Venezuelan Antipasto

I am dedicating this post to my friend and colleague, Deb. My good friends, Rosemary and Pablo were at the University of Florida about 20 years ago as visiting graduate students on a grant from Venezuela when we first met. Even though their English was at times difficult to understand; we never seemed to have a problem communicating. It only seemed natural that we would exchange recipes as well as helpful advise on child rearing; we had Kathleen and they had two boys. Back then, Scott and I still ate fish and were not fully vegetarians so when Rosemary made this Antipasto for dinner one night we were amazed at the flavors as they seemed to separate and yet meld together. She gave me this recipe and I too have shared it for many years. I don't have any pictures to post of it, but if anyone out there makes it; perhaps you could post a picture for me. I hope you all will enjoy it as much as my family did in the past.

Venezuelan Antipasto

Ingredients

1 medium cauliflower
1 bag baby carrots
6 stalks celery
2 medium onions
2 medium green peppers
1 pound fresh green beans
6 cans Chicken of the Sea solid white tuna in spring water (you can substitute tuna in oil, but it will add calories)
5 green olives stuffed with pimentos

1 cup vinegar (white)
24 oz Ketchup (I like Heinz brand)
1/3 cup olive oil (use only extra virgin grade, not light type—the higher the quality—the better the flavor of the antipasto)
½ cup water (approximately)

Preparation

Separate cauliflower into little flowers, cut carrots into little sticks about twice as thick as a match stick and about 1 inch or so long, cut celery into little rectangles, pepper into little squares bout ½ inch, separate onion into little feather like pieces (i.e. cut in half, then slice each half, then pull the half-rings apart), cut the green beans into 1/3s or 1/4s depending on size. Leave the olives whole. Open and drain the tuna.

Layer the vegetables in a large cooking pot in the following order (starting at the bottom)
Carrots
Green beans
Cauliflower
Celery
Peppers
Onions
Tuna fish (shredded well with a folk)
Olives

Add olive oil, vinegar, ketchup and water. Cook over medium heat for about ½ to ¾ of an hour depending on the tenderness of the vegetables (the vegetables on the bottom will be very tender; but will become crisper once they are chilled in the refrigerator). DO NOT STIR until vegetables are done, then stir up and let cook about 5 more minutes over a LOW heat, to blend the flavors.

Let cool completely before saving in the refrigerator. Save in small containers, so that only part of it is open at a time, and the rest will not spoil.

You can easily cut the recipe in half by using half of everything.

This is a great summer meal.

Tomato Bisque Soup for Two

Tomato Bisque Soup for Two

* 1 tbsp butter
* 2 tbsp olive oil
* 1 medium onion, diced
* 1 carrot, diced
* 2 lbs ripe tomatoes (I used Dry-Farmed Early Girls), roughly chopped
* 1 c. Vegetable Soup Stock
* 2 sprigs fresh marjoram
* 5-6 leaves fresh basil, chopped
* 1/2 - 1 c. heavy cream

1. Heat butter and olive oil over medium heat in a large dutch oven or other heavy pot.
2. Add onion and saute for 1 minute; add carrot, salt & pepper to taste, and saute for
2 minutes more.
3. Add roughly chopped tomatoes (do not seed or peel), crushing lightly between your fingers.
4. Add the stock and herbs; reduce heat to medium. Let simmer for 20-30 minutes,
or until the tomatoes are softened and have released all their juice. Re-season, if necessary.
5. Remove the soup to a strainer or food mill. If using a strainer, allow the solids to drain
for at least 10 minutes, stirring and pressing every couple of minutes.
6. Add the cream to the strained soup, and serve.

Pumpkin Bread

Pumpkin Bread

3 cups Sugar
1 cup Canola Oil (you can substitute Vegetable Oil if you prefer)
4 Eggs-Well beaten
16 Ounces (1 can) Organic Pumpkin (you can substitute any canned pumpkin or if you prefer
you can use fresh pumpkin, but it is seasonal.)
3-1/2 cups King Arthur (all-purpose flour)
1 tsp. Baking Powder
2 tsp. Salt (I prefer sea salt)
1/2 tsp. Ground Cloves
1 tsp. Nutmeg
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1 tsp. Allspice
2/3 cup Water


Grease two Loaf Pans
Combine sugar, oil and eggs. Add pumpkin and mix well. I use a 6-quart Kitchen Aid Mixer.
Sift dry ingredients and add to pumpkin mixture
Add water and beat thoroughly (use a medium speed).
Pour batter into loaf pans and bake in pre-heated oven for 1 hour (until tooth pick comes out clean).

Susan Paul’s Garden

4 quarts Red Tomatoes—peeled, seeded and chopped
4 cups chopped green bell peppers (approximately 2 large peppers)
½ cup seeded and chopped Jalapeno peppers (about 2 large peppers)
1 cup seeded and chopped Poblano Peppers
3 medium chopped onions (approximately 3 cups)
2-1/2 cups chopped celery
4 cloves minced fresh garlic
2 cups fresh lemon juice
2 cans (12 oz each) tomato paste (you can make this fresh, but I have found that the canned tomato paste is just as good.)
1 T canning salt
1 cup sugar
1 T cumin power

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a stockpot. Mix well and bring to a boil. Cook on a low boil, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes. Ladle the hot salsa into pint canning jars leaving ½” space. Be sure to wipe the rims before putting the lids on. Process in a boiling water bath for 20 minutes (water should cover bands by approximately 2 inches). Remove from canner to cool. This recipe will make approximately 16 pint jars. Be sure to refrigerate after opening.

This is one of my favorite Salsa recipes. It has a sweet taste and just the right amount of zing.

IT IS ALL ABOUT ME!

I first attempted my hand at “cooking” when I was about 16 years old. My best friend and I decided to make lettuce and tomato sandwiches on toast.

Yes, we really thought we were “cooking.” I was in charge of making the toast and Eileen had the honor of slicing the tomato and putting the lettuce on the toast.

Looking back on those long ago days makes me laugh and smile at the same time. I did not improve much until I got married at the ripe age of 27. Thankfully, my husband knew how to cook. My philosophy about cooking is simple: anyone can learn and anyone can be a great cook.

Most of the recipes come from friends that I have made over the past 30 years. Whenever possible I will credit where the recipes come from. If I am not sure—I will simply state that. I trust that you will enjoy keeping up with my BLOG as much as I will in writing it and presenting you with new recipes and experiences.

My salsa recipes comes from an old friend, Susan Paul, who hails from Texas. She moved to Florida in the middle 60’s and I met her toward the end of the 60’s. I introduced her to Glen Paul, who became her husband and she gave me a great recipe. I am not sure which one of us got the better deal. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy canning it and serving it to my family and friends. Scott, my husband is my source of encouragement and he has finally convinced me to pursue my cooking and canning on a commercial level. He also is a great deal help in the kitchen.

I am selling some of my canned goods so, if you are interested, please post to my blog so that we can chat.

Enjoy!!