Everything's Bettah with Muffaletta Bruschetta

To make the confession I am about to make is probably considered heresy by many in Baton Rouge:   

I have never been to an
LSU football game.

There!  I said it!  I might need to go into a witness protection program now.

The truth is I haven’t actually refused to go to a game, but, given the choice (and my sweet husband has always given me the choice), I'd prefer not to.  

First, I’m not a very knowledgeable fan of the game.  Second, even though LSU football games are mostly all night games, it’s still pretty steamy down here. 

For a Wisconsin girl, it seems essential that you attend a football game in a sweater AND jacket, that the sound of clapping is muffled by gloves and mittens, that you see your breath when you cheer, and that it might even snow by half-time. 

Now I have enjoyed many a game in the air-conditioned comfort of my living room or the living rooms of friends.  And the additional reward of these off-site games is that we can sip and snack and dine throughout the entire event.

Since my husband has two season tickets this year, I’m pretty sure I will soon break my football “fast," preferably to see LSU beat Bama.  I think I would especially enjoy the sights, sounds, and smells of the tailgating LSU is famous for.

Until then, I offer this fantastic appetizer that I made for home “tailgating” this season.

Muffaletta Bruschetta

Source:  original recipe

Yield:  20+ pieces

Ingredients:

1 c. purchased olive salad (I use Boscoli)

½ c. salami, diced (I used Genoa)

½ c. smoked Gouda, diced

1 baguette

Olive oil

1 clove garlic, sliced lengthwise in half

Process:

Since the salad is rather oily, I put it in a wire-mesh strainer, sprayed it with hot water, let it drain, and blotted additional moisture with paper towels.  Combine the olive salad with the salami and cheese.  Set aside. (The topping mixture can be prepared ahead.  Refrigerate if preparing more than an hour before serving.) 

Preheat oven to 350°.  Slice the baguette, slightly on the diagonal, into ½-inch slices.  Place bread slices on a large cookie sheet.  Brush each slice with a small amount of the olive oil.  Bake in the oven until the tops are beginning to crisp but the bread still gives to the touch.  Remove from oven and let cool until you can touch the bread.   While the bread is warm, rub each slice with the cut side of the garlic.  Start a new garlic clove halve if the first one starts to disintegrate.  (The bread can be prepared a few hours before assembly and left at room temperature.)

To assemble, top each slice of bread with a heaping tablespoon of the olive salad mixture. (I found that it helps to put the bread pieces very close to each other so that the olive salad mixture stays on the bread and not the pan.)  Return the bruschetta and heat for about five minutes or until the cheese begins to melt.  Serve immediately.  

Thai-ing One On During Hurricane Isaac

A tree down across our neighbor's yard

Death.  Taxes.  And if you live in Louisiana—hurricanes.   Certain.  Inevitable. 

As a “recovering” Yankee transplanted to Baton Rouge in 1989, I first experienced a hurricane in 1992, and his name was Andrew.  We didn’t have a generator then, but, thankfully, the temperature did drop following the storm.  However, I still remember my 3-year-old daughter’s plaintive cry after days of every meal being cooked on the grill and eaten outdoors on the patio:  “Can’t we go inside and watch TV?!”

Then came deadly Katrina in 2005 and destructive Gustav in 2008.  Although our city and state suffered greatly, my family had gained a generator, a window air-conditioning unit, and miles of orange extension cords which helped us endure the almost two weeks of powerlessness each time.

Tree on a neighbor's house

So when Isaac approached, we knew the drill:  crank up the generator, load up the gas cans and cars, stock up at the grocery store (alcohol and snack foods are essential), batten down the patio furniture, and pray for the best.

I won’t diminish the real suffering of so many in Louisiana, especially those displaced by the horrific flooding.  There are several huge trees down and a few blue tarps on roofs in our neighborhood.

Tarp on a neighbor's house

Our camp in Springfield was flooded and will need to have all floors and walls replaced--but thank God for flood insurance.  Our boat sustained some damage and a kayak floated away.     

But our daughter came home from New Orleans and stayed with us for a week, and, miraculously, we only lost power for a couple hours.  So we snacked, sipped, chatted, napped, and watched movies during the two days of rain and wind.  And, in large part to cope with the stress, I chopped, and cooked, and chopped, and cooked. 

Following is one of our meals, compliments of Hurricane Isaac, and it was made during our two-hour power outage.

Stormy Thai Salad with Peanut Dressing

Source:  original recipe

Yield:  4 servings

Ingredients:

For the salad:

1-10 oz. package broccoli slaw (cabbage slaw might work, too)

1 8-oz. can pineapple tidbits or chunks, drained minced (or 8-oz. can crushed)

½ to 1 tsp. minced fresh jalapeño pepper (optional)

French-fried onion rings (or 2 sliced shallots, floured and sautéed in oil)

For the dressing:

2 T. fish sauce

2 T. rice onion

2 T. soy sauce

2 T. brown sugar

2 T. creamy peanut butter (not fresh or old-fashioned)

2 T. fresh lime juice

1 tsp. chili garlic sauce (or more to taste)

Process:

In a steamer basket over boiling water, steam the broccoli slaw for 2-3 minutes until crispy-tender.  Rinse with cold water and chill while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.  (If you like your salad very crunchy, you could skip this step.)   In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients.  Add the pineapple and jalapeño pepper, if using, to the slaw.  Stir in the dressing.  (You might want to pour in about half of the dressing first and then add more if necessary so that the salad isn't overdressed.)  Chill.  Garnish just with onion rings before serving.

Thai Curry-cane Chicken 

This recipe is similar to a previous posting but I think the flavor, color, and "crunch" were enhanced by the addition of the red peppers, the minced ginger and the jalapeño pepper.

Source:  original recipe

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

2 red pepper, sliced into ½-inch strips

1 medium onion, halved and sliced lengthwise into ½-inch strips

½ lb. green beans, cut in 2-inch pieces (can be lightly steamed first)

1½ lbs. skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, sliced crosswise in 2-inch strips

Vegetable oil

1 T. peeled and minced ginger

3 cloves garlic, minced

1½ tsp. seeded, minced jalapeño pepper

2 T. fish sauce

1 14-oz. can coconut milk

1-2 T. green curry paste

Juice of ½ lime

¼ c. chopped cilantro

¼ c. chopped fresh basil

Process:

Heat enough oil to coat the bottom of a wok or large frying pan until very hot.  (A pinch of salt added will prevent smoking).  Stir-fry the red pepper, onion, and green beans until crisp-tender but slightly browned.  Remove the vegetables to a large bowl.

If necessary, add oil to coat the bottom of the wok or pan.  Stir-fry the chicken in the pan until done and lightly browned.  Add the ginger, garlic and jalapeño pepper and stir-fry until fragrant, but don’t brown the garlic.  Add the fish sauce, coconut milk, curry paste, and lime juice.   Continue cooking until the sauce begins to thicken slightly.

Add the reserved vegetables and heat through.  Before serving, garnish with cilantro and basil (or serve on the side).  Serve with rice, preferably jasmine.