RECIPE ROUNDUP

Fellowship and Food
By Kevin Hargis

There’s nothing like a picnic on a beautiful spring day.

I keep a blanket in my truck just in case the opportunity presents itself. On a sunny afternoon at a picturesque spot, my thoughts turn to dining al fresco.

Picnics can be as simple as a sandwich and a bag of chips eaten on a paper plate at a backyard table or as elaborate as ham and asparagus puff pastries served on china plates from a wicker basket.

In my youth, we’d even drive into the big city for a picnic. On nice summer evenings, my mom and dad would pack up dinner and drive 50 miles with my sister and me to the hillside theater at Hermann Park in Houston. There, we’d listen to an orchestra or watch a play on the big stage, all the while munching on cold chicken, potato salad and chocolate chip cookies.

Picnics bring happy memories. I can’t recall ever having one invaded by ants or cut short by a thunderstorm. One of the happiest days in my life came during a picnic: I proposed to my wife after lunch at a roadside turnout on top of a hill near Wimberley.

My proposal—delivered on one knee after the roasted chicken and cucumber salad—was punctuated by a honking horn and thumbs-up from a passing pickup.

Experiences like that beat eating inside any old day.

The next time you get a hankering to pack up the cooler and head to the great outdoors for a nosh, try this variation on fried chicken. It delivers less fat and fewer calories than the traditional deep-fried version, and it’s a lot easier to clean up afterward.

CRISPY POTATO CHICKEN

1 cut-up frying chicken or 3 large split chicken breasts
1 cup buttermilk
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon bay seasoning mix
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon red pepper, optional
1/4 cup melted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 egg
1 cup Potato Buds (dried potato flakes)

Pull skin off chicken and discard skin or use to make chicken stock. If using chicken breasts, cut in half with cleaver or large butcher knife. Place in large sealable bag or marinating container along with buttermilk, garlic, black pepper, bay seasoning and salt and allow to marinate at least 2 hours in refrigerator or overnight, if possible. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Drain marinade. Mix Parmesan, garlic salt, paprika, garlic powder and red pepper, if using, in small bowl. Add to bag and shake until pieces are well coated. Mix melted butter and oil and pour into bottom of 13x9x2-inch baking dish. Whisk egg in shallow bowl with 2 tablespoons water. Dip chicken in egg mixture and roll in potato flakes. Arrange in baking dish (bone side up if using split breasts) and bake for 30 minutes. Flip over chicken and return to oven for 30 more minutes, or until juices run clear. Immediately remove from baking dish and drain on paper towels.

Servings: 6. Serving size: 1/2 breast. Per serving: 291 calories, 32.1 g protein, 11.2 g fat, 12.5 g carbohydrates, 947 mg sodium, 118 mg cholesterol

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Recipe Contest Winner: Judi Baldwin, Mid-South Synergy
Prize-Winning Recipe: Tuna Picnic Bread

Your entries for our Filling the Picnic Basket contest definitely went beyond plain old sandwiches and potato salad. Our recipe testers noted the variety of refreshing salads and other fine recipes that were sent in. But most of all, we favored this delicious bread with the sandwich filling baked right in.

TUNA PICNIC BREAD

2 cans (10 1/2 ounces each) chunk tuna in water, drained
4 ounces grated Gruyère cheese
4 ounces (about 1 cup) all-purpose flour
3 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 packet quick-rise yeast
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease a small loaf pan. In mixing bowl, flake tuna, then mix in remaining ingredients and put in loaf pan. Bake about 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool, slice and serve with tomatoes and mayonnaise.

Servings: 4. Serving size: 2 slices. Per serving: 555 calories, 38.7 g protein, 30.8 g fat, 25.8 g carbohydrates, 435 mg sodium, 216 mg cholesterol

COOK’S TIP: You can vary the recipe by adding various herbs or chopped green olives.

RED CABBAGE SALAD
           
1 pound bacon
1 teaspoon salt
1 small head red cabbage, thinly sliced
1 package (8 ounces) Maytag blue cheese
1 bottle red wine vinaigrette salad dressing

Fry bacon until crisp. Allow to cool, then crumble. Add salt to large pot of water, bring to boil, then blanch cabbage for 3 minutes. Drain, immerse cabbage in large bowl of ice water, then drain thoroughly. Toss cabbage with crumbled blue cheese and dressing. Refrigerate overnight or until cold. Just before serving, add the bacon and toss.

Servings: 8. Serving size: 1/2 cup. Per serving: 219 calories, 13.4 g protein, 13.7 g fat, 8.6 g carbohydrates, 1,408 mg sodium, 39 mg cholesterol

Sidney Lenz
CoServ Electric

FABULOUS PICNIC PEAS

1 can (15 ounces) white corn
1 can (15 ounces) young small peas
1 jar (2 ounces) chopped pimientos
1 cup French-cut green beans, frozen or canned
1 cup chopped celery
1 green pepper, chopped
1 small red onion, chopped
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup vinegar

Drain juice from corn, peas, pimientos and green beans (if using canned). Put drained vegetables in large bowl with celery, green pepper and onion. In small bowl, mix sugar, salt, black pepper, oil and vinegar thoroughly and pour over vegetables. Best if marinated 24 hours.

Servings: 12. Serving size: 1/2 cup. Per serving: 168 calories, 2.4 g protein, 9 g fat, 19.9 g carbohydrates, 284 mg sodium, trace cholesterol

Pam Kinkema
United Cooperative Services

REUBEN LOAF

1 can (15 ounces) sauerkraut, well drained
3 1/4 cups flour, divided
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 package quick-rise active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (125 to 130 degrees)
1 tablespoon softened butter
1/4 cup Thousand Island salad dressing
1/2 pound thinly sliced corned beef
1/4 pound sliced Swiss cheese
1 egg white
Caraway seeds (optional)

Heat oven to 120 degrees. Drain sauerkraut in colander and pat dry with a towel, squeezing out any excess moisture. In large bowl or in bowl of stand mixer, mix 21/4 cups flour, sugar, salt and yeast. Stir in warm water and butter. If needed, add reserved flour one tablespoon at a time until you have created soft dough. Knead for 4 minutes.

Coat baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and roll dough to 14-by-10-inch rectangle.

Spread dressing down center third of dough length, but not all the way to ends. Top with two to three alternating layers of beef, cheese, then sauerkraut.

Make diagonal cuts at 1-inch intervals on each side of dough (in chevron pattern). Alternating sides, fold strips at an angle across filling to form lattice. Place loaf in warm oven for 15 minutes. Remove loaf from oven and increase oven temperature to 400 degrees. Brush loaf with egg white and sprinkle with caraway seeds, if desired.

Return to oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown. Allow to cool slightly, then slice into 1-inch sections and serve.

Servings: 8. Serving size: 1 slice. Per serving: 359 calories, 15.6 g protein, 10.8 g fat, 45.6 g carbohydrates, 874 mg sodium, 44 mg cholesterol

Michelle R. Copeland
San Bernard Electric Cooperative

RECIPE CONTEST

Want a chance to win $100? Enter SEPTEMBER’s recipe contest. The topic is PEPPERS. Spicy or mild, fresh or dried, peppers are an essential ingredient in Texas cuisine, either as the main ingredient or as a major flavor. Send us your favorite recipes featuring peppers. The deadline is MAY 10.

Send recipes to Home Cooking, 1122 Colorado St., 24th Floor, Austin, TX 78701. You may also fax them to (512) 763-3408, 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 $100, a copy of 60 Years of Home Cooking and a Texas-shaped trivet. Runners-up will also receive a prize.