At the office where Dee works during tax season, the husband of one of our accountants cooks for us weekly. It's so sweet, as he does it so he can come and spend dinner time with his wife. He just retired from working with the jets at Portland Air National Guard (PANG), and cooked there for his coworkers on occasion. He makes such tasty dishes as prime rib and teriyaki for us. I asked for his recipes. The office—which contains a kitchen—smells amazing on the nights John brings in dinner.
2 boneless chicken breasts
4 boneless chicken thighs
1 lb. sausage, sliced*
4 T. oil from sausage
1 large onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 quarts water
1 (16 oz.) cut frozen okra
1 T. filé (see note below)
1 t. garlic, minced
1 t. thyme*
1 t. sage*
4 T. flour
1 bell pepper, chopped
*I like to use Montreal Chicken Seasoning (available at Costco) in place of these spices because it adds more flavor. The sausage is best if you can get it from a meat market that makes their own. It will contain less fat and have a better taste and you will not have to brown it.
Chop the onion, bell pepper and celery and put into a container. Brown the sausage if needed and save the oil. Cut the chicken into ¾ inch pieces and fry with spices and some oil if needed. Put chicken in a container for now. Take the oil from the sausage or bacon grease and brown the flour in a kettle large enough to hold all the contents. Slowly add the water on low heat and stir until mixed. Add chicken, sausage and chopped vegetables and simmer until chicken is tender. Add okra about 10 minutes before removing from heat. Then add file` just gumbo is removed from heat and stir in. (Gumbo is much better if cooked the day before and then reheated). Serve over a large scoop of rice and enjoy!
John said, "filé is a herb made from the Sassafras tree and used in Gumbo as a thickening agent. The okra does a good job of this and also because of the cost I do not use it. There are some folks who are "traditionalists" and insist it be used. I don't."
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Norio’s Teriyaki Recipe
1 c. of Aloha soy sauce
1 c. sugar (white or brown)
2 T. grated ginger root
For 5 lbs. of chicken marinade 4 hours for boneless, 24 hours bone-in
For stir fry add:
¼ c. of honey
2 T. grated garlic
1 t. sesame oil
Optional chili flakes or chili oil
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Lentil Soup
1/2 pound lentils (wash thoroughly in cold water to eliminate any dirt or bad lentils)
1 large onion, diced
1 large carrot, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
1 bay leaf
1/2 t. dried thyme
1 T. vinegar
1 c. diced leeks (use white part of leek. Wash very carefully)
1/2 pound lean bacon, cut in little strips
or 1/2 pound cooked ham and two cut-up pieces of bacon
6 c. beef stock
2 large potatoes, peeled and diced
1 t. cumin powder
2 T. chopped parsley
1/4 t. nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
Render bacon in a heavy-duty pot. When bacon has lost half of its fat, add onions, leeks, celery and carrots. Saute vegetables, then add washed lentils. Add rest of ingredients except vinegar and chopped parsley. Simmer for about an hour and a half. Taste to see if you need to add salt and pepper. At the end, add vinegar, chopped parsley and serve.
