Author: Dave Tappan

Tex-Mex Enchiladas with Chili Gravy

Chili Gravy

1 1/2 pounds ground beef

1 onion, chopped

3 Tablespoons chili powder

1 tablespoon cumin

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon Mexican or regular oregano

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Kosher salt and fresh-ground pepper, to taste

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

2 cups chicken broth. More, if needed

Enchiladas

1 twelve-ounce block cheddar cheese, shredded

12 corn tortillas

1 twenty-eight-ounce can red enchilada sauce.

1 white onion, chopped

Handful fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

Make the Chili Gravy

Brown the ground beef in a skillet over medium heat. When browned add chopped onion and cook for about 5 minutes.

Add chili powder, cumin, cayenne, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Stir until mixed evenly.

Add the flour and stir in with the seasoned ground beef.

Pour in the broth and bring it up to a boil. Then lower the heat and let it simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. It smells really good at this point. When it thickens up, then it is ready to pour over the cheese enchiladas. If the gravy is too thick for your liking, add a little more broth.

Heat The Tortillas

In a skillet, heat the enchilada sauce to barely boiling, then turn down to a slight simmer.

Submerge each tortilla in the hot enchilada sauce to make it soft and pliable before adding the cheese and rolling it.

Enchiladas

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Ladle about a half cup of the chili gravy into the bottom of a 9×13 pan.

Add about 1/4 cup of shredded cheddar cheese on the lower third of the sauced tortilla. Then tightly roll the tortilla around the cheese and place seam side down in the 9×13 baking dish. Repeat until you have rolled all enchiladas.

Pour the remaining chili gravy over the enchiladas, and sprinkle about 1 cup of shredded cheese evenly over the top of the enchiladas.

Bake in a preheated oven for 20 minutes.

Serve the enchiladas hot, and top with chopped onions and chopped cilantro just before serving.

Sausage, Ham, Pepperoni and Salami Stromboli

FOR THE DOUGH

1 cup warm water

1 envelope active dry yeast

1 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

FILLING

1/2 lb. hot Italian sausage, removed from casings and crumbled

1 cup sliced yellow onion

1/2 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper

1/2 cup thinly sliced green bell pepper

2 tablespoons thinly sliced seeded and stemmed jalapenos

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1/4 lb. sliced ham

1/4 lb. thinly sliced pepperoni

1/4 lb. sliced salami

1/2 cup sliced black olives

2 cups grated provolone cheese

2 cups grated mozzarella cheese

1 large egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water to make an egg wash

1 cup finely grated parmesan cheese

Dough:

In a large bowl, combine the water, yeast, sugar, and 1 tablespoon oil and stir to combine. Let sit until the mixture is foamy, about 5 minutes.

Add 1 1/2 cups of the flour and the salt, mixing by hand until it is all incorporated and the mixture is smooth. Continue adding the flour, 1/4 cup at a time, working the dough after each addition, until all the flour is incorporated but the dough is still slightly sticky. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth but still slightly tacky, 3 to 5 minutes.

Oil a large mixing bowl with the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil. Place the dough in the bowl and turn to oil all sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set in a warm, draft-free place until nearly doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

To make the Stromboli:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a large baking sheet and set aside.

In a large skillet, cook the sausage over medium-high heat until browned and the fat is rendered, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain well on paper towels. Discard all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the pan. Add the onions, bell peppers, and jalapenos and cook, stirring, until very soft, 4 to 5 minutes.

Add the garlic and Italian seasoning and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and cool.

Punch down the dough and divide half. On a lightly floured surface, roll out half of the dough to a large rectangle, about 10 by 14 inches. Spread half of the cooled sausage mixture across the dough leaving a 1-inch border. Overlapping slightly, layer half of the ham, pepperoni, olives, provolone and mozzarella cheeses over the top. Using a pastry brush, paint the border of 1 long edge with egg wash. Starting at the opposite long end without egg wash, roll up the dough into a cylinder, pinching the edges to seal. Place on the prepared baking sheet and repeat with the remaining ingredients. Let the dough rise, 20 to 30 minutes.

Brush the top of each stromboli with egg wash. Bake until nearly completely golden brown and starting to crisp, about 20 minutes. Sprinkle each stromboli with Parmesan cheese and return to the oven until the cheese is melted and the dough is golden brown, about 5 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let stand 10 minutes. Slice thickly and serve.

Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes

1 pound ground beef

1 yellow onion, diced

1 green pepper, diced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 cup beef broth

1 table spoon cornstarch

2 tablespoons regular ketchup

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon Montreal steak seasoning

4 slices provolone cheese

4 buns, toasted with butter in a skillet or on a grill pan.

1. Cook the beef, onion and pepper in a skillet over medium-high heat breaking the beef up as you cook it, drain excess grease if you want to.

2. Add the garlic and cook for a minute.

3. Add the mixture of the corn starch and broth, followed by the ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, steak seasoning and cook until the sauce thickens a bit, about 3-5 minutes.

4. Place the provolone on top of the beef mixture, then put the skillet under the broiler until it has melted. Mix the cheese into the meat.

5. Divide the filling between the buns and enjoy!

Ruthie’s Sunday Salisbury Steak

THE GRAVY

2 tablespoons oil ( more as needed)

2 onions, halved and thinly sliced into half moons

12 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced

6-7 tablespoons all-purpose flour

A pinch of cayenne pepper, or crushed red pepper flakes, to taste

3 cups beef broth

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

Kosher salt and fresh-ground pepper, to taste

1 teaspoon beef bouillon powder

THE PATTIES

2 lbs ground beef

2 tablespoon Christopher Ranch jarred minced garlic

2 eggs

2 packages Lipton soup mix

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs

Kosher salt and fresh-ground pepper, to taste

In a bowl, combine the patty mixture until combined. Shape into 6 oval patties.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Use a cast iron skillet, if you have one.

Add the patties, cook until browned on each side (about 3-4 minutes per side, the patties do not have to be cooked all the way through as they will finish cooking in the gravy) remove to a plate.

To the same skillet, add sliced onion and mushrooms; cook stirring and scraping up any browned bits that have accumulated on the bottom of the skillet; cook for about 8-10 minutes or until the onions are softened. Add flour and cayenne pepper or pepper flakes; stir for 2 minutes.

Add in beef broth, Worcestershire sauce and salt and pepper; bring to a simmer stirring continuously until bubbly and thickened (at this point, add the beef bouillon powder).

Add the patties back to the skillet. Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for about 25 minutes turning the patties over once halfway through cooking. Serve right away.

Caramelized Hoisin Chicken Wings

3 lbs chicken wings

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 honey

2 tablespoons ketchup

1 cup hoisin sauce, prepared or homemade

4 garlic cloves, minced

Garlic salt and fresh-ground pepper, to taste

Chopped cilantro, for garnish

Lime wedges, for squeezing

Preheat oven to 375°

Place chicken in a 9×13-inch baking dish.

Mix the oil, soy sauce, ketchup, honey, hoisin sauce, garlic, salt and pepper and pour over the chicken.

Bake at 375° for one hour or until sauce is caramelized.

Serve wings on a large platter garnish with cilantro and lime wedges.

Hoisin Sauce

¼ cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter

1 tablespoon dark brown sugar

2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar

2 teaspoons sesame oil

1 teaspoon hot sauce, or to taste

1 garlic clove, minced

Pinch of black pepper, or to taste

Whisk soy sauce, peanut butter, brown sugar, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, hot sauce, garlic, and pepper together in a large bowl until well combined.

Beer Battered Fish Tacos with Quick Pickled Onions & Cucumber

& Chipotle Crema

Vegetable oil, for frying

2 cups all-purpose flour

3 teaspoons ground cumin

3 teaspoons cayenne pepper

3 teaspoons garlic salt

A few dashes of Tapatia hot sauce

12 ounces beer.

3 (8-ounce) cod fillets, cut into chunks

8 (8-inch) corn tortillas, lightly charred over a gas flame or on a grill

Lime wedges for squeezing

Quick-Pickled Onion and Cucumber, recipe follows

Fill a large pot with oil halfway up the pot. Heat oil to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, mix 1 cup flour, cumin, cayenne, and salt. Slowly whisk in beer until thick, but not runny. Add a few dashes of Tapatia to the batter. Dredge fish in remaining flour first, then dunk in the batter. Fry in batches until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Drain on paper-toweled lined plate.

Serve fish in tortillas topped with Chipotle Crema and Quick-Pickled Onion and Cucumber

Quick-Pickled Onion and Cucumber:

3/4 cup apple cider vinegar

3/4 cup sugar

1 cup water

1 tablespoon salt

1 large red onion, medium dice

1 large Vidalia onion, medium dice

1 English cucumber, medium dice

1 habanero chile, seeds removed, minced

1 Roma tomato, seeded and diced

2 tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro leaves

In a medium saucepan, bring to a boil the vinegar, sugar, water, and salt. Add onions and cucumber and continue to cook a few minutes more. Remove from heat, add chile, and transfer to a bowl. Let cool slightly then chill covered, for at least 1 hour.

Toss in the tomato and cilantro, 5 minutes before serving.

For the Chipotle Crema:

1 cup mayonnaise

2 chipotles in adobo

1 tablespoon adobo sauce

2 garlic cloves

pinch of salt

squeeze of lime

Plastic squeeze bottle, for dispensing the crema

For the Chipotle Crema, add the following ingredients to a blender or food processor and combine well: 1 cup mayonnaise, 2 chipotles in adobo, 2 garlic cloves, pinch of salt, and a squeeze of lime. You might need to add a splash of water to get it to combine. If you want more heat, you can add more chipotles or some of the adobo sauce. You can substitute some of the mayonnaise for plain Greek yogurt. Use a plastic squeeze bottle to dispense the crema. It looks really nice on the tacos.

Garlic Shrimp Pasta

1 lb medium shrimp, deveined and tails removed

1 lb spaghetti, linguine, fettuccine or bucatini noodles

8 garlic cloves or more, according to personal taste, minced

1/4 cup butter

Olive oil

Italian seasoning

Kosher salt and fresh-ground pepper, to taste

red pepper flakes

Fresh basil or parsley, for garnish

1. Boil pasta in heavily salted water for 8 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat. Reserve the pasta water.

2. While pasta is boiling, wash shrimp.

3. Melt butter over medium heat. Add shrimp.

4. Let cook till a little pink and starting to curl. Then add garlic.

5. Cook 5-7 min., add oil. Continue to stir till shrimp is pink and curled.

6. Add pasta to skillet. Add seasonings. Add just enough pasta water till it is not dry but not swimming in liquid either.

7. Keep tossing all ingredients around in skillet till all is incorporated and hot. Enjoy!

Crispy & Sticky Air Fryer Chicken Wings

4 pounds chicken wings

1/2 cup olive oil

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 teaspoons onion powder

1 teaspoon paprika

Kosher salt and fresh-ground pepper, to taste

Fresh parsley or cilantro, chopped, for garnish

Lime wedges, for squeezing

Honey Buffalo Sauce

2 cups buffalo or wing sauce

1 cup honey

1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce

Preheat the air fryer to 390 degrees.

In a medium bowl, add wings and toss with olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika and salt and pepper.

Place them in an even layer in the air fryer basket. Cook them in batches. Cook for 10 minutes at 390 degrees. Flip the wings and cook for another 10 minutes or until crispy on the outside and they an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

Honey Buffalo Sauce

In a small bowl, whisk buffalo sauce, honey, and Worcestershire sauce. Toss the hot wings in the sauce and serve with lime wedges and chopped parsley or cilantro.

Chorizo-Shrimp Tacos

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 lb. chorizo, bulk or cut from casings

1 lb. medium shrimp-peeled, deveined, tails off

Kosher salt and fresh-ground pepper, to taste

1 can diced pineapple

1 bunch scallions, sliced on an angle

2 jalapeños, thinly sliced

1 handful fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped plus more for garnish

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 shots silver tequila

Juice from one lime

Lime wedges, for squeezing

12–16 6-inch corn tortillas

Red or green cabbage, shredded

Your favorite hot sauce, for serving

In a large skillet, or on your Blackstone, heat oil over medium-high to high heat. Add chorizo and cook, breaking up with a spoon, until crispy at the edges, 2 to 4 minutes.

Add shrimp and season with salt and pepper; add pineapple and toss with tongs until the shrimp is opaque in the centers and the pineapple is lightly browned, about 3 minutes more.

Add scallions, jalapeños, cilantro and garlic; toss until the garlic is aromatic and the scallions wilt, 1 to 2 minutes.

Add the tequila; stir until evaporated, about 2 minutes.

Add lime juice and remove from the heat.

Char the tortillas directly over a gas flame or on your Blackstone.

Serve the shrimp filling with the tortillas, cabbage, hot sauce and lime wedges. Garnish with cilantro leaves.

Chicken Parmesan

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

Kosher salt and fresh-ground pepper, to taste

2 large eggs

1 cup panko bread crumbs, or more as needed

1 cup grated Parmesan, divided

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, or more if needed

Olive oil for frying, as needed

1 cup jarred or homemade Marinara sauce

Fresh mozzarella, cut into small cubes

Fresh basil

1 cup provolone, grated

1. Gather the ingredients. Preheat an oven to 450 degrees.

2. Place chicken breasts between two sheets of heavy plastic (resealable freezer bags work well) on a solid, level surface. Firmly pound chicken with the smooth side of a meat mallet to a thickness of 1/2-inch.

3. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Using a sifter or strainer, sprinkle flour over chicken breasts, evenly coating both sides

4. Beat eggs in a shallow bowl and set aside. Mix bread crumbs and 1/2 cup Parmesan in a separate bowl, set aside. Dip a flour-coated chicken breast in the beaten eggs. Transfer breast to the bread crumb mixture, pressing crumbs into both sides. Repeat for each breast. Let chicken rest for 10 to 15 minutes.

5. Heat 1/2 inch olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat until it begins to shimmer. Cook chicken in the hot oil until golden, about 2 minutes per side. The chicken will finish cooking in the oven.

6. Transfer chicken to a baking dish. Top each breast with 2 tablespoons of sauce. Layer each chicken breast with equal amounts of mozzarella, fresh basil, and provolone. Sprinkle remaining Parmesan over top and drizzle each with 1/2 teaspoon olive oil.

7. Bake in the oven until cheese is browned and bubbly and chicken breasts are no longer pink in the center, 15 to 20 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees.