Capital Article

Chef's Choice: Cooking up a food club

(Reprinted with permission from the Editor)

By FRANCES JAQUES Staff Writer

Book clubs, bridge clubs, chess clubs, birding clubs, put a name to something you like to do, get a few friends to join in and - voila!, a club is born.

It's not surprising, then, that cooking clubs have joined the list. Everyone has to eat and sharing a loaf of bread and a casserole is much more fun than going it alone.

This idea of eating with friends instead of picking at a microwaved frozen dinner in front of the telly has taken hold among neighbors in West Annapolis.

Diana Evans-Love, a relatively new resident of the area, called a few neighbors for a meeting to discuss her thoughts about forming a food club. Not surprising, since Ms. Evans-Love is marketing manager at the Whole Foods store in Annapolis.

The 10 people who showed up at last September's meeting became the club's charter members and set the stage for the first dinner in October. Since then, the first Saturday of the month is dutifully starred on the calendars in many West Annapolis homes.

The dinner's reputation has spread with monthly attendance increasing from 17 at the first meeting to 32 at last Saturday's event.

"We like to follow a theme,"' said Ms. Evans-Love. "This month we chose, 'My Favorite Things' and asked members to bring a dish and beverage that reflects their heritage, or culture, favorite memories or favorite flavors."

Lori Ezell brought a tourtiere, a spiced meat pie which came from her French Canadian grandmother.

Lisa Pline opted for a barbecue beef brisket, which she said was a favorite of her mother, Vera Foulke, who lived in Kansas City.

"This is a great recipe for a crowd," said Mrs. Pline. "It can be served immediately or made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator or freezer. It's a sure thing. I've never had a failure yet."

Seetha Anagol and her husband, Mahi Reddy, moved to the community from India and are frequently in demand for their interesting Indian dishes. They brought to the dinner an appetizer, "Spicy Masala Vada Pakodis" which Ms. Anagol said is a favorite at her in-law's home.

"I learned to make it from my mom-in-law and modified it along the way. Most of the ingredients are available at Indian stores. Make it mild, very mild or spicy - you will enjoy the munchies anyway. But a word of warning, you will need lots of iced water to go with this recipe!" she said.

Jackie Buan chose a shrimp ball recipe which she got from her sister, Joanne Grsetic, who once lived in Millersville but has moved to Florida.

"My sister created the recipe and has been making it for years," said Mrs. Buan. "It's easy and always well-liked."

Lisl and Bill Moyer brought a Basmati rice dish mainly because they like the recipe.

"You might say that I'm from Louisiana and we like rice there," said Mrs. Moyer.

The hostess chose a Tarte Tatin or carmelized upside-down apple tart.

"Well, I'm from Washington state and we grow and like to eat apples, so why not an apple pie?" she said.

One of the most simple of the evening's recipes was supplied by Paula Whisted. It's steamed asparagus topped with chopped hard-cooked egg.

It is a dish she said was always served at holidays at her grandmother's house.'

And finally, there were Heidi and Steve Petras, who brought the ingredients for their Pasta Carbonara and cooked it on the spot.

When it was time for frivolity, guests played several get-acquainted games. As a nightcap, they ended with card games and, of course, poker.

West Annapolis food club recipes

Barbecue Brisket

From Lisa Pline

4 to 6 pounds of fresh beef brisket, trimmed of fat

2 to 3 ounces liquid smoke

1 12- to 16-ounce bottle barbecue sauce

Garlic to taste

Trim fat off brisket. Mix liquid smoke with barbecue sauce and add garlic as desired. Roll the brisket in the sauce a few times to cover all sides and ends. Cover tightly and bake in a 9-by-12 inch dish approximately six hours at 225 to 250 degrees. Don't bother to take a look while it bakes. At the end of six hours, remove from oven and put brisket on cutting board to cool. Slice across grain when it cools. Meanwhile, cook juice down to almost the consistency of the barbecue sauce. Cool, lift off and dispose of all fat. Pour part of sauce over sliced brisket and save the rest to serve at the table. The dish may be made ahead of time and reheated to serve. It can also be served cold. Serves 12.

Orzo Salad with corn,

tomatoes and basil

From "Cooking Light, 2002"

Dressing

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

3 garlic cloves, crushed

Salad

1 cup uncooked orzo

2 cups fresh yellow corn kernels, about 4 ears

2 cups chopped tomato

1/2 cup vertically sliced red onion

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil

Combine the six ingredients for dressing in a jar, cover tightly and shake vigorously. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain and place in a large bowl. Spoon half the dressing over pasta, toss to coat. Cool to room temperature. Add remaining corn, tomato, onion and basil to pasta mixture, toss to coat. Let stand 30 minutes. Serves 4.

Note: This is a good recipe for tailgating since it can be made ahead of time.

Basmati Rice with Prosciutto and Pesto

From Lisl Moyer

6 tablespoons extra virgin

olive oil, divided

1 shallot, diced

1 each green and red bell pepper, seeds and white ribbing removed

11/2 cups basmati rice

Salt and ground pepper

1 tablespoon butter

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup basil leaves, or to taste

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 tablespoon pine nuts, toasted

5 tablespoons fresh grated parmigian-reggiano cheese

8 ounces prosciutto

9 ounces chick peas, chopped

In a pot over medium heat, warm 3 tablespoons olive oil. Add the shallot and bell peppers and saute for 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add 3 cups of water. Bring to a simmer, turn the heat to low and cover. Cook until the rice is tender, about 20 minutes and remove from heat. Meanwhile, in a nonstick skillet, toast 1 tablespoon pine nuts on medium heat for about 5 minutes, turning once, until browned. Place in food processor or blender. Add basil, garlic, 1 tablespoon Parmigiano and remaining 3 tablespoon olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and puree, adding more oil if necessary. In the same skillet used for toasting pine nuts, melt the butter. Season the eggs with salt and pepper and add to the skillet. Cook, stirring until scrambled and remove from heat. Now add the prosciutto, chick peas, scrambled eggs, 4 tablespoons Parmegiano and pesto to the rice. Toss and serve. Serves 8.

Tourtiere

From Lori Ezell

1 pound lean ground pork

1/2 pound lean ground beef

1 onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup water

11/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed

1/2 teaspoon ground sage

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1 recipe pastry for 9-inch double crust pie

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a saucepan, combine pork, beef, onion, garlic, water, salt, thyme, sage, black pepper and cloves. Cook over medium heat until mixture boils, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low and simmer until meat is cooked, about 5 minutes. Spoon the meat mixture into the pie crust. Place top crust on top of pie and pinch edges to seal. Cut slits in top crust so steam can escape. Cover edges of pie with strips of aluminum foil. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, remove foil and return to oven. Bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown. Let cool 10 minutes before slicing. Serve with favorite chili sauce.

Shrimp ball

From Jackie Buan

2 packages cream cheese

1 7-ounce bag frozen small shrimp

1 small sweet onion or chopped scallions

1/4 cup Old Bay seasoning

Let cream cheese come to room temperature. Blend in the Old Bay and the finely chopped onion and shrimp into the cream cheese. Transfer the mix onto a piece of plastic wrap and shape into a balloa. Refrigerate for a few hours. Sprinkle the top of the shrimp with a few dashes of Old Bay seasoning. Serve with crackers.