Toasted Raviola - A St. Louis Tradition from "The Hill"

1 package frozen raviola
Small bowl of milk
Small bowl Italian Bread Crumbs (Deedee usually adds a little more seasoning to them (oregano, basil and garlic powder)

Thaw raviola.   Put in milk for about 15 seconds or more.  Dip in Italian bread crumbs.  Coat both sides thoroughly.  Spray lightly with olive oil Pam on both sides.  Bake at 425 degrees for about 14-15 minutes, turning halfway through baking time. 

Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve with Marinara dipping sauce.

Garden Fresh Orzo Salad

We went to a graduation open house back in June and one of the salads that was served was similar.  I doctored it up to my taste.....

1 pound orzo pasta (little rice pasta)
3-4 cucumbers, peeled, seeds removed and diced
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1 bunch of cilantro, stems removed and minced
3-4 whole lemons, juiced (1/4-1/2 cup)
fresh ground pepper
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved (or the whole container) 

Cook orzo slightly less than package directions (my package said, 9, I cooked for 8).  Drain and rinse with cold water.  Move to large bowl and drizzle with olive oil (about 1/4 cup) to prevent it from clumping. 
Add the remaining vegetables (onion, cilantro, cucumbers and red pepper).
Then stir in 1/4cup to 1/2 cup lemon juice.  Test it at 1/4 and add more if needed.  Sprinkle with fresh ground pepper.
If it is too tart, drizzle a little bit of olive oile.
Right before serving, garnish with grape tomatoes.

Do not salt before serving!  The cucumbers will weep....salt as needed on our plate

Crock Pot Reuben

·         8 oz. cooked corned beef, coarsely chopped.  A bit more beef is better!

·         1 small package sauerkraut, rinsed, drained, chopped (Boar’s Head is best)

·         8 oz. pkg. cream cheese

·         2 cups Swiss cheese (cut up block okay)

·         1/2 cup Thousand Island salad dressing (or look for small packet in Deli)

Mix all ingredients in 1-1/2 - 3 quart crockpot. Cover and cook on LOW for 4 hours. Stir often to combine and scrape down sides. Dip will hold for 2 hours on LOW. Serve with party rye bread slices, pretzels, pickles, and french bread cubes.

Serves 10-12

French Quarter Beignets (2026 Half Batch Update)

Buttermilk swap, true half batch, and stand mixer method.

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Activate Yeast

Note you could do the first yeast step below with double the quants and halve when mixing, so that you get less srtuff dirty.  

Mix and rest:

• ¾ cup lukewarm water
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1/2 envelope active dry yeast

Let sit 10 minutes until foamy.

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Combine Wet Ingredients

Whisk together:

• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• ⅝ tsp salt
• ½ cup buttermilk (subbed for evaporated milk) [note I also tried whole milk, since they did not have evaporated milk when beignets were invented back in the 1862, AND whole milk is spotted in the kitchen at Cafe du Monde]

Add to yeast mixture and combine.

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Build the Dough (Stand Mixer Method)

Add:

• 1½ cups artisan bread flour

Mix using wire whisk attachment until smooth.

Cut in:

• 2 Tbsp butter-flavored Crisco (solid, not melted)

Mix until incorporated.

Switch to dough hook and add:

• ~2 to 2¼ additional cups bread flour (total ~3½ cups)

Knead on speed 2 for 5 minutes until smooth.

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Rise

Transfer and proof:
Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let rise about 2 hours, until doubled.

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Shape

Roll and cut:
Roll dough to about ¼-inch thickness and cut into 2-inch squares.

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Fry

Heat oil (Note I tried peanut oil in 2026; Cafe du Monde uses cottonseed oil)
350°F.  Another recipe said 370F is what DdM uses.  

Fry:
Cook in batches, turning, until golden brown.

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Finish

Coat:

• ~1½ cups confectioners’ sugar

Drain briefly, then toss to coat.

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Yield: ~1–1½ dozen

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Notes

• This is a true half batch (all ingredients reduced proportionally).
• Buttermilk adds tang and slightly softer crumb vs evaporated milk.
• Keeping shortening solid and cutting it in early changes texture slightly—in a good way.
• ¼" thickness is key for proper puff.

Original Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 envelope active dry yeast
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1 cup evaporated milk
• 7 cups bread flour
• 1/4 cup butter flavor Crisco
• Nonstick spray
• Oil, for deep-frying (I used canola, which seemed fine)
• 3 cups confectioners' sugar

Directions

Mix water, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl and let sit for 10 minutes.

In another bowl, beat the eggs, salt and evaporated milk together. Mix egg mixture to the yeast mixture.

In a separate bowl, measure out the bread flour. Add 3 cups of the flour to the yeast mixture and stir to combine. Add the shortening and continue to stir while adding the remaining flour. Remove dough from the bowl, place onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Spray a large bowl with nonstick spray. Put dough into the bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a towel. Let rise in a warm place for at least 2 hours.

Preheat oil in a deep-fryer to 350 degrees F.

Add the confectioners' sugar to a paper or plastic bag and set aside.
Roll the dough out to about 1/4-inch thickness and cut into 2-inch squares. I found that the 1/4" or so thickness was important for the puffing up of the pastry.  As time went on, they puffed up more gloriously. 

Deep-fry, flipping constantly, until they become a golden color. After beignets are fried, drain them for a few seconds on paper towels, and then toss them into the bag of confectioners' sugar. Hold bag closed and shake to coat evenly.

Remember that beignets at Cafe du Monde are served in multiples of three, so I fried multiples of three so as not to elicit some voodoo spell!  Makes about 2-3 dozen total.  I made 2 recipes of this and probably served about 150 of them, with one re-rolling. 

Made very successfully at Gillham Crawfish Fest 2012.  Thanks to Paula Dean for this recipe!

Wild Rice Meatballs

1 pound ground beef

1 small onion, finely chopped

½ cup cooked wild rice

½ teaspoon seasoned salt

½ teaspoon garlic salt

1/3 cup fine dry bread crumbs

½ cup evaporated milk

1 (10-3/4 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup

2/3 cup water

2/3 cup dry white wine

¼ teaspoon dried sage

1/2 teaspoon salt

Pepper to taste

Heat oven to 375. Combine beef, onion, rice, salts, bread crumbs and milk; shape into 1-inch balls. Place in shallow pan; bake 10 to 15 minutes or until brown. In saucepan, combine soup, water, wine and spices.  Add meatballs and simmer 30 minutes.

4 servings

Political Barbecue

1 (3½ to4-pound) beef chuck roast

½ cup vinegar

I (28-ounce) bottle Brooks ® catsup

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

3 bay leaves

1 large onion, chopped

1 cup water

1/4 cup sugar

Combine ail ingredients except sugar In large kettle or Dutch oven. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer 4 to 5 hours until meat Is tender and breaks apart easily.  Break up meat.  Refrigerate overnight.  Skim off fat.  Add sugar and reheat. Discard bay leaves before serving on warm hamburger buns.

12 to 14 servings.

Four Sheet Dinner

"great for your Minnesota grown vegetables"

1½ pounds ground beef

1 cup sliced onion

2 cups sliced carrot

4 cups sliced potato

2 (10¾.ounœ) cans cream of mushroom soup

1½ cups milk

Salt and pepper to taste

Brown ground beef drain. Place in 13x9x2-inch casserole (if you're using a deeper pan with thicker layers, allow for more time). Layer onion, carrot and potato over meat. Combine soup, milk, salt and pepper.  Pour over vegetables.  Cover with aluminum foil.   

Bake at 350° for 1½ hours.  6 to 8 servings.