Thursday, January 1, 2009

New Year Recipes

January 1, 2009…

I didn’t think I’d ever see this date. It’s amazing to me really. But you can read all about that in my personal blog, Hunting Mosquitoes and Other Flights of Fancy. (Link at left.)

In honor of the New Year, I’d thought I’d share a menu for our typical New Year’s Day dinner. Throughout this blog, please bear in mind that dinner and supper are not interchangeable. Dinner is a more substantial meal than supper. In my house we eat breakfast then supper and then dinner. Sometimes the order changes as I’d rather eat my larger meal in the afternoon, but American lifestyles simply don’t allow for such on a regular basis.

Of course I’ve made a goal for this year in regard to food. We eat organic a good part of the time, but I allow poor food into our diet as well. I’ve decided to become a little more strict on that. No worries though, I’m not giving up my Starbucks! I’m like a junkie on a fix with Starbucks. No way am I getting rid of that!

I hope you enjoy these New Year Recipes; comments are always welcome! I’d love to hear how they turned out for you.

Menu: Pineapple-Orange Ham Slice, black-eyed peas, collard greens.

Ham Slice with Pineapple Orange Sauce
If your family is anything like mine, we’ve done nothing but eat since November. By the time the New Year rolls around I can’t stand the thought of another whole ham. So to get the requisite ham for New Year’s, I use either leftover ham or buy a ham slice, which some call a ham steak.

Ingredients:

1 (2 pound) fully cooked ham steak (about 1 inch thick)
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 (8 ounce) can unsweetened sliced pineapple
1/3 cup orange juice
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon cider or white wine vinegar
Dash ground ginger

Directions:
In a skillet, brown ham in butter. Place in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish. Drain pineapple, reserving juice; set juice aside. Place pineapple over ham; set aside. In a saucepan, combine orange juice, brown sugar, cornstarch, vinegar, ginger and reserved pineapple juice; mix well. Bring to a boil over medium heat; boil and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Pour over ham and pineapple. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes or until ham is heated through.

Serves 4

Black-Eyed Peas with Fennel
There are so many variations for black-eyed peas. This one just happens to be a real hit at my house.

Ingredients:

1 pound dried black-eyed peas
1/4 cup olive oil
3/4 pound finely chopped fennel
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 pound tomatoes, coarsely chopped (or 1 tablespoon tomato paste)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Put the black-eyed peas in a saucepan, cover with water, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a hearty simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Drain.

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan and sauté fennel and onion until limp. Stir in tomatoes or tomato paste and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the beans, salt, pepper and water to cover. Simmer until the water is absorbed and the sauce thickens.

Serves 6 to 8

Southern Collard Greens
Now this recipe is about as Southern as they come. Some Northern households will add about 20 oz. of chicken broth, but that’s nigh onto sacrilege in this house.

Ingredients:

1 bunch collard greens - rinsed, trimmed and chopped
2 smoked ham hocks
Water to cover
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Place the collard greens and ham hocks in a large pot. Cover with water. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer 1 hour.

Serves: In a Northern household 8; in a Southern household 4