Yep, it's another cold, rainy, windy day in Indiana.  Hopefully the sun will make sporadic appearances throughout the day.  It had occurred to me that the weather has a lot to do with the food served at our home.  And today I'm thinking that split pea soup should be on the menu for this evening.  Not only because it is super easy, but it is also pretty tasty.  Not to mention, this soup is inexpensive.  As a kid, it wasn't my favorite soup (that honor went to clam chowder), but I did love picking out the chunks of ham that fell from the hocks my mother had added for flavor. Luckily, my children like almost any kind of soup and when the weather is as it is today they say, "Can we make soup?"  And I usually agree.

1 lb. pkg split green peas, rinsed

1 large onion, diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced

2 Qt. cold water

3 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 bay leaves

2 meaty ham hocks

salt and freshly ground pepper


Directions

Place the rinsed split peas to the crock pot with thyme, bay leaves, carrots, onions and ham hock.  Cover the crock and set temperature.  Depending upon your dinner time put the setting on low or high.  Cook on high 4—5 hours or on low 8—10 hours until peas are very soft and meat from hocks are almost falling off the bone.


Remove the thyme, bay leaves and hocks.  Separate meat from the bones, dice if you like and return to the pot.   Give the soup a good stir, mashing some of the peas as you go.  Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with crusty brown bread.  S

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The day is cold and dreary and I would like nothing more than to curl up by a crackling fire with my current new read, Pumpkin Roll a culinary mystery and a steaming mug of hot cocoa.  Alas, this will have to wait till this evening as I have 1,000,000 lines in my To Do list. 
As it is November and Thanksgiving is an American holiday, I am taking this month to again honor New World Foods.  These are the indigenous plant foods of the Americas.  Cacao has been found as far as 4000 years ago in Central America.  So to start, here is my modern recipe for Hot Cocoa.


Hot Cocoa

Ingredients

2 1/2 C fat free milk

2 C fat free half-and-half

8 oz chopped dark chocolate

1 Tbs sugar

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 tsp cinnamon or instant espresso powder (your preference) 

cinnamon sticks, for garnish

Directions

Heat the milk and half-and-half in a medium saucepan on medium low.  Take the pan off the heat and slowly whisk in the chopped chocolate. Make sure the chocolate is completely melted and combined into the milk, then add sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon whisking vigorously to make foamy. Place saucepan back to the stove on low to reheat.  Serve immediately with cinnamon stick. 


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1 tablespoon olive oil

3 pounds stewing beef, such as lean rump pot roast, cut into 2-inch cubes, patted dry

1 carrot, thinly sliced crosswise

1 medium onion, sliced crosswise

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 cups red wine, such as Chianti, Beaujolais, or Cotes du Rhone

3 cups homemade beef stock or canned low-sodium beef stock, plus 1/2 cup

1 tablespoon tomato paste

2 garlic, crushed

1/2 dried thyme, plus 1/4 teaspoon

1 dried bay leaf, crumbled, plus 1/2 bay leaf

4 sprigs fresh parsley, plus more for garnish

1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus 2 tablespoons

1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus 1 tablespoon

24 cipollini or pearl onions, soaked in warm water for 15 minutes, and peeled

1 pound white mushrooms, trimmed and quartered

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 450 degrees, with oven racks set in the middle and lower-third. In a small saucepan, bring 1 1/2 quarts water to a simmer; add bacon and rind, simmering for 10 minutes. Drain; dry bacon and pot. Reserve rind.

2.Heat olive oil in a Dutch-oven over medium heat. Add bacon; cook until lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove bacon; set aside.

3.Increase heat to medium-high; oil should be just below smoking point. Test by placing one piece of beef in pan; it should sizzle immediately. Add beef in small batches and cook until well-browned on all sides. Remove meat, and set aside with bacon.

4.Add carrots and sliced onions; cook until browned. Drain excess; discard.

5.Return beef and bacon to pot; season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Sprinkle in flour, tossing to coat. Transfer pot, uncovered, to middle of oven; bake for 4 minutes. Toss meat and vegetables; bake for 4 minutes more. Transfer pot to stove. Reduce heat to 325 degrees.

6.Over medium-low heat, stir in wine and enough stock to barely cover meat. Add tomato paste, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon thyme, 1 crumbled bay leaf, and bacon rind; bring to a simmer. Cover pot, and transfer to lower-third of oven. Bake, regulating heat so stew simmers, until meat is fork tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

7.Meanwhile, make an herb sachet. In an 8-by-8-inch piece of cheesecloth, combine 4 sprigs parsley, 1/2 bay leaf, 1/4 teaspoon thyme, and tie using kitchen twine. Set aside.

8.In a medium skillet, combine 1 1/2 tablespoons butter and 1 1/2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. When butter is bubbling, add whole onions; saute until browned, about 10 minutes.

9.Add 1/2 cup stock to pan; season with salt and pepper, and add herb sachet. Simmer, covered, until onions are tender and liquid has evaporated, 40 to 50 minutes. Remove herb sachet, and discard. Set aside.

10.Wipe out skillet; place over high heat. Add 2 tablespoons butter and 1 tablespoon oil; butter will begin to foam. As foaming subsides, add mushrooms; saute, stirring often, until lightly browned. Remove from heat; set aside.

11.Pour stew into a sieve set over a large saucepan. Rinse out Dutch-oven. Return beef and bacon to pot; add cooked mushrooms and onions.

12.Skim fat from sauce. Over medium-low heat, bring sauce to a simmer, skimming off additional fat, 1 to 2 minutes. Sauce should be thick enough to lightly coat the back of a spoon. If too thin, bring to a boil and reduce to correct consistency. If too thick, add a few tablespoons of stock. Season with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over meat and vegetables.

13.Bring pot to a simmer, covered, over medium heat, basting meat and vegetables with sauce, 2 to 3 minutes. Garnish with parsley; serve immediately.

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I'm sure you've been here before: You go to dinner with this new fantastic guy, peruse through the menu, which is taking forever to decide upon what you really want to eat. You are starving due to the fact that you have barely eaten all day in the hopes that the fantastic little number you chose to wear will look as fabulous on you as it did the miniscule manikin in the store window. This was my predicament last night. Only after ordering what I thought would be a nice ground sirloin on ciabatta, came out as this monstrosity of ground meat topped with an even larger onion ring, smothered in something they call mofo mustard, complete with lettuce, tomato, pickles and to complete my overflowing plate, waffle fries. A true Midwest serving of grease with a heaping pile of fat on the side. What did he order? A salad with Italian dressing and a Peroni beer. Yes, can you say role reversal? It actually ended up being a very funny bit of conversation and even though I was hungry to the point of actually gnawing off my arm, due my slightly nervous state, I only ate about a fourth of the sandwich and maybe 5 fries. However, not even on a good day with close friends, could I or would I ever consume the ginormous pile of meat, bread and fried starch which was my meal. Next time I'll stick to soup and salad.