CAJUN CABBAGE ROLLS 

BY BARBARA TOMER WINTERS

First and foremost I have to tell you I am not a big fan of cabbage.  Nor of tomatoes.  Where I grew up, in Tulsa, there was a large Lebanese community, most of whom were in the men's haberdashery trade or in the restaurant business.  They came from their father's families and did things the way their fathers did them.  There were several popular steak houses which served cabbage rolls and delicious steaks accompanied by a wedge lettuce salad, slathered in Thousand Island dressing.  None of those things were a favorite of mine, so I didn't frequent Eddy's, Freddy's or Jamil's; the better known of the family steak houses.

I have never cared for the acrid smell of cabbage, nor the flavor.  The taste of cabbage rolls cooked in lightly seasoned tomato sauce didn't appeal to me, so I left them alone.  Until now.

I came across a recipe for cabbage rolls, with the instructions for making them, and I wondered if I could do something delicious with the basics.  There were Middle Eastern style cabbage rolls with the mix of Middle Eastern spices that are unusual to us, but different and interesting.  There are Italian style cabbage rolls made with a jar of spaghetti sauce and more exceptable to American palates.  Then I saw a recipe for Cajun Cabbage Rolls.  I love cajun food.  Since moving to south Texas I have been trying some spicy Cajun and Creole dishes which are wonderful.  While I was making this mixture I kept thinking of things that would keep it simple, and what you read here is the result.  It was delicious. The cabbage was a little crunchy still, and the addition of chicken stock kept the tomato from being an overwhelming flavor.  Yes, there is a commercial add in of dirty rice mix, which already has the seasonings and rice in it.  But it just makes things easier, and more delicious.  I hope you enjoy this.

CAJUN CABBAGE ROLLS

1 head cabbage

1 lb lean ground beef

12 oz. package boudin sausage

1/2 cup chopped green onion

2 stalks celery, chopped

1/2 bell pepper, chopped

1 package dirty rice mix (rice and seasoning), Zatarain's or other brand.

1 8 oz. can of diced tomatoes

1 8 oz. can of tomato sauce

8 oz. chicken stock

Core the head of cabbage and steam in the microwave 10 - 15 minutes until the leaves loosen up.

Remove casing from boudin.  Mix ground beef, boudin, green onion, celery, bell pepper and dirty rice mix, using hands until well incorporated.  Pat down in the bowl into a large patty, and using a small knife divide into wedges until each is very small.

Remove cabbage leaves one at a time, slicing out the tough central core at the bottom, leaving most of the leaf intact.  Cross the split bottom, place one wedge section of meat mixture onto the leaf, and begin rolling, folding in the outside edges and ending with a secure roll at the top of the leaf.  Secure with a toothpick if necessary.

Place  cabbage rolls in a 1 1/2 - 2 qt. covered casserole creating a snug layer on the bottom, and then stacking on top.  Pour tomato sauce and diced tomatoes with juice over the top, then add chicken stock.

Cover the dish with foil and vent with a sharp knife, then cover with the lid.  Bake for 1 hour in a 350F oven.  

(Note for non-onion fans:  I don't think it would make much difference if you left it out.)

LEMONADE :) 

By Barbara Winters

What state are affairs are we in when we go to the supermarket and willingly, without thought,

purchase powdered lemonade flavored drink mix. Sad.  Sad, sad, sad.

The weather, though awfully wet in my sector of the U.S. has turned to spring.  We're enjoying all sorts

of spring and summer food and activities.  People are so careful about their recipes for cookouts and barbecues, and yet,

they buy glorified Kool-Aid (or maybe real Kool-Aid), as a substitute for lemonade.

Anyone remember real lemonade?  You had to juice a lemon.  Or two.  And when it is just the right

combination of sweet and tart, you can't beat the refreshing taste.  It defines summer.

I had my mom's 1942 edition of the Betty Crocker Cook Book, and in it is the best ever lemonade

recipe.  I don't remember my mom ever making it, but I have made it many times.  I passed that cookbook

to my daughter, who learned to  make lemon meringue pie from its recipe.  Fortunately I remembered to write down 

how to make lemonade before it disappeared forever.

The first time my daughter made lemonade she was about eleven.  She had become interested about

what goes on in the kitchen and occasionally surprised us with the product.  (More about this in another post.)

I was busy doing some copy editing upstairs and she was in the kitchen, doing what I didn't know.

Soon she came with a glass of ice and opaquely yellow liquid.  "Mom, here!  I made lemonade!"

I was so proud of her, figuring this out on her own.  I took a deep sip of this lemon concoction and tried

to keep my composure as I had a reaction similar to having sipped chlorine bleach and the enamel on my teeth began slowly

 to dissolve.  "Honey? I finally choked out, "did you have a recipe for this?"  

"No! I figured it out!"  "How much sugar did you add?" I asked.  "Oh, a spoonful."

We learn from our mistakes, I remember my fifth grade teacher, Mrs Stewart telling us.   

She made those horribly embarrassing moments of  adolescence much better for many of us.  It's ok.  

We all do it.  Do better next time.  My daughter was  never daunted by the possibility of error.  She always 

did better next time.

When I had recovered we went downstairs and I had her take a sip herself.  "Oh," she said, wincing the lemon face

wince.  Then I pulled out Mom's cookbook and we went to work. 

Admittedly I don't make lemonade often, but when I do we slurp it up, enjoying the sweet-tart, icy cold goodness

that means summer time.  

Lemonade

5 lemons

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/4 quarts water

Juice the lemons and put aside.

Cut the rind into 1/2 inch slices, pour sugar over, and let sit for one hour.

Boil water; pour over sugar and lemon rinds.  

Cool for 20 minutes.

Stir to dissolve sugar.

Remove rinds, strain reserved juice into the sugar mixture.

Stir well,  put into a pitcher and chill.  Pour over ice.

VENISON CHILI 

By Barbara Winters 

VENISON CHILI 

After I mentioned that we got a backstrap of venison in trade for some of my husband's excellent smoked pork ribs, my house keeper asked if I liked venison.  Well, the conversation went more like this:

Her:  "You like derr?"
Me:  "What?"
Her:  "The derr?  You like the derr meat?"
Me:  "Oh, yes, yes we do.  Especially the sausage."
Her:  "Jose's cousin goes hunting and he brings us the... the derr heep."
Me:  "Mm hmm."
Her:  "Joo know.  The heep."
Me:  "Oh, yeah, the hip, ok, the haunch."
Her:  "Jess.  But two is too much."
Me:  "I'd think so."
Her:  "Joo wan' one?"
Me:  "Ah... Sure, that would be good."

So I got a very solidly frozen package of deer meat and began asking myself what we were going to do with it.

I  texted my husband that we had this and what should we do?  He said, "Stew.  Or chili."

Well chili sounded fascinating.  I began to explore the recipes for venison chili online and they seemed to be the same as beef chili.  I fell back on my absolute favorite chili recipe which I've used for ages.  It calls for 2 lbs. ofstew beef, shredded.  We ended up with 2 1/4 lbs of venison.  My husband gave it a brief time on the smoker for
a little bit of extra flavor first.

2 lbs. lean meat
1/3 cup chili powder
2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon onion flakes
1/2 teaspoon garlic flakes
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
2 tablespoons masa flour (corn flour)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne (optional)
2 cups picante sauce or salsa
2 cups water

Brown the meat and drain off fat.  In a Dutch oven, combine meat, water and salsa.  Bring to a simmer.
Ladle off 1 cup of hot liquid into a bowl and whisk thoroughly with the masa flour.  Slowly stir in to thicken.
Spread the cumin in a small pan and toast it over medium high heat, to bring out the flavor.
Add cumin and other ingredients.  Simmer on low for 1/2 hour to an hour.  Serves 8.
For hotter chili add jalapenos or more cayenne, to taste. Delicious ladled over cornbread.
*This recipe is taken from the pre-prepared mix credited to Carroll Shelby's Real Texas Chili.

'TIS THE SEASON FOR COMFORT FOOD

By Barbara Winters

The tree is down*, the weather is dreary and we're craving a flavor besides ham or turkey.  If the thought of one more cookie or piece of fudge makes you want to throw  up, it's time to move into ... The Comfort Food Zone.

Comfort food is something Mom or Grandma usually made.  It was delicious.  It slid down easily.  If it had any nutritional value that was downplayed to let you enjoy its flavorful goodness.  It mostly made you feel warm inside and loved.

Robb Walsh, food writer and cook book author, once defined patriotism as the memory of foods eaten in childhood.  I cannot disagree with that, and besides I like dropping names. (Pick that up.)  If your family celebrates its heritage then there are most likely delicious things Nana made which made you proud to be a member of the family.

After the holidays it's nice to be able to use up some leftovers, so my comfort food is wild rice soup.  It's creamy and smooth and has good basic ingredients in it.

The first time I made wild rice I had never even heard of it before. Turns out it is technically not rice but some paddy-raised grass grown by Native Americans in Minnesota.  Good for them.  I hate to think of them stuck with making pemmican all winter.

I was given a huge box of wild rice and didn't really read the instructions until the kitchen was completely occupied by Thanksgiving dinner.  It seems that I had to empty the whole box into a soup kettle to accommodate all the water needed, then bring it to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for an hour.  Then, I was to strain it through a sieve into another soup kettle, then put the rice back in the liquid, bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for an hour.  Lather, rinse, repeat. 

The final time I drained it, the husk had opened and the grains were a little fluffy.  It had a nutty flavor. Some people add butter. I learned that if you cooked it in stock it tasted even better.  My effort made up for the fact that my stuffing came out of a box.  Shut up, it was years before anyone noticed.

The good news is that the Reese company now produces wild rice in little managable 4 oz. boxes.  If you left over, make some and add it to the soup.  I think you'll find it a delicious dinner for the cold new year.

   

(*or it should be, you slackers.)

WILD RICE SOUP

1/3 cup wild rice (or 1 cup left over wild rice,

and skip the cup of liquid)

1 cup water or chicken stock

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup onion, chopped

1 cup celery, finely chopped

3/4 cup sliced mushrooms

1 large clove garlic, finely minced

2 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

1/4 cup flour

4 cups milk

1 cup cream

To Prepare Rice:

In a saucepan, bring water to a boil and add rice and salt. Reduce heat and simmer 45 minutes or until tender.

To Prepare Soup:

Melt butter, add onions, celery, and mushrooms, cover and gently cook for 5 minutes until tender. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant.

Stir in 2 teaspoons salt, pepper and flour. Remove from heat and add milk, stirring until flour is well blended.

Return to low heat, cook stirring constantly until soup has thickened. Add cooked rice and simmer a few minutes to blend flavors.

Serve hot, garnish with chopped chives or grated cheese, optional.