Kielbasa Soup

Kielbasa is an Easter staple around here. I'm not sure if it is a very important holiday dish in other parts, but in Philadelphia, I can not remember an Easter that did not feature this Polish sausage. Many have specific little Polish delis where they will insist on buying their kielbasa. I like kielbasa but was never a huge fanatic over it. It has a great taste, but I never did like that it would try to steal the spotlight from my all time favorite ham.

Since I hosted Easter this year, I decided to go a little off tradition. Sure, I'd have the all important kielbasa on the menu, but not as one would expect. Soup! Who would ever think you can put kielbasa in soup?!? Well, Pinterest did and I thought the idea was brilliant. I was able to set it in my crock pot at 7am and turn my mind to other more important cooking manners throughout the day. My family members were a little put off at first that I would be having soup at the holiday meal instead of straight up kielbasa, but in time they got over it and maybe even became a little intrigued.

• 1 lb. (2 cups) dried small white beans
• 1 onion, chopped into fairly small pieces
• 1 Tbsp finely minced garlic
• 1 tsp. dried rosemary, crushed
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme, crushed
• 6 cups broth (the original recipe called for chicken broth, but I used my homemade vegetable broth that I had in my freezer)
• 1 can (14.5 oz.) petite dice tomatoes
• 14 oz. Kielbasa sausage, cut into half-moon slices (I used light turkey kielbasa to keep things more on the healthy side. Shhhhhh! My family doesn't know and they couldn't even tell by taste)
• 4 packed cups fresh spinach, coarsely chopped

 Pick over the beans, removing any broken ones, and add beans to the slow cooker.  Chop onion, mince the garlic and crush the spices. I put my spices in a Ziploc bag and crushed them with the back of a spoon. Add to the slow cooker.  Add the broth and diced tomatoes to the slow cooker and start to cook on low.  

Cut the sausage in half lengthwise, and then slice it into half-moon slices.  If you're going to be cooking this while you're not home, add the sausage now and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or until the beans are nicely softened.  If you will be home, I would cook the other ingredients about 5-6 hours and then add the sausage.  It will work either way, but the sausage will be softer if you add it for the entire cooking time.

When beans are done to your liking, chop the spinach, turn the slow cooker to high, and cook about 30 minutes more.  Serve hot, with freshly grated Parmesan cheese for sprinkling on the stew if desired.

 

This went over great with my family. It was nice to have an appetizer to serve that was not the typical picky cheese and crackers or vegetable platter. My sister even asked to take some home to have for lunch at work the next day! We usually trade soups whenever we make some. Somehow the two of us grew up being pretty domesticated. 

Easter Ham with Pineapple-Mustard Glaze

Easter was the first big holiday I hosted. I thought I would be a mess all day and completely stressed out, however everything turned out wonderful. By paying attention to cooking times, I managed to set a schedule of what time each dish had to be started and serve everything at once. I made some dishes early, to be reheated once the ham was settling. My menu consisted of: Ham, mashed potatoes, Italian green beans, corn, pineapple stuffing, and kielbasa soup. We also had deviled eggs, coleslaw, and cake; provided by my sister.

Instead of cooking my ham with ginger ale, like I've heard done before, I wanted to do something special. After some research I decided to make a homemade ham glaze on Easter Eve. Sophia insists that every special occasion has an "Eve". Next Sunday will be her Birthday Eve!!! I found a recipe from marthastewart.com that used as a guideline for my glaze.

Ham Glaze

• the pineapple juice from a can of sliced pineapples
• 1 cup water
• 3 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup brown mustard

Bring pineapple juice, sugar, and water to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 60 minutes. It should reduce some. Remove from heat and let cool. Whisk in mustard and store until use. The glaze can be refidgerated for up to 3 days.

Easter Ham

• 8-10 lb ham
• 1 cup white wine
• pineapple rings
• maraschino cherries

Preheat oven to 350. Place ham in a shallow baking dish. Make score marks across the skin of the ham, about 1 inch apart. Slowly pour the white wine over the ham. Garnish the ham with cherries and pineapples, using toothpicks to secure the fruit. Pour half the glaze over the ham. Cover and bake on lowest rack for one hour. After the hour, remove ham and heat the oven to 425. Uncover ham and pour remaining glaze over top. Bake for an additional 45 minutes, basting occasionally. Remove ham and let sit under a foil tent for 30 minutes. 


I used brown mustard, because it was what I had on hand the night before Easter. Had I prepared, I would have purchased a country style mustard. Country style mustard is the fancy grainy mustard sold in delis and most supermarkets. It would have given the glaze more of a kick, but this ham turned out delicious. If I turn Easter dinner at my house into a tradition, I probably wont stray too far from this recipe. Then again, who knows?? I may want to get even fancier next year, now that I know I can do it!
 

Roasted Peppers

Roasted Peppers have always seemed to be somewhat of a treat or luxury for people other than me. I have never liked the taste of red peppers. Green peppers are delicious, but I cannot explain why the red (and even sometimes orange and yellow) turn me off. I don't even like dishes made with red peppers in it, because the flavor permeates the entire meal. Red peppers are probably second on my yuck list of food. Surpassed only by coconuts. Blech....

You very rarely ever see roasted green pepper. Whether in jars or fresh from an Italian deli, you only see the red. Sometimes you may see some green mixed in with the red, but never green alone. As much as I dislike the flavor of red pepper, I love green peppers. One day I realized I had 3 peppers that were close to rotting. Instead of tossing them, I decided I would finally attempt to make roasted peppers.

Most of the recipes Ive seen suggest roasting the pepper whole. Like I said, my peppers were close to spoiling, so there were some soft spots I wanted to cut out. I decided to slice the soft spots out and cut the core out. I wound up with 4 shells of pepper. To make the second step of the process easier, I lined my cookie sheet with foil and then laid my pepper pieces down, skin side up. I liberally sprayed the pieces with cooking oil and popped them in the oven. With my oven preheated to 400, I let them roast for about 45 minutes. Once they started showing the tell tale black marks on their skin, I pulled them out of the oven.

One would assume that the actual baking or roasting would be enough. I was surprised to find out there is actually a steaming process involved. Next, scoop all your peppers to the center of your piece of foil and carefully fold up the sides to create an airtight pocket. Let your pepper pocket sit until it is cool enough to handle with bare hands. This allows the peppers to steam in their own heat. Once the peppers can easily be handled you can go a step further and peel the skins. I did not peel mine, but I guess I am not a true roasted pepper connoisseur since I have never been able to eat them. Most vegetables pack a vitamin and nutrient power punch in their skins, so I see no reason to remove them. If you do want to remove them, most recipes I've read state that you can simply grasp the corner and peel them off. If you do remove the skins, do yourself a favor and save them in your veggie scrap bag for broth!

Once cooled, you can store these peppers in a sealed glass jar in the fridge. The time they will last varies depending upon which recipe you go by. Some said a week, while others said they will last up to 6 months. I doubt you will be able to let them last that long, because they are so tasty! If you want to store then for an extended period of time, I would suggest using something that will be airtight, like a mason jar.