By Estella Tullgren | Photographed by Deb Peterson
Let the grilling season begin!
In gathering my recipes for this issue, I started thinking about the farmer’s market and all its fresh goodies, so I decided to put together a few side dish recipes for the grilling season. These recipes will pair well with beef, fish, pork—whatever your main entrée might be. Don’t be afraid to experiment—if you like dishes with extra heat, try adding a minced jalapeño to the Spanish Rice dish, or even to the coleslaw, remembering that you can always add more to suit your own tastebuds.
Twice-Baked Potato Bake
Serves 8
Instead of stuffing the baked potato skins, all the filling in this recipe goes into a casserole dish, topped with shredded cheese, and popped back into the oven. This is a crowd pleaser for sure.
3 large potatoes
¼ cup milk
1 stick butter, chopped into chunks
1 8-ounce carton sour cream
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese,
divided
½ cup green onions
6-8 slices crisp bacon, crumbled
Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash and dry potatoes; wrap in foil, and bake for one hour or until tender. (This recipe is good with potatoes peeled or unpeeled after baking.) When done, remove foil; then chop potatoes and place in large mixing bowl. Add milk, butter chunks, and sour cream. Blend with a mixer. Add ½ cup cheese, green onions, bacon crumbles, and seasonings. Mix until blended. Spray a 2-quart casserole with non-stick spray. Put mixture in dish; top with remaining ½ cup cheese. Bake for 30 minutes or until hot.
I have made this the day before I needed it, refrigerated it, and then baked 45 minutes at 350 degrees to reheat.
Spicy Linguini
with Spring Vegetables
From Les and Julie Stevens,
owners of PJ’s White River Lodge, Norfork, Ark.
Serves 2
Do I ever have a treat for you! Julie Stevens of PJ’s White River Lodge in Norfork, Arkansas shared this recipe with me. It was one of those dishes I knew I needed to be able to prepare when the mood struck. This will make your tastebuds love you—the perfect mixture of spiciness and sweetness. Julie and Les prepare marvelous food at their restaurant. Get out, take a drive to PJ’s, and have a great meal.
4 ounces linguini noodles
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
3 cups chopped spring vegetables (mushrooms, asparagus tips, snow peas, green onions, baby kale, sugar snap peas, red bell pepper…whatever you like)
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon soy sauce
½ teaspoon sesame oil
Cook the noodles in boiling water as directed on the box. In a pan, add olive oil and garlic, and cook for about 2 minutes, then add vegetables and cook 2-5 minutes. In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, brown sugar, red pepper flakes, and sesame oil. Add the cooked linguini to the pan, add the whisked sauce, and cook for 1 minute.
Spanish Rice
Serves 6
Spanish Rice is one of the recipes I learned how to make at an early age. My mother learned from my Aunt Lupi. It was one of those recipes in which everything was done by eyeballing the ingredients and adjusting until it smelled right. This dish can be altered in many ways: add more onion or less; add jalapeño or not; add diced bell pepper of any color—have fun experimenting.
3 tablespoons oil
1 cup long grain white rice
½ yellow onion, diced
½ green bell pepper, diced
½ 10-ounce can whole tomatoes with green chilies (for more heat, I use the whole can)
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground pepper
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
1 cup hot water
Salt and pepper to taste
Heat oil on medium heat in skillet with a tight-fitting lid. Add rice, onion, and bell pepper, and brown a little. Do not let rice burn. Blend tomatoes and spices in blender. You should have at least 1 cup liquid (add chicken stock or water to make 1 cup). Add hot water, and blend again. Add liquid mixture to rice and stir. Return to boil for 30 seconds. Reduce heat to low and cook for 15 minutes. Stir only once or twice during cooking time. If all liquid has not been absorbed, you may need another 5 minutes of cooking time.
Bella’s Favorite Coleslaw
Serves 8
Chris and I experimented with many recipes to find a coleslaw recipe we both liked. Since smoking pork for pulled-pork sandwiches is one of our favorite things to prepare, we wanted a coleslaw to serve on these sandwiches—and this is it. Not too much mayo and not too much vinegar. It is a great accompaniment to any fried-fish dinner.
Dressing:
¼ to ½ teaspoon celery seeds
2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1/3 cup canola oil
Whisk all dressing ingredients well; set aside.
Salad:
4-5 cups shredded coleslaw mix (I usually buy the classic bag of coleslaw—it has shredded carrots in it. One bag has everything.)
1 bunch green onions, chopped
Combine the slaw, green onions, and dressing. Mix well. Add 1-2 tablespoons of mayonnaise. Cover. Chill a couple of hours before serving.
Enjoy! M! June/July 2014
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