Tomato Bean Pork Soup
four cups of water
1 cup of dry navy beans
1½ cups of sliced celery
1 to 1½ kilos of smoked pork hocks or one pound to 1½-pound of meaty ham bone
1/three cup of tomato paste
1 cup of chopped onion
1½ cups of sliced celery
½ teaspoon of salt
¾ teaspoon of dried thyme, beaten
1 bay leaf ¼ teaspoon of pepper
Rinse beans. In a massive saucepan frozen white asparagus combine water and beans. Bring to boiling. Reduce heat. Simmer for two minutes. Remove from heat. Cover and permit stand for 1 hour. (Or, skip boiling the water and soak beans overnight in a covered pan.) Drain and rinse beans. In the same pan combine salt, red meat, tomato paste, bay leaf, four cups of recent water, beans, onion, pepper, celery and thyme. Bring to boiling. Reduce warmth. Cover and simmer for about 1 hour or until the beans are smooth. Remove the beef. When cool sufficient to address, reduce meat off the bones and coarsely chop it. Discard the bay leaf and the bones. Slightly mash beans in saucepan. Return the beef to the saucepan. Heat thru.
Quick Tomato Bean Pork Soup: Prepare as above, besides pass over the dry beans. In a massive saucepan integrate salt, red meat, tomato paste, bay leaf, three cups of water, onion, pepper, celery and thyme. Cover and simmer for forty five mins. When cool enough to handle, reduce the meat off the bones and coarsely chop it. Discard the bay leaf and the bones. Return meat to saucepan. Stir in a single 15 ounce can of undrained navy or extraordinary northern beans. Heat through.
Chicken Asparagus Salad
¼ cup of lemon juice
1/3 cup of olive oil or canola oil
1 teaspoon of lemon-pepper seasoning
3 tablespoons of red wine vinegar or dry sherry
½ cup of chopped onion
12 oz. Of sliced cooked chicken breast, reduce into skinny strips (approximately 2½ cups)
4 small tomatoes, sliced
¾ pound of asparagus spears or one 10-ounce bundle of frozen asparagus spears.
1 cup of sliced fresh mushrooms
1 medium cucumber, thinly sliced
Fresh basil (optional)
Leaf lettuce
Basil Mayonnaise (below)
For the marinade, in a screw-top jar integrate vinegar or sherry, oil, lemon-pepper seasoning and lemon juice. Cover and shake properly. In a mixing bowl combine chook and onion. Add marinade. Toss gently to coat. Let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook dinner asparagus in boiling salted water for 10 to fifteen mins or till almost soft. (Or, cook frozen asparagus consistent with bundle guidelines.) Drain asparagus. Rinse with cold water. Let stand, covered with cold water.
Drain onion and bird, reserving three tablespoons of the marinade for Basil Mayonnaise. For salads, line 4 salad plates with lettuce. Cut the tomato slices in half. Around the outer edge of every plate, alternately arrange one-fourth of the tomatoes and one-fourth of the cucumber, overlapping as necessary. (Place the rounded edges of tomatoes closer to the outer edges of the plates, forming petal like shapes.) Then, the use of one-fourth of the mushrooms, arrange a ring inside the cucumber-tomato ring. Drain asparagus spears. Arrange one-fourth of the asparagus and one-fourth of the chicken combination within the middle of every plate. Garnish with sparkling basil, if desired. Serve with Basil Mayonnaise.