Friday's Top Five: Recipes from the College Kitchen

We all love the Culinary Arts department at Shepherds College. Amazing things come out of that kitchen! Many days, the students offer their yummy creations to the staff for sampling.

Nurse Melba enjoying some hot Tempura Chicken.

Turkey sandwiches with homemade mayo! Yum! See the mayo recipe below.

Those are my favorite days.

I asked Chef McCarthy for a couple of his recipes to share with everyone. I thought he’d say, “No, they are highly protected family secrets.” Instead, he sent me about two dozen of them.

After glancing through each delicious-sounding recipe, I pulled out five that looked fun to serve this weekend - the first official weekend of football.  

“White Castle” Cheeseburger Calzones

1 lb. of ground beef, 80/20

1 lb. of pizza dough, proofed and ready to roll out

6-8 slices of your favorite cheddar cheese, pre-sliced thin

1 medium onion, diced

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. pepper

½ tsp. garlic powder

Preheat oven to 375°.

Sprinkle ground beef with salt and pepper. Cook until completely brown. Drain. Place the cooked beef on a sheet pan in an even layer. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes.

Sauté the onions in the same pan used to cook the ground beef. Cook until translucent. Mix cooked onions with cooled beef.

Roll out the pizza dough. Place slices of cheese on the dough in an even layer, leaving a one-inch border around the perimeter. Spread ground beef evenly over the cheese, again leaving the one-inch border around the perimeter.

Roll the dough into a large cylinder and pinch the ends closed. Place calzone on a sheet pan and place in preheated oven. Bake until well-browned and cheese is bubbling out.

Place calzone on a cutting board, cut into 4 sections using a serrated knife and serve.

Here’s a homemade mayonnaise recipe that would be wonderful on those foot-long subs:

Homemade Mayonnaise

1 egg yolk

¼ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. powdered mustard

1/8 tsp. sugar

Pinch cayenne pepper or Tabasco sauce

2 to 3 tsp. lemon juice

¾ c. vegetable oil

4 tsps. hot water (for blender version only

Beat egg yolk, mustard, and 1 tsp. lemon juice in a small bowl until very thick and pale yellow. (Note: If using an electric mixer, beat at medium speed.)

Add about ¼ cup oil, drop by drop, beating vigorously all the while. As the mixture starts to coagulate, add another ¼ cup oil, a little faster this time, beating vigorously all the while.

Add cayenne or Tabasco, remaining lemon juice, salt and sugar. Adjust seasoning as needed.

Cover and refrigerate until needed.  Lasts one week.

Blend or Food Processor Version:

Place yolk, mustard, and 1 tsp. lemon juice in a blender or food processor fitted with the metal chopping blade. Using low speed, buzz for 15 seconds.

With motor running on medium-high speed, slowly drizzle in ¼ cup oil. As mixture begins to thicken, continue adding oil in a fine, steady stream, alternating adding hot water and remaining lemon juice.

Stop the motor and scrape mixture down from the sides as needed.

Add cayenne or Tabasco sauce, salt and pepper to taste. Adjust seasoning as needed.

Yield: 1-1/2 cups

Baked Spinach and Shrimp Artichoke Dip

1 c. mayonnaise

1 c. freshly grated parmesan cheese

1 can (14 oz.) artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped

1 box (9 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed to drain

½ c. chopped red bell pepper

1 c. shredded Monterey jack or mozzarella cheese

1 c. pre-cooked salad shrimp or lump crab meat, thawed if frozen

Naan bread – toasted and sliced in triangles

2 scallions, cut thinly on the bias for garnish

Heat oven to 350°. Mix mayonnaise and parmesan cheese. Stir in artichokes, spinach, bell pepper and shrimp.

Spoon mixture into a 1-quart casserole. Sprinkle with Monterey jack cheese. Cover and bake about 20 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Garnish with scallions and serve with toasted naan.

Thai Peanut Sauce/Dip

While most western versions of peanut sauce are made with peanut butter, this Thai peanut sauce starts with real peanuts – and you’ll taste the difference! At the same time, it’s super easy and quick to make. This peanut sauce can be used as a dip for veggies or as a sauce for your beef or chicken satay. Or pour it over a cold noodle salad!

½ c. dry roasted peanuts

¼ c. crunchy peanut butter

1/3 c. coconut milk

1 clove garlic, minced

½ tsp. fresh ginger, minced

½ tsp. soy sauce

2 tsp. toasted sesame oil

2 Tbsp. brown sugar

2 Tbsp. fish sauce

1 tsp. curry red chili sauce

1 tsp. fresh lime juice

Crush peanuts using a mortar and pestle. Place all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth. If you prefer a runnier peanut sauce, add a little more coconut milk.

Taste for salt and spice. Add more fish sauce if not salty enough. Add more red chili sauce if not spicy enough.

Beignets

2 c. flour

¼ tsp. salt (scant)

3 tsp. baking powder

2 Tbsp. sugar

¾ c. + 2 Tbsp. whole milk or buttermilk

Powdered sugar, for dusting

Mix dry ingredients. Add milk all at once. Knead dough gently and allow to rest for a few minutes. Roll out on floured surface until ¼ inch thick; cut into small squares or triangles. Fry in hot oil, turning to cook both sides. Dust with powdered sugar. Serve immediately.

 

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