Great recipes for not so great times
Regina Murphy
Originally published 02:23 p.m., March 12, 2008
Updated 02:23 p.m., March 12, 2008
The economic news hasn’t been all that great lately, and most of us are starting to tighten our belts.
One way to save money is to review what you do with your food budget.
This is from Vickie Vaughn. She says, “In answer to your request for menus that stretch the dollar, here is what I had for supper last night, and will have again tonight. The smoked turkey wings are healthier than ham hocks, and even meatier. I find those at Wal-Mart. A crusty French bread goes well with this. I've also used corn bread, which makes it even more economical.
“My mother used to cut cabbage into wedges and let it steam atop the soup towards the end. I prefer to use chopped cabbage instead. The chili flakes are a definite ‘yes’ in my household, but for those who don't like the heat, just have it on the table. I am from Hawaii where people there spoon this tasty soup over rice. Of course, we eat everything with rice.” Yum!
VICKIE’S PORTUGUESE BLACK BEANS
1 lb. black beans, washed
1/4 c. olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 large bell pepper or poblano, chopped
6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 Tbsp. paprika
6 - 7 cups water
1 (6-oz.) can tomato paste
2 Tbsp. vinegar, white or cider
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1 pkg. smoked turkey wings
One small cabbage, chopped
Fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Chili flakes
Place beans in large saucepan and cover with water an inch above the beans; bring to a boil, turn off heat and let sit covered for one hour; drain.
Heat oil in heavy saucepan or dutch oven and sauté onion, peppers, and garlic until tender. Stir in paprika and toast it in the oil one minute. Into the onion mixture, stir in drained beans, water, tomato paste, vinegar, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then add turkey wings. Reduce heat then simmer until beans are tender and turkey is falling off the bone (about 2 hours). Remove bones before serving.
Stir in chopped cabbage just before serving so heat wilts cabbage. Sprinkle each serving with chopped parsley and pass the chili flakes. These next two are from Judy Conway. She says, “My mom made the following casserole quite a bit for our family when I was growing up. She was a stay-at-home mom so she was always looking for a way to stretch the ole mighty dollar!”
E-Z ON THE POCKET GROUND BEEF & NOODLES
2 cups egg noodles, uncooked
1 1/2 lbs. of ground beef or pork
2 onions, chopped
1 (16 oz.) can tomato soup
1 1/3 cups water
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
2 tsp. salt or seasoned salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
Cook the noodles, drain and rinse with cold water. Cook meat and onions together until brown and cooked well. Add the tomato soup, water, cheese, salt and pepper. Pour into a casserole dish and bake at 350 for 30 to 35 minutes, or place in a heavy skillet and cook slowly on top of the stove, about 45 minutes.
Judy’s mom also made this chowder. Judy says its “simply delish!” and that you can use whatever spices you like to “jazz it up.” It’s a treat for a chilly day!
HAMBURGER CORN CHOWDER
1 lb. hamburger
2 (14.5 oz.) cans chicken broth
2 (15 oz.) cans whole kernel corn, drained 1 large white onion, diced
3 cups diced potatoes
2 (12 oz.) cans evaporated milk
1/3 cup butter
Salt and pepper to taste
In a large pot over medium heat, brown hamburger; drain. Add broth, corn, onion and potatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer 15 to 20 minutes, until potatoes are just tender.
Stir in evaporated milk and butter until butter is just melted. Season with salt and pepper and serve six to eight hungry people.
Thanks to Vickie and Judy for sharing their cost-cutting ideas! If you have one, too, go ahead and send it to me so we can share it with the community.
Forren’s recipe
mystery solved!
Bernice Bartlett of Emporia says that in 13 years of cooking at Forren’s she must have cooked thousands of these hushpuppies. She calls them “fritters,” which I suspect is a more appropriate name since there’s no cornmeal involved and it’s closer to a cake batter. Bernice still makes them for her grandkids when they visit. She said, “You can put chopped up apples, peaches, practically any fruit. You can do meat and cooked vegetables.”
I asked her about Forren’s. She said “It was the best restaurant in town! There were lines on Mother’s Day and Easter that went out the door and around the corner. He (Dale Forren) was the best cook in town and he knew everything — how to take leftovers and make the best meals out of them. He wanted the food right — he would just throw out food that he wasn’t pleased with.” Thanks, Bernice, for calling this in!
FORREN’S FRITTERS
Sift together:
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. sugar
Whisk together:
1 beaten egg
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp. nutmeg
Combine the two. The batter will be pretty thick. Drop it in rounded teaspoons into medium-hot oil. Bernice says the fritter will turn over by itself and when they’re done they’ll be brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels and serve hot.
So there! Hope you can make good use of it. Sounds like it would be nice to have a place like Forren’s in town again.
Spring is in the air! Time for a Luau. I know Blake Eyman and Vickie Vaughn have authentic Hawaiian recipes. What about you? Send your recipe to murphysmenu@yahoo.com or The Emporia Gazette, P.O. Box C, Emporia, Kans. 66801. The deadline is March 18. Let’s get cooking!