Winter Recipes

As you may have guessed, in the struggle to finish organizing and editing Making Magic With Words, the very thought of another post to add to the maze has been enough to make me cower in horror. Happily, MM is down to a final formatting check before being sent to the tech who will link each item in the Table of Contents to the correct post. And then, after two years of effort, the compilation of nine years' advice on Writing, Editing, and other aspects of Publishing will be available as an e-book. Here's a peek at the cover:

Therefore, today's blog features two favorite "winter recipes." Easy to make and exceptionally tasty. The original recipes were clipped from magazines so many years ago I have no idea of the source.

CASSOULET

½ lb. bulk pork sausage
1 small onion, sliced (½ cup)
1 clove garlic, minced
½ lb. (1½ cups) cubed cooked ham
2 TBspn snipped parsley
1 bay leaf
2 15-oz. cans navy beans
¼ cup dry white wine
Dash ground cloves.

In skillet, cook sausage, onion, and garlic 'til meat is lightly browned and vegetables are tender; drain off excess fat. Add ham, parsley, and bay leaf; mix well. Stir in undrained beans, wine, and cloves. Pour into 2-qt casserole. Bake, covered, in 325° oven for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for 40-45 min. more, stirring occasionally. Remove bay leaf. Serve in bowls. Makes 6 servings.

Grace notes:  I use Jimmy Dean Sausage, spraying the pan with olive oil before frying. A medium onion is fine - I process the onion & garlic together in a small electric chopper. I also add other herbs when available - thyme, rosemary, chives, etc. For my most recent batch, I added Behringer rosé instead of dry white because that's what I had on hand. For an even more piquant flavor, add an extra bay leaf & additional ground cloves.

Other optional additions:

A few green peppercorns
Chick peas (a 3-qt casserole may be needed)
Additional garden herbs

"BOILED" DINNER

6 lb. fully cooked ham shank*
½ lb. small white onions, peeled
Whole cloves
1 lb. carrots, scraped & cut into 2" lengths
2 lb. small potatoes, pared*
4 sprigs parsley
1 tspn salt
¼ tspn pepper
¼ tspn dried thyme leaves
1 bay leaf
1 can (13-3/4 oz) chicken broth
2 lb. head cabbage, cut in 6 wedges

Preheat oven to 350°. Trim fat & rind from ham. Coarsely chop 2 onions, place in deep roasting pan. Stick cloves in remaining onions and place in pan along with carrots, potatoes, and ham. Add parsley, salt, pepper, thyme, and bay leaf. Pour chicken broth over all.

Bake, covered, 1 hour. Arrange cabbage wedges in pan; bake, covered, 30 min. more.

To serve:  Arrange ham on large platter, surround with vegetables; spoon some of pan juices over all. Serve with Mustard Sauce.

*Ham shanks were common when this recipe came out. Evidently, not so much any more. A standard cooked ham will do. This recipe also predates the small, ready-to-use carrots now available everywhere and the mini potatoes (particularly the bags of mixed colors) that need no preparation beyond a quick rinse.

Mustard Sauce

Original recipe:

½ cup mayonnaise 
1 tspn chopped onion (dried will do)
½ cup prepared mustard

Grace note:  I frequently substitute poppyseeds for the onion.

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Thanks for stopping by,

Grace