The Eccentric's Cookbook

Ham and Potato Soup -- Eccentric Style!

2010-10-22T03:25:00.000-07:00

Today, just out of curiosity, I Googled Ham and
Potato Soup, as I had recently made a cauldron of it myself. I was astonished!

EVERY recipe I saw for this wonderful soup used a roux. Why bother with a roux, when the potato itself is quite capable of providing the thickening? Add butter-based roux to ham fat, (if you make this soup as I do by boiling a whole UK cut smoked ham hock which weighs a bit over a kilo normally), and you have a recipe for a bad cholesterol overload...lol.

Here is the healthier (to be debated on a health forum at some later date) Eccentric way to make Ham and Potato Soup. WARNING: This is an all day project for very hungry
people!

Ingredients: (to feed 4-6 as a main course with leftovers for next day)

1 large smoked ham hock (3/4 to 1 and 1/3 kg in weight)

8-10 medium potatoes or 5-6 large baking potatoes

8 cloves garlic

1 head celery

5 large carrots

1 large onion (preferably a Spanish onion...VERY large)

1 tbs sage

1 tsp tarragon

1 tsp thyme

(Any other vegetables you might care to add...to taste)

Salt

Black or white pepper

Place the hock in a 8 litre stock pot and cover with cold water. Bring quickly to the boil, and skim off any scum which might rise to the surface of the water. Turn pot down to fast simmer and allow to cook for four hours, topping up water as needed. At the halfway mark, add two tablespoons of sea salt.

(As ham is salty in its own right, I hear my readers asking why add salt? Salt migrates to the area of least concentration; this is why very few salt water fish will live if one moves them to fresh water. Likewise, if you add no salt to your cooking water, the ham will be well cooked, but rather tasteless.)

Remove the ham from the pot when done and set aside to cool so it may be comfortably de-boned. If you haven't already cut up your veggies, now is the time.

Here is the eccentric secret to this dish; the order of vegetable addition to the broth provided by boiling the ham hock.

If you are using medium potatoes, 3-4 of them cut into 1-inch cubes go in first, along with four cloves of garlic, and white or black pepper to taste. 30 minutes after this, half of your onion chopped, goes in. Same with your baking tatties, only the first 2-3 go in with the garlic, onion and pepper following.

From this point on, stir the soup every ten minutes or so to prevent sticking.

About this time, you should be able to take your ham off the bone. You may cut it into neat cubes, or like I do, allow it to follow the natural divisions of the musculature and come out in irregular chunks; this is much more "rustic". It isn't time to add it back to the pot yet, however.

Three more medium potatoes or another large now, and the celery. By now, your soup should start to look like the roux-based version, but you might consider it a bit watery; don't let that fool you! Every moment that passes, it is thickening under the influence of the potato starch; so don't be afraid to cook it until its thickness pleases your eye, adding more water when necessary. 20 minutes more
and in goes the other half of the onion, the sage, tarragon and thyme.

20 minutes more, and add as much of the remaining garlic as your taste buds say is needed, along with the chopped carrots, and remaining potatoes. When the carrots have been in for 5 minutes, add the ham, and allow another 40-45 min. Adjust seasoning if necessary.

Serve in large bowls, and be prepared to serve seconds.

The wonderful thing about doing this soup in this fashion is the longer you cook it, the thicker it becomes. It grows on your guests, quickly becoming "moreish". But due to the lack of extra fat caused by allowing the spuds to be the only thickening, one need not worry about causing or aggravating any cardiovascular conditions...*grin*.

Getting The Most From Fresh Produce

2008-10-20T09:35:00.000-07:00

How many of my readers are aware that we often
discard parts of fresh produce that are perfectly
edible?

Examples include: outer leaves of bunches of
greens, the leafy greens of Broccoli and
Cauliflower/Broccoflower, and radish greens?

Such greens if too tough to go into the main
vegetable serving, can be used for veggie
stock as a base for homemade soup.

If not too tough to be served immediately,
such may be cooked alongside their vegetable
of origin, and used as an edible bed or garnish.

Corn silk from corn in the husk, also can be dried
and used as an herbal tea.

Beef and Ale Stew

2007-08-14T01:15:00.001-07:00

There is nothing like a good ale to tenderize
what may be a tough piece of beef. Combine
this with seasonal vegetables, and you have
at the close of cooking, a feast fit for a
Lord.

To make this savoury dish...

(to serve 4)

One pound (454-500 grams) stewing beef

Two 500 ml bottles of dark ale or bitter
(US users may use Lager but the flavor
will be totally different)

Four or five large carrots

Two large onions

five stalks of celery

Two large baking potatoes

Cooking oil with which to
brown beef (about 1/3 cup)

If beef is in the form of a
"stewing steak", cut into
1 inch chunks. Dredge with
flour. Heat oil in a large
frying pan and when hot add
the beef, turning quickly so
that it browns on all sides
evenly. You may cut up the
vegetables while the beef
browns if one has not done
it already.

Remove the browned beef from
the frying pan with a slotted
spoon and place on a plate.
Discard the oil, unless you
wish to use it instead of
butter in the roux to follow.

Now take a 4 Litre casserole
place the browned beef into
it along with any juices that
may have accumulated around it,
and pour in the ale, topping
up with water if necessary.

Make a Roux with the following:
4 TBS flour and an equal portion
of butter, or the reserved oil
from the prior browning of the beef.
Set aside for later.

Place casserole in a 180C (350F)
oven for two hours. At the end
of two hours, remove from oven,
stir in the roux and vegetables;
season to taste with salt, pepper
and herbs of your choice. Return
to oven for a further hour and a
half, or until the beef is tender.

Remove from oven, serve and enjoy!

Oven-Broiled Rump (Butt) Steak with Black Bean Sauce

2007-06-27T02:10:00.000-07:00

This recipe is a no-brainer.

Ingredients:

1 Bottle or Jar Chinese Black Bean Sauce

2 Rump Steaks (US cut Butt Steak) of approx
1 lb or 1/2 kilo each.

Preheat oven to 200C, or 400F.

Place steaks in separate Pyrex baking dishes.
Add Black Bean Sauce generously to cover top
of steaks.

Oven broil for 15-20 minutes for medium rare,
25-30 minutes for well done, turning each
steak two or three times during cooking.

Serve with baked or mashed potatoes and
fresh steamed seasonal vegetables.

Alas and Alack!

2007-04-03T08:12:00.000-07:00

When I tasted the Pierogi in its gravy,
I knew that Ewa and her husband had to try this way of eating it.

So I packed some up and off I went to the market, this being Tuesday.
Imagine my horror when Ewa told me they were in process of closing
out the market stall! I started panic-buying, but Ewa's hubby
told me to calm down please. For one thing their last day on
the Harborough Market is not until the 21st of April, and
better yet, they are going to do a home delivery service!

(Whew! That's much better...)

I will email my vendor-friend tonight to find out how
she liked the Pierogi, and to find out if she is going
to make radical changes to the web site.

BlogMunch (Savoury Pierogi With Ale-gravy, Watercress and Scallions)

2007-04-03T05:57:00.000-07:00

You will notice I still have some Americanisms in
my speech; scallions fit into the title box better
besides. United Kingdom residents will know these
seasoning savouries better as spring onions.

Our Town Market doesn't only happen on Sundays.
Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays are the other
days the Market Hall opens in Harborough, and
this is when one shops for fine butcher's meats,
cheese, fresh baked bread and fresh vegetables.

There is one particular stall I cannot keep
away from...Ewa's Delikatesy (now unfortunately
out of business -- update June 2010).

Ewa is from Poland, and is a direct importer of
Polish/Slavic delicacies. Here is where I can find
old fashioned rind-on slab bacon, hickory smoked
just like I used to get at the butcher's counter
in Chicago. But this isn't my only reason for
patronage of Ewa's stall.

She also has varieties of cheese rarely seen on
English soil, specialty honeys, more types of
sausage than I could sample in two weeks without
putting on about 7 more stone rapidly, a wide
variety of preserved herring, trout and other
seafood...teas, fruit juices, various ethnic
treats in tinned and jarred form, plus one of
the crowning glories of Polish cuisine...Pierogi!

My husband had never encountered these beautiful
dumplings, being loathe to try any new food without
coaxing (the reader will see in future posts how
good I am at this). It took me five visits to Ewa's
stall to talk him into allowing me to buy a packet
of meat-filled pierogi...I no longer need to coax!
Now to get some of the cabbage-mushroom and/or
fruit-filled down him...*grin*.

He had fruit salad, malt loaf (a type of malt-based brown bread
with raisins) and cheese for lunch. I noticed that the pierogi
I bought on our last market jaunt was still in the bottom of the
fridge, and I wanted something more substantial. Hence the
"BlogMunch" title; I am indeed munching as I blog today.

Here is lunch...

Savoury Pierogi With Ale-gravy, Watercress and Scallions

Ingredients: One standard deli pkg of meat-filled pierogi
to serve two people; add pkgs as crowd develops by pairs.

2-3 T Creme Fraishe (Sour Cream)

Watercress: 3 sprigs -- about 50gms per two servings

Scallions: 1 large scallion per two servings

To make the gravy, one must have cooked one of the following
dishes the night before for dinner, reserving all remaining
cooking liquid once the meats have been removed and served
with some of it; these recipies will follow in a future
post or two.

Braised Pork and Sliced Potatoes in Brown Ale with Chives

Or

Chicken Braised in Brown Ale with Chopped Onions

In a saucepan combine the reserved cooking liquid
with Creme Fraishe, or Sour Cream. Add some chicken
stock (150ml) mixed with Bisto or other gravy granules, and
allow to simmer until thickened. American cooks may
wish to make an old fashioned flour roux instead to
thicken the base liquid. When gravy has thickened
taste for seasoning, adjusting if necessary. Set
aside.

In a second large saucepan, boil pierogi in salted
water until the dumplings float to the surface,
about 3 minutes. Drain.

Chop fresh watercress and scallions for garnish
and additional flavouring; 1 whole scallion plus
a few sprigs of watercress will suffice.

Pile indivdual servings of pierogi on serving
plates; about a half-dozen per person served
for a main dish. Ladle gravy over the pierogi,
and sprinkle generously with cress and scallions.
Serve hot and enjoy!

The Eccentric Cook at Breakfast (The Eye of The Sun Omlette)

2007-03-25T07:11:00.000-07:00

As an example of spur of the moment
dish invention, you can't get much
better than this one!

My husband made himself breakfast
this morning before my appetite
had awakened; a massive production
involving potatoes and broccoli
stem sections fried together
(extremely yummy) sunny-side up
eggs, and steamed peapods.

Unfortunately one large egg
broke its yolk upon the shell
being cracked. Ever the practical
one, he placed this one in a separate
cup for my use in a later recipie.

He went about the business of going
to the Sunday Market in our hometown
and being quite tired when he got back,
decided to take a nap, after informing
me of what I had to work with in the
kitchen should I wish to brunch.

I did feel suddenly hungry after he
went to nap. Suddenly the Eccentric
Cook in me rose up, not in taste mode,
but in visual mode!

I took the already "knackered" egg and
made sure it was well beaten, as for an
omlette. Here is the recipie that
resulted from my wish for a new visual
presentation for the breakfast egg dish.

The Eye Of The Sun Omlette

Ingredients:
2 extra large or jumbo eggs
oil or butter to cook

(This is strictly a matter
of personal taste; I prefer
my eggs cooked in creamery
butter for a richer flavor!)

Into a small bowl or teacup,
break and beat the egg
which will form the base
of the omlette. Do not
overbeat or the egg will
toughen when cooked.

Taking care that the yolk
does not break, break the
second egg into the beaten egg
so that it forms an "island".

Heat a small frying pan or
omlette pan (do not use the
compartmented commercial
"omlette pan" designed for
the cook who has difficulty
folding his or her own
omlette; this is strictly
a NON-folded omlette!),
and add suffcient butter
or oil to prevent the eggs
from sticking.

When the butter/oil has
melted, and begins to
foam or bubble gently,
carefully pour the eggs
into the pan, allowing the
omlette base to set.

Watch the "Eye" carefully;
the white will begin to set
after the omlette base is mostly
cooked through. At this point,
swirl the pan and set the
omlette moving both to prevent
the base from becoming rubbery,
and to keep the yolk of the Eye
fully liquid!

When the white of the Eye
has set to satisfaction,
take a spatula, lift the
Eye of the Sun gently to
a pre-heated plate, season
and enjoy!

The Eccentric Cook

2007-03-25T06:47:00.000-07:00

What is an "eccentric cook"?
One who simply isn't content to pick up a cookbook and follow its
directions explicitly. The eccentric cook will always add their
own "personal touch" to any recipie, no matter how tried and true.

Another sign that one is an eccentric cook, is when one reaches a
day when cookbook after cookbook is thrown aside in frustration
because you cannot find in any of them that "special flavor" you
seek to impress a houseful of guests!

I'll be sharing some of my favorite alterations and outright
inventions as my contribution to the world of Eccentric
Cooking as this blogspace develops.