What does a family recipe look like? They’re all different, of course. But they shouldn’t look exactly like a recipe lifted straight off of the Food Network, as presidential candidate John McCain just learned the hard way.
Recipes on his official Web site, allegedly from his wife, turned out to be lifted whole cloth from the Food Network — an incident first reported on the Huffington Post, and ultimately blamed on an intern.
Among the repercussions here in Chicago: One of the recipes, for passion fruit mousse, was created by local celebrichef Gale Gand, and was included in her 2004 cookbook, “Short & Sweet.”
It was also the kind of incident that hurt and shocked those of us who do cook — the nerve! And now, we want hope, we want change, we want a chicken in every pot: we want real family recipes. We asked some politicians, mostly local, to share their favorites with us. And we got some pretty tasty looking results (see page 3).
Of course, in order to heal, we must also be philosophical. A recipe scandal had to happen sometime.
Just look at the food-related feats we require of our politicians on the campaign trail, year after year. They swallow funnel cakes, chew on a rubber chicken; they consume a dangerous diet of food items served impaled on sticks and unnecessarily deep fried, which can be generated only in a state-fair or local-diner environment. It’s a wonder no one has snapped sooner.
And how do we repay them for their bravery? If they eat everything offered with a smile, sometimes we vote for them (Bill Clinton, for instance). If they do not, often we do not vote for them. (Fred Thompson and Mitt Romney were both dieters while running for president, and look what happened to them.)
And for everyone in between there’s the cruel and judgmental scrutiny, as when John Kerry ordered Swiss cheese (a gigantic culinary faux pas) on a Philly cheese steak — in Philadelphia. Or, recently, when Obama did not eat one at all during a visit, opting instead for a taste of $99-per-pound Spanish ham.
“I’m going to get a cheese steak next time,” he promised, according to a local paper.
And more often than not, we also show photos of them with bizarre mid-bite expressions or blue-ribbon winning pie or some such on their faces.
Social scientists will tell you that public-eating-as-campaign tool is nothing more than the ritual breaking of bread, on a grander scale — a reaching out from across both sides of the corn dog.
But we say it is cruel, not to mention a bad way to plum the depths of any man’s soul. Besides, we are not really what we eat — and certainly not what we eat in public. But what we cook at home may indeed reveal a lot about who we are.
You can decide for yourself what the recipe says about the politician.
Obama family chili
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour, 5 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
Adapted from a recipe from Sen. Barack Obama.
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 pound ground turkey or beef
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon each: ground cumin, ground turmeric, dried basil leaves, dried oregano leaves
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 tomatoes, chopped
1 can (15 ounces) red kidney beans
1. Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat; add onion. Cook, stirring, until softened and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and green pepper; cook, stirring, 1 minute.
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2. Add turkey; cook, stirring to break up meat, until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Stir in chili powder, salt, cumin, turmeric, basil and oregano; cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Stir in vinegar. Add tomatoes; cover.
3. Heat to a boil; reduce lower heat to a simmer. Cook 30 minutes. Add kidney beans; cover. Cook 20 minutes.
Nutrition information per serving: 389 calories, 24% of calories from fat, 10 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 55 mg cholesterol, 44 g carbohydrates, 30 g protein, 66 mg sodium, 14 g fiber
– – –
Grandma Alice’s cheese enchiladas
Preparation time: 45 minutes
Cooking time: 35 minutes
Yield: 8 servings
From Illinois Atty. Gen. Lisa Madigan: “We love enchiladas. My grandmother out in Oregon makes the best. We ate them growing up — she would make these huge Mexican feasts at Christmas. She’s in her 80s now, and my sister, Nicole, and brother, Andrew, and I decided we were not going to keep forcing her to make the enchiladas. So we went out to watch her, and we wrote it all down, because she doesn’t use recipes.” Grandma Alice’s parents were originally from Mexico. According to Nicole, who has since adapted the recipe for the Madigan family, “The variations in this recipe compared to most enchilada recipes reflect the history of our family in the Spanish style of browning the garlic in the oil, and the use of chili powder rather than chili pods,” Nicole wrote in the recipe notes.
Enchilada filing:
1 pound Cheddar cheese, shredded (do not use the pre-shredded variety)
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 cans (6 ounces each) large pitted black olives, sliced
2 tablespoons dried oregano leaves
3 tablespoons liquid from 1 can of jalapenos with carrots and onions
Chili sauce:
1/3 cup safflower or other vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic, halved
1/3 cup flour
3 to 3 1/2 cups chicken broth or water
1/2 cup chili powder
15 medium flour tortillas
1. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Place 3/4 of the cheese, onion and olives in a large mixing bowl. Crush oregano in palms of your hands over cheese mixture. Add jalapeno juice; toss to mix well. Set aside.
2. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add garlic; cook, stirring, until golden, about 2 minutes. Remove garlic from the skillet; discard. Add flour to the oil; cook, stirring, until the mixture is light brown, 5-10 minutes. Reduce heat to low; stir in chicken broth slowly, 1/2 cup at a time. Add the chili powder; cook until reduced and just coats a spoon, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
3. Place light coating of chili sauce in 13-by-9-inch baking pan. Dip a tortilla in sauce; place on a baking sheet. Place 2 heaping tablespoons of cheese mixture on tortilla; roll up tightly. Place in baking pan. Repeat with remining tortillas; cover with remaining sauce. Sprinkle remaining cheese mixture on top. Bake until cheese melts and begins to brown, about 15 to 20 minutes.
Nutrition information per serving: 688 calories, 53% of calories from fat, 40 g fat, 15 g saturated fat, 59 mg cholesterol, 57 g carbohydrates, 25 g protein, 1,599 mg sodium, 5 g fiber
Whole grilled snapper with salmon
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Marinading time: 1 hour
Cooking time: 8 minutes
Yield: 12 servings
From Anthony J. (Tony) Peraica, Cook County comissioner, 16th District: “One of our favorite dishes is grilled red snapper and salmon. These foods remind me of my days as a youngster in Croatia when fish was caught fresh from the Adriatic Sea, vegetables were from the back yard garden, and friends and family had ample time to have a noon dinner followed by hours of afternoon discussion around the kitchen table, and finished off by an afternoon nap. Clearly, it was a much simpler time.”
1 large whole red snapper, cleaned, 2-3 pounds
2 pounds salmon fillets, cut into 2-inch chunks
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Juice of 3 lemons
2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1. Place snapper and salmon in large baking dish. Sprinkle fish inside and out with salt, garlic powder and pepper. Pour juice from 2 of the lemons and the vinegar over fish. Cover; marinate1 hour at room temperature.
2. Meanwhile, prepare a grill for medium heat. Grill fish, turning once, until just cooked through, 8-12 minutes, depending on thickness. Transfer to platter. Drizzle with remaining lemon juice, oil, minced garlic and parsley.
Nutrition information per serving: 282 calories, 50% of calories from fat, 15 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 74 mg cholesterol, 2 g carbohydrates, 32 g protein, 266 mg sodium, 0 g fiber
Reilly Christmas brisket
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 5 hours
Yield: 12 servings
“For as long as I can remember, every year after Christmas mass, we have always enjoyed a large family meal featuring ‘Reilly Christmas Brisket,’ mashed potatoes and steamed carrots,” said Ald. Brendan Reilly. “It’s great comfort food to enjoy with your loved ones during the holiday.”
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons each: salt, freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon crushed bay leaves
2 tablespoons Liquid Smoke flavoring
1 beef brisket, about 4 pounds
Barbecue sauce:
1 bottle (14 ounces) ketchup
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
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6 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons Liquid Smoke
3 teaspoons dry mustard
2 teaspoons celery seeds
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Combine chili powder, salt, pepper and bay leaves in small bowl. Rub meat completely with smoke flavoring. Rub dry seasoning into meat; place meat, fat side up, in large roasting pan. Cover tightly. Bake, adding a little water if needed, until very tender, 4 to 5 hours.
2. Meanwhile, for sauce, combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Heat to a boil over high heat, stirring often. Reduce heat to low; cook 10 minutes.
3. Scrape seasonings off meat. Transfer to cutting board; let rest 10 minutes. Slice thinly across the grain. Serve with barbecue sauce.
Nutrition information per serving: 298 calories, 39% of calories from fat, 13 g fat, 6 g saturated fat, 79 mg cholesterol, 13 g carbohydrates, 32 g protein, 864 mg sodium, 0 g fiber
Baked macaroni
Preparation time: 45 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Yield: 10 servings
From Ald. Latasha R. Thomas, 17th Ward: “I have no idea what the recipe is for my baked macaroni,” she says. “It’s a recipe from my mother, who got it from my grandmother. I started making it in college, but nobody has a recipe.” But if you listened to Thomas tell you how to make it over the phone, then wrote it down yourself, it would look something like this.
1 box (16 ounces) elbow macaroni
1 clove garlic, sliced
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) margarine
3 cups grated sharp Cheddar cheese
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
Garlic powder, optional
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Heat a stockpot of water to a boil; add pasta and garlic slices. Cook according to package directions until al dente; drain.
2. Place one-third of the macaroni in a greased 13-by-9 baking dish; dot with one-third of the margarine. Cover with one-third of the shredded cheese. Repeat with 2 more layers.
3. Whisk eggs and milk together; add garlic powder to taste, if using. Pour over layered macaroni and cheese. Cover with foil; bake 10 minutes. Uncover; stir. Bake until bubbly and browned, 30 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes.
Nutrition information per serving: 376 calories, 44% of calories from fat, 18 g fat, 9 g saturated fat, 79 mg cholesterol, 36 g carbohydrates, 17 g protein, 286 mg sodium, 2 g fiber
Steak with onions (Bistek encebollado)
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Marinating time: 3 days
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Yield: 10 servings
Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez of Illinois Fourth District: “This is a recipe my father taught me. He had a little restaurant in San Sebastian, Puerto Rico. I used to help out there. Today I make it for all the family occasions and everybody tells me how much they love it. It has a little punch to it and you will want to turn on the exhaust when you cook it, but I have to say everybody always asks me to make it.
“I usually serve it with a nice little salad and some white rice. But it’s even better with my wife’s arroz con gandules (yellow rice with pigeon peas). One time when I brought it to a party at my office in Chicago, everybody terrorized that meat right away and we ran out. But I told them to just take the onions and the marinade that was left and put it over the arroz con gandules, and they were like, ‘Luis, this is really good.’ ” Adobo seasoning mix can be found in Hispanic markets.
3 pounds sirloin steak, pounded thin, cut in large pieces
5 large cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon adobo seasoning mix
Freshly ground pepper
2 large yellow onions, cut into 1/4-inch thick rings
1 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1. Rub the meat with garlic, adobo and pepper. Place one-third of the onion rings over the bottom of a shallow, large baking pan. Cover the onions with one-third of the sirloin pieces. Whisk together vinegar and 2 tablespoons oil in a small bowl; pour one-third of the mixture over meat.
2. Create two more layers of onions, meat and marinade. Marinate in the refrigerator two days, turning the meat and onions over on the second day. Marinate without turning one more day.
3. Drain meat and onions, pouring marinade into a saucepan. Cook marinade over high heat until reduced by about one-third, about 10 minutes. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat; add remaining 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil. Add the sirloin and onions in batches, if necessary; cook, turning as needed, until meat is browned on both sides, about 4 minutes. Serve the meat and onions with the reduced marinade.
Nutrition information per serving: 261 calories, 55% of calories from fat, 15 g fat, 4 g saturated fat, 66 mg cholesterol, 4 g carbohydrates, 24 g protein, 118 mg sodium, 0 g fiber
Note: These recipes were not tested in the Tribune test kitchen.