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Chef2Chef Recipe Club - Volume 5 Issue 89 - October 30, 2003 Chef2Chef Recipe Club Member Forum: http://forums.chef2chef.net -------------------------------------------------- Hello Recipe Club, First off, let me tell you who won the Deluxe Gift Assortment from yesterday's giveaway. It was Jan Carter and the runner up was Mary Sanfilippo. She will get a 16 oz. bag of Cowboy Coffee. Congratulations to both of you. I can't help it! When I think of cowboys, I think of Beef Jerky. To some people the word "jerky" conjures up images of cowboys on a dusty trail ride, fur traders and trading posts or Indians in a camp after a hunting trip. And indeed jerky was a staple in the diets of these rugged people. But the jerky of those days was not anything like we know it today. Salt and pepper were not readily available ingredients in those days. The process of preserving was different and the flavors found in today's jerky non-existent. The American Indians used to pound the meat of venison or buffalo into a pulp with lard and berries and would keep it in a cool place. This rough form of jerky was and is still known as "pemmican". The lard would act as a preservative much like duck is stored as confit today. They would also cut the meat into strips and dry it in the open air. This would produce a very bland and dry meat that would eventually be soaked in water before cooking or simmering in stews. The Indians would make a traditional stew from dried deer or buffalo, tubers, wild onions and peppers, dried corn kernels, and cornmeal called Wash-tunk-ala. Bland by today's standards but every bit a gourmet dish in those days. Today, some people can't even go fishing without a bag of jerky or beef strips in their gear. Salts, sugars, cures and infinite variety of herbs, berries and seasonings, combined with high-tech ovens and smokers have turned this one time staple into a specialty food found in stores and meat shops across the country. But as any jerky lover can tell you, there are many types and styles of jerky or beef strips out there and when you get the good stuff, you know it. Here is the last giveaway for the week. Once again Kent Rollins and the fine folks over at http://www.chuckwagonsbest.com are offering a Saddlebag Beef Strips Sampler to a lucky winner from our Recipe Club. These beef strips are not like a dried ol' piece of jerky, they are tender and moist with great flavors. It contains a 4-oz. package of each of the following flavors, Traditional, Teriyaki and Cajun flavors. Once again, if you are a jerky or beef strip lover, send me a note with your email address and I'll notify you if you are the winner. http://chef2chef.net/contacts/mail/mail-dn.html Good Luck! -------------------------------------------------- Hot Stuff! ForBurns.com If you're near a campfire, you're near a potential accident. Have on hand what Chuckwagon chefs, firefighters, emergency responders, our U.S. Armed Forces and Professional Chefs use for treating their burns - - -Water-Jel and Burn-Jel Emergency Burn Care Products. They cool the burn, prevent infection and stop the pain. You can order an introductory package for just $7.95 plus $2.00 shipping and handling by going to http://html.chef2chef.net/goto.php?id=349 or calling 1-800-645-6789. Our website gives you all the information you need - make the choice of professionals today! Be prepared. -------------------------------------------------- If you are going to cook biscuits out doors for 600 people, you better have a darn good recipe, here's Kent's. Breads Early cooks were known for their, "Sinkers," a hard, small biscuit derived from camp cooks of the Civil War and made from unbolted wheat flour, grease, salt, or soda. Ole cookie carried only the basic staples - salt, sugar, flour, lard, salt-pork, beans and coffee. And sometimes potatoes and a dried fruit. He rarely would have room for baking soda or powder; and certainly milk was rare to be had. But along the way, our Cowboy Coosie's found that by combining flour, water and a potato they were able to make a "Starter" that resulted in a better-quality biscuit and tasteful Sourdough flavor. You'll find a few different ways to make a "starter"…but here's an easy one. Sourdough Starter 4 cups warm water 4 cups flour 1 potato - peeled and quartered 1 pkg. dry yeast 5 tbsp. sugar Pour the 4 cups warm water in a large mixing bowl. Then add the dry yeast, stir and let sit for a few minutes, add sugar and mix well with the whisk. Blend the flour gradually. In a crock jar, place the potato in the bottom and add the starter. Cover the jar with a towel and stir occasionally. Starter will be ready in about 12 hours. Sourdough Biscuits 1 pkg. dry yeast 1/3 cup oil 2 tsp. salt 2-1/2 tbsp. baking powder 5-1/2 - tbsp. sugar 2-1/2 - 3 cups flour 3 cups starter In a mixing bowl add starter and yeast. Mix well and let stand for a few minutes. Then add oil, salt, sugar and baking powder. Mix well with whisk. Gradually add flour to desired texture. Knead dough then roll onto floured surface about ½ inch thick. Cut with biscuit cutter and place in buttered Dutch oven or pan. Let rise until doubled in size. Cook at 350 in oven for 30 - 45 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown. -------------------------------------------------- Honey Mustard Chicken - a Bandana Bandito Gourmet Collection Series taste treat! Bandana Bandito's new Gourmet Collection Series products have spawned a clutch of new recipes that take San Antonio taste to a new level. At the top of the list is David Nelson's Honey Mustard Chicken - a melt-in-the-mouth concoction using Bandana Bandito's new Sweet Mustard Marinade. Click here to get Honey Mustard Chicken, plus a bonus recipe now. http://www.bandito.com/c2c_recipe_oct.html Only available to Chef2Chef Newsletter subscribers. Bandana Bandito's Gourmet Collection Series, including Sweet Mustard Marinade, Strawberry Chipotle Sauce, South Texas Creole Sauce, and 6 other Tex/Mex tastes are available in singles, cases or gift sets from the Bandana Bandito. http://www.bandito.com/c2c_recipe_oct.html or call 800.880.5938 for more info. -------------------------------------------------- Kent didn't tell me who Dorothy is, but he did share this recipe with me. Dorothy's Hodge Podge 2 lbs. ground beef 3 cans condensed minestrone soup 3 cans water 2 cans Rotel tomatoes 1 chopped onion 2 cans ranch style beans 1 can hominy Brown hamburger meat and onions. Simmer for a while then add the rest of the ingredients. Cook for at least one hour and serve. -------------------------------------------------- Signature Secret A "signature" dish shows off a chef's or restaurant's creativity - an item worthy of bearing the name of the creator. In the same tradition, Signature Secrets culinary thickener provides the very best in thickening - speed, versatility, stability, appearance and taste - in hot or cold preparations. That's correct. You do not even have to cook Signature Secrets culinary thickener. It delivers smooth, appealing, lump-free textures in soups and sauces, gravies, dressings, and desserts. And they'll stay that way in and out of the freezer or refrigerator, saving you time and energy. This product is now available for the home cook, personal chef or caterer at our online store. Click Here http://html.chef2chef.net/goto.php?id=205 -------------------------------------------------- Easy Peach Cobbler 2 cups flour 1 tsp. cinnamon 4 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. vanilla 2 cups sugar pinch of salt 2 cups milk 1 lb. can of peaches (any fruit can be used) 1 stick of butter, 4 oz. Mix all dry ingredients well. Then add milk and vanilla. Mix well. Boil and sweeten fruit to taste. In a 12 inch deep Dutch oven, melt 1 stick of butter. Pour the batter in first then add fruit. Cover and cook with coals on top and bottom. Or cook in a deep casserole in oven at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. -------------------------------------------------- QUESTIONS, Comments, Technical Support: http://forums.chef2chef.net |