So You made it to my Food Recipe page...While you are building or operating your Model Train Layout you gotta eat right? Here are a few of my favorite recipes.....Mangia!
(these are all my own creations)
Please scroll down you will find these selections...
(the links no longer work to take you there directly I'll have to figure that out someday)
Over Stuffed Mushrooms
Cheeseburger Puffs
Buffalo Wings
Broccoli Slaw
My Italian Gravy (Tomato Sauce)and Meatballs
Pulled Ham
Chili
Southern BBQ Pulled Pork
Cajun Smoked Pulled Pork
Over Stuffed Mushrooms
So here is a food recipe that I developed for some amazing Over Stuffed Mushrooms....you will love them! I make these all the time.
This recipe will over stuff 2, 14oz packages of large stuffing mushrooms.
- Use a teaspoon to dig out the insides of the mushrooms. Some mushrooms will have a stubborn stem, be careful not to break the mushroom cap. For the most part you will pull out the stem then spoon out the insides. You want to create the biggest bowl type cavity you can in the mushroom cap with out breaking it.
- Slice 1 whole large onion and saute it with 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 tablespoon of pepper & oregano. When adding oil to the pan be generous and coat the bottom. Just before the onions and spices are caramelized add 5 chopped cloves of garlic and don't use the small ones use the largest in the bunch! When the onions, garlic and spices are fully caramelized place them in a bowl on the side.
- Brown 1lb of ground Italian sausage and 1 lb of ground beef. Drain the meat and combine with the onion and garlic mixture in a food processor. Chop in the processor until the particles are about the size of large bread crumbs. The fine texture makes the stuffing process easier. You may have to get crafty when the mixture in in the processor since it likes to stick to the sides of the bowl.
- Dump what you now have in the food processor back into your large saute pan. Add to that a ½ stick of butter, ½ cup of seasoned bread crumbs, 3 tablespoons of Frank’s Red Hot, and 3 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese. Stir ingredients together well over low heat until the butter is melted.
- At this point more than likely your mixture is a bit too dry. Mix in a few tablespoons of oil until you have a nice paste consistency. Do not over add the oil, but If the mixture is too dry it will not stuff correctly.
- Once you are satisfied with the consistency turn the heat up high and stir vigorously. It should take 3-5 minutes on high heat for things to start sizzling up nicely. You are finished when the meat starts separating off from the fat. When you can see some juices bubbling take the pan off the flame….its ready…Be careful not to let the stuffing burn.
- Once the stuffing has cooled you are ready to over stuff your mushrooms. The trick here is that you want to put about twice as much as what will actually fit in each mushroom. Using a tablespoon you can easily fill the mushroom cap. Then take another scoop and flip it on top of the first scoop of stuffing inverting the spoon. Since the stuffing is a nice paste mixture you can use the curvature of the spoon to round off the pile. Remember -- twice the amount that can actually fit into the mushroom cap.
- Place the stuffed mushrooms on a baking sheet and top with the mozzarella cheese of your choice. Bake in an oven at 375 for about 20 minutes or until cheese is melted. You may also want to put it under the broiler for a few minutes to brown the cheese slightly.
Serve warm or cold to your liking.
Pulled Ham
...that's what I said Ham...not Pork!
Bored with making a Ham again? Try this one. I did this one day cause I was bored of the old regular ham and didn't want to tie up the oven either. I love pulled pork but would it work with a Ham? It did splendidly....Enjoy!
This calls for your favorite cut of 10-11 lb Ham with the bone and all ....not a fresh shoulder or "pork"...and a large crock pot.
1. Slice the ham out of the package and then cut all the meet you can off the bone, leave the skin and fat on the meat. Any particularly large pieces cut up into 2” by 2” pieces but this is not critical.
2. Pour enough apple cider vinegar to fill the bottom of the Crock pot about 1/4 inch high.
3. Add 5 table spoons of frank’s red hot. Then add a layer of the cut up ham
4. Give a healthy Sprinkle, on that layer, with McCormick’s Sweet & Smoky rub (not their regular pork rub that stuff is used later.)
5. Add 2 coarsely chopped large Vidalia onions and 6 large peeled cloves of garlic then add the rest of the ham
6. Sprinkle that layer with McCormick’s pork rub mix (this stuff is a bit spicy you may half and half it with the sweet and smokey you used before)
7. Add on top a few dashes of frank’s red hot
Cook on high for 6 hours
Then remove the ham with a strainer ladle placing it on a tray. Leave the juice in the pot.
Pull all the meat apart with a pair of forks, you will find it breaks down rather easy, to give it that pulled look. Add back some of the pot juices to keep everything moist. As you are pulling the ham be sure to remove the sections of skin and fat…they were left on just for the added taste.
This all just about fits in a large crock pot…sometimes you have to shake the ham down into place or smash the top on a bit. The result of your work will yield a sweet and smoky batch of pulled ham which is great for dinner or in a sandwich.
If you want to "heat" it up a bit add more franks red hot, remember to mix well, to the crock pot juices before pouring them back onto the pulled ham.
Southern BBQ Pulled Pork
So this Recipe calls for a major time commitment but will yield an amazing dish!
The amounts below are for one fresh, 5-7 lb pork shoulder
Before cooking rub the pork in a dry rub and let it sit covered with tinfoil in the fridge for 12-24 hours.
Once the pork shoulder is out of the fridge its time to give it its first mopping of basting sauce.
Every hour during cooking I basted or mopped the meat with this stuff to keep it moist and tasty. This is an important part to the whole cooking process. It is also a big commitment. This is not a pop it in the oven and leave it kind of meal.
Mop Sauce:
Combine all ingredients. You can make this well in advance.
2 cups of apple cider vinegar
1 medium onion loose chop
1-2 sliced jalapeno peppers
1 tablespoon coarse salt
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon black pepper
So now that you have it mopped pop it into your preheated, 300 degree, oven. One tip you should have a hanging oven thermometer to check your oven's real temperature. Don't trust the dial or digital readout. If your dial is on 300 but the thermometer is reading 280 then use trial and error over the next half hour or so until you see it read 300 inside the oven...who cares what the dial says.
Cook times
This 5-7 lb pork shoulder takes 5-6 hours at 300 degrees. I know that's a big swing but depending on the size of the bone it could vary. I pull mine out at 5 hours and try to separate or "pull" the meat a bit with a couple of forks and if its too tough to do I set it back in for another hour. That usually does the trick.
Once you are satisfied with the pull ability of your pork...get it all pulled and into a pan. Realize that some of the outside may be a bit too crusty for serving...hey it happens. When everything is pulled to your liking you need to top it off with a vinegar BBQ sauce. This is what makes it southern BBQ rather then your typical north east BBQ with the thick ketchup like sauce. Add as much or as little to taste but realize it has to be moist.
Make the Vinegar BBQ sauce as follows:
Combine all ingredients...you can make this at any time while the pork shoulder is cooking.
2 cups apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons brown sugar
4 teaspoons coarse salt
1-3 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
1-2 teaspoon black pepper
1-2 tablespoon Frank's Red Hot sauce
Enjoy!
CheeseBurger Puffs
This is a great appetizer that you can eat with your hands so its great for a party where everyone is mulling around and can’t use a fork and knife.
1 box of puff pastry (2 sheets) found in the freezer section
1lb 85% lean ground beef
½ medium onion chopped
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp oregano
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1. First Mix the above ingredients together in bowl, and then make sliver dollar shaped burger patties.
2. Grill the burgers in a pan. Do not overcook medium rare to medium at best.
3. Roll out your pastry sheets. Cut each into 9 equal squares.
4. Place your cooked burger in the center of each square & top with the shredded cheese of your choice. It’s great to mix a couple different types.
5. Pinch the pastry up over the top. It should seal completely.
6. Brush on some egg wash to help keep them sealed. This will also give them golden brown color.
7. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Place them on 2 baking sheets (spray sheet with baking spray) and bake for 20 minutes.
8. At the 20 minute mark take sheets out and unstick each puff from sheet and give them a quick turn around. When you put them back in the oven switch shelves and leave until brown which should take another 5-10 minutes. Keep an eye on them
You can’t beat these Cheeseburger puffs for some great appetizers that your friends will be amazed you made yourself. Enjoy!
Buffalo Wings
Now you can have great Buffalo Wings at Home!
The perfect Buffalo wing starts off as a naked or without batter wing section dropped in a deep fryer and cooked until well-done or crispy. Then you add your wing sauce and dip in either ranch or blue cheese to eat. Since most folks don’t have a deep fryer at home we either don’t make the dish or suffer through some horrible wings that you put in the microwave or something. Yuk!
So here is my recipe for some great Buffalo Wings at home:
1. First you need to purchase some frozen wing sections. Purdue has a nice bag of frozen naked wings that is just the right amount for this dish.
2. Spread them out on a cookie sheet while still frozen. You are going to want to lay out some tin foil for easier clean up afterward. Be sure to spray the foil down with cooking spray.
3. Drop the sheet into a preheated 400 degree oven for no more than 1 hr and 20 minutes.
4. 30 minutes into cooking take them out and splash on some Frank’s Red Hot.
5. 15 minutes or so later when the tops look like they have a bit of color take them back out and flip the wings over. Splash on some more Frank’s Red Hot. No need to drown them in Franks we just want the flavor to cook in a bit.
6. Depending on the size of the wing sections, which vary in the package, you may want to think about taking them out around 1hr 10 minutes…but I usually go a bit longer to the 1hr 20 min mark. At that point the 4-5 wings that were the runts of the group will be way well done…but it’s a sacrifice that you just have to live with.
7. Once you have the sheet out of the oven drop them in a big bowl and if you want to add more Frank’s now is the time, But I would taste one first.
As far as dipping sauce I have migrated away from blue cheese (personal taste) and most of the time now use ranch. Specifically I use a product from wishbone called Buffalo Ranch Dressing. (This stuff is fantastic on any chicken you might cook. I even used it on a cheeseburger the other day) basically it’s a perfect blend of their regular ranch and some Frank’s Red Hot.
These are the best wings I have ever had via home cooking (without a deep fryer).
Enjoy!
PS If you are going to use fresh vs frozen wing sections for your dish then you must adjust the cooking times…but you are on your own for that.
My Italian Gravy (Tomato Sauce)
Updated 12/2017....yup its even better.
Is it Gravy or Sauce? In my younger years I seemed to use the term Gravy but lately I'm leaning toward Sauce..either way If you are looking to put together an Italian feast this is what you have to do.
To Start get a small package of your favorite sweet Italian sausage and brown the outside nice in a skillet. Don’t try and cook it all the way through you will finish cooking it in the sauce. When they are browned dump the contents into a bowl for now.
While you are browning your Sausage get together:
10 large cloves of garlic chopped as fine as you can do it...I use a processor.
2 large Vidalia onions diced...I use a processor.
"heaping" for the following:
1 tablespoon of dried basil,
1 tablespoon of black pepper,
1 tablespoon of salt,
1 tablespoon of dried oregano,
- Sauté the onions in olive oil..don't be stingy with the oil we aren't feeding a bunch of skinny folk here we are trying to make some amazing sauce...at first they may look watery so keep them simmering on low until the water boils out and they get caramelized..the color changes from white to a light brown....do not burn them or you will have to start over it may take a while.
- Sauté the garlic in the same fashion as the onions...you can not cook them together with the onions because the garlic cooks way too fast.
- While cooking down the onions add 6, 35oz cans of Tuttorosso "crushed tomatoes chunky style in puree with sweet basil"...into a 12 quart pot....start simmering on very low. You can use a different brand of crushed tomatoes if you want your sauce to suck..but hey maybe you'll get lucky.
- Add all the dry ingredients and the sausage bowl to the tomatoes...stir them in well.
- Add the onions and garlic when they are ready...and stir them in well.
- Set the heat to low so that nothing burns and stir frequently. If you do this right it will take 4 hours before things are perfect....you must heat this up very slowly to keep the bottom from burning. leave the lid on for the first 2 hours.
Now its time to make the Meatballs:
The following is for 3 lbs of 80% lean ground beef...do not use that real lean good for you chop meat...that's for sissies and folks who want awful meatballs.
Place the ground beef in a large mixing bowl and spread it out with your fists.
Then add:
2 large eggs, A handful of grated parmesan cheese,
The same handful of 4c Italian bread crumbs
2-3 slices of wet white bread broken up into little bits
2 tablespoons of ketchup
Coat the top of the ingredients with dried oregano, garlic powder, salt, pepper...and a sprinkle of crushed red pepper if you are feeling feisty!!
Mix thoroughly with your hands incorporating all ingredients until the meat gets all sticky.
Make your meat balls no bigger than 2” in diameter by rolling them in your hands.
Place them on a foiled baking sheet and bake them at 375 for 45 minutes. Then drop them in the sauce for the last half hour of your sauces 4 hrs of simmering...so time this right.
You are also going to need to serve some pasta…but hey if you can’t boil water and figure that out…maybe you should be ordering out!
Mangia!
(not my original recipe but good enough to put here)
Broccoli Slaw
This dish is fantastic as a side for your summer bbq.
Gather these ingredients
1 pkg. Broccoli slaw; available in grocery produce section
3/4 Cup vegetable oil
1/2 Cup sugar
1/3 Cup red wine vinegar
2 pkgs. Chicken-flavored Ramen noodles
1 Medium red onion, chopped
1 Cup diced celery
3 oz. Toasted almond slivers
3 oz. Sunflower seeds
1. Combine oil, sugar, vinegar and the ramen flavoring packets.
2. Pour mixture over the broccoli slaw and broken up ramen noodles.
3. Add onion and celery then stir.
4. Cover and refrigerate for 12 hours.
5. Just as you are about to serve, add almonds and sunflower seeds.
Serve Cold.
Chili
Gather these ingredients:
6lbs ground beef (or venison)
3 large red peppers sliced then cut slices in half
3 large Vidalia onions sliced then cut slices in half
12 cloves garlic, chopped
3 tbsp chili powder
3 cans 28oz of Tuttorosso crushed tomatoes in puree with basil
2 cans (16 oz) kidney beans, drained
1 cup Franks Red Hot
salt, black pepper, cumin, ground red pepper, chipotle powder, chili powder
- cook down the onions and peppers in sauté pan about 1/2 way to caramelization Use a good amount of olive oil
- saute garlic separately in olive oil then add contents of pan to the finished onions and peppers
- brown meat about 3/4 of the way through do not over cook, coat the top of the meat with sea salt from a grinder and fine black pepper. For beef make sure to drain.
- Put veges, oil and all, into a large sauce pot along with the 3 cans of crushed tomatoes
- stir well...then add the browned meat and 1 cup franks red hot
- stir well and then add the dry spices:
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp ground red pepper
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 2 heaping tbsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp table salt
stir well....and simmer for at least 2 hours do not burn the bottom!!
Top with shredded cheddar in serving bowl...enjoy!
Cajun Smoked Pulled Pork
For this recipe you need lots of time, patients, and a big BBQ grill.
This is a complicated procedure read this recipe thoroughly first before beginning.
The only way to get true pulled pork is to slow cook your meat. I am talking real slow. I used 2, 10lb pork shoulders and smoked them on my grill at 300 degrees for 9 full hours. I bought hickory wood chips to create the smoke. These days you can find them anywhere even in the outdoor grill section of bed bath and beyond. Each shoulder must sit (skin and fat side up) in an aluminum pan to catch the drippings, which become an ingredient after the pork is pulled. Each set to the far right and far left of the grill. In between I put an even smaller pan with the wood chips. Soak them first in water for at least ½ hour then drain before starting it up.
24 hours before: Dry Rub
Rub onto the shoulders apple cider vinegar. This gives the dry rub something to stick to. A couple of drops of oil is not a bad idea either. Then Rub on your dry rub. Make sure you get in every nook and cranny. Leave 1/8 inch layer of the rub wherever you can. I used a 50/50 mixture of store bought pork rub. 1, 4oz canister McCormick grill mates pork rub and 1, 4oz canister of McCormick grill mates cinnamon, chipotle sweet and smoky pork rub.
Cover with aluminum foil and let them set in the fridge over night for 24 hours.
Early morning:
Take the shoulders out of the fridge so they can come to room temperature. Preheat your grill to max temp before setting in your pork. Once to temperature turn off the left and right burner leaving the middle on low. Place both shoulders in the grill as mentioned before with the tray of wood chips in the middle. It will take a while to start generating smoke but before you are done there will be nothing but ashes in that wood chip tray.
Be patient with your grill it might take an hour or two before you correctly regulate the temp. Make sure you have an oven thermometer in the grill so that when you open the lid you get an accurate temperature reading. Do not trust the thermometer in the lid. You will want to check the temperature every 15 minutes for the first hour or so until you are satisfied the temperature is consistently 300 degrees.
Mopping Sauce:
At the end of every hour you must mop or as I did drench the shoulders with your mopping sauce. Once drippings collect at the bottom of the pan use some of them as well to keep your shoulders moist.
The makeup of the mopping sauce:
21/2 cups of apple cider vinegar
1 large Vidalia onion chopped
2 tablespoons salt,
2 tsp of Cheyenne powder, (Badia) Louisiana Cajon spice, red pepper powder, & black pepper
1 tsp Chipotle chili powder, Ancho chili powder & Cumin
1 tablespoon dried cilantro
Stir all ingredients together and you’re done
Time for the pulling:
Once 9 hours have past at 300 degrees they are ready to be pulled. Save the drippings and the left over mopping sauce.
Let the shoulders cool a bit to the touch then tear them apart. You can use your fingers or 2 big forks to shred the pork. Most of it should just fall right apart. Some you may have to persuade. Once pulled an in a clean tray. You have to add the Cajun sauce.
Cajun Sauce:
6 cups of the drippings
All the left over mopping sauce
1 teaspoon of Cheyenne powder, Chipotle chili powder, Ancho chili powder, & red pepper powder
Mix all ingredients together then pour evenly over pulled pork and incorporate.
This should make the pork Cajun zesty but not too spicy hot.
Mangia!
