sunday dinner redux, side dishes edition - sweet potatoes!

Gooey... Sweet... Caramel-y...

Butterscotch-y Sweet Potatoes!

Sweeten up your Sunday dinner with these rich and decadent sweet potatoes. This is a simple (and overall, healthy) side dish that will not have you scrambling to the store for exotic ingredients, and it's a great dish to bring for gatherings since everyone loves it!

A tiny touch of cinnamon makes this dish perfect for all winter and autumn festivities, or can make a simple dinner pretty special as well. Pair these sweet potatoes with a pork roast, roast turkey or chicken or Cornish hen, or even a tender slow-cooked beef brisket.

And, it really doesn't take that much extra time to start from scratch instead of using canned sweet potatoes; just be sure to use a sharp peeler and knife for cutting. Also, do yourself a favor and don't buy the funny-shaped ones that look like obscene body parts or garden gnomes, etc.; you'll hate yourself later when you're trying to peel them.

ingredients:

• 6 large sweet potatoes, peeled, cut into large cubes and boiled for about 10 minutes
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup half and half
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

Place cooked, drained sweet potato cubes in an ungreased 13 inch x 9 inch baking dish; set aside.

Combine brown sugar, corn syrup, butter, half and half, cinnamon and salt in a medium-sized saucepan and boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly until mixture thickens.

Pour sauce over the sweet potatoes, cover and bake 15 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 minutes more, basting sweet potatoes with that delectable sauce.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

sunday dinner redux - halloween edition, GHOOOOOOOOUL-ash!

The Real Deal - Hungarian Goulash

What a perfect dish for Sunday dinner - on Halloween! Bela Lugosi would be proud.

This isn't macaroni and ground beef in a bland tomato sauce - this is Hungarian goulash, the real thing! Full of beef, peppers, paprika and the uniquely nutty flavor of caraway seeds, goulash is a dish that has been badly maligned over the years and turned into a mockery of its original deliciousness.

Goulash was a dish originally cooked over an open fire, first enjoyed by Hungarian herdsmen (the word herdsman is "gulyás" in Hungarian; this is where the name "goulash" originated). It is now one of the most beloved national dishes of Hungary and there are several spin-offs of it, versions with cabbage, beans etc. But this is the basic recipe and it's perfect as a warming, nourishing meal after a night of trick or treating in the dark, chilly sidewalk jungles. As you can imagine, this tastes wonderful when made a day ahead; just re-heat and serve over buttered egg noodles.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1-1/2 pounds boneless beef chuck, cut into 1-1/2 inch chunks
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons ground paprika
• 2 teaspoons caraway seeds
• 2 cups beef broth
• 4 tablespoons tomato sauce
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 3 medium red bell peppers or a combination of colors: red, green, orange, or yellow and cut into 1 inch squares (I used ripened Cubanelle peppers; our garden was overflowing with them and I love their flavor, much like a mild banana pepper)

In a large Dutch oven, brown the beef in the olive oil (not too many at one time, otherwise they will not brown properly). Transfer browned beef to a plate and reserve.

Add onion, garlic, paprika, caraway seeds to the oil and browned bits in the Dutch oven. Cook over low heat, stirring often, for about 10 minutes or until onions and garlic are tender but not browned.

Return the meat to the pan, add broth and tomato sauce, combine all and cook, covered, for 1-1/2 hours or until meat is tender. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the chopped pepper squares and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes or until peppers are lightly tender but not mushy.

Serve over buttered egg noodles. Makes 4 servings.

Vermont cheese soup ... by Vincent Price?!?

"A man who limits his interests, limits his life."

- Vincent Price

As an old movie fan in search of interesting Halloween recipes, I once decided to research horror movie stars, hoping to find a treasured recipe from the likes of Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney, Jr., etc. Imagine my surprise when I hit the motherlode - actor Vincent Price was a gourmet and a foodie! Who knew? In fact, Price authored several books including "A Treasury of Great Recipes" with his wife Mary. When I first discovered this, I knew that I had to have this cookbook and amazingly I found it on the shelf at one of my favorite consignment shops.

"A Treasury of Great Recipes," first published in 1965, is a tour of some of the Prices' favorite restaurants with accompanying recipes. The book is not only noteworthy for the fabulous recipes, but also for taking the reader back to a time of elegant dining at famous restaurants like The Four Seasons and Sardi's. The restaurants' menus are as fascinating as the stories and recipes, a true glimpse into a different era in fine dining.

This wonderful Vermont Cheese Soup recipe is from "A Treasury of Great Recipes;" Price felt that it sounded kind of "far out." I don't particularly think so, but I do think that it's absolutely delicious. It isn't an overly-thick soup like those that have lots and lots of flour and other thickeners. And, though the recipe says that this will serve 4, it's really closer to 2 as it's written (unless you're serving the soup as an appetizer in very small cups).

The only changes that I made to the recipe were the use of black pepper instead of white pepper (I just don't like white pepper, it always tastes like dust to me), and I used milk instead of cream (which may be part of the reason why the soup wasn't super-thick). But if you like white pepper and want to use cream, by all means do so. And, even though I typically use low-fat cheeses, I used regular Cheddar cheese for this recipe since the cheese needs to melt nicely for the soup and that has not been my experience with lower-fat versions.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups chicken stock
• 1 leek (white part only), chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1/2 onion, chopped (you don't have to be too precise with the chopping; the vegetables will be strained from the broth later)
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
• 1/8 teaspoon white pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• salt to taste (I found that I did not need to add any salt; the stock and cheese were salty enough)
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/2 cup cream
• 1/4 cup dry white wine (optional)

In a large saucepan, heat chicken stock to boiling and add leek, celery, and onion. Simmer for 45 minutes then strain into a clean saucepan.

Mix 2 tablespoons cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of cold water, stir into soup and cook until slightly thickened (you'll have to increase the heat a bit at first).

Add the Cheddar cheese and stir in until cheese is melted. Add pepper and nutmeg, and taste to see if you need more salt.

To finish, combine 1 egg yolk with 1/2 cup of cream. Mix together and stir in 1/2 cup of the hot soup. Add this mixture to the soup, stirring rapidly and cook for 2 more minutes (don't let it boil). If you wish, add 1/4 cup dry white wine just before serving. Serves 4 (very small cups) or 2 (larger bowls).

beer - not just for breakfast anymore!

The National Pork Producers Council declares October "National Pork Month" (or "Porktober" as some like to call it). The Lonesome Road kitchen could not let this momentous culinary event go by without at least one porcine preparation. It was hard to narrow it down, but a tasty barbecue sauce will win almost every time.

This Beer and Molasses Barbecue Sauce by silvergami superman, beer aficionado, Team Bacon! compadre and all-around great guy Allegro Arts has just the right combination of things we like on our gravel road outside of prison town: beer, a touch of garlic, full sweet flavor - and NO KETCHUP.

Mr. Arts recommends using a darker beer like a Sam Adams porter or cream stout, or even a good hoppy beer like an IPA. Here on The Road, we used a Sam Adams Octoberfest with terrific results.

This recipe makes quite a bit of sauce so you can either sauce up anything that moves or freeze some for another day!

Combine:

• Two 12 oz. bottles of beer (one for you, one for the sauce)
• 1/2 cup dark molasses
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• One 12-ounce bottle chili sauce (Mr. Arts recommends Heinz; on the Lonesome Road we used Homade, probably because I love the cute little round jar.)
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 clove garlic (finely diced)
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground sage
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder (like Colman's)

In a saucepan, pour in 1-1/2 cups of beer.

Add the remaining ingredients and simmer over medium/low heat to reduce it to about half of the original volume, about an hour; drink the remaining beer while you wait for the sauce to thicken. When done, the sauce should be sticky but still runny.

To use, baste repeatedly over meat while grilling to build up a caramelized coating.

Mr. Arts recommends this for pork and chicken (check out the pork chop, above!), and I'm thinking that this would make a tasty and different dipping sauce - and would probably be fantastic mixed in with some baked beans.

To see more of AllegroArts, check out these links:

Allegro Arts/Etsy

Allegro Arts/Big Cartel

The Allegro Art, Life and Beer Blog

Above: amazing "silvergami" fine silver jewelry by Allegro Arts.