ER Forum Cookbook -- Recipe Posting Thread

[braumeister]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marita40 Jeez, I keep opening this thread hoping to come upon some appetizing recipes and keep running into that picture at the top and all this squirrel talk. Sorry, but it is certainly an appetite-killer for me.

From someone who has obviously never tasted squirrel.

Seriously, if you were served a squirrel dish without knowing what it was, you would exclaim "This is absolutely the most flavorsome chicken I've ever tasted. It's wonderful!" I know this for a fact because I've seen it happen more than once.

No worries. If you don't want to try something for whatever reason, no one should criticize you. I can think of a number of common foods that make me gag, but I just don't mention them.

[Sarah in SC]

Mead, the new recipe looks delicious! I will def try it as I love pretty much everything on your ingredient list but the mushrooms (which are easy to substitute). Yum!

[brewer12345]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marita40 Jeez, I keep opening this thread hoping to come upon some appetizing recipes and keep running into that picture at the top and all this squirrel talk. Sorry, but it is certainly an appetite-killer for me.

Eh, make it with chicken. Best if you can find local/small producer raised chicken as it will have more flavor.

I find factory farmed pork to be an abomination. You don't see me complaining about the recipes that involve it.

[pb4uski]

Here is a special salad dressing recipe that I'll share. I make it in a Good Seasons salad dressing cruet.

1/4 cup of ketchup
1/4 cup of Vermont maple syrup
1/4 cup of vinegar (I usually use cider vinegar)
1/2 cup of vegetable oil
packet of Good seasons salad dressing seasoning

mix and put in fridge for a couple hours. Give it a try! It's been popular in our family.

[Meadbh]

I just invented another recipe that I think is a winner, so I need to document it! The zucchini cost $1.99 and the mushrooms $0.99 on sale at the organic grocery store and I had everything else in the fridge (the herbs are in pots) so the total cost was under $5.00. This made approximately 6 portions. Of note, I didn't measure anything, so amounts are approximate and YMMV.

Ham and vegetable casserole a l'italienne (a la Meadbh actually)

Solid Ingredients

3 medium zucchini, peeled and sliced horizontally
Cooked smoked ham, 300g
Sliced mushrooms, 1 cup
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Sauce

2 tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1.5 cups 2% milk
1 tsp fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 tsp fresh basil, finely chopped
Salt
Ground nutmeg
Shaved Parmesan cheese, 1 cup

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350F. Meanwhile, find a large ovenproof casserole with a lid. Place the zucchini at the bottom of the casserole. Next, thinly slice the ham into pieces approximately 4 cm across, and layer them over the zucchini. Now sauté the mushrooms in a small amount of olive oil and add the garlic. When the mushrooms are slightly brown and the garlic is soft, layer them on top of the ham.

Sauce (Besciamella based)

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan and sieve in the flour, stirring constantly to make a golden roux. Before long, the aroma of fresh shortbread will fill the kitchen!

Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan until it is almost, but not quite, at a boil. Add the hot milk to the roux half a cupful at a time, bringing the mixture to a boil each time. When all the milk has been added, toss in the basil and cilantro and keep stirring. Turn to low heat and let cook for 7-10 minutes, stirring intermittently.

Putting it all together

When the oven has reached the desired temperature, season the sauce with salt and nutmeg to taste. Add half the shaved Parmesan cheese to the Besciamella and stir until it melts into the sauce, which should be able to slide off the back of a spoon easily. Now pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables in the casserole dish, and top with the remaining cheese. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes (during which time you can clean up and enjoy a glass of wine).

My one fear was that the zucchini would end up a soggy mess. Instead, they were lightly steamed, crunchy and delicious! As there is very little carbohydrate in this dish, it's pretty guilt free!

Enjoy!

[Meadbh]

Well, the last recipe was a hit with my dinner guests midweek.

So today I thought I would see what I could throw together based on the contents of the refrigerator. Here goes:

Meadbh's Mennonite sausage casserole

One 12 inch Mennonite sausage, sliced into 2 mm pieces
1 cup sliced mushrooms
2 garden tomatoes, coarsely chopped
Potato gnocchi to line a casserole dish
2 BIG cloves of local garlic, finely chopped
Handful each of fresh basil, Italian parsley and oregano, finely chopped
1 cup chopped Asiago cheese
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp all purpose flour
2 tbsp Olive oil
1.5 cups 2% milk

Start by preheating the oven to 350 F.

Now work with two pans.

In a medium sized saucepan, make a Besciamella sauce. Melt the butter, add the flour and stir like crazy. Add the milk a little at a time and bring to the boil. Then add the chopped herbs and half the asiago cheese. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and let to cook for 5-7 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a 10 inch sauté pan. Add the olive oil. When hot, add and brown the sausage slices. Then add the chopped garlic. When it is translucent, add the mushrooms. Stir until the aroma fills the kitchen.....but I get carried away!

When the oven reaches the desired temperature, set the timer for 30 minutes. Now line an ovenproof casserole with the uncooked potato gnocchi. Layer in the mixture of sausage, mushroom and garlic in the sauté pan. Scatter the chopped tomatoes on top. Pour the sauce over the lot. Garnish with asiago cheese. Put the casserole in the oven, clean up and relax. This will be delicious!

PS. I now have a fridge filled with leftovers, including one from yesterday that is very colourful but still needs work. No need to cook for days on end.

[brewer12345]

Rabbit with Bacon, Mushrooms and Ale

1 cottontail, cut into serving pieces
Flour
Salt
Pepper
Thyme
Marjoram
4 slices turkey bacon, chopped fine
12 ounces of mushrooms, sliced (I used ones I got from an Asian market not labeled in English, more interesting the better)
4 shallots, diced
1 pint brown ale (or any ale not too bitter)

Dredge rabbit pieces in flour seasoned with salt, pepper and a bit of thyme. Brown in 3 T melted butter. Remove rabbit pieces and sauté bacon, shallots and mushrooms until tender (may need a bit more butter or oil). Deglaze pan with a pint of brown ale (I used homebrew, use what you have as long as it is not real bitter). Return rabbit to pan, add 1 1/2 tsp. thyme, 1/2 tsp. marjoram, pepper to taste (go easy) and 1 tsp. salt. Simmer covered until tender, stirring occasionally. If it takes a while to get the rabbit tender you may have to add some water to avoid having the sauce dry out. Correct seasoning and serve.

I think this would work with a couple of squirrels pretty well.

[MRG]

I can't seem to find any beer butt chicken recepies here.

Here's MRG's beer butt chicken:

1 whole chicken, brined or marinated.
1 can favorite beer or pop
1 grill warmed up for indirect grilling
Your favorite herbs, for flavor
Side dishes, salads, veggies......


After brining/marinating your chicken(I brine overnight). Rinse and lightly oil bird.

Get grill hot and prepared for indirect grilling, heat on one side.

Drink 1/3 of 1 can of your favorite beer. I like stouts(don't leave the plastic pressure balls in can). You can use your favorite soft drink as well, root beer is good. If you like, add rosemary, garlic, basil, thyme etc. to can.

This is the tricky part, insert can into chicken's butt, keeping chicken upright. Now place chicken on cool part of grill, use legs to help form a tripod to keep chicken upright. They make SS gizmos to replace cans if you desire.

Cover grill, cook indirectly 50+ minutes depending on size of chicken, temperature.... Grill till chicken is done(165%F). Remove and let rest 5 minutes.

Enjoy the most moist, flavor packed chicken ever. It goes well with any remaining beers.

MRG

[Marita40]

I like this easy casserole. All my favorite ingredients!

Cheesy Cauliflower Chicken Casserole

Separate 1 head cauliflower into flowerets. Drop in boiling water and cook @ 8 min. Drain in colander. Spread in a large ceramic or glass dish.

Mix together 2 cups sharp cheddar, 1 cup parmeson, 8 tbls sour cream, 8 tbls mayo, 1 tbl spicy dijon mustard, salt and pepper. Add diced, cooked chicken--about 4 breasts or so. Spread over cauliflower. Top with sprinkled cheese and bread crumbs. Bake 375 for 1/2 hour.

[audreyh1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by brewer12345 Rabbit with Bacon, Mushrooms and Ale 1 cottontail, cut into serving pieces Flour Salt Pepper Thyme Marjoram 4 slices turkey bacon, chopped fine 12 ounces of mushrooms, sliced (I used ones I got from an Asian market not labeled in English, more interesting the better) 4 shallots, diced 1 pint brown ale (or any ale not too bitter) Dredge rabbit pieces in flour seasoned with salt, pepper and a bit of thyme. Brown in 3 T melted butter. Remove rabbit pieces and sauté bacon, shallots and mushrooms until tender (may need a bit more butter or oil). Deglaze pan with a pint of brown ale (I used homebrew, use what you have as long as it is not real bitter). Return rabbit to pan, add 1 1/2 tsp. thyme, 1/2 tsp. marjoram, pepper to taste (go easy) and 1 tsp. salt. Simmer covered until tender, stirring occasionally. If it takes a while to get the rabbit tender you may have to add some water to avoid having the sauce dry out. Correct seasoning and serve. I think this would work with a couple of squirrels pretty well.

Yum! I think in Louisiana they call this smothered rabbit. DH had it once in Breaux Bridge and still talks about it.

Might try it - but I'll have to use store bought rabbit.

[brewer12345]

Quote:

Originally Posted by audreyh1 Yum! I think in Louisiana they call this smothered rabbit. DH had it once in Breaux Bridge and still talks about it. Might try it - but I'll have to use store bought rabbit.

If you use farmed rabbit it will get tender pretty quickly. Simmer an hour, and it should be done.

[steelyman]

Texas Red and a Long Neck

2 T oil
2 lbs stewing beef, cubed
1 c chopped onions
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 12 oz can tomato paste
2-1/2 cup water
2 pickled jalapeno peppers, rinsed, seeded, and chopped
1-1/2 T chili powder
1/2 t crushed red pepper
1 t salt
1/2 t dried oregano
1/2 t cumin

Optional:
1 15-1/2 oz can of beans, drained
Hell In A Bottle
Chalupa sauce
Lone Star beer
3 limb chickens

Put the beer on ice.

Shoot the limb chickens in the head (KIDDING)

In a large heavy pan, heat oil and brown beef cubes on all sides. Add onions, bell pepper, and garlic and fry with beef for 5 mins. Add remaining ingredients except beans and simmer the chili for 1-1/2 hrs or until the meat is tender. Add beans and simmer 30 mins longer.

[brewer12345]

Tinga de Squirrelo/Squirrelurritos
This is a tasty burrito filling based on a recipe for Tinga de Pollo. If you are not lucky enough to have access to limb chickens, a 3 to 3.5 pound fryer can be substituted.

Boil 4 fox squirrels in enough water to cover them with 1 tsp whole peppercorns, salt and 4 peeled/crushed garlic cloves. Remove when tender and shred the meat off the bone.

Saute 2 cups chopped onions in oil until tender. Add 1 clove crushed garlic, 2 cups crushed tomatoes, pepper & salt to taste, 1 tsp ground cinnamon (Mexican/Ceylon variety if you can find it), 1/2 tsp ground cumin, 1/2 tsp ground allspice, and 1 tablespoon liquid from chipotle chiles canned in adobo sauce (you may need more). Add some sugar to sweeten the sauce to taste, typically 1 to 2 tablespoons. Cook the sauce for 5 or 10 minutes to thicken slightly, then add meat. Simmer 5 minutes, correct seasoning to taste (I usually add extra chile for heat), and serve. I like this in a tortilla with cheese, chopped fresh cilantro, and maybe a squeeze of fresh lime juice and some guacamole.

[brewer12345]

Southern Fried Squirrel

Mix 1 cup flour, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp thyme and 1/4 tsp pepper. Dredge squirrel serving pieces in flour. Brown in 1/4 inch of oil, then turn heat low, cover tightly and cook squirrel 30 to 40 minutes, turning once. When squirrel is tender, remove to a plate and remove all but 3 T. oil. Stir in 3 T of flour and 1 and 1/2 cups milk to make gravy. Adjust gravy seasoning to taste. Mushroom gravy can be made by sautéing a package of fresh sliced mushrooms in the oil prior to making up the gravy.

This works well with rabbit, too. I am lead to understand that people make chicken this way, but it cannot be nearly as good as the original limb chicken version.

[ERD50]

Quote:

Originally Posted by brewer12345 Southern Fried Squirrel .... This works well with rabbit, too. I am lead to understand that people make chicken this way, but it cannot be nearly as good as the original limb chicken version.

How much meat does a single squirrel yield? They look like a lot of fur to me, I can't imagine there is much meat after being dressed out??

I cooked up rabbit recently (farm raised & frozen, purchased at an ethnic grocery). It was OK, tasted more like turkey than chicken. Years ago, I had rabbit at the old Berghoff restaurant in Chicago, served in a cream sauce and it was wonderful, very delicate. I tried to reproduce that, but this rabbit seemed not so delicate in flavor. It was OK, but I won't bother again.

My grandparents and grand-uncles raised rabbits within city limits in Chicago, and I understand that was a significant source of their meat for dinners. My grand-uncle would talk about Hasenpfeffer (rabbit stew), but when I looked up the recipe it is heavy with vinegar, and that didn't appeal to me based on my remembrance of the delicate cream-style I had.

-ERD50

[brewer12345]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ERD50 How much meat does a single squirrel yield? They look like a lot of fur to me, I can't imagine there is much meat after being dressed out?? I cooked up rabbit recently (farm raised & frozen, purchased at an ethnic grocery). It was OK, tasted more like turkey than chicken. Years ago, I had rabbit at the old Berghoff restaurant in Chicago, served in a cream sauce and it was wonderful, very delicate. I tried to reproduce that, but this rabbit seemed not so delicate in flavor. It was OK, but I won't bother again. My grandparents and grand-uncles raised rabbits within city limits in Chicago, and I understand that was a significant source of their meat for dinners. My grand-uncle would talk about Hasenpfeffer (rabbit stew), but when I looked up the recipe it is heavy with vinegar, and that didn't appeal to me based on my remembrance of the delicate cream-style I had. -ERD50

Depends on the species of squirrel. I have a choice of pine, Abert's and fox squirrels here, with no gray squirrels loose in Colorado (although they are the dominant species in the eastern half of the US). Pine squirrels are very small and not great eating. Fox and Abert's squirrels can reach 3 pounds undressed, which is almost the size of a cottontail rabbit. Squirrels are, frankly, a bitch to skin compared to rabbits. I usually figure on two fox or Abert's squirrel or one rabbit will make at least one meal for an adult - probably two if you are not being gluttonous. I am a mixed bag opportunistic hunter, so a successful day in the field might have me coming home with 2 to 4 squirrels, a couple rabbits and a few birds (doves, pheasant, quail, the odd duck, maybe a chukar, etc.).

I find that rabbit is best when the recipe includes butter, cream or sour cream. Dunno why, it just is. Probably my favorite rabbit dish is this one: Lapin Au Cidre (French Rabbit Cooked in Cider) Recipe. However, I have a really good hasenpfeffer recipe kicking around. I will see if I can find it and post it.

[Chuckanut]

Recipe: Jeff Potter’s Patent-Violating* Chocolate Chip Cookies

Quote:

How to Make Patent-Violating* Chocolate Chip Cookies *Patent #4,455,333, which is thankfully now expired The trick to making a shelf-stable cookie that seems fresh-baked—crispy on the outside, chewy in the middle—is to make two different doughs! Use a chewy dough for the center of the cookie and a crispy dough for the edge. Rolling these two doughs together and slicing them is a technique used in “refrigerator cookies,” where dough is rolled into a log, chilled, and then sliced. Normally this is done with multiple doughs to create cookies with visual differences—for example, those with a red colored center and a white edge. In this case, we’re using two doughs to change the texture in different regions, which in hindsight is obvious, but it’s not at all obvious at the outset. A normal chewy dough recipe would call for more brown sugar and shorter baking times, but neither of those will work—we don’t want the center to be a darker color, and we can’t bake the crispy part longer, because, well, physics. I’m using corn syrup in this version to increase the simple sugar ratio in the chewy dough, but given the framework above, feel free to experiment! 1. “Crispy dough”: Make a batch of chocolate chip cookie dough, starting with a standard recipe, such as the Toll House® Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe. Instead of 3/4 cup white sugar and 3/4 cup brown sugar, use 1 cup white sugar and 1/2 cup brown sugar. This batch will be our “crispy” dough. 2. “Chewy dough”: Make a second batch of chocolate chip cookie dough using the same recipe. Instead of 3/4 cup white sugar and 3/4 cup brown sugar, use 1/2 cup white sugar and 1/2 cup brown sugar, and add 1/2 cup corn syrup. This dough will be the “chewy” dough. (You’ll notice that it’s also stickier and wetter. Normally this would be a problem, as a wet dough would spread out, but in this case, it’ll be surrounded by the other dough). 3. Transfer the chewy dough from the bowl onto a large sheet of parchment or wax paper, form it into a log shape about one inch in diameter, and then fold the paper over to surround the log. Roll it a few times to ensure it is round. Place in freezer and allow to chill, around 30 minutes. 4. Meanwhile, spread the crispy dough out onto another sheet of parchment or wax paper and form a large rectangle that’s the length of the chewy dough log and wide enough to wrap around the log. (You can place a second sheet of paper on top of the dough and then roll it out, if necessary.) 5. After 30 minutes—that is, once the chewy dough log has stiffened enough to be workable—place that log on top of the rectangle of crispy dough. Wrap the log with the crispy dough, joining the ends together. 6. If the conjoined doughs feel too soft to slice, place the whole log in the freezer again to chill, or let it rest overnight in the fridge. (Some people swear that resting the dough overnight matures the dough and improves the flavor—but I’ll save that for another time.) 7. When ready to bake, preheat your oven, slice the dough into cookie-sized discs, and bake per direction. I recommend using parchment paper Note: If you don’t have corn syrup and you’re itching to try this right now, honey is a potential substitute as well: At 38 percent fructose, 31 percent glucose, it’s remarkably similar to high-fructose corn syrup in sugar composition (approximately 17 percent water and approximately seven percent maltose are the other major substances). Of course, honey will bring its own flavor and color to a cookie, but that might be interesting, depending upon the type of cookie you make. Crispy-chewy oatmeal cookies, anyone?

Quote:

Everyone has his or her own opinion about when a cookie is done baking. When baked at 350°F, six minutes is too short (see the left-most cookie in the photo agove; you can’t even pick it up!). If baked too long (~18 minutes; right-most cookie), the cookie is beyond saving, even when dunked in milk. Somewhere in the middle is perfect. Rough rule of thumb: A 1/2-ounce cookie, at 350°F, will be gooey at 8-10 minutes, chewy at 10-12 minutes, and crispy at 12-14 minutes. But remember that the dough formulation matters, too. If your favorite cookies aren't coming out the way you like in terms of gooey-chewy-crispy, and you’re following a recipe that ought to work, the first thing to change is the time and temperature that you bake them.

[zinger1457]

Another cookie recipe. Oatmeal, almond, peanut butter cookies. Been making these for awhile, semi-healthy and very good.

3 cups Old Fashion Oats
1 cup whole natural almonds
1/2 cup natural creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup water
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
2 tbs canola oil
1 tbs pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup (or more) dark chocolate chips

1. Put 1 cup of old fashion oats in food processor and mix for a couple of minutes to make oat flour, move to small mixing bowl and add baking powder and cinnamon, mix well.
2. Place brown sugar and water in sauce pan, stir and heat until it boils then remove from heat.
3. Place 1 cup of almonds in food processor and run for a couple minutes, turn off and add peanut butter. Turn processor on and mix for about a minute and then begin to add the canola oil, vanilla extract, and brown sugar/water. Continue to mix for 2-3 minutes then empty into a large mixing bowl.
4. Add the oat flour mix into the large mixing bowl and stir until everything is thoroughly combined.
5. Add and fold in the remaining 2 cups of oats.
6. At this point the batter is still warm and I find it's best to cool it off in the refrigerator for 5-10 minutes before adding the chocolate chips so they don't melt into the batter. Remove from frig and add chocolate chips.
7. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
8. On 2 greased cookie sheets scoop about 1" size balls of batter and flatten to desired shape. The batter is thick and will not flatten out while cooking so it needs to be shaped beforehand.
9. Cook for ~14 minutes, makes about 2 dozen.

[Walt34]

I saw this in a grocery store ad and decided to try it since we already had almost all of the ingredients. It turned out to be very good and we'll keep it in the book. DW hates onions so I left those out, and since we didn't have olive oil I substituted canola oil.

Curried Chicken and Citrus Recipe:

35 minutes serves 4
450 Calories

· 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 1lb.)
· 3 teaspoons curry powder
· 2 teaspoons olive oil / canola oil
· 1 cup dry regular rice
· 1 cup chicken broth or water
· ½ cup orange juice
· 4 tangarines (peel then break into small slices)
· ¼ cup chopped walnuts
· 1/8 teaspoon pepper
· ¼ teaspoon salt


Spray large non-stick skillet with cooking spray. Pat chicken pieces dry with paper towels. Over medium high heat, lightly brown chicken on one side 2-3minutes.


Remove chicken. In same skillet, over medium heat, saute’ onion with curry powder in olive oil/canola oil. Add rice, chicken broth(or water) and orange juice; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, arrange chicken, brown side up, on rice. Cover, cook over low heat 20 minutes until chicken is tender and liquid is absorbed. Remove chicken. Add tangarine segments and nuts. Season with pepper and salt. Heat briefly.

[Marita40]

There's a recipe at Food.com that I'd like to try. It is called Salmon with Pistachio Basil Butter. Sounds yummy! But I don't know what kind of pistachios to use. The recipe just says "pistachios." Should they be roasted and salted? Raw and unsalted? If anyone can help by googling the recipe (it comes up easily) and helping out I'd appreciate it!