by Wilbur, Todd
1 large artichoke
8 cups water
3 tablespoons salt
juice of 2 lemons
4 cups ice
ROASTED GARLIC MAYONNAISE
⅓ cup mayonnaise
1 head garlic
I tablespoon olive oil
¼ teaspoon lemon juice
dash salt
TOMATO RELISH
I medium tomato, diced (about
½ cup)
I clove garlic, minced (about
1 teaspoon)
1 teaspoon minced onion
2 basil leaves, minced
½ teaspoon olive oil
½ teaspoon balsamic vinegar
¼ teaspoon salt
dash ground black pepper
I tablespoon butter, melted
1. Prepare the artichoke by cutting about an inch off the top with a sharp knife. Use scissors to clip the thorny tips off of all the outer leaves so no one gets punctured. Cut the artichoke in half down through the middle. Dissolve 3 tablespoons salt in 8 cups of water in a large bowl. Add juice of 2 lemons and ice, then drop the artichoke halves in the cold brine to marinate for 2 to 3 hours.
2. While artichoke is marinating, roast the head of garlic by preheating your oven to 325 degrees. Cut the top off of a head of garlic and cut the bottom (the root end) so that the garlic will sit flat. Remove most of the papery skin from the garlic, but leave just enough to hold the garlic together. Drizzle I tablespoon of olive oil over the garlic, then place it in a small oven-safe casserole dish. Cover it with a lid or aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour or until the garlic begins to brown. When you can handle the garlic, squeeze about 1 tablespoon of roasted garlic from the head and combine it with the mayo, lemon juice and salt. Stir well.
3. While the garlic is roasting prepare the tomato relish by combining all of the ingredients in a small bowl. Stir well, then cover and refrigerate until needed.
4. When you are ready to cook the artichoke, bring some water to a boil in a large saucepan with a steamer basket. You don’t want the water to touch the artichoke if you can help it. If you don’t have a steamer basket, fill the pan with just an inch or so of water When the water is simmering, add the artichoke halves, cover, and steam for 40 to 50 minutes or until the artichoke is tender While artichoke halves are steaming, preheat your barbecue grill to high heat.
5. When the steamed artichokes are cool enough to handle, use a spoon to scrape out the fuzzy choke inside each half. Brush melted butter over the entire surface of each steamed artichoke half and place each half, flat-side down on the preheated grill. Grill for 4 to 6 minutes or until dark charring marks appear on the face of each half. Serve grilled-side-up with tomato relish (strain the liquid from the relish before serving) and roasted garlic mayonnaise on the side.
• SERVES 2 AS AN APPETIZER.
CLAIM JUMPER CHEESE POTATOCAKES
MENU DESCRIPTION: “(Our most popular appetizer.) Parmesan, Cheddar & Monterey Jack cheeses, cilantro, onion, fresh dill & mashed potato lightly breaded and fried crispy topped with fresh cut chives. Served with herbed ranch salsa.”
This top-seller is a versatile side dish alternative to mashed potatoes, but also stands well on it’s own as an appetizer. With cilantro, green onion, and three different cheeses in there, the flavor is the bomb. When you add a crispy breading and some herbed ranch salsa drizzled over the top, it’s clear why this is the most popular appetizer on the huge Claim Jumper menu. Try dropping a pinch or two of cayenne pepper into the herbed ranch salsa for an extra spicy boost.
HERBED RANCH SALSA
½ cup sour cream
¼ cup seeded and diced tomato
(about ½ tomato)
2 tablespoons minced onion
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon fresh minced cilantro
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
pinch dried dill weed
POTATOCAKES
4 medium red potatoes, with skin
(about I pound)
¼ cup shredded Cheddar cheese
¼ cup shredded Monterey Jack
cheese
2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan
cheese
I green onion, chopped
½ teaspoon minced fresh cilantro
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
BREADING
⅔ cup unseasoned breadcrumbs
(Progresso is good)
⅓ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon dried dill weed
I egg, beaten
1 cup milk
2 to 3 cups vegetable shortening
GARNISH
fresh cut chives
1. Boil potatoes for 25 to 30 minutes or until mostly soft, but still slightly firm. Be careful not to overcook those boys. Your potatocakes will hold together best when the potatoes aren’t too mushy.
2. As the potatoes boil make your herbed ranch salsa by combining all of the ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and chill this sauce until you need it.
3. Drain the potatoes and mash them with the skin on in a medium bowl. You don’t need a completely smooth consistency for the potatoes. There should be some small chunks of potato in there. Add the remaining ingredients for the potatocakes and mix well.
4. Combine breadcrumbs with flour and ½ teaspoon dill in a large bowl. Combine beaten egg and milk in another large bowl. Measure about ⅓ cup of the potato mixture into your hands and shape it into a patty about the size of a hamburger patty. Drop the potato mixture into the breading mixture, then into the egg and milk, then back into the breading, being sure to cover the entire surface of the potatocake with the breading. Arrange the potatocake on a plate and repeat the process with the remaining potato mixture. Cover and chill the potatocakes for about I hour, so that they’ll be sure to stick together when fried.
5. Heat up the shortening in a skillet over medium/low heat. You should have about I inch of shortening in the pan. Fry the potatocakes for 2 to 4 minutes or until golden brown, then drain on a rack or paper towels.
6. Serve potatocakes with a bit of ranch salsa poured over the top and sprinkle with fresh cut chives.
• MAKES 6 POTATOCAKES.
CLAIM JUMPER SPICY THAI SLAW
MENU DESCRIPTION: “Mixed greens, carrots, zucchini, green onions, peanuts and crunchy cappellini. Tossed in a sweet and spicy dressing.”
If you dig the sweet, sour, and spicy flavor combinations of Thai food, you’ll love this tasty twist on coleslaw. Just find yourself a medium-size head of napa cabbage and a few other special ingredients and you’re on your way to a perfect side dish for grilled grub, sandwiches, or as a quick solo snack. The menu mentions cappellini but we’ll substitute with soba noodles that can be found in the supermarket aisle with other Asian foods (the rice vinegar and chili paste will be over there too). If you can’t find soba noodles, the thicker chow mein noodles will also work. The mixed baby greens can often be found in ready-to-serve-plastic bags in the produce section. But the real secret ingredient for great tasting slaw is patience. The flavors of coleslaw improve after several hours in the cool box, and letting it sit overnight is even better
DRESSING
⅓ cup rice vinegar
½ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon chili paste
(sambal)
4 teaspoons fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons canola oil
½ teaspoon salt
2 ounces soba noodles, cooked
(1½ cups)
10 cups thinly sliced napa
cabbage (approx. I head)
2 cups mixed baby greens
I ½ cups julienned carrot (approx.
I carrot)
1 cup Julienned zucchini, (approx.
½ zucchini)
I cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup dry roasted unsalted
peanuts
/> ½ cup sliced almonds
1. Prepare the dressing first by combining the ingredients in a small bowl or glass measuring cup. Heat up this mixture in the microwave on high for 30 to 60 seconds or until dressing is hot, but not boiling. This will help to dissolve the sugar and salt. Stir the dressing well and set it aside to cool.
2. Cook 2 ounces of soba noodles following the directions on the package (the directions will say something like: “Cook noodles for 5 minutes in rapidly boiling water”). Drain the soba noodles, run cold water over them and let them sit to cool while you prepare the other ingredients.
3. Use a large sharp knife to thinly slice a medium head of napa cabbage. You can also use a mandoline to slice the cabbage into thin, uniform strips so that you have 10 cups of sliced cabbage. You can use a mandoline with a julienne attachment for slicing the carrots and zucchini as well. Make sure to chop the julienne slices into bite-size strips.
4. Chop the soba noodles into bite-size pieces, then combine them with the cabbage, baby greens, carrot, zucchini, cilantro, and nuts in a large bowl. Toss everything around real well while adding the dressing, then cover and chill the bowl for at least 4 hours. If you have the patience, wait overnight for it, because the cole slaw will taste even better. Your slaw should last for up to a week covered in the fridge.
• MAKES APPROXIMATELY 10 CUPS.
CLAIM JUMPER MEATLOAF
MENU DESCRIPTION: “Our own special recipe made with fresh ground chuck pork, mild onions, green peppers and more. Served with mashed potatoes, brown gravy and garlic toast.”
Here’s a great meatloaf recipe to add to your mealtime repertoire. This luscious loaf combines ground chuck with ground pork along with breadcrumbs, green onion, garlic, carrot and green pepper for one of the best flavor experiences you’ll get from a good old-fashioned American loaf of meat. Use a perforated nesting meatloaf pan if you’ve got one so that the fat drains out into the pan below. If you don’t have one of those a regular loaf pan will still work fine. But use a large one. This recipe makes a pretty big beefy slab of goodness.
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
I green onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons minced green bell
pepper
2 tablespoons grated carrot
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
I ½ pounds ground chuck
¾ pound ground pork
I cup breadcrumbs (such as
Progresso)
½ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup ketchup plus on additional
¼ cup ketchup (for top)
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Saute green onion, garlic, green pepper, and carrot in vegetable oil over medium heat for a couple minutes.
3. Combine beaten eggs with milk, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder in a medium bowl.
4. In a large bowl, mix breadcrumbs and flour into ground chuck and ground pork with your hands. Add egg and milk mixture, sautéed veggies, ¼ cup ketchup and mix it up using your hands. Get in there and squish it all around for a while. Enjoy yourself.
5. Press the mixture into a meatloaf pan (the kind of pan with drainage holes in the bottom) or a large loaf pan. Bake for 30 minutes, then spread ¼ cup of ketchup over the top of the meatloaf and bake it for another hour. Let it sit for a bit after you remove it from the oven before you slice it to serve.
• SERVES 8.
DENNY’S FABULOUS FRENCH TOAST
MENU DESCRIPTION: “Three thick slices grilled golden brown and sprinkled with powdered sugar.”
This popular breakfast choice at America’s number one diner chain takes center stage on the cover of the menu. Three slices of thick bread are dipped in a slightly sweet egg batter, browned to perfection and served up with a dusting of powdered sugar, some soft butter and thick maple syrup on the side. Find the thick-sliced Texas toast bread in your bakery, or use any white bread that’s sliced around ¾-inch thick. This recipe will make enough for two servings of three slices each, and it’s the perfect recipe for waking up a special someone with breakfast in bed. (Many points will be earned.)
4 eggs
cup whole milk
cup all-purpose flour
cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 slices thick bread (such as Texas
toast)
3 tablespoons butter
GARNISH
powdered sugar
butter
ON THE SIDE
maple syrup
1. . Whisk together eggs, milk, flour, sugar, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl.
2. Heat a large cast-iron or nonstick skillet over medium/low heat. When the pan is hot, add I tablespoon of butter If butter smokes, your pan is too hot, turn down the heat.
3. Drop each bread slice into the batter for about 30 seconds per side. Let some of the batter drip off then drop the bread into the buttered pan. Cook each battered bread slice for 1½ to 2 minutes per side or until golden brown. Add more butter to the pan as needed to cook all the French toast.
4. Serve three slices of French toast per plate. Dust each serving with a little powdered sugar (tap it through a strainer), and include some maple syrup on the side.
• MAKES 2 SERVINGS.
DENNY’S BBQ CHICKEN SANDWICH
MENU DESCRIPTION: “A seasoned, grilled chicken breast topped with Cheddar cheese and a stack of thin cnsp onion rings on a sesame seed bun with lettuce, tomato and a sweet hickory spread, Served with a side of BBQ sauce.”
With 1,527 restaurants across the country, Denny’s is on top as America’s largest full-service family restaurant chain. Sure, the chain’s famous for its Grand Slam Breakfasts, but Denny’s menu is filled with tasty choices for grub way past breakfast time. One such item is this chicken sandwich built with grilled chicken breast, lettuce, tomato, Cheddar cheese, crispy onion rings, and a secret sweet hickory spread. That hickory spread is one of the ingredients that makes this sandwich special. So the clone is here, and it requires an ingredient called hickory salt. You can find this blend of salt and hickory flavoring in the spice section from Spice Islands under the name “Old Hickory Smoked Salt.” If you can’t find that stuff, just substitute with ⅛ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon liquid hickory smoke. For even more flavor, Denny’s serves the sandwich with a small dish of barbecue sauce that tastes remarkably similar to Bull’s-Eye Original, so that’s what we’ll use. While homemade crunchy onion rings are the way to go for a true clone, you can certainly shortcut this step by using the canned French’s French Fried Onions found in practically every supermarket.
SWEET HICKORY SPREAD
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup minced onion
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
¼ cup molasses
¼ cup water
2 tablespoon white vinegar
⅛ teaspoon hickory salt
CRUNCHY ONION RINGS (SEE TIDBITS)
1 cup thinly sliced onion,
separated into rings
I cup milk
I cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cups canola oil
2 skinless chicken breast fillets
vegetable oil
salt
ground black pepper
2 sesame seed hamburger buns
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 leaves green leaf lettuce
4 tomato slices
2 slices Cheddar cheese
ON THE SIDE
Bull’s-Eye Original Barbecue Sauce
1. Prepare sweet hickory spread by melting 3 tablespoons butter over medium/low heat. Add I cup
minced onion and saute for 7 to 10 minutes or until the onions start to brown. Add 2 teaspoons flour and stir until the flour is mixed in. Let this cook for a minute or two, then add molasses, water, vinegar, and hickory salt. Simmer sauce for 3 to 4 minutes or until thick. Remove from heat and cover
2. Make the crunchy onion rings by pouring milk into a large bowl. Combine flour, salt, and black pepper in another bowl. Dip onions in flour mixture first, then into milk and back into flour. Arrange all of the coated rings to a plate to rest while you heat up 2 cups canola oil in a large saucepan over medium/low heat (you can also use a deep fryer for this step, just use the amount of oil required by the fryer manufacturer and set the temperature to 375 degrees). Test the oil by dropping in a pinch of flour. It should bubble. When the oil is hot, fry a handful of onion rings at a time in the oil until golden brown (3 to 5 minutes). Drain them on paper towels. (See Tidbits.)