You will not find the recipe for Deep Fried Twinkies dipped in
Marshmallow Chocolate Fudge Nut Crunch Topping in this column, but
I am sure you have heard about them.
You will not find the recipe for Deep Fried Twinkies dipped in Marshmallow Chocolate Fudge Nut Crunch Topping in this column, but I am sure you have heard about them.
Concessions around are now featuring something like that this summer, and the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is one.
A customer wanted to know how many calories are packed in one serving of these delights. Well, we are fickle. Diet, diet, diet. Eat junk food, eat junk food. Diet, diet, diet. And when times get tough Twinkies come to the rescue. And now we have deep fat fried ones to contend with. I’ll take the roller coaster ride instead, thank you.
So let’s forget about this fad and talk about some wonderful “lighter” food for summertime to help cool and refresh us during these extra warm days – such as a nice crispy, chilled green salad laced with farm-fresh vegetables and marinated grilled beef with refreshing ginger being a key ingredient.
Ginger gives zest to anything with which it is linked. It adds a cool refreshing taste to salads even though it is spicy to the bite. Ginger also aids in controlling nausea, so always carry a packet of crystalline ginger candies with you for long road trips or quick roller coaster rides.
It is a plant from sub-tropical regions and appears to have been used for many centuries in Asian and Indian cooking especially, despite being native to Egypt and Greece. Its name comes from the Sanskrit word for a horned root, which describes it perfectly.
Commonly known as a spice for cooking the powdered dried ginger is easily used in baked goods, and the bumpy gnarled fresh roots purchased at the produce market are used in stir-fries and other main dishes.
Crystalline or candied ginger has been cooked in a sugar syrup and coated with coarse sugar, thus making it easy to carry as a snack or a comforting food. Don’t be afraid to toss some crystalline ginger into green salads, fruit salads or into a chicken salad sandwich. It is a secret ingredient that makes the difference.
Sushi eaters certainly know about pickled ginger. It is a necessary component to the taste sensations for many Japanese entrees. It is simply the ginger root preserved in sweet vinegar. Sometimes it has some red food coloring added and used to flavor dishes both sweet and savory.
If you find you do not have pickled ginger just when you need it the most, shave fresh ginger root thinly and let it marinate in a mixture of vinegar and sugar with a pinch of salt.
Need a little refreshment before starting to cook? Try a chilled gingerale poured over fresh red ripe juicy strawberries. Even a little dollop of vanilla ice cream added is great. If you are still wishing for that deep fried Twinkie creation, make sure you have some refreshing ginger to nibble on afterward.
Steak Dinner in a Salad
1 tablespoon steak sauce or Jerk sauce
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon cayenne, or as desired
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 knob ginger root, slivered
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound flank steak, cut diagonally against the grain into 1/4-inch slices
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups bean sprouts, rinsed and drained well
1/2 cup small red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro or fresh mint leaves
Soft lettuce leaves for lining the plates
Salted peanuts, as desired
In a bowl, whisk together the steak sauce, lime juice, cayenne, sugar, soy sauce, garlic and ginger. Add beef slices and toss to coat well. Let stand 15-30 minutes.
In a large heavy bottomed saute pan, heat half of the oil until it is very hot and stir-fry the beef for about 2-3 minutes then transfer to a bowl. In the same skillet, heat the remaining oil and stir-fry the bean sprouts and onion for about 30 seconds. Add to the meat, toss in the cilantro and peanuts.
Arrange the salad on the lettuce lined plates and garnish as desired.
Ginger Cream Dip with Fresh Fruits
1 cup yogurt
2 tablespoons honey
Zest from one orange
1/2 teaspoon good quality powdered ginger
Assorted sliced and cubed fresh fruits (apples, pears, bananas, berries)
Juice of 1 lemon
Combine yogurt, honey, zest, and ginger.
Prepare fruits and arrange on a plate; sprinkle fruits with the lemon juice to keep them from darkening. This dip is also wonderful for cooked prawns or crab meat.
Salmon with Ginger Paste
3-4 salmon steaks, about 1 1/2-inch thick
1-2 serrano or Thai chilies, seeded
2 garlic cloves
1 small onion
1 knob fresh ginger, peeled
1 teaspoon ground tumeric
8-10 saffron threads soaked in 1 teaspoon water
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup coconut milk
2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
Trim the fish, removing the skin and bone if possible. Set aside.
In a food processor with steel chopping blade in place, combine the remaining ingredients and process until it is a fairly smooth paste.
Spread the mixture over the fish and refrigerate about 30 minutes.
Bake, grill or broil the fish until it flakes easily. As a general rule of thumb, it takes about 4 minutes on each side for about two-inch thick salmon pieces. But, of course, it varies, so keep your eye on it.
Ginger Snaps
This is the best old-fashioned ginger cookie recipe ever. I will bake these for my daughter Alison McNett’s garden wedding in honor of her grandmother Antons.
Make these yourself. The recipe is so good it may make you famous.
3/4 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup sorghum
1 teaspoon each cinnamon, cloves, and ginger
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons soda (“a little rounding,” as Grandma’s recipe is written)
Cream butter with the sugar. Add egg and sorghum and mix well. Whisk together the dry ingredients and mix into the butter mixture. Chill dough overnight.
Make into balls and roll in sugar. Bake at 365 degrees for about 10-12 minutes – watch until you get the timing down. (Grandma did not leave us with the timing, so we just cook them until they are done to our liking.) Do not grease the cookie sheet.
