NORTH DAKOTA - Meatloaf

This week, we’re headed up North to the wilderness of the Peace Garden State.  North Dakota was first settled by Native Americans several thousands of years ago. The major tribes in the area by the time of settlement were the Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara, Sioux, and Chippewa.  Meriwether Lewis and William Clark entered North Dakota in October of 1804. During their winter stay at Fort Mandan, near present-day Washburn, they met and hired Sacagawea to act as an interpreter and guide. Between 1804 and 1806, she traveled thousands of miles with the Lewis and Clark Expedition from North Dakota to the Pacific Ocean and is now immortalized on the US dollar coin.  The state of North Dakota was carved out of the Dakota Territory and admitted to the Union on November 2, 1889, simultaneously with South Dakota. There have been two attempts (1947 and 1989) to drop the word “North” from the state name; both were defeated. Although, no United States presidents have come from North Dakota, Teddy Roosevelt spent a considerable amount of time in the state, which attributed to his passion for conservation. The world's largest French fry feed is held every year in Grand Forks, ND. In 2006, a new world record was set when 4,620 pounds of French fries were served to about 10,000 people with 113 gallons of ketchup used.

I had to use a little creativity when coming up with an idea for a meal inspired by North Dakota. One of my favorite films takes place in the great state of North Dakota and from that film, there is one iconic scene that always comes to mind.

So in honor of “Fargo” and Steve Buscemi being ground up in the wood chipper, we’ll be making a meatloaf.

 

Meatloaf:

2 eggs

¾ cup milk

½ cup bread crumbs

¼ cup chopped onions

2 tablespoons parsley flakes

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon sage

¼ teaspoon pepper

¼ cup catsup

1 ½ pounds ground beef

In a large bowl, combine and beat together the eggs and milk. Then, stir in bread crumbs, onion, parsley, salt, sage, pepper and catsup. Now comes the fun part! In case you haven’t done so already, wash your hands and add the ground beef to the bowl and mix together with your hands. 

Take a loaf pan and line with foil or plastic wrap and spoon meat mixture and press down to form the loaf.  Carefully, turn the loaf pan over onto a jelly roll pan with a raised lip and un-mold the meatloaf.  Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for at least an hour.

I served this for friends as a blue plate special with mashed potatoes, peas and of course some catsup on the side. It’s also great the next day for meatloaf sandwiches!

MAINE - Lobster and Lobster Rolls

This week I’m excited to be on location in "Vacationland.” The great state of Maine is famous for its beautiful scenery - jagged, mostly rocky coastline, lighthouses, rolling mountains, and picturesque waterways, as well as for its seafood cuisine, especially lobster. Originally part of Massachusetts, Maine achieved statehood in 1820 as part of the Missouri Compromise. Since the Revolution, the country had grown from 13 states to 22 and had managed to maintain a balance of power between slave states and free states. There were 11 free states and 11 slave states, a situation that gave each faction equal representation in the Senate. By 1818, the Missouri Territory had gained sufficient population to warrant its admission into the Union as a state. Its settlers came largely from the South, and it was expected that Missouri would be a slave state, which would make the balance uneven. A compromise was reached after Maine petitioned Congress for statehood. Both states were admitted, a free Maine and a slave Missouri, keeping the balance of power in the Senate and postponing the inevitable showdown for another generation.

Some fun and interesting facts about Maine, it’s the only state in the United States whose name has one syllable and is the only state that shares its border with only one other state. Maine also claims America's first chartered town, York, incorporated in 1641. Maine produces 99% of all the blueberries in the country making it the single largest producer of blueberries in the United States, and approximately 40 million pounds, nearly 90 percent of the nation's lobster supply is caught off the coast of Maine.

On my recent trip up to Maine, we spent a night indulging in freshly steamed lobster. When cooking your own fresh lobster at home, one of the most important things is picking out the right one. Here’s a little on location report on what to look for.

Once you get the lobsters home, cooking them is quite easy. Instead of dropping them in a whole pot of boiling water, we used a steaming technique.

Take a large pan and fill it with about an inch or inch and a half of water, put it on the stove and turn the heat up until the water stars boiling. Put the lobsters in the pan and put the lid on

top. After about 20 minutes, check to lobsters, the shell will have turned bright red. If you pick up one of the lobsters by the claw and it separates from

the body, then it’s done! Serve with melted butter and go nuts.

We also cooked up some corn on the cob and pasta salad to go along.

On the off chance that you happen to have some lobster left and the end of the night, you can use the leftovers to make another Maine tradition – Lobster Rolls. Just clean out whatever lobster you have left, washing off the little parts of meat in water to get any bits of shell or green stuff off. Add a little mayonnaise and salt and pepper to taste. Put it on a role with some lettuce and enjoy.

NEVADA - Sinful Molten Chocolate Cake

This week we’re heading west to the land of blackjack, showgirls, excess and debauchery. I’m talking about the great state of Nevada. But Nevada has more to offer than just the bright lights of Sin City. Nevada got its name from the Spanish word meaning "snowcapped," derived from the nearby Sierra Nevada Mountains and home of beautiful Late Tahoe. The U.S. obtained the region in 1848 following the Mexican-American War and was incorporated into the Utah territory. In 1859, silver was discovered at the Comstock Lode, which led to a population boom and was the driving force for the creation of the Nevada Terratory out of western Utah Territory in 1861. Nevada became the 36th state on October 31, 1864. Nevada is officially known as the "Silver State" due to the importance of silver to its history, but It’s also known as the "Battle Born State" because it achieved statehood during the Civil War and the "Sagebrush State" for the native desert plant. Nevada is also home to one of the most successful public works projects and one of the greatest engineering achievements of the modern era. The Hoover Dam was commissioned in 1931 by then president Herbert Hoover to counter the flooding problems caused by the Colorado River and provide power to Nevada, Arizona, and California. The Hoover Dam spans 1,244 feet across the Colorado River and is filled with 4.3 million cubic yards of concrete, enough to pave a standard highway 16 feet wide, from San Francisco to New York City. It took a total of 21,000 men five years to complete the structure and cost only $49 million. 114 deaths were associated with the constuction of the dam, but despite the myth, there are no bodies buried within the concrete of the Hoover Dam. Since it was created to last as long as the pyramids of Egypt, Sculptor Oskar J.W. Hansen designed a star chart at the Hoover Dam so that future generations, maybe thousands of years into the future, could trace back to exact date the dam was dedicated.

But our inspiration for today’s dish comes from Las Vegas. Every year, over 30 million people visit Las Vegas to partake in gambling, shopping, fine dining and entertainment. Nineteen of the world's 25 largest hotels by room count are on the strip, and the city itself contains over 150,000 hotel rooms, which is about twice as many as New York City. About 150 couples get married in Las Vegas each day and shrimp consumption in Las Vegas is more than 60,000 pounds a day - higher than the rest of the country combined! So in honor if Sin City, we’re going to be making a sinfully delicious molten chocolate cake. This dish is disgustingly delicious and looks very impressive, but is extremely easy to make. Plus, you probably already have most of the ingredients at home.

Molten Chocolate Cake:

¼ cup unsalted butter (plus more to butter mold)
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon flour (plus more for dusting mold)

The first thing we’ll do is set up a double boiler to melt our chocolate and butter. It’s important to use this technique whenever you are melting chocolate because if you just put the chocolate in a pan right on the stove or in the microwave, it will burn. Put a small amount of water in a sauce pan and bringing it up to a low simmer. Place a glass or metal bowl (plastic will melt) on top of the pan and add the butter and chocolate to the bowl. Heat until chocolate is almost completely melted. While that’s heating, whisk together the egg, yolk, and sugar in a separate bowl.

When the chocolate is completely melted, remove the bowl from the pan and whisk together the melted chocolate and butter. While still whisking, slowly incorporate the egg mixture and then the flour, just until combined.

Butter and lightly flour a 6-8 ounce mold or ramekin. Tap out the excess flour and butter and flower the mold again. Gently poor the batter into the mold. At this point you can either put the cake right into the oven or refrigerate to cook at a late time. Just make sure to bring the cake back up to room temperature before baking.

Place the mold on a tray and bake at 450 degrees for 8 to10 minutes. This can be a judgment call, the sides should be fluffy and set and the center still gooey.

Invert the mold onto a plate and let sit for about 10 seconds. Then slowly lift up the mold; the cake should easily come out into the plate. Serve immediately while the cake is still warm. I highly recommend serving the cake with a side of vanilla ice-cream and raspberries.

VERMONT - Maple Glazed Pork Chops, White Cheddar Potato au Gratin and Glazed Carrots

This week we head up to New England to visit “The Green Mountain State.” Vermont became a state in 1791, and was the first admitted to the Union after the ratification of The Constitution making it the 14th state - the first outside the original Thirteen Colonies. Vermont is also the only New England state that does not boarder the Atlantic Ocean. Vermont is the second smallest state in population, only beating out Wyoming. President Calvin Coolidge was born in Plymouth, VT and is the only president to be born on the 4th of July. Everyone’s favorite late night indulgence, Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream, was founded in 1978 in Burlington, VT. Being known as an environmentally conscience company, Ben & Jerry's gives their ice cream waste to the local Vermont farmers who use it to feed their hogs. Apparently the hogs seem to like all of the flavors except Mint Oreo.

But perhaps the thing that Vermont is most famous for, and what will be the inspiration for our meal this week, is maple syrup. Vermont is the largest producer of maple syrup in the U.S., producing over 500,000 gallons a year. This week, we’ll be making a maple glazed bone-in pork chop, with brown sugar glazed carrots. And, to incorporate another famed Vermont food, we will be serving it with a Vermont white cheddar potato au gratin.

Vermont White Cheddar Potato au Gratin:

1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup finely chopped shallots
1 teaspoon chopped rosemary
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 pounds potatoes
4 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese

This dish is so easy to make, it's practically fool proof, and it's so delicious and heats up nicely if you have leftovers. To get started, first we're going to wash and peel the potatoes. I used Yukon golds for this, but I think russet or red potatoes would work well too. After the potatoes are peeled, we have to slice them very thin. The easiest way to do this is to either use a mandolin (the kitchen tool, not the musical instrument) or to use the slicing attachment on your food processor. You could do this with a kitchen knife, but it will take a lot longer and will be more difficult to get even, thin slices. The potato slices should be about 1/8 of an inch thick or even a little thinner.

Preheat oven to 375°F and butter your baking dish. I used a 8x6x2 (6 cup) glass baking dish, which is the perfect size for cooking just for 2 to 4 people. While the oven is heating, grate your cheese. Then, in a small mixing bowl, combine the cream, shallots, rosemary, salt, and pepper and whisk it a little to blend it all together. Next, place half of potatoes in the baking dish, overlapping slightly so they lay even and sprinkle with half of the grated cheese. Then, top with a second layer of potatoes and pour cream mixture over potatoes in dish and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cover gratin with foil and bake for 1 hour. Then uncover and bake an additional 45 minutes or until top is golden brown and potatoes are tender. When you take the gratin out of the oven, it might look a little soupy, that's OK. Just make sure to let the gratin cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Maple Glazed Bone-In Pork Chop:

2 bone-in pork chops
1 cup chicken stock 1/4 cup maple syrup (THE REAL STUFF!)
6 thyme sprigs, leaves stripped and chopped
Juice and zest of 1/2 lemon
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Before we cook our pork chops, we want to take them out of the refrigerator and let them sit on the counter until they're at room temperature. This is because if you put cold meat into a hot pan, it will seize up and get tough. Season the pork chops liberally with salt and pepper on each side. Preheat a large skillet over medium high heat with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil, or until the bottom of the pan is just covered. When the oil is hot, add the pork chops and sear for 2 minutes on each side and they are nice and brown. Then turn the heat down to medium and cook another 5-6 minutes total. Remove the pork chops from the pan and place on a plate and cover with foil. Then, using the same pan, add the chicken stock, thyme, maple syrup, lemon zest and juice. Bring up to a bubble and simmer until it starts to thicken. Then, return the pork chops to the pan and coat both sides with the glaze. Remove pork chops and place on the serving plate and drizzle some of the remaining glaze on top.

Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots:

1 pound medium-small carrots (about 10 carrots)
2 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup water
Salt and pepper
Chopped flat-leaf parsley

First, trim the green stems leaving about 1 inch left on the top and scrub the carrots to clean off any excess dirt. You can peel them if you want to, but I didn't because I like the rustic look of an unpeeled carrot. In a medium saucepan, combine the butter, brown sugar, and water and bring to a boil over high heat. Then, add the carrots and reduce heat to medium and continue boiling (uncovered) for about 20 minutes or until carrots are tender but not mushy. Add salt and pepper to taste and freshly chopped parsley. Use a slotted spoon to remove carrots from the pan and serve.

And there we have our completed Vermont meal! Hopefully, you'll be able to time it so that all of the components come together at the same time. After your dinner, I suggest finishing off your night with a pint of your favorite Ben & Jerry's ice cream. My favorite is "AmirCone Dream" - Vanilla Ice Cream with Fudge Covered Waffle Cone Pieces & a Caramel Swirl. Also, as of this post, Vermont is dealing with massive flooding due to Hurricane Irene. If you would like to make a donation to help with the relief effort, you can do so through the American Red Cross http://www.redcross.org/

ILLINOIS - Deep Dish Pizza

What better way to start off than with my very own home state. It’s known as “The Prairie State,” “The Land of Lincoln” or just good ol' Illinois (the “s” is silent). Illinois became a state in 1818, and was the 21st state to enter the union. In 1865, Illinois was the first state to ratify the 13th Amendment to the Constitution abolishing slavery. A total of three presidents, Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, and Barak Obama have been elected from Illinois, but Ronald Reagan is the only president to have been actually born in the state (Tampico, IL). For all you comic book nerds out there, you’ll be interested to know that Metropolis, the home of Superman, really exists in Southern Illinois. He his honored by a giant statue on the main square, and every June, the city holds a festival called "The Superman Celebration." On to some interesting food trivia. Des Plaines, IL is home to the first McDonald’s, and the ice cream "sundae" was named in Evanston, IL. In 1890, due to influence from the religious community, the town passed an ordinance prohibiting the sale of ice cream sodas on Sundays. However, ingenious drug store owners, still technically obeying the law, started to serve ice cream with the syrup of your choice, without the soda. Because the dish was only served on Sunday it became known as such, but objections were made to naming a dish after the Sabbath, and spelling of "sunday" was eventually changed to "sundae.”

Alright, enough history, let’s get down to business. To honor my home town and great state of Illinois, we’re going to make a Chicago style deep dish pizza. Now this isn’t some wimpy, floppy, greasy, fold in half and stuff in your mouth while you’re walking on the street thing. This is a sit down at the dinner table with a fork and a steak knife, hearty meal of greatness. To make this even more authentic, I’ll be wearing my Mike Ditka Chicago Bears sweater while cooking this meal DA BEARS! If you’re not familiar with deep dish pizza, the main thing to know is that it’s basically assembled upside-down. Cheese goes on first, then topping and then sauce. Let’s get started.

First order of business is to make the pizza dough. This recipe makes enough for dough for a pizza cooked in a 12in deep dish pan, or you can cut the recipe in half to make a pizza in a 9in pan (which is what I did). As far as the pan goes, you can go a head and spend some money buying one of those custom made deep dish pizza pans, or you can take a cue from me, and just use a trusty spring form cheese cake pan. I already had it around the house, and it makes cutting and serving the pizza a hell of a lot easier.

Pizza Dough:

1 cup warm water
1 package yeast
3/4 cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 ½ - 3 cups flour

Start by putting the warm water in a mixing bowl and add the yeast until it dissolves, then add the corn meal, salt, sugar, olive oil, and melted butter. You’ll want to whisk it for about 5 minutes so that the cornmeal dissolves and the yeast starts to proof. Now, if you have a kitchen aid mixer, here’s a great time to fire that baby up. I don’t have one, so I’ll be doing this the old fashioned way, with my clean, freshly washed hands.

Next, add one cup of flour and mix it up well, then add the remaining flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until you can handle and kneed the dough without it sticking to your hands. You may not need the whole 3 cups of flour, or you may need more. You will have to use your judgment. Next take the dough out of the bowl and kneed it by hand on a countertop. If you have made the dough right you will not have to put any flour down, or you will only need a minimal amount. Kneed the dough for 3 to 5 minutes. Again, this is a judgment call.

Now we have to let the yeast do its magic and let the dough rise. Lightly oil the inside of a bowl and place the ball of dough inside, cover it with a kitchen towel and set aside on the countertop. The dough will take around 2-3 hours or until it doubles in size. Now is a good time to clean the kitchen and go out for a movie, or a few drinks with friends.

After the dough has risen, punch down the dough into a ball. Place the ball of dough on the counter and flatten it with your hand. Then, using a rolling pin (or wine bottle in my case), roll the dough into a uniform circle 1/4 inch thick. Take your dough and carefully place it into the pan. Form the crust by pinching the dough 1 1/2 inch up the side of the pan.

Pizza Toppings:

½ lb sliced mozzarella cheese
1 link sweet Italian sausage
1 jar sliced mushrooms
15 oz can pizza sauce (store bought or home made)
Grated Parmesan cheese
Grated Romano cheese

Now comes the fun part, adding your toppings. My family always has sausage and mushroom pizza, so that’s what I’m making today. The first thing you will put on is the slices of mozzarella cheese. For a 9in pizza, I used a half pound. Then one link of sweet Italian sausage. Break open the casing and evenly spread little chunks of the sausage over the cheese. Next comes the mushrooms. I like to used the sliced jar mushrooms, because that’s the way my momma makes it. You can use fresh mushrooms or other vegetables, but make sure to cook them first. Otherwise the water in the vegetables will sweat out into the pizza and make it soggy. Then, cover the pizza with pizza sauce. You can used can store bought (like I did) or, if you have time, make your own. Put enough sauce so that it’s just covering up all of the toppings. Then sprinkle the top with Romano and Parmesan cheese. At my store, you can buy Romano and Parmesan already grated and mixed together.

Time to cook the pizza. Preheat the oven to 475ºF. Bake the pizza at 475ºF for 15 minutes. Then, lower the temperature to 400ºF and bake the pizza an additional 25 minutes until the crust is golden brown. Let the pizza cool 5 minutes and then serve and enjoy.