Ham and Potato Soup

Sometimes the simplest things in life are the best.  This wonderful ham and potato soup is just the thing to warm you up on a cold winter day when the North wind is blowing.  It is easy to make with ingredients you may have in the pantry.  I had a some leftover  ham to dice up, but at the market they sell packages of ham that has been diced for you.  The chicken stock gives the soup a real depth of flavor.  If you have some homemade chicken stock use it of course.  If not, one of those cartons of chicken broth that I always keep in the pantry works very well.  The finishing touch is a bit of crisp bacon sprinkled on the top.  Sheer heaven. 

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups peeled and diced potatoes

1/2 cup diced celery

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1 cup diced cooked ham

3 cups of water

2 cups of chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

5 tablespoons butter

5 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups milk

Garnish:

3 strips of bacon fried until crisp and chopped

Directions:

Combine the potatoes, celery, onion, ham and water in a stockpot. Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the chicken stock, salt and pepper.

In a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour and cook, stirring constantly until thick, about 1 minute. Slowly stir in the milk and continue stirring over low heat until thick, 4 to 5 minutes.

Pour the milk and flour mixture into the stockpot, and cook gently until heated through. 

Garnish the soup with a little crisp bacon on the top and serve.  Bon apetit my friends!

Eye of the Round Roast - Easy and Delicious

Eye of the Round Roast was my nemisis for many years.  I tried so many ways to prepare it and none of them were satisfactory.  Beef that has been cooked long and slow with a cover so that it simmers until it is tender is not my cup of tea.  Then I found this way of preparing an Eye of the Round Roast and it was perfect.  The meat was tender, well seasoned, rare in the middle with a delicous brown crust.  The best part is that it is so easy, but you have to follow the directions exactly. This recipe is for a 3 pound roast.  If you have a bigger roast you should calculate 7 minutes of roasting for each pound. 

Ingredients:

3 pound Eye of the Round Roast of Beef
sea salt to taste
freshly gound black pepper, be generous
garlic powder to taste, enough to cover all surfaces
extra virgin olive oil, enough to cover the outside of the roast
Herbes de Provence, enough to lightly cover the roast all around

Method:

Heat the oven up to 500 degress Farenheit.  Yes, that us very hot, but this is how you sear the meat and seal in all of the wonderful juices.

When the oven is really hot, put the roast which you have placed in an oven proof dish big enough to hold it and pop it in the oven.  Immediately turn the oven down to 475 degrees Farenheit.  Set the timer for exactly 21 minutes, no more, no less. 

When the timer rings at the end of 21 minutes, turn the oven off.  Do not for any reason open the oven door for the next 2 and 1/2 hours.   You will be tempted, but do not peek.

When everything else that you plan to serve is ready, open the oven door and you will find the most delicious roast beef with some very good juices in the pan. The internal temperature will be about 140 degrees F.  Using a very sharp knife, slice the meat very thinly against the grain and serve.

If you like to serve the beef au jus, add a some beef stock to the pan to deglaze it and serve the juices over the sliced meat.  Hasselback potatoes and green beans blanched and sauteed in a little garlic and olive oil are perfect with this roast. 

The leftover cold sliced beef makes wonderful sandwiches with a bit of hot sweet mustard, some arugula and a slice of  Provolone.   Enjoy.