Old Fashioned Split Pea Soup
Split green and yellow peas simmered in vegetable stock with smoked pork neck bones, garden carrots, onions, celery and green beans, fresh bay leaves, thyme, sea salt and black pepper. Served with homemade croûtons and a dollop of crème fraîche..
For the Crème Fraîche
6 oz fresh heavy cream
2 oz cultured buttermilk
Gently heat heavy cream to 105 degrees (use a thermometer), then remove from heat and stir in buttermilk. Transfer to a glass jar, cover with a napkin and allow to stand at room temperature until thick, about 24-36 hours. Transfer to the refrigerator and age for 24 hours. Use within 7-10 days.
For the Vegetable Stock (recipe adapted from Gourmet magazine)
1/2 lb portabella mushrooms, caps and stems cut into 1-inch pieces
1 lb shallots, left unpeeled, quartered
1 lb carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 red bell peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces
6 fresh flat-leaf parsley sprigs (including stems)
5 fresh thyme sprigs
4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup dry white wine
2 bay leaves (not California)
1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
2 qt water
Preheat oven to 425°F.
Toss together mushrooms, shallots, carrots, bell peppers, parsley and thyme sprigs, garlic, and oil in a large flameproof roasting pan. Roast in middle of oven, turning occasionally, until vegetables are golden, 30 to 40 minutes.
Transfer vegetables with slotted spoon to a tall narrow 6-quart stockpot. Set roasting pan across 2 burners, then add wine and deglaze pan by boiling over moderate heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits, 2 minutes. Transfer to stockpot and add bay leaves, tomatoes, and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 45 minutes. Pour through a large fine sieve into a large bowl, pressing on and discarding solids, then season with salt and pepper. Skim off fat. Use within 1 week or freeze up to 3 months.
For the Soup
1 cup split green peas
1 cup split yellow peas
2 quarts homemade vegetable stock
1/2 pound smoked pork neck bones, meat attached
1-1/2 cups yellow onion, diced
1-1/2 cups celery with leaves, thinly sliced
1/2 cup fresh green beans, coarsely chopped
1 cup carrots, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons pastured butter
3 fresh bay leaves
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon freshly-squeezed lemon juice
sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper
Bring vegetable stock to a boil, add pork neck bones and bay, reduce heat and simmer 1 hour, skimming occasionally. Remove pork bones and allow to cool enough to handle. Add peas and thyme to the stock and simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Pull the meat from the pork bones, dice and add to the pot.
Meanwhile, melt butter in a heavy-bottomed pan set over medium heat. Add carrots and cook until almost soft, about 5 minutes. Add celery, onions, green beans and garlic, stir and cook until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add to the pot, partially cover and simmer until the peas are tender, about 20 minutes.
Stir lemon juice into soup to brighten, then season to taste with sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper. Discard bay leaves. Serve soup piping hot with croûtons and crème fraîche.
Like this:
Smoked Pheasant Risotto with Field Mushrooms and Baby Asparagus
Bits and pieces of leftover smoked pheasant with onions, garlic, mushrooms, asparagus, Arborio rice, pheasant stock, French vermouth, fresh herbs and lots of cracked pepper..
Smoked Pheasant Risotto with Field Mushrooms and Baby Asparagus
1/2 cup white onion, diced
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon pastured butter
1 cup French dry vermouth
1 bunch fresh herbs
5 cups pheasant stock, divided
2/3 cup mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup fresh asparagus, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 pound smoked pheasant, torn into small pieces
1 cup Arborio or Bomba rice
pieces of pheasant skin
pink peppercorns
aged Parmesan
Toast the onions in a dry skillet over medium heat until nicely browned. Add the butter, olive oil and garlic, stir to combine and cook 1 minute. Add the vermouth and scrape loose any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Allow the mixture to cook down until the liquid has been reduced to about 1/3 cup.
Add the rice, stir to combine and cook 2 minutes. Add 3 cups stock and reduce heat to a gentle boil and cook 20 minutes, stirring frequently.
Meanwhile, toast the pieces of skin in a heavy skillet until the fat has rendered and the skin has begun to darken and crisp. Transfer the skin to a cutting board and allow to cool enough to handle. Chop the skin into small pieces, add to the rendered fat (add a little butter if there isn’t enough) along with the mushrooms and saute until golden. Set aside.
Once the rice has absorbed most of the liquid, add another 1-1/2 cups of stock and simmer, stirring constantly, until half the liquid is absorbed. Add the pheasant, mushroom mixture and asparagus and cook (again stirring constantly) until the asparagus is tender and the pheasant is warmed through. Use the last 1/2 cup of stock if needed to prevent the pan from getting dry. Season liberally with freshly-cracked pink pepper and taste for salt (although it usually doesn’t need any).
Turn the finished risotto out onto pre-warmed plates and finish with a little aged parmesan if desired. Properly made risotto has a creamy texture and is wet enough to slide around the plate a little.
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In Texas, most pheasant hunting takes place in the 3 dozen or so northernmost counties (the Panhandle), where the next season runs December 3rd through January 1st. Playa lake bottoms are a consistently productive location for both ducks and Ring-necked pheasant.
Like this:
Butter-Poached Lobster on a Salt-Crusted Bolillo
Imagine the iconic New England lobster roll on a late summer evening. Delicious, right? Now re-imagine that as a Texican creation with homemade Key lime-ancho mayonnaise, fresh avocado and heirloom tomatoes served on a top-split, oven-toasted bolillo..
Butter-Poached Lobster on a Salt-Crusted Bolillo
For the Aioli (adapted from multiple recipes by Michael Ruhlman)
1 large, pastured egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon filtered water
2 teaspoons freshly-squeezed lemon juice
1 cup avocado oil
2 teaspooons cumin seeds, toasted and ground
1 teaspoon coriander seeds, toasted and ground
1/2 teaspoon ancho chili powder
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed Key lime juice
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh red chili pepper, seeded and chopped
sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste
Whisk the yolk, salt and lemon juice together in a large, non-reactive bowl. While whisking, drizzle in a few drops of oil, then a few more to establish the emulsion. Whisking continuously, add the remaining oil in a thin stream. The mixture should be thick enough to cling to your whisk (i.e., not pourable).
Whisk in the remaining ingredients (except the salt & pepper), then season to taste with the salt and pepper. Cover tightly and refrigerate 1 hour before using. If the avocado oil has begun to solidify, simple allow the mayonnaise to come to room temperature and give it a quick whisk.
To Prepare the Lobster 
1/2 pound Canadian or Maine lobster knuckle and claw meat
6 oz pastured butter
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 fresh bay leaves
Put the wine and bay leaves into a heavy-bottomed sauce pan and bring to a quick boil. Lower the heat and simmer until the wine has reduced in volume by half. Add the butter and cook until you hear the milk solids begin to sizzle on the bottom of the pan. Skim and discard the foam from the top, then regulate the heat until bubbles are barely breaking the surface.
Add the lobster and poach until just done, maybe 10 minutes. Don’t let the butter boil and don’t let the lobster cook too long or it will be rubbery. Transfer the lobster to a side dish to cool, reserving the butter for another recipe.
To make the Lobster Salad
1/2 pound poached lobster meat, coarsley chopped
1/4 cup key lime-ancho mayonnaise (more or less)
1/2 cup ripe, red heirloom tomato, coarsley chopped
1/2 cup fresh avocado, coarsley chopped
Lightly fold all ingredients together in a bowl, taking care not to let things get mashed up. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
For the Bolillos
Use a bread knife to split fresh bolillos from the top, taking care not to cut all the way through. Brush the split bolillos all over with lots of the leftover lobster poaching butter, then sprinkle with coarse sea salt. Place in a 400 degree oven until nicely toasted, then remove from oven and allow to cool enough to handle.
To Serve
Mound the still warm, split bolillos with the chilled lobster salad. Dress with a squeeze of lime and garnish with a grind of chili and a little fresh cilantro and serve immediately.
Like this:
Rajmah (Vegetarian Kidney Bean Curry)
Dried kidney beans are picked over and soaked overnight, cooked, drained and simmered with fire-roasted tomatoes, onions, garlic, ginger, chiles and toasted whole spices. Served over a bed of Indian-spiced, aged basmati rice, this dish totally rocks the taste buds while remaining inexpensive and easy to prepare..
Rajmah (Vegetarian Kidney Bean Curry)
For the Rajmah, I adapted a recipe from Smitten Kitchen, while the cardamom and cinnamon-scented rice preparation comes from Simply Recipes. In the latter case, you can simply substitute olive oil for the ghee to suit your vegan needs. Both recipes are seriously delicious just as they are.
This post is part of Meatless Monday, a non-profit initiative of The Monday Campaigns,
in association with the Johns Hopkins’ Bloomberg School of Public Health
Orange and Fennel-Roasted Chicken
Orange and Fennel-Roasted Chicken, risotto with green beans, browned pearl onions and fried capicola..
Orange and Fennel-Roasted Chicken
Marinate locally-pastured chicken pieces (I’m using bone-in, skin-on thighs) in a mixture of raw olive oil, freshly-squeezed orange juice, garlic and cracked fennel seeds for 4-8 hours, turning once.
Remove chicken from refrigerator, wipe off excess marinade and season liberally with sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper. Allow to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes, then roast in a 375 degree oven until crisp and the juices run clear, about 40 minutes.
Meanwhile, saute pearl onions and roughly-chopped dry coppa (capicola) in a bit of olive oil until nicely browned and slightly crisp. Use a slotted spoon to remove the onions & coppa to a plate, then add bomba rice to the pan, stirring to coat each grain with the flavored oil that remains.
Add three times the amount of vegetable stock, chicken stock or water to the pan as you have rice, and allow it to come to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, add cut fresh green beans and allow to simmer, stirring continuously until the rice is tender, about 20 minutes. Add the onions and coppa, stir to combine and remove from heat. Allow to stand 3-5 minutes before spooning onto a serving dish.
Top cooked rice with the roasted chicken and pour the pan juices over the top. Garnish with fennel fronds and serve immediately.
Hummus with Harissa Oil, Parsley and Toasted Pita
I don’t keep ready-to-eat products at home, but hummus is a high-protein, healthy (and delicious) exception to that rule. Made from easily-sourced, individually inexpensive ingredients, hummus is nonetheless becoming expensive to buy already made. My solution of course, is to make it at home to my own taste..
Hummus with Harissa Oil, Parsley and Toasted Pita
1 cup dried chickpeas, soaked overnight
3 cups filtered water
2-3 garlic cloves
juice of 1/2 fresh lemon
1 tablespoon harissa (a Tunisian hot chilli sauce, optional)
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 cup organic white sesame seeds
1/3 cup olive oil, divided
Lightly toast the sesame seeds in a dry skillet over medium-low heat (about 15 minutes). Allow to cool to room temperature, then transfer to the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse repeatedly until broken up, then begin to drizzle in up to 1/4 cup of olive oil while still processing, resulting in a paste with the consistency of thin peanut butter. This is tahini paste, a component of hummus. Scrape the tahini into a clean container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Discard any chickpeas that are floating along with the soaking water. Place the chickpeas in a saucepan and cover with the fresh, filtered water. Bring to a full boil, then reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook until just tender, about 1 hour. Set aside to cool.
Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked chickpeas to the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the garlic, lemon juice, tahini and remaining olive oil and process until smooth, adding a little of the chickpea cooking liquid along the way.
Transfer the hummus to a serving bow, drizzle with olive oil mixed with harissa and serve with toasted pita bread. Leftover hummus will keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Stir a little olive oil into it if it gets dry.
The earliest known recipes for something similar to hummus bi tahini date to 13th century Egypt as a cold purée of chickpeas with vinegar and pickled lemons with herbs, spices, and oil, but no tahini or garlic…
The earliest known documentation of hummus (حمّص) itself comes from 18th-century Damascus; it appears that it was unknown elsewhere at that timeHummus is high in iron and vitamin C and also has significant amounts of folate and vitamin B6. The chickpeas make it a good source of protein and dietary fiber; the tahini (طحينه) is an excellent source of the amino acid methionine, complementing the proteins in the chickpeas. Hummus is useful in vegetarian and vegan diets; like other combinations of grains and pulses, it serves as a complete protein when eaten with bread. –Wikipedia
