Blackeye Pea Gumbo

      For good luck and prosperity in the upcoming year, my Southern friends traditionally eat blackeye peas on New Year's Day.  More like a jambalaya than a gumbo, this very easy recipe from Bush's can be tweaked and adapted to suit your needs.  If you're a vegetarian, substitute with vegetable broth and if you want a heartier more stick to your ribs kind of meal, add sliced, cooked kielbasa and raw shrimp during the last 10-15 minutes of cooking time.  Ramp up the heat and flavor by adding your favorite spices.  In my 12 inch dutch oven I sauteed the vegetables with a full mound of 24-26 coals underneath my dutch oven.  Once the onions were translucent I moved the coals to a ring of 12 around the base of the oven with 26 briquettes on the lid.  It took a good 45 minutes for the rice to cook and absorb some of the liquid.  So ring in the New Year with a big bowl of lucky blackeye peas and I hope all your dreams come true in 2015! 

Blackeye Pea Gumbo
1 Tblsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
5 stalks celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup rice
2 cups chicken stock
4 15 oz cans blackeye peas with liquid
1 10 oz can diced tomatoes and green chiles, undrained
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 Tblsp Cajun spice
Freshly ground black pepper to taste    
    
     Lightly oil or spray 12 inch or larger dutch oven.
     Saute olive oil, onion, pepper, garlic and celery over a full compliment of coals until softened.
     Move bottom coals to a ring around the base of dutch oven.
     Add remaining ingredients, stir until well combined.
     Cover dutch oven with as many coals as needed to bring gumbo to a strong bubble.
     Simmer for 45-50 minutes, stirring halfway, or until rice is tender.
     Makes 8 servings.

Saute onions, pepper, celery and garlic over high heat
until softened

Add remaining ingredients, stir until well combined

Simmer for 45 minutes or until rice is tender

A great warming, filling game day dinner and don't
forget the cornbread

Green Chili Stew

     Being the sometimes lazy cook that I am, I decided to forego the browning step of this recipe, threw everything in my dutch oven and let it simmer.  The meat was very moist and flavorful and the stew has just enough heat to warm your insides.  In my 10 inch dutch oven, I placed 10 coals in a ring around the bottom and loaded up the lid with 24-26 coals.  That way the stew quickly came to a bubble, there was enough heat to keep it going for an hour and fifteen minutes and I didn't have to light a second batch of coals.  Toss in the potatoes after 30 minutes and don't lift the lid again for 45 minutes or until you're ready to eat.  Serve it with cornbread or tortillas and be sure to cut your meat into smaller cubes so it will tenderize and cook more quickly.
 
Green Chili Stew
2 lb stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 onion, chopped
1 10 oz can diced tomatoes with green chilies
1 1/2 cups beef broth
1 4 oz can chopped green chilies
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground cumin
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 large potatoes, peeled and cubed

     Lightly oil or spray dutch oven.
     In large bowl or dutch oven, combine all ingredients, except potatoes.
     Bring stew to a low boil, using as many coals as needed to keep it at a strong simmer.
     After 30 minutes, add potatoes.
     Continue cooking for 45 minutes more, undisturbed, or until potatoes and meat are tender.
     Makes 4 servings.

Combine all ingredients, except potatoes, and place
in well oiled dutch oven

Simmer for 30 minutes then add potatoes

Continue cooking for 45 minutes more or until potatoes
and beef are tender

A quick and easy stew that tastes like it was simmered all day 

Long Branch Corn Chowder

     A landmark of The Old West, the Long Branch Saloon in Dodge City, Kansas was the old stomping grounds of the legendary Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday and Bat Masterson.  William Harris, one of the original owners of the famous watering hole, actually named it after his hometown in New Jersey.  This rich and cheesy chowder is brought to us by the Longbranch Company, they sell and produce their own brand of bloody mary mix called, Bloody Mary Zinger.   
     The key to making this tasty chowder is having all of your ingredients prepared in advance.  Once the onions and celery have softened, things move along rather quickly.  I made it in my 10 inch dutch oven and it took about 25 minutes start to finish.  Pile as many coals as you can under your oven, after I added the corn, I covered the soup with about 10 coals on the lid to help bring it to a final simmer.  This filling chowder is so thick you can almost stand a spoon in it, and so cheesy you can even scoop it up with tortilla chips.

Long Branch Corn Chowder
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup flour
2 cups half and half
2 cups bloody mary mix
2 cups (8 oz) Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes, drained
1 4 oz can diced chiles, drained
16 oz frozen corn OR 2 15 oz cans canned corn, drained

     Over a full compliment of coals, melt butter in dutch oven.
     Add celery and onion; saute until onion is tender.
     Whisk in flour and cook for two minutes.
     Whisk in half and half and bloody mary mix.
     Stir over heat until smooth and thickened.
     Add Cheddar and whisk until melted.
     Add tomatoes, chilies and corn; stir until well combined.
     Cover with as many coals on the lid as needed to bring soup to a simmer.
     Simmer for 10-15 minutes or until corn has thawed completely and chowder is hot.
     Makes 6-8 servings.

Saute onion and celery in butter over full compliment of coals

Whisk in flour and cook for 2 minutes

Add half and half and bloody mary mix and cook, while stirring,
until thickened; stir in shredded Cheddar

Add corn, chilies and drained tomatoes

Cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes until chowder is heated through

Garnish with chopped scallions or crushed tortilla chips

Texas Style Chili with Spicy Jalapeno Chicken Sausage

     Another excellent recipe from the Al Fresco sausage company, this versatile, chunky chili can be dished up in a bowl or wrapped in a tortilla.  If you're a vegetarian, omit the sausage and add another can of black beans.  In my 10 inch oven, I loaded up the lid with 28 coals and placed 10 in a ring around the bottom.  After 20 minutes I gave it a stir and after 25 more minutes the vegetables were soft and the chili was bubbling away.  The nice thing about this recipe is that you can do all your prep work at home, place everything in a zip lock bag and roast it at your destination.  Please don't add any liquid, you don't need it, the vegetables create their own juices.  I threw in an extra pepper and only used one package of sausage, the jalapeno really gives it a kick.  Loaded with vitamins, low in fat and brimming with flavor, a perfect outdoor dinner.

Texas Style Chili with Spicy Jalapeno Chicken Sausage
1-2 12 oz packages spicy jalapeno chicken sausage, sliced
2 Tblsp olive oil
1/2 cup onion, roughly chopped
1 large green, red and yellow pepper, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
2-3 Tblsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
2 bay leaves (optional)

     Lightly oil or spray dutch oven.
     Combine all ingredients in dutch oven.
     Bake at 375 degrees for 45-50 minutes, stirring halfway, or until vegetables are tender.
     Serve in a bowl or wrapped in flour tortilla.
     Top with sour cream and grated cheese.
     Makes 4 servings.

Mix ingredients in dutch oven

Roast at 375 degrees for 45 minutes, stirring halfway

Don't forget to remove the bay leaves.

Italian Sausage and Lentil Stew

     Since we're coming into stew season and this recipe from Campbell's has three of my favorite ingredients, Italian sausage, lentils and broccoli rabe, I just couldn't resist making it in my dutch oven.  Italian sausage and broccoli rabe is a match made in heaven, toss in some lentils, potatoes, onions and carrots and you've got a filling, cold weather dinner.  After browning the sausage in my 10 inch oven over a full spread of coals I moved them to a ring of 10 around the base of the oven and covered the lid with 24 briquettes.  If you can't find broccoli rabe substitute your favorite strong flavored green or even a bag of fresh spinach.  Healthy and rib sticking good, sprinkle it with some grated Parmesan for the perfect finishing touch.

Italian Sausage and Lentil Stew
1 Tblsp olive oil
1 lb. sweet Italian pork sausage, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 large carrots, sliced
1 large onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 tsp dried oregano
1 bay leaf
2 cups cubed red potatoes
1/2 cup uncooked dry lentils
2-3 cups coarsely chopped broccoli rabe

     Lightly oil or spray dutch oven.
     Brown sausage in olive oil over a full compliment of coals.
     Add carrots, onion and garlic; cook until vegetables are tender.
     Move bottom coals to a ring around base of oven.
     Add broth, oregano, bay leaf, potatoes and lentils.
     Cover with as many coals on the lid as needed to keep stew at a steady bubble.
     Simmer for 30-35 minutes or until lentils are tender.
     Add broccoli rabe; cook for 5-10 minutes more.
     Discard bay leaf, makes 4-6 servings.

Brown sausage, onion, carrots and garlic over a full compliment of coals

Add broth, lentils, potatoes, bay leaf and oregano

Simmer for 30-35 minutes then add broccoli rabe

Cook for 5-10 minutes or until rabe is tender

A stick to your ribs stew