traditional food

Fromage Fort (Cheese Spread)

November 23, 2011 by Rebecca 6 Comments

We interrupt these Thanksgiving preparations to bring you a Public Service Announcement. This is only an announcement. This post will take less than five minutes to read and less than five minutes to prepare. You may then return to cooking for your feast:

Did you get invited to a last minute shindig? Do you need just-one-more-thing to round out your holiday feasts? Do you love cheese?

That last question is the most important really, because this is a recipe for cheese lovers. Serious cheese lovers only. Because this is how you use up the odds-and-ends in your cheese collection. You do have a cheese collection, right? A nub of Romano, a hunk of Cheddar, a couple tablespoons of crumbled bleu, some Asiago pieces rattling around in a bag or a drawer or a container in your refrigerator…

Well, the French ride to the rescue here, with the classic Fromage Fort. Fromage fort translates as “strong cheese” and believe you me, there’s nothing wussy about it. It is CHEESE writ large. It is a cheese spread from the country that many people find synonymous with cheese.

So what is Fromage Fort like? (Look away, my French friends. You may be horrified at this description.) It’s kind of like good ole American pimiento cheese, but minus the pimientos and plus wine. How could you possibly go wrong?*

*Let me tell you how you could go wrong. You could use Velveeta or American cheese. If you do that? You’re totally on your own. Blech. Don’t misunderstand. There’s a time and a place for both of those, but neither of those belong here. Emphatically. Amen.

The only specialty item you’ll need is a food processor. That’s kind of non-negotiable here for the best texture. Other than that, the world is your Fromage Fort oyster. You can make this five minutes before running out the door or a week in advance. The longer it sits, the stronger it gets!

Serve with crackers or crusty bread or veggie platters or on baked potatoes or pretzels or… or… or… You get the idea!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Important Cheese Eating advice: When making Fromage Fort, try to steer away from using too much from the bleu cheese or really salty cheese families (Asiago, Romano, Parmesano). Let those be “accent” notes. Use a milder cheese (Cheddar, Jack, etc…) as the melody!

Fromage Fort (Cheese Spread)

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Fromage Fort (Cheese Spread)

Fromage Fort -French for strong cheese- is a classic recipe that uses up odds and ends in your cheese collection. This slightly garlicky cheese spread touched with a flavour of white wine makes a wonderful appetizer or addition to any cheese course when served with crackers, crusty bread or crudites.

Ingredients

1/2 pound of assorted cheeses (Cheddar, Asiago, Romano, Parmesan, Monterey Jack, Colby, Swiss, etc...)
1/4 cup of dry white wine (or more, depending on desired texture)
1/2 a large clove of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
Cracked black pepper to taste
Optional: Chopped herbs for garnish

Instructions

Grate cheeses and add to the bowl of a work processor fitted with a metal blade. Add remaining ingredients and fix lid onto the food processor. Process until you have a spreadable consistency. Check the texture. If you want it runnier, add a splash of white wine and process again. Scrape into a bowl or a ramekin. Cover tightly and refrigerate until ready to serve, up to a week.

If desired, garnish with chopped herbs.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2011/11/23/fromage-fort-cheese-spread/

Recipe printed from Foodie With Family | Rebecca Lindamood http://www.foodiewithfamily.com

Filed Under: Accessible Ethnic, Appetizers & Snacks, Comfort Food, Comfort Food, Getting Creative With Leftovers, Holiday Food, Rebecca, Recipes, Snacks, Stretching your dollars, Vegetarian Tagged With: budget friendly, Christmas, Food gifts, Frugal Food, holiday food, kid friendly, party food, quick and easy, Thanksgiving, traditional food, Vegetarian

Jangsanjeok | Korean Simmered Teriyaki Style Beef Patties

January 21, 2011 by Rebecca 22 Comments

I got goodies in the mail this week. Score! It was a massive package of unexpected food-related goodies from my brother and his wife in Korea. Hat trick! In this magical box, Nate and Sun Hwa packed ramen, Korean coffee, laver, spicy tuna and a fantastic Korean foods cookbook. I promise I will cook my way through the book eventually, but the thing that jumped off the pages and screamed “EAT ME!” the most was the luscious looking Jangsanjeok.

There was no accompanying description of the dish, but the ingredients spoke for themselves; beef, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, green onions, honey. Oh my, yes. When someone says, “What sounds good to you for dinner?” my brain steers -on auto pilot- to some combination of those tastes. Those are my flavors.

There might not have been a description, but there was a photo and it was glorious. Small squares of beef in a sticky, dark mahogany sauce dusted with chopped nuts. Heck to the yes. The sauce was so deeply colored that it was almost black. I needed this badly. A closer study of the ingredient list revealed that I had everything (or a decent substitute for everything) required by the recipe.

My first attempt was, while satisfactory, not spectacular. I found the quantities specified to yield a dish that was too salty for my tastes. I love salt. I’m obsessed with salt. I collect varieties of salt. I bleed salt. But the way I wanted to eat the dish -pretty little sticky squares of garlicky beef perched atop a bed of steamy rice- didn’t work. When the beef was nibbled at delicately in between bites of banchan and rice, it worked just dandy.

However…

Delicate nibbling does not seem to be the favored approach at our dinner table. I liken my boys’ eating more to a contest. It’s not a contest between brothers, oh no. It’s a personal challenge. You can almost see them thinking, “If I eat this quickly and quietly, she will keep giving me more food. Need more food.”

This is hogwash as my children eat nearly constantly from waking to sleeping. I regret introducing them to Lord of the Rings so early in life. They now feel it is their birthright to eat breakfast, second breakfast, elevensies, luncheon, afternoon tea, dinner and supper. If one of the seven is omitted the weeping and moaning and gnashing of teeth is Biblical in proportion. I’m fairly certain they all must have tapeworms. And this brings me to my point…

Eaten in the mode of my sons, the salt in this dish was overwhelming. I modified the recipe to reduce the salt content in the sauce and was thrilled. The raw sugar I prefer in this dish gives it a subtle molassesy flavor and contributes to the gorgeous lacquered appearance of the beef patties. Finally, I threw sesame seeds over everything for a little pop of that wondrous toasty, nutty sesame flavor.

Redolent with flavor, beautiful to the eye, family-friendly, simple and economical to prepare, and made with ingredients that are easy to find, Jangsanjeok is now a part of our regular meal rotation.

I think everyone should blow a collective kiss toward Daegu, Korea right now. Thank you, Nate and Sun Hwa!

Jangsanjeok | Korean Simmered Teriyaki Style Beef Patties

Scroll to the bottom for an easy-print version of this recipe!

Adapted from ‘A Korean Mother’s Cooking Notes’

Ingredients for Beef Patties:

2 pounds lean ground beef
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon finely minced green onion
1 tablespoon finely minced (or pressed in a garlic press) garlic
4 tablespoons raw sugar (can substitute white granulated sugar if necessary)
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Ingredients for Simmering Sauce:

5 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons water
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons unsweetened apple juice
6 tablespoons raw sugar (can substitute white granulated sugar if necessary)
2 tablespoons honey
10 cloves of garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
1-1/2″ piece of ginger, thinly sliced*
3 whole small dried red chilis (can substitute 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, can also reduce to suit heat preferences.)
2 whole green onions, ends trimmed

Optional for Garnish:

Toasted Sesame Seeds
Minced Green Onions

*If you like the idea of having fine threads of cooked ginger adhered to your food with a sticky sauce (and I do, oh, I do!), peel and julienne the ginger before adding to the pot. If you’d prefer no ‘stuff’ sticking to your food (alas, this is my three youngest children’s preference…) simply slice the ginger into thin coin-shaped pieces before adding with other ingredients.

Preheat oven to broil (High Broil if your oven allows you to differentiate) with the oven rack between 6 to 8 inches from the heating element. (Alternately, you can heat your gas grill to High or lay a bed of hot coals in your charcoal grill.)

Combine beef with all the other patty ingredients in a medium size bowl.

Mix well with your hands until the ingredients are evenly distributed. Divide the meat into two portions. Pat each portion into a square or rectangle that is about 1/2″ thick on a rimmed baking sheet. The patties do not have to be shaped perfectly, but try your best to get them evenly thick in order to promote even cooking.

Broil or grill the beef for about 3 minutes on the first side. Carefully flip to prevent breakage. One spatula underneath and one spatula pressed lightly against the top works well for the manoeuver. Return the patty to the broiler or grill and cook until cooked through. This took 4 more minutes under my broiler. Do not give in to the temptation to cook the beef rare or medium. (It will become tender later as it simmers in the sauce.) Remove the pan from the oven and cool completely.

While patties cool, combine all of the sauce ingredients in a large skillet or braising pot.

When the patties are completely cool, cut into squares that are about 1-inch to 1 1/2-inches in size. Bring the sauce ingredients to a boil over medium high. Stir well, then add the patties to the sauce. Lower heat to medium low and simmer, basting the patties and turning occasionally, until the sauce has been reduced, is thick and syrupy and has been mostly absorbed.

These can be served over rice with ginger scallion sauce, as a snack, or as part of the banchan in a traditional Korean meal. I like a sprinkling of sesame seeds on top.

5.0 from 1 reviews

Jangsanjeok | Korean Simmered Teriyaki Style Beef Patties

Author: Rebecca Lindamood

Recipe type: Main

Prep time: 30 mins

Cook time: 30 mins

Total time: 1 hour

Serves: 8

Try out this Korean classic tonight. Chances are you have everything you need for these small squares of beef in a sticky, dark, garlicky sauce served on rice.

Ingredients

2 pounds lean ground beef
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon finely minced green onion
1 tablespoon finely minced (or pressed in a garlic press) garlic
4 tablespoons raw sugar (can substitute white granulated sugar if necessary)
¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Ingredients for Simmering Sauce:
5 tablespoons soy sauce
¼ cup + 2 tablespoons water
¼ cup + 2 tablespoons unsweetened apple juice
6 tablespoons raw sugar (can substitute white granulated sugar if necessary)
2 tablespoons honey
10 cloves of garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
1-1/2″ piece of ginger, thinly sliced*
3 whole small dried red chilis (can substitute 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, can also reduce to suit heat preferences.)
2 whole green onions, ends trimmed
Optional for Garnish:
Toasted Sesame Seeds
Minced Green Onions

Instructions

Preheat oven to broil (High Broil if your oven allows you to differentiate) with the oven rack between 6 to 8 inches from the heating element. (Alternately, you can heat your gas grill to High or lay a bed of hot coals in your charcoal grill.)
Combine beef with all the other patty ingredients in a medium size bowl. Mix well with your hands until the ingredients are evenly distributed. Divide the meat into two portions. Pat each portion into a square or rectangle that is about ½” thick on a rimmed baking sheet. The patties do not have to be shaped perfectly, but try your best to get them evenly thick in order to promote even cooking.
Broil or grill the beef for about 3 minutes on the first side. Carefully flip to prevent breakage. One spatula underneath and one spatula pressed lightly against the top works well for the manoeuver. Return the patty to the broiler or grill and cook until cooked through. This took 4 more minutes under my broiler. Remove the pan from the oven and cool completely.
While patties cool, combine all of the sauce ingredients in a large skillet or braising pot.
When the patties are completely cool, cut into squares that are about 1-inch to 1½-inches in size. Bring the sauce ingredients to a boil over medium high. Stir well, then add the patties to the sauce. Lower heat to medium low and simmer, basting the patties and turning occasionally, until the sauce has been reduced, is thick and syrupy and has been mostly absorbed.
These can be served over rice with ginger scallion sauce, as a snack, or as part of the banchan in a traditional Korean meal. I like them with a sprinkling of sesame seeds on top.

Notes

If you like the idea of having fine threads of cooked ginger adhered to your food with a sticky sauce (and I do, oh, I do!), peel and julienne the ginger before adding to the pot. If you’d prefer no ‘stuff’ sticking to your food (alas, this is my three youngest children’s preference…) simply slice the ginger into thin coin-shaped pieces before adding with other ingredients.

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Filed Under: Appetizers & Snacks, Happy Healthy and Wise, Healthy Foods, kid food, Korean Food, Main Dish, Meat, Party Food, Recipes, Side Dishes Tagged With: banchan, budget friendly, Frugal Food, kid friendly, kids, Korean, party food, quick and easy, traditional food

Slow-Simmered Collard Greens

December 30, 2009 by Rebecca 5 Comments

This is a continuation of my Southern New Year’s Foods series. And it comes with an executive decision. I was unable to get photos of the dish, but I wanted you to have the recipe before New Year’s Eve. So up it goes sans photos of the greens! If I get photos of it at a later date, I’ll post those on here. Happy New Year!

Black-eyed peas, collard greens, cornbread… all these foods are indelibly linked to the South. No matter which city, town, county or mountain holler you call home, if you’re from the South it’s a pretty safe bet that you have a family recipe for these rattling around somewhere. I have not one, not two, but three recipes for greens all written longhand by my Grandma Shaffer on laminated recipe cards. They are my heirlooms.

Collard greens are one of the foods that are traditionally served in southern homes on New Year’s Day. While black-eyed peas represent coins, collard greens represent paper money. Combining the two dishes for the first meal eaten in the New Year traditionally represents a forthcoming time of prosperity. Since my family is worth much more than its weight in gold, I’d say the practice has been effective.

There is some disagreement among collard green lovers as to how long they should be simmered. My vote is for however long it takes for them to become fall-apart tender. I think it is nearly impossible to overcook collard greens. On the stove top this usually translates to anywhere between one and a half hours to four hours. In a slow-cooker -provided you have enough ‘pot liquor’ (cooking liquid) you can easily let them simmer away overnight. (Assuming you can sleep with the glorious smell of greens wafting through your home.)

There is a small but vocal crowd who like their greens chewier and would simmer their greens for a far shorter time than I would. I ignore them.

This is my special occasion version of greens and nothing screams,”Special Occasion!” quite like salted pork products. I do believe my Grandpa Shaffer would’ve agreed with me heartily. Provided, that is, that your special occasion is not a dinner party for your vegetarian friends. You always have the option of making this vegetarian friendly by omitting the salt pork and replacing the pan drippings with olive or canola oil.

For a photo-free, printer-friendly version of this recipe, click here!

Slow-Simmered Collard Greens

Ingredients:

3 pounds washed, trimmed and cut collard greens
1 large red onion
6 ounces salt pork
4-8 cloves garlic, according to preference, thinly sliced
2 cups water, plus additional water as needed
1-1/2 cups dry white wine or chicken broth
Coarsely ground black pepper, to taste (I like a great deal of pepper and usually use between two teaspoons and a tablespoon.)
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

Thinly slice the salt pork (about 1/8 of an inch thick) then cut the slices into thin strips (about 1/4 of an inch thick.) Transfer salt pork strips to a deep, heavy bottomed skillet, pot or dutch oven with a tight fitting lid over medium heat. Stirring frequently -taking care because salt pork pops and spits a lot as it browns- cook the salt pork until crispy all over and golden brown. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the crispy salt pork strips to a paper towel lined plate and set aside.* Remove any excess fat drippings from the pan, leaving only 1/4 cup of drippings in the pan.

*The reserved crispy salt pork can either be scattered over the greens before serving or baked into the best cornbread you’ll ever taste. I’ve done both and I’ve loved them equally.

Cut onion in half and peel. Lay -cut side down- on the cutting board and slice into moderately sized half-moons (between 1/4 and 1/2 of an inch thick.) Move onions and garlic into the pork drippings in the hot pan still over medium heat. Cook for one to two minutes or until fragrant but not browned.

Add a handful or two of greens to the pot and stir until reduced slightly in size (about one minute). Repeat with greens, one handful or two at a time, until all the greens have been incorporated and slightly wilted. Add water, white wine, salt and black pepper and stir. Bring liquids to a boil, tightly lid the pan and turn the heat to low. Allow to simmer for about one and a half hours, checking liquids and adding as necessary, or until the greens are fall-apart tender.

Serve hot with cornbread, black-eyed peas and hot pepper vinegar for greens are so good they’ll make you say, “Well, shave my legs and call me smoothy.” Because I’m pretty sure that’s what my Grandpa would’ve said…

Filed Under: Appetizers & Snacks, Happy Healthy and Wise, Instructional, Kitchen Techniques and Hints, Meat, Party Food, Rebecca, Recipes, Side Dishes, slow-cooker, Stretching your dollars Tagged With: slow-cooker, soul food, Southern food, Southern New Year, traditional food

Pimiento Cheese

December 29, 2009 by Rebecca 2 Comments

This is the second installment of my Southern New Year’s Foods series. Happy New Year!

Really, The Evil Genius and I complete each other. While I sit here on the couch with the laptop, contemplating pimiento cheese, he is watching ‘Alien vs. Predator’ and talking about which characters he thinks will be eaten. So see? We’re both thinking about food.

This family marches on its stomach. Long before I met my southern transplant husband, I was learning to cook southern food from my Arkansan grandma. And while I’m certain he didn’t marry me just for Grandma’s pimiento cheese, collard greens, and cornbread recipes, I’m equally certain that the ability to execute those dishes well contributed to my charms.

Although I wouldn’t swear to it, I do believe that I detected tears of joy in his gorgeous blue eyes when I placed a dish of this pimiento cheese along with a plate of crackers in front of him so many years ago. Just for the record, there’s no shame in a good ole boy weeping over food like Grandma used to make… He may be Evil, but he still loves his Mammy.

Pimiento cheese is a food that is as big a part of the South as the phrase “y’all”. This flavorful creamy cheese spread is flecked with bits of sharp cheddar and bright roasted red peppers. It is as at-home on an elegant buffet table as it is on humble celery sticks for an after-school snack. Thrown together in a flash, pimiento cheese is big on flavor and low on effort.

Don’t just stop with at the crudites and crackers, though. Whether you trim the crusts and add watercress for sophisticated tea-time sandwiches or slap it between two slices of buttery white bread, pimiento cheese makes a delicious and satisfying savoury sandwich filling. You can’t get much more Southern than a having a pimiento cheese sandwich and a glass of sweet tea for lunch on the front porch. And you just may have the best grilled cheese of your life if you toast two slices of hearty wheat bread filled with pimiento cheese.

A party just isn’t a party without pimiento cheese in some form, and New Year’s Eve is the biggest fete of the year! So break out a bowl this festive spread and have copies of the recipe handy to pass out, because you will be asked. It is that good.

Happy New Year Y’all!

For a printer friendly, photo free version of this recipe, click here!

Pimiento Cheese

Ingredients:

1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened to room temperature
16 ounces grated Cheddar cheese (I like to use a blend of extra sharp and sharp cheddar.)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 of a small onion
2-3 Tablespoons pimientos (or roasted red peppers) smashed with juice from the jar.
1/2 teaspoon each granulated garlic, granulated onion, coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

Add the cream cheese, mayonnaise, granulated garlic and onion, salt and freshly ground pepper to the work bowl of your food processor that has been fitted with the blade.

Grate the onion into the the food processor on top of the other ingredients.

Pulse until smooth.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the shredded cheddar. Pulse seven or eight short bursts; just until the cheese is mixed into the cream cheese. Scrape down the bowl again and add the pimientos with their juice.

Pulse four or five more short bursts; just until the pimientos are chopped to the point where they are blended in, but still in recognizable pieces.

Use a silicone scraper or spatula to transfer the mixture to a serving dish or storage container. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about an hour prior to serving to allow the flavors to meld.

Leftovers can be kept tightly wrapped in the refrigerator for up to a week.

*If you do not have a food processor simply combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and stir vigorously with a sturdy spoon until thoroughly blended.

Now slather this on some celery sticks, pour yourself a tall glass of sweet tea and say y’all a few times. You might just like it.

Filed Under: Appetizers & Snacks, Camping Food, Component Foods, Holiday Food, Party Food, Rebecca, Recipes, Side Dishes, Snacks, Vegetarian Tagged With: Food gifts, kid friendly, party food, quick and easy, quick meal, Southern New Year, traditional food, traditional southern food, Vegetarian

Recession Caviar (Black-Eyed Pea Salsa)

December 28, 2009 by Rebecca 11 Comments

Thank you all so much for spending time with me here at Foodie with Family. To those of you who have visited me regularly through the year, thank you for your continued support. It has meant the world to me to get to know you all. And to those who are new, Welcome! I hope you stick around. I’ll put on a pot of tea! Hearing from you -whether it is questions or comments about recipes, a story, or sharing a recipe of your own- is one of the highlights of my days. Even if I’m a total dork and forget to respond, rest assured you’ve put a smile on my face. For this, my long-suffering kids thank you.

To all of you: I hope your New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day are full of wonder, loved ones, great food and better memories. And more than that, I hope that your upcoming year is even better than those two days.

This week, I am going to post a series of my version of the traditional Southern New Year’s meal. Yes, there will be greens and pork products. Yes, there will be cheese spread. There will be much delicious soul food. It’ll be here. I’ll be here. I hope you will be, too!

~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~

So. Who’s ready for a brand-spankin’, shiny New Year? A blank slate full of possibility? Another three hundred and sixty five opportunities to make your life exactly what you want it to be? Oh, I am. I so am.

I’m not exactly the resolution type. My anti-authoritarian streak runs so strong that I even rebel against the rules I make for myself. (Side note to my parents: I can hear you snickering from here. ) But I am crazy about the idea of self-improvement, on my own schedule and without pressure or someone telling me what to do, thankyouverymuch.

Instead of resolutions against which I would inevitably rail, I reflect on Longfellow’s ‘A Psalm of Life’ (full text below the recipe.) My favorite stanza from the poem reads:

“Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate ;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.”

This poem is my little pep talk to myself at the beginning of each new year. It points my head and heart in the right direction. And as we celebrate the ending of a year and the possibilities that lie ahead, I turn to poetry and food. Food and poetry: Sustenance for the romantic heart and the sensual stomach.

Because really, it isn’t a celebration if there isn’t food. And New Year’s Eve comes with a set of dishes as traditional and romantic as Christmas geese and Thanksgiving turkeys. I may have mentioned before that I married into a good Southern family and that my maternal grandparents are both Deep South born and bred. New Year’s Day means you need black eyed peas. And I don’t mean Fergie and her impossibly tight black leather pants. I mean the humble black-eyed pea or cowpea; the legume with the animal/vegetable name.

Southern tradition dictates that you improve your chances of having a great year if the first food you consume in the new year is black-eyed peas. The practice of eating black-eyed peas for luck on New Year’s Day dates back to around the Civil War era. According to Wikipedia (who we all know is never, ever wrong) this came about when the Northern troops continually “stripped the countryside of all stored food, crops, and livestock, and destroyed whatever they couldn’t carry away. At that time, Northerners considered “field peas” [black-eyed peas, among others] and field corn suitable only for animal fodder, and didn’t steal or destroy these humble foods.” Ha! The joke is on us, Yankees. Those black-eyed peas are the bees knees. Especially when tossed together with snappy corn, vibrant jalapenos and big old flavors in Recession Caviar.

But back to the legend. The black-eyed peas are supposed to represent coins. Tradition dictates that by pairing the black-eyed peas with greens (I’ll post a killer green recipe later this week), which represent paper money, that you are starting your year out with wealth and the rest of the year will follow suit. Now, I don’t know about all that, but I do know that starting the year out with a recipe that sure to save you some money can’t be a bad thing.

Long a standard recipe in my family, budget-friendly Recession Caviar comes in many forms (made with black beans or chili beans instead of the black-eyed peas) and has many names (Lindamood Caviar, Hillbilly Caviar, Texas Caviar, et al.) depending on the occasion. Of course, this being for New Year’s we’ll be making it with the ubiquitous black-eyed peas. I recently made a giant bowlful of this for a gathering of family at The Evil Genius’s Aunt Patty’s home (would that make her my Aunt-in-law?). This room full of Virginians, Texans, Georgians, Floridians, and a couple assorted Yankee spouses (meself included) gave it the ultimate stamp of approval; an empty bowl. I’d say that’s some pretty universal appeal with hearty representation from the drawl-contingent.

And true to the name I’ve given it, it’s suitable for recession-stressed budgets. Beans -both canned and dried- are a perennially inexpensive and nutritious source of protein, fiber, iron, vitamins, minerals and other vague nebulous nutrients*. In fact, beans are, pound for pound, one of the least expensive and most nutritious foods you can introduce at your table.

*Vague and nebulous don’t do it for you? Have a look at The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition’s ‘legumes and soybeans’ page. There is a wealth of information beyond my simplistic explanation. But trust me. Beans are good for you. And your heart. Because the more you eat, the more you… I’m sorry. You DO remember I have five sons, right?

Recession Caviar isn’t just easy on the pocketbook; it is a versatile contributor at the dinner table, snack time and parties, too. Whether served with tortilla or corn chips, spooned into a burrito or on top of tacos, or as a side dish to fish, chicken, or pork, it is certain to impress with its big, bold flavors and fresh texture. You can always change out the black-eyed peas for black beans or chili beans and throw any other fresh vegetables you have into the mix. Think of this a jumping off point…

Psst… Remember it’s good for you, too! Consider this; you can ring in the New Year with proper Southern pride, please your belly, impress your guests, and watch your waistline all at the same time. Who loves ya, baby? Me! That’s who!

For a photo-free, printer friendly version of this recipe, click here!

Recession Caviar (Black-Eyed Pea Salsa)

Ingredients:

3 cans (14.5 ounces each) Black-Eyed Peas, drained and rinsed
3 cups frozen corn, thawed
1/2 of a large red onion, or more to taste
1-4 fresh jalapeno peppers, according to preference
1-4 cloves of fresh garlic, according to preference, minced
1 large handful of fresh cilantro, rinsed and air-dried
2 Tablespoons light olive oil or canola oil
1 Tablespoon chili powder
the juice of two fresh limes (You can use bottled lime juice if necessary.)
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper to taste

Peel the red onion half and lay down on its cut side. Slice parallel cuts 1/8- 1/4 of an inch apart across the onion leaving the root end intact. Turn the onion 90 degrees and slice across the cuts for a small dice. And really, don’t sweat trying for perfection on this one. Part of the charm of Recession Caviar is its rustic appearance.

Add diced onions, corn and the rinsed black-eyed peas to a mixing bowl with the garlic. Set aside.

Slice jalapeno peppers in half and use the tip of a spoon to remove the seeds, membranes and stems.

Slice the peppers into thin strips, turn the strips 90 degrees and slice across the strips to finely dice the peppers.

Transfer to the mixing bowl with the black-eyed peas, garlic and onions.

Roughly chop the cilantro and stir into the black-eyed pea mixture along with the oil, chili powder, lime juice, kosher salt and black pepper.

Allow to sit, covered at room temperature for an hour prior to serving or in the fridge for at least four hours prior to serving. Store leftovers for up to 5 days tightly covered in the refrigerator.

~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~

As promised, one of my favorite ways to ring in the New Year.

A PSALM OF LIFE

by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

WHAT THE HEART OF THE YOUNG MAN
SAID TO THE PSALMIST

TELL me not, in mournful numbers,
Life is but an empty dream ! —
For the soul is dead that slumbers,
And things are not what they seem.

Life is real ! Life is earnest!
And the grave is not its goal ;
Dust thou art, to dust returnest,
Was not spoken of the soul.

Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,
Is our destined end or way ;
But to act, that each to-morrow
Find us farther than to-day.

Art is long, and Time is fleeting,
And our hearts, though stout and brave,
Still, like muffled drums, are beating
Funeral marches to the grave.

In the world’s broad field of battle,
In the bivouac of Life,
Be not like dumb, driven cattle !
Be a hero in the strife !

Trust no Future, howe’er pleasant !
Let the dead Past bury its dead !
Act,— act in the living Present !
Heart within, and God o’erhead !

Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time ;

Footprints, that perhaps another,
Sailing o’er life’s solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
Seeing, shall take heart again.

Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate ;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.