole cumin
1/2 tsp crushed garlic
1/2 tsp crushed ginger
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
salt to taste (about 1/2 tsp)
1/8 cup water
juice of 1/2 lemon

Heat oil on medium heat in a frying pan, and saute cumin for a couple of minutes until lightly brown. Mix garlic, ginger, pepper, salt and water in a bowl, and add to frying pan. Cook for a minute and add the peas. Shake well, reduce heat and cover. Cook 15 – 20 minutes. Squeeze lemon juice over peas just before serving.

Ina’s Peas & Prosciutto

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Please – if you don’t know who Ina is, stop what you are doing and go straight to the nearest bookseller.  Ina Garten is the Barefoot Contessa, and her Food Network show and cookbooks showcase her truly great recipes.  I saw another chef make this recipe on her show, and I make it slightly differently.  All of Ina’s recipes are good. Really.

1/4 cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic, smashed
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup prosciutto, chopped (or 4 slices turkey bacon or real bacon, diced and fried)
2 cups frozen or fresh peas
1/3 cup chicken broth
salt & pepper

Saute onions in olive oil until translucent. Add garlic and cook a couple more minutes until garlic is done. Add prosciutto or bacon and cook for three more minutes. Toss in peas and broth and cook just until peas are warmed through. Salt and pepper to taste. You can drain off the extra liquid, but honestly it’s pretty delicious so I often just leave it, and let it mix with whatever else is on the plate.