Ahwahnee Hotel Sweet ‘n Sour Red Cabbage

We visited Yosemite National Park on our honeymoon, and again for our 25th anniversary. At dinner on that second trip I enjoyed this delectable side-dish so much that I wanted to recreate it for a Christmas dinner a few years later. I actually  found the recipe!

At the hotel (renamed the Majestic Yosemite Hotel in 2016) it was served with tender loin-cut pork chops, but it's a wonderful accompaniment to any pork or smoked meat, like turkey or chicken.

This traditional method for preparing red cabbage does help retain the beautiful red color.

The recipe yields about 1½ quarts, but it's easy to cut it in half or thirds.

6 strips bacon, diced
1 medium apple, peeled, cored and diced
1 medium onion, halved, then sliced
1 medium head red cabbage, cored and shredded
¾ cup water
½ cup red wine vinegar
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup currant jelly
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground clove
1⁄8 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons flour
3 tablespoons melted butter

In large heavy pot or Dutch oven, sauté the bacon until crisp. With a slotted spoon, remove the bacon from pot; leave bacon drippings in the pot.

Sauté apple and onion in reserved bacon drippings until onion is transparent.

Add cabbage and fry a little longer. Add water, vinegar, sugar, jelly, and seasonings. Bring to boil, cover pot and place in 350-degree oven.




Bake about 1 hour, or until cabbage is very tender.

Combine the flour with melted butter, add a little of the hot liquid from cabbage, then stir the flour mixture into the pot. You may need to add a bit more liquid to balance out the flour, it depends on how juicy the cabbage was before cooking.

Cook over medium-high heat until thickened. Serve with mashed potatoes and spiced winter squash for a really satisfying winter meal!

Note: Half of this recipe will feed 6-8 people as a side to mild meats like ham and pork.

Pringle Falls Potatoes

We came up with this recipe while camping at Pringle Falls, in Oregon. Served with smoked pork loin it made a might satisfying meal. The recipe is easily expanded for a larger group, using a larger Dutch oven, and can be cooked without any major changes in a household oven.
Ingredients:

• 2 slices smoked bacon
• 4-5 medium size potatoes sliced thin
• 1/2 large white onion sliced thin
• 1/2 large bell pepper, diced
• 1 c. diced carrot
• 2 T. grated Parmesan cheese
• 3/4 c. grated sharp Cheddar cheese
• salt, pepper, garlic powder

Slice 2 strips of smoked bacon into 1/2 inch pieces, brown in a 10 or 12 inch Dutch oven, then lift out the bacon bits, drain off and save most of the fat.
Layer half of each of the above vegetables and cheeses, add the seasonings, drizzle a little of the bacon fat and sprinkle a few of the bacon bits over the mix, then repeat the layers, ending with the cheeses and bacon bits.
Pour 3/4 c. water or broth over the mixture.

Using 14 top coals and 14 bottom coals, cook for about 30 minutes, then pull most of the bottom coals out to the outer edges of the pot. Turn pot and lid every 10 minutes. Check at 30 minutes and before finishing to be sure the potatoes aren't sticking to the bottom. If they start to stick add a little more liquid and pull away the rest of the bottom coals, placing them on the top.

Serves 4-6 depending on how large the potatoes were.

Maria Antoinette's Eggplant Parmesan

When we were visiting with friends this summer they served this absolutely scrumptious eggplant Parmesan dish. This variation is firmer than most, and not soggy, due to the eggplant being browned without the usual egg coating. It's a great main dish, but also works well as a side dish for a nice BBQ'd steak.
Ingredients

2 large eggplant, cut into 3/4 inch slices
8 tablespoons vegetable oil
8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
4 cups marinara or tomato sauce

Brown the eggplant in the oil over med-high heat. Drain on paper towels for several hours to pull out all the extra oil.
Layer in a deep 9x13 baking dish: egg plant, sauce Parmesan and mozzarella and basil, then repeat, using just Parmesan for the very last layer. Bake at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes. You want the entire dish to be really hot throughout, but not over cooked and mushy.

Makes about 8 servings.

Mexican Pickled Carrots

I first had these crispy pickles at a little Mexican restaurant near the University of Oregon. They're a perfect appetizer or side to tacos and other standard fare. The heat is easily adjusted by varying the amount of jalapenos that are used.
2 lbs large carrots, peeled and sliced into ⅛ inch thick pieces
½ large white onion cut in ¼ inch slices
5 cloves garlic peeled and diced
1 ¾ cups cider vinegar
1 ¾ cups water
10 bay leaves, whole
1 tablespoon peppercorns
1 teaspoon salt
3 oz. pickled jalapenos

Combine vinegar, water, peppercorns, salt, and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer for 5 minutes and then add the carrots. Simmer 5 minutes. Add the jalapenos along with a little of the juice they were packed in and bring to a simmer again for another 5-10 minutes. Check for texture = you want the carrot slices firm, but tender enough to bite easily, not limp and mushy.

Let the carrots cool to at least room temperature and then transfer the carrots and cooking liquid into a covered container and refrigerate overnight. It improves the flavor if you layer in a little fresh cilantro, but do this only if they will be eaten within a few days.
OR
Transfer hot into canning jars and seal. You can combine the carrots with fresh cilantro at serving time if you seal  them.

Store the carrots in the liquid in the refrigerator and use a slotted spoon or pickle tongs to serve them. You may leave the bay leaves in the liquid to add to the flavor, but do not eat them.
This proportion of jalapenos produces an only slightly hot pickle. Double it for more fire. The pickles also pick up more “heat” if they stand for several weeks. Best stored in the refrigerator a few days before serving so the flavors mingle, they will keep for several weeks.

Aunt Flora's Shoepeg Corn Salad

We had this salad at a family reunion this summer and thought it was one of the best summer side dishes we'd come across. It's adapted from one served at a famous steakhouse near Snyder, TX. The dressing in this version is a little less sweet, but that certainly can be adjusted to individual tastes. The salad calls specifically for shoepeg corn. This is a common ingredient in southern cooking, but may be difficult to find elsewhere. [We found it in Nevada in Walmart and another local grocery store. In one store it was in with regular canned corn, in the other it was with black-eyed peas and other "specialty" canned vegetables, so look over the whole department before you give up.]

Shoepeg corn kernels are smaller, crisper, sweeter than most corn, but if you can't locate it use frozen or good quality whole kernel petite white corn and the results will be similar. The original recipe called for canned corn peas and French green beans, so that's what I started with, but I've tried using frozen and I think you get a fresher texture and better color, so those amounts are included in parentheses in the recipe. I undercooked the frozen veggies by just a smidge so they wouldn't get too soft. I cooked each separately as they all required different times by a minute or two, but used the same liquid to preserve some of the flavors.

1 can French style green beans (1 1/2 c. frozen, cooked according to package directions)
1 can LeSure English peas (1 1/2 c. frozen, cooked according to package directions)
1 can shoepeg corn (1 1/2 c. frozen shoepeg or petite white whole kernel)
1 c. celery (diced small)
 2 oz. canned pimiento (chopped)
1/2 c. green pepper (chopped)
1/2 c.  red or yellow pepper (chopped)
1 bunch green. onions (chopped - use white and green parts)

Dressing:
1/3 c. cider vinegar
1/2 c. sugar
2/3 c. salad oil (or half salad and half olive)
1 tbsp. water
1/2 tsp. each salt and pepper

Drain canned vegetables, or prepare frozen and cool, then combine in large bowl. Add diced fresh vegetables. Bring dressing ingredients to a rolling boil. Cook 2 minutes, cool. Pour over vegetable mixture, store covered in refrigerator overnight before serving so the flavors mingle. This salad keeps well. It's a great salad by itself, or used as a garnish on a mixed green salad.

Fresh Broccoli Salad

This is one of our favorite ways to eat broccoli. The dried fruit adds a nice bit of color and flavor contrast.

In a medium size bowl mix the dressing:
2 T mayonnaise
2 t. rice vinegar
1 -1/2 t. sugar (or equivalent of other sweetener)
Mix until the sugar is dissolved. Adjust the sweet/sour balance to taste.

Toss in:
2 c. chopped fresh broccoli
4 sliced green onions
1/4 c. dry cherries or cranberries
Mix well. Top with sliced almonds just before serving.

Makes 3-4 servings. Keeps up to 2 days in the frig.