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^C^1Readers' Recipes


^CCAROLINA PIE

   My grandmother in New Orleans taught this recipe to me, and she dang sure
weren't no Carolina Yankee. As a matter of fact, it ain't a pie, either.

   Get yourself about a pound or two of the leanest ground beef you can afford.
Pan fry it loose, being careful that it is in small pieces but does not get
fried too dry and hard - just so's the meat pieces are brown all the way
through. Spread a large cookie pan with 3 or 4 layers of paper towels and spread
the hot meat out on them and drain all the fat you can. Add more paper towels on
top and put another cookie pan on top and flip it over to drain more fat. Keep
it up until the meat is as free of fat as possible.

   Boil about 2 or 3 pounds of THIN spaghetti, but do not overcook. I test by
trying to cut a piece on the edge of the pot with the edge of a fork. It should
cut, but offer some resistance. If it's too soft, the dish will not be nearly as
good. Use only a pinch of salt in the water you used to boil it in. Drain and
dry the spaghetti as much as you can.

   Using a deep (3" or so) casserole dish, put a layer of the spaghetti about
1/2" or so thick. Put a thin layer of the ground beef on top followed by a layer
of sliced or grated EXTRA SHARP Cheddar cheese. On top of this, pour a layer of
tomato paste or tomato sauce. Repeat two more times, ending with the tomato
sauce/paste. Cook in an oven (NOT a microwave) until all the cheese is melted.

   If you are anxious, you can eat it now, but I like to put it in the freezer
for a day or so to let the juices all get together. Then, you can cut it out in
serving sized portions and warm them up in the microwave. As far as seasoning
it, it's your choice. I find it best if I add salt and lots of black pepper
right on my plate, but it's your choice. Try anything!  I've often wanted to try
it with pan pork sausage, either all the way or mixed half and half with the
beef, but the wife is allergic to it. You can also try different types of
cheeses. One of the best I've found is the "free" cheese the federal yankee
gov'mnt "gives" (hell, they bought it with their taxes) the old folks in
Louisiana and other states. Try it - it's gooooooooo-d!


^CTHE COMPLETE HAMBURGER
^CIN JUST ONE PATTY

   Roll out your hamburger patties as usual, but try to make them as thin as
possible and keep them in one piece. If you can get them thinner than most fast
food joints, that's good - say -1/8" or so. Chop up some onion into tiny little
pieces - like 1/8" or smaller. Mix in Worsheljkn - Worchhhh - You know, that
brown sauce that's named after somewhere in England. A-1 might be good - I never
tried it. Add any other seasonings your gizzards can take without sending you to
the emergency room -Tabasco is good - let your colon be your guide. Mix the
onion/seasoning mess into a semi-dry paste and spread it thinly on the center of
a patty, leaving the edges free. Put another thin patty on top and seal the
edges together. Make a mess of them, cover them and let them sit a while in the
icebox to let all the juices get acquainted and maybe mate a little. Then do
with them whatever you normally do to your hamburger patties, just being certain
they are browned all the way through, which is easier said than done, since they
are so thick by now. Rare won't cut it here unless you like salmonella. Best is
over an open barbeque pit with mesquite wood. Maybe cooked in a closed smoker
would be best, but I ain't got one. You can add all the other hamburger fixins
if you really want, but anything other than mustard and/or mayo takes away from
flavor of the patty.

   Ya-all write me from the hospital and tell me how good it was before they
pumped your stomach out.

^RBob Talley
^RNederland, Tx
