Pork and Kidney Bean Soup, February 3, 2016

Jeannene was dreading the meal on the day I made a kind of funky sounding pork and kidney bean soup. It seemed like it should be pretty tasty, but we both ended up thinking it was pretty meh. I think part of the problem for me was the texture---the pork and kidney beans and everything ended up puréed, which seemed weird to me. The flavor was not bad, but it wasn't good enough that I would bother sharing it with y'all. However, the gorgeous crudités with pomegranate arils and the grapefruit in rosemary syrup were both splendid! Jeannene doesn't like grapefruit one tiny bit, though, so she basically only liked the veggies. Ah, well, at least she liked those.

To make the veggie platter, I simple arranged some of our favorites on a platter---sugar snap peas, snow peas, baby carrots, green pepper, orange pepper, cucumber slices, radishes. Then, I drizzled them with good olive oil, scattered pomegranate arils across the whole thing, and sprinkled it all with a little Maldon salt. Delicious and completely gorgeous!

Grapefruit with Honey Rosemary Syrup

1/2 c. sugar

1/4 c. water

3 tbsp. honey

3 sprigs rosemary

3 grapefruit (I used a mix of pink and white)

Bring everything but the grapefruit to a boil over medium heat and simmer 5 minutes. Cool completely and discard rosemary sprigs. Section the grapefruit, pour the syrup over it, and chill. Serves 4 or so. 

Salmon Cakes & Scones

Tonight, I'd planned to make chile verde for supper, but by the time I got home, it was too late for a dish that takes 2 hours of cooking. So, it was on to salmon cakes, which are quick, easy, and scrumptious! The Rachael Ray recipe upon which I based my version calls for putting the salmon cakes on the salad, but I thought it would be better with the salad as a side. I also didn't bother buying the various pieces of the green salad base, instead picking up an organic spring mix salad. It worked nicely, cut prep time, and cost a lot less than buying 4 different kinds of greens. It's also a lot less wasteful for our 2-person household. The recommended accompaniment was rosemary & ham scones, which I made just like the recipe told me to make them, aside from switching biscuit mix brands because the store didn't have Jiffy. I am not much of an improviser when it comes to baking. They are truly stellar. I found the recipes in Rachael Ray's Around the Clock Cookbook, which has a bunch of other great dinners in it. A side of a favorite summer fruit (I am pretty mad for stone fruits & cherries) is a good dessert.

Salmon Cakes

1 can salmon (I get skeeved out by the little backbone thingie & the skin and remove it, but you don't have to)

1 egg white

A heaping 1/8th cup of Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs (the dry sort---and if you don't have seasoned ones, you can also toss in a smidge of oregano & basil, instead)

1 heaping tsp. seasoned salt (the original recipe calls for Old Bay---mine had gone rock hard)

A few drops of hot sauce

1-2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley (Italian or flat-leaf is my preference here)

A good grinding of black pepper

1 tbsp. oil

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Mix everything but the oil together well. Heat oil in cast-iron skillet on medium heat. Form salmon into 2 patties and cook a minute or two on each side, to brown. Pop the skillet into the oven to bake about 8 more minutes. Serves 2.

Green Salad with Orange and Red Onion

1 bag/container spring salad mix

1 orange, peeled & chopped (if you're making the scones, zest the orange first)

1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

3 tbsp. red wine vinegar

1 tbsp. grapefruit balsamic vinaigrette (you can leave this out---I had it on hand)

1/4 c. good quality, extra-virgin olive oil (I look for "first cold press" on the bottle)

Salt & pepper

Mix the greens with the orange and onion. Whisk the oil into the vinegar. Dress and toss salad.

Season. Serves 4-6.

Rosemary & Ham Scones

1 package buttermilk biscuit mix (the size that makes 4 or 5 large or 7 or 8 small biscuits. I used Bisquick)

3 tbsp. finely-chopped fresh rosemary

1/2 c. heavy cream

A pinch of salt

2 oz. diced ham (I buy the pre-diced sort and use the rest of the package in eggs, quiche, or what-have-you later in the week)

Zest of 1 orange (she actually directs you to use 1 tbsp)

A little sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix everything but sugar. Make 4 large or 8 small mounds of pressed-together dough on an ungreased baking sheet. Sprinkle with sugar and bake 10-12 minutes for large scones or 7-8 minutes for small ones. I was tempted, by the way, to omit the sugar & wasn't at all sure how I felt about the orange zest. They really made for a lovely contrast and I highly recommend them, even if you generally don't favor sweet with meat. I am looking forward to having a second one with a piece of fruit for breakfast!