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[graphic]Culinary Crime: First Course
Volume 18, No. 2, Summer 2002

SETTING THE TABLE

Chicken Mexicali
by Janet A. Rudolph (Berkeley, California)

  • Chicken (cooked and shredded)
  • Jack cheese (shredded)
  • Cheddar cheese (shredded)
  • Guacamole
  • Tomatoes (chopped)
  • Black olives (chopped)
  • Green onions (chopped)
  • Sour cream with taco seasonings

    Layer the above ingredients in any order on a bed of lettuce. Serve with taco chips and Mexican beer.

    • Easy Truffles

    Chill Narsai's Chocolate Decadence. Dips spoons or melon baller in hot water. Scoop out balls of Chocolate Decadence. Roll in cocoa powder. Inject with poison (optional). Chill until ready to serve.

    APPETIZERS

    Bruschetta
    by Barbara D'Amato (Chicago, Illinois)

    The hint of cannibalism in Hard Evidence leads me to contribute a vegetarian recipe. The key to good bruschetta is good crusty Italian bread and really good tomatoes. Also good cheese if you use cheese.

  • Italian bread, about 3" in diameter for appetizers, 5-6" for a lunch dish.
  • Enough tomatoes to make a pile in the middle of the bread but not slop all over. Seeded and chopped but not skinned.
  • Firm ricotta, or feta or goat cheese, chopped.
  • Basil, but if you absolutely can't get it use parsley or chives. You need a little bit for the chopped mixture and a sprig to put on top.
  • Finely chopped red onion or shallots or really tender scallions.
  • Salt and pepper
  • Garlic
  • Balsamic vinegar
  • Extra virgin olive oil

    Toss the tomatoes, cheese, basil, salt and pepper to taste, and onions and however much garlic you like with as much of the vinegar as you like. Be careful; it's easy to get too much vinegar. Some recipes say you should cook the tomatoes, onions, and garlic briefly. I like the fresher taste. I do sometimes warm chopped garlic in olive oil to pour on the toast rounds.

    Cut the bread in half-inch-thick slices. I like to cut it diagonally. Toast on a grill if you have one, or in the broiler, but honestly, a toaster works too.

    Drizzle a little olive oil on the bread. Heap the mixture on top. Garnish with a spring of basil.

    Of course, you can add all sorts of things. Some people like chopped anchovies, and bits of cooked fish make it a good luncheon dish. Some people even add chopped hard boiled egg, but I don't see why.

    • Meaing Kam (Seven Flavors)
    by Ben Ezzell (Guerneville, California)

    This is a finger food which is assembled on the spot. Serve as an appetizer or as a salad. Suitable as an accompaniment for any cuisine from any nation.

    Components:

  • Fresh ginger, peel and cut into cubes (about 1/4")
  • Shelled peanuts (raw or roasted)
  • Diced sweet peppers (about 1/4")
  • Small dried shrimp (purchase at any Asian market)
  • Fresh lime cut into small pieces (sizes similar to ginger and peppers)
  • Onion or shallots cut into small pieces (about 1/4")
  • Roast shredded coconut (buy shredded coconut, roast in oven at low heat until light brown, stir often-keeps well in ziplock bag after roasting)
  • Fresh spinach leaves (or iceberg lettuce)

    Sauce:

    Mix thick tamarind paste (purchase at any Asian market) with an equal amount of brown sugar and a small amount of vinegar (to taste). The sauce should be thick, not runny.

    To serve:

    Place small dishes of the peanuts, peppers, shrimp, lime, onion, ginger and coconut on the table along with a small dish of sauce and a generous tray of spinach leaves.

    Assemble by beginning with a spinach leaf and adding a measure of each of the components, ending with the sauce. Fold the spinach leaf to form a bite-sized packet... and pop it in your mouth.

    Encourage your guests to do the same. Enjoy!

    • Madeline Bean Dip
    by Jerrilyn Farmer (Los Angeles, California)

  • 1 can white cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 tsp rosemary
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 lemon
  • hot pepper sauce

    In food processor combine beans and garlic. Process and add rosemary and olive oil. Squeeze in lemon juice and a dash of hot pepper sauce. Process until smooth. Scoop into a pretty dish, serve with toasted pitas, and watch it mysteriously disappear.

    • Bon Voyage Caviar Platter
    by Mary Margaret Nilan (Marco Island, Florida)

    This serves many and is an ideal platter to be passed among guests while chilled flutes of champagne are offered at a bon voyage party or special reception.

  • 3/4 cup sour cream
  • 1 8-oz. package cream cheese at room temperature
  • 2 cups finely chopped tops and bottoms of scallions
  • 1/4 tsp chopped dill
  • 7 hard-cooked eggs, finely chopped
  • 3 Tbsp mayonnaise
  • 1/8 tsp white pepper
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 2 oz black or red caviar, or 1 oz of each, drained & lightly rinsed
  • Parsley
  • Assorted crackers or toast points

    Line a 7-inch spring-form pan with clear plastic wrap. In a medium bowl, combine sour cream and cream cheese until smooth. Spread half of cheese mixture onto bottom of prepared pan. Sprinkle chopped scallions and dill over cheese mixture. In a medium bowl, combine eggs, mayonnaise, salt and pepper. Spread egg mixture onto top of chopped scallions. Top with remaining cheese mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and press gently to pack cheese. Refrigerate overnight. To serve, uncover and invert onto chilled serving plate. Top with caviar which is spread to edges.

    If both black and red caviar are to be served, place 2 knives at right angle to each other across final cheese base. Then fill in red caviar on opposite triangles and black on reverse triangles. Remove knives, which will leave neat separation between distinctly different caviars.

    Place chilled serving plate in middle of a larger serving platter, which is room temperature, and place crackers and/or toast points in circle on room temperature platter, surrounding the caviar.

    • Killer Guacamole
    by Lora Roberts (Palo Alto, California)

    Liz watched as Hannah Couch's food stylist assembled this excellent guacamole in minutes. She used a molcajete, a mortar made from lava rock, but you can just use a regular bowl.

  • 1 firm/ripe avocado
  • 1 small fresh tomato (or 1 Tbsp good-quality fresh salsa)
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • juice of 1 lime
  • 1 Tbsp minced cilantro
  • 1 Tbsp low-fat sour cream
  • salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste

    Be sure avocado isn't too ripe; it should smell fresh and be bright green when cut in half, with no brown edges. Peel and seed it, and mash it in a bowl. Peel and chop tomato; add it or salsa to bowl. Stir in the rest of the ingredients. Add more sour cream if it's too thick, or more salsa and lime juice if it's too bland. Add seasonings. If you like a lot of kick, seed and chop a jalapeno pepper and add that. Double the recipe to serve a crowd.

    • Liz Sullivan's Beets to Die For

    Pull beets up when they're a little bigger than a golf ball, or buy them at the farmer's market with greens attached; you will need six or seven.

    Cut tops off beets, leaving a half-inch tuft. Scrub beets well, including root. Put in steamer with plenty of water for 20-30 minutes, or pressure-cook for a couple of minutes once cooker has reached 15 lbs pressure.

    Meanwhile, clean beet greens by pinching off stems. Wash well in a couple of changes of water. Put them in a heavy pot with only the water that clings to their leaves. Cover the pot and steam the greens until they're wilted and tender, about five minutes over high heat. Watch carefully so they don't burn. Drain off any liquid and use kitchen scissors to cut the greens into ribbons. Dress lightly with olive oil and a sprinkling of balsamic vinegar.

    When beets are tender when pierced with a fork, remove them from heat. Run some cold water over them, slip off skins and cut off roots. Beets will peel easily, but are hot, so don't burn yourself. Slice or quarter beets and toss with a little butter.

    Arrange greens around the edge of a bowl. Mound beets in the middle. Grind salt and pepper over them. They will glisten like rubies, and taste ambrosially sweet and earthy.

    Nancy/Carolyn's Gazpacho with Garlic Croutons
    by Nancy Fairbanks (El Paso, Texas)

    Gazpacho:

  • 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
  • 1 bell pepper cut into pieces, eliminating only the stem, but keeping the seeds and veins
  • 1 medium onion, peeled and cut in 8 pieces
  • 1/2 cucumber, peeled and cut in large chunks
  • 40 oz. Hunt's whole canned tomatoes with juice
  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp. white vinegar
  • 1 rounded Tbsp. salt
  • 1 rounded Tbsp. chili powder
  • 1/2 cup fine, dry breadcrumbs
  • 1 quart cold water

    Put the bell pepper, onion, cucumber and canned tomatoes with juice through a food processor. Pour into a large bowl or enameled pot. Mix olive oil, vinegar, salt, and chili powder together in a cup. Then mix into vegetables. Stir in breadcrumbs. Stir in water. Cover and allow to sit 5 hours or overnight in a cool place. Strain most of the solids from the mixture and refrigerate the liquid.

    Garlic Croutons:

  • 1 loaf of thin-sliced, stale white bread
  • Lowry's Garlic Spread
  • Butter

    Cut the crusts from the bread slices. Then cut each slice into 20 to 25 squares. Spread the squares out on cookie sheets. Melt equal parts of Lowry's Garlic Spread and butter together and dab the mixture on the croutons. Bake at 200° F. for 2 hours. Let cool. Store in plastic bags and refrigerate until ready for use.

    Serve cold gazpacho in soup bowls with croutons on the side for floating in the soup. Serves 8.

    • Janie's Cold Soup
    by Barbara Fox (Miami Beach, Florida)

  • 1 onion, diced,
  • 1 cucumber, diced; reserve a few pieces
  • 1 tomato, diced
  • 1 can of chicken gumbo soup
  • 1 can of tomato soup
  • 1 can of water
  • 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar

    Blend until completely mixed. Chill in refrigerator at least one hour. Serve in tall soup mugs or glasses. Sprinkle top with reserved cucumber.

    • Ella Anderson's Fruit Dressing
    by Ellen Hart (Minneapolis, Minnesota)

    Okay, here's a recipe of my grandmother's, so you know it's good. Fruit is delicious completely unadorned, but if you'd like to liven things up a bit, with the addition of a few more calories, try this. As John Mortimer once said, "I refuse to spend my life worrying about what I eat. There is no pleasure worth forgoing just for an extra three years in the geriatric ward."

  • 1/2 cup white, granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 Tbsp. grated yellow onion
  • 3/4 cup salad oil
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. dry mustard
  • 1 tsp. paprika
  • 2 tsp. celery seed

    Whip all ingredients together until thoroughly mixed and slightly thickened. Use as a dressing for fresh fruit. Strawberries, citrus fruit, melon, blueberries, kiwi, apples, pears, plums, peaches. Cut the fruit into thin slices and place on a bed of lettuce. Top with dressing. Chill.

    Makes one pint. Keep refrigerated. Shake well before using.

    • Ambrose's Recipe for Surprisingly Tasty Lentil Soup
    by Lynne Murray (San Francisco, California)

    What happened to the lentil recipe in the third Josephine Fuller mystery? You won't find it in the back of At Large. I chopped up the recipe and blended it into the action in the book. It even helped Josephine subdue the bad guy. I liked the fact the Jo's gay supervisor, Ambrose, gave her the recipe. Ambrose is so methodical that I let him patiently tell her the ingredients and the directions in the text. You can count on the fact that if it's simple enough for Josephine (and me!) to follow, anyone could follow along and cook it as well. But here it is as Ambrose gave it to Josephine.

    This is the original version of the recipe. Although firearms were involved in its preparation in At Large, it does seem to taste much better without them. Originally conveyed to me by Christopher Rankin from Cees Van Aalst.

  • 1 package dry lentils
  • The best bouillon you can afford (vegetarian works too)
  • Package of frozen spinach (use fresh spinach if you insist -- however, washing fresh spinach according to Ambrose's standards will take some time!)
  • Can of tomato paste
  • Onions, and garlic (optional)

    Wash lentils and cook in bouillon until tender. If using onions and garlic, sauté until transparent, and add with spinach and tomato paste several minutes before serving.

    • Poet's Recipe for Salad
    by Amy Myers (Maidstone, Kent)

    Two large potatoes, passed through kitchen sieve
    Unwonted softness to the salad give;
    Of mordaunt mustard, add a single spoon
    Distrust the condiment which bites so soon
    But deem it not, thou man of herbs, a fault,
    To add a double quantity of salt;
    Three times the spoon with oil of Lucca crown,
    Add once the vinegar, procured from town;
    True flavour needs it, and your poet begs
    The pounded yellow of two well-boiled eggs;
    Let onion atoms lurk within the bowl,
    And scarce suspected, animate the whole;
    And lastly, in the flavoured compound toss
    A magic teaspoon of anchovy sauce;
    Then though green turtle fail, though venison's tough
    And ham and turkey are not boiled enough,
    Serenely full, the epicure may say--
    Fate cannot harm me -- I have dined today.

    PASTA

    Dinah's Chinese Pasta Salad
    by Barbara Arau (Sarasota, Florida)

  • 1 lb. thin spaghetti
  • 5-6 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 8-10 scallions
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup vinegar
  • 2 Tbsp sesame oil
  • 2 Tbsp sugar
  • pepper & salt
  • 1/2 lb. green beans (blanched)
  • toasted sesame seeds or almonds (optional)

    Cook and drain spaghetti, rinse with cold water and drizzle on a little sesame oil. Set aside.

    Add vegetable oil to pan. Add minced garlic and white part of scallions (chopped). Stir over high heat 30 seconds.

    Turn off heat and add soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, sugar, pepper & salt. Pour over spaghetti. Stir in green beans, almonds and green part of scallions (chopped).

    Refrigerate and serve cold.

    • Mama Neri's Tomato-Basil Pesto / Kill Them with Cheese Lasagna
    by Andrea C. Busch (Gross-Zimmern, Germany)

    Tomato-Basil Pesto

    Put together in a food processor:

  • 2 cups of tightly packed basil leaves (no stems or flowers)
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
  • 3 cloves garlic (garlic lovers might want more)
  • 1 shallot (optional, for those who like a strong onionish taste)

    Process well, scraping mixture off the sides of the bowl as needed.

    Add:

  • 1/4 cup pine nuts

    Process just until nuts ate chopped into small pieces. Do not over-process; the nut pieces should be visible.

  • 1 pound fresh tomatoes, skinned and chopped into small pieces (try to capture the juice that's released and reserve in case sauce is too thick) or 2 cups of drained canned tomatoes chopped into small pieces (keep the can with juice until the end).

    Stir tomato pieces into the pesto to complete.

    Filling

    Mix together in a large mixing bowl:

  • 16 oz. soft Ricotta cheese (may substitute low-fat or nonfat version)
  • 1/2 cup grated Mozzarella cheese (may substitute low-fat version; if using a nonfat version, make sure it will melt)
  • 1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
  • 1/2 cup grated sharp Provolone cheese (any other sharp cheese may be substituted, but it shouldn't be any softer than Provolone or the cheese filing will be too soft)
  • 3 extra large eggs or 4 large eggs, beaten well (if using nonfat egg substitute, use the equivalent of a greater number of eggs, maybe 4-5; with three soft or semi-soft cheeses in this recipe, it's important to use enough eggs/egg substitute to make the cheese mixture firm; real eggs work better).
  • 1 tablespoon dried parsley
  • Salt & pepper to taste

    Assembly

    I greatly prefer the ready-to-use/no-boil lasagna noodles from Italy. Not only are they easier to work with, they taste lighter in the finished dish. However, any type of lasagna noodle can be used. Follow directions on the package.

    Spread a little of the pesto on the bottom of a square or rectangular baking dish (some brands of the ready-to-use noodles come with their own disposable baking pans). Cover the bottom of the pan with lasagna noodles (some ready-to-use noodles should be slightly wet with a little water first, some are used dry; follow directions on the package) or with boiled lasagna noodles.

    Spread 1/4 of the cheese mixture evenly over the noodles. Dribble a small amount of the pesto evenly over the cheese. Repeat until all the cheese mixture has been spread between lasagna noodle layers, and about 2/3-3/4 of the pesto has been used. Cover top cheese layer with a final lasagna noodle/s.

    Pour the remaining pesto over the top lasagna noodles, covering completely (ready-to-use/no-boil noodles need to be covered by liquid or moist filling to soften properly). If you haven't reserved enough pesto, you can thin the sauce a bit with a little of the juice you reserved, if you used fresh tomatoes, or a little of the juice from the can; add it a tablespoon at a time so you don't make the sauce too thin. Or you can add an extra tablespoon of olive oil.

    Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 1/2 hour at 350°.

    Remove foil and sprinkle 1/4 cup grated Mozzarella over the top. Bake for an addition 1/2 hour, or until the center is hot and bubbly.

    Remove from oven and wait for at least 5 minutes to let the cheese set before cutting. Serve. Enjoy!

    • Sophie's Quick Pasta
    by Judith Cutler (Bossingham, Kent)

  • 7 oz farfalle or other pasta good at mopping up sauce
  • 4 oz smoked streaky bacon, chopped roughly
  • 1 clove garlic, chopped finely
  • 1 cooking onion, chopped
  • Half a green pepper (capsicum) finely sliced
  • 4 oz mushrooms, finely sliced
  • 1 wineglass of white wine
  • 1 wineglass of half-fat crème fraiche (or heavy cream)
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Olive oil

    In a large saucepan, boil the pasta in plenty of salted water. De-rind and chop the bacon, and fry it till crisp in a frying pan. In a separate frying pan, sauté the onion and garlic, adding the green pepper and last of all the mushrooms. When they're tender, add the wine and bubble it fiercely, till it's reduced to a thickish liquor. Then add the crème fraiche. When the bacon and pasta are ready, drain them and stir them in quickly. Season. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and a green salad. Serves two.

    Bon appetit!

    • Spaghetti all'Aglio e Olio
    by Tim Heald (Fowey, Cornwall)

    Spaghetti all'Aglio e Olio is so simple it scarcely needs a recipe but in so far as I follow one I follow the great Elizabeth David who, in Italian Cooking (Penguin 1954) wrote:

    "Since the cost of living in Italy is very high, many people cannot now afford meat sauces, butter or even Parmesan with their daily pasta, it is often eaten with no embellishment but oil and garlic. Those who are particularly addicted to spaghetti and to garlic will find this dish excellent, others will probably abominate it. It is essential that the oil be olive oil and of good quality. When your spaghetti is cooked, barely warm a cupful of oil in a small pan, and into it stir whatever quantity of finely chopped garlic you fancy. Let it soak in the oil a bare minute, without frying, then stir the whole mixture into the spaghetti. You can add chopped parsley or any other herb, and of course grated cheese if you wish, though the Neapolitans do not serve cheese with spaghetti cooked in this way. If you like the taste of garlic without wishing actually to eat the bulb itself, pour the oil on to the spaghetti through a strainer, leaving the chopped garlic behind."

    Macaroni and Cheese
    by Kathleen J. Stowe (Norfolk, Virginia)

  • 1 stick butter (1/4 lb)
  • 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
  • 1/8 tsp pepper
  • 4 Tbsp flour (enough when mixed with melted butter to make a smooth paste)
  • 1 can evaporated milk (more if needed to make medium sauce)
  • 3 ten-ounce packages of Kraft extra cheddar cheese (red package)
  • 1 large package (16 ounces) medium shell macaroni (San Giorgio brand)
  • Keebler Club crackers (make sure they are 'Club' crackers)
  • casserole dish 9" diameter and 4" deep in center

    Bring water in large pot to a boil, and cook macaroni for five minutes. Drain and rinse macaroni in colander with cool water. Grate all the cheese. Melt butter in one quart pan, and add salt and pepper. Blend flour slowly into butter to make a smooth paste.

    Slowly add milk to butter and flour mixture to make medium sauce. Add 1/2 to 3/4 cup of grated cheese to the white sauce. In casserole, layer first some of the cooked macaroni, then the grated cheese, and continue to alternate layers until within 1 1/2 inches from top. Lightly salt and pepper as you proceed.

    Carefully (it's hot) pour the white sauce over the layered macaroni and cheese, allowing the sauce to seep through the layers. Use a large bladed knife to press down and distribute sauce throughout the casserole. Crush the Keebler Club crackers to a coarse consistency. Completely cover the surface of casserole. Bake in 350 degree oven for one hour. If cracker crumbs appear to be getting too brown, cover the casserole dish.

    • SIDE DISHES

    Cheesy Potatoes In Foil
    by Marlis Day (Monroe City, Indiana)

  • 3 large baking potatoes, peeled
  • Coarse ground pepper
  • Salt
  • 4 or 5 slices bacon, cooked until crisp
  • 1 large onion, sliced
  • 8 oz. sharp American cheese, cubed
  • 1/2 cup butter or margarine

    Slice potatoes onto a large piece of heavy aluminum foil. Season with salt and pepper. Crumble bacon on top. Add onions and cheese. Slice butter over all. Bring edges of foil up, leaving space for expansion of steam. Seal well. Place on grill and cook over coals 1 hour or until done. Turn several times or cook on grill with barbecue hood down, 45 minutes. Serves 4-6.

    • Red Beet Eggs
    by Valerie S. Malmont (Chambersburg, Pennsylvania)

    I avoided red beet eggs for years. Eggs just shouldn't be that color, I thought. But I eventually learned not to judge something by its appearance. Red beet eggs are actually quite tasty and are nice colorful additions to chef's salads. They are also quite easy to make. Simply combine:

  • 1 large can of red beets with the beet liquid from the can
  • 1 cup of vinegar
  • 3 Tbsp sugar

    Heat just long enough to dissolve the sugar. Add 6 hard-boiled, peeled eggs to the marinade.

    Refrigerate for at least six hours. The longer they marinate, the redder they get. Throw out the beets and enjoy the eggs!

    • Auntie Pan's Hog's Hoof Tea
    by Rosemary Poole-Carter (Houston, Texas)

    Returning now to my vegetarian sensibilities, I offer the following medicinal recipe gleaned from Southern lore. Paul Delahoussaye, the character who is offered this treat in the novel, is no more eager to sample it than I trust you will be.

    Cut off the hoof from the carcass.

    Wash it and dry it.

    Boil the hoof in plenty of water for at least an hour.

    Then drink a cup of the steaming hoof water tea to cure a cold.

    Chile Verde (Green Chile Sauce)
    by Connie Shelton (Angel Fire, New Mexico)

  • 1 Tbsp shortening
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 2 Tbsp flour
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 1 cup chopped green chile -- canned, frozen or fresh-hot, medium, or mild, to your taste

    Heat shortening in a medium skillet on medium heat. Sauté the chopped onion in shortening. Add flour and cook for 1 minute. Add all remaining ingredients and simmer for 20 minutes.

    Note: 1/2-1 cup cooked beef or pork, diced, may be added.

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