Split Pea Soup with Ham

I'm a bit of a soup junkie, as I've said before.  Nothing better than a bowl of homemade soup with quality ingredients.  They're easy, inexpensive and you can stretch them.  Triple threat. 
I cooked a ham for Thanksgiving...I know, not traditional but it was one of 3 dinners we were having and I just couldn't do turkey 3 days in a row.  Anyhow, a bone in ham was on the menu and gosh dang, it was tasty.  Of course we were left over with heaps of the stuff and I needed a plan, stat.  Of course, there is the ham bone and that is essential in this recipe.  You can use a leftover bone or buy one but it has to be a smoked ham hock.  Do not, I repeat, do not buy a plain old ham hock.  Zero flavour comes off of it.  I have made this mistake before and was thoroughly disappointed...and hungry when all was said and done.
This soup will stick to your bones, fill you full of fibre, vitamins and protein.  It's tasty and it's classic.  Exactly the way it should be.

Split Pea Soup with Ham

Serves 4-6

1 tbsp olive oil
1 Leftover Ham Bone or smoked ham hock, cleaned of any fat
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup carrots, small dice
1 rib of celery, small dice
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cups of split peas
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
3 cups water
1 bay leaf
1 cup chopped leftover ham
Salt & Pepper to taste

In a large pot or dutch oven, heat the oil over med heat.  Add the ham bone and vegetables to the pot and saute for 5 minutes.  Add the split peas, broth, water and bay leaf and bring to a simmer.  Place a lid on the pot and simmer for about 1 3/4 hours over low heat.  Remove the ham bone and bay leaf.  If you like a chunkier soup, leave it.  If you like a smoother soup, let the soup cool slightly and then with a hand blender, blend until the consistency you like.  Add the leftover ham and heat through.  Check for salt and pepper. 

Pasta with Roasted Butternut Squash and Sausage

I've had a squash sitting on my counter for a week and a half with every intention of making soup ....didn't happen.  Kind of lost my craving for it.  Lost my groove if you will.  Anyhow, I was faced with daily dinner dilemma and how to use the squash that had been staring at me, begging for me to cook it.  Behold my latest recipe.  It's a simple yet tasty dish.
I had to roast the squash because it just makes things tastier, prettier and texturally appealing.  **While the oven was pre-heating, I threw the baking sheet in for a few minutes to heat. I then removed it and proceeded as usual with the squash. Don't forget the sheet is hot! This helps the squash from sticking when you go to toss them half way through cooking.  

See, it's just a simple dish with nice flavours....an Autumn pasta if you will....and you will.

Pasta with Roasted Butternut Squash and Sausage

Serves 4

3 cups Butternut Squash, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 tbsp olive oil
4-5 Italian sausages
1 lb pasta
2-3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup either white wine or chicken broth
Pecorino Cheese
*Fried Sage Leaves (optional)
*Chili Flakes

Pre-heat the oven to 450 F.  **Follow the tip above.  Toss the squash with 1 tbsp of the olive oil and some salt and pepper.  Roast for about 20-25 minutes, tossing halfway through.  Meanwhile, cook the pasta until el dente, reserving a cup of pasta water.  Heat a skillet to med high.  Add the other tbsp of olive oil to the skillet.  Remove the sausage from the casing and cook breaking up into small pieces, about 5-6 minutes.  When the sausage is almost done, throw in the garlic, cooking for another 3 minutes or until the sausage gets some golden colour.  Pour in the wine or broth to deglaze.  Add the squash to the sausage to combine and add to the pasta.  Toss with a little of the pasta water to loosen it up. Add a little grated cheese and toss. Check the seasoning and serve with more cheese and fried Sage leaves and chili if using.  Serve immediately.
* If you like Sage, heat  a little olive oil in a pan and toss in a few whole leaves.  Fry until the sage is crispy.  Crumble over the pasta.  Likewise, the addition of  a few chili flakes, assuming you didn't use spicy sausage, is also nice as a garnish.

Steak with Gorgonzola Cream

With the cooler weather comes the need, or want for food that is a little richer, a little bolder and frickin' lip smacking.  I tend to behave during the week and indulge a little more on weekends because life is too short not too....that's my excuse anyhow.
I wanted steak.  Nothing new there.  Beef is good.  We just bought some local beef and it makes me happy.  I decided to use a lean flank steak so there wasn't a battle between the fat from the meat and fat from the cream.  It's got good beefy flavour too.  Although I couldn't just leave it alone and decided it needed a touch of blue.... a wee whisper if you will.  The Gorgonzola cream sauce was born...it was and is a beautiful thing.  I won't lie to you, it's not low in calories or fat.  It's rich, delicious, smooth, creamy, delightful....you catch my drift?  Don't worry about what's in it.  Live a little and let your taste buds sing...tra la la la la...too much?.  Crack a bottle of red and you won't be sorry, you'll be happy.  Really happy.

 

 

 

Ohhhhhh yeah.....

Steak with Gorgonzola Cream

Makes a little over 1/2 cup sauce

Steak (I used flank for it's lean qualities - tenderloin would also be good)

1 cup whipping cream (Do Not use anything else or it will curdle)
1 1/2 oz Gorgonzola
Salt & Pepper
1 tbsp parsley, finely chopped

Season the steak with salt and pepper. Cook the steak to your preference but if using a flank (slice on the bias against the grain) or tenderloin, do not cook past medium rare.  I cooked mine in a hot cast iron pan but you could grill it.  Set aside to rest and keep it warm by tenting with foil.
Meanwhile, pour the cream into a saucepan and bring to a low boil over medium high heat.  Cook until the cream reduces by half and thickens, about 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove from the heat and put in the cheese.  Taste for seasoning.  Add parsley.  Can be made an hour ahead and slowly re-heated.

Roasted Beets and Feta

You either like beets, or you hate em'.....obviously I love them.  Wicked good and dirt cheap right now.
I had some simple and scrumptious beets the other night at my cousins house and it reminded me about what I was missing.  My husband couldn't stop talking about them so I jaunted out and bought a 5lb bag for $1.59.  C'mon, how flippin' cheap is that?!
Anyhow, wanted to try something a little different and this is what I came up with.  I figured beets are amazing with goat cheese, why not Feta.  Way too easy and super tasty.  I won't give you exact measurements because this recipe really doesn't need them.  Use what you want.  Enjoy.

Roasted Beets with Feta

Beets, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
Salt & Pepper
Olive Oil
Lemon
Feta Cheese
Garlic, finely chopped
Parsley, finely chopped (optional)

Pre-heat the oven to 440F.  Toss the cubed beets with a little olive oil and a little salt & pepper.  Place in a baking dish.  Roast for between 45minutes and an hour or until tender, tossing at least once and throwing  the garlic in last 15 min.  When the beets are cooked, transfer them to a dish, squeeze a little fresh lemon on top and sprinkle with feta cheese and parsley if using.