See Dick Cook: A Culinary Voyage for the Average Man (16 page)

Now grab your clams and throw 'em in. Cook for 2 - 3 more minutes then remove from heat.

Take your cooked linguine noodles and add them to your sauce, tossing to coat.

Serve immediately with some Dicks Bread n' Butter, or crusty bread of your choice.

Servings: 4

Dick’s Difficulty Gauge: Easy

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Dicks Tips

Don't boil your sauce down too much Dick as this is supposed to be soupy and you don't want it to be too salty. You will likely find the anchovy paste with the canned seafood section where you find tuna, salmon and the like. If not, ask at the fish counter. You can also chop up 4 anchovy fillets to substitute for the paste.

French Guy Meat Pie

If you get caught with your finger in the pie Dick, this French-Canadian dish, better known as Tourtiere, will have them turning a blind eye to any indiscretions. A great choice for the holiday season as well.

Procedure

In a large pot, melt olive oil and butter together over medium heat and sauté the onions for 5 - 7 minutes or until soft.

Add the ground beef and pork, and cook for 10 minutes or until no longer pink. Drain any excess fat out of the pot before the next steps.

Add the beef broth and remaining seasonings to the meat mixture and simmer on medium low until all the liquid has evaporated, for 20 - 30 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in your mashed potatoes until thoroughly blended. Allow to cool in the refrigerator for 4 hours or more.

About a half hour before you're ready to bake, remove your frozen pie crusts and thaw on the counter at room temperature.

Preheat your oven to 350° F.

Once your crusts are soft, scoop the meat mixture evenly into two separate pie crusts, spreading evenly.

Gently remove the other two pie crusts from the tinfoil pan and lay on top of the filled meat mixture on both pies.

Gently pinch all around the edges of the crusts to seal them together.

Take a sharp knife and make a couple of slits into the top pie crusts to allow for steam to escape while baking. A few slices per pie will do it Dick.

Using your pastry brush, apply a thin coating of milk or cream on the top crust. Don't go crazy on this, just enough to moisten the shells.

Bake both pies in the center of the oven for 45 minutes. Remove and allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Servings: 16

Yield: 2 Pies

Dick’s Difficulty Gauge: Moderately difficult

Oven Temperature: 350°F

Preparation Time: 50 minutes

Cooking Time: 45 minutes

Inactive Time: 4 hours

Total Time:

Dicks Tips

This is a lot of pie Dick, but it's a lot of work and freezes well so we might as well make two. Eat one pie, freeze the other. Just slip it into an oversized Ziploc bag and throw it in the freezer. When you want to serve it, just thaw at room temperature or overnight in the fridge, then cover with foil and reheat in the oven at 350° F for 20 - 30 minutes or until heated through.

Fruit of Their Loins Grilled Halibut & Mango Salsa

Watch out Dick...this is their baby girl you're messing with. Use your boyish charm and this flavorful dish to win them over.

Procedure

Combine all the ingredients except the halibut and refrigerate until ready to use. Try to give this a good couple of hours to ensure all the flavours blend together.

In your nonstick skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat. Add the Halibut and sear for 5 minutes. Flip the fish over and add 2 tablespoons of butter. As the butter melts, spoon it over the Halibut and continue to cook for another 5 minutes.

Remove from the pan, arrange on your plates and spoon a generous portion of your Mango salsa on top. Serve immediately.

Servings: 4

Yield: 4

Dick’s Difficulty Gauge: Very easy

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Inactive Time: 2 hours

Total Time:

Dicks Tips

Halibut, like most white fish will dry out quickly if it's overcooked Dick. Cook only until the meat is no longer translucent and flakes easily. You can substitute pretty much any whitefish here.

Serve this up with some She's So Sweet Potato Frites and a fresh salad for a really healthy meal.

Gobble It Up Turkey Casserole

Any time’s a good time for turkey, and this simple casserole dish will have them gobbling you up as well. Work it Dick, work it.

Procedure

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Bring water to a boil, remove from heat and stir in melted butter and stuffing mix. Spray the bottom of a 9" x13" inch pan or casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray, then layer the bottom of the pan with the stuffing mixture.

Evenly spread both the turkey and the broccoli over the stuffing mix.

In a separate bowl, mix together soup, milk, garlic, thyme, sage and half of the cheese.

Pour the mixture over the turkey and broccoli then sprinkle the rest of the cheese over top.

Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to sit for ten minutes before serving.

Servings: 6

Dick’s Difficulty Gauge: Easy

Oven Temperature: 350°F

Preparation Time: 25 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Inactive Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour and 5 minutes

Dicks Tips

This is a great way to use up leftover turkey Dick, but you can always find cooked turkey breast at the grocery store as well, likely packaged up in the deli section. You can also throw pretty much any vegetable you'd like into this dish if you prefer something different.

I'm Really Not a Jackass Jambalaya

What better way to shake the Jackass handle than to prepare a fantastic southern dish that will look and taste like you spent hours in the kitchen? A great dish to impress the folks.

Procedure

Preheat the oven to 350° F.

In a large frying pan on medium heat, melt butter and sauté the onion, celery and green pepper for 10 minutes or until they begin to soften. Next add garlic and sauté for 2 minutes more then remove from heat.

In a large roasting pan combine all remaining ingredients, as well as sautéed vegetables. Stir thoroughly until all ingredients are combined.

Cover and bake for 1½ hours, stirring occasionally.

Servings: 10

Dick’s Difficulty Gauge: Easy

Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Cooking Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours

Dicks Tips

To save time later, you could throw this together early in the day and cook in a slow-cooker instead. Throw it in on high for about 4 hours or until the water is absorbed and the rice is cooked.

A Penne For Your Thoughts

In any good poker game you gotta be able to read the face of your opponents. Get them to relax with a big plate of pasta then try to read their thoughts while they sit and digest. Ante up!

Procedure

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and cover to keep warm.

In a medium sized sauce pan over medium heat, melt butter and olive oil. Sauté mushrooms for ten minutes or until they begin to soften. Add garlic and continue to sauté for an additional five minutes.

Next, stir in shrimp and cook until heated through, for an additional five minutes.

Now add flour and cook for one minute, stirring constantly to blend with shrimp and mushrooms.

Next stir in broth and milk, stirring frequently until sauce boils and thickens.

Add parsley, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper and stir until cheese is melted.

In a large bowl, mix sauce with pasta and serve immediately.