Traveling to summer food festivals are a fantastic way to visit America and enjoy the best food that region serves up. Alice M. Geffen and Carole Berglie share a few of the summer food festival recipes they have tried below.
Summer Food Festival Recipes
GONZALES JAMBALAYA FESTIVAL
Jambalaya Recipe
1 large chicken, cut up
4 large onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped fine
3 cups water
2 cups long-grain rice, rinsed
1/2 cup chopped scallion greens salt and pepper to
taste
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
In a large cast-iron pot, brown the chicken over high heat
in its own fat until it turns dark, dark brown — about 1
hour. Add the onions and garlic and fry until they turn
brown, too — about 10 minutes more. Add the water and simmer
the chicken until tender, about 30 minutes. Add the
remaining ingredients and stir lightly. Bring the liquid to
a boil and cook over medium heat until most of the water is
gone and the rice starts to puff. Stir the mixture
carefully, lower the heat, and cover to cook slowly until
done, about 30 minutes more. When done, season with more
cayenne pepper if desired. Serves 6.
Per serving: 319 cal., 38 g pro., 54 g carbo., 5 g fat, 377
mg sodium. USRDA: 20% iron, 51% vit. B6.
GILROY GARLIC FESTIVAL
Garlots Recipe
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
18 cloves (about 1 large head) garlic, peeled and
chopped
1 pound chopped beef
4 tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped pinch cumin salt
and pepper to taste
8 spring roll wrappers
Vegetable oil for deep frying
1-1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
Heat the oil in a heavy skillet; add the onion and garlic
and cook until wilted. Then add the meat and fry until it
changes color. Add the tomatoes and cook the mixture until
it is dry, about 10 minutes. Add cumin, salt, and pepper.
Let the mixture cool.
Separate the spring roll wrappers and put 1 heaping
tablespoon filling on each roll along the diagonal. Fold
one corner over the filling, then fold over the shorter two
ends and roll the wrapper until the remaining end piece is
wrapped around the filling. Moisten the end with a little
water to make it stick.
Heat the oil to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and deep fry the garlots, 2 at a
time, for 5 to 7 minutes. Drain on paper towels, then
sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and serve hot. Makes 8
garlots.
*We used easier-to-find wonton wrappers, with excellent
results.
Per serving: 344 cal., 20 g pro., 15 g carbo., 30 g fat, 5
mg cholesterol, 255 mg sodium. USRDA: 16% iron, 15% vit. A,
27% vit. C, 15% calcium.
INTERNATIONAL ZUCCHINI FESTIVAL
Zucchini Gazpacho Recipe
1 small zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch cubes (about 1-1/2
cups)
1 small onion, minced
1 green pepper, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced
1-1/2 cups chicken broth, skimmed
2 cups tomato juice
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
Place the vegetables and chicken broth in a blender. Spin
for 1 minute, so that the ingredients are minutely chopped
but not pureed. Then pour the mixture into a large bowl and
add the remaining ingredients. Stir, then chill for a
couple of hours. Serve ice cold. Serves 4 to 6. Per 1/6
recipe: 86 cal., 3 g pro., 10 g carbo., 5 g fat, 376 mg
sodium. USRDA: 32% vit. A, 80% vit. C.
MASSACHUSETTS CRANBERRY FESTIVAL
Cranberry Sour-Cream Coffee Cake Recipe
1 stick butter or margarine
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 can (8 oz) whole cranberry sauce
1/2 cup chopped nuts
Glaze:
2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons warm water
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Cream together the butter or margarine and sugar. Add the
eggs one at a time and mix well. Sift together the dry
ingredients. Add the creamed mixture alternately with the
sour cream, then stir in the almond extract. Spoon half the
batter into a greased 10 inch tube pan, spread with half the
cranberry sauce, and sprinkle with half the chopped nuts;
repeat. Bake for 40 to 55 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, or until a
cake tester comes out clean. Let cool. While cake cools,
prepare the glaze. Beat the sugar with the water until
smooth, then flavor with extract. Spread glaze on cake and
let set before serving. Serves 8.
Per serving: 523 cal., 6 g pro., 72 g carbo., 25 g fat, 103
mg cholesterol, 487 mg sodium. USRDA: 18% vit. A, 17%
calcium.
EDITORS NOTE: These recipes are excerpted from the book Food Festival by Alice M. Geffen and Carole Berglie, copyright © 1986 by Alice M. Geffen and Carole Berglie and reprinted with the permission of Pantheon Books, division of Random House, Inc. The book is available for $9.95 plus $l.00 shipping from Random House, Westminster, MD.
