Potluck Recipes

Recipes by Cook

• Idris
  • Ma Pa Do Fu [1] (Bean Curd, Ma Po style)
  • Stir Fried Chicken with Garlic [1]
  • Szechuan Eggplant [2]
  • Basic Bouillabaisse
  • Croutons
• Joe
  • Enchiladas
  • Salt Cod with Raisins and Macadamia Nuts(Bacalao con Pasas y Nueces de Macadamia) [6]
  • Puerto Rican Chicken and Rice(Stew Asopao de Pollo) [7]
  • Chicken and Andouille Smoked Sausage Gumbo [8]
  • Basic Stock [8]
  • Red Beans and Rice with Ham Hocks and Andouille Smoked Sausage [8]
• Joel
  • Coconut Curry Soup (Split decision)
  • Blueberry Pie (Two thumbs up)
  • Emeril's Shrimp Creole [5]
  • Fall River Clam Chowder [5]
  • Portuguese Fried Chicken [5]
  • Petit Cheddar Biscuits [5]
  • Roasted Pork Risotto [5]
  • Black Pepper Crusted Tuna w/ Sesame Oil Vinaigrette [5]
  • Emeril's Essence [5] BAM! It makes you happy.
• Kevin
  • Chocolate Mousse [3]
  • Pizza Rustica [4]
• Sunil
  • Curried Cauliflower
• References (other cookbooks, people, etc).

Idris' Recipes

Ma Po Do Fu [1](Bean Curd, Ma Po style)

Seasonings:
1/2 tbsp hot bean sauce
1 tsp light soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp salt

Dice bean curd into 1/2 inch cubes.

Heat oil (corn, olive, whatever) in a wok. Add chopped garlic and ginger. When those have changed color, add meat if you're using it. Otherwise, add bean curd and stir fry a couple minutes.

Add the seasonings and the soup stock (water if you're making a veggie version).

Let it simmer for about 3 minutes over medium heat. Then stir in the cornstarch to thicken it.

Add the sesame oil and the chopped green onions. Also season with ground pepper if you want. The green onions are mainly for color.

You can get hot bean sauce and sesame oil at all Oriental grocery stores and some supermarkets.

Stir Fried Chicken With Garlic [1]

Sauce:
2 tbsp soy sauce
12 tbsp rice wine or sherry
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp cornstarch

Heat oil.

Add garlic til lightly brown.

Add meat and stir fry til meat somewhat done.

Add green pepper and red chili. Stir some more.

Add sauce. Simmer for a couple more minutes.

Szechuan Eggplants [2]

1.5 lbs small eggplant (can use either Chinese (light purple and thinner) or regular)
1 tbsp chili-pepper oil
4 tbsp oil
4 qtr-sized slices peeled ginger, coarsly minced
1 small whole scallion, finely chopped
>1 large clove garlic, coarsly minced

Seasonings:
2 tbsp bean paste
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tbsp dry sherry
2 tbsp cider vinegar
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp roasted crushed Szechuan peppercorns

Thickener:
1 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 1 tbsp water
1 tsp sesame oil

Rinse and dry eggplants, cut off stems, do not peel. Quarter them lengthwise and cut each quarter into 2-inch wedges. Place them with garlic, ginger, scallions on your working platter

Mix seasonings in a bowl until the sugar is dissovled.

Dissolve cornstarch with water and sesame oil.

Heat a wok or large heavy skillet over high heat for 30 seconds. Add 2 oils, swirl, and heat for 30 seconds. Scatter in garlic, ginger, and scallions and stir for 15 seconds. Add eggplant wedges and stir with a spatula in flipping and light pressing motions for 2 minutes, to expose them to oil.

Turn heat to medium high and continue to flip and press lightly for 4 more minutes, until the wedges are slightly browned and flattened. Don't press hard, lest they break and become messy.

Turn heat high, give seasonsings a stir and pour over eggplant. Stir in scooping motions for 30 seconds. Add cornstarch mixture a stir and add to sauce. Toss briefly, then pour into a hot serving dish.

Basic Bouillabaisse

Marinade:
1 cup finely minced fennel bulb (save tops for garnish)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon saffron threads
2 tablespoons Pernod
Salt and Pepper

Marinade the fish:
Mix the fennel, olive oil, saffron, and Pernod. Sprinkle fish generously with salt and rub. Sprinkle with pepper. Rub marinade into fish and return to refrigerator.

For the Bouillabaisse:
Heat the olive oil in a large nonreactive stockpot on medium heat.

Slice off the top third of the garlic head to expose the cloves and toss it into the pot along with the onion, celery and fennel. Saute until vegetables soften (5 minutes.) Add bouquet garni, saffron, red pepper flakes, Pernot, wine, fish heads and bones.

Bring to a boil, strain off scum and allow to simmer for 20 minutes. Boil for 1 hour.

After soup has boiled an hour, strain through a fine-mesh sieve or colander into a large ceramic bowl or another pot ( you may let it come to room temperature or refrigerate, allow excess oil to separate, then dip it off).

Pick out fish bones and head. Reserve about a third of the solid soup mixture. Place the mixture in a blender and puree. Press the puree through a sieve or colander and back into fish stock. I skipped this step and just pressed the solid soup mixture until dry. You do have to discard the mess though - the fish stuff is usually hard to get out.

Pour soup back into stockpot and heat to slow boil. Add leeks, carrots, tomatoes, and potatoes and cook until potatoes are tender.

Add fish and cook until the fish meet turns white, making sure the fish is done in the center.

Immediately remove from heat. Take croutons (see recipe below) and place 1-2 in each bowl. Ladle soup and fish into bowls and serve.

Croutons

Take shallot, garlic, and olive oil and mix.

Brush top of bread slices.

Bake in 350 degree oven until golden brown and crispy (the shallots/garlic bits will start to brown.

Joe's Recipes

Enchilada Recipe

If you're feeling adventurous, heat up some oil and dip the tortillas into it. Just a few seconds will do. Then dip them into the chili sauce. If you're not feeling adventurous, or you don't like frying in oil, you can skip this step.

Rub the spices on the meat and let it sit for as long as you want to wait, 15 minutes minimum; overnight is better. Then cook the meat. I just toss it in a wok or frying pan until it stops being pink.

Cut up the meat into little (bite-sized) bits.

Fry up the onions, chilies, hot peppers. You can dump some seasoning on this too, if you want.

For each tortilla, put some onion-mixture in it, then some meat, then some cheese, then pour a little chili sauce in it. Roll it up and put it in a baking pan.

Put cheese on top, then pour more sauce over it. Garnish with whatever you feel is appropriate. (roasted red pepper works really well here, if you have a gas stove to do the roasting)

Stick it in the oven until the cheese melts and it's a little bubbly. That's it.

To roast a pepper, turn on your gas stove. Sit the pepper on top of the burner, over the flame.
The skin next to the flame will begin to char. Use tongs or a fork or (if you're a masochist) your fingers to turn it until it's black all around. (getting it evenly black can be hard...do your best). Once it's charred, pick it up with the fork and run it under cold water. Remove the stem and seeds with a knife (careful, there's steam inside), then rub the charred skin off with your fingers.

Salt Cod with Raisins and Macadamia Nuts

Be sure to start this dish several days ahead of time.

Soak the cod in water in the refrigerator for 12-24 hours, changing the water every 6 hours or so. For the last soaking, use milk instead of water.

Throw the cod into a pot of cold water. Over the next 30 minutes, bring the water to a simmer. Drain, break the fish into 1 1/2 inch pieces, and set aside.

Heat the oil, and saute the onion until it softens. Add the garlic and parsley, and cook for a few more minutes. Turn up the head, add the tomatoes and bay leaves, and cook about 5 minutes more, stirring often. This should thicken it up somewhat.

Shred the cod and add it to the pot, along with the raisins and macadamia nuts. Cook over low heat until the mixture is almost dry (15-20 minutes). Add the olives and capers, and simmer until it tastes good.

This dish is actually better if made 6-12 hours in advance,
refrigerated, and reheated (with water, if needed).

Puerto Rican Chicken and Rice Stew

Combine the garlic, oregano, cumin, salt, and black and red peppers. Rub onto the chicken and let it sit for an hour at room temperature.

Heat the oil, and saute the chicken until golden (10 min.) Remove and set the chicken aside.

Add oil to the pan to total 2T. Saute the onion and pepper until soft but not brown (5 min). Add the ham and tomatoes, and saute 5 minutes more. Add the chicken, and simmer over low heat for 20 more minutes, or until the chicken is tender. Remove the chicken, and cut into bite-sized pieces.

Wash and drain the rice, and immediately add it to the pan. Stir. Add the stock, stir, boil. Simmer over low heat about 17 min., until rice is tender but still soupy. Add the cheese, peas, olives, capers, and chicken. Stir, heat until everything is hot. Garnish with red pepper strips.

Chicken and Andouille Smoked Sausage Gumbo

Remove excess fat from the chicken pieces. Rub a generous amount of salt, garlic powder, and red pepper on both sides of each piece, making sure each is evenly covered. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium-size bowl combine the onions, bell peppers, and celery; set aside.

Combine the flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, and 1/2 teaspoon red pepper in a paper or plastic bag. Add the chicken pieces and shake until chicken is well coated. Reserve 1/2 cup of the flour.

In a large heavy skillet heat 1 1/2 inches of oil until very hot (375 to 400 degrees). Fry the chicken until crust is brown on both sides and meat is cooked, about 5-8 minutes per side; drain on paper towels. Carefully pour the hot oil into a glass measuring cup, leaving as many of the browned particles in the pan as possible. Scrape the pan bottom with a metal whisk to loosen any stuck particles, then return 1/2 cup of the hot oil to the pan.

Place pan over high heat. Using a long-handled metal whisk, gradually stir in the reserved 1/2 cup flour. Cook, whisking constantly, until roux is dark red-brown to black, about 3 1/2 to 4 minutes, being careful not to let it scorch or splash on your skin. Remove from heat and immediately add the reserved vegetable mixture, stirring constantly until the roux stops getting darker. Return pan to low heat and cook until vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes, stirring constantly and scraping the pan bottom well.

Meanwhile, place the stock in a 5 1/2 quart saucepan or large Dutch oven. Bring to a boil. Add roux mixture by spoonfuls to the boiling stock, stirring until dissolved between each addition. Return to a boil, stirring and scraping pan bottom often. Reduce heat to a simmer and stir in the andouille and minced garlic. Simmer uncovered for about 45 minutes, stirring often toward the end of cooking time.

While the gumbo is simmering, bone the cooked chicken and cut the meat into 1/2 inch dice. When the gumbo is cooked, stir in the chicken and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

To serve as a main course, mound 1/3 cup cooked rice in the center of a soup bowl; ladle about 1 1/4 cups gumbo around the rice.

Basic Stock

For Seafood stock: 1 1/2 to 2 pounds rinsed shrimp heads and/or shells, or crawfish heads and/or shells, or crab shells (2 1/2 to 3 quarts), or rinsed fish carcasses (heads and gills removed), or oyster liquor or any combination of these.

Note: If desired, you can first roast meat bones and vegetables at 350 degrees until thoroughly browned. Then use them to make your basic stock. (When you brown the bones and vegetables, the natural sugar in both carmelizes on the surface, which gives the stock a fuller taste and adds color when it dissolves in the stock water.)

Always start with cold water -- enough to cover the other stock ingredients. Place all ingredients in a stock pot or a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, then gently simmer at least 4 hours, preferably 8 hours (unless directed otherwise in a recipe), replenshing the water as needed to keep about 1 quart of liquid in the pan. The pot may be uncovered or a lid on it askew. Strain, cool, and refrigerate until ready to use. (Note: If you are short on time, using a stock simmered 20-30 minutes is far better than using just water in any recipe).

Red Beans and Rice with Ham Hocks and Andouille Smoked Sausage

Cover the beans with water 2 inches above beans. Let stand overnight. Drain just before using.

Place the ham hocks, 10 cups of the water, the celery, onions, bell peppers, bay leaves, and seasonings in a 5 1/2-quart saucepan or large Dutch oven; stir well. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer until meat is fork tender, about 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Remove ham hocks from pan and set aside.

Add the drained beans and 4 cups of the water to the pan; bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the remaining 2 cups water and simmer 30 minutes, stirring often. Stir in the andouille and continue simmering until the beans start breaking up, about 35 minutes, scraping pan bottom fairly often. (If the beans start to scorch, do not stir. Immediately remove from heat and change to another pot without scraping any scorched beans into the mixture.) Add the ham hocks and cook and stir 10 minutes more.

Serve immediately with rice.

Makes 6 servings.

Joel's Recipes

Coconut Curry Soup

Saute the ginger in the butter, stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes. Pour in the chicken broth and simmer until the soup begins to thicken. Add the cream, chicken and coconut milk and continue to simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in the cilantro and serve. Garnish with lime slices if desired.

Blueberry Pie

Heat oven to 425. Prepare pastry. Mix sugar and cinnamon in a large bowl. Stir in blueberries. Turn into pastry-lined pie plate. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Dot with margarine. Cover with top crust, seal and flute. Poke some holes into the top of the crust. Cover edge with 2 to 3 inch strip of aluminum foil to prevent browning.

Bake 35 to 45 minutes or until crust is brown and juice begins to bubble through slits in the crust. Remove foil around the edge during last 15 minutes of baking.

NOTE: You can substitute raspberries, blackberries, or boysenberries, but then omit the lemon juice.

Emeril's Shrimp Creole

In a large saucepan (>= 1 gallon) over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onions, peppers, and celery to the pan. Season the vegetables with salt and cayenne. Saute the vegetables until they are wilted, about 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the bay leaves, tomatoes and garlic. Season with salt and cayenne. Bring mixture up to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for about 15 minutes. If the mixture becomes too dry add some water. Season with Worcestershire and hot sauce.

Whisk the flour and water together. Add the flour mixture to the tomato mixture and continue to cook for 4 to 6 minutes.

Season the shrimp with Essence. Add the shrimp to the mixture and continue to cook for about 4 to 6 minutes, or until the shrimp turn pink and curl up. Stir in the green onions and parsley.

Check the seasoning and add more salt, cayenne or Essence. Serve over rice.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Fall River Clam Chowder

In a heavy stockpot, over medium-high heat, render the bacon until crispy, about 8 minutes. Stir in the leeks, onions, celery and carrots. Saute the vegetables for about 2 minutes, or until the vegetables start to wilt. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper, add the bay leaves and thyme.

Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes. Add the potatoes and stir in the clam juice. Bring the liquid up to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Simmer the mixture until the potatoes are fork tender, about 12 to 15 minutes.

Add the cream and bring up to a simmer. Add the clams and simmer for 2 minutes. Stir in the parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Portuguese Fried Chicken

Whole fryer, cut into 8 pieces (can substitute just wings or legs)
2 cups flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Oil for frying

Mix all the ingredients for the rub in a food processor until smooth. Completely coat each chicken piece with the dry rub and let sit. The original recipe said to let sit for 20 minutes, but when I tried it, the flavor of the rub didn't really come through enough. I would suggest leaving it for several hours, or better yet, overnight.

Coat each piece with flour and then dip into the eggs, shaking off any excess liquid. Coat again with flour. Fill a large skillet with oil. When oil is hot, carefully lay chicken in the oil. Do not over crowd. Fry until golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. Turn chicken as needed. Season with Essence and salt to taste.

Petit Cheddar Biscuits

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Butter a baking sheet.

In the bowl of a mixer or food processor, combine the flour, wheat germ, baking powder, and salt and process briefly to combine. Add the butter and cheese and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Pour in the buttermilk, then process until the dough comes together, about 15 seconds.

Turn the dough out onto a floured board and allow it to rest for 5 minutes. Knead 3 times only, then pat into a circle 3/4-inch thick. Cut into petite biscuits, using a 1-inch biscuit cutter. Place the dough circles on the baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes in the upper third of the oven, until puffed and golden.

Yield: about 3 dozen

Roasted Pork Risotto

Season the pork with salt and pepper. In a mixing bowl, whisk the cumin and olive oil together. Place the meat in a glass baking dish. Pour the marinade over the meat and marinate for 2 hours, under refrigeration. Sear in a hot cast iron skillet over very high heat for 2 minutes on each side. Remove from the pan and allow to rest for a couple of minutes.

Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a heavy saucepan. Add the onions and saute for 4 minutes, or until softened. Add the rice and cook for 3 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon. Add the wine and bring to a boil. Add 1/2 cup of the stock and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon and allow to simmer and evaporate before adding more broth. Continue cook, adding broth as needed. After 15 minutes, begin tasting for correct doneness-firm but tender.

Add the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter, the mushrooms and roast pork. Season with salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly.

Yield: 6 appetizer servings

Black Pepper Crusted Tuna w/ Sesame Oil Vinaigrette

Season the tuna loin with 1 tablespoon olive oil and Essence. Completely crust the whole loin with the cracked black pepper. In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil. When the oil is hot, sear the loin for 2 minutes on all sides. Remove from the heat and set aside.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk the extra-virgin olive oil, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar and orange juice together. Add the cilantro, orange zest and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. In a mixing bowl, combine the arugula, radicchio, endive and radish sprouts together. Toss the greens with the vinaigrette. Season with salt and pepper.

Slice the tuna loin into 2 inch slices. On an over-sized platter, mound the greens in the center of the platter. Arrange the tuna around the greens. Sprinkle the fried wontons around the tuna. Garnish with the pickled ginger, drizzle of sesame oil and parsley.

Yield: 4 servings

Emeril's Essence

Combine all ingredients thoroughly.

Yield: 2/3 cup

Kevin's Recipes

Chocolate Mousse

Heat 1" of water in the bottom half of a double boiler over medium heat. Place 6 oz semisweet chocolate in the top half of the double boiler. Tightly cover the top with film wrap. Allow the chocolate to melt slowly, about 9-10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir until smooth (or simply agitate the pan occasionally) Keep at room temp. until needed.

Place 1.5 cups heavy cream in the well-chilled bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a well-chilled balloon whip. Whisk on high until peaks form, about 1 minute. Set aside.

Whisk 3 egg whites in a large stainless steel bowl, until soft peaks form, about 3 minutes. Add 2 tblspoons sugar and continue to whisk until stiff peaks form, about 2.5 minutes. Add a quarter of the whipped cream to the chocolate and whisk quickly, vigorously, and thoroughly, then add to the egg whites. Now add the remaining whipped cream. Fold all together gently but thoroughly.

Refridgerate until needed.

Pizza Rustica

Filling:
1 lb whole milk ricotta cheese
3 large eggs
1/4 freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1/4 lb mozzarella cheese, grated
1/4 lb thinly sliced prosciutto, shredded
2 tblsp chopped fresh parsley
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Dough:
Put the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into the work bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade; pulse a few times just to mix the ingredients. Add the butter and pulse 15 to 20 times, or until the mixture resembles fine cornmeal. With the machine running, add the eggs and process until the dough forms a ball on the blade, about a minute or so. Remove the dough from the processor and knead it, folding it over on itself, until it is smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Wrap the dough in plastic and set aside until needed.

Filling:
Scoop the ricotta into a medium bowl and stir until smooth with a rubber spatula. Add the rest of the filling ingredients one at a time, stirring until each addition is incorporated and the mixture is well blended.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch glass pie plate. If you don't have glass - use metal, but increase the oven temp. to 375.

Divide the dough into two pieces, one twice as large as the other. Working with the larger piece, knead it into a disk and roll it out on a lightly floured work surface into a 12" circle.

Transfer the dough to the pie plate and press it gently against the bottom and up the sides of the plate. Don't worry if the dough tears - just press it back together. Use the dull side of a knife to trim the excess dough even with the rim.

Scrape the filling into the pie shell and smooth the top.

Using the remaining dough, roll it into a 9" square. Cut the dough into 12 even strips with a ruffle-edge pastry wheel or a sharp knife. Lay six of the strips across the pie at 1.25" intervals, then crisscross the remaining strips. Trim the ends and pinch to seal.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown. Transfer to rack and cool completely before serving.

Sunil's Recipes

Curried Cauliflower

Put vegetable oil into a pan and heat. Put in cumin seeds. Let the seeds cook a little.

Add in chopped onions and a little garlic.

When the onions start turning sorta brown, add in powdered tumeric, powdered coriander and salt, and red chili powder. Let the spices cook for a minute or so, and add in water. Add chopped cauliflower and chopped potatoes. At a relatively low temperature, allow the whole thing to cook for about 20 minutes or so while covered. Stir occasionally once in a while to distribute the spices evenly.

It's quite normal for a little at the bottom to get burnt and get stuck. Just don't scrape it out to eat.

That is I believe the entire basic recipe. There are a few extras you can throw in, perhaps a tomato or so when the spices are cooked. I am not really all that great at using spices, so I don't use very many. There are others you could use to add more flavor, like ginger, I'll have to ask my mom about that.

References

1. Chinese Cooking by Fu Pei Mei
2. The Key to Chinese Cooking Wings Books, New York, 1997, pg 402.
3. Death by Chocolate by Marcel Desaulniers
4. Baking with Julia by Dorie Greenspan
5. The Essence of Emeril and Emeril Live on T.V. Food Network
6. Cocina de la Familia by Marilyn Tausend and Miguel Ravago
7. Rice Cookbook by James McNair
8. Louisiana Kitchen by Paul Prudhomme