Chocolate Egg Cream

A new jersey favorite of mine growing up was the chocolate egg cream. There are variations on this but I like this recipe:

1/4 cup cream or half & half (I prefer cream)
1/4 cup Hershey's Chocolate Syrup
Chilled Seltzer

Pour cream or half & half into a tall glass. Pour chocolate sauce in slowly so that it forms a second layer. Slowly add seltzer (until filled) to side of the glass so that the layers remain in tact. Admire, stir, enjoy!

A very close friend, Sandy, has entertained us in her home many times over the years. Aside from Jo, my dad, and my sisters, she is one of my favorite cooks. One of her specialities, and now a favorite of ours, is her White Chicken Chile. This is a great dish to make for a large group of people by doubling or tripling the recipe.

Sandy's Chili Blanco Especial

1 pound dry White Northern Beans (I also use White Northern canned beans which need to cook for a lot less time - see instructions below)

5/14 cups chicken broth

4 cloves garlic minced

1 large white onion, chopped

1/2 tbsp ground white pepper

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp dried oregano

3/4 tbsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1 7-ounce can diced green chilies

5 cups diced cook chicken breast (I mix breasts and thighs)

1 3/4 cup chicken broth

1 tbsp diced jalapeno pepper (optional)

8 flour tortillas

Condiments:

shredded Monterey Jack cheese

sliced black olives

salsa

sour cream

diced avocado

chopped onion

Soak beans in water to cover for 24 hours; drain

In a large kettle or crock pot, combine beans (only if they are soaked beans, not canned), 5 1/4 cups chicken broth, garlic, onion, white pepper, oregano, cumin, and cloves. Simmer covered for 5 hours until beans are tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in green chilies, diced chicken, and 1 3/4 cups chicken broth. For a spicier taste add jalapeno. Cover and simmer for 1 hour. To serve, line each bowl with one flower tortilla. Spoon in chili and serve with condiments.

If using canned beans: combine 5 1/4 cups of chicken broth, garlic, onion, white pepper, salt, oregano, cumin, curry, and chicken. Cover and simmer for one hour. Then add canned beans, green chilies (and jalapeno for spicier chili). Do not add the extra 1 3/4 cups of chicken broth or the chili will be too soupy. Cover and simmer for an additional hour.

**Flavors are enhanced when the chili is made 1 day ahead.

Makes 8 servings.

If you find you are getting to the end of this chili and would like to squeeze one more meal out of it, try turning it into a Tortilla Soup. Add 4 cups of chicken stock and heat. Spoon into bowls and add any and all of the condiments listed above as well as crumbled tortilla chips.

Both are excellent served with cornbread and a green salad.

Enjoy!

A family favorite is Guinness Stew. This is perfect for a cold and stormy evening supper.

2-3 ponds of stew meat cut into 2 inch cubes.

4 tbsp vegetable oil

2 onions peeled and chopped

2 tbsp flour

1 pint of Guinness Dark beer

2 cups of beef stock - My favorite is Knorr beef bullion 1 cube to 2 cups of water

4 carrots peeled and cut into chunks

1 sprig of thyme

1 bay leaf

4 cloves of garlic minced.

frozen peas and pearl onions

Put flour in a quart sized ziplock bag. Add meat to flour in batches. In a large stew pot, brown the floured meat in batches and transfer to a plate. Add onions and garlic to pot after the meat is browned. Saute until soft (4 minutes). Reduce the heat and add the meat back to the stew pot. Stir to blend onion and garlic with the meat. Stir in Guinness, beef stock, carrots, thyme, and bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook on a low heat 2 1/2 - 3 hours or until the meat is tender. If the stew needs more flavor, add a beef bullion cube (Knorr beef bullion is excellent) About 15 minutes before serving, I throw in a packet of frozen peas with pearl onion. Serve over egg noodles with a crusty french bread and a salad with ranch dressing for the PERFECT meal!

**Variation - If you cannot find frozen peas and pearl onions, you can throw in 15 -20 fresh (peeled) pearl onions with the carrots and just add fresh or frozen peas at the end.

Enjoy!

An adaption of the Potato Leek Soup is Cauliflower Soup. This is delicious and easy to make!

1 1/2 large onions chopped

2 tbsp butter

1/2 large head of cauliflower (use the florets or flower parts of the head)

3 large potatoes peeled and chopped (yellow gold make a creamier soup)

chicken bullion to taste

nutmeg

Saute chopped onion in butter until soft (not brown) in a large soup pot. Add 8 cups of water, cauliflower florets, and potatoes. Boil until cauliflower and potatoes are soft, add bullion to taste. I prefer Knorr chicken bullion cubes (1 cube to 2 cups of water) and use 3 1/2-4 cubes depending on taste. Then use a hand stick blender to blend the ingredients (or run it through a blender in batches until smooth and creamy). Sprinkle with nutmeg and serve with a crusty french bread, butter, and cheese.

Crab Cakes Two Ways: Southwestern or Asian Inspired with Sauce Ideas

There are a million and one delicious ways to make crab cakes. Even the tried and true recipe on the can of Old Bay seasoning is pretty delicious. It used to be that I didn't make crab cakes all that often because a pound of fresh crab meat can be astronomically expensive. However, these days respectably decent and affordable pasteurized crab meat is available at most supermarkets. Now don't get me wrong, fresh crab is better but, I'm just sayin'...

It is very easy to make a good crab cake, however, I have certainly been served some terrible ones in my time. There are a few simple rules for making good crab cakes, and they are as follows:

1. DO NOT over bread. Crab cakes need bread crumbs as a binder but they should be mostly crab.
2. DO NOT over mix. Be gentle with your crab cake mixture.
3. DO NOT over salt. Seafood is naturally a bit briny so use caution when applying extra salt.
4. DO NOT over cook. I saute crab cakes and I have heard rumors that some people bake them. No matter what cooking method you decide to use, keep an eye on them. Over cooked crab cakes are dry and rubbery.

Southwestern Crab Cakes with Chipotle Sour Cream Sauce

1 lb crab meat
1 egg (slightly beaten)
1/2 - 1 cup fresh bread crumbs
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 chopped Serrano chili (or to taste)
1/4 cup finely diced red onion
2 cloves chopped garlic
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 teaspoon Old Bay
1 1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4-1/3 cup mayonnaise
salt and pepper to taste

Saute the Serrano chili, garlic and onions in olive oil until softened, about 2-3 minutes. Allow to cool a bit. When vegetables are cooled, gently fold all ingredients together. Gently form into 4- 6 cakes, depending on how large you like them. If you have time, place the raw crab cakes in the fridge for an hour to allow them to set, if not, no big. Heat a large skillet with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil and a couple of teaspoons of canola or other vegetable oil to medium high. Add the crab cakes being careful not to crowd the pan. Allow the crab cakes to brown thoroughly on one side before turning. This should take about 3-5 minutes. Keep an eye on the heat level. The crab cakes should brown but not burn. If they start getting too dark too soon, turn down the heat. To check for doneness, poke the middle with your finger. The center should give but be firm.

Chipotle Sour Cream Sauce:

1 cup of sour cream (low fat works fine)
2 canned chipotle chilies in adobe sauce, chopped (or to taste)
1-2 tablespoons cilantro
1 lime
1/2 teaspoon cumin
pinch of sugar (a powdered sweetener works well, as it dissolves nicely)
salt, to taste.
Grate the zest of the lime. Mix all of the above ingredients adding as much lime zest and lime juice as you like.


Asian Crab Style Crab Cakes with Wasabi Sour Cream Sauce

Just a few substitutions to the recipe for the Southwestern version are necessary give your crab cakes an Asian twist. Instead of using red onions, thinly slice 3 green onions, using all of the white and most of the green. Do not saute the green onions but add them raw to the crab cake mixture. Saute the garlic and Serrano chilies with 2 teaspoons of fresh, chopped ginger. Omit the cayenne pepper and cumin. Add 1/2 teaspoon, or more if you like, wasabi sauce. Otherwise, use all the other ingredients as listed above and proceed accordingly.

Wasabi Crab Cake Sauce
1 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon wasabi sauce
2 tablespoons finely chopped, pickled or fresh ginger
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
lime juice, to taste

Mix all of the ingredients and serve with crab cakes.

Mystic Meatloaf

Meatloaf can, at times, be a rather dull, dry affair but not if you make my Mystic Meatloaf. That is because it contains lots of vegetables that add flavor, texture and moisture. While meatloaf is not everyone’s cup of tea, often referred to as “mystery meat” when served in school cafeterias, it is a mainstay of cuisines around the world, albeit, in the form of a meatball more often than a big ole’ loaf. I hope you find that this version a sublime, mystical experience, as opposed to a strangely mysterious one.

Start with 2 lbs of ground beef (ground chuck, preferably). I personally remove the ground meat from the refrigerator about an hour ahead of time. It cooks better that way, in my opinion. Allowing the eggs that are used as a binder to come to room temperature is also a good idea. Of course, everyone should follow their own sensibilities in such matters.

Step 1. Prepare the vegetables
One medium-size, yellow onion, chopped

2 – 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
Thinly slice 1 stalk of celery
Finely dice 2 medium-size carrots
Finely shred a cup of green cabbage. (Don’t balk at the cabbage, it melts into the meatloaf and does not impart a “cabbagy” flavor at all)

2 tablespoons of Italian flat-leaf parsley, chopped

1 teaspoon fresh thyme (just strip leaves from stems)

Feel free to add or substitute vegetables. A red, yellow or orange bell peppers would be good...green less so, in my book. Parsnips or baby turnips could be tasty too, just so long as they are well diced. There are not rules. Go nuts!

Heat 1-2 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil in a skillet to medium (a cooking spray can be used, if one is so inclined)
Add onions, celery and carrots with a small pinch of salt and sweat the vegetables, stirring occasionally until the onions are translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Sweating the veggies means they release their juice but don’t brown. The salt encourages the release of juices.
Add in the cabbage with another teeny pinch of salt and continue to sweat for another minute or two. Add in the garlic and herbs and sweat for another 30 seconds or until the garlic releases its delightful aroma. Remove the vegetables from the heat and add a couple of grinds of black pepper. Place the vegetable mixture in a bowl and allow to come to room temperature before assembling meatloaf.

Step 2 . While the vegetables cool, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.


Step 3. Assemble and mix the ingredients

Good bread crumbs make the meatloaf and fresh bread crumbs work the best. You will need 1 cup to 1 ½ cups of bread crumbs, depending on how dense you like your meatloaf. You can easily make fresh bread crumbs by cubing up some whole grain, white bread or any bread you like and pulsing it in a food processor or blender. If you don’t want to grind up fresh bread crumbs, the next best thing is to use panko crumbs. If neither of the above float your boat, by all means, use dried bread crumbs.

Soak the bread crumbs in enough milk (skim, whole or anything in between) to saturate them, usually about 1/3 cup. Assemble your ingredients or get your “mise in place,” as the professionals would say. (Literally means something like “put in place,” as in have all ingredients prepped and ready to go.)


Once the vegetables have cooled, place the ground meat in a large bowl.
Add:
1 teaspoon of kosher salt, or to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste
The soaked bread crumbs
2 lightly beaten, room temp eggs
1- 2 Tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
2-3 Tablespoons of catsup
The sautéed vegetables
Mix to completely combine.

Step 4. Form into a loaf in a baking pan or use a loaf pan.


Step 5. Bake for an hour or until done.

Meatloaf is done, in my book, when it reaches an internal temperature of 160-165 degrees based on an instant read thermometer. However, I think, some incredible number such as 180 degree is the officially advocated temperature (once again, follow your own sensibilities). Either way, the center should be firm to the touch.

Roasted Poblano Pork Chops

This is a "south of the border" version of smothered pork chops that I concocted for dinner last night to use up some roasted poblanos that I had on hand. For those who are not familiar, poblanos are dark green peppers that can be found in most US grocery stores, usually nearby jalapeno and serrano chilis. They are flavorful and pretty mild as far as heat goes. They bear no resemblance, in my opinion, to green bell peppers and I would not endorse substituting green bell peppers in this dish.

Poblanos can be roasted in the same manner as a bell pepper. That is, poke a small air hole in the top by stabbing the pepper with the tip of a knife close to the stem. Place on a broiler pan, and char the skin on all sides under an oven broiler. The skins should darken and bubble up. Watch them carefully. Remove from oven and turn with tongs to get them evenly charred. The peppers can also be placed on an outdoor grill to char. I have even used the gas burner on my stove for this operation. Once charred, place the poblanos in a brown paper bag to sweat. When the peppers are cool enough to handle, their peels can be easily removed by hand.

To make the pork chops:

1. Peel, stem and remove the seeds of 2-3 poblanos and slice into strips. Slice one red onion into half moons and chop 2-3 cloves of garlic.

2. Pound the pork chops to about 1/2 inch thickness to tenderize and insure quick, even cooking. It is easiest to place the chop between some plastic wrap when pounding. Season chops liberally with salt.


3. Heat 2-3 tablespoons of canola oil and a splash of olive oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. When oil shimmers but does not quite smoke, add chops. Do not crowd the pan or the chops will steam and not brown up nicely.

4. Allow the chops to brown on one side without moving and then flip and brown the other side. (If by any chance the pork chops stick, that means the oil was not hot enough.)

5. Transfer browned chops to a plate and set aside. If there is an excessive amount of oil in the skillet, remove all but 2-3 tablespoons. Add the sliced onions to the pan and reduce heat so that the onions sizzle but do not burn. Cook the onions stirring occasionally until they are softened and beginning to caramelize, about 5 minutes. Clear a space in the middle of the pan and add the poblano strips and continue to cook until they begin to brown up, about 3 minutes. Once the poblanos begin to brown, add in the chopped garlic and cook for another minute.

6. Sprinkle a heaping tablespoon of floor over the vegetables in the skillet. Stir to incorporate and cook off the floury taste for about 1 minute. Gradually whisk or stir in 1- 1 1/2 cups of chicken stock and bring to a gentle boil to thicken slightly. Add additional chicken stock, as necessary.

7. Return pork chops and any accumulated juices to the pan. Push the chops down into the sauce and adjust heat to a simmer. Once simmering, you may add in a handful of chopped cilantro, if so desired.

8. Continue to simmer the chops for 15-20 minutes or until they are completely cooked and the flavors have incorporated. Do not allow the chops to boil. Taste sauce and add salt and/or pepper, as desired. Plate chops on heated serving platter.

This dish is really good with mashed sweet potatoes, as the sweetness of the potatoes is a good foil for the slight heat of the poblanos. Of course, the sauce would be good on rice too.

Matt Farrell's Potato Leek Soup

Growing up in a Scottish/German household meant being exposed to a variety of culinary delights... most of the time. Brussel sprouts, in my case, being the exception. In many instances, I have kept the recipes as they were taught to me. In other cases, often with regards to root vegetables, I have tried to find ways to perfect them.

Soups were, and continue to be, a source of comfort food in our family. On hand, for you never know when the moment calls for soup, are the basic ingredients to pull together a quick, easy, and delicious soup: onion, potato, carrots, celery, frozen peas, leeks, garlic, chicken stock (or bullion cubes - I prefer Knorr), and cream. It also doesn't hurt to have fennel, chicken or beef, beets, cauliflower, broccoli, assorted root vegetables - just for variation.

The best soup that my father makes is potato leek soup. This is a great soup served piping hot with crusty bread, but is equally delicious served cold on a hot summer day with a dollop of sour cream.

Potato Leek Soup

1. Cut off the tops and bottoms of three leeks (and throw these away), then slice the remaining bases in half, length wise.



2. Chop these up, then rinse underwater in a colander for about a minute. *Leeks can be substituted with one and a half large onions.*



3. In a large pot, begin to saute leeks in 3 tbs butter. Cook for about three minutes, stirring occasionally. Your kitchen will smell amazing.




4. Next, pour in either: a) 12 cups water or b) 12 cups chicken stock. - Here at Mo's house, we like to add water and add chicken bullion to taste.



5. Begin peeling potatoes. We're using 10-12 small golden potatoes, but the type used will change the taste and the consistency of the soup. Golden and butter potatoes tend to make a creamier soup, while russet potatoes will be less so. Also, the more potatoes you use, the thicker the soup will be. Experiment to find your favorites!



6. To make a creamy soup without using cream, add two-three tablespoons of flour to the leek/butter mixture (pre-water or chicken stock) and stir. Here at Mo's house, we love cream. But if you want the taste but don't want the calories... then go ahead and add the flour.

7. Chop the peeled potatoes into cubes. Don't worry about being to precise, as these will be blended in the soup later.



8. Add the potato pieces to the pot, adjusting the heat on the stove to bring the water to a boil.



9. If you used water, add chicken bullion cubes. We put in 5 Knorr cubes (1 cube for 2 cups), but this will depend on the amount of water.


10. Boil for about 15-20 minutes (until the potatoes are soft). Take pot off the stove.

11. Using either a Smart-stick Hand Mixer or a blender, blend the soup until it is smooth.



12. Dish up, drizzle with heavy cream, and serve with salt and pepper to taste.



13. Enjoy!

Love, Mo

A Shout Out to the Brussels Sprout

As a general rule, my friend Mo and I agree on how we feel about food, that is to say, we like it. However, there is one notable exception to our otherwise perfectly aligned palates and that is the brussels sprout. Sadly, Mo is not the only person to hold this venerable vegetable in low esteem. Many people are sproutaphobes and, it is my opinion, that this stems from the fact that they have never had them properly prepared. It is my mission here to rectify this situation.
In pursuit of my mission, I will first impart a few "does and don'ts" to observe when selecting and preparing this vegetable.
First, don't use frozen brussels sprouts. Just don't do it.
Second, do select fresh sprouts that are on the smallish side and a nice green color. Generally speaking, the smaller the sweeter. Drab green sprouts may have been on the shelf too long.
Third, do not over cook brussel sprouts. They get mushy and can start to emit a rather strong odor. Who likes mushy, stinky food?
Fourth, do give them a little squeeze at the store. They should be firm.

Armed with the above information, anyone should be able to select and prepare wonderful brussels sprout dishes of all sorts. Besides being delicious, they are just so darn cute.



Brussels sprouts are versitile and can be made in millions of ways. The following is a common brussels sprouts saute treatment that I enjoy. Hope you do too!!!

First, as with any vegetable saute dishes worth eating, chop up a couple of cloves of garlic (or as many as you like).

Wash about a pound of sprouts and remove any outer bruised leaves.



Cut off the bottom part of the stem that is tough or discolored and slice in half lengthwise.


Steam the sprouts for a couple of minutes. This is not intended to cook them. They should remain firm.


Throughly drain the steamed veggies and allow to dry on a paper towel for a minute or two.





Heat about 2-3 T of olive oil and a nob of butter (or as much as you like) in a roomy saute pan on medium high until it is "good 'n hot," as my Mom used to say (but not smoking).



Place sprouts in pan, sliced side down. Remember, a crowded pan inhibits browning and the objective of this exercise it to create a nice, dark crust.



Sprinkle with about 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and about a teaspoon of brown sugar (or as much as you like of either). The balsamic should sizzle but not smoke. If the pan seems too hot, lift it off the burner for a sec, turn the heat down a bit (not too much) and then return it to the heat. After the sprouts have cooked undisturbed for a minute or so, sprinkle in the chopped garlic and cook until you smell it, about 30 seconds. Flip a couple of the sprouts to see if they are a deep, dark brown. If so, stir the pan generally and allow the vegetable to cook for a couple of minutes more or until crisp, tender and delicious.


Give it a try, what can it hurt? If you like those, wait 'til you taste shredded brussel sprout stir fry. MMMMMMMMMM.

-- Jo

Pasta Miss Joselle

A few years ago, Jo and her husband John, myself and my family were all living in Moscow, Russia. Jo was getting ready to celebrate a special birthday, but had no real plans (as her husband was going to be away). We were heading to Tuscany, Italy, for a week long vacation in a villa that we had rented. After a bit of convincing, Jo agreed to join us. Lucky for us for after 2 days in Italy, my husband Paul was also called back to work. That left Jo, Mo, and three kids to take on Tuscany. We explored Florence and neighboring towns, wineries, open markets, churches, shops, etc. One evening, we decided to eat in. We didn't have much in the way of supplies but managed to come up with a bottle of fresh olive oil produced by the owners of the villa, garlic, a can of anchovies, and fresh rosemary from a bush out front. This is the dish that Jo made for us that evening and that we have been eating at least once a week since that time...


This easy dinner has become a family favorite here at Mo's house!

Pasta Miss Joselle (4-5 Servings)

• 1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil (E.V.O.O.)
• 5-6 cloves garlic
• 1 sprig of Rosemary (optional)
  
• 1 two ounce can Anchovies (fillets packed in Olive Oil)
  
• 1 box Linguine pasta (or any other kind of noodles you have laying around the house!)
  

1. Begin heating water in a large pot, adding the noodles once the water reaches a boil.

2. Finely chop 5-6 cloves of garlic.

3. Begin heating about half a cup of E.V.O.O. -- give or take -- (by sight, dont worry about being too exact!) on medium heat.


3. Finely chop a small handful of rosemary sprigs -- use as much or as little as you like (our family is crazy about fresh herbs, so we tend to use more rather than less).
4. Open a 2 ounce can of anchovies (fillets in pure olive oil) and finely chop. We put our anchovies into a small bowl -- it makes it easier to slice them up! Anchovies may not sound (or look) like the most appetizing addition to a pasta, but I promise they add a delicious salty dimension to the meal. Maybe just don't tell any picky eaters that they're in the pasta...


5. After the E.V.O.O. is heated, add the garlic and cook until golden brown. Be careful not to burn it!Mmmm... look at that crispy, golden garlic.


6. When the garlic is a nice golden color, add the anchovies and rosemary. Cook for several minutes -- the anchovies should dissolve into the olive oil.


7. Pour your sauce over freshly drained noodles -- serve with ground black pepper and lots of freshly grated Parmesan cheese! If you have some fresh parsley, throw that on too!

We always eat this pasta with a leafy-green salad and crusty french bread. Yum.

Enjoy!

Love, Mo

Tamale Feast!

I was talking to neighbor from Mexico City about tamales yesterday morning as we were shoveling our driveways. Next thing I know, she came over and gave me some of her homemade chicken and pork tamales. It is a tradition to have tamales at Christmastime in Mexico, a tradition which carried over to my native Texas.

As a result, we had a delicious tamale feast last night, which I complemented with tacos made from leftover chicken that I cut up and stewed in some chipotle chilis in adobe and a teeny bit each of chicken stock and bbq sauce. Then I charred corn tortillas on my gas burner and topped the tacos with roasted poblano chili strips ("rajas"), a Mexican queso fresco, sour cream (always drain the watery stuff of the sour cream), chopped cilantro, razor-thin, chopped cabbage (very Mexican), and chopped red onions. To round out the meal, I spiked up some canned black beans. That is, I drained them of their canning liquid and replaced that with a bit of chicken stock then added cumin, oregano, garlic powder and the stems from the chopped cilantro. All in all it was a delicious dinner, thanks to the inspiration of my lovely neighbor, Adriana.

-- Jo

Blackeyed Pea Soup!

Happy New Year Mo! Did you know that I love blackeyed peas? My mother grew them in her garden in Texas and we spent many happy hours watching TV and shelling peas. Mom always picked the pods when they were young and the peas were still green. We ate them in the late summer and put them up in the freezer for the winter. If you have never had fresh blackeyed peas, it might come as a surprise that they are actually green. The frozen, dried or canned ones sold in most grocery stores are a sort of a pale, beigy color. Moreover, flavor-wise, they are a pale imitation of the fresh, home-grown variety of my youth. Nonetheless, it is a must to eat blackeyed peas at the beginning of each New Year for good luck and, as I have no better option, I use the grocery store, frozen ones. They can be doctored-up into a fairly good side dish such as Hoppin' John. This year, I improvised a soup which was quite tasty, the recipe for which follows so that, in the event you have not had your good luck blackeyed peas yet, you can give these a whirl. (Now, I know many people are not fond of blackeyed peas. In fact, I recall a children's song with the lyric "I'd rather eat boogers than blackeyed peas." Obviously, whoever wrote that song never had fresh blackeyed peas.) So without further adieu:

Blackeyed Pea Soup

• One bag of frozen blackeyed peas
• 1 cup of water
• 1 cup of chicken or vegetable stock
• 1/2 cup cubed, smoked ham (or as much as you like, a nice Kielbasa would also work)
• 1 tsp salt
• tons of fresh ground pepper
• chipotle flavored Tabasco sauce (as much as you like)
• 1 T cumin
• 1 t dried oregano
• 3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups of cooked broccoli rabe (I used some I had leftover from another meal)
• Olive oil for sauteing garlic

Bring water and broth to a boil and add peas. Bring back to a boil then lower heat and simmer, adding ham, salt, pepper, tobasco and other dry spices. Cook until tender, which takes about 20 minutes or so. Meanwhile, chop up and parboil the broccoli rabe until firm-tender, drain and dry off a bit. Heat 2-3 T of olive oil in separate saute pan and saute garlic for about 30 seconds, add broccoli rabe until tender but not mushy and add some salt and pepper. Use some of the liquid used to parboil the broccoli rabe, if necessary to keep it moist while sauteing.
Combine the tender broccoli rabe with the blackeyed peas and simmer for 10 minutes or so to marry the flavors. Adjust seasoning and add more hot sauce, if you like. Good with a little splash of apple cider vinegar. Better the next day. Good luck in the New Year!!

-Jo

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