Derby Trail Cook Book

[Seattleallstar]

SPAM

1 can of spam

2 eggs

put eggs in bowl for egg wash, cut spam into even slices. Fry each side for a minute. Voila! Same goes for Turkey spam my favorite

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Here's a classic Christmas Eve recipe from Italy...
Very good!

Roast Eel, or Capitone Arrosto: This is a classic Christmas Eve dish from Altamura, in northwestern Puglia; the authors of Altamura Antichi Sapori note that prior to the general affluence of today it would have been served in well-to-do households. Since eel is fatty, you won't need to use much oil in the sauce below. To serve six you'll need:
INGREDIENTS:
2 1/4 pounds (1 k) eel, cut into pieces
Olive oil
Lemon or red wine vinegar
Bay leaves
PREPARATION:
Spit the pieces of eel, putting bay leaves between the pieces. Make a sauce by whisking together some olive oil and vinegar (proportions to taste), and seasoning it with a little salt and pepper. Roast the eel over the coals, basting it every now and again with the sauce.
In terms of cooking time, make all the pieces of fish about the same width, and cook it for 10 minutes per each inch (2.5 cm) of thickness of the pieces -- if you make the pieces 2 inches thick, figure about 20 minutes. Fish is in any case done when it becomes white and flakes near the bone.

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As requested...shark.

Shark Kabobs

Cut carrots into 1/2 in chunks, and blanch until barely tender. Alternate fish, carrots, and pineapple on skewers til you have 4 chunks of fish on each one. Again, how much of the other stuff depends on you. You should have 2-3 skewers full per person. For marinade, mix the juice, butter and soy together.

Suspend skewers over a 13x9 pan lined with foil and spoon marinade over kabobs. Broil for 4 minutes, then turn and broil for another 4-5 minutes, spooning marinade over them periodically.

Serve over hot cooked rice.

note: marinade includes pineapple juice, lemon juice, melted butter, and soy.

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"Homemade” Gefilte Fish

If you are a cook who like to spend time in the kitchen, then nothing beats real, homemade gefilte fish. Here is a recipe totally from scratch, and once the basic fish is made you can actually cook it in a variety of ways.

Ingredients:

1-1/2 lbs. boneless fish (pike, walleye, whitefish...any white meat fish)
1 lg. Onion
2-3 carrots
2 eggs beaten
3 tsp. salt
3-5 tsp. Sugar (to taste)
1 tsp. pepper
1/2 cup matzo meal.

A typical mixture of fish is 1lb of whitefish and 1/2 lbs. of pike. Finely grate the carrots and onion together, or bring them to the store and have the fish man grind them for you. Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl. Next, you’ll make a basic fish broth in which to cook the fish.

Ingredients:

3 carrots sliced
1 lg. onion chopped
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbs. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
Bones from fish (ask the fish man to give you all the bones).

Fill a large pot with water and add all the ingredients for fish broth. Bring to a boil. Shape fish into small balls or into larger oval balls. Use water to moisten your hands to make it easier. If the fish mixture feels too stiff add a little water. Drop into the boiling broth. Cook for 2 hours on medium flame covered. Check the water level during cooking to make sure it stays full. Allow the fish to cool before removing from the pot. Refrigerate well before serving.

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New York Cheese Cake (Italian uses ricotta)

Ingredients
1 cup Graham Cracker Crumbs

3 Tbsp. sugar

3 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted

5 pkg. (8 oz. each) Cream Cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

3 Tbsp. flour

1 Tbsp. vanilla

1 cup Sour Cream

4 eggs

1 can (21 oz.) cherry pie filling...or use pineapple, strawberries...whatever you like.


Preparation
MIX crumbs, 3 Tbsp. sugar and butter; press firmly onto bottom of 9-inch springform pan. Bake at 325°F for 10 minutes. (Bake at 300°F for 10 minutes if using dark nonstick springform pan.)

MIX cream cheese, 1 cup sugar, flour and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add sour cream, mix well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition just until blended. Pour over crust.

BAKE at 325°F for 1 hour 10 minutes or until center is almost set if using silver springform pan. (Bake at 300°F for 1 hour 10 minutes or until center is almost set if using dark nonstick springform pan.) Run knife or metal spatula around rim of pan to loosen cake; cool before removing rim of pan. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. Top with pie filling before serving.

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Egg Rolls

1/2 lb. lean pork, diced (or lean ground pork)
1/2 lb. peeled and deveined shrimp, diced
2 cups bean sprouts
3 tablespoons oil
8 green onions, finely chopped
1 8-ounce can water chestnuts, chopped fine
1 8-ounce can bamboo shoots, shredded or chopped fine
4 slices fresh ginger, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sherry


1 egg, lightly beaten
1 package egg roll wrappers
Oil for deep frying


Note: The filling portion of this egg roll recipe should be made ahead of time and cooled completely before assembling the egg rolls.

Rinse the bean sprouts in a colander under cold running water and set aside to drain.

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a wok or large pot. Add pork and stir fry for about 2 minutes, until the meat loses all traces of pink. Add shrimp and stir fry for another minute. Remove from wok.

Pour the remaining tablespoon of oil into the wok. When hot, add the ginger root, green onions, bamboo shoots, and water chestnuts. Stir fry for 1 minute, then return pork and shrimp to the wok. Add salt, soy sauce, sherry, and bean sprouts. Heat through and steam for a minute or two with the lid on, until the bean sprouts become transparent. Cool the entire mixture in a colander.
Assembling the Egg Rolls:

When cooled, place a heaping spoonful of the pork mixture in the center of an egg roll wrapper. Pull one corner up over the filling, fold in the sides, burrito style, and roll tightly. Seal with a dab of the beaten egg. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling. Deep fry in 3 inches of very hot oil until golden brown on both sides. (They cook very quickly.) Drain on paper towels.

Cut each egg roll in half crosswise and arrange on a platter. Serve warm, with plum sauce . ( you can find plum sauce in the Asian section of any well-stocked market.)
Makes about 20 egg rolls, 40 hors d’oeuvres.

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Spaghetti Sauce


3 large cans of peeled tomatoes, you may want to look for S&W Ready-Cut
2 Tbls. olive oil
Graded Romano cheese
Italian sausage (optional) I use both "hot" and "sweet"
2 Tbls. Oregano
1 Tbls. Black Pepper
1 Tbls. Basil
6 cloves of garlic
1 tsp. Salt



Everyone knows how to make spaghetti. Basically you run down to the store and buy a jar of pre-made sauce, cook the pasta and you are done. Wrong !!!

This is a most excellent recipe for spaghetti sauce. Everyone who has had this recipe raves about it. The secret is in basic ingredients and the cooking time. The biggest problem you'll have with this recipe is making people leave your house, since they'll want to stay and eat it again and again. Rumor has it that a few, very nice Italian people will get upset after finding their family recipe on the web.

Pre-cooking:
Peel the garlic

Cooking:
Set tall frying pan in mid heat. Add the olive oil and garlic to frying pan. Cook the garlic stirring occasionally, until the garlic is brown. Make sure it doesn't burn.

Add the tomatoes, black pepper, oregano, salt, basil and Italian sausage.

Set to high heat until it starts boiling, then lower the heat. Cook for at least two hours and stir occasionally. The longer you cook it the better the taste.

Tips:
Watch for the oil when you first add the tomatoes, it may jump towards you.

The easiest and fastest way to peel garlic is to wrap it in rubber, and roll it back and forth a few times.

Keep the pasta "al dente"..serve with warm garlic bread.

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Hanukkah Honey and Spice Cookies

1/2 cup (1 stick) margarine, softened
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
1 egg
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

For royal icing:

egg whites
3 cups confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt

In a large mixer bowl, cream margarine and brown sugar; beat in honey and egg until well combined.

In a small bowl, combine flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and cloves; add to honey mixture. Beat on low speed until well blended. Cover dough. Refrigerate at least 1 hour, or up to 3 days.

Grease cookie sheets; set aside.

Working quickly with one-fourth of the dough at a time, roll out on floured surface to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes, including a dreidel, menorah or star. Using a spatula, place on prepared cookie sheets l inch apart. Reroll and cut scraps.

Bake in a preheated 350° F oven 7 minutes, or until done. Transfer to wire racks to cool.

Meanwhile, prepare royal icing: In a large mixer bowl, combine egg whites, confectioners' sugar, lemon juice and salt. Beat on high speed until mixture holds soft peaks.
Makes about 2 cups.

Decorate cooled cookies with royal icing around edges, using a pastry bag* fitted with tube.

*Create your own "pastry bag" by taking a small resealable plastic bag, snip off one corner, put in icing; twist bag and squeeze to decorate cookies.

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I always wondered how to make a fruit cake. Maybe I'll give this one a try.

Christmas Whiskey Cake

1 cup butter

2 cups sugar

6 large eggs

2 teaspoons baking powder

3 cups flour, sifted

1/2 t. salt

1 cup bourbon

1 pound pecans, chopped

3 cups white raisins (or use candied fruit)

1 t. nutmeg

AND

~ a very large bottle of bourbon whiskey ~



First, sample the whiskey to check for quality.

Assemble all of the ingredients. Check the whiskey again.

To be sure it is of the highest quality, pour one level cup and drink.

Repeat this step.

Turn on the electric mixer and beat one cup of butter in a large

fluffy bowl. Add one teaspoon of sugar and cream until beat.

Make sure the whiskey is still okay... try another cup.

Turn off the mixer. Beat six leggs and add to the bowl,

then chunk in the cup of dried flut. Mix on the tuner.

Throw in two quarts of flour. Gradually pour in the cow.

Add 2 dried anything.

If the fried druit gets struck in the beaters, pry it loose with

a drewscriver. Sample the whiskey and check it again for tonsistency.

Next, sift two cups of salt. Or something. Who cares???


Check the whiskey again.

Now sift the nutmeg and strain your nuts. Add one table.

And the spoon. Of whiskee. Or something. Whatever you find left.

Grease the oven.

Turn the crake pan to 350 degrees. Don't forget to beat off the turner.

Pour the oven into the batter. Throw the bowl out the window.

Lick the batter off the floor.

Bake 300 minutes at 50 degrees.

Finish the blobble of whishy and flow to bed.

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OK...Here's how you really make fruit cake.

Fruit Cake

1 pound each pineapple and cherries-the kind that are specially for fruit cake that the stores have during the holidays. I usually get a pound of red cherries and a pound of green cherries.
2 pounds chopped dates
2 pounds shelled, coarsely chopped pecans
1 cup coconut
1 cup flour
2 cans Eagle Brand sweetend condensed milk

Mix all ingredients together. This is a very stiff dough and you may have to use your hands. Pack into lightly greased pans. Bake 1 and 1/2 hours at 325°F

Pans - use a large tube pan or six small loaf pans and a medium loaf pan.

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Bizcochitos (Mexican Christmas Cookies) Recipe

3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup lard (or shortening)
2/3 cup plus 2 TBSP sugar
1 tsp anise seed
1 large egg
1/4 cup orange juice
1 TBSP cinnamon

In a bowl, with mixer on high speed, beat lard, 2/3 cup sugar and anise seed until fluffy. Beat in egg until blended. On medium speed, mix in orange juice. Add dry ingredients. Stir to combine, then beat until well blended.

On a plate, mix remaining 2 TBSP sugar and cinnamon. Divide dough in half. Pat each half into a ball. On a well floured board, roll dough, a portion at a time, 1/4" thick. With floured cookie cutter, cut dough into shapes.

One at a time, dip top of each cookie in spiced sugar, pressing lightly so sugar sticks. Set cookies, sugar side up, about 1/2" apart on ungreased baking sheets. gather scraps into a ball, roll out and cut more cookies.

Bake cookies at 325°F degrees until bottoms are golden, about 10 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool.

Debbie and Jamie's Cajun Christmas Squirrel

a Cajun Christmas Squirrel Delight

~ squirrels,cut into serving pieces, amount depends upon how many you can eat
~ olive oil
~ 1 large onion
~ 1 large green bell pepper
~ 2 cloves garlic
~ Cajun spice (Tony Chachere's recommended)
~ 2 tbsp Tabasco sauce
~ 4 tbsp ketchup
~ 1 tbsp Gumbo File seasoning
~ cooked rice


In a deep pot or dutch oven, heat some olive oil.

Season the squirrel on all sides with the Cajun seasoning. Add to the hot oil and turn to brown on all sides. Continue to cook until done.

Place the onion, bell pepper and garlic in a blender. Cover with water and chop. Add to the pot when squirrel is done.

Sprinkle the added vegetables with Cajun seasoning.

Add the Tabasco sauce, ketchup and the Gumbo File. Stir to mix well.

Serve over the cooked rice.

Enjoy.

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Date and nut loaf

1 ½ cup boiling water
1 ½ cup dates -- chopped
1 ¼ cup sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon melted butter
2 ½ cup flour
1 cup walnuts -- chopped

In large bowl, pour boiling water over dates. Let stand 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in sugar, egg, baking soda, salt, vanilla, and butter. In small bowl, mix flour with nuts; stir into date mixture. Pour into two greased 1-lb. coffee cans or one 8 cup mold. Cover with foil and tie. Place cans or mold on rack in slow-cooking pot. Pour 2 cups hot water around cans. Cover pot and cook on high for 2 2/1 to 3 hours or until done. Remove from pot. Let bread stand in coffee cans 10 minutes; turn out onto cooling rack. Slice and spread with butter, cream cheese, or peanut butter.

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Veal Scaloppine
1 1/2 C. veal scallops pounded to 1/8 inch thickness

flour

10 T. olive oil

1/2 lb. mushrooms

salt and pepper

1/2 C. pine nuts

12 sage leaves

3 anchovy filets minced

2 garlic cloves minced

1 C. dry white wine

4 T. butter

Pat veal dry and dredge in flour, shaking off excess. Heat 2 T. oil in a large skillet. Add mushrooms and cook until golden brown. Remove and set aside.

Add 2 T. of oil to the skillet. Add 1/3 of the veal scallops and saute about 30 seconds per side. Transfer to a platter. Salt and pepper scaloppine to taste. Repeat this process 2 more times, adding 2 T. of oil each time.

Add pine nuts to skillet and cook until golden brown. Add sage, anchovies and garlic. Return the mushrooms to the pan and stir in the wine. Whisk in butter and pour over veal.

Serve immediately.

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Escargot

In medium bowl combine escargots (snails), mushrooms, line melted butter parsley, garlic salt and pepper.Set aside for 5 minutes. Prepare mushroom caps. Put half a teaspoon of bread crumbs in each mushroom cap. Spoon one escargot and garlic butter into each cap. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes.

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This year I'm going to my "hunting buddy", Ken's house. He and his lovely wife Terry know that I love to cook. The appetizer will be chicken livers wrapped in bacon, chestnuts inside. The soup will be oyster stew. I'll post the recipe. Dessert will be NY cheese cake (see recipe above), plenty of cookies and the candy.
So it all comes down to the main course. Ken and I went round and round on this. He has 20 bob-white quail that I told him I'd do up in a nice grape sauce, so that main course will be on the table. I'm also bringing this one, just cause I love it...yup! Two main courses.

An Absolutely Perfect Roast Goose

1 10 to 12 lb. goose either -fresh or frozen and thawed

A frozen goose is perfectly adequate. Have thawed 24 to 48 hours before the meal (48 is better.) Prick the goose well all over, especially on the breast and on the upper legs, holding the skewer almost parallel with the bird so as to avoid piercing the flesh. Fill a very large pot 2/3 full of water (pot should be large enough to almost accommodate the bird) and bring to a boil. Using rubber gloves submerge bird (neck side down) for 1 minute (till goose bumps arise.) Repeat the process (this time with the tail side down.) Drain the goose, breast side up on a rack in a large roasting pan and set in the refrigerator, naked, to dry the skin for 24 to 48 hours.

When you are ready to roast the bird, on the big day. Make your favorite stuffing. I made one in "94" that seemed to be well liked. The night before Thanksgiving I cooked 1 1/2 cups (raw) wild rice in about 5 cups of water. Drained and chilled overnight. In the morning I added soaked, cut up dry ****ake mushrooms along with their soaking water with an egg beaten into it. A tablespoon of poultry seasoning, a sautéed onion, plenty of salt and freshly ground pepper.

Now you salt and pepper the bird inside and out, liberally. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees while you are stuffing and sewing up the bird. Place it in the oven in a roaster and on a rack on it's breast. For a 12 1/3 lb. goose I needed a full 5 hours but this is quite a large bird. Just close the oven and let it stay, undisturbed for 1 1/2 hours. After this time, take it out of the oven. Use a baster to draw out the fat that has accumulated in the bottom of the pan (schmaltz lovers, send up a cheer) You can strain this fat through a coffee filter, putting the schmaltz in small bottles which keep very well in the freezer for up to a year.) Turn the bird over on its back before you put it back in the oven. put it back in for another hour before you start checking for doneness.

The recipe gave the best advice on checking for doneness, at this point, that I have ever seen. With a piece of terry rag, squeeze the upper drumstick (not thigh) lightly. If it feels kind of squishy, like roast beef, it's done. Every bird is different so you must judge when it is done. When meat is done (be patient, it may take a while), raise the heat to 400 degrees. Remove roaster from the oven and transfer bird (rack and all) to a jelly roll pan. Put it back in the oven for 15 minutes to further crisp and brown the bird. Take it out and let it sit, uncovered for a half an hour.

Regarding the roaster, after you remove the bird to a jelly roll pan and put that in the oven, remove the fat from the roaster and put it over 2 burners adding about 2/3 cup of dry sherry and deglaze the pan with a wooden spoon. combine these drippings with your giblet broth either to make a gravy or to use later for goose carcass, slow cooker broth.

Quail and the oyster stew recipes to follow.

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Ingredients:

4 quail - adjust for more
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
white pepper to taste
1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup white wine
1/3 cup chicken broth
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 cup white seedless grapes
2 tbsp. toasted sliced almonds

Cooking Instructions:

Rinse the birds and pat dry inside and out, then drizzle with 1 tbsp. lemon juice and sprinkle with seasonings. Let stand for 1 hour then coat with flour. Sauté in butter in a saucepan until golden. Add wine and broth and remaining lemon juice, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Add the grapes and almonds and cook for 5 more minutes or until birds are tender.

Ready in: Approx. 1 1/2 hours

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Oyster Stew

4 tablespoons butter
1 cup finely chopped sweet onions
2 celery ribs, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 quart shucked oysters, do NOT drain
1/4 cup flour, dissolved in broth
1/4 cup very hot water
1 quart half-and-half
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt, to taste
1/2 teaspoon tarragon
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika

In a soup pot, melt butter. Add the finely chopped onions and celery and minced garlic. Cook for about five minutes until veggies are tender.
Add the oysters and their liquid to the pot. Bring to a boil and boil for 4-5 minutes, until oysters curl; reduce heat to a simmer.
In a small cup whisk together 1/4 flour in 1/4 water until very smooth; add this to soup pot, stirring constantly.
Add all remaining ingredients to the soup pot. Cook over med heat, stirring frequently, for about 10-12 more minutes or until heated through and thickened.
Serve.

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Tamales

INGREDIENTS
Tamale Filling:
1 1/4 pounds pork loin
1 large onion, halved
1 clove garlic
4 dried California chile pods
2 cups water
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Tamale Dough:
2 cups masa harina
1 (10.5 ounce) can beef broth
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup lard
1 (8 ounce) package dried corn husks
1 cup sour cream
DIRECTIONS
Place pork into a Dutch oven with onion and garlic, and add water to cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer until the meat is cooked through, about 2 hours.
Use rubber gloves to remove stems and seeds from the chile pods. Place chiles in a saucepan with 2 cups of water. Simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes, then remove from heat to cool. Transfer the chiles and water to a blender and blend until smooth. Strain the mixture, stir in salt, and set aside. Shred the cooked meat and mix in one cup of the chile sauce.
Soak the corn husks in a bowl of warm water. In a large bowl, beat the lard with a tablespoon of the broth until fluffy. Combine the masa harina, baking powder and salt; stir into the lard mixture, adding more broth as necessary to form a spongy dough.
Spread the dough out over the corn husks to 1/4 to 1/2 inch thickness. Place one tablespoon of the meat filling into the center. Fold the sides of the husks in toward the center and place in a steamer. Steam for 1 hour.
Remove tamales from husks and drizzle remaining chile sauce over. Top with sour cream. For a creamy sauce, mix sour cream into the chile sauce.

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Buffalo Style Chicken Wings

Ingredients 2-1/2 lbs. chicken wings
1/2 cup hot sauce (recipe to follow)
1/3 cup melted butter
Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Bake wings until fully cooked and crispy.
Combine hot sauce and butter. Dip wings in sauce to coat and bake 5 minutes more.


Serve with celery and carrot sticks and blue cheese dressing.