Potato "Ships"

These are a real treat.  I made them for special occasions as the kids were growing up.

Ingredients:
4 large potatoes (I use Russets)
1/2 cup butter (yes, that much!)
2 green onions, finely chopped

Method:
Scrub potatoes, leaving on the skins.
Cut each potato crosswise into about 3/16 slices, making sure you don't cut through the bottom of the potato so they keep their shape intact.
Put them in a buttered loaf pan or other adequate baking pan, slices up.
Melt the butter and add the green onions.
Pour over the potatoes.
Bake at 425*, uncovered, for an hour.
Reduce heat to 375* and bake 30 minutes longer or until tender and crispy.

These go really fast.  You might want to make a double batch!

This recipe originally came from Sunset's Ideas for Cooking Vegetables.

Chili

Great on a fall or winter evening!

Ingredients:

2 pounds ground beef
2 onions, chopped
2 Tablespoons butter
12 cups already cooked kidney beans (About 3/4 of a batch)
2- 28 ounce jars tomato puree, or puree whole tomatoes in a food processor. (I use Bionaturae)
2 - 15 ounce cans tomatoes and chilis, pureed (I use Trader Joe's)
About 2 quarts chicken or beef broth

Herbs and Spices:
6 cloves of garlic, minced
2 teaspoons cumin powder
2 Tablespoons dried oregano
2 Tablespoons dried basil
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Brown the ground beef and add to a large stock pot.
Sautee the onions in butter until soft and add to the pot.
Add tomatoes, tomatoes and chilis, broth and kidney beans to the pot.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat and add the herbs and spices.
Simmer for about 45 minutes to blend flavors.

I serve this with cornbread.

Awesome Black Beans

I love black beans, and when I found the basis for this recipe, I was really happy.  It's so easy and they are so good.  They'll give Chipotle a run for their money!


5 cups organic black beans, soaked for 24 hours with 2 Tablespoons raw apple cider vinegar and enough water to cover by 3 inches.

1 medium sweet onion or 5-6 green oninons
Several cloves of garlic
A bunch of cilantro
Salt to taste

Drain beans and rinse well.

Put them in a stock pot and add enough water to cover them by about an inch.
Bring them to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer.

Meanwhile, chop up a sweet onion and saute it in butter until carmelized.
Or, if you have trouble with bulb onions, use 5 or 6 green onions, sliced up, and just throw them in the pot without cooking them first.

Mince the garlic and toss that in the pot, too.

Chop the cilantro and add half of it to the pot.

Simmer the beans, etc. until the beans are tender and most of the water is absorbed.  If they get too dry, add a little more water.  When they are done cooking, you want the mix to be loose, but not watery.

At the end of the cooking, add the rest of the cilantro and salt to taste.  Don't add the salt until the end of cooking, or the beans will be tough.

I serve these over rice with salsa, cheese, sour cream, etc.

Roast Bottom or Top Round of Beef

Once again, my clay pot is my roasting tool of choice.

Beef top or bottom round roast, 3-4 pounds
2 medium onions, sliced
6 cloves of garlic, sliced
Salt and pepper
2 T chopped fresh rosemary
2 cups water, or combination of red wine and water

Soak the clay pot.

Put the onions in the bottom of the clay pot.

Rub the roast with salt and pepper.  Place the roast on top of the onions.

Sprinkle with garlic and rosemary

Pour in the water/wine around the roast, not washing the spices and garlic off the meat.

Roast in a 350* oven for 2 1/2 hours.