The Florida Writer      

   Blazing Black Bean and Ham Soup

By: Charles J Asbury II

With winter approaching quickly, I thought it might be nice to do a soup this month. Nothing is better than a hot and spicy soup to warm you up on a cold winter day. You can make this soup as feisty as you like; it’s easy to control the heat by adjusting the amount of peppers. To really spoil your taste buds, top it off with cheese, sour cream or both. Serve as a first course, luncheon or light supper.

Ingredients:

 2 cups dried black beans

8 cups of water

1 pound of cooked ham

diced1 ham bone, if desired

5 cloves of garlic, crushed

3 teaspoons of salt

6 green onions(long type)

diced 1 medium sized sweet Vidalia onion-diced

3/4 teaspoon of ground cumin (or to taste)

2 tablespoons(minimum) of ground red hot chile

3 fresh jalapenos

juice of half of lime

half cup (minimum) of grated Monterey Jack cheese

half cup of dairy sour cream.

Sort and rinse beans, then soak overnight in water to cover, (Or place in a large saucepan and add water to cover; bring to a boil. Remove from heat, cover and let stand 1 hour. Simmer 1-1/2 hours, then proceed with recipe.) Drain beans; place in a large saucepan and add 8 cups cold water, ham, ham bone(if desired), garlic, salt, diced, cloves, cumin, ground chile and lime juice. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover and simmer two hours or until beans are tender and soup is thick.

Taste and adjust seasonings. To serve, spoon into bowls and top with sliced green onions, sour cream and cheese. To finish this masterpiece off, put a sliced lime on the side of the bowl. Now step back and admire your hot and spicy delightful dish. Then share of course! Remember to have a cool refreshing drink on stand-by. I recommend my mom’s sweet iced tea, but that’s me. Enjoy, Charles

Firehouse Wings - The Tastiest Tailgate Treat

According to the American Heritage Dictionary Tailgate is defined as:

NOUN: A hinged board or closure at the rear of a vehicle, such as a pick-up truck, that can be lowered during loading and unloading. Also, called tailboard .One of the pair of gates downstream in a canal lock.

VERB: tailqgatqed, tailqgatqing, tailqgates
VERB: tr. To drive so closely behind (another vehicle) that one cannot stop or swerve with ease in an emergency. Slang To follow closely behind (another person), as in gaining access to an area requiring the use of an electronic identification card.

VERB: intr. To follow another vehicle too closely. To participate in a picnic that is served from the tailgate of a vehicle, as before a sports event.

Whether it's in high school, college, or NFL parking lots, a pre game tailgating party has become an American ritual. And since the dictionary acknowledges and defines that one of the verbs is to participate in a picnic that is served from the tailgate of a vehicle, as before a sports event, then it must be true. And since it’s true, then we have a duty, a commitment and the honorable task of preparing a recipe to participate in this great American ritual, right? So naturally you should select food that can either be cooked ahead and transported to the event or cooked there on a grill. You know us professional tailgaters like to out shine other tailgaters. It's just our competitive nature. Besides it's the Alpha Male thing too. You can go fancy like deep frying a turkey, but why go to all that trouble when you could spend more time socializing with all your fellow tailgaters. Finger foods, sandwiches or anything you can eat standing up is good. If you want steak, think about beef kabobs. They're delicious, and people don't have to mess with knives and finding a solid spot to cut. Hey, if you really want to impress your friends, then prepare the hottest tailgate treat around . . . Firehouse hot wings! Take it from an old tailgating pro and tell em the tailgate master told you

     Fire House Wings

By: Charles J Asbury II

Having spent over 22 years as a Firefighter in the United States Air Force, I've had plenty of opportunities to cook for myself and fellow firefighters during our 24 hour shifts. One of the all time favorites has always been firehouse wings. I hope you enjoy this fired-up favorite as well.

Ingredients:

24 chicken wing drumettes

3 Tbsp butter, melted

5 Tbsp of hot sauce (Texas Pete)

1 teaspoon of paprika

half teaspoon of salt

half teaspoon of cayenne pepper

half teaspoon of fresh cracked pepper

3 tablespoons vinegar

Italian bread crumbs

Blue cheese or Ranch dressing

celery sticks (optional)

Combine all ingredients listed above except bread crumbs and salad dressing. Pour into a bowl and stir using a whisk. Clean and marinate drumettes in sauce for at least one hour, but over night is best.

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Empty wings and sauce into baking pan, sprinkle bread crumbs over top of wings.

Bake 45 minutes or until chicken is browned and juices run clear.

Serve with 1 cup of chilled blue cheese or ranch dressing. Once again, celery sticks are optional, but a cool refreshing beverage or two is not. Enjoy!

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Each month this page will offer a published or work in progress recipe for your viewing, cooking and tasting pleasure. The focus will forever remain on Hot and Spicy Foods.