Derby Trail Cook Book

[Downthestretch55]

I saw on a different thread that Oracle like this. So do I!
YUM!

Lobster Bisque
1 1 1/2 pound lobster, split live - tail and claws removed and cooked in lightly salted water
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup onions, diced
1/2 cup celery, diced
1/2 cup carrots, diced
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1 cup diced tomatoes

1 bay leaf
2 tsp. black peppercorns
1 tsp. fresh thyme
2 tsp. tarragon leaves, if fresh use 1 tablespoon
1 tablespoon paprika
1/2 cup flour

1 cup white wine
2 tablespoons brandy
1 quart fish stock or bottled clam juice
1 quart light cream
8 ounces heavy cream

2 tablespoon cornstarch
3 tablespoons cold water

salt and ground white pepper to your taste, about 2 teaspoons of salt and 1/2 teaspoon white pepper for this recipe

Preparation:

Fresh lobster is essential for a great lobster bisque, so the recipe calls for a lobster split while still alive, then cut up and added directly to the pot. Although this may seem like an intimidating prospect, a simple procedure kills the lobster instantly - the spinal cord is severed with your first incision.

On a cutting board directly in front of you, place the lobster with it's head to the right and tail to the left (reverse if you are left-handed). Hold the tail with a towel so you don't scratch yourself on any spines. Hold a large knife above the lobster as though to split it lengthwise. Insert the tip of the knife into the joint between the head and tail.

Lower the knife firmly to split the lobster's head lengthwise. Now rotate the lobster so the tail is to your right. Continue holding the lobster with the towel. Although the lobster is now dead, the muscles may contract sharply, so there's still danger of scratching yourself.

Clean the lobster by removing the sand sack (the organ located behind the eyes) and the intestine.

With a large knife, chop the lobster - head tail and claws - crosswise into pieces 1" thick.

In a heavy stock pot or Dutch oven, heat the butter until it starts to brown lightly (use high heat). Add the lobster and small shell pieces ( cook the tail and claws separately, cool, remove the meat, then add the shells to the pot). Cook until the pieces turn bright red. Reduce the heat to medium and add the onions, celery, carrot, garlic, tomato, bay leaf, black pepper, thyme, tarragon, paprika and flour. Continue sautéing for ten minutes.

Take the pot off the burner to add the white wine and brandy. (You don't want to ignite yourself.) Return the pot to the burner, and cook for 5 minutes more stirring well to incorporate the flour. Add the fish stock, both kinds of cream and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to low and let the bisque simmer for 30 minutes. Dissolve the cornstarch in the water and add to the bisque, cook 3 minutes longer stirring well to thicken.

Take the bisque off the heat and strain the bisque, a cup at a time, through a fine sieve. Press down on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Return the bisque to the heat and add the cooked lobster pieces from the tails and claws 2 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Serves 4.

Time: 2 Hours

[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

[Downthestretch55]

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.

[Downthestretch55]

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.

[Downthestretch55]

"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.

[Downthestretch55]

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.

[Downthestretch55]

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.