Is there a doctor near the kitchen?
- Michelle Wood: SWCD
- October 4, 2009
- 672
My doctoring experience does not require a medical degree nor does it require a maintenance certificate. My best doctoring takes place in the kitchen: I fix food.
As I have mentioned before, some of the most common fixes in my cooking bag of tricks, er, I mean remedies, are condensed cream soups, crumbs, cheese, sauces, seasonings, and bouillon (especially soup base). Some folks may add their own prescriptions, such as gravy, batter (for deep fat frying) and ketchup. Nearly all failures in the kitchen can overcome their setbacks by repeating the motto, "Cover it, hide it, camouflage!" It also pays to have a well-stocked pantry, also known as the kitchen medicine cabinet.
The broiler element in your oven is an excellent tool for quickly browning the crumbs and melting the cheese. It will also help warm up the kitchen just before the meal is served. If food burns, like bread stuck in the toaster, a quick boil of spices on the stove top should redirect the unpleasant odors and, of course, wide open windows, ceiling fans or waving a newspaper will help, too.
The blender is the perfect tool for fixing lumpy gravy after the cooking process. To prevent lumps before cooking, pour the thickening mixture through a sieve and then proceed. If you own a deep fat fryer, you might use it to doctor food failures, though I don't recommend it. These days just about anything can be coated and fried. The food vendors at your county fair can testify to that.
I use blackberry jam to hide burned buttered toast, I serve it but I don't eat it. I use brown-sugared ketchup to glaze over a two pound package of ground beef. Who hasn't made magic meatloaf; what's the magic you ask? It's all the things you add to make meatloaf what it is: crumbs, cheese, seasonings, sauce, ketchup and bouillon!
Are you wild about wild game? Send your best recipes for wild turkey, venison, and other timely game to thewritecook@sssnet.com or mail to Country Cupboard, c/o Daphne Ross, 5973 Blachleyville Road, Wooster 44691. Send a self-addressed, stamped envelope if you request a reply.
Grill Patty Specials
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Dash pepper
2 pounds ground beef
6 onion slices, very thin
6 bacon slices
Mix seasonings with ground beef. Divide ground beef to make 12 patties. Make two thin patties (about 4 1/2 inches in diameter) for each burger. Place onion slices between two patties. Seal edges of patties well. Wrap each patty with bacon slice, fastened with toothpick. Grill each side 6 to 7 minutes for rare hamburgers and 9 to 10 minutes for medium.
Tangy Baked Beans
1 (1 pound, 15 ounce) can pork and beans, drained
1 (16 ounce) can pork and beans, drained
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
3 tablespoons cooking sherry
1 1/2 tablespoons orange-flavored instant breakfast drink
1 1/2 teaspoons instant coffee
1/2 teaspoon salt
Drain beans. Add rest of ingredients and mix well. Spoon into 2-quart casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes.
Grilled Zucchini
3 tablespoons salad oil
1 1/2 teaspoons basil
8 zucchini squash, sliced lengthwise
Combine salad oil and basil. Brush zucchini with marinade and allow to marinate 1 hour. Place zucchini on grill on low heat; turn frequently.
Barbecued Chicken Breasts
2 chicken breasts cut into halves
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 cup wine vinegar
Clean and wash chicken breasts; set aside. Combine crushed garlic, olive oil, thyme, mustard, and vinegar to make a basting sauce. Place chicken breasts on grill over medium heat. Cook about 10 minutes on each side before beginning to baste with sauce. Continue cooking, basting, and turning chicken until done, about 30 minutes.
Skewered Bread Chunks
1 or 2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1 (1 pound) loaf French bread
3 to 6 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated
Combine garlic, butter, and parsley. Cut French bread in half lengthwise, then crosswise in 2-inch slices. Spread butter on bread and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Spear bread on skewers and grill about 5 inches above heated grill for about 5 minutes, or until lightly toasted.
Glazed Grilled Ham
1 (3 or 4 pound) precooked boneless ham
1/2 cup dark corn syrup
1/2 cup pineapple juice
Slice ham into 1/2 inch slices. Tie securely into its original shape as nearly as possible (your butcher can prep ham for you).
Cook at low heat on a covered grill about 1 hour. Combine corn syrup and pineapple juice and baste ham at 15 minute intervals.
Roasted Seasoned Corn
8 ears corn, fresh or frozen
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 tablespoon minced parsley
Dash paprika
1 teaspoon salt
Dash fresh ground pepper
Remove husks and silks from fresh corn, or thaw frozen ears. Combine melted butter, parsley, paprika, salt and black pepper and spread liberally over each ear of corn. Wrap each ear of corn in a square of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Bake on grill for about 15 to 20 minutes, turning two or three times. Serve hot directly from foil.
Peppered Barbecue Chicken
1 cup salad oil
2 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup water
4 tablespoons white pepper
2 to 3 (2 1/2 pounds) fryers cut up
Combine salad oil, lemon juice, water and pepper in a large flat dish.
Lay chicken pieces in marinade and let sit for at least 2 hours. Remove chicken from marinade and drain carefully. Place in hinged basket on grill over low heat; cook until meat is done, brushing often with marinade, and turning basket often to keep chicken from burning. Chicken should cook about 25 minutes.
Charley-Bobs
4 pounds sirloin steak, 2 inches thick
3 pound slice of center-cut ham, 2 inches thick
Cut sirloin steak and ham into 2-inch cubes. Alternate the two meats on metal skewers, and cook on grill over medium heat to desired doneness.