|
RECIPE ROUNDUP
Small Bites: Big Flavor
By Kevin Hargis
Any time we’re hosting dinner or a party, I like to spend a little time getting appetizers ready. I find myself relying on a regular cast of characters (hot pepper jelly on cream cheese, guacamole and chips, relish trays). There’s not a thing wrong with that, and often, it’s those snacks that are the most popular. But sometimes I like to stretch my horizons with something unexpected or a little more challenging.
I recently ran across an interesting recipe in Reata: Legendary Texas Cuisine, a cookbook that chronicles the upscale Western-inspired dishes served at the Reata restaurant, which has locations in Alpine and Fort Worth.
Many of the cookbook’s recipes are for game, which, unless you’re a hunter or know one, isn’t easy to obtain. But this appetizer is based on a more common ingredient, catfish, and yields a finished product reminiscent of crab cakes at a fraction of the cost.
CATFISH CAKES
1 pound fresh catfish fillets
2 tablespoons yellow onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons green bell pepper, finely chopped
4 teaspoons oil
2 eggs, beaten
4 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 cup dry bread crumbs
2 teaspoons lime juice
4 teaspoons Reata Grill Spice (recipe to follow)
2 teaspoons Tabasco sauce
2 teaspoons dried basil, crumbled
Peanut oil
All-purpose flour
In large pot of boiling water, poach catfish 15-20 minutes, until fish begins to flake with a fork. Drain and allow to cool. In large skillet, sauté onion and pepper in 4 teaspoons oil until vegetables are soft; set aside. When catfish is cool enough to handle, crumble into large bowl. Add eggs, cooked onion and pepper and mix. Add remaining ingredients except peanut oil and flour and mix into firm consistency that holds its shape. Form mixture into six to 10 round cakes of equal size. Heat enough peanut oil to fry cakes in iron skillet or deep fryer to about 350 degrees. Just before frying, dust cakes with flour. Fry, turning frequently, until golden brown and drain on paper towels. Serve with sauce of your choice.
Grill Spice
1/4 cup black pepper
2 tablespoons kosher salt
4 tablespoons thyme
3 tablespoons garlic powder
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup cumin
1/2 cup paprika
Combine and blend well and store in airtight container.
Serving size: 1 cake. Per serving: 222 calories, 9.9 g protein, 15.2 g fat, 9.1 g carbohydrates, 192 mg sodium, 63 mg cholesterol.
One of my favorite appetizers is one my dad used to make when he’d host a barbecue. It has a simple roster of ingredients, but the lip-smacking total surpassed the sum of the parts. Thinking about it makes me want to grab a toothpick and dive right in.
BARBECUED SAUSAGE
1/4 cup butter
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup barbecue sauce
1 cup ketchup
1 1/2 tablespoons hot pepper sauce
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup vinegar
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 can (12 ounces) beer
1 whole lemon, chopped
1 link sausage
Simmer butter and onion in 1/3 cup water in medium saucepan until onion is tender. Add remaining ingredients except sausage to onion mixture and cook uncovered until thickened. Cut sausage into bite-sized pieces (about 24). Transfer sauce to Crock-Pot and add sausage. Cook until sausage is heated through.
Serving size: 2 pieces. Per serving: 127 calories, 1.6 g protein, 5.1 g fat, 17.1 g carbohydrates, 591 mg sodium, 13 mg cholesterol.
--------------------
HOME COOKING
Recipe Contest Winner: Debbie Foy, Wood County Electric Cooperative
Prize-Winning Recipe: Nanny’s Italian Stuffed Mushrooms
NANNY’S ITALIAN STUFFED MUSHROOMS
12 large fresh mushrooms
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 ounces pepperoni, diced
1/4 cup green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 small clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup finely crushed crackers
3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, finely grated
1 tablespoon snipped parsley
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/4 teaspoon oregano
Dash pepper
1/3 cup chicken broth
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Wash mushrooms. Remove and finely chop stems. Drain caps and allow to dry. Melt butter in a skillet and add onion, pepperoni, bell pepper, garlic and chopped mushroom stems. Cook until vegetables are tender, but not brown. Remove from heat and add cracker crumbs, cheese, parsley, salt, oregano and pepper. Mix well. Stir in chicken broth. Spoon stuffing into mushroom caps, mounding tops. Place caps in shallow baking dish with about a quarter inch of water in bottom. Bake 25 minutes or until heated through.
Serving size: 1 mushroom. Per serving: 89 calories, 4.3 g protein, 4.9 g fat, 7.9 g carbohydrates, 2.7 g fiber, 244 mg sodium, 12 mg cholesterol.
COOK’S TIP
When choosing mushrooms at the store, look for ones with moist, firm, uncracked stems. The mushroom should have an even color and not appear at all slimy.
PRAIRIE FIRE DIP
1/4 cup butter
1 medium onion
1 can (4 ounces) diced jalapeños
1 can (4 ounces) diced green chiles
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 cups grated Cheddar cheese
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
Combine all ingredients in a heavy saucepan. Heat on medium-low heat until cheese melts. Stir well and serve hot.
Serving size: 1/4 cup. Per serving: 149 calories, 7.7 g protein, 11.4 g fat, 3.2 g carbohydrates, 0.6 g fiber, 168 mg sodium, 35 mg cholesterol.
Debbie Green
Comanche Electric Cooperative
CAJUN PINWHEELS
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
Dash salt and pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 cup black olives
1/4 cup green olives
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
1 cup Monterey jack cheese, shredded
1 pound cooked salad shrimp, deveined and chopped
7 flour tortillas, room temperature
Combine cream cheese, spices, olives, onion, cheese and shrimp in a small bowl. Stir well. Spread over each tortilla, then roll tightly. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator at least two hours. Slice rolls 1/2 inch thick and layer on platter.
Serving size: 3 slices. Per serving: 239 calories, 12.8 g protein, 11.5 g fat, 19.2 g carbohydrates, 1.3 g fiber, 446 mg sodium, 74 mg cholesterol.
Ginger Martin
Pedernales Electric Cooperative
CHOCOLATE BALLS
6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup honey
2 1/2 cups crushed vanilla wafers
1/3 cup sweet red wine
2 cups ground walnuts
Granulated sugar
Melt chocolate chips with honey in saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat and stir in wafer crumbs, wine and nuts. When cool enough to handle, shape into 1-inch balls and roll in sugar. Store in airtight container at least five days to allow flavors to blend.
Serving size: 2 pieces. Per serving: 229 calories, 3.9 g protein, 12 g fat, 26.6 g carbohydrates, 1.6 g fiber, 74 mg sodium, trace cholesterol.
John and Shari Rudy
Pedernales Electric Cooperative
PRESENTATION TIP
Serve Naturally
Use a hollow vegetable as a serving bowl. For instance, use bell peppers of various colors. Cut the tops off and take the seeds out. Cut a thin slice off the bottoms to give them a flatter surface to rest on, taking care not to cut into the hollows. Fill them with dip. Pumpkins or other hard-shelled squash prepared in the same manner make unusual soup bowls. A hollowed-out melon will hold fruit salad.
CORRECTION AND CLARIFICATION
The directions for “Texas Today Cake” featured in January’s issue may have been unclear. The sweet potato should be cooked, peeled and mashed, and the beef jerky should be chopped fine. In addition, the correct spelling of the recipe contributor’s name is Mollie Hejl.
Kevin Hargis
--------------------
RECIPE CONTEST
August’s recipe contest topic is Budget Stretchers. When times get tough, the tough get thrifty. Do you have any recipes that make for the best use of inexpensive ingredients or repurpose leftovers? We’d also like to pass along tips for stretching your food dollars. The deadline is April 10.
Send recipes to Home Cooking, 1122 Colorado, 24th Floor, Austin, TX 78701. You may also fax them to (512) 486-6254, e-mail them to recipes@texas-ec.org, or submit online at www.texascooppower.com. Please include your name, address and phone number, as well as the name of your electric co-op. The top winner will receive a copy of 60 Years of Home Cooking and a Texas-shaped trivet. Runners-up will also receive a prize.
|