What's 4 Dinner, by Marie: April 2020

Great Northern Bean Soup

What a great thing to have simmering on the stove all day when it's cold outside!

Ham hocks

Great Northern Beans, 2lb. dry beans

3/4 lb. carrots

One large onion

1 cut chopped celery

Pepper

Chicken bouillon or salt

I thought I'd already typed this recipe in, so I didn't take pictures right from the start. But it's been so simple, really. This is an all day recipe. You can't rush dried beans. I started this at 10:30AM.

I found my biggest pot, maybe 8 quarts. I emptied a 2lb. bag of great northern beans into the pot and looked through to make sure there weren't any stones and I removed the odd looking beans. Anything that looks like it wasn't a good bean to start with.

I bought two packages of smoked ham hocks and tossed them in there. There were five smallish ones. Large ones, you'll need less; small ones, more... I poured in water to fill the pot.

Put the pot on to simmer. I put a lid on at a slant, with just a sliver of open pot. It keeps it from boiling over. The only thing I added to the beans, ham hocks and water was a good sprinkling of pepper. Nothing more. As time goes on, and water evaporates, add water to keep the pot full. Stir the pot every once in a while. I check it about once an hour.

It's about 4:30 now. The beans are tender, the broth tastes deliciously of ham. I will pull the ham hocks out now, strip off the meat and return the meat to the pot. Fatty skin and bones hit the trash can. After skimming off the obvious fat on the broth, I will add fresh veggies; celery, onions, carrots. A hint I garnered from a dear friend, if you like the flavor of Campbell's bean soup, add a good squirt (1/4 cup?) of ketchup to the nearly done soup. It adds that pinkish color and a sweetness. I really don't care so much for that. I thought I'd throw it out there for anyone that might be interested. I'll be back a little later with some pictures.

Boy, the house smells good!

Simmer ham hocks and beans in water all day.

Remove ham hocks from broth.

After removing ham hocks, add celery,

Carrots,

And onions. Allow to simmer further for another hour or so until everything is tender. After removing meat from ham hocks, add that back in, as well.

Before serving adjust salt and pepper. I add pepper, but for salt, I add bouillon cubes instead of salt.

Before serving adjust salt and pepper. I add pepper, but for salt, I prefer to add bouillon instead of salt.

Serve with hot bread or cornbread. Yum! Delicious cold weather meal!

Kimchi (Korean Spicy Pickled Cabbage) YUM!

This takes a few days, but it is worth the wait! Kimchi has been a favorite since college when we found our first Korean grocery and restaurant!

This is Saturday Afternoon. I did not get a chance to try it last night. Remember, I have this outside. It was pouring rain...

So, just now when I checked it, I notice the distinct smell rising from the container as I unwrap. Now, I don't mean an "odor". It's a good smell! Kind of like how you can tell a cucumber from a pickle by the smell.

I've opened it up and stirred it. And taste... Oh, finally!! The bite, and the tingle in the throat, from the heat of the peppers. It's come SO far in the last 30 hours. It's lost the sweet and gained the heat. I bet tomorrow will be the perfect day..... :D

I started this Monday evening... It's now Saturday afternoon. So, if it's perfect tomorrow, that will be six days. I bet Monday, it'll be even better. Let's call it an even week.

********************************

1 Large head of Nappa Cabbage
Salt
4 green onions
large garlic clove
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger root
~1/2 cup crushed red pepper
~1/2 cup ground cayenne pepper
***************************
Cut cabbage up into 1-inch squares. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup salt, mix well and let sit until it starts to wilt noticeably. I gave it about 15 minutes after I started mixing it actively.

After it wilts, rinse, at least three times. Taste a nice crunchy piece. You should taste salt, but not be overwhelmed by it.

Mix with all the other ingredients, and an additional 2 tablespoons of salt. Add enough water to cover cabbage. Cover container and let stand for about a week.

Taste mixture each day. When it has become spicy and acidic, it's done! Cover well and refrigerate. It should keep at least two weeks, if you don't eat it all right away!

Napa Cabbage, salt and some yummy additions.

Cut the cabbage into bite sized pieces.

one inch squares, roughly

Chop, chop, chop

maybe a little big...

Add salt to cut pieces.

Keep chopping.

Very full container. This is a 33 cup Rubbermaid container.

Too messy.. see the salt all over the stove? I need a better place to mix freely.

OK, a clean sink will do the trick!

Plenty of space! :)

After mixing for about 15 minutes, you can see how it's wilting.

Rinse well, three times.

Very nicely wilted.

Rinse, rinse

Soak and rinse some more.

Mix-ins.... green onion, garlic, ginger, salt, crushed red pepper

See how it's wilted and takes up less than half the space that it did before?

Add in the vegetables.

2 Tablespoons salt

Crushed red pepper, 1/4 cup (it may not be enough), I'll let you know if we need more. Here I suggest 1/4 cup crushed red pepper flakes and 1/4 cup ground red pepper (cayenne)

Mix well.

Add enough water to cover. I used 5 cups.

Just enough to cover...

It needs to be covered, but not tightly with a fitting lid. It will ferment a bit and it may pop the lid off. I used plastic wrap and then foil.

Foil over the plastic. Do not use foil alone. The salt will eat through foil... Chemistry and all that stuff...

You are supposed to be able to age this on a counter, but I prefer cooled. Do I have room for this container in my fridge? Not on your life!! It's going to be 33 degrees tonight. It's outside on the deck table. :) I'll give you a daily update as it matures. Stay tuned...

After 24 hours.... Not spicy enough. I added a couple Tablespoons of ground cayenne pepper.

The juice is looking nice and spicy, but the cabbage itself is still too sweet. I'm going to add more ground cayenne pepper. Maybe another 2 tablespoons.

Yes, I mix it with my hands..... They really are the BEST tools we have!

Sprinkled cayenne all around.

OK, all mixed in. We'll come back again tomorrow night and taste it again... I will adjust the recipe above to reflect the added pepper I've added.

Thursday night. Still can taste the underlying sweetness of the cabbage.

This is Saturday Afternoon. I did not get a chance to try it last night. Remember, I have this outside. It was pouring rain... So, just now when I checked it, I notice the distinct smell rising from the container as I unwrap. Now, I don't mean an "odor". It's a good smell! Kind of like how you can tell a cucumber from a pickle by the smell. I've opened it up and stirred it. And taste... Oh, finally!! The bite, and the tingle in the throat, from the heat of the peppers. It's come SO far in the last 30 hours. It's lost the sweet and gained the heat. I bet tomorrow will be the perfect day..... :D I started this Monday evening... It's now Saturday afternoon. So, if it's perfect tomorrow, that will be six days. I bet Monday, it'll be even better. Let's call it an even week.

Fresh Chicken Quesadillas on Home Made Tortillas

An EXCELLENT choice to use for the home made tortillas recipe! :)

http://whats4dinnerbymarie.blogspot.com/2020/04/homemade-tortillas.html

1 10oz. can tomatoes with peppers (like Rotel), drained, reserve liquid

1 lb. queso cheese with chilies (like Velveeta)

1/2 cup thinly sliced green onion

4 cups cooked chicken (leftover chicken is great, or boil fresh)

***********

6-8 tortillas for filling with mixture

Add-ins: Guacamole, sour cream, sliced black olives, refried beans, etc.

************************************************************

This is really SO simple.

For the filling:

In a large frying pan, add in ingredients, in order, stirring as you go.

P.S. if you are using leftover chicken, sprinkle with reserved tomato juice if it seems a little dry. If using freshly boiled chicken, as I did, you won't need any extra moisture.

To assemble the quesadillas:

In a frying pan large enough to lay a tortilla flat, lay one tortilla, allow to warm. Scoop about 1/2 cup of filing mixture onto 1/2 of the tortilla. Fold the other side of the tortilla over, allow to sit for a moment to stick well and lift to plate.

I cut into wedges, but even if you leave them whole, you will be eating with knife and fork. They are soft and quite full. Not exactly finger food. :)

P.S. I mention the name brands above, but I actually use store brands. I will let you know if I find a store brand item I don't care for. So far, the only thing I wouldn't repurchase is store brand tomato soup. I've been very pleased with everything else. Saving money is a good idea for everyone!

Delicious!!

I don't have any leftover chicken, so I'm cooking fresh chicken. Just simmer in water while preparing everything else. P.S. I'll save the boiling water and make soup later!