Zio's Chicken Pepperoni

Any of you ever eat at Zio's Italian Kitchen? It's been a few years since I've eaten there, and I haven't tried this dish, but it is supposed to be a copycat of the one on their menu. I used my own pasta sauce from the freezer and a different shape of pasta, but otherwise, was true to the recipe. It's a good one.


Copycat Recipe for Zio's Italian Kitchen Chicken Pepperoni

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4-6 ounces good quality sliced pepperoni
1 jar Bertolli Marinara (if you double this recipe, use 3)
1 pound penne pasta
1 large sweet onion, julienned or large chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, julienned or large chopped
1 green bell pepper, julienned or large chopped
8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced thick
3 tablespoons minced garlic
1 small can black olives, drained and sliced
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
Olive oil
8 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
Grated Romano or Parmesan cheese (optional)

Put 4 quarts water on to boil in a 6-quart pot. When water is boiling, add pasta.

In hot skillet, add 2 teaspoons olive oil, then sauté onions, peppers, mushrooms and pepperoni until vegetables start to sweat. Add garlic, olives and chicken, stirring often. When chicken is white and onions are translucent, remove from heat (be careful not to overcook vegetables or everything will be too soft)

Drain pasta when done.

In large bowl add pasta, meat mixture, topped with grated mozzarella, covered with marinara and tossed lightly. Top with grated Romano or Parmesan to taste. Serve immediately.

Serves 4-6.

"Land of Enchantment" Posole

Odd how these things happen.

The day I'm preparing a cocina tipica, or typical dish, of the State of New Mexico is the very day that Violet posts some more...um... interesting...facts about our 47th state. Pretty coincidental, since Violet and I both live in the same state, which is NOT New Mexico. I don't know about her, but I've never even been there.

This "Land of Enchantment" Posole is a spicy pork and hominy stew. It's another recipe from the February/March 2007 issue of Taste of Home magazine, and the only change I made this time was to add 1/2 teaspoon of the herb epazote that I mentioned in an earlier post. Spouse Guy and I are finding we like the slight tartness it adds to Mexican (and New Mexican) food.

BTW, I guess the posole will end up being dinner tomorrow night. Some friends invited us out for a steak dinner. How could we refuse that?


Land of Enchantment Posole

1-1/2 pounds pork stew meat, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons oil
3 cups beef broth
2 cans (15 ounces each) hominy, rinsed and drained
2 cans (4 ounces each) chopped green chilies
1 to 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
Tortilla strips, optional

In a soup kettle or Dutch oven, cook the pork, onion and garlic in oil over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the broth, hominy, chilies, jalapeno pepper, salt, cumin, oregano, pepper and cayenne.

Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 45-60 minutes or until meat is tender. Stir in cilantro. Serve with tortilla strips, if desired.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Louisiana Meat Pies

I meant to make these last night in honor of "Fat Tuesday", but time got away from me. Yes, these meat pies are fried, and yes, they take a while to put together, but they taste so good that they are worth every minute and every calorie.

The recipe makes about two dozen pies. I like to flash-freeze them before I fry them, then just take out as many as I need for a meal. They can be baked, but they don't taste nearly as good as they do fried.


Louisiana Meat Pies

Filling:

1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork (can use ground turkey or chicken or another pound of ground beef)
1 bunch of green onions or one medium yellow onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 medium green pepper, diced
black pepper to taste
1 to 4 teaspoon Cajun or Creole seasoning blend, to taste
1 teaspoon dry oregano leaves
1 teaspoon dry thyme leaves
1 tablespoon flour

Pastry:

4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup cold butter (can use shortening or lard; lard makes the flakiest crust)
1 egg, beaten
2 cup milk

Oil for deep frying (I prefer peanut oil)

Cook meats, onion, garlic and bell pepper in a large skillet. Drain; rinse away fat if desired. Return meat to pan. Add seasonings and flour; mix well and set aside.

In a food processor, blend flour, baking powder and salt. Add butter and process until incorporated. Pour four mixture into a bowl. Combine egg and milk, then gradually add liquid to the flour until dough forms, adding additional milk or water a tablespoon at a time if needed.

Break off pieces of dough and roll very thin. Use a saucer to cut dough into circles. Place a 1/4 cup (or slightly less) meat filling on half of a dough circle. Fold dough over filling and crimp with a fork to seal. Place on cookie sheets to freeze at this point.

To fry, heat oil to 400°F. Fry pies, one or two at at time, until golden brown. Drain on paper towels before serving.

Makes approximately 24 pies.

Cheeseburger Paradise Soup

This soup, another Taste of Home recipe, is delicious...or as granddaughter Sparky would say, "It's awishus!"

I made a half-batch of this today, which still yielded 2 quarts of soup. I made two small additions, which was adding about 3/4 cup of shredded cheddar along with the Velveeta and about a teaspoon of salt. I also garnished the soup with more cheddar, since I didn't have any bacon.

I put the soup in bread bowls just for fun.


Cheeseburger Paradise Soup
(from Taste of Home February/March 2007)

6 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 small carrot, grated
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
2 tablespoons chopped seeded jalapeno pepper
3 cups water
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons beef bouillon granules
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 pounds ground beef
1/2 pound sliced fresh mushrooms
2 tablespoons butter
5 cups milk, divided
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 package (16 ounces) process cheese (Velveeta), cubed
Crumbled cooked bacon

In a soup kettle, combine the first nine ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook beef and mushrooms in butter over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add to soup. Stir in 4 cups milk; heat through.

In a small bowl, combine flour and remaining milk until smooth; gradually stir into soup. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Reduce heat; stir in cheese until melted. Garnish with bacon.

Makes about 14 servings.


Bread Bowls

2 cups hot water
1/4 cup instant milk powder
1/4 cup extra light olive oil
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon bulk yeast (or one packet of yeast)
6 cups flour

In large heavy-duty mixer (i.e., Bosch, Kitchen Aid) combine water, milk powder, olive oil, sugar, salt and yeast. Mix in flour and knead for 4 to 10 minutes (depending on mixer capabilities). Place dough out into a well-oiled bowl, turning to coat on all surfaces. Cover with a cloth and let rise until doubled. Form dough into 8 balls. Place on parchment lined cookie sheets. Cover and let rise again, until doubled. Bake at 400° for about 20 minutes until golden.

To serve, cut a slice off top of each loaf and scoop out insides, creating a bowl. Fill with soup and serve with bread from center of loaves.

To make by hand (without mixer), combine water, milk powder, olive oil, sugar, salt and yeast. Stir in flour, using a wooden spoon, until dough is too stiff to stir. Use hands to mix in remaining flour until a workable dough forms. Knead by hand for 10 minutes, then proceed as above.

Makes 8 small bread bowl loaves.

**********

We tried Violet's Roasted Corn and Crab Soup yesterday. I highly recommend it; it was wonderful!

Cheese Ravioli Lasagna

This has to be the easiest "recipe" ever for lasagna.

Just spray a pan with non-stick spray, spread about a 1/2-cup of pasta sauce on the bottom, and add a layer of frozen cheese ravioli.

Add a layer of whatever you like (I used cooked and crumbled Italian sausage and some shredded Mozzarella cheese...you could use ground beef, frozen chopped spinach or broccoli or just about anything else that sounds good).

Spread on another cup or so of sauce and another layer of frozen cheese ravioli. Top it all with more sauce, cover it with foil and bake it at 350° for about an hour.

Remove the foil, sprinkle on Parmesan cheese and bake for another 10 minutes or so to brown the cheese a little.

That's all there is too it! Super easy and tasty with some garlic toast and a salad.

Red Velvet Cake

I wanted to make a special treat for Valentine's Day this week, but I wanted something that was also simple. I decided on this Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. It's a very basic recipe similar to those that can be found in many cookbooks or on the Internet. To make it special, I dug out my heart-shaped cake pans.

I saved the "scraps" from where I trimmed the cake to level it and crumbled them to use as sprinkles.


Red Velvet Cake

1-1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) butter, softened
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) liquid red food color
2 teaspoons white vinegar
2-1/2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)

Frosting:

2 bricks (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened
1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Heat oven to 350°. Grease and flour 2 round layer cake pans --OR-- line bottom of pan with parchment paper and spray both paper and sides with non-stick pan spray.

In a large bowl, with mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt and vanilla for 2 minutes until creamy.. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, until blended. Stir buttermilk, food color and vinegar in a 2-cup measuring cup until well-blended. With mixer on low speed, beat in flour in 3 additions, alternating with buttermilk mixture in 2 additions, beating just until blended. Divide batter evenly between the two pans.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes until a wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes in the pans, then remove from pans and cool completely on wire racks.

Meanwhile, beat cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl, with mixer on medium speed, until smooth and creamy. On low speed, add confectioners' sugar and vanilla. Increase speed to high and beat until smooth and fluffy.

Spread frosting between layers, on top and on sides of cooled cake. Refrigerate until serving.

Makes 1 two-layer cake.

Marinated Flank Steak and Twice-Baked Cheddar Potatoes

This is the first time I've made marinated flank steak (sometimes called a London Broil). We were happy with the way it turned out, so I'll be making it again. We also had Twice-Baked Cheddar Potatoes, Braised Cabbage and a side salad.

There are many marinades for flank steak. The one I used was especially simple and made the meat taste great. I ended up making only half the amount of marinade and it was plenty, but I'm posting the recipe as it is in the magazine. I do suggest letting the steak sit for about 5 minutes before slicing.

The potato recipe is based on one that I saw in the February/March issue of Taste of Home. It called for bacon, but I used ham, with fine results.


Marinated Flank Steak
(recipe from Taste of Home, February/March 2007)

1 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce (I used regular soy sauce)
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup honey
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 beef flank steak (1-1/2 pounds)

In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the soy cause, lemon juice, honey and garlic; add steak. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for 6-8 hours.

Drain and discard marinade. Broil 4-6 inches from the heat or grill over medium heat for 8-10 minutes on each side or until meat reaches desired doneness (for medium-rare, a meat thermometer should read 145°; medium, 160°; well-done, 170°). Thinly slice steak across the grain.

Makes 6 servings.


Twice Baked Cheddar Potatoes

6 large baking potatoes
8 tablespoons butter, divided
1/4 pound sliced bacon, diced
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

Scrub and pierce potatoes; rub each with 1 teaspoon butter. Place on a baking sheet. Bake at 375° for 1 hour or until tender.

Meanwhile, in a small skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove to paper towels; drain, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings. In the drippings, saute onion until tender; set aside.

When potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut a thin slice off the top of each and discard. Scoop out pulp, leaving a thin shell. In a bowl, mash pulp with remaining butter. Stir in the milk, egg, salt and pepper. Stir in the cheese, bacon and onion.

Spoon filling into the potato shells. Place on a baking sheet. Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes or until heated through.

Makes 6 servings.


Braised Cabbage

2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 head cabbage, cored and cut into pieces about 2-inch square
salt
pepper

Heat olive oil in large non-stick skillet over high heat. Add cut up cabbage. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, to taste.

Let cabbage cook, without stirring, for about 4 minutes or until cabbage pieces on bottom begin to brown. Stir cabbage.

Cook and stir for 3-4 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Cover skillet and let cabbage continue to cook, stirring occasionally, just until tender.

Makes 4 - 8 servings (depending on size of head of cabbage).

Preparing For A Busy Week

Being a stay-at-home wife, I'm used to the luxury (at least, I consider it a luxury) of being able to start supper early in the afternoon. It's been quite a while since I've had to come home late in the afternoon and try to put a meal together in a hurry.

This week, I have appointments to keep throughout the day Monday, some important work to do here at home on Tuesday, then Wednesday through Friday, I'll be caring for a friend's mother all day. (She recently had shoulder surgery and needs someone to stay with her in her home until family members can get there after work.) So, it will be an unusually busy week for me.

I have some free time today, so I'm going to take advantage of it by doing a lot of prep work in the kitchen to plan for the week ahead. That way, on those three busiest days at the end of the week, I'll have lots of yummy leftovers that I can just heat up quickly for us to eat.

Here is our menu for this week:

Today (and again on Wednesday): Marinated Broiled Flank Steak, Twice-Baked Cheddar Potatoes, Braised Cabbage, Green Salad.

Monday (and again on Thursday): Taco Salads in Tortilla Bowls, Drunken Pinto Beans

Tuesday (and again on Friday): Cheese Ravioli Lasagna, Garlic Toast, Summer Squash Veggie Medley, Green Salad.

Saturday: Ham and Pepperoni Panini, Roasted Corn and Crab Soup (I had originally planned for a creamy potato soup, but decided to try Violet's soup instead!)


To get a jump start on the week, this morning I have already:

- put the steak in the marinade and cooked the cabbage for today's meal;
- cooked and seasoned the ground beef, shredded the lettuce, sliced the black olives and made the salsa for the taco salad meal;
- cooked the Italian sausage and cut up the zucchini, yellow squash, onions and carrots for the lasagna meal. I have pasta sauce that I made last week in the freezer.

With these things done already, the meals will go together very quickly each evening. By Saturday, things will have slowed down again and I'll have plenty of time to make the soup and grill the sandwiches that are on the menu.

And if everything goes well, I might even have time to make a cake of some kind today for an early Valentine's Day treat.

Two-Way Grilled Chicken Pizza

A couple of years ago, daughter Artsy Girl put together this Grilled Chicken and Roasted Garlic Alfredo pizza. I've been putting off trying it, only because Spouse Guy isn't a big fan of Alfredo sauces. I decided to try it anyway, and made two pizzas, the only difference being that the second pizza uses regular tomato-based pizza sauce.

Guess what? Spouse Guy ended up liking the Alfredo version better after all.

The only thing I was unhappy about was the crust. I've used the same crust recipe many times, but it's never risen this much. In my opinion, these particular pizzas would be better on a thin crust.



Grilled Chicken and Roasted Garlic Alfredo Pizza

1 head of garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
Two pizza crusts*
1 jar prepared Alfredo pasta sauce (or regular pizza sauce, if you don't like Alfredo)
Two grilled chicken breasts, thinly sliced**
2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves and/or basil leaves
1 - 2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese
Grated Parmesan cheese as desired

To roast garlic (quick method), heat oven to 375°. Spread individual unpeeled cloves evenly on cookie sheet, drizzle with oil, and bake about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft. Remove from oven and let cool. When cool, press garlic from peels and mash with a fork.

Spread pizza crusts with sauce to within 3/4" of edges.

Top each with slices of grilled chicken and bits of roasted garlic, then with dried herbs. Top with the Mozzarella cheese (half on each pizza).

Sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake at 400° until cheese is melted and beginning to brown.

Makes 2 medium pizzas.


* If you use homemade crusts, bake it for about 8 minutes before adding toppings to prevent sogginess, then bake until done, about 8 minutes more. If using a ready-made crust (such as Boboli), there is no need to pre-bake. If using refrigerated pizza crust, such as Pillsbury, follow package directions.

** We grilled the chicken for this recipe a couple of days ago when we were grilling steaks, but I believe you can purchase grilled chicken in the refrigerated meat section of the grocery store.

Low-Fat Roasted Corn and Crab Soup

Here's another guest recipe! Violet recently mentioned this soup on her blog The Lemonade Stand. It was a hit at a "Soup-er Bowl" party she and Dave recently took part in. It sounded good to me, too, so when she offered to let me post it here, I wasn't about to refuse.

She's even included cook time and nutritional information.


Low-Fat Roasted Corn and Crab Soup

Start to Finish: 1 hour
Oven: 450°F
Makes: 6 servings

1 16-ounce package frozen whole kernel corn
2 cups chopped onions
1½ cups coarsely chopped red sweet peppers
1 tablespoon cooking oil
4 14-ounce cans chicken broth*
½ teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
¼ teaspoon ground red pepper
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup half-and-half or light cream
4 ounces of cooked crab meat, cut into bite-size pieces (2/3 cup)

Thaw frozen corn and pat dry with paper towels. Line a 15x10x1-inch baking pan with foil; lightly grease the foil. Spread corn in prepared pan. Bake in a 450° oven for 10 minutes; stir. Bake about 10 minutes more until golden brown, stirring once or twice. Remove from oven; set aside.

In a 4-quart Dutch oven cook onions and sweet peppers in hot oil over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes or until nearly tender. Add roasted corn, 3 cans of broth, thyme, and red pepper. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes.

In a large screw-top jar combine remaining 1 can broth and the flour. Cover and shake well; stir into soup. Cook and stir until slightly thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 1-minute more. Stir in half-and-half; heat through. Add crab meat; serve immediately.

Nutrition Facts: 229 calories, 7 grams total fat (2 grams saturated fat), 26 milligrams cholesterol, 907 milligrams sodium, 30 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams fiber,14 grams protein.


* Violet mentioned she used garlic flavored chicken broth, which enhanced the flavor nicely.

Heat Wave

We had a one-day heat wave yesterday. It reached 55° here and most of the snow is gone. It was a grillin' day.

In addition to KC strip steaks, Spouse Guy grilled a couple of chicken breasts that will be used in another recipe this week and we decided to try the grilled asparagus that Dave likes to make. It was wonderful! (I apologize for the photo; it was getting dark and it's hard to get a good picture with night mode flash.)

He gave me a quick how-to lesson by e-mail. I hope he doesn't mind that I've posted the recipe here.


Grilled Asparagus a la Dave

1 pound fresh asparagus spears
1/2 stick butter
Granulated garlic (similar to coarse garlic powder)
Lemon-pepper seasoning
Ground black pepper

Wash and trim asparagus and place in a baking dish. Melt butter and either brush or pour butter over asparagus spears. Sprinkle with garlic, lemon-pepper seasoning and pepper to taste. Roll spears in pan to coat evenly.

Grill on a hot grill (gas or charcoal) turning 1/4 turn every minute or two, until desired tenderness is reached, 5 to 10 minutes. It's normal for asparagus to develop brown spots (as the natural sugars caramelize), but don't let it char. Serve hot.

Makes 4 servings (it should make 4 servings, but we love asparagus, so for us, only 2.)

Pixie In The Kitchen

Pixie of Pixie's Temple asked recently if I would take recipes submitted from other bloggers. I thought it sounded like a fun idea, so I asked her to email me with the recipe she had in mind. She says it's quick, easy, kid-friendly and tastes delicious.

If anyone else enjoys cooking and has recipes to share, feel free to email them to me and I'll probably use them. Photos of the dish are optional but always welcome.


Pixie's Meatloaf Muffins

1 lb. ground beef
1 box Stovetop stuffing mix
1 cup water
2 eggs
1/2 onion, diced (optional)

Mix together all ingredients. Divide among 12 muffin cups that have been sprayed with non-stick spray. Bake at 350° for 35 to 40 minutes. During last 5 minutes of cook time top with Chili Sauce (or ketchup) if desired.

Sauce For Pasta or Pizza

A couple of the recipes I'll be using this week call for spaghetti sauce or pizza sauce. I like to make my own sauce to use on pasta or pizza, but I don't usually can't (or don't want to) take the time to simmer a pot of sauce for hours. A few years ago I came up with this recipe for a sauce that begins with canned tomato sauce and ends in the freezer. It's been the sauce I've used almost exclusively since I first made it.

Although I originally developed the recipe using smaller 15-ounce cans of tomato sauce, I usually buy the large 6.5 pound can of tomato sauce at a warehouse club, make up a large batch of sauce, take out what I need for the next week to chill in spare canning jars, then freeze the rest in 2-cup portions. I'm including the measurements for both size batches.

Depending on the brands you buy, this recipe is also a money-saver. I calculate the large batch to come out to about 25 cents a cup. Large jars of sauce usually contain just a little more than three cups, and the cheapest I can ever them is $1.00 a jar. So I usually end up saving 25%.


Blogarita's Sauce For Pasta or Pizza - Small Batch
30 ounces (2 15-ounce cans) tomato sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons oregano leaves
2 teaspoons basil leaves
1-1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1-1/2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1-1/2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon fennel seed, crushed
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 "splashes" (about 1/8 teaspoon or so) Worcestershire sauce

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well. Heat over low heat to use over pasta, or use at room temperature when making homemade pizza.

Freeze leftovers in zippered freezer bags.

Makes approximately 4 cups of sauce.



Blogarita's Sauce For Pasta or Pizza - Large Batch
1 6.5-pound can tomato sauce
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon oregano leaves
2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon basil leaves
2 tablespooons minced garlic
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon fennel seed, crushed
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well. Heat over low heat to use over pasta, or use at room temperature when making homemade pizza.

Freeze leftovers in zippered freezer bags.

Makes approximately 12 cups of sauce.

Back To Basics

It's just been one of those weeks when I wanted comfort food that was easy to make. Tonight we had beans with cornbread.

After the first five years of our marriage, Spouse Guy finally told me doesn't really care for beans and cornbread as a main dish. So I fried up some ham to go with it. He had ham for his main dish, but it was more of a side dish for me, since I love beans so much.

Growing up, we had beans about once a week or so. Sometimes my mom put ham in them, but as often as not, she made them without meat. She'd add just a little saved bacon fat to add flavor and help reduce the foam that sometimes forms when you cook beans.

Supposedly, eating beans as often as I did growing up is one reason why they don't bother me too much afterward. The more often you eat beans of any kind, it's said, the more easily your body digests them without producing as much gas. Products like Bean-O help a lot, too. Another "remedy" is the herb "epazote", used sometimes in Mexican dishes. I bought some recently, but hadn't tried it yet, so I divide the pot of beans and added the epazote to one portion about 15 minutes before serving. I'd read the flavor is an acquired taste, so I wanted to see if we liked it before I added it to an entire pot of beans.

I'm not sure if you've ever noticed the difference in flavor between refried beans at your favorite Mexican restaurant and those you buy at the store or make at home, but the difference is apparently the epazote. To me, it has a slight dill flavor. I like the flavor, but I guess it's not for everyone.

My favorite bean is the Great Northern White, which I used in this recipe. You can use just about any bean you like, though, especially navy beans or pinto beans. Your cooking time and the flavor of the soup will vary with the bean you use. It's also recommended that beans be soaked overnight. I never noticed much difference in cooking time or flavor when I soaked them, so I gave up soaking a long time ago.



Great Northern Bean Soup

1 lb. dry Great Northern Beans
2 quarts water
1 tablespoon (approximately) bacon fat or olive oil
2 teaspoons (approximately) salt
1 teaspoon minced garlic, if desired
pepper to taste

Sort through beans, removing any shriveled or discolored beans, small stones or pieces of dirt. Rinse well and put in a Dutch oven.

Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a rolling boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, for several hours. The time will depend on the type of bean you are using, how fresh the beans are, etc. Check oven to make sure the beans are covered with at least 1" of water. When beans are tender, taste, then adjust seasonings as desired. Serve with ham, cornbread and fried potatoes.

Makes about 6 servings.