Good morning, you here on the eve of thankfulness (so may every eve be: a preparation to be grateful).
Euela Laubenheim is on the brink of dried bean cooking season, and she does not know what to do. "I accidentally bought a bag of dried limas, and I also have a bag of lentils in my pantry. I can't say I have ever had a dish made with dried beans that I thought was good." So, you good cooks, can you remedy that? Do you have recipes for using any and all dried beans?
PORK AND POTATOES
Carol Kirksey lives in Knoxville but recently saw the Times Free Press Food section and liked it so much she made it even better by offering her contributions. On the subject of pork tenderloin, she loved Diane Marrs' maple-glazed pork tenderloin from Fare Exchange on Christmas Day last year. This is Ms. Kirksey's simple version of that excellent cut of meat.
Pork Tenderloin
5 peeled potatoes, cut into fourths
Olive oil
1 pork tenderloin
Salt and pepper
Mix potatoes with some olive oil, and put olive oil on the tenderloin.
Place tenderloin in the middle of a 9- by 12-inch baking dish. Place potatoes around the loin, and season with salt and pepper.
Bake uncovered at 450 degrees for about 40 minutes or until potatoes are cooked. Loin may be removed if desired, if potatoes have not finished cooking. The meat juices flavor the potatoes.
BEEF AND POTATOES
And what about the inevitable days when there's no money for tenderloins of any kind? Ms. Kirksey continued, "Mom's recipe for a comfort food was called Depression Dish. She said during the Depression you put together whatever was in the canned foods from summer canning, or what was in the root cellar."
Depression Dish
1 1/2 pounds browned ground beef or ground chuck
1 large can tomatoes, mashed up
Sliced potatoes
1 onion, sliced
1 green pepper, sliced into pieces
Mix beef and tomatoes, and pour a third of the mixture on the bottom of a baking dish. Add some of the veggies onto part of the meat mixture, then add more meat mixture, then a layer of veggies. Top with meat mixture. Cover with foil, and bake 1 hour at 450 degrees. Check to see if potatoes are tender, and if not, bake longer. If desired salt and pepper as you layer. Other favorite veggies may also be added.
CHICKEN SOUP
Marilyn Soehl found this recipe to be easy and delicious, probably easy to make with a rotisserie chicken. (Might this also work well with leftover turkey replacing the shredded chicken?)
Copy Cat Tzatziki's Greek Lemon Chicken Soup
1 quart chicken broth
2 1/2 cups firmly packed, cooked shredded chicken pulled from the bones
1/2 cup grated carrots
1/2 tablespoon rosemary leaves, finely chopped (optional)
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 tablespoon Cavender's Greek seasoning
4 to 5 cups cooked rice
Add all of the ingredients (except the rice) to a Dutch oven, or other large pot, and stir to combine.
Bring the soup to a boil; reduce the heat to medium-low. Let the soup simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
To each cup of soup, stir in 1/4 to 1/3 cup of rice right before serving.
Serve immediately, with soft Greek pita bread.
ASIAN FAVORITES
In a recent envelope of Asian recipes, chef Jon McKeachie included a main dish with variations.
Spicy Beef, Pork, Chicken or Shrimp
2 tablespoons sesame oil to coat the pan
6 ounces of your choice of beef, pork, chicken or whole shrimp peeled and deveined
1/2 teaspoon fresh minced ginger
1/2 teaspoon fresh minced garlic
Thai chili pepper, sliced, to taste
Salt and pepper, to taste
On medium heat, place pan, and add oil and choice of protein. When the protein is almost done, toss into the pan ginger, garlic and chili pepper, watching carefully so they do not burn. Add salt and pepper to taste, and serve with fried or steamed rice or lo mein noodles.
Clifford Burdette continued the Asian theme with some of his favorites, and there are more to come in future Exchanges.
Asian Glazed Chicken Thighs
1/2 cup rice vinegar
5 tablespoons honey
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup toasted sesame oil
3 tablespoons Asian chili garlic sauce
3 tablespoons minced garlic
Salt to taste
8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut in half
1 tablespoon chopped green onion (optional)
Whisk the vinegar, honey, soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, chili garlic sauce, garlic and salt in a bowl until smooth.
Pour half the marinade into a large plastic zipper bag; retain the other half of the sauce.
Place the chicken thighs into the bag containing marinade. Squeeze all the air out of the bag, and seal.
Shake a few times to coat chicken; refrigerate for 1 hour, turning bag once or twice.
Heat oven to 425 degrees.
Pour the other half of the marinade into a saucepan over medium heat, and bring to a boil. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring often, to thicken sauce.
Remove the chicken from the bag; discard used marinade.
Place chicken thighs into a 9- by- 13-inch baking dish, and brush with 1/3 of the thickened marinade from the saucepan.
Bake 30 minutes, basting one more time after 10 minutes; an instant-read thermometer inserted into a chicken thigh should read 165 degrees.
Let stand for 5 or 10 minutes; meanwhile, bring remaining marinade back to a boil for 1 or 2 minutes, and serve chicken with marinade. Sprinkle with green onions if desired.
Cliff's notes: I put bag in the refrigerator for 6 hours and turned bag over every 2 hours. Then I cooked the chicken on the grill on a medium-low heat.
Every few minutes I dipped them in the sauce they were marinated in, until about all of the sauce was used.
I then cooked on low until chicken was done, turning over to brown both sides.
Japanese Daikon Carrot Salad
3 1/2 cups peeled and finely shredded daikon or turnips
1/3 cup finely shredded carrot
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup rice vinegar or 1/4 cup white vinegar
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon sesame seed, toasted (optional)
Toss daikon, carrot and salt together in large bowl.
Let stand for 10 minutes. Knead until soft. Squeeze dry.
Combine rice vinegar and sugar in small cup. Stir until sugar is dissolved.
Pour over radish mixture, and toss until well coated.
Sprinkle with sesame seeds when served (optional)
Makes 2 cups.
And so Fare Exchange ends with 2020 thanks-giving: For companions (including you all) who may only be known at COVID-safe distance. For this city and its beauty, known each time I go out my door. And for all that is unseen, that world of which The Little Prince said, "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
Request
* Recipes using dried beans
To Reach Us:
Fare Exchange is a longtime meeting place for people who love to cook and love to eat. We welcome both your recipes and your requests. Be sure to include precise instructions for every recipe you send.
Mailing address: Jane Henegar, 913 Mount Olive Road, Lookout Mountain, GA 30750
E-mail: chattfare@gmail.com
