Super Bowl Sunday found me exactly where I thought I’d be–near the buffet and in an arms distance from the skull shaped beer bong. I knew New Orleans was going to pull it off just as I knew there’d be good eating to be had. The fete at Van & Kelly’s, the King and Queen of Southern food and the best hosts ever (remember the homemade pizza party?), as usual, did not disappoint. Both teams were superbly represented: Abita beer on tap, popcorn flown in from Indiana, seafood gumbo, red beans and rice (made with beans flown in from Indy), homemade biscuits and homemade French bread not to mention the two stars of the show–the Indianapolis Pork Cutlet Biscuit Sandwich and the Naw’lins Braised Beef n’ Gravy Debris Po’boy. Which do you think won?

Notice our homemade hot sauce made it into the mix!

So, Christmas – Done. New Years Day – tomorrow! Another year older and hopefully wiser.

Have you noticed all the food traditions associated with the new year? Of course my Texan Missus has hers, which involves black eyed peas and leafy greens (representing good luck, good health & good fortune), which is now a tradition I’ve adopted.

I’m thinking the feast you just had on Christmas might have yielded some leftover turkey or ham and with a lot of you in the midst of winter right now one of the easiest, healthiest & quickest meals to put together is a great big ol’ pot of soup, which is also a great way to use up the leftovers. (If you don’t have any ham check out this turkey soup recipe.) I bunged this together in about 30 minutes (hassle-free indeed) and man was it good! You’ll love how good this smells cookin’ up in your kitchen and will probably serve you well as a good hangover munchie.

RECIPE:
Serves 6ish

1 cup white onion – small dice
1 cup carrot – small dice
1 cup celery – small dice
3 bay leaves
3 cups cooked ham – fat trimmed, diced
2 cups potatoes – small dice
2 cups dried black eyed peas, soaked overnight & drained*
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 bunch fresh thyme – wrapped with string like a bouquet garni
7-8 cups low-sodium or homemade chicken broth
NOTE: The beauty about making a soup like this is that the measurements don’t have to be exact. If you have more potatoes or carrots who cares, bung em in. The more the merrier. Just add enough liquid to make it soupy. At the end of the day guys it’s just food. Enjoy cooking.
*Feel free to use canned black eyed peas but rinse them first. Canned beans are already cooked so you should add them in towards the end of the cooking time. But if you do use the dried peas, be sure to check out my trick for making them flavourful!

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat large soup pot on medium heat for 1 minute. Add olive oil and onion and saute for 2 minutes, stirring. Next add carrot, celery, bay leaves and ham and saute for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once veg are beginning to soften add broth, potatoes and thyme and soaked black eyed peas, bring to a boil. Once boiling reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 2o-30 minutes until veg are cooked through. Add more liquid if needed.

Taste and season with S&P.

That’s it. How easy was that?

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY AND THANKS FOR THE CONTINUED SUPPORT.

CHEERS TO A HEALTHY AND PROSPEROUS 2010!!

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients as much as possible.

I remember as a young fella going fishing with the boy scouts (ahh, I was Angelic looking as you can imagine) and on occasion catching a catfish. We’d always just throw them back in as we were told they were inedible, though the people in Texas would beg to differ! There are Catfish Parlours all over the map there. According to Wikipedia, the most commonly eaten catfish species in the States are the channel catfish and blue catfish, both of which are common in the wild and increasingly widely farmed. Farm-raised catfish became such a staple of the diet of the United States (I’m pretty sure Texas played a substantial role in it) that on June 25, 1987, President Ronald Reagan established National Catfish Day to recognize “the value of farm-raised catfish.” Catfish is eaten in a variety of ways; in Europe it is often cooked in similar ways to carp, but in the United States it is typically crumbed with cornmeal and fried. Now, how ’bout that for some good info?

I think usually catfish is one of those fish that we don’t always gravitate to in the store because some people just don’t know what to do with it but once you get the hang of it, you’ll really enjoy it especially since it’s not expensive and it’s sustainable. I’ve made some delicious fish tacos with catfish and most recently Cajun spiced with Chard & Leek Saute. This is another tasty way to whip up a quick n’ easy dinner. How times have changed!

Serves 4

RECIPE:
4 x 5-6 oz local farmed Catfish portions

DIRECTIONS:

Combine the marinade ingredients together in a mixing bowl and marinate the catfish for up to 2 hours. Once ready preheat a non-stick skillet and sear the fish on one side for 4-5 minutes on medium heat. Once nicely golden flip over and reduce heat to medium low. When fish is cooked it should be opaque and firm to the touch.
Serve with rice ‘n’ beans and sauteed spinach. Yeehaw! (as they say)

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients as much as possible.

Smothered Chicken. As Irish as you can get, right? Truth be told, the Missus is from the South and this is a dish that supposedly originated in the South. I did some research about the origins of Smothered Chicken and in a nutshell yes, it’s considered to be a staple in the South also commonly known as down-home soul food. Well, I’ve got soul AND I’m from the south (of Ireland).

Typically this dish is made with loads of butter and flour but of course I put my own spin on it, sans the B&F. I was thinking this would make a delicious addition to a bbq party or just a great family meal. If there are any true Southerners out there, let me know how I do with this one!

Serves 4-5

RECIPE:

Preheat oven 385F
1 x 3 lb organic whole chicken, portioned
(2 x breasts, 2 x drumsticks, 2 x wings, 2 x thighs)

1 white onion – thinly sliced
3 whole garlic cloves
6 oz brown mushrooms – sliced
1 cup white wine
½ bunch fresh thyme
1 bunch (3/4 oz) fresh tarragon
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 tsp black peppercorns
2 tbsp olive oil
12 oz (340g) fingerling potatoes
2 tbsp olive oil
S&P

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients as much as possible.

I will start off by saying this is one of the best soups The Missus has ever made for me. I really enjoy the taste of this soup and it’s so easy to change up and add in new flavors so it’s brilliant every time.

Black-eyed peas are huge in the South, most notably eaten on New Years Day. Year before last, we spent New Years in Kerry (Ireland) with the fam-bam and the Missus lugged black-eyed peas with her so we wouldn’t break Southern tradition. I don’t think anyone had ever seen them before as the curiosity surrounding the dish ran wild. Turns out they were such a hit my dad couldn’t stop eating them. Of course in true Murphy fashion, the bag we left behind is still sitting in the cupboard over a year later, the poor craters.
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