PolleePerfect has been quiet for a couple months but I’ve been keeping the Midwest spirit alive with lots of fun, food and fellowship.

So today I honor my roots and my first – and only – published recipe.  It appeared in the Lincoln Central Cookbook, published in 1991. I attended K-12 at LC, as did most of my family prior to its closing in 1993.

My Grandma Marge served as my guide, via corded phone, the first time I prepared it. It was the summer during high school when mom went to work and I was in charge of lunch a couple days a week for my dad, brother, sister and whoever else happened to be around.

My ego was big and my bangs bigger. KILR radio, our local station, played bad music and I kept the dial on KFMC, a rock station out of Fairmon, MN, until dad pulled in the lane. I had my first part-time job at a clothing store in town (the now defunct Spurgeon’s).

It was around this time dad nicknamed me Pollee Perfect because of my disdain for messy farm life and the amount of time I spent on my clothes, hair and make-up. My how things have changed. Now I barely wear face paint and love spending time on the farm.

I got this recipe from one of mom’s women’s magazines (Country Living? McCalls?) and it seemed like a major accomplishment the first time I pulled it off.  Mexican Lasagna became one of my teenage staples.

The Lincoln Central Cookbook was 2/3 sweets and desserts. Many recipes in the other 1/3 contained Cream of Something Soup.

Mine was pretty simple; guess I’ve always been a minimalist. Although I don’t use taco seasoning any more, the only truly questionable ingredient is the prepared chili with beans.  I am proud to share a page with Ardyce Levell and Hermina Amoroso.  So without further adieu, the recipe as it appeared in the Lincoln Central Cookbook, circa 1991:

1 pkg soft flour shells
1 pkg taco seasoning
1 lb hamburger
1 med. onion
2 c cheddar cheese
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 can prepared chili w/ beans
1 tsp chili powder

Brown hamburger and onion, drain.  Add taco seasoning as directed on package and simmer 15 minutes.  In well-greased baking dish place taco shells stuffed with hamburger mixture. In pan, heat chili, tomato sauce and chili powder. Pour over tacos. Smother with cheese and bake at 350 until cheese is bubbly, 20 to 25 minutes.

Hoppin’ John is a traditional new year’s meal in the Southern U.S., thought to bring good luck and prosperity.  I was mostly concerned with the good luck – so far, so good.  It features black-eyed peas (legume, not band) and the frugal favorite, ham.

7-8 c cooked black-eyed peas*
5-6 c broth (veg or chicken)
1 c ham, chopped (or a ham hock if your butcher has them)
2 onions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1.5 c cooked rice (wild rice is excellent)
1 lg can diced tomatoes
3 ribs celery, chopped
3 jalapenos, chopped (remove the seeds from 1 or 2, depending on how hot you want it)
1 t paprika
1 t thyme leaves
1 t cumin
.5 t chili powder
1 T Worchestire sauce

After beans are cooked, or drained from the can as the case may be, set them aside.  Saute onions in 1-2 T of oil for 5-6 min, then add celery, peppers, garlic and saute for another few minutes.  Add tomatoes slowly as mixture starts to stick to pan.  Add remaining ingredients (except black-eyed peas and broth) and saute for another couple minutes.  Add beans and broth.  Simmer for a few hours for best flavor.

Delicious add-ons: chopped green onions, cheddar and hot sauce.

*Use dried beans to reduce sodium, save cash and reduce the use of tin cans.  Soak them overnight, rinse, bring to a boil and simmer for 2 hours. If using a ham hock, boil it with the beans to create your broth.

This makes a MESS of red beans and rice and makes wallets happy.  Perfect for a fall Sunday dinner with plenty of leftovers for the week’s lunches.

It’s possible to make it vegetarian by omitting the pork products but I fear it will never taste as good without a little piggly wiggly.  I use more beans than the standard recipe to increase fiber.

6 c. cooked red beans
4 c. cooked rice (combo of white and brown works well)
1 lb spicy pork sausage
2 T canola oil
2 onions, chopped
2 bell peppers, chopped
7 cloves garlic, chopped
3 T paprika
1.5 T thyme
1 T pepper
2 T Worchestire sauce
7 c veg broth (or chicken)
2 slices cooked, uncured bacon
4 bay leaves
1 bunch green onions, chopped

Cook up beans and rice and set aside.  Saute sausage in canola oil.  When nearly cooked through, add onions and peppers.   Saute for 4-5 min.  Add chopped garlic.  Saute for 1-2 min then add spices and herbs.  Saute w/ spices and herbs for 1-2 min more.

Add beans and rice, stir, then add worchestire sauce and broth.  Bring pot to just below a boil, add bacon and bay leaves, cover partially, and reduce heat to low.  Cook on low for 1 hour, then turn off heat, cover pot and allow to sit for 3 hours for flavors to marry.

Top with chopped green onions if you have them.  It’s dandy without too.

Thanks to Burk Cooks for the photo.

Caramelized onions are one of the easiest and most delectable food items ever.  All you need is time.  And most Americans don’t have that ingredient but I won’t wax poetic about it here.  Watch a video on how to caramelize onions.

This dish is a beautiful, rich green color and the flavor combination is out of sight.  It’s more a pasta toss than a bowl of pasta with sauce.  Homemade pesto gets the top slot but I’m sure it would be a-okay with an authentic jarred variety.

Fusilli = twirly pasta.  It works really well here because the sauce gets caught in all the little ridges, making each bite a dream come true.  This is one of my new favorites and was created on the fly, after getting home late from my friend Paul’s ‘I got a new job’ party.

2 med onions
3-4 T olive oil
1/2 c white wine
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 big handfuls of fresh spinach, chopped
1/2 c pesto

1/2 lb whole wheat fusilli pasta

parmesan, fresh grated

Caramelize onions in oil over low heat for 35-45 minutes.  If you have an hour, leave them on.  Use a large pan to accommodate adding the spinach and pasta later.  Set water to boil so it’s ready when you’re nearing the end of the caramelizing process.

After your onions are a beautiful gold, increase heat to med-high, stirring constantly, and add wine.  Reduce wine until little remains, then reduce your heat to medium.  Drop your pasta in the boiling water and it should be al dente perfect by the time you’re done with the sauce.

Add garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes.   Reduce heat to medium-low.  Add pesto and chopped spinach and saute until spinach begins to wilt.  Remove the pan from heat and toss in the pasta. When sauce is thoroughly distributed, dish into serving bowls.  Top each one with fresh grated parmesan and dig in.

I over-purchased on a recent grocery store trip and had a mess of vegetables ready to go south.  You know how it goes.  You buy food to prepare for the week, then you end up going out a couple nights and whammo, wilting commences.

In my family, throwing away food is a cardinal sin.  We’re farm folk.  My grandparents lived through the Great Depression.  Everything can be used somehow.

This hearty concoction is the result of purging my vegetable crisper.  I used roasted peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, potatoes, eggplant and garlic but you could use any good roasting vegetable.

6 c roasted vegetables
2 c dry lentils
5 c broth (I used veg)
1 c tomato juice* (optional)
1 T curry powder
1 t garam marsala
1/2 t thyme
1/2 t paprika
salt & pepper, to taste
water, as needed

Puree the vegetables with broth and add to your pot.  Add spices.  Rinse lentils and add them.  The lentils will absorb a lot of liquid so add water as soup thickens.  That’s it.  If you have the time, refrigerate it overnight so the flavors have a chance to marry.

*When I drain canned tomatoes, I save the juice and freeze it.