Like to cook?
Unfazed about preparing a dinner party for a dozen?
Ok. How about fixing a meal for more than 1,000?
And not just once in a while, but three times a day, seven days a week, thirty-three weeks a year.
That's the challenge facing the College's Dining Services and its director, Steve Pearse.
“My theme is 'restaurant-quality food for dining,' ” he says. “Almost every chef on campus has restaurant experience, and we continually examine our menus to see how particular items are doing.”
This year, for example, first-year students are showing more interest in “healthier” foods (salad bar items, baked potatoes instead of french fries) and students all over campus are eating more meat (the largest crowds in Upperclass Dining Hall are on Tuesday nights, when roast turkey is on the menu).
Along with keeping an eye on the weekly patterns, Pearse and his colleagues like to come up with special events to add spice to the students' dining (e.g., Western, Mardi Gras, and Caribbean nights, and the 900 lobsters prepared for Springfest Weekend).
But perhaps nothing is as special as the “Recipes From Home” program, now in its fifth year.
The program is just what its name implies. Dining Services encourages Union families to submit their favorite recipes, and each year all that are submitted — usually about fifty to sixty — are prepared for lunch or dinner (or even breakfast, if appropriate). Families are invited to join their children as guests when the recipe is served. At the end of the year, the College produces a “Recipes From Home” cookbook.
“We want to introduce a little taste of home into our menus,” Pearse says.
The taste comes in many forms, from salads to entrees to desserts, and the College works hard to convert a recipe designed for a few persons into one that will work for hundreds. The College's chefs have a lot of fun with the program and, apparently, so do the families. One father, in submitting his recipe for “authentic down Maine fish chowdah,” offered the following observation:
“You will note that we do not add any corn starch. Amateurs, cheapskate restauranteurs, and people from Connecticut do add corn starch to thicken their chowder and create the impression that it is full of fish and potatoes. This is a fraud, and any self-respecting New Englander who can trace his roots to the Maine or New Hampshire coast knows how to spot fish (or clam) chowder with corn starch in the dark from fifty feet and will not abide it.”
That recipe, and several other favorites, follow:
Authentic Regulation Down East Maine Fish Chowdah
James Cahill
Ingredients:
— 3 lbs. cod or haddock fillets
— 2 large onions
— 5 lbs. Maine potatoes
— 1 quart light cream
— black pepper, paprika
— Small pinch ground clove
— 1/4 lb. salt pork
— 1/4 lb. butter
— 12 oz. can chicken broth
— 1 pint milk
— dill
What to do:
— Break the fish apart by hand to check for loose, small bones. Put fish in a clean bowl with ice water to cover, sprinkle a little salt on it, and set aside.
— In a 10-quart stew pot, slowly fry the salt pork after cutting the rind away. Peel and dice the onions and put into the pot. Add 1/8 pound of sweet butter. (Don't let the onions brown.) Peel and dice the potatoes, put into pot, and cover with cold water and set aide. When the onions begin to soften, add the potatoes and water to cover and bring to a brisk boil. Reduce heat, pour in the chicken broth, and let mixture simmer for about 20 minutes to soften. Add fish and add enough water to cover by 2 inches. Bring back up to a rolling boil for about 5 minutes. Add light cream, 1/8 pound of butter, and the milk. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer on low for about another half hour.
— Do not let mixture boil or come close to boiling (it will skim over but this is not a problem). Season to taste with black pepper, paprika, ground clove, a tiny bit of ground clove, and dill.
“Nungar's” Leek and Potato Soup
Denise Zandman
Ingredients:
— 1 Tbsp. chicken stock powder
— 3 Tbsp. oil
— 4 medium leeks
— 2 quarts water
— 1 large onion
— 4 medium potatoes
— salt, pepper to taste
What to do:
— Heat oil in large soup pot. Add peeled, diced onion. Cook until clear.
— Meanwhile, trim, chop, and wash the leeks, removing all sand. Add chopped leeks to onion in soup pot. Cook until soft (5-10 minutes), stirring occasionally. Add approximately 2 quarts (8 cups) of water and bring to a boil.
— Meanwhile, peel potatoes and cut into eighths. Add to soup. Simmer 30 minutes or so, until potatoes are soft. Season to taste.
— Garnish with parsley and/or oyster crackers.
Hot Buffalo Chicken Riggies
Mathew Barry
Ingredients:
— 2-3 lbs. boneless chicken breasts (filets)
— 1 cup red buffalo hot wing sauce
— 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
— oil
— 1 Tbsp. margarine
— large rigatoni noodles
What to do:
— In a large frying pan, put 3-4 tablespoons of oil, then stir fry chicken until tender and done. Add hot sauce, margarine, and Parmesan cheese in the same pan. Mix and add boiled large rigatoni noodles. Mix all together and enjoy.
Chicken Cutlet Parmesan
Christine Mills
Ingredients:
— 5 chicken cutlets, thin
— 1 cup bread crumbs
— 1/2 cup flour
— 2 cloves garlic
— 1/2 Tbsp. parsley
— 1 small can tomato paste
— 1/2 cup grated cheese
— 2 eggs
— 1/2 cup olive oil
— 1 large can plum tomatoes
— 1/2 tsp. oregano
— 1 tsp. basil
— 4 Tbsp. olive oil
— 1/2 lb. mozzarella cheese
What to do:
— Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Dip cutlets into flour, then eggs, then bread crumbs. In a skillet heat olive oil (1/2 cup) and brown cutlets on each side for about 5 minutes. Remove from skillet and place in baking pan, cover with tomato sauce (recipe below) and grated cheese, and place mozzarella on top. Bake until cheese melts.
Tomato sauce:
— Saute garlic in hot oil until brown. Add tomatoes and cook rapidly for 5 minutes, then lower flame and add paste, oregano, basil, parsley, salt, and pepper. Stir thoroughly. Simmer over low flame 1 hour. Stir to prevent sticking.
Jambalaya
Judy Spitz
Ingredients:
— 3 Tbsp. butter or margarine
— 1/2 lb. smoked sausage (1/4 inch slices)
— 1/2 lb. Italian sausage (bite size)
— 2 Tbsp. plus 3/4 tsp. Cajun spices
— 1 cup chopped onions
— 1 cup chopped green bell peppers
— 1/2 cup canned tomato sauce
— 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
— 1 1/2 cups uncooked rice (unconverted)
— 1/2 lb. smoked ham or kielbasa
— 3/4 lb. boneless chicken (bite size)
— 1/2 lb. shrimp
— 2 bay leaves
— 1 cup chopped celery
— 1 Tbsp. minced garlic
— 1 cup peeled, chopped tomatoes
— 1 Tbsp. chopped parsley
What to do:
— Melt butter in heavy saucepan over high heat. Add ham and both sausages. Cook 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add chicken and cook until chicken is brown (4-5 minutes).
— Stir in Cajun spices, bay leaves, and one-half of the onions, peppers, and celery and all of the garlic. Cook 6-8 minutes stirring often and scraping bottom of pan. Stir in tomato sauce. Cook 1 minute. Stir in remaining vegetables, tomatoes, broth, and rice.
— Bring to boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes. Ten minutes before dish is done, stir in shrimp. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.
— Dish may be baked once stock and rice have been added. Transfer to ungreased 13″ by 9″ pan and bake uncovered at 350 degrees about one hour. Stir well before serving.
Barbecue Pork Wraps
Anne Fiato
Ingredients:
— 2 lbs. lean pork cut in strips
— 4 cloves of garlic
— 1/4 tsp. cumin
— 1 tsp. oregano
— 1 Tbsp. hot sauce (optional)
— 1 medium onion
— 1 small green bell pepper
— 2 tsp. chili powder
— 1/3 cup barbecue sauce
— blue cheese dressing or shredded cheese
— soft taco bread wraps
What to do:
— Brown pork. Add spices, onions, garlic, peppers. Saute until onions are translucent. Add barbecue sauce and hot sauce. Salt and pepper to taste.
— Spread blue cheese dressing or sprinkle shredded cheese (of any kind) on soft taco bread wrap. Add meat mixture and wrap tightly. Serve with nacho chips.
Garlic Shrimp and Pasta
Celia Mooney
Ingredients:
— 1/2 stick butter
— 4 cloves minced garlic
— 3 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil
— 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
— 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. coarsely ground pepper
— 1/2 cup olive oil
— 1 lb. large shrimp shelled and devined
— 1/4 tsp. salt
— 1 lb. linguini (or other pasta)
What to do:
— In large pan, melt butter in olive oil; saute garlic for 1 minute. Add shrimp, basil, parsley, salt, and pepper. Saute 2 to 3 minutes until shrimp are tender. Serve over linguini (or other pasta).