Black-Eyed Pea Gumbo Soup

Beth made this for us when we visted her recently. I tried okra once about 30 years ago and was not impressed with the flavour. But this recipe is delicious. I made the roux, but the soup would be tasty without it. The recipe is adapted from this one on allrecipes.com. Diced ham can be added if desired and it is tasty with a side of hot cornbread.

Ingredients

1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups chopped okra
1 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup chopped celery
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
4 cups water
2 cups chopped tomatoes or canned crushed tomatoes
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley or cilantro
1 jalapeno pepper chopped (use seeds if you want more heat)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
1 (15.5 ounce) can black-eyed peas

1. Heat 1/3 cup oil in a medium saucepan over medium low heat, and whisk in flour. Whisking constantly, cook 5 to 7 minutes, until a golden brown roux has formed.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large, heavy saucepan over medium high heat. Stir in okra, onion, celery, and garlic, and cook 10 minutes, or until tender.
3. Thoroughly blend roux into the vegetable mixture. Stir in water, tomatoes, parsley, salt, thyme, cayenne pepper, pepper, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Stir in black-eyed peas, and continue cooking until heated through.

Alternate method to decrease amount of oil: Cook vegetables in 2 tbsp of oil until softened. Add 1/4 c flour, stir in well and slowly add 4 cups water or stock. Bring to boil and stir until thickened. Add tomatoes and beans. Adjust seasoning. 

Pumpkin Roll with Cream Cheese Filling

If anyone wants to know my favourite kind of dessert, look no further than this. I love cheesy, dense treats with fruit, nuts, pumpkin, carrot, etc. (carrot cake and cheesecake also fall in this category). My daughter bought a pumpkin roll at a local farm store and I immediately searched the internet for a recipe. I reduced the sugar in this version and did not add maple icing on the top. It is still perfect and is fast and easy to make.

Preheat oven to 375F
Grease a 15"x10" jelly roll pan, line with wax paper and then grease and flour the wax paper.
Sprinkle a clean tea towel with 1/4 cup icing sugar (powdered sugar).

In a small bowl combine:
3/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice

In a medium bowl beat until thick (I used hand beaters):
3 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup pumpkin puree

Add dry ingredients to egg and sugar mixture and combine well. Pour batter evenly on prepared pan and bake for 13-15 minutes until sponge is set. Do not overbake.

Remove from oven. Turn cake upside down on prepared towel and remove wax paper. Roll the cake and towel up into a firm roll starting with the short side of the cake. Put on a rack and let it cool. (It cools fairly quickly)

In the meantime, prepare the filling with:
8 oz (250 g) of regular cream cheese (light cream cheese tends to be too runny)
1 cup icing sugar (powdered sugar)

Beat until smooth. You can add 1 cup of chopped pecans, walnuts, or pralines if you want. When cake is cool, unroll it and spread filling evenly over the entire surface. Re-roll the cake without the towel, wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour. Slice and serve.

You can sprinkle it with icing sugar before serving or add glaze/icing with chopped nuts on the top for a richer dessert.

This recipe freezes well.