Coney Island chili sauce

This Coney Island chili sauce adds an element of spice and richness to any hot dog. With a helping of finely chopped onions and a stream of yellow mustard, you have a dish that is worthy of any camp meal or potluck. And it can also be turned into a stand-alone chili with the addition of beans.

Now I admit that I have never had a hot dog covered in authentic Coney Island chili sauce. The sauce is said to have been originated by Greek and Macedonian immigrants to Indiana and Michigan in the early Nineteenth Century. One day I'll have to search out a Coney Island restaurant in Michigan.

In my quest for a good hot dog chili for my summer camp, I first thought of trying Coney Island chili sauce when I ran across several YouTube videos. Although I enjoyed these recipes, many were lacking in texture and smoothness. After much research, I found that many "authentic" recipes added ground hot dogs to the chili. That was the key ingredient. Along with the addition of masa as a binding agent, I found what I was looking for.

So, while I don't make any claim to the authenticity of this recipe, you have my guarantee of its goodness. Give it a try. You will enjoy it.

Large quantity recipe for Coney Island chili sauce.

CONEY ISLAND CHILI SAUCE

Do not brown the ground beef as you would in a pot of chili con carne. Once you puree the hot dog, onion and garlic, place all chili sauce ingredients in a medium pot with the water. As the chili comes up to temperature, break up the ground beef with a potato masher until the chili is smooth. Simmer, thicken and enjoy!

Purchase lean ground beef for this recipe. While I used 90/10 ground beef for this recipe, a leaner grind will work as well. Lean ground beef reduces the amount of grease that rises to the top. I used an all-beef hot dog for the puree.


Hot dog paste:
6 oz hot dog
½ cup onions
3 garlic cloves

Chili sauce:
1 pound 3 ounces lean ground beef
2 cups cold water
⅓ cup ketchup
¼ cup butter or margarine
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoons ground cumin
1½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoons celery salt
½ teaspoons ground black pepper
Pinch cayenne pepper

Thickener:
⅓ cup cold water
2 tablespoons masa

In a food processor, process hot dogs, onion and garlic into a smooth paste. Combine hot dog paste, ground beef, water, ketchup, butter or margarine, chili powder, cumin, kosher salt, black pepper, celery salt and cayenne pepper to medium pot. Mix with a potato masher or spatula over med-high heat until mixture has a finely ground consistency and begins to bubble. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens and reduces, about 1 hour.

Mix cold water and masa into a smooth paste. Slowly pour into sauce, stirring constantly. Cook until sauce has thickened. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Serve over steamed hot dogs with finely chopped onions and yellow mustard. Makes a bit over 5 cups.

This recipe is based a recipe by Chef John of Food Wishes, also available on YouTube and Allrecipes.

Tacos al pastor

Tacos and hamburgers are two things that I can't get enough of. I've taken to ordering a hamburger and French fries at our local Mexican restaurant. It's not that I don't enjoy their food. I do, especially the chili verde. I simply want hamburgers.

And there are no shortage of tacos near our home. They abound on Taco Tuesday. Debbie and I frequent the local take and bake pizza joint, where -- on Tuesday -- ground beef tacos are the special of the day.

This pleases my wife. She only orders three things at any Mexican eatery -- one, two or three tacos, crunchy shell, no tomato with lettuce of the side. In nearly 37 years, I've never seen her deviate.

This brings us to tacos al pastor. Cooked "shepherd style," traditional tacos al pastor are prepared by stacking marinated pork slices on a spit and roasting on a vertical rotisserie, much like Greek gyros. The meat is slowly roasted as the spit turns. Each time a taco is ordered, the cook shaves the crisp out layer off onto a handheld tortilla.

Yet, tacos al pastor can be made without a spit. A cast iron grill pan stands in for the rotisserie. After grilling the onion and pineapple over intense heat, marinated pork slices quickly caramelize on the ribs of the grill pan. The result is a wonderfully charred taco filling.

The marinade is prepared with garlic, spices, achiote paste and guajillo chilies. The achiote adds color and a "earthy, peppery flavor with a hint of bitterness" to the marinade. When combined with guajillo chilies, the deep red hue imparts an amazing bit of eye appeal, to say nothing of the rich level of spiciness. Stir in pineapple juice and vinegar and the flavor of the tacos are out of this world.

This is my new favorite taco.

Serve tacos al pastor with Mexican rice, lime wedges and a spritz of chopped cilantro. This may not be authentic, but I enjoy a side of grilled onion with the tacos.

TACOS AL PASTOR

This recipe is attributed to the Food and Wine website. I have adapted the directions to cast iron grill pan or skillet. Purchase guajillo chilies and achiote at well-stocked supermarkets or your local Mexican market.

1 tablespoon canola oil, plus more for brushing
3 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
4 guajillo chilies, stemmed, seeded and cut into 2-inch pieces
1/3 cup pineapple juice
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
2 tablespoons achiote paste
Sea salt
2 pounds boneless pork shoulder, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1/2 medium pineapple, peeled and sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 medium red onion, sliced crosswise 1/2 inch thick
Warm corn tortillas, chopped cilantro and lime wedges, for serving

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook, turning occasionally, until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Stir in the oregano, cumin, pepper and cloves and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add the chilies and cook, stirring, until blistered in spots, about 30 seconds. Add the pineapple juice, vinegar and achiote paste and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and steep for 5 minutes.

Transfer the chili mixture to a blender and puree until smooth. Season with salt. Place the pork in a large covered dish or storage container. Pour the marinade over the pork and turn to coat. Set the dish in refrigerator overnight.

Preheat a cast iron grill pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Brush the pineapple and onion with oil. Grill over high heat, turning once, until lightly charred and softened, about 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate and tent with foil.

Remove the pork from the marinade. Grill over high heat until lightly charred and just cooked through, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer to the plate and let rest for 5 minutes.

Cut the pineapple, onion and pork into thin strips and transfer to a bowl. Season with salt. Serve with corn tortillas, chopped cilantro and lime wedges. Makes 8 to 12 tacos.

Open face breakfast sandwiches

Last week at the Star Valley Outfitters' camp, I was faced with an abundant supply of buttermilk biscuits. My initial thought was to use the biscuits to make bread pudding, but a shortage of eggs kept me from following through.

That's when I thought of preparing breakfast sliders. Since breakfast comes early (at 4 a.m.), I prepared the sandwiches on the afternoon before. After slicing enough ham and cheese for the open face sandwiches, I slivered an onion on the meat slicer and sliced six medium tomatoes by hand. I also prepared a batch of cilantro sauce for garnish. Everything was placed under refrigeration until morning.

In the morning, I placed ham and cheese on each biscuit half, then heated the sandwiches in the over to melt the cheese. As the hunters and guides filtered into the dining tent for breakfast, I placed cottage fried red potatoes on the place along with two open face sandwiches, two tomatoes, some onion and three dill pickle chips. The sandwiches were garnished with cilantro sauce.

Toasting the biscuits on the flat-top.

OPEN FACE BREAKFAST SANDWICHES

Use this recipe to use an oversupply of biscuits. You may use any flavor of cheese desired. I used pepper jack cheese.I didn't add fried eggs because of a shortage in camp.

24 buttermilk biscuits, cut in half
4 ounces butter, melted
24 (1 ounce) slices ham, cut in half
24 (2/3 ounce) slices cheese, cut in half
48 fried eggs (optional)
48 slices tomato
1 medium onion, shaved or sliced thin
72 dill pickle chips
2 to 3 cups cilantro sauce (recipe follows)

Brush melted butter on each half biscuit. Toast in a skillet over medium heat. Alternatively, you can toast the biscuits on a flat-top griddle. When toasted, remove biscuit halves and arrange on a sheet pan. Keep the bottom and top half of each biscuit together. If preparing ahead, place the ham, cheese, tomatoes, onions, pickles and cilantro sauce in the refrigerator.

In the morning, arrange a half-slice of both ham and cheese on top of each biscuit half. Heat the sandwiches in a 350-degree oven until the ham is warm and the cheese melts. Remove from the oven and place a fried egg (if used) on each sandwich.

To serve, place two open-face sandwiches on each plate. Arrange two tomato slices, some onion and three dill pickle chips on each plate. Spoon a tablespoon cilantro sauce over the sandwiches on each plate. If desired, the sauce can be served on the side. Serve with cottage fried red potatoes.

Makes 24 servings.

CILANTRO SAUCE

I serve serve cilantro sauce with grilled pork chops, roasted pork loin, sauteed chicken breasts and breakfast eggs.

6 cloves garlic
3alapeno chile peppers
1-1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1-1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon fresh oregano
1/3 cup flat leaf parsley
1-1/2 cups cilantro

In a food processor or blender, process garlic, jalapeno, cumin, salt, oregano, parsley and cilantro to form a smooth paste. With food processor running, drizzle in olive oil. Add small amount of water until sauce is thick. Drizzle in vinegar until smooth. Adjust seasoning.

Makes about 2-1/4 cup sauce.

Slow cooker shredded beef for tacos

Last week I prepared shredded beef for tacos in a slow cooker at my sister's home. Since Debbie and I were going to be out all day, the slow cooker simplified the process of cooking dinner. This was the first time that I had used one in over 20 years. Although we had received a slow cooker as a wedding gift, it disappeared many years ago.

As often is the case when I'm cooking, I didn't follow a recipe. The process is simple. I began by heating a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. After seasoning a piece of 'London broil' (top round, between two and three pounds) with salt and pepper, I seared the meat until it was browned. The steak was then cut into thirds and layered in the ceramic crock with one sliced onion, minced garlic, chopped cilantro and taco seasoning. I used homemade seasoning in my sister's cupboard. I then added one-half cup of chicken broth to the mixture.

The lid was placed on the slow cooker and turned to the low heat setting. The meat slowly cooked for eight hours while we were out of the house. After we returned to the house, I shredded the meat with two forks and garnished it with diced red onions and chopped cilantro. The shredded beef was served on corn tortillas with refried beans, salsa, grated cheese and hot pepper sauce.

Maybe it's time to invest in a new slow cooker, like one of the pressure cooker combinations!

Slow cooker shredded beef for tacos.

Grilled cheese extravaganza

Grilled cheese three ways was on the menu Saturday at noon. Can you guess which sandwich was the most popular?


Top to bottom: (1) provolone cheese, cilantro sauce and grilled onions; (2) provolone and cheddar; (3) cheddar, bacon and tomato; and (4) cheddar and tomato for the vegetarians.

For 75 camper and staff, we prepared 18 cilantro sauce and onion sandwiches, 18 plain grilled cheese, 36 bacon and tomato and 6 cheese and tomato. The bacon and tomato was so popular that we quickly assembled a second sheet pan (as expected!). The sandwiches were cut in half to service. That let each diner mix-n-match one, two or three halves as desired.



Bakin' Bill's ham 'n cheese muffins

Bakin' Bill and Deeann Johnson offer this recipe for ham 'n cheese muffins. They originally presented it at a Dutch oven class in November 2004 at Macey's supermarket in Ogden, Utah, near their hometown of Layton. The Johnson's taught the monthly class for 14 years.

"Each month we did a different main dish, bread and dessert," explained Bill. "Each time we would do one or two of the recipes for the first time there in the class. It was to teach them to get out of their comfort zone and try new things."

BAKIN' BILL'S HAM 'N CHEESE MUFFINS

These muffins can be baked in cast iron muffin tins or as balls on the lid of the Dutch oven.

1/3 cup finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon butter
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
1-1/2 cups reduced-fat biscuit/baking mix
1/2 cup fat-free milk
1 egg, beaten
1 cup finely chopped fully cooked ham

In a seasoned cast iron skillet, sauté onion in butter until tender; set aside. In a bowl, combine cheese and biscuit mix. Stir in milk and egg just until moistened. Fold in ham and onion mixture.

Coat muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray or use paper liners. Fill three-fourths full. Bake at 425 degree for 13 to 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack. Serve warm. Yield: 1 dozen.

Roasted red pepper salsa for hamburgers

Hamburgers are on the menu once each week at work. The burgers usually appear early in the week on the four-week cycle menu. Hot dogs, grilled sandwiches and pasta dishes fill the remaining lunches.

As you might guess, the residents have expressed boredom with the current menu. Since I'm obligated to follow the approved menu, I add interest by paring a relish or salsa with the sandwich lunches.

Last Thursday a roasted red pepper salsa accompanied the grilled hamburger. I served it on the side so the residents had a choice.

The spicy salsa served two purposes. It helped make up for the lack of cheese on the hamburger. (I didn't have enough inventory.)

It also gave the ladies an additional layer of flavor on the hamburger. It gave the sandwich an uplifting flavor profile while helping the residents avoid unwanted calories.

I plan to keep the roasted red pepper salsa when I write the new menu. One salsa or relish will be featured with each sandwich. The three hamburger lunches (reduced from four) will feature:

• Roasted red pepper salsa with cheddar cheese
• Green chili salsa with Monterrey jack cheese
• Sauteed mushroom & sweet onions with Swiss cheese

Sliced onion and tomato, pickle chips and lettuce with all the condiments are still available to residents who want to assemble a traditional hamburger.

ROASTED RED PEPPER SALSA

Use canned roasted red peppers if desired. To roast the sweet peppers, follow directions below.

4 roasted red bell peppers, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and pepper, to taste

Combine ingredients. Season with salt and ground black pepper to taste. Serve immediately. Makes about 2 cups.

To roast red bell peppers: Blacken skins of bell peppers under a broiler or over the flame of a gas burner. Place blackened peppers in a zipper lock bag and seal closed. Leave for 5 minutes so the steam helps to lift the skin from flesh.

When peppers are cool enough to handle, pierce a hole in the bottom of each and squeeze out the juices into a bowl. Peel, core and seed the peppers, then finely chop with a knife. Add reserved juices to the salsa.

Philly-style Polish sausage sandwiches and inter-session meals

My number-one inter-session food request from staff is for adult food. The instructors (and the small number of campers staying for the next session) want off-menu food items. They welcome any dish that's a change from the standard Deer Crossing Camp two-week cycle menu.

When I started lunch prep at 11 a.m. yesterday, I quickly assembled 2 salsas. My first thought was to offer a trio of salsas to the 14 staff and campers that would eat lunch. Three unique flavor combinations would form the basis for a chip and salsa extravaganza.

The first two salsas quickly came together. The fiery orange and apple salsa contained two dice Valencia oranges and two diced granny smith apples with ground cumin and the juice of two limes.

Red and green bell peppers, roasted and cut into strips, and flavored with a quick spicy vinaigrette (vegetable oil, white vinegar, chili powder, salt and pepper) formed a sweet pepper salsa.

I switched gears by the time I got to make a salsa fresca. When I first posed the idea of serving leftovers from the Friday barbecue, one instructor doubled her request for something other than leftovers. She may have thought I was going to throw a plate of warmed-over hamburger patties and sausages on the table.

Inter-session meals are the perfect time to get rid of the few leftovers in the refrigerator. I rarely have sufficient quantity to feed the whole camp. Inter-session gives me the opportunity to mold the leftovers into something new.

So, ingenuity and the desire to fulfill instructor requests for adult food drive many of my ideas for inter-session meals, which run from Saturday lunch to Sunday lunch. Once campers for the next session arrive on Sunday afternoon, I'm back on the two-week cycle menu.

My original thought was to slice the 22 Polish sausages and saute them with tomatoes, onions and sweet peppers. Leftover Boca burgers would form the basis for the vegetarian option.

With my newly revised menu in my heads, I figured the orange and apple salsa could double as a fruit salad, while the sweet pepper salsa would make a good relish for Polish sausage sandwiches with melted cheese – a quick camp version of the famed Philly cheese steak sandwich.

I slice the tomatoes for the salsa fresca and marinated them in a quick vinaigrette with garlic and basil. It only took a few minutes to slice onions, green bell peppers and tomatoes for the sandwiches.

To complete the sandwiches, I sauteed the onions and sweet peppers in a large cast iron skillet, then added sliced Polish sausages. Once the sausages came to temperature, I spooned the mixture onto toasted hamburger buns, topped with sliced cheese and melted the cheese in a 350-degree oven.

Note: In the last two pictures, the sandwiches with the bell pepper on top of the cheese are vegetarian sandwiches. This helped me identify them from the meat sandwiches.

Grilled cheese extravaganza

Campers will surprise you, at least at Deer Crossing Camp. Just when you think that they will only eat chicken nuggets, grilled cheese sandwiches and cold cereal, they surprise you and devour so-called adult food.

When I served Mulligatawny soup two week ago, the campers at Deer Crossing ate a bowl each. And they thanked me after the meal for the wonderful alternative to canned cream of chicken soup.

Saturday night I accompanied the grilled pork chops with caramelized onions. I sliced three large yellow onions and slowly sweated them in a cast iron skillet until they turned golden.

I set the skillet on the kitchen counter, not in bowls for the tables. I figured staff would be the only ones to eat the delectable onion dish, which I consider equal to bacon and butter.

I knew that I was in trouble when the first four tables (of seven that night) decimated the caramelized onions. The teary eyed head of the last table (a second-year instructor) almost sent tears to my eyes when he missed out on the onions.

With this background, I knew that I had to prepare enough "special" sandwiches when I created a grilled cheese extravaganza yesterday. Once again, the campers ate every sandwich that was placed on the table.

I grilled 60 sandwiches for the 37 campers that ate in camp yesterday (a couple dozen campers and staff were out on a whitewater rafting trip). They included:

• Traditional grilled cheese with two slices of cheese -- 30 sandwiches; we use Sysco sliced cheddar cheese; it comes in 8 (1-1/2-pound) packages per case or 32 slices per package
• Mozzarella, pesto and sliced tomato -- 10 sandwiches; the number was limited by a small quantity of tomatoes on hand; campers and staff would've eaten more
• Tuna melt with two slices of cheese -- 14 sandwiches; used tuna salad leftover from Saturday’s lunch
• Cheese and salami – 6 sandwiches; only made a small quantity for the staff table

One sandwich came back to the kitchen after lunch, and it was a traditional grilled cheese. That’s a good indication that the campers at Deer crossing Camp will explore beyond conventional camper food.

Day off ...

As at most summer camps across the United States, staff get one 24-hour period off each week. The day off at Deer Crossing runs from 7 a.m. to 7 a.m. the next day.

We have chosen to leave camp on each of our days off. It lets us "get aways from it all" and enjoy a relaxing day out of the kitchen. After a five-minute boat ride across Loon Lake, we're free to relax, catch up on laundry and take care of business (banking, for instance) that can't be done at camp.

Debbie and I left the camp at 8:30 this morning and arrived in South Lake Tahoe in time for a late breakfast at Ernie's Coffee Shop. Laundry was next on the agenda, then a visit to an art and craft fair at the "Y" and coffee and Internet at Alpina Coffee Cafe.

Coffee gave us a chance to dodge the rain and catch up on the whereabouts of our 17-year-old son, who's staying with his sister. The rain was a pleasant relief from the heat and dry conditions at camp.

In the photo, I was about to stuff my special peanut butter, dill pickle and mayonnaise sandwich into my mouth at camp. I plan to demonstrate the sandwich to each new group of campers, every two weeks. Four staff and about eight campers accepted my challenge to try the sandwich last week.

I've been eating the sandwich, named "The Jonathon" after a Florida College employee who ate them by the dozen after camp in 2003, since childhood.

Focaccia

Focaccia makes a nice sandwich bread for camp. It can easily be baked on a full sized sheet pan. To form sandwiches, cut bread in sheet pan 6 by 8. Then slice each portion flat and filled with desired sandwich fillings. or served un-split as an accompaniment to soup or salad.

FOCACCIA

Makes an 8-1/4-pound dough. If desired, divide dough into 4 (2-pound 1-ounce). Shape into ovals or rectangles about 1/2-2/3 inch thick. Bake 15 to 20 minutes after proofing.

4-1/2 pounds bread flour
3 pounds warm water, 105-110 degrees F.
4-1/2 ounces olive oil
1-1/2 ounces salt
2 ounces sugar
1 ounce instant yeast

Olive Oil Topping
1 ounce fresh rosemary, chopped
30 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup olive oil

Add flour, water, oil, salt, sugar and yeast to 10- to 20-quart mixer bowl. Mix until blended using dough hook. Mix on low speed for about 10 minutes until dough is smooth and satiny.

Turn into lightly greased bowl, then turn over to grease top. Cover. Let rise in warm place (80°F) until double in bulk (30-40 minutes).

Turn dough onto floured surface. Form into ball and cut an X halfway through the dough. Pull cuts out slightly to form a rough square. This will make it easier to shape dough into a rectangle tater. Cover and let rest 30 minutes.

Place dough into center of greased 18x26-inch sheet pan. With oiled hands, work dough until it completely covers pan. Cover and let dough rest 10 minutes halfway through shaping, if necessary.

Mix rosemary, garlic and olive oil. Brush dough with olive oil mixture and sprinkle lightly with kosher salt and coarse ground pepper. Let rise until 1-1/2 times its original size.

Bake at 450°F for approximately 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown.

FOCACCIA WITH ONIONS

Toss 1-pound thinly sliced onions with 1/4-cup olive oil, 1/2-teaspoon salt and 1/2-teaspoon pepper. Distribute onion mixture on dough after shaping. Proof and bake as directed.

Roast beef sandwiches

Each year I think of cooking a large Dutch oven lunch for the crew at the El Dorado County Fair. Instead, I opt to run out to the Union Mine High School's hamburger concession for lunch. The burger, french fries and iced tea are refreshing, and it gives me a chance to support a local school.

While I never tire of a well-prepared hamburger, fair food doesn't really thrill me. It's expensive, even at the non-profit concession stands. And fair food lacks any real interest to me at all.

This year I knew bringing a lot of cast iron into the museum was out of the question. Limited parking, transportation issues and the need to assist the railroad crew make cooking at the fair an impractical proposition.

My solution was to cook for the crew of the El Dorado Western Railway at home. Given the hot weather (the thermometer topped 93 degrees in Placerville), I thought the crew would enjoy a menu of roast beef sandwiches, potato salad and fresh vegetable would.

With a little planning, you can prepare this meal at home over one or two days and transport it to your project site. This gives you the opportunity to help with the work of the project. On-site meal assembly should take about 30 minutes for a crew of a dozen or so.

TRI-TIP SANDWICHES

I used two small tri-tip roasts for this recipe. To roast, place two seasoned tri-tip roasts (about 2 pounds each) in a 350-degree oven. Roast until the internal temperature reaches 130 degrees. Remove from oven, rest and cool completely before slicing for sandwiches. Allow for about 25 percent loss then roasting the tri-tip.

3 pounds freshly sliced rare roast beef
24 slices crusty sourdough bread (24 slices)
1-1/2 cups horseradish sauce (recipe follows)
4 medium tomatoes, sliced thin
2 cups marinated red onion (recipe follows)
2-1/2 ounces fresh baby arugula (about 3 cups loosely packed)

When feeding a crew on an off-site project, roast tri-tip or top round beef roast two days prior. Prepare horseradish sauce, slice and marinate red onions and slice tomatoes the evening before lunch. Assemble the sandwiches that same evening or on-site (as I did) as desired. Pack the meal in an ice cooler for safe transport to the project site.

To assemble each sandwich: Evenly spread 1 tablespoon horseradish sauce on 2 slices of bread. Layer 3 or 4 slices roast beef (about 4 ounces) on the bottom bread. Top with 3 tomato slices, 2 tablespoons marinated onions and 1/4-cup arugula. Sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper if desired. Cover with bread and slice sandwich in half.

Makes 12 sandwiches. Serve with a zesty potato salad made with a herb and red wine vinegarette and a fresh vegetable tray.

MARINATED RED ONIONS

Use the onions as condiment for roast beef sandwiches, topping for a dinner salad or plate garnish for holiday turkey.

2 medium red onion, sliced thin
2 tablespoons kosher salt
3/4 cup red wine vinegar

In a small bowl, mix together the onion and kosher salt. Brine the onions for 20 minutes. Rinse with cold running water, drain and squeeze to remove excess liquid. Combine onions and vinegar and marinate overnight in the refrigerator.

HORSERADISH SAUCE

I find the 2 ounces prepared horseradish for each cup of the finished sauce is just right. The flavor comes through with overpowering your diners. This recipe makes enough for 12 or more sandwiches. Save any leftover sauce for other uses.

3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 cup light sour cream
4 ounces prepared horseradish
pinch kosher salt
pinch white pepper

Whisk together mayonnaise, sour cream, horseradish, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Refrigerate until needed.

To prepare mustard horseradish sauce: reduce sour cream to 3/4-cup and add 1-1/2 to 2 tablespoons each Dijon-style and whole-grain mustard. Continue with recipe.

Grilled Hot Mexican Beef Sandwich Santa Fe

At first glance, this sandwich filling looks like mystery meat. You know, one of those chopped meat fillings that you'd expect to find between two slices of white bread in a 1950s cafeteria.

With the possible exception of tuna salad, I've never had much use for these sandwiches. I'd rather build my own sandwich with meat, red onion, dill pickle and lettuce. There's comfort in taking the mystery out of distasteful ingredients.

While searching for a grilled sandwich last week in Dining By Rail, I ran across this chopped meat sandwich. It was served in the dining cars of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway.

What I found was a delightful roast beef sandwich. The robust flavor of the roast beef comes through even when mixed with chopped hard cooked egg, minced chili pepper, chopped pimento and shredded Swiss cheese. And the Russian dressing gives the sandwich a nice creamy texture.

No anonymous ingredients here. The sandwich was a hit Saturday at the engine house of the El Dorado Western Railway. I served it with old fashion navy bean soup and cole slaw.

GRILLED HOT MEXICAN SANDWICH SANTA FE

This sandwich is a great way to use leftover roast beef. Santa Fe cooks toasted open faced sandwiches under a red-hot broiler. I adapted the sandwich to engine house cooking by toasting it in a cast iron skillet. I added sliced tomatoes and changed the hot chilies to fresh (from fresh, parboiled).

Filling:
1 pound cooked roast beef, diced fine
4 hard cooked eggs, chopped
4 hot chilies, chopped fine
1 (4-ounce) jar pimentos
1 celery stalk, chopped fine
4 ounces Swiss cheese, shredded

Russian dressing:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 cup chili sauce
2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce

Soft butter
12 medium tomato slices
12 slices French or Italian bread

In a medium bowl, mix thoroughly the roast beef, eggs, chilies, pimentos, celery and Swiss cheese. For the dressing combine mayonnaise, lemon juice, chili sauce and hot pepper sauce. Fold dressing into the sandwich filling.

Spread butter on one side of each bread slice. Lay out 6 slices, buttered side down. Divide filling generously on bread slices. Top each sandwich with 2 tomato slices on and top with remaining bread, buttered side up.

Grill sandwiches in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat until both sides are golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Serves 6.

Barbecued Beef Sandwiches

Folks in the budget shop where I now work ask culinary questions on occasion. This week Terry asked me how to prepare barbecued beef sandwiches.

She's hosting a graduation BBQ for he daughter next Saturday and would like to cook the meat on the gas grill in the back yard. With temperatures climbing toward the century mark this time of year, Terry doesn't want to heat the house.

Someone recommended that Terry use a brisket for the meat. Brisket is a very flavorful cut of meat. The cut comes from the breast meat just under the chuck, which is located under the first five ribs.

Brisket's toughness steams from its proximity to the working muscles of the forelegs. The meat is typically used for barbecue, pot roast and corned beef.

Slow cooking tenderizes the brisket. The cut, which is often cut into pieces that range from six to 12 pounds, lends itself to smoking and dry rubs. Ever popular Texas barbecue is made with full cuts of brisket smoked for eight to 10 hours with flavorful hardwoods like apple, mesquite and hickory. We'll leave smoking for another time.

Like its cousin chuck from further up on the back, brisket responds well to a slow braise in a flavored liquid. The key, like pot roast made from a seven-bone chuck roast, it to barely cover the meat with a liquid. Heat control is critical outdoors where weather conditions, such as wind and precipitation, has greater influence on the heat source.

The simplest way to braise a brisket is to place it in a diluted barbecue sauce. Many barbecue sauces are too thick for a braise. Since the sugars in the thick sauce can easily burn, I find that it's best to dilute it by one-third (a 3:1 sauce to broth ratio).


BARBECUED BEEF SANDWICHES

This recipe will serve 30 to 40 people. The total number of servings will vary according to the total weight of brisket prepared. Figure about three ounces cooked meat per portion. By the time you trim excess fat, the yield will be about four servings per pound of brisket.

I was able to snuggly fit 2 briskets in a 14-inch regular Dutch oven. I purchased 9-1/2-pounds for the test batch, which was almost too much for 14-inch regular oven. Next time I'll use a deep camp oven for the recipe.

One four- to five-pound brisket will fit inside a 12-inch Dutch oven. Prepare one-half the recipe for a 12-incher.

2 beef briskets, trimmed (about 8 to 10 pounds)
2 large onions, sliced
6 cups barbecue sauce
2 cups chicken broth
40 to 50 hamburger buns

Season the brisket with salt and pepper. Heat a light coating of oil in a 14-inch Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the brisket, brown on all sides and transfer to a platter. Pour off excess fat. Add onions and cook until carmelized.

Place brisket on top of onions. Combine barbecue sauce and broth. Pour over meat and place lid on the Dutch oven. Bake with coals for 300 to 325 degrees for about 2 to 3 hours or until fork tender.

Remove meat from braising liquid and cool. Skim fat from liquid. Thinly slice the meat and return to the Dutch oven and heat. Serve 3 ounces meat on each hamburger bun.

Tortilla Chip Tacos in a Bag

Here's an idea that I gleaned from the May 2005 issue of Food Management, a monthly trade journal for the non-commercial food service industry.

This recipe is served at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City as "Walking Tacos." Fans grab the taco salad-in-a-bag and a fork and eat it in the stands.

Tortilla chip tacos are perfect grab-and-go entrée for campers. Set up a quick buffet line with tortilla chip bags, a pan of taco meat (beef or chicken or both) and bowls of individual condiments. Condiments should include grated cheeses, diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce, minced onions and salsa.

Don't forget the adults. They'll relish a few extra toppings like avocados, extra hot chiles, chopped fresh cilantro and one or more exotic salsas. Some of the older children will "sneak" away some of these toppings. But that's okay. The goal here is to accommodate as many tastes as possible.

For a truly grab-and go meal, accompany the tacos with juice and milk cartons, applesauce cups and popsicles. And you may want to place a sturdy paper plate on the buffet table as the taco can be pretty messy. And don't forget a disposable fork.

I used a 1-ounce bag of Doritos for the test run. You may want to use one of the larger portion-control bags of chips.

TORTILLA CHIP TACO IN A BAG

For each serving:

1 bag of tortilla chips
1/4 cup taco meat (see recipe)
2 tablespoons shredded cheese
2 teaspoons minced onions
1/4 cup shredded lettuce
2 tablespoons dice tomatoes
2 tablespoons taco sauce or salsa

Crush a bag of your favorite tortilla chips (1-ounce size or larger) and slit the side of the bag. Top chips with spicy taco meat, shredded cheese, minced onions, diced tomatoes and taco sauce, as desired. Garnish with sour cream and chopped cilantro.