Want to enjoy the best that Dallas restaurants have to offer without ever leaving your home? Our new recurring feature, Dish Pirate, will help you bring the city’s robust dining scene to your kitchen.
Whether you are mourning the fact that our beloved Dallas Cowboys are not playing in the Super Bowl this coming Sunday, celebrating the teams that are playing, or just like snacks, we have some great “big game” recipes for you. Here are some easy-to-tackle recipes from a few local favorites. (I have substituted several ingredients with options that are easy to find at your local grocer.)
Dish Pirate: Pie Tap’s Spiedini
Inspired by: Chef Giovanni Mauro
Recipe (Yields 10 skewers)
Ingredients:
10 slices of prosciutto
10 4-inch long 1×1 square units of fontina or any equivalent cheese like provolone, gruyere or gouda
1.5 oz arugula
1 tsp balsamic vinaigrette
salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
1. Wrap cheese in prosciutto.
2. Heat oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Place spiedini on non-stick cookie sheet and bake until crispy.
3. Toss arugula, balsamic vinaigrette, and salt and pepper in bowl.
4. Place arugula mixture on plate and top with spiedini.
Dish Pirate: Moxie’s Korean Fried Cauliflower
Inspired by: Corporate executive chef, Brandon Thordarson
Recipe (Yields 8 1/2 cup servings)
Ingredients & Preparation:
Tempura Battter:
20 oz all purpose flour
28 oz ice cold water
1 Tbsp kosher salt
Whisk well until smooth and free of any lumps. Keep in bowl and hold cold in fridge until needed.
*You can also use the pre-packaged tempura batter at the store.
Korean Pepper Sauce:
1-1/4 cups Gochujang pepper paste (also called hot & sweet sauce)
1 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup water
2 Tbsp canola oil
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
Bring to a slow simmer on medium heat, whisk to incorporate all ingredients. Simmer for one minute and remove from heat. Transfer to small container to cool, hold for use. (Will last one week in fridge.)
Frying Cauliflower:
4 cups cauliflower florets
1 cup all purpose flour
Tempura batter (recipe above)
2 liters canola oil- heated to 350 degrees for frying
Toss the cauliflower flourettes in flour to lightly dust them. Transfer the dusted cauliflower to tempura batter. Mix around to coat in batter. With slotted spoon lift out of batter and gently place into hot oil. Fry for 3 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oil with slotted spoon. Place on paper towel lined plate to drain
To Plate/Finish:
Korean pepper sauce (recipe above)
1 tsp sesame seeds
1 bundle of cilantro leaves
Once drained, toss cooked cauliflower in Korean Pepper Sauce to coat evenly. Pile onto plate and sprinkle with seeds and cilantro leaves.
Dish Pirate: Victor Tangos’ Japanese-Style Chicken Wings
Inspired by: Sous chef, Joe Mannel
Recipe (Yields 12 wings)
Ingredients:
12 whole chicken wings
1 cup corn starch (substituted for potato starch)
1 Tbsp chopped cilantro
1/2 Tbsp sesame seed & chili flake mixture (substituted for furikake seasoning)
salt
3 limes, cut into wedges
2 liters canola oil heated to 300 degrees
Wing Sauce:
1/2 cup soy sauce (substituted for tamari)
1/2 cup rice vinegar (substituted for mirin)
1/4 cup fish sauce
1 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp powdered chicken base also known as chicken flavor bouillon
Preparation:
1. Add all sauce ingredients to a pot and simmer until sugar is dissolved and sauce is reduced to a syrupy consistency. Set aside.
2. Season wings with salt and let sit for 30 minutes. Dust them with potato starch, making sure to knock off any extra.
3. Fry the wings at about 300 degrees for 8-10 minutes. They should be just about cooked through but not very dark on the outside.
4. Chill wings. Bring temperature up to 375-400 degrees. Fry wings again for about 4-5 minutes or until hot and crispy.
5. Quickly toss the hot wings in the sauce until they are well coated. Top with cilantro, sesame seeds and chili flakes.
6. Serve right away with lime wedges for garnish.
These three recipes compliment each other very well and share many of the same ingredients. The spiedini is simple and fresh while the fried cauliflower is the perfect pair to the Japanese wings. Go team!
