Clams and Celery with Vermouth

Difficulty: Easy

Prep time: 10 minutes plus an hour to soak the clams

Cooking time: 5 minutes

Cost per serving: $1.50

Useful leftovers: Good served cold with a flavorful sauce

Fast and easy and so tasty

Serves 1

4 clams
1/4 rib of celery
1/2 shallot
1 teaspoon of olive oil
1 tablespoon of water
1 tablespoon of dry vermouth
Zest and juice of a lemon

Soak the clams in cold water for an hour. Scrub them to make sure they are clean and have no grit.

Finely chop the shallot and cut the celery into 1/2 inch pieces. Saute them gently with the zest in the olive oil.

When they are translucent and slightly browned take the pan off the heat and add the clams, the vermouth and the water. Cover the pan and put it on high heat.

Cook for two  minutes then peek to see if the clams are starting to open. If they are, remove the open clams to a bowl. Season the liquid in the pan with salt and lemon juice. Pour the liquid over the clams and serve.

Super Sauce

Difficulty: Very Easy

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: None

Cost per serving: $0.50

Useful leftovers: Yes

A sour cream based dressing. It really brings out the flavors of certain foods. Great with cucumbers.

I never measure anything so start out light and add more flavorings as you taste it. This sauce is amazingly low in calories and packs a flavor punch.

The light sour cream that I use has only 20 calories per tablespoon. Here is a great trick - before you add the other ingredients whip the sour cream with a wire whip until it lightens and thickens like regular whipped cream.

If you beat it until the volume increases 50% then it is only 13 calories per tablespoon! Amazing.

Start with a half cup of sour cream and whip it until it holds soft peaks. Add any or all of the following flavorings.

I use this combination of flavorings:

1 tablespoon of dijon style mustard
1 tablespoon mushed up blue cheese
1/2 tablespoon prepared or fresh horseradish
Zest of one lemon and half of the juice
1 teaspoon chopped shallot, rinsed
Salt and pepper

Also good:

Capers
Finely chopped olives
Anchovies or a little mashed up smoked fish
Parsley or cilantro or basil
Hot sauce or peppers
Sweet peppers
Finely chopped cucumbers

Be sure and gently fold the flavorings in so you don’t undo all the whipping.

Taste and add ingredients as you wish.

Chocolate Fool and Chocolate Charlotte

Difficulty: Easy
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Cost per serving: $0.50
Useful leftovers: Yes

A great recipe, hardly takes any time and everyone who has tasted it loved it. So simple and so good!

2 oz of good chocolate
A tablespoon of coffee or water
A pint of heavy cream
A tablespoon of powdered sugar
A pinch of salt
A couple of drops of vanilla.

Melt the chocolate with the water or coffee in a double boiler.

Add the pinch of sugar and the vanilla to the cream and whip until it it has slightly firm peaks. Set aside 1/4 of it to garnish.

Take the chocolate off the heat. Mix 1/4 of the whipped cream with the chocolate, then fold that mixture into the rest of the cream.

Refrigerate and decorate with the extra cream.

If you want to be really fancy make a charlotte. Line a mold (I use a pyrex dish) with plastic wrap then line that with cookies (vanilla wafers are fine, as are ginger snaps or mint Milanos). Pour the fool mixture in. Refrigerate for several hours.

When it is set put a serving plate on top and flip. Take the plastic film off and decorate with the reserved whipped cream and some berries.

This is one of those desserts you make an entrance with. Take a bow and accept the applause!

Hartman House Spice Mix

I never measure anything so the amounts are, well, variable. If I am out of something I leave it out or use something else.

4 parts sweet paprika
1 part smoked paprika
Pinch of chipotle powder
Pinch of ancho chile powder
More pinches: garlic powder, dried thyme
Ground cumin seeds
Celery seeds

Note that there is no salt or pepper. This way I can control each for each dish.

Note that this mixture can burn so you have to be careful.

Buy your garlic powder carefully. Sometimes it is dehydrated at too high a temperature and has a bitter taste.

I use this mixture as a general seasoning and as a rub for barbeque or smoking meat.

Curried Shrimp

A great way to cook shrimp; fast, easy, low in calories and YUMMY!


Shrimp
Curry powder
Olive oil
Lemon juice
Salt and pepper

Pour a bit of olive oil in a bowl and add enough curry powder to make a loose paste. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Add the shrimp and mix.

Heat a heavy bottomed pan and add the shrimp. Cook until almost half done then turn over. Cook just until they are barely done.

Remove the shrimp, add more lemon juice and a little water to the pan if necessary. Scrape up the bits on the bottom of the pan and pour the sauce over the shrimp. Salt and pepper to taste.

You can use orange or apple juice instead of water and lemon juice.

This is a favorite picnic food of our and we have eaten it at many a baseball game!

Hartman House Pasta Salad basic recipe

1 lb small pasta such as acini di pepe or orzo
1 large cucumber
1 bunch of herbs (cilantro, basil or flat-leaf parsley)
1 tablespoon of whole cumin, ground
1 teaspoon of celery seeds, crushed between your fingers
Olive oil
Red wine vinegar
Lemon zest and juice


Boil the pasta in salted water until just done. Drain and rinse in cold water to stop the cooking. Drain very well.

Crunchy cashews added a salty crunch. Yay!

We want to use all of the skin of the cucumber (if it hasn't been waxed) so cut it like this: cut two strips off either side to get a lot of the skin off. Slice the skin into tiny pieces. Cut the rest of the cucumber into 1/4" dice.

Chop the herbs.

Add the herbs and cucumbers to the pasta along with the seeds and the lemon zest. Dress with oil and vinegar and lemon juice to taste. Salt and pepper.

Black Bean and Vegetable soup

1/2 lb black beans
2 strips of bacon
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 onion
3 ribs of celery
2 carrots
4 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 tablespoon of tomato paste
2 tablespoons of cumin seeds
1 teaspoon of celery seeds
Hot sauce (I like Cholula)
Chopped cilantro

Pick over the beans and put them in a pan along with twice their volume of water. Cover and bring to a boil. Let boil for two minutes, then leave them uncovered to soak for two hours. Alternatively you can just soak the beans overnight.

Chop the onions, celery and carrot.

Brown the bacon in a dutch oven. When it is browned remove it and drain on paper towels. Drain the bacon fat out of the pan but don't clean the pan.

Add the olive oil and heat the pan just until it starts to smoke. Throw in the aromatics and sweat them. Add the tomato paste and seeds and cook for 5 minutes.

Drain the soaked beans and and the peeled whole garlic and add them to the pot. Add fresh water to cover. Bring to a boil. Cover the pot and put it in a 225° oven for four hours.

When the beans are easy to smooch between your fingers it is done. You can boil it down or add a little water if needed. Smash the garlic so it disintegrates into the soup.

Add salt and pepper to taste, sprinkle with cilantro and crumbled bacon and serve with the hot sauce on the side.

This recipe is highly variable! You can throw in leftover meat or veggies, hot peppers, spinach, a poached egg, etc.