1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 Vidalia onion
1 large clove of garlic
1 large cucumber
1 large green pepper
1 lb. plum tomatoes
salt & pepper
1 quart of tomato juice

Save for garnish:  Small amount of diced cucumber,
green pepper and tomato.

Cut tomatoes in half & remove the seeds. Coarsely chop all vegetables. Add vinegar & oil to bowl of food processor along with some of the vegetables and a portion of the tomato juice. Puree. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Pour into a large bowl, salt and pepper to taste.  Cover & refrigerate overnight.  Before serving, taste for salt & pepper.  If the soup seems too thick, thin with ice water. Sprinkle garnish over soup in serving bowls.

Mix butter, parsley, lemon juice and garlic in a small bowl with a fork until lemon juice is absorbed by the butter.  Spread on a piece of wax paper. Fold wax paper over mixture, roll into a sausage shape.  Refrigerate at least 2 hours. Slice into tablespoon size chunks & place on top of cooked steak.

Potatoes ala Monpontet:
2 lbs. of potatoes
1 large Vidalia onion
1 lb. mushrooms ( shitake or mixture of other mushrooms)
salt & pepper
extra virgin olive oil

Peel potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch squares.  Place in roasting pan and toss with a little olive oil, salt, & pepper. Place in 400 degree oven.   Cook until golden & tender (about 40 minutes) stirring once or twice.   Coarsely chop mushrooms & onions. Sauté onions until tender. Add mushrooms, & cook until tender.  Toss mushrooms & onion with potatoes before serving.

Peel, core and leave whole 4 pears.  Do not remove stems. Slice bottom of pear so they stand upright. Place pears in a large pot. Add bottle of wine, plus water to nearly cover pears. Slice lemon & orange, add to pot. Add cinnamon, cloves, & vanilla. Grate nutmeg over. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer until pears are tender (1/2 hr to 1-1/2 hr depending on ripeness of the pears). When tender, remove pot from heat and cool. Refrigerate overnight. To serve stand 1 pear on dessert plate. For a variation, cut pear in half, remove stem, slice thinly. Arrange on plate with scoop of vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce or berries.

Recipes by Larry Matika