Cooks' Exchange: Rediscovering delicious restaurant recipes - Madison.com
Cooks' Exchange: Rediscovering delicious restaurant recipes - Madison.com |
- Cooks' Exchange: Rediscovering delicious restaurant recipes - Madison.com
- WHAT'S COOKING? Squash totally 'delish' in entrees, desserts - The Times and Democrat
- Recipe Exchange: Recipes worth having - masslive.com
Cooks' Exchange: Rediscovering delicious restaurant recipes - Madison.com Posted: 12 Aug 2020 05:00 AM PDT ![]() Return to homepage × Loading&hellp; Growing up in an isthmus city gave us so many opportunities for fun. By the time August approached, we already had established favorite shorelines to swim in the four lakes surrounding us, or we were busy hiking through heavily wooded parks where we played and picnicked with families, best friends, and neighbors well into the evening when fireplaces and bonfires provided what was needed for frying hot dogs and hamburgers. Often our fun included places to visit like Vilas Zoo where we'd talk to the animals, discover a nearby shoreline to test fishing with a drop line or cane pole, or casually float down the Yahara River on inner tubes. We seemed to walk everywhere, but if a bus was needed, cost was nickel or dime. Whatever we did to celebrate the moment, ideas of what was waiting for us the next day depended only on the weather. With September approaching, my thoughts and those of readers preparing smaller recipes found me reaching for an old and still favorite cookbook featuring "America's Best Restaurant Recipes." The cookbook to serve 2, 6 and 24, written and published in 1973 by Barbara Kraus, brought smiles to my face, returning me to 1993 when I needed a favorite recipe to begin this column and was reminded of one of my all time favorites shared by Mario's in Dallas, Texas. Frittura Delizie Romano10-ounce package of frozen chopped spinach 6 tablespoons ricotta cheese ¼ cup freshly grated romano or Parmesan cheese ¼ cup dry bread crumbs 1/8 teaspoon salt Pinch of freshly ground white pepper 1 egg, beaten 2 tablespoons flour Vegetable oil for deep frying 1 cup homemade tomato sauce Cook spinach according to package directions. Drain well in a strainer, squeezing out all liquid with the back of a spoon Combine spinach, ricotta, romano or Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, and egg in a medium bowl. Lightly flour your hands and shape mixture into 1 1/2-inch ovals. Roll ovals lightly in flour. Heat 2 inches of oil in a heavy saucepan or deep frying to 350 degrees. Fry 5 or 6 at a time for 3 or 4 minutes of until lightly brown. Drain on paper towels. Serve with tomato sauce. Yield: 15 balls Note: Although spinach balls will keep for a week in the refrigerator, their texture will be less crisp than the freshly fried. Preferably freeze them for as long as 2 or 3 months. Thaw and reheat uncovered in a preheated 350 degree oven for 5 to 10 minutes until heated through and crisp once again. If you have had them in the refrigerator, reheat as above, or fry in a lightly buttered skillet. The spinach balls are also good served as a side dish with poultry or roasts. This recipe from the same book serves just two and comes from Evans Farm Inn, McLean, Virginia. Cream of peanut soup2 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons chopped celery 2 tablespoons chopped onion 1 tablespoon flour 1 ½ cups chicken broth ¾ cup light cream 3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter 1/8 teaspoon salt Pinch of freshly ground black pepper 1/8 teaspoon paprika Melt butter over low heat in a 1-quart saucepan. Add celery and onion and cook until tender Stir in flour; blend with a wire whisk until smooth. Gradually add chicken broth; cook until slightly thickened mixture comes to a boil. Stir in light cream, peanut butter, salt, pepper and paprika and heat thoroughly. Yield: 2 ¼ cups Note: Cream of peanut butter soup will keep 1 week in refrigerator. Soup can be frozen 1 to 2 months. Although it can be frozen with the cream, it is better to freeze before cream is added; thaw, reheat and add cream. This seafood recipe is from Dobbs Houses Luau, Memphis, Tennessee. It works with lobster or shrimp. Su su lobster curry4 tablespoons butter ½ cup finely chopped celery ½ cup finely chopped onion 2 tablespoons mushrooms 2 tablespoons canned bamboo shoots, chopped and drained ¾ cup peeled and diced apple 1 ½ tablespoons curry powder 1 cup heavy cream 1 teaspoon cornstarch 2 teaspoons water 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup cooked lobster meat Melt butter over low heat in a 10-inch skillet. Add celery, onion, mushrooms, bamboo shoots and apple; cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in curry powder and blend well. Gradually add cream and cook until mixture comes to a boil. Blend cornstarch and water until smooth in a small dish. Stir cornstarch mixture into skillet; add salt and cook, stirring constantly until sauce thickens. Add lobster; cook until heated through. Serve with rice and chutney. Serves 2 Note: This dish is equally delicious with shrimp, using 1 pound fresh or frozen for 2 servings. Curry will keep at least 1 week in refrigerator. This side dish comes from Mountainside Inn, Point Pleasant, Pennysylvania. Carrots Mountainside1 cup water ¼ teaspoon salt 8 medium carrots, scraped and sliced 6 tablespoons butter, softened 1 tablespoon sugar ½ teaspoon nutmeg ½ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper 2 tablespoons Grand Marnier Combine water, salt, and sliced carrots in a 1-quart saucepan. Simmer until carrots are tender, about 20-30 minutes. Drain carrots and puree in a food mill or blender, or press through a sieve. Return carrot puree to saucepan and add butter, sugar, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until heated through. Add Grand Marnier just before serving. Yield: 1 cup. Note: Carrots can be made ahead and refrigerated or frozen after step 5. Thaw and reheat in a saucepan over low heat; add Grand Marnier before serving. This dessert is from The Buccaneer Inn, Sarasota, Florida. Golden nugget cake5 egg whites at room temperature 1 cup sugar 1 cup chopped pecans 1 cup Ritz cracker crumbs ½ pound of dates, chopped ½ teaspoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon baking powder ¼ teaspoon salt Whipped cream Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a medium bowl beat eggs until frothy. Gradually add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until stiff peaks form. Fold in pecans and cracker crumbs. Reserve 2 tablespoons chopped dates for top. Fold in remaining dates, vanilla, baking powder and salt. Spread mixture into a greased jelly-roll pan, 10 x15x1½ inches. Sprinkle reserved dates over top. Bake in preheated oven 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly browned and firm. Cool. Cut into 15 3-inch squares. Serve with a dab of whipped cream. Note: Cake squares store for weeks in a plastic container. They can be frozen and will keep for 2 to 3 months. Recent request: Fall recipes Contact the Cooks' Exchange in care of the Wisconsin State Journal, P.O. Box 8058, Madison, WI, 53708 or by email at greenbush4@aol.com. With our weekly newsletter packed with the latest in everything food. WHAT'S COOKING? Squash totally 'delish' in entrees, desserts - The Times and Democrat Posted: 12 Aug 2020 02:00 AM PDT ![]() Return to homepage × Loading&hellp; ![]() Teresa Hatchell Since March, I have written about my excitement about fresh produce season and specifically have given several recipes for squash side dishes. Since then, I have had many requests for more squash recipes, and I have shared some in various columns "along and along." However, I can tell you from many years of gardening experience that squash and cucumbers grow very well in the rich soil we are blessed to have. So most people who grow them have a bountiful yield so they need some recipe alternatives to make flavorful use of their homegrown vegetables. Now in years past, I've run a recipe for Sausage-Squash Savory Skillet a few times and Steak 'n Vegetables With Tasty Sauce one time. But because both are such easy and totally delicious entrees, I'm reprinting them. And I am offering great recipes two wonderful ladies shared with me many years ago when their church cookbook came out (and sold out very quickly). While there are a million squash recipes, very few folks think of cooking squash as a dessert. However, the late Savaughen Bowers' Squash Custard Pie and a similar variation, my Aunt Stella Mizzell's 'Basic' Squash Pie, both from the Mount Zion Baptist Church Cookbook -- are simply yummy desserts and are packed with veggie goodness as is the Squash Bread Recipe that follows. If you decide to stir up these squash ideas, I certainly hope you and your family will enjoy them! Sausage-Squash Savory Skillet1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1 large onion, peeled and coarsely chopped 1 pound link smoked sausage, sliced into bite-size pieces 2 pounds fresh yellow squash, sliced in circles (yellow squash, zucchini, or both) 1/2 teaspoon light brown sugar Salt and pepper to taste In a large skillet, cook the sausage and onion in the olive oil until the sausage is lightly browned and the onions are transparent. Add the squash and cook until they are crisp-tender. Season the dish with light brown sugar, salt, pepper if desired. Simmer another five minutes, then serve. (You may use this same recipe and replace the squash with coarsely shredded cabbage, or you may add some cabbage to the original recipe. That makes it extra delicious.) Steak 'n Vegetables With Tasty Sauce1 large yellow or sweet onions, cut into 8 wedges 2 large baking potatoes, cut into 8 lengthwise wedges 4 zucchini or yellow squash, cut in half lengthwise 3 tablespoons olive oil 2-pound boneless beef top sirloin steak, cut 1 inch thick Tasty Sauce (recipe below) Place the vegetables, cut side up, on waxed paper and drizzle them with olive oil. Place the beef steak on one side of the rack in a broiler pan so the surface of the meat is three to four inches from the heat. Arrange the onion and potato wedges on the other side. Broil for 16 to 21 minutes until the steak is rare (140 degrees F) to medium (160 degrees F) and potatoes and onions are tender. Halfway through the cooking time, turn the steak and vegetables over and place the squash, cut side up, on the pan. While it is broiling, prepare the Tasty Sauce below. Tasty Sauce 1 cup A.1. Thick and Hearty Sauce 2 tablespoons ready to serve beef broth 4 tablespoons grape jelly or red currant jelly Combine the steak sauce, broth and jelly in a 2-cup glass measuring cup. Microwave on High for two to three minutes (until the jelly is melted and the sauce is hot. Stir to combine these ingredients well before serving the sauce. This recipe will yield about one and a half cup of sauce. Squash Custard Pie1/2 stick butter 3/4 cup sugar 3 large eggs, beaten 1-1/2 cup grated squash 2 tablespoons self-rising flour 3 teaspoons lemon extract 1 lightly baked piecrust Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs, then flour, squash and lemon extract. Stir until well combined. Pour into the pie shell. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Let stand until cool before serving. Dessert Squash Pie3 cups cooked squash 4 tablespoons margarine 1 cup sugar 3 large eggs, beaten 1/2 cup self-rising flour 4 teaspoons lemon extract 2 lightly baked piecrusts Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, combine cooked squash with margarine, sugar, eggs and flour. Add lemon extract last and stir until well combined. Divide this mixture evenly among the two pie crusts. Bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes. Let stand until cool before serving. Sweet Squash Bread1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons cinnamon 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 3/4 cups sugar 1/2 cup oil 2 teaspoons vanilla 1-1/2 cup coarsely shredded, tightly packed squash (summer or zucchini) Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-x-5-x-3-inch loaf pan. In a medium bowl, combine all dry ingredients, except the sugar, thoroughly. Set this bowl aside. In a large bowl, beat the eggs well. Add the sugar, oil and vanilla. Beat these ingredients until they are well combined (about three minutes). Stir in the squash. Add the dry ingredients. Mix them just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Pour this mixture into a loaf pan. Bake this batter in the prepared pan at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean. Cool this pan on a rack. Remove the bread from the pan after 10 minutes. Wrap the bread with Saran Wrap to cool, and enjoy it. It is a most scrumptious bread any time of year! Contact writer at tgmhatchell@yahoo.com. With our weekly newsletter packed with the latest in everything food. Recipe Exchange: Recipes worth having - masslive.com Posted: 27 Jul 2020 12:00 AM PDT ![]() It is with sadness I tell you that this is my last column. I am sorry to go, but I leave with good memories, 32 years of them. It's been my privilege to meet and to get to know so many good, talented and generous people. I thank you all. What's next for me? As yet, I'm undecided, but thinking that I may start a blog. If you'd like me to keep you informed or if you have other ideas, please email me at my new address, goodrecipestoshare@gmail.com. I'd love to hear from you. Today's recipes are a few of the many I'd like you to have. While these aren't the coolest temperature-wise for this hot summer, they are among our best. Milton takes extra care with the relish in Yotam Ottolenghi's dish, our first recipe today. He's careful to fry the celery just to the point of tenderness and he removes the pine nuts as soon as they have turned a light brown. Rather than add the remaining relish ingredients (the capers & brine, olives, saffron & its water, the pinch of salt, currants, parsley, lemon juice & zest) to the pan, Milton adds the lightly cooked celery and pine nuts to a bowl that already holds all of those remaining relish ingredients. He tosses everything together with a strong stir or two, then lets the relish sit for several minutes. Right before serving, Milton reheats the relish quickly and very carefully in the salmon pan. As it's been said, there's no burning on Milton's watch. Yotam's Pan-Seared Salmon with Celery, Olives and Capers from Milton 2/3 cup currants generous pinch saffron 4 salmon fillets, about 4 ounces each, skin on about ½ cup olive oil salt and black pepper 4 sticks celery, cut into ½ inch dice, leaves removed and reserved for garnish ¼ cup pine nuts, roughly chopped scant ¼ cup capers, drained, with 2 tablespoons of their brine 8 large green olives, pitted, cut into ½ inch dice 1/3 cup parsley, roughly chopped 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest 1 teaspoon lemon juice Cover the currants with boiling water and set aside to soak for 20 minutes. In a separate small bowl, mix 1 tablespoon of boiling water with the saffron and also leave for 20 minutes or longer. Gently rub the salmon fillets with 2 teaspoons oil, 1/3 teaspoon salt, and good grind of black pepper. Set aside while you make the relish. Add 1/3 cup olive oil to a large sauté pan over high heat. Add the celery and pine nuts. Fry for 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the nuts begin to brown. Watch carefully as pine nuts can burn quickly. Turn off heat and stir in capers and their brine, the olives, saffron and its water and a pinch of salt. Drain the currants and add them, as well, along with the parsley, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Mix and set aside. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium high heat until it shimmers. Add salmon fillets, skin side down and let cook for 3 minutes, until the skin is crisp. Reduce the heat to medium, flip the fillets over and cook 2-4 minutes more, depending on how much you like the salmon to be cooked. Divide the salmon on 4 plates and serve with the warm relish spooned over the top. Scatter reserved celery leaves, if desired. Serve immediately. Serves 4. This next recipe is called "a mix-and-bake number" by its creators, Sarit and Itamar of Honey & Co. That's quite an understatement about their very popular dish. Honey & Co began as one restaurant in 2012. Now there are three establishments, all near one another in central London and all known for the quality of their Middle Eastern food. Sarit and Itamar have published three cookbooks and I hear there's another one on the way. With our local plums coming into season, now is the time to make this one. Chicken in Plums and Sweet Sauce from Honey & Co. 6-8 skin-on chicken thighs, depending on size For the marinade: 2 plums, about 3 ounces total, stones removed 1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds 1 teaspoon whole fennel seeds 1 teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 garlic clove, peeled 1 tablespoon demerara sugar or near substitute 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar 2 tablespoons olive oil For the roasting tray: 6-8 plums, about 8.5 ounces total, quartered, stones removed 2-3 celery sticks, cut into 2-inch pieces 1 onion, peeled, cut into wedges 6 garlic cloves, unpeeled Sea salt and freshly ground pepper 1 tablespoon demerara sugar A few sprigs of tarragon, for garnish Make the marinade by combining the nine marinade ingredients in a food processor. Blitz everything together to a smooth puree. Pour over chicken thighs and mix well, making sure that chicken thighs are evenly coated. Cover and place in refrigerator. A couple of hours will do the trick, but you can marinate the chicken for up to 24 hours. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Place half the plum quarters plus the celery, onion wedges, and garlic in a large roasting tray. Top with the chicken thighs, skin side up and pour any remaining marinade over chicken. Season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes, then, remove tray and baste everything well with the juices that have formed at the bottom. Reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees and return chicken to oven for 10 minutes. Add remaining plum quarters. Sprinkle with sugar and roast for a final 10 minutes. Remove from oven, baste again, and garnish with the tarragon sprigs. Serves 3-4. Renowned as an interior designer, Steven Stolman is also an outstanding home cook. This next recipe comes from his cookbook, Confessions of a Serial Entertainer. Steven Stolman's Roasted Chicken Provençal 4 chicken legs or 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs 2 teaspoons kosher salt 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/2 - 3/4 cup all-purpose flour 3 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons herbes de Provence 1 lemon, quartered 8 to 10 cloves garlic, peeled 4 to 6 medium-size shallots, peeled and halved 1/3 cup dry vermouth 4 sprigs of thyme, for garnish Heat oven to 400 degrees. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Put the flour in a shallow pan, and lightly dredge the chicken in it, shaking the pieces to remove excess flour. Swirl the oil in a large roasting pan and place the floured chicken in it. Season the chicken with the herbes de Provence. Arrange the lemon quarters, garlic cloves and shallots around the chicken, then add the vermouth to the pan. Put the pan in the preheated 400-degree oven, and roast for 25 to 30 minutes, then baste it with the pan juices. Continue roasting for another 25 to 30 minutes, or until the chicken is very crisp and the meat cooked through. Serve in the pan or on a warmed platter, garnished with the thyme. It's easy to make our own herbes de Provence and Emeril's recipe is a good one. Emeril Lagasse's Herbes de Provence 2 tablespoons dried savory 2 tablespoons dried rosemary 2 tablespoons dried thyme 2 tablespoons dried oregano 2 tablespoons dried basil 2 tablespoons dried marjoram 2 tablespoons dried fennel seed Combine all ingredients together well. Store in an airtight container. Thank you, everyone, for giving me such a great run. One last thought, do you want or need a good cold soup in this hot weather? Check out the following: Robin's delicious melon soup: https://www.masslive.com/food/2020/07/recipe-exchange-cold-soup.html Dr. Bob's fabulous gazpacho: https://www.masslive.com/cooking/recipes/2018/08/recipe_exchange_gazpacho_cold.html Irene's delicious white gazpacho and Betty's delectable zucchini vichyssoise: https://www.masslive.com/cooking/recipes/2016/07/recipe_exchange_time_for_cold.html Stay safe & well. Appreciatively, Ellen
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