Real Vermont Cooking

INGREDIENTS 1/2 pound fresh shrimp, peeled, deveined and washed 1/2 teaspoon sugar 1 bay leaf 1 small piece of bell pepper, cut fine 1/4 lemon 1/8 teaspoon sweet basil 1 – 1/2 cups water pinch nutmeg 1 – 1/2 tablespoons cooking oil 1 small piece of bayleaf 1 small onion, chopped 1/8 teaspoon red pepper 1 clove garlic, mashed 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch 1 cup whole tomatoes, fresh or canned A small amount of green onion 1/2 cup tomato sauce Liquid from boiled shrimp Directions: In a stew pan, add water, salt, bay leaf, lemon and shrimp. Cook over medium heat. When water comes to a boil, cover and cook 5 minutes. Drain and reserve liquid. Saute onion and garlic in oil until tender. Add tomatoes, shrimp broth, sugar, and bell pepper, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. Add sweet basil, nutmeg, red pepper and salt to taste. Cook a few minutes more. . Make a paste with corn starch and 2 tablespoons water. Stir it into the sauce; stir and cook until it thickens. When ready to serve, add the boiled shrimp, parsley and green onion.

INGREDIENTS Salt and red pepper to taste 1 clove garlic, mashed Pinch thyme 1/3 cup tomato sauce mixed with 1/3 cup water Pinch nutmeg 1 tablespoon green onion 4 tablespoons cornstarch 1 tablespoons parsley Pie dough enough for 4 individual pies (or 2 large) 1 – 1/2 cups crawfish tails; crawfish fat and water to make 2 cups 3 tablespoons cooking oil 1 medium onion, chopped fine 2 tablespoons butter 1/4 cup chopped celery Directions: Cook onion, celery, and garlic in cooking oil, stirring until tender. Dish out half the cooked mixture.To the mixture, add tomato sauce, water, and crawfish fat, cook over medium heat and when it boils, slowly add cornstarch and water stirring until sauce thickens, season with nutmeg, thyme, red pepper and salt to taste; set aside. To the remaining cooked onion mixture in a saucepan add crawfish tails, butter, cook 2 to 3 minutes. Combine sauce, crawfish, green onion and parsley. Cook, then pour into 4 pastry lined pie plates, equally divided. Wet edges of under crust, cover with uppercrust. Press edges together; prick with a fork. Bake in a 450 degree preheated oven 5 minutes; reduce heat to 400 degrees and bake about 15 minutes longer.

INGREDIENTS 2 1/2 or 3 pound pork shoulder roast 4 tablespoons cooking oil 1 tablespoon prepared mustard salt and red pepper to taste 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1 clove garlic, chopped Directions: One or two hours before cooking the roast, season generously with salt and pepper. Insert slivers of garlic in slits in roast made with a sharp knife. Rub mustard all over the meat. Wrap well in foil and place in refrigerator until ready to cook. When ready to cook, coat all sides with flour. Heat cooking oil in a large pot and cook meat to a golden brown on all sides. Cover pot with a tight fitting lid, turn the heat low and cook about 2 more hours. If heat is low enough you should not have to add any water, but turn meat frequently, careful not to prick with a sharp object for fear of losing the precious juices. MAKE THE GRAVY AS FOLLOWS: fat from the meat and pan drippings 1 1/2 cups water 1 medium onion, grated 1 small piece of celery, chopped 1 heaping tablespoon cornstarch with 1/4 cup water Cook onion and celery in meat drippings until clear and tender, stirring occasionally. Add water. When liquid comes to a boil, add cornstarch mixture. Cook until thick and smooth. Add more seasoning (salt and pepper) if necessary.

Makes 2 Servings INGREDIENTS 12 or 14 cabbage leaves, cut large ones in half along thick ridge 3 tablespoons bacon grease or sausage drippings 1 clove garlic, finely minced 1 small onion, finely chopped 1/2 pound ground beef 3/4 cup cooked rice 1/2 of a well beaten egg 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon red pepper Directions: Cook onion and garlic in bacon grease until tender. In a large bowl, thoroughly mix meat, rice, egg, salt, pepper and cooked onion. Place about 1 tablespoon of the mixture in soft end of the cabbage, ending with the large end of the leaf. continue until all are rolled. In a saucepan that has a tight fitting lid, place a pan rack, crumbled foil, or pieces of cabbage on bottom and add water. Place cabbage rolls hard end down. CREOLE SAUCE 1 cup canned whole tomatoes and juice 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon red pepper 1 teaspoon sugar 1/2 lemon (for juice) 1 cup water Combine tomatoes, salt, sugar and pepper. Pour over cabbage. Squeeze lemon over all. Cover with a tight fitting lid. Cook 15 minutes, then reduce heat to low. Cook 45 minutes longer.

INGREDIENTS 1 pound dried red beans or kidney beans 1 large hamhock from left over ham, or sausage 2 tablespoons margarine or ham fat 1 large onion, finely chopped 1 or 2 clove garlic, finely minced 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon red pepper 1 small piece bay leaf 1/2 teaspoon oregano powder 2 large ripe tomatoes or canned whole tomatoes Directions: Pick and wash red beans. In a large sauce pan boil 1-1/2 quarts water, drop in the beans, boil 1 minute. Set aside until they cool. Cook onion in fat until tender. Add to beans, with garlic, hamhock, tomatoes, bayleaf, salt, and pepper. Cook over high heat, then reduce to simmer until tender, about 2-1/2 to 3 hours. Take out hamhock, cut meat away from bone and add to pot of beans. Add oregano. Serve in soup plates over rice. Chopped scallions over this is delicious.