Nicaraguan Gallo Pinto

¼ lb black beans, dry
2 T vegetable oil
1 onion
1 green pepper
1 c white rice
2 Roma tomatoes

Soak dry beans for as long as possible (overnight’s the best). Boil for 1-1.5 hours without adding water. Set aside. Dice onion and green pepper and brown in oil for 1-2 minutes. Add rice and brown/toast one minute. Add diced tomatoes and two fingers of water. Simmer until rice is done. Add beans with a little of their “soup”. Mix with rice over heat for one minute. Serves two. !Buen provecho!

Notes: This is the Nicaraguan staple dish. It’s best with real Central American black beans cooked over a wood fire, real Nicaraguan creama (sour cream), and a stack of hot, soft, corn tortillas. But if you can’t do that, it’s also great fried in a substantial amount of oil! It’s sclerotic or nutritious, depending on how you look at it: the tomato is my addition, the Vitamin C in the tomato will help your body make the most of the iron in the beans. Hey, it kept me alive for 2.5 years! Pronounced: GUY-yo PEEN-toe

Fruit Dip

8 oz cream cheese, strawberry flavored
8 oz whipped topping
8 oz marshmallow cream
2 T strawberry preserves

Mix together and serve with fresh fruit.

Deli Bean and Pasta Salad

1 t salt
½ t sugar
¼ t black pepper
2 ½ T red wine vinegar
1 T lemon juice
2 t Worcestershire sauce
1 ½ t Dijon mustard
1 large shallot, peeled and quartered
2 cloves garlic, peeled and mashed
¼ c extra virgin olive oil
¼ c salad oil
1 T parsley, chopped fine
1 T chopped fresh basil, or ½ t dry
16 oz kidney beans, canned, rinsed and drained
16 oz garbanzo beans, canned, rinsed and drained
½ pound pasta
2 cans olives, sliced and drained
3 large roma tomatoes, diced
2/3 c carrot, diced
2/3 c red onion, diced

Combine ingredients through shallot in a measuring cup. Turn on food processor, drop shallots and garlic on. Pour in vinegar mixture, then add the oils slowly. Add the parsley and basil. When well mixed, stop machine. In a large bowl, toss rinsed and drained beans with the dressing and let marinate for at least a few hours. Cook pasta in a large volume of salted water for three to four minutes. When tender, drain well. Toss with the beans and dressing. Stir in half the olives, half the tomatoes, half the red onion, and half the carrots. Place the salad in a serving bowl and garnish with remaining vegetables.

Northeast Pork Roast

3 pounds pork tenderloin
3 apples, cut in wedges
2 onions, quartered
several cloves of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
2 Tbsp Italian seasoning
1 c apple juice, unsweetened
2 Tbsp olive oil

In a pan large enough to hold the roast, place the apples, onion, and garlic. Cover them with the juice and 1 c water, and place the roast on top. Brush the roast with oil, then sprinkle it with Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and pepper. Place in a 350 oven for about an hour, or until the roast comes out done on a meat thermometer. The drippings make a nice, slightly sweet gravy, and the apples and onions make a good side dish.

Lima Bean Soup

1 pound dried lima beans, picked over
3 or 4 chicken bouillon cubes
1 ham hock
8 oz chopped ham
2 cans chopped tomatoes in juice
1 onion
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 T olive oil
Water to cover

Chop the onion fine and sautee it in olive oil until soft. Add garlic and cook another minute or two. Put in a pot with the lima beans. Cover the beans with water, add the bouillon cubes and ham hock. Simmer until the beans are mushy, making sure that the liquid doesn’t boil away. Remove ham hock, flake off any meat, and add meat to the pot. Add chopped ham, the tomatoes, and salt and pepper to taste. Let cool slightly, then puree about half the soup in the blender. Add it back to the pot and mix well to combine the textures. Add a little water if it seems too thick. Serve hot. Keeps several days in the fridge and can be frozen.

Vegetarian variation: Use veggie bouillon instead of chicken. You can either omit the ham/ham hock, or substitute cubed smoked tofu for it. Either way, add a dash of liquid smoke and/or some smoked pimento.

Spaghetti Sauce Special

2 T oil
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb lean ground beef
¾ c green pepper, diced
1 T parsley
½ lb mushrooms
28 oz can crushed Italian tomatoes
8 oz tomato sauce
6 oz tomato paste
½ t pepper
1/8 t cayenne
½ t allspice (do not omit)
½ t oregano
1 t basil
¼ t fennel seed
1 t sugar
1 ½ c shredded cabbage
¼ t crushed chili pepper

Heat oil. Sautee onion and garlic one to two minutes in heavy kettle. Add meat and brown. Add mushrooms and green pepper and cook for two minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in remaining ingredients, cover and cook over low heat for 4+ hours, stirring occasionally. Serve over spaghetti.

Notes: From the Patriot Ledger, 6.24.91. This can also be cooked in a crockpot for four hours instead of on the stove.

Strawberry Pizza

1 c self-rising flour
¼ c powdered sugar
½ c melted butter
8 oz Philadelphia cream cheese
14 oz sweetened condensed milk
1/3 c lemon juice
1 t vanilla
½ c sugar
2 T cornstarch
½ c water
2 pints strawberries, halved
Few drops red food coloring (optional)

Combine flour with powdered sugar, add butter and mix well. Pat dough into a 14” pizza pan and bake at 350 for ten minutes or until light brown. Combine cream cheese, milk, lemon juice, and vanilla. Mix well and spread on cooled crust and chill. Combine sugar and cornstarch in big saucepan and add water, mixing until smooth. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thick, about five minutes. Add strawberries and food coloring. Cool completely, then spread strawberry mixture over cream cheese and crust. Chill; cut into wedges.

Wilted Lettuce

This comes originally from M.L.’s kitchen.

6 slices of bacon
½ c sliced green onion
¼ c vinegar
¼ c water
2 t sugar
½ t salt
8 c leaf lettuce torn into bite-sized pieces
6 radishes, sliced thin
1 hard cooked egg, chopped

In a skillet, cook bacon until crisp. Remove bacon; drain, cool and crumble. Add onions to drippings in skillet; cook over low heat until onion is tender,a bout 3 minutes. Add vinegar, water, sugar, salt, and bacon. Cook and stir until boiling. Place lettuce in large bowl; pour hot dressing over lettuce; toss till well coated. Garnish with radish slices and chopped egg. Note: Salad should not be made ahead and refrigerated.

Unbelievable Cookies

Mom, who has the ability to find good in everything, found this recipe in the Lorain Journal. They’re great!

1 c granulated sugar
1 c peanut butter
1 egg
½ t vanilla

Mix all ingredients. Drop by spoonfuls on an ungreased cookie sheet, and bake at 350 for 10-13 minutes. Yields about 2 dozen.

Classic Corned Beef Dinner

1 corned beef brisket or rump
1 small onion
1 bay leaf
½ t whole cloves
4 peppercorns
2 stalks celery, with leaves
6 large carrots, pared
6 potatoes, pared
1 medium head green cabbage, quartered

Place brisket in a deep kettle, add cold water just to cover. Add onions, bay leaf, cloves, peppercorns, and celery. Cover, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 4 hours or until almost tender. About 45 minutes before meat is done, remove and discard onion and celery. Skim excess fat from liquid. Add potatoes and carrots, simmer 15 minutes, add cabbage quarters and simmer an additional 30 minutes, until all vegetables are tender-crisp. Serves 6.