Wash Day Dinner — Red Beans and Rice

(This is a repost from April 26, 2006)

My mother’s family came from New Orleans. Since Monday was “laundry day” it was traditional to have red beans and rice cooking on the stove. This is definitely a comfort food. When I have a leftover ham bone I’m always trying to decide what to make with it. The usual choices are split pea soup or red beans and rice. I know there are other recipes and could broaden my horizon, but I usually come back to these two again and again. Today’s not Monday, but it does seem to perpetually be Wash Day!

Serve over rice. Brown rice is our preferred type here. I cook mine in chicken broth, add olive oil and salt. I love the Imagine Organic Free Range Chicken Broth. It’s the tastiest chicken broth on the market…homemade flavor.

Red Beans and Rice

1 meaty ham bone or ham hocks
1 pound dry red kidney beans
1 medium onion, chopped
5 stalks celery, chopped
1/2-1 medium green pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 bay leaves
Few dashes Tabasco sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil (butter if allowed)
8 cups (2 quarts) water
Brown rice (cooked)

Rinse beans, remove all foreign particles, and soak overnight covered with water or the quick soak method. See How to Cook Beans. Drain and rinse the beans and set aside.

In large pot, sauté onion, celery, garlic and green peppers until soft. Add water, ham bone, beans, spices. Simmer for about 3 hours. The beans should become creamy, but most stay whole. Before serving, remove bone and cut meat in bite sized pieces.

Meanwhile, cook rice. Serve with green salad and bread — French bread, Southern biscuits, but our family’s bread of choice is my aunt’s recipe, Cathey’s Corn Bread.

Cathey’s Corn Bread

(This is a repost from 2006. I’m transferring my recipes from my old blog, as I like to be able to have them in one place.)

For favorite comfort meals like red beans and rice and split pea soup, stews, chili, my aunt’s recipe for corn bread is our favorite. I’m posting the original recipe first, then my notes for a “safe” cornbread for my son.

Cathey’s Corn Bread

1 cup corn meal (white or yellow)
1 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup melted butter or margarine
1 cup milk
1 egg, beaten
1/2 stick butter or margarine

Preheat oven to 425 degrees (for glass pan, 450 for others). Grease a 9×9x2 pan or 12 muffin tins. Mix all ingredients except unmelted butter until all lumps are removed. Do not overmix. Pour into greased pan or muffin tins. Bake at 425 degrees about 20-25 minutes. Melt 1/2 stick butter or margarine on top after removing from oven.

Makes 12 muffins. (When doubling only use 6 teaspoons baking powder.)

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I’ve mentioned before that because my son is allergic to wheat, eggs and milk, baking is one of the more difficult areas to find just the right combinations. If you’re used to having breads with your meals, imagine how hard it would be without them.

My son calls it “special bread” and always loves it when I make something he can have. Recently I tried making these Basic Biscuits again. He was so excited…and then so disappointed. They just weren’t any good. He was so polite and just simply said “I don’t like these, Mommy.” I felt so bad that I couldn’t make something tasty for him.

A few days later, he came in to the office. “I’m sorry, I still don’t like them, Mommy.” I had some leftover biscuits in a plastic bag on the counter and he tasted them again. He later told Daddy at the table “I really wanted to like them!”

I was so happy that the next batch of “special bread” I made for him had better success. I have already posted this recipe as a side dish with Red Beans and Rice. The original recipe was from my Aunt Cathey, and a family favorite when I was growing up. I’ve tweaked the flour combinations again and liked this result in the muffins much better. And so did my son!

“Safe” Version of Cathey’s Corn Bread

1 cup corn meal (white or yellow)
1/4 cup corn flour
1/4 cup corn starch
1/4 cup white rice flour
1/4 cup oat flour
1/2 cup sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup melted margarine
1 cup soy milk or rice milk
1 Tbsp Egg Replacer with warm water
1 tsp. xanthum gum
1/2 tsp. soy lecithin
Safe margarine

Preheat oven to 425 degrees (for glass pan, 450 for others). Grease a 9×9x2 pan or 12 muffin tins. Mix all ingredients except unmelted margarine until all lumps are removed. Do not overmix. Pour into greased pan or muffin tins. Bake at 425 degrees about 20-25 minutes. Melt margarine on top after removing from oven.

Makes 12 muffins.

(When doubling only use 6 teaspoons baking powder.)

Blueberry Meringue Pie

Here’s an entry for The Virtual Kitchen’s Blueberry Bash.

This is an easy recipe from my mother-in-law, and I do believe this was her mother’s recipe, also. The pie shell is a meringue crust. For my husband this recipe is a must (and comfort food) for Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day. It means summer is here, and evokes all sorts of cozy family summer memories.

The shell isn’t pure meringue, as the crackers and nuts add some texture. The contrast of the crunchy shell and sweet smooth whipped cream and blueberries makes a delicious summer treat.

Shell:
3 egg whites, beaten stiffly
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
pinch salt
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup rolled soda crackers
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup nuts, chopped

Filling
1/2 pint whipping cream
2 teaspoons powdered sugar, to taste
flavoring vanilla, cognac, other liqueur (optional), to taste
1 quart fresh blueberries (or other berries)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat egg whites and cream of tartar and pinch of salt until stiff peaks form. Gradually beat in sugar, a little at a time, continue beating until stiff peaks form again.

Fold in vanilla, soda crackers and nuts.

Pour into buttered pie pan. Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool

While baking, whip heavy cream (with sugar and flavorings). Add blueberries, mix through the cream. Chill.

After pie crust has cooled, pour filling into pie crust.

Chill until ready to serve.

Kahlua Cake

I’m a little blue today. One reason is tonight our family is gathering to say goodbye to a friend who is leaving for a teaching position on the West Coast. We might not ever see him again. This is a good friend I met at Franciscan University of Steubenville twelve years ago. After he finished grad school there, he went to Catholic University and just completed his Doctorate degree.

Steven became an adopted member of my family in a way. He started off as my friend in our circle at school, but when he visited my family in Virginia they welcomed him with open arms. My husband and brothers-in-law also consider him a friend. Over the years he’s shared with our family holiday meals and get togethers. The meals have been fewer lately due to busy schedules, but it is sad to know that this is one of the last.

Having just celebrated the feast of St. Bartholomew yesterday, I find Jesus’ description of Bartholomew (Nathaniel) “He has no guile” is perfect for Steven. He’s an honest, sincere, just, and holy man. He’s always a pursuer of Truth. It is a blessing to call him a friend.

His “last supper” request was a dessert I made regularly while at FUS, Kahlua Cake. My nickname for this cake should be “Ladies’ Helper”–whenever I needed some help that required extra muscles, I would promise this cake as an exchange for help and I always had willing volunteers.

This recipe from a housemate in college. I know, it’s not homemade, and gasp! requires a boxed cake. I was always going to work on tweaking a homemade chocolate cake recipe, but that was B.F.A. (before food allergies). This recipe hasn’t been made in a while because it is definitely not allergy friendly.

While mixing and smelling the aroma during baking, a flood of memories came rushing back. How much has happened in twelve years! I’m looking forward to having a little piece of chocolate consolation tonight.

Kahlua Cake
1 package Devil’s Food Cake mix (Duncan Hines my preference)
1 cup Kahlua (may substitute non-name brand of a coffee liqueur)
3/4 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips (mini-morsels work best)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease and flour a Bundt or tube pan.

Mix all ingredients except chips together and beat 2-3 minutes.

Add chocolate chips and beat 1 minute.

Pour into a greased and floured Bundt or tube pan and bake for 50-55 minutes. It’s okay to undercook — better moist. If toothpick inserted has a few crumbs but not liquid, cake is ready.

Before serving (after cooled) sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar.

I’ve also drizzled melted chocolate over top and garnished with strawberries in the center hole and dipped strawberries around the side of the cake. Presentation is important — but the taste is even better. This cake is moist, chocolately and unbelievably good.

Mommy’s Comfort Food–Chicken Soup

This weekend I contracted a nasty bug that sent me to bed. The difficult part in my recuperation was that we were visiting my mil, so I didn’t have all the comforts of home. When I could finally eat, the only food I wanted was some chicken soup. It was a welcome treat to actually have the same batch of chicken soup I made for my mil a few weeks before when she was recuperating! My gift to her came back as a gift to me!

Interesting thing about chicken soup…it’s a comfort, soothing, healing food and yet with all the myriad of cookbooks I have on my shelves, I don’t think I have more than 3 or 4 cookbooks that have this basic recipe. Progresso and Campbell seemed to have wiped out soup making. I myself always thought making soup was difficult or time-consuming. It’s only been in recent years that I’ve embraced cooking my own soup. And there are so many different types of soups that fit the bill of egg, wheat and milk free meals.

Although the weather is getting warmer and soup isn’t usually on the menu, I recommend a pot of chicken soup for the medicine cabinet. Freeze a batch in small amounts to have on hand for those unexpected family sicknesses–healthier and tastier than opening up a can!

This recipe is adapted from A Continual Feast by Evelyn Birge Vitz

Chicken Soup 1 3-4 pound chicken
2 1/2 quarts water (10 cups) or chicken broth
2-3 teaspoons salt
8 peppercorns
4 cloves (optional)
1 bay leaf
1 sprig fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 sprigs parsley or dried parsley
1 onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
4 ribs celery, finely chopped
Vegetables such as:
4 or 5 potatoes, chopped or 1 – 1 1/2 cups raw brown rice or barley
1 cup green beans
4-6 carrots, chopped
1-2 cups of peas (optional)
2 Tablespoons butter (optional)

Cut chicken into serving pieces. Place them in a large pot with the water (or broth) and salt. Bring to a boil. Skim off scum from top.

Place spices in tea ball or cheesecloth and add to water with onion, celery and garlic.

Simmer partially covered until chicken is tender (about 1-2 hours). Remove chicken. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove bones and return meat to pot. Add desired vegetables, simmer for another 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender. If adding peas, add only at the last minutes of cooking.

Remove spice bag. Taste for seasoning. Stir in butter if desired.