Sweet Tea and a Rocking Chair: Fifty-Nifty Recipes...Alaska

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Fifty-Nifty Recipes...Alaska

Most of the salmon, crab, halibut, and herring that we get to enjoy comes from Alaska. Did you know that during the Klondike Gold Rush the staple most traded for gold was not fish? It was potatoes! And, no, the Eskimo Pie did not originate in Alaska....It originated in Iowa.

Caribou Stew

1 1/2 pounds caribou, cut into cubes (or any game meat)

water to cover

2 cups cubed potatoes

1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes

3 large cloves garlic, chopped

2 carrots, scrubbed and chopped

1/2 onion, diced

1 bay leaf

1 tablespoon crushed red pepper (optional)

salt and pepper to taste

1 1/2 cups uncooked white rice

Place the caribou in a 12-quart stockpot with enough water to cover by 2 inches; add the potatoes, tomatoes, garlic, carrots, onion, bay leaf, and crushed red pepper. Season with salt and pepper, and bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the rice and reduce heat to medium-low. Continue cooking until the rice is tender, about 40 minutes. Remove bay leaf to serve.

Crab Rangoon

1 clove garlic, minced

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese

1 (6 ounce) can crabmeat, drained and flaked

2 green onions with tops, thinly sliced

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon light soy sauce

48 wonton wrappers

Preheat an oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly spray baking sheet with non-stick spray. Combine garlic, cream cheese, crab, green onions, Worcestershire sauce, and soy sauce in a bowl. To prevent wonton skins from drying, prepare only 1 or 2 rangoon at a time. Place 1 teaspoon of filling onto the center of each wonton skin. Moisten the edges with water and fold the wonton skin diagonally to baking sheet and lightly spray with cooking spray. Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. These can also be deep fried.