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Menu Plan for Winter I: Week 5, Sunday
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Daily Recipes:
Split Pea Soup
Onion Biscuits
Cooking time: 90 minutes for menu Cooking schedule: see below for instructions
This may or may not be your idea of Split Pea Soup. Some like it puréed, with mainly peas, other, like me, prefer it chunky, with more ingredients. The split peas break down and make it thick and I like the of chunks ham, potatoes, carrots and celery.
Split Pea Soup
Total time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Traditionally made with a ham bone or ham hock, I made this with a slab of local, dry-cured ham. Regular baked ham would work as well. This will make 4 servings.
Ingredients:
- 1 1/4 cup (8oz, 240gr) split peas
- 6 cups water
- 2 thick slices Prosciutto, (6ozm 180gr total weight) (for most intense flavor) or a meaty ham bone
- 1 large onion
- 3 medium carrots
- 2 medium potatoes
- 3 ribs celery
Instructions:
- If using a ham bone, put in water with split peas. If using Prosciutto or other ham, cut into bite-size chunks before adding.
- Bring ham, peas and water to a boil, cover and simmer for 45 minutes
- After 45 minutes:
- Roughly chop onion and add to pot.
- Peel carrots. Slice by cutting in half the long way (in 2 or mores sections) then into half circles. Add to pot.
- Peel and slice potatoes to a similar size; add to pot.
- Slice celery, cutting the wide end in half lengthwise and add to pot.
- Cover and simmer until all vegetables are done, 30 - 45 minutes longer.
- Remove ham bone, if using, and cut ham. Add ham back to soup.
Onion Biscuits
Total time: 25 minutes
The way to make light biscuits is a minimum of handling. For those not familiar with baking powder biscuits - they are light and wonderful eaten with melted butter while still hot from the oven. They resemble hockey pucks the next day so don't bother to save the leftovers.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 medium onion
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tbs milk
- 1 tbs lemon juice
- 3/4 cup flour
- 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 tbs butter (chilled is best)
Instructions:
- Chop onion and sauté in oil over medium heat until tender.
- Put in blender along with milk and purée until smooth.
- Stir in lemon.
- Put all dry ingredients into bowl.
- Add butter and cut in with pastry blender, fork or 2 knives. The idea is to get the butter and flour mixed so that it looks like tiny pebbles or coarse sand.
- Add onion/milk and stir lightly and briefly until just sort of combined.
- Scoop dough out onto a heavily floured surface - any clean counter top or table will work. Knead lightly 5 - 7 times - that is: press it together lightly, turn it over and do it again, folding it over on itself as you turn it. It is not going to look well mixed or smooth like bread dough.
- Rub flour on a rolling pin and lightly roll dough out to 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) thickness. Try to get it square shaped. Instead of the usual circles cut the dough into 2 - 2.5 inch (5 - 6.25cm) squares. This makes all of the biscuits from one rolling - less handling.
- Put on lightly oiled baking sheet. Bake for 10 - 15 minutes in 425F (215C) oven or until lightly browned.
- Remove and serve immediately.
Note: This will yield 5 - 8 biscuits. I cut my regular biscuit recipe in half.
Cooking Schedule:
90 minutes for menu |
Cut potato, add to soup |
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