Corned Beef (but no green beer) and the Weekly Specials with Mary Anne

It’s almost St. Patrick’s Day, and you know what that means! Besides green beer, that is. That’s right – corned beef. I thought I’d throw out some different ways of using it. Remember that I’m not including potatoes in my recipes or menus, which is why you won’t see them here.

But first, the specials. I was surprised to find that only Kroger has corned beef on sale. The veggies that traditionally go with it – carrots, onions, potatoes, and cabbage – are on sale some places, but not the corned beef itself. Or, at least, not at what I consider a real sale price. Marsh and Aldi both had it for $1.99 last week, but their “sale” prices are higher this week.

Kroger has corned beef points for $1.99 a pound, or flat cut for $2.99 a pound. Boneless chicken breasts are $1.89 a pound. Large eggs are $1.50 a dozen, which, I’m very sorry to say, seems to be a good price these days. I keep waiting for them to go down now that it’s almost Spring. Sour cream and cottage cheese are both three 16-ounce cartons for $4.00, or $1.33 each. Roma tomatoes are 99 cents a pound and whole cantaloupe are two for $3.00, or $1.50 each. These prices are good through next Wednesday, March 19.

As usual, Aldi has some great deals on produce. Baby carrots are 69 cents a pound. Mushrooms are 99 cents for an 8-ounce box. Red potatoes are 99 cents for a 5-pound bag, or 20 cents a pound. Onions are 79 cents for a 3-pound bag, or 27 cents a pound. (That’s the lowest price I can remember seeing in a long time.) Cabbage is 79 cents a head, which probably comes out to around 40 cents a pound, depending on the size of the heads. Could be 50 cents a pound, could be 20 cents. Salad mixes are 69 cents for a 12-ounce bag. Corned beef is $3.49 a pound for flat cut brisket. These prices are good through next Tuesday, March 18.

IGA has corned beef for $3.47 a pound. Idaho potatoes (russets, not red potatoes) are $1.47 for a 5-pound bag, or 30 cents a pound. Ham sausage is $2.77 for a 1-pound roll. Roma tomatoes are 97 cents a pound. Sirloin pork chops are 97 cents a pound in family packs. (See my column from a couple of weeks ago for ways to cook pork chops.) A lot of other pork cuts are on sale, too.

Marsh has corned beef rounds for $2.99 a pound or corned beef briskets for $3.49 a pound. Cabbage is 19 cents a pound.

In case you’re wondering about all the different kinds of corned beef this week, here’s a quick run-down on them.  Figure on about half as much cooked as you started with raw. So to get a pound of cooked corned beef, you’ll have to buy two pounds raw. To get twelve ounces cooked, you’ll need a pound and a half (24 ounces) raw.

Both red potatoes and Idaho potatoes are on sale this week. Either one can be used when making a corned beef dinner, though the red ones are more traditional.

Here are some things to do with corned beef, in addition to the traditional Corned Beef and Cabbage (or, more accurately, Corned Beef and Vegetables, since other vegetables are almost always included). You can use leftover corned beef in them, or you can cook up a chunk of corned beef special to use in these recipes. And don’t forget corned beef sandwiches. Corned beef on rye, with Swiss cheese and mustard. Or a Rueben sandwich, with sauerkraut and Thousand Island dressing. If you’re planning on leftovers, remember that there’s a lot of shrinkage. You’ll need to start with twice as much as you need cooked.

CORNED BEEF AND CABBAGE SAUTE is sort of a corned beef and cabbage stir-fry. Sort of. With the larger quantities of vegetables, a batch of this will cost about $4.95 for the meat and veggies, and probably another 25 cents or so for the other ingredients, or about $5.30 total. I just make a meal of it, but you could add some of the cantaloupe that’s on sale if you wanted to, and still keep it to $6.00 for four people, or $1.50 per person.

I didn’t realize until I started working on this column that I don’t really use recipes when it comes to corned beef. I get ideas for things to do with the corned beef, but then I just go my merry way. Corned Beef and Cabbage Saute, above, is one example. CORNED BEEF OMELET is another one. For that matter, so is cooking the corned beef to begin with. Think of the following recipe as just a basic idea, and then use whatever you have on hand and like. I’ve never tried it, but sautéing some leftover Brussels sprouts with the corned beef and onions sounds pretty good to me. So does adding a good squirt or spoonful of spicy mustard. Or maybe some Thousand Island salad dressing, like in Reuben sandwich. Or whatever. Use your imagination.

When I make “omelets” I usually either make a scramble or I pour the eggs on top of the filling and cook it that way. Sort of like a frittata except I don’t broil it. I’m too lazy to bother with cooking the filling, then setting it aside while I cook the eggs, then putting the filling on the omelet and folding it. Suit yourself. It tastes the same either way. Making it into a scramble (cooking the filling, then adding the eggs and scrambling it all together) or making it into a frittata sort of thing (I need to come up with a name for this – how about a flat omelet) works better when you’re cooking for more than one or two people, because you’re not supposed to make an omelet for more than two people; you’re supposed to make separate omelets and that’s a hassle for everyone. So I’m going to skip the omelet bit and give directions for making a scramble or a flat omelet. Turning it all into a quiche would work, too, come to think of it. I’ll give directions for that, too. It’s all pretty much the same.

The CORNED BEEF SCRAMBLE and the FLAT CORNED BEEF OMELET both run about $3.90 if you use half and half, less if you use milk and more if you use heavy cream. It makes enough to serve four people for breakfast and maybe for lunch, but you’ll want to have something else to go with it if you’re having it for supper. Or at least I would. Coleslaw would go well with it, and with the cabbage and onions on sale you could make a big bowl of it for under a dollar. You’d still be able to get in some cantaloupe to go with it and keep it under $6.00 for four people, or $1.50 per person. With the extra cream and cheese, a CORNED BEEF QUICHE will cost about $6.00, but will make six generous servings, so it still comes out to about $1.00 per person.

I’ve never made CREAM OF REUBEN SOUP, but if I were to make it I would change the recipe quite a bit. I hesitate to give you my version, though, when I’ve never tried it. So I’m giving you both recipes. I can hardly believe I’m saying this, since I basically believe you can never have too much cream or butter, but it sounds too rich for me.

My version of the recipe, using cabbage instead of sauerkraut (just because cabbage is on sale and I don’t know how much sauerkraut costs), comes to about $3.65 and makes about eight cups. A pound of baby carrots and a pound of sliced Roma tomatoes, with some Thousand Island dressing for dipping them in, would go well with the soup and would keep the total cost under $6.00, or $1.50 per person.

What Do We Do With the Veggies, and the Weekly Special with Mary Anne

Marsh has meat this week. Family pack assorted pork chops are 99 cents a pound. Hormel Cure 81 Spiral Sliced Half Hams are 99 cents a pound. Sugardale hams (water added) are 69 cents a pound. And they have iceberg lettuce for 99 cents a head. These prices are good through next Wednesday, February 26.

Aldi has some great buys on produce. Green peppers are three for $1.49. Mushrooms are 99 cents for eight ounces. Roma tomatoes are 99 cents for twenty ounces, or 80 cents a pound. Red potatoes are $1.89 for five pounds, or a little less than 40 cents a pound. Onions are 99 cents for a three pound bag. These prices are good through next Tuesday, February 25.

IGA has turkey breast for $1.19 a pound. Ten pound bags of chicken leg quarters are $5.99, or 60 cents a pound. These prices are good through next Sunday, February 23.

Kroger has their regular one-week sale and also a special four-day sale. The four-day sale ends Sunday, February 23. On sale for those four days they have milk for $1.98 a gallon (limit 2) and ten pound bags of russet potatoes for $1.98, or 20 cents a pound (no limit). On sale for the week ending Wednesday, February 26, they have iceberg lettuce for 99 cents a head and leaf lettuce for 99 cents a pound. Celery is 99 cents a head and Roma tomatoes are 99 cents a pound. Ragu spaghetti sauce of various types is $1.29 a jar after a 50 cent discount for buying six of various things. Split chicken breasts (including bone and skin) are 99 cents a pound. Various cheeses are $3.49 a pound. Cottage cheese and sour cream are $1.99 for 24 ounces. 

I’ve given recipes for all of the types of meat that are on sale this week, so I’m going to do something a little bit different. I’m going to focus on the veggies instead of the meat. I’ll still give recipes and menus that come in at about $1.50 per serving for the whole meal, though, and they will all include meat. I just won’t limit myself to one kind of meat.

The first recipe, SMOKEDSAUSAGE AND PEPPERS uses Bar S Smoked Sausage that’s $3.99 for two and a half pounds, or $1.60 a pound, this week at Marsh. There are a few different kinds at this price. I’m going with the Polish sausage. In case you’re wondering why I say to cut the sausage on the diagonal, it’s because it makes the pieces look bigger! This will cost about $5.15 and will make four servings. You could add a lettuce salad and stay under $6.00. Or a can of fruit. Or carrot sticks and dip. Or you could add some more veggies to the sausage and peppers. Carrots would be good, or cabbage, or mushrooms.

One of my favorite vegetable dishes is MUSHROOMS AND ONIONS. It seems to go over well with guests, too. It goes with just about any kind of meat. Here I’ll pair it with pork chops. You’ll think this makes a huge amount, but because the mushrooms and onions cook down so much you’ll end up with a lot less than you expect. It makes four servings as a side dish. With the mushrooms and onions on sale, it will cost about $2.50. Add four 8 ounce pork chops for another $2.00, and a salad of iceberg lettuce, carrots, green pepper, and a diced Roma tomato for another $1.50, for a total of about $6.00.

And finally, PEANUT STIR-FRY. You can use whatever meat you want with this – IGA’s turkey breast or chicken leg quarters, or Marsh’s pork. It's the PEANUT SAUCE that's important here. Let’s go with the pork, shall we? Pork is so good in a stir-fry and goes well with peanuts, too. You can use pretty much any vegetables you have on hand. I just chose these because they’re on sale and the colors look nice together. Broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower are good in a stir-fry, too, as are fresh green beans, tomatoes, zucchini, etc. Pretty much anything goes. This will come to a little over $5.00 and will make a lot. You shouldn’t need anything to go with it.

Isn’t it great when veggies go on sale? These are good, but I can hardly wait till summer!

Still Going Strong at the Farmers Market, and Weekly Specials with Mary Anne

Happy October! Are you ready for Halloween yet? I hope not – it’s much too early, though it seems like the stores have been selling Halloween stuff for ages.

The best deal this week seems to be milk. Aldi has it for $1.69 a gallon, Kroger for 88 cents for a half gallon, which comes out to $1.76 per gallon, but is a better deal if you wouldn’t use a whole gallon before it goes bad. Marsh has Egg-Land’s Best Eggs two dozen for $4.00, which is a good price on that brand. When I was at Aldi on Wednesday, they had regular eggs for $1.29 a dozen. Kroger’s ad says that they have 5.3 ounce Greek yogurt for 29 cents each, if you buy four of them. Butter at Kroger is $1.88 a pound, cottage cheese and sour cream are $1.00 a pound (or pint or 16 ounce), and various kinds of cheese are $1.88 for 6 – 8 ounces. It’s a good price for 8 ounces, not so good for 6 ounces. Kroger also has fresh green beans for 99 cents a pound.

Pumpkins are on sale, too, and they’ll keep until Halloween. Until Thanksgiving and probably until Christmas if you don’t carve them. Marsh has pie pumpkins for $1.99. Aldi has regular pumpkins for $1.99 (I have no idea how big they are). And the Kroger store at the corner of Second and College has pumpkins for 99 cents each through Saturday. It’s part of their Grand Re-Opening sale, and it seems to be only at that store.

Not much on sale in the way of meat. Kroger has 73% lean ground beef for $1.97 a pound in three pound chubs, which cost $5.91 each, and pork chops and spareribs for $1.97 in the large value packs. Marsh has boneless skinless chicken breasts for $1.97 a pound in the family size packs.

I’m going to give some more recipes for summer veggies this week. (And by the way, I’ll be serving samples of Moussaka, a Greek dish eggplant casserole) on Friday at the Hub, starting about 4:00 or so. I hope you’ll stop by my tasting table!) Summer veggies won’t last much longer at the Farmers Market. Eggplant was running $1.00 each last Saturday, or sometimes 75 cents each for small ones. I usually get the big ones. The seeds don’t bother me in casseroles. I’m told that the big ones don’t work as well, though, if you’re going to slice the eggplant, like you would for Eggplant Parmesan. Really big zucchini were also $1.00 each, and I could still get the big red bell pepper seconds for 50 cents each. Canning tomatoes were a bit more than they were last week, but still a good price. Check last week’s for more recipes using eggplant and zucchini.

I have tried eggplant over the years, and could never find a recipe that I liked. I kept trying, though, because so many people said it was good. Finally, when I was testing recipes for a cookbook by Judy Barnes Baker, I found a really good recipe. And since then, I’ve found more recipes that I like. Here’s that first “good” recipe, for MOUSSAKA. Moussaka is a traditional Greek casserole made with layers of eggplant and sauce, with a custard over the top. Kind of like lasagna, except it’s Greek instead of Italian, has slices of eggplant instead of noodles, has lots less cheese, and is topped with custard. It's more work than I really want to do most days, what with the slicing and salting and draining and frying of the eggplant and then making multiple alternating layers of the eggplant and the meat sauce. I came up with a SIMPLIFIED MOUSSAKA that has the same great taste but is lots easier and takes lots less time in the kitchen.

A batch of either version of Moussaka should cost about $6.00, and will make six generous servings, at about $1.00 each. Serve it with a salad and or some fresh veggies from the Farmers Market, and you’ve got a complete meal for less than $1.50 per serving.

I think that SAUSAGE SQUASH CASSEROLE is my favorite zucchini recipe. It’s not for calorie counters, but it’s good and it’s inexpensive. And it freezes well, which is important since I like to make lots of squash and eggplant casseroles in the summer and then freeze them. Assuming the sausage is $3.00 and the zucchini is $1.00, this recipe costs about $6.05 and makes six servings at just over $1.00 each. (Aldi’s regular price on mayo is $1.99 for 30 ounces, and their regular price on Cheddar is $1.79 for 8 ounces if you shred your own.) There’s not much texture to it, so you’ll want to add either a salad or some tender-crisp vegetables to it. Another complete meal for under $1.50 per serving.

Do you like Sausage and Peppers? I usually don’t, because the peppers are always way overcooked, at least for my taste. I prefer them tender-crisp, like in a stir-fry. So here are two recipes - ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND PEPPERS for the traditionalists among you who like your peppers really soft, and STIR-FRIED ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND PEPPERS for those like me who like their veggies to still have a bit of bite to them.Take your pick. A lot of people must like the overcooked peppers, because that’s the way most recipes say to cook them! A recipe of either one would cost about $4.50, assuming $3.00 for the Italian sausage. It makes 4 servings, so each serving would be about $1.15. A good sized spaghetti squash is $2.00 at the Farmers Market now and would serve four generously, at 50 cents per serving. The Italian Sausage and Peppers over spaghetti squash would be about $1.65 per serving.

A similar dish from a different part of the world is Fajitas. Since I don’t eat grains, I serve the fajita meat and veggies on a bed of lettuce for FAJITA SALADS, instead of serving it in tortillas. You can add whatever toppings you want. I’ve included the cost for sour cream, shredded cheddar and salsa, but you could also add jalapenos, olives, guacamole, etc. If you’re not going to eat all six servings immediately, put aside the extra meat and veggie mixture before you put it on the lettuce or add the toppings. Then, when you’re ready to eat it, just heat up the meat and veggies, and continue with making the salads. Without the sour cream, etc., this costs about $8.00 for six servings, assuming boneless skinless chicken breasts are $2.00 a pound and allowing $1.00 for all of the seasonings, which is likely quite a bit more than it really is. You could use fajita seasoning instead of all of the individual seasonings, or use taco seasoning instead. Let’s say $1.35 per serving. Two tablespoons each of shredded Cheddar and sour cream would be another 15 cents. Aldi has jars of salsa for (I think – I haven’t checked recently) about $1.20 each, so say another 15 cents for salsa. That would bring the total up to about $1.65 per serving. And these would be BIG servings! 

Bok Choy and Mushroom Stir-Fry

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons canola oil
1 cup thinly sliced onions
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
4 cloves minced garlic
1/2 Tablespoon grated ginger
1 pound coarsely chopped bok choy
1/2 pound sliced mushrooms
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon granulated sugar

Directions:
Heat the oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, pepper, garlic, and ginger. Stir-fry for about 1 minute. Add the bok choy and mushrooms; stir-fry for about 1 minute. Add the lemon juice, soy sauce, and sugar. Stir-fry for about 2 to 3 minutes, until done.

Corned Beef and Cabbage Saute

The first dish, CORNED BEEF AND CABBAGE SAUTE, is sort of a corned beef and cabbage stir-fry. I found the recipe in a drawer of clipped recipes at my aunt’s house after she died, so I have no idea where it came from originally. I usually make it when I have leftover corned beef, but I just use whatever vegetables I have handy. Actually, come to think of it, I really don’t use the recipe at all. I just saute/stir fry (I’m not sure what the difference is – maybe sautéed veggies are usually cooked until soft while stir fried vegetables are cooked only until tender-crisp?) some onions and carrots and cabbage, usually in fat from cooking the corned beef, and then add some corned beef. But here’s the official recipe. Take your pick whether you want to do it “right” or take the easy route. Either way, it should be good. By the way, when I was looking for recipes online, a lot of the bloggers said that they just start with a 12 ounce can of corned beef. Not corned beef hash, which has potatoes in it, but plain corned beef.

CORNED BEEF AND CABBAGE SAUTE

2 T cider or white vinegar

1 T sugar

1 t caraway seeds

1/4 tsp salt

1 small head Savoy cabbage – about 1 pound (I use green cabbage, which is cheaper, and I’d use about a pound and a half)

1 large carrot (I’d use at least a couple, or half a pound or so, but then I like carrots)

1 medium-sized red onion (or yellow onion or whatever you have)

1 lb lean, sliced cooked deli corned beef (or leftover corned beef)

Salad oil

Mix the vinegar, sugar, caraway seeds and salt in a small cup.  Set aside. Remove core from cabbage and coarsely shred it.  Coarsely shred the carrot.  Cut the onion in half, and then slice it. Cut the corned beef into short sticks. In a 12-inch skillet over high heat, cook the onion in 1 T oil until tender-crisp, about 2 minutes.  Remove to bowl with slotted spoon. In the same skillet, cook cabbage and onion in 2 T oil until tender-crisp, about 5 minutes, stirring constantly.  Add vinegar mixture, onion, and corned beef.  Cook, stirring constantly, until heated through. 

Stir-fried Carrots, Broccoli and Mushrooms

1 lb carrots, peeled and cut on the diagonal

1 lb frozen broccoli cuts, thawed

4 oz fresh mushrooms, cleaned and sliced

1 T oil

Heat a big skillet over medium-high heat. When the skillet is hot, add the oil. When the oil starts to shimmer but before it smokes, add the vegetables and cook, stirring, until the carrots are tender-crisp, the broccoli is heated through, and the mushrooms have given up their juices and the liquid has evaporated. Add a couple of tablespoons of the fish marinade at the end, if you like, but be sure to cook it at least two or three minutes. You should always cook a marinade if it has had raw meat, fish, or poultry in it.

Zucchini would be good in this instead of the mushrooms, if you were making this during the summer when they’re available in your garden or at the Farmers Market. Or, if you want to grill but don’t have a grill basket, put the raw veggies on four pieces of aluminum foil, then put the marinated fish (from SWAI NUGGETS A LA HILDA AND HOWARD) on top, and drizzle with a bit of the marinade. Fold the foil up around the fish and vegetables and seal tightly. Put the packets on the grill and cook them for about 10 to 15 minutes, depending on how hot your coals are. Serve a packet to each person, and let them open their own on their plates. Open them very carefully, because the steam can really burn you!

Pork and Peanut Stir-Fry

You can use whatever meat you want with this – IGA’s turkey breast or chicken leg quarters, or Marsh’s pork. Let’s go with the pork, shall we? Pork is so good in a stir-fry and goes well with peanuts, too. You can use pretty much any vegetables you have on hand. I just chose these because they’re on sale and the colors look nice together. Broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower are good in a stir-fry, too, as are fresh green beans, tomatoes, zucchini, etc. Pretty much anything goes.

2 lbs pork spareribs

3 T oil

2 peppers

3 carrots

8 oz mushrooms

2 onions

PEANUT SAUCE (recipe follows)

Start by preparing the meat and vegetables. It goes together quickly once you start cooking, so you want to have everything ready before you start.

To Prepare Ingredients:

Remove the meat from the bones and cut it into thin slices, about 1/2”x1/2”x2.” Basically, you want matchstick shaped pieces, as tall as they are wide. The length of the pieces will depend on the size and shape of the pork chops. Set the pork aside. Save the bones to make bone broth.

Remove the seeds and stem from the peppers and slice them about the same size as the pork strips. Peel the carrots and cut them on the diagonal into 1/2” slices. Peel the onions, halve them through the stem and root ends, and cut them into 1/2” slices. Clean the mushrooms (the experts say to wipe them with a damp cloth, but I rub them gently under running water) and slice them into 1/2” thick slices. If the mushrooms are big, halve them before slicing.

Make the PEANUT SAUCE (recipe below)

To Cook the Stir-Fry:

Heat the oil in a big skillet or wok. When it’s hot, add the meat and keep it moving around in the pan until it’s done. Not necessarily browned, just done. Remove the meat. Add the carrots and onions to the oil and drippings in the skillet and toss them around for a couple of minutes, then add the mushrooms and peppers. Remember you want the meat in a stir-fry to be crisp-tender, and they’ll cook a little bit more after you add the meat and sauce. (If you like your veggies soft, go for it! Just cook them a few minutes longer. I won’t tell.) Add the meat and sauce and toss it over the heat just until the meat is heated through and the sauce is evenly distributed. Add water a tablespoon at a time if you need to thin the sauce.

PEANUT SAUCE

(A Cookbook for the Financially Challenged, by Alexandra Pauley)

½ c smooth peanut butter

2 T soy sauce

2 t minced garlic (or 1 T garlic powder)

1 t chili powder

1 t minced fresh ginger (or 1 t powdered ginger)

Combine everything and pour it over the cooked meat and vegetables. Toss well to coat. You may need to add a bit of water to thin it, but wait and see how it works once it’s on the meat and vegetables. There may be enough moisture in them to thin it enough.

Smoked Sausage and Peppers

2 lbs Polish sausage, sliced ½” on the diagonal

2 onions, sliced (about 1 lb)

3 peppers, sliced

1 T oil

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Toss the veggies with the oil and add them and the sausage to the skillet. Toss the veggies and meat in the skillet done to your liking. In traditional Italian Sausage and Peppers, the veggies are cooked until they are very soft. On the other hand, in a Chinese stir-fry the veggies would be cooked only until they are tender-crisp. Take your pick.

Chicken and Cabbage Lo Mein

Technically, lo mein is a dish containing wheat noodles, so this isn't really lo mein at all. It uses shredded cabbage instead of noodles. But it's good anyway, even if it isn't at all authentic.

3 c cooked chicken

1 T oil or chicken fat

1 onion, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 carrots, thinly sliced on the diagonal

1 head cabbage, shredded (about 2 lbs)

3 T soy sauce

1 T fresh ginger, grated

Briefly sauté the garlic and ginger in the oil, then add the onion and stir-fry for a couple of minutes. Add the carrots and cabbage and stir-fry until not quite tender-crisp. Add the chicken and soy sauce and cook until the chicken is hot.

Fish and Bok Choy Noodle Stir Fry

(adapted from a recipe at kidspot.com.au)

1 lb long noodles (spaghetti, fettuccini, etc.)

2 t sesame oil, plus another tablespoon for the fish

2 cloves garlic, sliced

1 onion, chopped

1 lb boneless fish fillets (or use Swai nuggets)

1 T soy sauce

4 baby bok choy, bottom sliced off and washed well (or any kind of cabbage)

1/3 c oyster sauce

Juice of ½ lime

Cook the noodles until almost done, then drain and add a tablespoon of oil olive or vegetable oil to keep them from sticking. Meanwhile, bring a wok or a non-stick frying pan to a high heat, and then add 2 teaspoons of sesame oil. Add the garlic, ginger and onion and cook for one minute, tossing around so the garlic doesn’t burn. Add the extra tablespoon of sesame oil and the fish and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the fish is nearly done. Add the soy sauce, stirring constantly so the fish stir fries and doesn’t stew. Add the bok choy, oyster sauce and noodles, and heat through until the fish and noodles are done. Stir in the lime juice and serve immediately.

Stir-fried Italian Sausage and Peppers

Do you like Sausage and Peppers? I usually don’t, because the peppers are always way overcooked, at least for my taste. I prefer them tender-crisp, like in a stir-fry. If you like the peppers "overcooked" and soft, try ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND PEPPERS. But if you like your veggies to still have a bit of bite to them, try this stir-fry dish. Take your pick. A lot of people must like the overcooked peppers, because that’s the way most recipes say to cook them!

(based on a recipe from Taste of Home, Apr/May 2003)

1 lb Italian sausage links, cut into 1/4” slices

1 medium green pepper, cut into thin strips

1 medium or 1/2 large red pepper, cut into thin strips

1 medium onion, thinly sliced and quartered

1 T lard (or oil or half butter and half olive oil)

1 firm tomato, coarsely chopped

1 t minced fresh parsley, or 1/2 t dried parsley

dash each salt and pepper

Cook the sausage over medium-high heat until no longer pink. Turn the heat up to high and add the peppers, onion and tomato and stir-fry until tender-crisp. If using dried parsley, add it with the vegetables. If using fresh, add it at the end. Check the seasoning and serve.

Italian Sausage and Peppers

Do you like Sausage and Peppers? I usually don’t, because the peppers are always way overcooked, at least for my taste. I prefer them tender-crisp, like in a stir-fry. This is the more traditional version, which results in "overcooked" peppers. Or try my version, STIR-FRIED ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND PEPPERS. Take your pick. A lot of people must like the overcooked peppers, because that’s the way most recipes say to cook them!

(based on a recipe from Taste of Home, Apr/May 2003)

1 lb Italian sausage links, cut into 3/4” slices

1 medium green pepper, cut into thin strips

1 medium or ½ large red pepper, cut into thin strips

1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced and quartered

1/2 T butter

1/2 T olive oil

1 firm tomato, coarsely chopped

1 t minced fresh parsley, or 1/2 t dried parsley

dash each salt and pepper

In a large skillet, cook the sausage over medium heat until no longer pink. Add the remaining ingredients. Cover and cook 30 minutes, or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Serve with a slotted spoon. 

To my way of thinking, this would be best as an omelet filling, or, if you cut the sausage in smaller pieces (say cut it into fourths lengthwise and then into half inch or so slices), as a filling for a quiche. 

Sichuan-Style Eggplant

Adapted from Madhur Jaffrey’s World Vegetarian






1 ½  -2 lb eggplant (ideally the small, thin Japanese style)
2 tablespoons peanut or canola oil
2 scallions, cut crosswise into fine rings (both the white and the green sections)
3 thin slices of peeled ginger, cut finely
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
4 teaspoons soy sauce
2-3 teaspoons chili paste (or finely chopped fresh chilis) adjust to your taste
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar (or whatever vinegar you have)
1 teaspoon sesame oil
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro  or fresh scallions(optional, for garnish)

Slice eggplants into half inch rounds, then quarter the rounds (or cut into 3 inch by half inch strips) Steam eggplant pieces for 15-17 minutes, or until tender.
Put the oil in a large, nonstick wok or frying pan and set over high heat. When hot, put in scallions, ginger, and garlic. Stir for a minute. Put in the eggplants. Stir for a minute. Now put in the soy sauce, chili paste with soybean, sugar, and vinegar. Stir and cook for 3 minutes. Taste and add a little salt, if needed. Add the sesame oil and stir once. Turn off the heat. Sprinkle cilantro or scallions over the top before serving.

Pork Adobo and Vegetable Stir-Fry

1 T oil
1 t minced fresh ginger (optional)
1 carrot, thinly sliced
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 c shredded Pork Adobo
8 oz shredded cabbage
2 T adobo cooking liquid

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and carrot and cook briefly. Add the cabbage and cook another couple of minutes. Add the Pork Adobo and the cooking liquid and cook, stirring, only until the pork is heated and the vegetables are all crisp-tender. This should cost between $2.00 and $3.00 for the batch and should make 2 to 3 servings.
You can, of course, vary the vegetables depending on what you like and what’s available.