Blackeyed Peas... A Southern Specialty.

I noticed a bag of blackeyed peas in the pantry and made plans to prepare a pot of them soon. An old friend and coworker of mine from my time working in the shipyard was from Alabama and he’s the one who first had me try them. Beans aren’t my favorite and when he asked me to taste them I balked. Just try em, you peckerwood, he told me. So I did. Wow, delicious. I think of Otis and Evelyn Johnson and their hospitality when I make these.
I first get my vegetables diced up. Carrot, onion and celery. I sauté in butter with a little good olive oil and add a couple of bay leaves and some fresh herbs. I used thyme and rosemary, tied in a bundle. I cook them over high heat until they start getting tender.

When the vegetables are ready, I add my peas that I soaked in fresh water over night. If you haven’t done this step, you can do a quick soak where you put your peas in a pot of cold water and bring to a boil. Let them boil for 1 minute and turn the fire off and let sit in the hot water for an hour. Drain and rinse the peas and they’re ready to use. I add them to the sautéed veg and bring them up to temp in the pot.

With a pound of peas, I add 4 cups of chicken stock and 4 cups of water for a total of 8 cups of liquid. To the liquid I also add a couple of smoky ham hocks for flavor and some ham steak that I cubed up.This can also be made vegetarian by omitting the chicken stock and using all water and leaving out the ham hocks and ham.

It takes about 45 minutes for the peas to plump up and get tender. When I get a good boil going , I turn the fire down and gently simmer the pot until cooked down and finished. When the peas are tender and where I want them, I’ll pull out the spent herb stems and bay leaves and discard. The ham hocks are taken out and I pull any smoky meat there may be and add that back to the pot. The pot of blackeyed peas is now the consistency of a nice stew. Most of the broth has been absorbed and cooked off.

This pot of peas is now ready to serve up and enjoy. In the South, many people make this dish on New Year’s Day for good luck in the coming year. A little salt and pepper, a dash of hot sauce or a dollop of sour cream. However you like it. It’s a delicious, hearty and stick to your ribs kinda meal. Enjoy... And peace.

Spring has sprung.

So, I’m sitting out here on the patio in my rocker, surveying the back property and absorbing the beauty of wildflowers in bloom. Butterflies are hopscotching from flower to flower, birds are darting through singing their songs of Spring and there’s a clean breeze blowing, making the patches of dappled sunlight dance. Short pants, bare feet and a cup of hot coffee. It’s the first time I’ve really looked at the beauty of the yard as I rest in my comfortable chair and take pictures with my camera eyes. Our finally abundant rainfall this season has allowed ample growth to flourish and provide a palette of colors to tease the eye and promise that the Summer coming will be gorgeous.

The dingoes have been helping me out here as they lay in the sun to keep warm. Afternoon is waning as the sun drops lower in the West and the cool breeze becomes a bit chill. Almost time to move back indoors and settle in for the evening. I enjoy this picturesque view.

I now gather up my pack of wild dingoes, making sure they’ve not eaten anyone’s baby and take a sip of delicious coffee that Glo just gave me and depart this lovely landscape that we’ve created. I take a deep breath and recognize the beauty of my life and I’m grateful and humbled. Peace to you, all.

The shofar doesn’t work...

When the three dingoes venture through the patio door and into The Outback, there are times when they are lost and exploring for hours on end. I call and no answer, just a rustling of furry things in the underbrush. Because I have one percent Jewish heritage in my blood, I took out my trusty Shofar and blew the rams horn out into the ether hoping that it would stir some primal gene in the dingoes brain and they would return, contrite and unharmed. But alas, no such luck. I blew the Shofar until my lungs prolapsed and I had to reinsert them back into my body. At my wits end, I drove downtown to the local Aborigine Outlet here in Pedro and picked up a brand new Didgeridoo. It was so long that I had to strap it to the roof of The Bomber just to get it home.  I figured this Didgeridoo would do the trick and get the dingoes back indoors. Glo helped me carry it out to the patio and set it up. I asked Glo for instruction and she said to blow hard and that I would be a natural because I’m full of hot air. So I did. And a sound emitted that I’ve never heard before. Ghostly, haunting and calling. Like foghorns across the water. And the yard went silent.  Magic was happening. The nasturtium of The Outback parted and the dingoes emerged in single file. Humble, reverent and smelling of squirrel turds. They walked up onto the patio and I continued to blow the Didgeridoo. But I made one mistake and blew for a bit too long as other animals came through the brush, drawn to my sirens song. There came an anteater, a Wooley sloth, a Stegosaurus and a Dodo bird. They all sat in rapt attention as I continued to play. I had no idea the variety of creatures living out there. No wonder the dingoes wouldn’t come in. I drew a last breath and finished my sonnet. The yard once again became The Outback, the denizens moved back into the undergrowth and the three dingoes trooped indoors to feast on Scooby Snacks and cheese stuffed blintzes. It was another interesting day here in Pedro.

Life as my Father.

I drove around Pedro today, on my own time running errands and listening to my music library on my iPhone playing through the speakers in my truck. I finally got that together and now have some decent tunes while I’m driving. It was a whole thing for a few days, believe me. As I have my route planned, the last stop is always at the house on Leland St. to stop in and check on Pop. Sometimes, it’s just a perfunctory check and I’m on my way or like this time, I pull up a chair to shoot the shit with the old man. By old man, I mean that in jest and figuratively. Pop is celebrating his 93rd birthday on April 30th. 93... How the hell did THAT happen? I always tell him that he won the gene pool lottery. When I sat down, we traded some stories back and forth, Pop had his handy local paper at hand to keep me apprised of what’s going on and I got to gauge his aura and see what color his shockras were emanating today. I saw a rather healthy looking individual who’s got game. Having grandpa skin, the slightest brushing against the wall can produce a dark bruise on his arms. I saw that his arms were clear and healthy looking which told me that the care my sisters are giving him is phenomenal. It’s a beautiful thing between us. We talk about being kids in that tiny house, my Mom’s antics and the influence my parents had on us kids. Growing up there was quite a ride but we were bathed in love. Tough love, too. War stories, being on the road with his bus, the sandwich shop... The stories are endless. My Pop has come a long way from the streets of Jamaica, Queens, a world war, crossing the country to start a new life, meeting the love of his life, having 9 kids and outlasting most of his family and friends in life. But, he has us kids that he calls his legacy. My talks with Pop are priceless as is the care from my three sisters who in many ways have their lives on hold to give Pop the care he deserves. There are tough days when people don’t feel so good, mean words are spoken and eventually apologies are made. The fabric of our family is strong with a large thread count. It takes a lot to tear it. My brothers and I are close and when we get together there is no end to the hijinx. All are very smart and funny dudes. You have to be on your toes when they’re around. I wanted to write something tonight with substance, something to get my writing juices flowing. I have a lot to say and I’m a little rusty with content. My years of anger are long gone and I want to write with the same fervor. Hopefully muscle memory will kick in and the flow will resume. We’ll see.

Peace and love to you all.
Caseman.

Pickled adventures

For years now, Gloria has asked me to make giardiniera for her. For those of you not familiar with this term, it's an Italian style of pickled vegetables generally with cauliflower and peppers. I finally found a recipe that I liked and yesterday I prepared a couple of quart jars that will be ready to eat in a few days. Glo is ecstatic because she has a good memory of her family preparing such goodies during the holidays when she was a kid. I hope I have recreated this for her. This particular recipe comes courtesy of Mrs. Wheelbarrow's food blog. I also need to give props to my resident dingoes and kitchen helpers who kept me company and told me stories of the Outback while I was cooking. This process of pickling vegetables in this manner takes all weekend and I can't wait to taste them come Monday morning. For those of you interested, you can get the recipe at Mrs. Wheelbarrow's website or if you'll bear with me for a bit longer, I'll show you what I did. I started out with good vegetables. Some I picked up at our local Farmers Mkt and the rest at the grocery store. I try to use organic when I can. My mix of vegetables included cauliflower, carrots, sweet bell pepper, celery, garlic, a few mushrooms and a couple of Serrano peppers from the garden. The first step is to cut your produce into manageable pieces that will fit into your jars. I followed the recipe and thought I had way too many vegetables.

After I cut everything up I had to brine the veg in water with a half cup of kosher salt added. I submerged the veg by laying a plate on top to keep everything under water. This brine lasts for eight to twelve hours on the counter.

Once the veg was brined, I rinsed the salt off thoroughly and let them drain in the sink. While draining, I prepared my dressing in the quart jars. Extra virgin olive oil, grapeseed oil, white vinegar, oregano, cracked peppercorns and celery seed. I shook up the jar of dressing to emulsify and split it between the two jars.

I then took the drained veg and packed them into the jars until full. The recipe was perfect and all the veg fit with a little packing in. I made another half recipe of the dressing to top off the jars before sealing.

These jars will sit on the counter for two days and then go into the fridge. They look beautiful, are very colorful and should taste delicious. I hope this satisfies Gloria's memory and brings her joy because that's why I made this. All of you following along can easily make this for yourselves or your families. Thanks for reading and enjoy. Caseman

Catalina Island Day Trip

It's been a few years since I was over on Catalina. It was my Mom's last trip over before she passed a few years ago. This being the case, I knew lots of good memories from previous visits since I was a kid would come barreling through. My cousin Rosemary was visiting for a few days here in Pedro and made the trip over with me. With plans and reservations made, we got up early and headed down to Catalina Express to catch the 8:00 boat over. We checked out the new boat terminal while waiting to board. They've done a nice upgrade on the terminal with a nice view of the harbor. Boarding preceded and Rosemary and I got under way for our hour trip across the channel. Since I was on vacation, I opted for a spicy Blood Mary that was perfectly made, to start off my day. A prerequisite for any Catalina trip! Drink in hand and a comfortable seat at the window, we made our way across. I was hoping for a view of whales or dolphins in passing and I wasn't disappointed. Halfway across off the starboard side, a pod of porpoises appeared and easily kept up with the boat. They looked joyful just swimming, jumping and cavorting, knowing they were putting on a show for the boat. Awesome! The dolphins disappeared on their way and we arrived a short time later at the island. The sun was out and it looked like a beautiful day ahead. The city of Avalon was still waking up as we walked into town. A cruise ship was just arriving so I knew things would be busy later in the day as visitors came off the ship for a day trip. Rosemary and I walked through the streets exploring, doing a little shopping and grabbing some lunch before our tour into the islands interior later in the afternoon. After lunch, we had a little time to kill so we headed over to the pier to sit in the shade and hang out for awhile.

The water was so clear and inviting. It was fun watching the kids swimming and floating on their rafts. Just like I used to do when I was their age. Come to think of it, I'd still do it now! The view up the hill in the background was great with all these great houses perched on the hillside. I looked for Marylin Monroe and Clark Gable, but they were nowhere to be found. Back in the day when my grand parents lived here, it was common to see John Wayne hanging out having a few drinks on the pier. Usually, at times accompanied by my grandpa and his island cohorts! As Murph used to say, "Can I tell ya!"

I had a good view of the Casino from the pier. It's funny, it's the Casino but no gambling has ever been done there. It was built for a place where the big bands could play and people could dance and party. These days it houses a museum, beautiful movie theater and hall upstairs. It was time to make our way over to the mole to catch our bus for the tour. We grabbed our seats in front and started off by driving through Avalon with our excellent driver giving facts and info about the island. We started to ascend through the hills and quickly gained altitude on what I would consider goat paths. This was no drive for the faint of heart. I loved it!

This was a view I grabbed showing how quickly we were climbing. Such a great shot of the Casino! The cruise ship in the distance continues to get smaller and smaller.

This is our first stop on the way to the summit and Airport in the Sky, which was our destination. It was incredibly beautiful and clear up on the hilltop and the view was spectacular. With this photo opportunity, Rosemary and I had a friendly couple snap our picture. Just for posterity. We left this spot and continued to climb through canyons and vistas listening to the driver tell us of island lore and historical facts. And then we stopped. Why?

That's why! This big, massive, beautiful beast lay on the hillside in the warm sun surveying us like we were his subservient minions. What a stunning sight! I may have pooped myself, I'm not sure. I was surprised at how big these animals are. We were parked on the road maybe 150 feet from this guy. Luckily I had telephoto so I got a clean picture. After we all got our pics, we left up the road and once again came to a sudden stop.

We got a view of this buffalo off to our left standing in the scrub brush, just swishing his tail and minding his own business. At times there are as many as 30 to 50 animals that congregate in a herd with a total on the island now of about 170. In the past, excess animals have been shipped to South Dakota to the Lacota Indian tribe. There is a new contraception program that has been successful on the island where numbers are now controlled and buffalo no longer have to be shipped from the island because of overpopulation. This program is the first of its kind and has worked so well that Yellowstone Park is looking to copy Catalina to control their bison herds in their national parks. Once again we board and reach our furthest and highest destination.

Airport in the Sky! An airport on top of Catalina supporting a 3000 foot runway. At one time LAX had some commercial flights land up there but it wasn't feasible to keep up with just a 15 minute flight. This airport though is a bit tricky. Over the years I've heard of planes coming up short and crashing into the side of the mountain. I would think landing a plane up there would take a set of cajones. While we were there, we were able to get a bite to eat and drink at the restaurant and gift shop that is there. On the patio having a cold bottle of water, I was able to catch some beautiful views.

A breath taking look down the coast towards the west end of the island with the Palos Verdes Peninsula across the San Pedro Channel on thr right. Also, one of my favorite pics, a mountain vista with a patch of aloe vera in the foreground. Beautiful! Concluding our tour, we headed back to the bus and began winding our way back down the mountain towards Avalon. Along the way, our driver told us a story of the islands Ravens that thrive on the hillside. And when we got to a spot just above Avalon, he honked and a couple of beautiful Ravens flew out into the trees near our bus to feast on a large oatmeal cookie that the driver put out for them.

This was how Avalon looked from that vantage point with the birds in the Eucalyptus trees on our left. Such a terrific view and a wonderful excursion. Rosemary and I were thrilled when we got back to the landing. We did a little more gift shopping, stopping at Lloyds for some saltwater taffy and a cold beer at Luau Larry's. What an excellent trip! I hope to make it over to this magical place again, soon. It holds my heart and a bevy of fond memories my whole life through. My family, my Mom and my grandparents. Especially my grandpa, Murph. What a character. Now I know where I get it.

I'll leave you with these few photos. First, Rosemary standing on the dock of the bay on a gorgeous, sunny Catalina afternoon. And second, My grandpa Murph. I think this was taken on one of his many trips to Hawaii. I love that man and choose to remember him in this picture. Kinda says it all. Thanks everyone. I hope you enjoyed this little journey and I sincerely hope you can make it to Catalina Island one day, or come back and visit once again. You won't be disappointed. With love, Caseman

My Personal Lasagna

I made this lasagna recipe this afternoon and am thrilled with the results. I like making the two smaller loaf pans instead of a full tray just for the ease and convenience, plus I don't have a huge amount of lasagna leftovers in the fridge. This recipe was borrowed from a website, www.fromvaleriestable.com/, and translated well when I followed directions. First, I slightly sauteed my squash, onion and mushroom dice for a few minutes and then added some minced garlic and a chiffonade of basil. I gave it another minute then set aside for step two and three.

I transferred the veggies to a seperate plate, wiped out the pan with a paper towel and browned a pound of ground beef that I seasoned with dried oregano, fresh thyme and s&p. At the same time I mixed my ricotta cheese with two eggs and some chopped parsley and basil in a seperate bowl.

That took care of the cooking portion. I grated my mozzarella and parmesan cheeses and started to layer in my pans. A little sauce on the bottom, a no boil noodle next, some of the ricotta mixture, vegetables, meat, cheeses and tomato sauce.

I made three full layers with a final pasta noodle on top covered in sauce and cheese. I put the loaves on a sheet pan and they were ready to go into the oven.

I put them in the oven covered tightly in foil for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. I then removed the foil and let them finish cooking and browning for another 25 to 30 minutes.

Finally, I let them cool for about 15 minutes so they would slice easily and it was time to eat.

Whats nice is you can vary this any way you like. You want it vegetarian, leave out the ground beef. Add other vegetables like spinach, kale or swiss chard. Greens would be excellent in this dish. Make it your own. I used a good commercial tomato basil marinara to make it easy but use the sauce of your choice. I'm not going to publish the ingredient list, you can go to the aforementioned website if you want to check it out. Gloria gave me a big atta boy for dinner so I know it hit the spot. I hope you enjoyed this blog and another cooking adventure with me in my Pedro kitchen. Bye for now, Caseman