The Desert Sun from Palm Springs, California • 9

Widmdtf Jlipsl 19 1 THE DESERT till Sfrtip CilB II Produced by Gary Cdandro i foman wins $10000 chicken tS The National Chicken Cooking Contest returned this year to the local area where it all started in 1949 as a feature of the second Delmarva Chicken Festival It was last held in Ocean City in 1971 and has since rotated among 10 different chicken producing states Next cook-off will take place in Texas at Lowes Anatoie Dallas The official entry period is Jan 1 to April 1 1982 but recipes may be submitted prior to then or Information obtained by writing: Chicken Contest Box 28158 Central Station Washington DC 20005 Recipes id all contestants winning recipes from previous years and other chicken information are contained in the new 1981 Chicken Cookbook which made its initial appearance at the cook-off It may be ordered by sending a $125 check or money order to: Chicken Cookbook Dept NBC Box 307 Coventry CT 06238 Winning recipes in "The Chicken Cookbook oo the following pages: $10000 first prize Impossible Chicken Pie page 52 $4000 second prize Chicken Breast Piquant page 40 $3000 third prize Chicken Ole page 15 $2000 fourth prize Island Chicken With Vegetables page 21 $1000 fifth prize Breast of Chicken in Cheoe page 14 OCEAN CTTY MARYLAND A farm wife from South Dakota who hai woo numeroua blue ribbons for her cooking at county and state fairs recently captured the $10000 first prize in the 1981 National Chicken Cooking Contest June Herke 47 of Howard SD called this best chicken recipe "Impossible Chicken It is a deep dish pie made with chopped chicken seasoned with Mozzarella cheese tomato paste basil and oregano Placing second and winning $4JXX) was Hilda Parsons of New Hampshire She cooked Breast Other winners were: Marilyn Beach of California Ole $8000 third Ritsuko Nishida id Hawaii "Island Chicken With Vegetables" $2000 fourth and Winifred Logue of Arkansas "Breast of Chicken in $1000 fifth The 33rd annual chicken cooking competition sponsored by the National Broiler Council was held in the Ocean City Convention Hall Fifty-one finalists one from each state and the Districted Columbia prepared their favorite chicken recipes in individual mini-kitchens set up around the arena Hundreds of vacationers and local residents mingled with the contestants discussing their recipes and savoring the aromas of chicken being cooked with a variety of seasonings Mrs Herke says she always serves on the food committee for her local community projects She and her husband August have two sons and two daughters all grown She was raised in a family of 16 children and started competing In farm and home shows at an early age All of this year's contest winners are middle-age homemakers with adult children Mrs Parsons represented her state in the 1975 national chicken cook-off She and her husband Harold live in a small town of less than a thousand and she says she has always loved to cook Her recipe uses boned chicken breasts cooked with pineapple and almonds and seasoned with limeade and rum Married to Louis Beach the California contestant began cooking as a child Her wining recipe has a Mexican flavor with taco seasoning chilies and crushed corn chips A tax clerk in Honolulu Mrs Nishida and her husband Tadao have three sons two of whom are West Point graduates Several years ago she won the grand prize in a soup stock contest Her winning chirteo recipe combines booed thighs with sliced cabbage seasoned with ginger and soy sauce Mrs Logue and her husband William combined a trip to the cook-off with sightseeing in the Eastern Shore area where his ancestors first settled in 1673 Her recipe uses boned chicken breasts rolled around a whole chilie and coated with cheese and bread crumbs' A panel of national food experts selected the five best recipes following several hours id testing and evaluating the dishes Winners were announced at an Awards Banquet at the Carousel Hotel headquarters for the event IMPOSSIBLE CHICKEN PIE 1981 Winner 1 broiler-fryer chicken eat ia parts 2 cups water 2 teaspoons salt divided 1 cap shredded Mozzarella cheese divided 1 can (6 ox) tomato paste 1 teaspoon oregano leaves ft teaspoon basil leaves ft cap prepared biscuit nix leap milk 2eggs ft teaspoon peppex In deep saucepan place chicken Add water and 1 teaspoon of the salt Cover and simmer about 45 minutes or until fork can be inserted in chicken with ease Cool Separate meat from bones Discard bones and skin Cut chicken in bite-size pieces and place in large bowl add ft cup of the Mozzarella cheese tomato paste oregano and basil stir to mix and set aside In a lightly greased large quiche dish or deep-dish pie pan place cottage cheese and spread evenly Place chicken mixture evenly over cottage cheese In bowl place biscuit mix milk eggs pepper and remaining 1 teaspoon salt beat 1 minute with hand mixer Pour over chicken mixture Bake in 350 degree oven about 30 minutes or until brown and a knife inserted in middle comes out clean Remove from oven and sprinkle with the remaining ft cup of Mozzarella cheese Let set 5 minutes before serving Makes 4 servings Summer salads spoil the imagination ft cup sliced green onions ft cup mayonnaise or said dressing ft cup ReaLemon Reconstituted Lemon Juice 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish 'Y" ft to ft teaspoon garlic salt Puff bowl optional In large bowl combine shrimp pea pods water chestnuts mushrooms celery bean sprouts and onions In small bowl combine mayonnaise ReaLemon horseradish and garlic salt mix well Pour over salad mix well Chill Just before serving spoon into Puff Bowl or lettuce leaves Refrigerate leftovers Puff Bowl 2 egg ft cop unsifted flour ft cap milk ft teaspoon mlt 2 tablespoons margarine or butter melted Preheat oven to 425 degrees In medium bowl beat eggs with wire whisk or fork gradually beat in flour Mix in milk and salt Stir in margarine Pour into well greased nine-inch pie plate Bake 15 minutes Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees Continue baking 10 to 15 minutes or until browned Cool from turning brown On four individual salad plates arrange cheese fruit and nuts on lettuce Top with Honey Lemon Dressing Refrigerate leftovers Honey Lemon Dressing ft esp ReaLemon Reconstituted Leman Jsice 3 tablespoons honey ft teaspoon celery seed ft esp vegetable oil In blender container combine ReaLemon hooey and celery seed blend well On lowest speed continue blending gradually adding oiL Makes about ft cup VEGETABLE TABBOULEH SALAD (Makes 6 servings) lft cup balgar wheat 7 cups boiling water 1 large or 2 small firm tomatoes chopped (about I ft 1 1 small zucchini chopped (about 1 cop) ft cup sliced pitted ripe olives ft cup sliced green onions ft cup ReaLemon Reconstituted Lemon Juice ft cup vegetable or olive oil 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley or 1 teaspoon parsley flakes ft teaspoon garlic salt ft teaspoon basil or thyme leaves Lettuce leaves Soak bulgar in water two to three hours Drain thoroughly Chill In large bowl combine with all remaining ingredients except lettuce mix wen Chill to Mend flavors Serve on lettuce Refrigerate leftovers Variation: To make a rice salad omit bulgar and water Use one cup uncooked long grain rice and prepare according to label directions omitting salt and adding one tablespoon Chicken-Flavor Instant Bouillon to the cooking water Proceed as directed ORIENTAL SHRIMP SALAD WITH PUFF BOWL (Makes 6 servings) 1 posad small shrimp peeled deveiaed and cooked -ft cup fresh Chinese pea pods or 1 (S-onace) package frozen Chinese pea pods thawed and drained 1 (8-oonce) can sliced water chestnuts drained 1 cup (4 ounces) sliced fresh mushrooms or l(2ft-oaace) jar sliced mushrooms drained 1 cup diagonally sliced celery 2 ounces fresh bean sprouts (about leap) Summertime offers some of the best ingredients for salads thdugh modern tranpsortation and refrigerated freight cars have made it possible for us to enjoy fresh salads year-round Whether using ingredients straight from the garden or grocery store spare the imagination when putting salads together Pick ingredients accordingly for appetizer main dish or side dish salads For appetizer salads simple greens or fruits with an appropriate dressing are good choices The fruit salad here can be served as the main dish for luncheon Fruit and Cheese Salad With Honey Lemon Dressing is an arrangement of complementary flavors textures and colors The dressing is made with reconstituted lemon Juice a convenient and economical salad help to have on hand Use it to keep fruits and vegetables like bananas apples tnushnxxns and artichokes from turning brown sprinkle with reconstituted lemon juice before arranging on the salad plate When planning main dish salads forget ocean bounty Try Oriental Shrimp Salad in Its unique puff pastry bowl Shrimp combined with crunchy snow peas water chestnuts celery and bean sprouts is dressed with a tangy mixture of lemon juice horseradish and mayonnaise The salad fills the edible puff bowl Take a hint for salads from Mid Easterners too Bulgar wheat a unique alternative to rice is not only a popular Ingredient in Middle Eastern main dishes it also goes Into salads Firm chopped tomatoes and zucchini as well as olives and green onion make a colorful and flavorful Vegetable Tabbouleh The bulgar wheat is tossed with the vegetables and an oillemon juice dressing as well as garlic salt and thyme FRUIT AND CHEESE SALAD WITH HONEY LEMON DRESSING (Makes 4 servings) 2 medium avocados seeded peeled and sliced 2 medium bananas sliced RealLemon Reconstituted Lemon Juice 8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese ret ia strips 2 cups halved fresh strawberries (about 1 pint) 2 medium uaval oranges peeled and sectioned 1 cup walnut halves or pieces Lettuce leaves Honey Lemon Dressing Sprinkle avocados and bananas with ReaLemon to keep HEARTY SALADS like Oriental Shrimp Salad with puff bowl satisfy summer appetites out the unique qualities in food Herbs and spices grow all over the world from exotic India to sultry Latin America Their flavor and aroma are determined by the climate and soil so that pepper from India will taste different from pepper growd in Jamaica Bringing Just as variety is the spice of life spice adds variety to our food Notwithstanding famous American author Christopher definition of spice as the plural of spouse spices are plants that add the flavor and aroma that change an ordinary dish into gourmet cuisine One worldwide empire is based on a unique combination of herbs and spices Colonel Harland Sanders built his Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants one of the largest food-service operations in the world on a secret blend of 11 herbs and spices "Herbs and spices bring a unique quality to says Dr John Mann vice president of quality worldwide for Kentucky Fried Chicken and an expert on spices "Even a small quantity can enhance or alter the taste of any dish and they should be used sparingly "The real importance of herbs and spices is the variety and ptemnire they bring to our palates" Dr Mann says They can be used fresh dried or frozen whole ground pr powdered of his expertise about cooking with spices: herbs and spices sparingly in cooking They are potent and their flavor increases during the cooking process herbs should be minced or chopped as needed herbs and spices to dishes at the last minute unless being used in a simmering stock browning both meat and herbs in a pan brown the meat first then the herbs to prevent the herbs from frying to a crisp dried herbs before using to release their flavor rib that carry flavor become concentrated in the drying process use much less of the dried herb than you would its fresh equivalent The proper use of herbs and spices adds a richness and variety to an kinds of foods They play an important role in simple dishes or gourmet cuisine and should have a place in the kitchens of creative cooks everywhere According to Dr Mann some cooks have difficulty when adding spices to a recipe because these seasonings may have lost their potency and flavor due to Improper storage "The most popular spot is above the stove and the worst place to store herbs and Dr Maim says "The moisture from cooking destroys their flavor and aroma" He suggests they be stored in sealed plastic bags or glass jars in the freezer or refrigerator Shelf life is another important consideration says the spice expert seasonings can be stored for up to two Dr Maim explains "but at Kentucky Fried Chicken we never hold our spice mix longer than six months Herbs and spices come from the stem leaves flowers seeds root and bark of various plants One of the most popular seasonings salt is not an herb or spice but a mineraL an Important Ingredient in any recipe Dr Mann says "because it enhances the flavor of the spices as well "One of the hardest jobs we recalls Dr Mann "was continuing the import of a rare type of pepper It would have been easier to substitute a different kind but the (Monel would have none of that and of course he was Many companies have trade secrets hidden away but someone wanting to learn the secret formula would have to go through several locks to a vault In Louisville And anyone thinking bout scientifically analyzing the recipe should drop into a lab near Dr Mann's office For the past two years a chemist working or Kentucky Fried Chicken has been trying to crack the secret recipe just to see if it can be done He succeeded But while Dr Mann about to reveal the secret formula he is happy to share some.