Fusion Stuffing

So why am I calling this post "Fusion Stuffing"?  Basically it's the best way to describe the combination of ingredients for today's recipe....Stuffed Tomatoes.  I'm using cubed stuffing and chicken which is typically American,  veggies, cheese and herbs which are typically Italian, but some of those same veggies plus chili powder gives it a taste of Mexican cuisine; hence the fusion part. 

Now let me warn you now about the heat in the Mexican spice factor; I used mild, since this is the first time I'm doing this dish.  Remember, you can always add, but cannot take away; that's always the best rule when working with spicy ingredients.  If you like more heat, but this is your first time making this recipe, take a little advice; start with mild and add dashes of hot sauce as you eat to see what it will taste like to you.  Not good enough?  Then use three types of chili powder (mild, medium and hot); make three stuffed tomatoes and use one type of chili powder with each.  Stick a toothpick (one for mild, two for medium, three for hot) in the appropriate tomatoes; after they're baked do your taste testing.  Don't forget you can get others in on this too for a real judging.

I thought this dish would be difficult and sure that I would mess it up terribly; but it wasn't that bad.  The trick is to use firm tomatoes that you can easily grip in your hand that won't squash, or crack when being hollowed out.  Have a game plan for all the tomato meat and liquid you'll gather as you won't be using all of it for this recipe.  I was planning on making Vegetarian Pasta Sauce anyway, so what better to put fresh tomatoes in?

Stuffed Tomatoes

Ingredients:

4-6 medium to large firm tomatoes (dependent on size)
2 cups herbed stuffing cubes
1 Tbsp butter
¼ cup each small diced red onion, red bell pepper and mushrooms
1 tsp minced garlic
2 chicken breasts halves, boneless and skinless
½ tsp each salt, ground black pepper, mild New Mexico chili powder; mixed together
Additional salt to season tomato interior
Olive oil; 1 Tbsp per tomato
Grated Parmesan cheese; 1 tsp per tomato

Preparation:

With a small knife, cut out hard center where stem was attached and discard. Cut ¼ inch off the top; use a spoon to hollow out tomato to ¼ inch inside. Rinse out tomatoes and invert onto a paper towel lined pan.  (I had two large and three medium which fit perfectly in my casserole dish.)  Strain tomatoes, but reserve ½ cup of liquid; dice tomatoes and set aside.

Place stuffing cubes in a medium sized bowl, pour reserved tomato liquid over and mix.

In a medium sized skillet, over medium-high heat, melt tablespoon of butter; sauté onion, bell pepper and mushroom until softened. Add in ½ cup of diced tomatoes and garlic; let cook another minute; add to stuffing cubes.

At same time vegetables are sautéing; season both sides of chicken with seasoning mixture; brown in skillet, with one tablespoon olive oil, over medium- high heat (3-4 minutes per side). I made several extra which I cut into 1/2 inch slices and froze for use later on; very convenient when doing a spur of the moment recipe.

Dice chicken and add to stuffing bowl; mix thoroughly.

Preheat oven to 375F; spray 2 quart round casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. Sprinkle ¼ teaspoon salt inside each tomato, then stuff with mixture; place ¼ inch top back and place in casserole dish.

Drizzle one tablespoon olive oil over each tomato; bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and top with one teaspoon grated Parmesan cheese; return to oven for 5 minutes.

Makes 4-6 servings.

So, how does it all taste together? It was a cultural party going on in the mouth and it tasted so good! The chicken was tender, juicy and savory; the stuffing herbalicious with a mild tomato flavor from the tomato liquid used to soak the cubes. The tomato itself, while fully cooked, could be cut with a fork and still hold together its texture; it tasted with the Parmesan cheese, like a very chunky and rich tomato sauce. I will most definitely be making this recipe again!

Mary Cokenour

Southern Fried Bottom Feeder

...or what is more popularly known as Catfish.  A long while ago I did a blog post about Utah being a landlocked state and basically finding fresh fish is like finding a honest politician.  They're out there somewhere, just good luck finding one easily.  Anyway, I have several packages of frozen fish in my freezer and the bag of catfish is the one that caught my eye.  Usually I make Cajun Catfish, however I wanted to do something slightly different with that recipe.

First, instead of coating the fish in an egg wash, I used plain milk; I also cut out the paprika and lessened the heat a bit by not using ground cayenne. I used crushed red pepper flakes instead which aren't as hot in spice temperture due to the difference in bulk and add a bit of "decor" to my dry mixture. Technically, I should have served up the fish with hushpuppies, but I was craving my grandmother's potatoes. The potatoes are basically her version of what is typically called "German potato salad".

Southern Fried Catfish

Ingredients:

4(8 oz) catfish fillets
1 cup milk
2 cups cornmeal
¾ cup sifted flour
2 tsp fine sea salt
2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp each ground black pepper, garlic powder and onion powder
2 cups canola oil

Preparation:

Place fillets in shallow container and pour milk over them; turn fillets over twice to fully coat with milk.

In a second shallow container, mix together the cornmeal, flour and seasonings.

One fillet at a time, remove from milk and coat both sides with the dry mix. Shake off excess and set on plate until all are done; lay side by side, do not overlap coated fillets.

In a deep skillet, heat oil on medium-high heat until temperature of 350F is reached. Place two fillets into oil; let them fry for 4-5 minutes before turning over; let fry for additional 4-5 minutes; until golden brown. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels.

Makes 4 servings.

Note: a sauce made of 1 cup ketchup, ½ cup mayonnaise, two tablespoons grated horseradish mixed together thoroughly can be served as a condiment for this dish.

Mary Cokenour

MD Ranch Cookhouse is Now Home to the FROZEN Cowboy.

MD Ranch Cookhouse - OUT OF BUSINESS as of September 2014

380 South Main
Monticello, Utah, 84535

(435) 587-3299

Website: Still None


If you abhor freshly cooked, flavorly seasoned food, then MD Ranch Cookhouse is now the go to place for you. Husband and wife owners, Dan and Sally believe that the best cooked food must be frozen, not fresh. While Dan does come into the restaurant, you'll find him in a side room mostly playing card games with friends. Sally is an absentee owner which speaks volumes of, "I don't care, this is just a hobby."













They also do not believe in spending money on advertising; there is a small ad in the weekly local paper and that is it. Otherwise it is word of mouth or seeing the place as you drive past (hint, keep on driving). There is a small gift shop inside selling generic "Made in China" items; guess the idea of selling wares of local artisans is too novel an idea for this duo. What is very disappointing is that when I spoke with Dan in April 2011 (my first review), he had such awesome plans for the development of MD. What happened to the enthusiasim Dan?

Chris is a friend of Dan's who manages the kitchen area; Chris has lots of enthusiasim, but little experience in the culinary arts. He manages two new cooks, one with 8 years experience in restaurant services, the other with very little experience. Basically the blind leading the blind with the staff yelling from the roof top, "give us training and professional kitchen tools and equipment to work with!" The entire kitchen, and thank you Chris for the tour, needs to be revamped with more professional kitchen equipment and better space utility and organization. Definitely better deep fryers, walk-in freezer (there is none, only an upright) and a standard home refrigerator. There is a grill area with both a flat top and barbecue style grill; one stove/oven and for some strange reason, these are constantly being turned down in temperature instead of maintaining a standard high temperature. No wonder everything is deep fried, the oven is hardly ever ready for use! MD opens at 11am, the kitchen staff usually arrives at 10:30am for preparation; a half hour to turn on the equipment basically, but very little fresh food prep work. Chris is a nice guy, but excuses of "it takes too long to prep this or that" is just that, an excuse.

Oh, before I forget, there was one beautifully shining star at MD Ranch Cookhouse, our waitress Brittany. She is perky, with lots of attitude that just makes you smile and laugh. If you do go to MD, make sure to ask for her as your server.



So lets get to the food; so I have to admit that Corn Nuggets, although frozen and deep fried, is a favorite of mine. The outside is crispy and golden brown; the inside has tender corn and creamy sauce; just absolutely yummy. Give me a basket of those and a salad and I'm a happy camper.

Now although there is a meat processing plant within the town limits, seems that MD rather pay for cheap frozen, than fresh cut meat and poultry. As for seasoning, the consensus is that the locals don't like seasoned food, they prefer very bland. Well I live in this town and can tell you that those old timers with dry as dust taste buds may like it bland, but not everyone, including tourists. During the spring, summer and fall months, the bulk of income should be made. During the winter months, when there are only the locals to rely on, there is the option of closing for the season, or catering to those locals who enjoy good, fresh and flavorful food. The others who like it bland? Let them go to the local gas station for overcooked coffee and stale donuts, just the way they like it.




The Reuben Burger can be either a quarter or half pound burger with grilled corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut and Thousand Island dressing. While the burger meat was cooked to order, it was unseasoned and depended on the other items to give it flavor. The buns are large, fluffy and toasted; while the sides are usually fries, potato chips or cole slaw, we were lucky to be able to try sweet potato fries. Unhappily the fries came out unseasoned, but once MD's seasoning salt was put on them; delicious.



The Wild West Chicken Sandwich; the West would certainly have been lost with this sandwich. If you order it with the breaded chicken breast, expect a round, pressed chicken patty as you would find in the freezer section of your supermarket. I ordered the grilled chicken which is frozen, precooked chicken; it is steamed (why, I have no clue) to order and while warm on the outside, was cold in the center. I refused to eat it as I did not want to get sick and did bring it to everyone's attention. The thick cut bacon would make any lover of bacon break down and cry; the meat was hard as a rock and easily pulled away from the undercooked fat. The barbecue sauce is house made (surprise, surprise) and is very good; they should bottle and sell it in their gift shop. I had the cole slaw as a side and while house made (another surprise), it needed a twang to it, like more vinegar; however it was fresh and that counted highly.


Ok bacon lovers, here is a photo of thick cut bacon I made this morning in my own kitchen. In a 12 inch skillet, high heat, I was able to cook 6-7 pieces in each batch; each batch took only 8 minutes to fry up to delicious crispiness.



Dan, Sally and Chris; before you make any plans to remodel the MD Ranch Cookhouse; remodel the kitchen and most especially...THE FOOD! Fresh is best; frozen has its place, but not as your main source. Good luck; you're going to need tons of it.

Mary Cokenour

NOTE: The information I have written in this blog post is either from personal experience having a meal at MD Ranch Cook House, or from speaking with current and former employees.  If the employees themselves are stating that major changes, especially in food quality and handling, are needed, than there is accuracy in the statements.

Are you Wok-ing Yet?

With all the running around of summer fun, did you have time to go out and buy your Wok? If yes, are you having fun making quick, simple and easy meals in less than 30 minutes? If no, what are you waiting for?

Well here's another recipe for you and hope you enjoy it as much as my family does. Oh, to get a recipe for fried rice, click on the word Wok in the first paragraph.

Orange Chicken

Ingredients:

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 tsp salt
½ tsp white pepper
1 egg white
¾ cup cornstarch
canola oil for frying (3 cups for Wok, 4 cups for a large skillet)
1 cup red bell pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 cup sugar snap peas or snow pea pods
1 tsp each minced garlic and ginger
¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp grated orange peel
¼ cup chopped green onions

Sauce

1 cup water
2 Tbsp chili sauce
4 Tbsp sugar
4 Tbsp white vinegar
1 Tbsp soy sauce
4 tsp cornstarch
2 tsp sesame oil

Preparation:

In medium bowl, combine chicken with salt, white pepper, egg white and cornstarch; coat chicken thoroughly.

In Wok, or large skillet, heat oil to 375F; fry chicken in batches until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes per batch. Drain chicken on paper towels; clean out Wok or skillet, but retain 4 tablespoons of oil.

While chicken is frying, place sauce ingredients in medium sauce pan; over medium heat and let cook until sauce begins to thicken; about 8-10 minutes; stir occasionally to keep from burning.

Stir fry bell peppers, snap peas or pea pods, garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, orange peel and green onion for one minute in the Wok or large skillet. Add back the chicken pieces; add sauce and combine thoroughly; let cook for one minute before serving with rice.

Makes 4 servings.

Mary Cokenour

Another Clean Out the Pantry Meal.

This is one of those recipes that was created out of sheer "I have no clue what to make for dinner" moments. Basically it came about by just looking through the freezer, refrigerator and pantry; then waiting for something to speak to me.

In the freezer I found a pound package of shrimp nearing its expiration date; ok, so need to use those up now. In the refrigerator I found several open containers and packages of cheeses that had been used for other recipes, but not entirely used up; the same for some heavy whipping cream and half n' half. Pantry! That's where the picture started to form in my mind of what ingredients I now could use and how to put it all together. I found a can of sliced mushrooms, tomato sauce and diced tomato; ok, so we're going Italian with this one. But wait, instead of pasta, why not use some of those Amish egg noodles my mother had sent me recently?

With ingredients laid out on the counter, shrimp defrosting in the microwave and water for the noodles waiting to boil; the game plan came into being. While I could have just pieced it all together eventually in a skillet on the stovetop; no, I wanted a casserole that would go in the realm of classic. My son was going to be home from work in about an hour and he was going to be my main guinea pig. He also works as a cook, so knew he would be a strong critic and not hold back; hey, who do you think thought him to cook in the first place!?!

In my to be posted recipe, I call for ricotta cheese blended smooth; this can be achieved with a blender or hand mixer. If, for whatever reason, you cannot find or use ricotta cheese, small curd cottage cheese will work just as well, but it too must be blended smooth. This recipe also contains five different cheeses, so consider it decadent and the lactose intolerant are hereby forewarned.



Pantry Shrimp Casserole

Ingredients:

1 (4 oz) can sliced mushrooms, drained
1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained
½ cup tomato sauce
1 lb medium sized shrimp, shelled and deveined
8 oz. egg noodles, cooked and kept warm
2 cups half n’ half
½ cup heavy whipping cream
4 Tbsp butter
1 cup ricotta cheese, blended smooth
½ cup each grated parmesan, shredded provolone, grated pecorino romano cheeses
½ tsp each ground black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
½ cup each shredded mozzarella and shredded pecorino romano cheeses

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375F; smear butter on the bottom and sides of a 2 quart casserole dish. Place in a large mixing bowl the mushrooms, tomatoes, tomato sauce, shrimp and cooked egg noodles.

In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, bring the half n’ half, whipping cream and butter to a simmer; whisk in the ricotta cheese. Gradually add in the parmesan, provolone and grated romano cheeses; also the black pepper and garlic powder. Reduce heat to low and stir until all cheeses are melted; quickly add to the ingredients in the large mixing bowl and mix thoroughly.


Spread out mixture into the casserole dish and top evenly with the shredded mozzarella and romano cheeses. Bake for 20-25 minutes; until cheeses are melted and beginning to brown around the edge of the dish.

Makes 6 servings.

Mary Cokenour

Haute Gourmet Mexican.

Last night Fattboyz Grillin hosted one of their specialty nights, Mexican Night. In June they hosted Italian Night and I'm still crying about missing out on that one. Anyway, the featured chef was Leon Sampson, a culinary arts student destined to be top notch. His creative dishes showed his culinary talents from flavoring to plating.

My friend Heidi and son William accompanied me for dinner; we happily needed wheelbarrows to help us to our cars afterwards. So, lets talk about our Mexican feast.


With our drink order came a basket of multicolored tortilla chips and a freshly sensational salsa. The real opening number was Posole, a soup containing tenderly fat hominy, shredded pork and seasoned broth. A warm, generous portion of Navajo Fry Bread and cilantro pesto paid homage to the posole.


Next came the teaser, Street Tacos, of either shredded chicken or beef; tenderly seasoned with fresh vegetables on crispy mini tortillas. Fun is the key word here.

But wait, there's more!



The Combo Plate featuring a shredded beef enchilada in a red tortilla and a homemade sauce that was dark red, thick and rich; Tamale Pie draped with ancho pod sauce that was sweet with heat; creamy refried beans and moist rice. Just because there is a lot of desert in Mexico certainly does not mean the rice and beans have to be desert dry.

I made sure to taste each item several times and though I wanted to eat more and more, my stomach finally put a halt on the binging. So you know full well what I'm having for a leftover meal tonight.

Congratulations Leon on a culinary feat well executed; Congratulations Reed for getting Fattboyz higher and higher on the map of eateries in the Four Corners area.

Mary Cokenour

Crack that Coconut!

Several weeks ago I purchased the tropical fruit package from Bountiful Baskets and included was a coconut. My first reaction upon seeing it was, "what the heck am I supposed to do with that!?!" I had never worked with a real coconut before, just the bagged shredded coconut you get in the supermarket. So on the counter it sat, watching me, staring at me, mocking me.

Occasionally I picked it up, walked over to the trash can, but no, I didn't throw it out. I refused to be beaten by a mere coconut. I would shake it and hear the liquid inside; that's a good sign that shows that the coconut "meat" is still fresh and moist. Then I decided to do the insanest thing possible; I gave it to my dog to play with. He loved tossing and chasing it around the yard, but then I noticed that he had stopped and was licking it profusely. He had cracked it and lapped up the leaking liquid.

The coconut was small and I didn't give much thought to cracking it open and trying to do something with the liquid myself. Remember, I was looking at it as a protagonist; an enemy that needed to be conquered. Yes, I could have gotten a hammer, cracked it open in a proper way, etc, etc, etc. What fun would that be? Anyway, I grabbed the coconut, took it out to the driveway and let it drop and split open completely it did. The outdoor cats enjoyed the treat of the spilled coconut liquid and I felt good spoiling them a bit.


Right, so what do I do now? Finally went on the internet and looked up how to handle a coconut. I gave the two parts a good wash in water to remove any dirt. Now most sites said to roast the coconut between 400F to 450F, so I took the middle of the road at 425F and preheated my oven. I placed the two halves, open ends downward, into an aluminum baking pan. Now the coconut has a rather "hairy" exterior, so I covered them with a sheet of aluminum foil, leaving the ends open for air circulation. How embarrassing it would have been to have the hair on the coconut catch on fire.


I roasted the coconut for 20 minutes; the edges of the meat closest to the shell will start turning brown. Removed the pan from the oven and let them cool till I could comfortably handle them. Using a meat mallet to whack the shell and a butter knife between the shell and meat, I removed the meat from the shell; it will break apart if you're not gentle in the procedure.


The meat will have a firm brown skin on it and this can easily be removed using a vegetable/potato peeler. Again, be gentle as it can break apart easily.




The final tool you'll need is a grater for shredding the deskinned coconut meat. Now you might want to use a food processor, but the meat is very moist, so don't be surprised to constantly be cleaning your blades. In this instance, a grater is just more logical and efficient to use.

After shredding, I was able to fill a quart size freezer bag; squeeze the air out before sealing and it will last about six months in the freezer.

All in all, I probably will try this again, but this time I will be more careful and save the liquid. Whether I use it immediately for baking, or drinks like a pina colada, or freeze it into cubes, I'll still not waste it.

Mary Cokenour