SABATTUS – Dennis Hebert says that cooking is “pure enjoyment” for him. Hebert, who has been working at Bath Iron Works for the past 18 years, says he enjoys cooking so much that he’d like to own his own restaurant someday.
“Down the road, I’d like to get some culinary arts training,” says Hebert “My wife says I missed my calling.”
Hebert, who was one of five children, says that his mother was a big influence in his love of cooking. “I was amazed at what she could do with leftovers.”
He enjoys cooking ribs – in the oven or on the grill. Italian food is one of his favorites too. He cooks for big family parties and also does most of the cooking for his immediate family. He’s quick to add, “My wife does cook but she gets home from work much later than I do. I feed the kids – I enjoy doing that.”
“My favorite part of cooking is putting the food on the table and seeing the expression on people, whether good or bad,” says Hebert.
He likes to make sure that his spice rack is full, because, “I do a lot of spices.” He has a small kitchen, so when he’s cooking, he doesn’t mind if people are in and out but, he says, “Don’t loiter.”
When choosing new recipes, Hebert looks to some of his favorite cooking magazines such as Taste of Home, Fine Foods and Cooking Pleasures. He also likes Martha Stewart’s recipes and searching for recipes online.
Hebert and his wife, Monique, have two daughters, Megan and Jessica. In his free time, Hebert enjoys the Maine outdoors – he loves to ski, golf and ice fish.
His daughter Megan is in her first year of college at Keene State College in New Hampshire. When she was about to leave home and was asked what she’d miss most, she said, “Dad, nobody cooks like you!”
French onion soup
(From Martha Stewart)
Ingredients:
½ pound smoked bacon, cut in ½-inch pieces
3 pounds onions, thinly sliced; see notes
2 tablespoons fresh thyme
½ cup dry vermouth or white wine
8 cups beef stock
1 tablespoon coarse salt
Black pepper
6 slices white country-style bread, sliced ½-inch thick
1 tablespoon dry sherry
6 ounces Gruyere cheese, thinly sliced
6 sprigs fresh thyme, for garnish
Method:
In a heavy large pot over medium heat, sauté bacon until fat is rendered and bacon is crispy, about 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer bacon to a paper towel to drain. Set aside.
Sauté onions and thyme in remaining bacon fat in pan until well-caramelized, stirring occasionally, about 25 to 30 minutes. Deglaze with vermouth, and cook about 1 minute. Add stock and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, make croutons by toasting bread slices under broiler or in toaster, until golden. Heat broiler. Add ½ teaspoon sherry and one crouton to each soup bowl. Sprinkle each crouton with 2 tablespoons of the reserved bacon. Ladle soup into bowls, top with Gruyere and place on a baking pan. Transfer to oven, and broil until cheese is melted and bubbly, about 2 to 3 minutes. Garnish with thyme sprigs. Serves six.
Note on the onions: Use red, white and yellow, making sure one onion is of a sweet variety, such as a Vidalia or Maui.
Mom’s garden taco rice
Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
½ cup chopped onion
1 package of taco seasoning mix
1½ cups water
1½ cups sliced zucchini
1 cup shoepeg corn
1 14.5-ounce can stewed tomatoes
1½ cups uncooked Minute Rice
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Method:
Sauté onions until tender. Add ground beef and brown the ground beef. Drain off any fat. Add the taco seasoning and mix with beef and onions. Add water, zucchini, shoepeg corn and stewed tomatoes. Turn up heat and bring mixture to a boil. Once mixture is boiling, stir in rice. Reduce to low heat. Simmer 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and fluff the rice with a fork. Stir in cheese. Cover and let stand for 3 minutes. Serves six.
Dennis’ note: This is a family recipe that my mother-in-law, Jackie Levesque, passed on to me. It’s quick and easy, and we often double the recipe and serve it at family gatherings and get-togethers, and it is a hit with our friends and family.
Aunt Naomi’s Easter ham
(From Martha Stewart)
Ingredients:
1 7- to 9-pound Smithfield Easy Karv Ham, rind removed
Whole cloves
1 pound dark brown sugar
1 12-ounce can Coca-Cola
1 14-ounce can pineapple rings, drained and juice reserved
1 cup sweet Concord grape wine, like Manischewitz
10 to 12 maraschino cherries
Fresh bay leaves, for garnish
Method:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Using a sharp knife, score surface of ham crosswise and lengthwise, forming a crosshatch pattern about ¼ inch deep and 1 inch apart. Place a clove in the center of each square.
Place ham, fat side up, in a double-layer disposable aluminum roasting pan. Pat brown sugar on the surface of the ham (expect some sugar to fall into the roasting pan). Transfer to oven, and bake until brown sugar just begins to melt, about 30 minutes. Remove ham from oven. Pour Coca-Cola over ham, letting it mix with the melted sugar in the bottom of the pan.
Baste ham with sugar mixture. Return ham to oven, and bake for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, combine 1 cup of the reserved pineapple juice and the wine in a small bowl. Baste ham with pineapple mixture. Bake ham for a total of 16 minutes per pound, basting every 20 minutes with the juices in the bottom of the pan. During the last 20 minutes of baking time, decorate ham with pineapple rings. Use two to three toothpicks to hold each ring in place. Center a cherry in the center of each ring, and adhere with a toothpick. Transfer ham to platter, removing all toothpicks. Garnish ham with fresh bay leaves. Serves 10 to 12.
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