Final Four Food on a Shoestring
"The Early Show Saturday Edition" pulled out all the stops for the Final Four, sending co-anchor Chris Wragge to the host city, Indianapolis.
We even included food in our coverage!
And who better to whip up Final Four-themed dishes than Tim Love? And what better way to do that then on the cheap?!
Love accepted our "Chef on a Shoestring" challenge and this week, it had a twist: He tried a menu representing all four cities still in the NCAA hunt - with only our $40 budget to work with. Love is a veteran "shoestringer," so we thought he'd be up to the task.
You might want to give these dishes a go yourself if you're throwing a Final Four party.
Love is executive chef and owner of the Lonesome Dove Western Bistro and the Love Shack -- both in Ft. Worth, Texas.
His chef's hat was also automatically thrown into our "How Low Can You Go?" competition. The "shoestring" chef with the lowest ingredients costs will be invited back to prepare our year-end holiday feast.
MENU
• Roasted Corn on the Cob with Spicy Mayo (Butler University)
• Charcoal Grilled Jalapeno Wings (West Virginia)
• Carolina BBQ Pulled Pork Sliders (Duke)
• Crispy Baked Fish Sticks with Spicy Jalapeno Tartar Sauce (Michigan State)
FOOD FACTS
Cotija Cheese: Cotija is also known as Queso Anejado or "aged cheese". The curd is aged and sold in small rounds or large blocks. This is a salty and pungent cheese with the moist version being a bit like Feta. The more common version is very firm, more like Parmesan. The cheese can be crumbled and used in tacos, soups, salads or over beans. (Source: TheDailyPlate.com)
Paprika: Used as a seasoning and garnish for a plethora of savory dishes, paprika is a powder made by grinding aromatic sweet red pepper pods. The pods are quite tough, so several grindings are necessary to produce the proper texture. The flavor of paprika can range from mild to pungent and hot, the color from bright orange-red to deep blood-red. Most commercial paprika comes from Spain, South America, California and Hungary, with the Hungarian variety considered by many to be superior. Indeed, Hungarian cuisine has long used paprika as a mainstay flavoring rather than simply as a garnish. All supermarkets carry mild paprikas, while ethnic markets must be searched out for the more pungent varieties. As with all herbs and spices, paprika should be stored in a cool, dark place for no more than 6 months. (Source: Epicurious.com)
Cilantro: The bright green leaves and stems of the CORIANDER plant. Cilantro has a lively, pungent fragrance that some describe as "soapy." It is widely used in Asian, Caribbean and Latin American cooking and its distinctive flavor lends itself to highly spiced foods. Cilantro can be found year-round in most supermarkets and is generally sold in bunches. Choose leaves with a bright, even color and no sign of wilting. Cilantro may be stored for up to 1 week in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. Or place the bunch, stems down, in a glass of water and cover with a plastic bag, securing the bag to the glass with a rubber band. Refrigerate, changing water every 2 or 3 days. Just before using cilantro, wash and pat dry with paper towels. Both the leaves and relatively tender stems can be used in fresh or cooked dishes. (Source: Epicurious.com)
Pork shoulder (also known as Picnic Ham): Not really a true ham (which comes from the pig's back leg), the picnic ham is taken from the upper part of the foreleg and includes a portion of the shoulder. This cut is also more accurately referred to as the picnic shoulder or pork shoulder. The picnic ham is smoked, which gives it a very hamlike flavor. It often has the bone removed. Though it's slightly tougher (requiring longer cooking) and has more waste because of the bone structure, picnic ham is a good, inexpensive substitute for regular ham. (Source: Epicurious.com)
Tilapia: An important food fish in Africa for eons, tilapia are aquacultured around the world from Asia, to South America, to the United States and Canada. The lowfat flesh of the tilapia is white (sometimes tinged with pink), sweet and fine-textured. It's suitable for baking, broiling, grilling and steaming. The tilapia is also called St. Peter's fish and, in Hawaii, Hawaiian sun fish. (Source: Epicurious.com)
FOR TIM'S RECIPES, GO TO PAGE 2.
RECIPES
Roasted Corn on the Cob with Spicy Mayo (Butler University)
INGREDIENTS:
4 ears of corn shucked
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup cotija cheese
2 fresh limes
2 tablespoons red chili powder
2 tablespoons smoked paprika
Salt
Peanut oil
METHOD:
Heat grill to 300 degrees. Brush corn with peanut oil and season with salt. Place corn on grill and cook turning frequently for 8 minutes. Remove corn from grill and rub with mayonnaise. Season with chili powder and place back on grill for 4 to 5 minutes more. Remove and squeeze lime on corn and season with smoked paprika. Finish the corn with the cotija and serve immediately.
Charcoal Grilled Jalapeno Wings (West Virginia)
INGREDIENTS:
4 pounds chicken wings
1 cup chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon minced jalapeno
1 orange juiced
2 limes juiced
2 cups peanut oil
1/4 cup chili powder
METHOD:
Trim and split wings if necessary. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Add chicken wings and let sit in refrigerator for at least 4 hours.
Heat grill to 400 degrees. Strain wings and season well with salt and pepper. Place wings on the grill and cook for 12 minutes or until the meat temperature is 165 degrees turning frequently. Serve immediately.
Carolina BBQ Pulled Pork Sliders
2 untrimmed boneless pork shoulder halves (also known as Boston butt; about 6 pounds total)
Carolina red bbq sauce
1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon (packed) brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
Whisk all ingredients together until salt and sugar dissolve. Chill and reserve.
For dry rub
3 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
3 tablespoons (packed) dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons coarse salt
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
For mop
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 tablespoon coarse salt
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
Make dry rub:
Mix first 5 ingredients in small bowl to blend. Place pork, fat side up, on work surface. Cut each piece lengthwise in half. Place on large baking sheet. Sprinkle dry rub all over pork; press into pork. Cover with plastic; refrigerate at least 2 hours. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.)
Make mop:
Mix first 6 ingredients in medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate.
Using lump charcoal and 1/2 cup drained wood chips for smoker or 1 cup for barbecue, start fire and bring temperature of smoker or barbecue to 225°F. Place pork on rack in smoker or barbecue. Cover; cook until meat thermometer inserted into center of pork registers 165°F., turning pork and brushing with cold mop every 45 minutes, about 6 hours total. Add more charcoal as needed to maintain 225°F. to 250°F. temperature and more drained wood chips (1/2 cup for smoker or 1 cup for barbecue with each addition) to maintain smoke level.
Transfer pork to clean rimmed baking sheet. Let stand until cool enough to handle. Shred into bite-size pieces. Mound on platter. Pour any juices from sheet over pork. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Transfer pork and any juices to baking dish. Cover with foil; chill. Before continuing, re-warm pork, covered, in 350°F. oven about 30 minutes.)
Place on Hawaiian roll and top with Carolina red bbq sauce.
Crispy Baked Fish Sticks with Spicy Jalapeno Tartar Sauce (Michigan St.)
INGREDIENTS:
2 pounds fresh tilapia, cut into 2 ounce strips
1 cup all purpose flour
4 egg whites
2 cups Panko bread crumbs
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon pepper
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon tarragon
Tartar Sauce
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon chopped jalapeno
1 tablespoon chopped pickles
1 teaspoon tarragon
METHOD:
Heat oven to 350°F
In a medium sized mixing bowl combine the Panko, salt, pepper, garlic powder and tarragon. Next coat the tilapia in the all purpose flour and dredge in the egg whites. Coat liberally with the bread crumb mixture and place on a baking sheet. Place fish sticks in the oven and cook for 15-18 minutes, or until golden brown.
To make the tartar sauce, combine all of the ingredients and serve with the fish sticks.
So, how did Tim fare with our $40 budget and in our "How Low Can You Go?" competition?
Corn on the Cob
corn $2.64
cotija cheese $4.99
limes $1.00
red chili powder $.99
paprika $.99
total $10.61
Jalapeno Wings
chicken wings $5.78
cilantro $.99
jalapeno $.21
orange $.33
limes $1.00
total $8.31
Pulled Pork Sliders
pork $5.94
apple cider vinegar $1.29
cayenne pepper $1.99
Worcestershire $.99
total $10.21
Crispy Baked Fish Sticks
tilapia $5.98
panko bread crumbs $1.19
tarragon $1.49
jalapeno $.21
pickles $1.74
total $10.61
Grand total: $39.74
Our "How Low Can You Go?" Leaders Board:
1. Amanda Freitag $37.17
The Harrison
2. Kelly Liken $37.20
Restaurant Kelly Liken
3. Stephen Kalt $37.40
Fornelletto