STEAK & ALE'S BURGUNDY MUSHROOMS

Steak 1 1/4 pounds mushrooms
2 quarts water
1/4 cup lemon juice
4 tablespoons margarine
3/4 cup yellow onions, diced
1/2 cup Burgundy
1 tablespoon beef bouillon granules
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/3 teaspoon ground white pepper
Clean and thoroughly dry mushrooms. Combine water and lemon juice
in covered suacepan. Bring to boil. In another saucepan, melt
margarine and saute onions until glassy (about 5 minutes).
In a bowl, add spices and bouillon to Burgundy. Whisk until bouillon
is dissolved. Add wine mixture to onions. Simmer over medium heat
about 10 minutes (until alcohol has evaporated). Remove from heat.
Add mushrooms to boiling lemon water. Return to boil. Remove blanched
mushrooms from heat and thoroughly drain. Add mushrooms to wine sauce
and stir until blended.

PRAWN ON THE BARBIE

12 Giant Prawns, shelled and heads and tails intact
1/4 cup Butter
1 cup Orange juice (freshly, squeezed)
2 tablespoons Sherry
1 teaspoon Orange Zest (grated)
2 each Green onions, tops and white
1 teaspoon Ginger root, (freshly grated)

Soak a dozen long wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes. Then push
skewers through prawns, lengthwise, from head to tail with only 1 to a
skewer. Combine all ingredients in saucepan and cook over medium to
low heat, stirring, until butter is completely melted. Dip skewered prawns
in the orange sauce and position on oiled grill rack about 4 inches above
the coals. Baste liberally with sauce and grill for 2 minutes. Turn the
prawn over and baste again, cooking for another 2 minutes. Smaller
prawn will be done at this point, but continue basting and turning larger
prawn until they are pink and cooked through. Remove from heat
immediately when done, as they will get tough if overcooked. Use any
remaining sauce for a dip for the prawns.

APPETIZING SEAFOOD SOUP RECIPES

The best soups are made with a blending of many flavors. Don't be afraid of experimenting with them, since a large number of successful varieties can be produced.  A little good sherry added to almost any soup just before serving can work wonders. A dry white wine should be used for most soups that call for wine as a cooking ingredient. Red wine can act as a substitute if necessary.

Sauvignon Blanc Black Mussel Soup

Clean black mussels and put them in a large pot with chopped onions, garlic, parsley, and a bunch of fresh thyme. Pour in half a bottle of sauvignon blanc or any other good dry white wine. Cover and put on high heat to cook. Shells will start to open after 5 minutes of simmering. Discard those that don't open. Serve with crusty white bread to soak up the liquid.

Lobster Bisque with Dry Sherry & Croutons

Keep all the crayfish shell to make this soup. Crush the shells and put them in a large, deep pot. Then flambe in brandy. Add 4 cups of water and boil for about 20 minutes. In the meantime saute chopped onion in butter and olive oil in another pan with diced carrots. Cook until soft. Add a cup of tomato puree and cook for 5 minutes. Add a teaspoon of sugar, paprika, half a cup of dry sherry, a teaspoon of curry powder, salt, black pepper and a dash of tabasco. Strain the crayfish shell stock and add to the tomato mixture. Then add a tub of cream just before serving the soup hot with croutons. The soup may be liquidized for a smooth texture or left as is. Crayfish legs can be used to decorate the soup tureen and the individual soup bowls.

Abalone or Perlemoen soup

2 l (8 cups) fish fumet

1 l (4 cups) carved basil leaves

2 (⅓ cup) yellow carrots cut into strips

600 g steamed abalone cut into thin strips

250 ml (1cup) finely cut coriander leaves or 250 ml sliced parsley mixed with 3 ml (⅓ tea spoon) garam masala

salt and freshly ground white pepper

Place all the ingredients, except 60 ml (¼ cup) of the coriander in a pot. Heat to boiling point and let simmer for ten minutes until the carrots are tender. Dish up in a tureen and garnish with the rest of the coriander.

An assortment of world soups

Avgolemono : Greek chicken-and-lemon soup thickened with beaten egg.

Bisque : thick French shellfish soup.

Borscht : Russian beetroot soup.

Chowder : thick U.S. soup made with shellfish or fish.

Cock-a-leekie : Scottish soup of chicken and leek.

Consommé : clear stock-based soup.

Gazpacho : spicy Spanish vegetable soup, usually served chilled.

Gumbo : African, Caribbean, and U.S. thickened with okra.

Madrilène : French tomato-flavored consommé, usually served chilled.

Minestrone : Italian vegetable soup with bacon and rice or pasta.

Mulligatawny : curry-flavored soup of Anglo-Indian origin.

Potage : thick soup.

Pot-au-feu : thick French soup of vegetables and meat, sometimes with pasta or rice.

Vichyssoise : thick soup of leek and potato, usually served chilled.

BEER BARBECUE SAUCE

1 cup Prepared barbecue sauce
1 cup Ketchup
2/3 cup Beer
1/4 cup Honey or Molasses
2 tablespoons Lemon juice
2 tablespoons Red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon worcester sauce
1 teaspoon Hot pepper sauce
1/2 teaspoon Pepper
2 Garlic cloves, minced
2 Onions, finely chopped

In large bowl, combine barbecue sauce, ketchup, beer, honey, lemon juice,
vinegar, mustard, worcester sauce, hot pepper sauce, pepper, garlic
and onions. Place food in marinade and let stand at room temperature for
up to 2 hours or in refrigerator overnight. When ready to cook, remove food
and place marinade in saucepan and cook for 10 minutes or until thickened.
Use as sauce for basting or serving with cooked food.

TOP SECRET RECIPES VERSION OF KFC, EXTRA TASTY CRISPY CHICKEN

In 1971, with KFC now out of his control, Colonel Harland Sanders was approached by the company's new owners, the Heublein Company. They had a new recipe for a crispier version of the famous fried chicken. The marketing department decided they wanted to call the product "Colonel Sander's New Recipe" but the Colonel would have nothing to do with it. The stern and opinionated founder of the company who had publicly criticized the changes to his secret formulas (he called the revised mashed potatoes in a newspaper interview "wallpaper paste"), refused to allow the use of his name on the product. Since the Colonel was an important component of the company's marketing plan, KFC appeased him. The new chicken was then appropriately dubbed "Extra Crispy," and sales were finger licking good. Now you can reproduce the taste and crunchy breaded texture of the real thing with a marinating process similar to that used by the huge fast-food chain, followed by a double-dipped coating. Unlike the Original Recipe chicken clone that is pressure-cooked in oil, this version is simply deep-fried.
1 whole frying chicken, cut up
6-8 cups vegetable oil

Marinade
4 cups water
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 teaspoon MSG (see Tidbits)

Coating
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon pepper
3/4 teaspoon MSG

1. Trim any excess skin and fat from the chicken pieces. Preheat the oil in a deep-fryer to 350 degrees.
2. Combine the water, salt and MSG for the marinade in a large bowl. Add the chicken to the bowl and let it sit for 20 minutes. Turn the chicken a couple times as it marinates.
3. Combine the beaten egg and milk in a medium bowl. In another medium bowl, combine the remaining coating ingredients (flour, salt, pepper and MSG).
4. When the chicken has marinated, transfer each piece to paper towels so that excess liquid can drain off. Working with one piece at a time, first coat the chicken with the dry flour mixture, then the egg and milk mixture, and then back into the flour. Be sure that each piece is coated very generously. Stack the chicken on a plate or cookie sheet until each piece has been coated.
5. Drop the chicken, one piece at a time into the hot oil. Fry half of the chicken at a time (4 pieces) for 12-15 minutes, or until it is golden brown. You should be sure to stir the chicken around halfway through the cooking time so that each piece cooks evenly.
6. Remove the chicken to a rack or towels to drain for about 5 minutes before eating.
Serves 3-4 (8 pieces of chicken).
Tidbits
MSG is Monosodium Glutamate, the solid form of a natural amino acid found in many vegetables. It can be found in stores in the spice sections and as the brand name Accent flavor enhancer. MSG is an important component of many KFC items.