See Dick Cook: A Culinary Voyage for the Average Man (6 page)

Servings: 4

Dick’s Difficulty Gauge: Very easy

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time:

Total Time:

Dicks Tips

You can prepare your romaine, bacon and croutons ahead of time and then keep cold in the fridge until ready to serve. Mix just before serving for a crisp, cold, rocking salad.

Sloppy Dicks

Long night out leaving you feeling like a soup sandwich? Well here's a real soup sandwich to help put you back together. A lighter version of Sloppy Joes this is sure to stick to your ribs and have you cleaning your plate. (Just don't lick the plate Dick...not cool.)

Procedure

In a large frying pan on medium heat, melt butter and add peppers, onions and mushrooms. Sauté for approximately 15 minutes, or until vegetables soften.

Next add the ground turkey to the pan, cooking through until browned and no longer pink, about 10 minutes.

In a separate bowl, whisk together soup and wine until smooth. Reduce heat to medium low and gradually stir in soup mixture to meat and vegetables.

Add the remaining spices. When mixture begins to boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add additional seasons to suit taste.

Spoon mixture over fresh cut Kaiser Rolls and serve.

Servings: 4

Dick’s Difficulty Gauge: Easy

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

Dicks Tips

You can substitute milk for the wine here. Just be careful not to thin the mixture out too much. You don't want it runny Dick. Instead strive for a thicker consistency for your soup sandwich. Feel free to experiment with your spices here as well. It's your recipe, anything goes!

Smokin' Gouda Dip

Whether you make this for the boys or your smoking hot date, this artichoke dip with a twist will have them licking their fingers. Watch out for the double dipper.

Procedure

Preheat your oven to 375° F, and lightly spray a medium sized baking dish with cooking spray.

Using an electric mixer, combine all ingredients except the artichokes in a bowl and beat until well blended.

Using a spoon or spatula, mix in the drained and chopped artichoke hearts.

Spoon mixture into the baking dish and bake for 20 minutes or until the mixture starts to bubble.

Serve with crackers or pita chips.

Servings: 6

Yield: About 4 cups

Dick’s Difficulty Gauge: Easy

Oven Temperature: 375°F

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Dicks Tips

The Dick Factor: This dip rocks Dick. It is perfectly fine on its own, but if you'd like to jazz it up a little, throw in a package of drained and chopped frozen spinach or a cup of chopped up crab meat. Leftovers are extremely unlikely.

Stalker Soup

A super simple cream of asparagus and celery soup recipe to enjoy with your date, or alone while she watches you through the window.

Procedure

In a medium sized sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat and sauté celery and shallots for five minutes or until soft.

In the same pot, add 2 cups of the broth and simmer for 20 minutes.

Add the asparagus and cook for an additional 10 minutes, or until tender.

Transfer soup mixture to a blender, and puree until smooth. (Careful Dick, it's hot.)

Add the remaining unused broth to the pan, stirring occasionally. Cook for 10 minutes longer or until heated.

Return the blended soup mixture to the pan, then add the cream, salt and pepper. Cook on medium low, stirring often for 10 to 15 minutes.

Serve hot.

Servings: 4

Yield: 6 cups

Dick’s Difficulty Gauge: Moderately difficult

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour and 10 minutes

Dicks Tips

Keep an eye on anything you cook with milk or cream in it, as it will burn to the bottom of the pan if not stirred enough.

The Dick Factor: Take a couple of your reserved asparagus spears and put two in each bowl as a garnish right before serving.

The Super Bowl Cheese Fondue

Okay Dick... granted you may never host a fondue party. A Super Bowl party however? Now we're talking. This one you can pull off and you don't even need a pot. And remember Dick, what happens at football, stays at football.

Procedure

Preheat your oven to 350° F.

Slice a thin portion off the top of one of the bread rounds, being sure the hole is smaller than the diameter of the bread. Hollow the remainder of the bread out, leaving the crust of the bread bowl intact. Set the removed bread and cap aside.

In a large bowl combine shredded cheddar, cream cheese, sour cream, ham, onion, Herbs de Provence, Worcestershire, hot sauce and mix until well blended. You may want to use an electric mixer for this if you have one available.

Spoon mixture into the hollowed loaf until full, and then replace the cap of the bread.

Wrap the entire loaf in about five layers of tin foil. Place on a cookie sheet on the center rack of the oven and bake at 350° F for 1 hour 15 minutes.

While your bread bowl is baking, tear up the bread from the first round into bite sized pieces. Chop or tear the second round into bit sized pieces as well. Arrange the bread on a large cookie sheet.

Brush the bread with the garlic flavored olive oil, or garlic butter. Once you remove the bread bowl from the oven, place the bread pieces in and bake for approximately 10 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Carefully unwrap your bread bowl and place on a serving plate. Throw the toasted bread crumbs around it or in a separate serving bowl, remove the cap and enjoy.

Servings: 8

Dick’s Difficulty Gauge: Easy

Oven Temperature: 350°F

Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Cooking Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours

Dicks Tips

You can find a Bread Pot or Bread Round at pretty much any grocery store bakery section. Try the sour dough, pumpernickel or one of both. The Herbs de Provence is located in the spices section...just scan alphabetically. It's a great spice to keep on hand for other recipes as well.

The Dick Factor: While the bread is good for dipping in this recipe fresh cut veggies are great too. Put out some chopped peppers, mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower and celery for the health wary snacker’s. Also, if you can find it, a football shaped bread bowl would be perfect here.

Wingman

Every guy needs a professional wingman and every guy needs a kick-ass wing recipe. No deep fryer required for these babies Dick, but they'll taste like they're restaurant quality.

Procedure

Bring your water and chicken broth to a full boil over high heat. Add your wings and cook for 15 minutes before removing from pot and allowing to slightly cool.

Preheat oven to 425° F. Line a cookie sheet with tin foil and spray generously with non-stick cooking spray.

In a plastic bowl with a tight fitting lid, combine bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, whole wheat flour, garlic powder and cayenne. Mix thoroughly to fully combine the seasoning.

Using a pastry brush coat the chicken wings with a thin layer of the melted butter.

Place 3 - 5 wings at a time (depending on size of your bowl) into the seasoning mixture. Seal the container and toss the wings to coat with the seasoning.

Arrange wings on the cookie sheet and season with sea salt and cracked pepper according to your own taste.

Bake in the pre-heated oven for 30 minutes or until the skin appears crisp and golden.

Serve with some ranch or blue cheese dressing for a dip.

Servings: 4

Yield: 4 lbs

Dick’s Difficulty Gauge: Easy

Oven Temperature: 425°F

Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Dicks Tips

What you're doing here Dick is something called par boiling. This is done to partially cook something before finishing the process through another means - enter the oven. It gets rid of some of the fat as well and will give you a juicier wing with that crispy coating.

GOING, GOING, GONE…

“Don't let love interfere with your appetite.
It never does with mine.”
~ Anthony Trollope

Banger and Dash

A simple, somewhat healthier version of Bangers and Mash...sure to give you enough energy to get out of Dodge.