Cachet of culinary creations
Regina Murphy
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Next week will be the sixth anniversary of this dear little column.
It has been a pleasure to try and bring something new to your tables each week.
I happen to have a file for unused recipes that I tuck all the leftovers into. This week and next, I would like to clean that file out, and share with you all the treasures I have been hoarding.
A lot of you know Judy Conway as an Emporia Farmers Market vendor, or as a staff member at ESU. She often has recipes at her stand to help people decide how to cook whatever it is they are purchasing. Last week, I got a young, tender butternut squash from her and the week before I filled up a gallon bag of fresh green beans. If you haven’t been to the market, well, shame on you.
GRILLED EGGPLANT AND SWEET PEPPER SANDWICHES
2 medium green, red and/
or yellow sweet peppers
1 medium eggplant, cut
into 12 slices
1 Tbsp. olive oil
8 1/2-inch thick slices
French bread
4 oz. chevre (soft
goat cheese)
1/4 cup Dijon style mustard
Quarter the sweet peppers lengthwise. Remove the steams, seeds and membranes. Brush the eggplant slices with olive oil. Grill eggplant and peppers over medium hot coals for four minutes. Turn, and grill three to five minutes more on the other side, or until eggplant is tender and sweet peppers are slightly charred. Remove vegetables from grill and set aside.
Spread one side of each French bread slice with goat cheese and mustard. Layer three eggplant slices and two sweet pepper quarters on four of the bread slices. Top with remaining bread, serve warm. Makes four delicious sandwiches.
• • •
Emporian Blake Eyman must own about a billion cookbooks. When he heard I was a KCBS-certified barbecue judge, he brought this one in. It’s a keeper.
KOREAN
BARBECUED RIBS
3 lbs. short ribs
3/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp. water
4 tsp. sherry
1/2 tsp. sesame oil
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. powdered ginger
2 Tbsp. green onions,
chopped
1 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds
Cut meat into 1/2-inch slices to within 1/2 inch from the bone. Combine remaining ingredients. Marinate short ribs one hour before broiling.
Broil five inches from the heat for 10 minutes. Turn ribs and broil 10 minutes more. Serves four to six.
• • •
Michelle Heins is one of my co-workers, and for a recent “food day” she brought this recipe adapted from television chef Rachael Ray. Newsroom editor Gwendolynne Larson suggested using mini-bell peppers instead of jalapenos if you don’t want the heat. Either way, these are very tasty.
CORNBREAD-STUFFED JALAPENO POPPERS
1 box cornbread mix (like
Jiffy Mix)
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
5 green onions, finely chopped
1 cup cheddar cheese,
shredded
1 cup Colby jack cheese,
shredded
30 jalapeno peppers
Halve the peppers lengthwise and remove the seeds and membrane. For hotter peppers leave the membrane. Michelle advises that you wear plastic gloves for this. Sensitive skin will blister easily, and any oils on your hands can be transmitted to sensitive areas such as your eyes or nose. It’s not fun. Meanwhile, mix the two cheeses together.
In a medium bowl, prepare the cornbread mix. Add the green onions and half the cheese. Fill pepper halves, mounding the mix, and place on baking sheet. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Bake peppers at 400 degrees until cooked through and golden on top (about 15 minutes). These can be frozen and then baked at a later time.
• • •
I ran out of room in the rabbit column last month, so here is one more recipe to try if you end up with some rabbit to cook.
CREOLE RABBIT
1 cleaned rabbit (3 lb.)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 cup onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp. white vinegar
1 tsp. Worcestershire
1 (8 oz.) can mushrooms,
drained
1 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 Tbsp. parsley, minced
2 Tbsp. green bell pepper,
minced
2 Tbsp. green onions,
chopped
2/3 cup white wine, dry
Dry rabbit and place in bowl. Combine salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, onion, garlic and vinegar; pour over rabbit, turning pieces to coat. Cover bowl and marinade overnight in refrigerator.
Transfer rabbit and marinade to well-greased baking dish. Bake in preheated 450 degree oven for one hour. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over rabbit. Bake 30 to 45 minutes longer, until rabbit is fork-tender.
• • •
I was going to use this one for Thanksgiving several years ago, and never got around to it, so clip it now in advance of this year’s feast. There’s nothing simpler than roasted meat and vegetables; a tasty glaze makes them special.
MAPLE-ROASTED CHICKEN & SWEET POTATOES
4 large skinless chicken
thighs
1 lb. sweet potatoes,
peeled, cut into 1-inch
chunks
1 small onion, cut into
1-inch pieces
1 cup baby carrots
1 cup parsnips cut into
1-inch chunks
1/4 cups maple syrup
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a jelly-roll pan or large shallow roasting pan, combine chicken, sweet potato chunks, onion, baby carrots, maple syrup, one teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and toss to coat.
Roast all of this for 40 to 45 minutes or until juices run clear when thickest part of chicken thigh is pierced with tip of knife. Stir the vegetables once or twice and turn the chicken over halfway through roasting.
• • •
“If music be the food of love, play on.” And don’t forget the actual food, either, or you won’t have any energy for anything else. Let’s get cooking.