Community Corner

Super Bowl Sunday, the Boston Food Truck Way

Serve up these game-day recipes from by your favorite Boston food trucks.

With a big football game just around the corner, Boston’s new and veteran food truck chefs and owners have marked the occasion, and the start of the April 2013 vending season, by sharing some of their menu items and recipes that make for great game day – or any day – eating.

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The Cod Squad, Captain Marden's Seafoods food truck’s Scalibut Cakes

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Makes about 10

3/4 lb fresh halibut fillet
3/4 lb fresh sea scallops
1/2 cup diced green pepper
1/2 cup diced red pepper
1/4 cup diced purple onion
1 tsp. Lawry's Seasoning
4-5oz. Mayonnaise
1 egg, well beaten
Panko breadcrumbs

1. Blanch scallops and halibut, cut into 1/4" pieces, set aside
2. Combine red/green peppers and onion in a large bowl and add Lawry's seasoning.
3. Add mayonnaise.
4. Add beaten egg and mix everything together.
5. When everything is well mixed, add in the halibut and scallops and stir.
6. Seperate into 2"x1" portions
7. Coat the cakes in Panko crumbs and place on a sheet pan
8. Bake the cakes in a preheated 375 degree oven for 6-8 minutes

Serve warm with a remoulade sauce, lemon wedge, cole slaw or over a green salad.

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The Dining Car's Lamb and Black Bean Chili

Our chili has a deep, smokey flavor and mild, warming heat. The lamb adds a satisfying richness that makes this chili memorable. Actual prep time is about 30 minutes and the recipe scales up well. Serve with tortilla chips for dipping, or in bowls with shredded fontina or mild cheddar and a dollop of sour cream. We serve it with Alex's Ugly Sauce, made here in Boston, for a little extra brightness and heat.

Serves 6 as a meal, 8-10 as a dip.

The Dining Car's Lamb and Black Bean Chili

1 dried ancho chile, toasted and soaked
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 large onions, chopped
2 lbs ground lamb
1 or 2 chipotle chiles in adobo, minced
1 tablespoon ground cumin
8 cloves fresh garlic, chopped finely
1 cup dark beer such as Guiness Stout
1 can (14.5 ounce) crushed tomatoes
2 cups chicken stock or water
1 can (15 oz) black beans

Directions:

1. Place a medium sized stockpot over medium heat. Place dried ancho chile in hot, dry pan.

Toast on each side for about 30 seconds, being careful not to burn. Place pepper in 1 cup of hot water to soak for about 10 minutes.

2. Add the olive oil in the same stockpot over high heat and add the chopped onions. Cook until onions are translucent and are just beginning to color.

3. While onions are cooking, remove one chile (or two, if you like it spicier) from canned chipotles in adobo. Chop finely and reserve.

4. When onions are ready, add the lamb and cook over medium high heat, breaking up the larger pieces, until browned.

5. Remove ancho pepper from water. Remove seeds and finely chop the pepper. Reserve liquid.

6. Add chipotle, ancho chile, cumin, and fresh garlic to lamb and onions. Stir to incorporate.

7. Add the crushed tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes.

8. Add the beer, reserved chile soaking water, and chicken stock (or water), and simmer over medium low heat, partially covered, for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally, making sure not to burn the bottom of the pot.

9. Add the beans and continue cooking for 15 minutes, or until the chili is desired consistency.

10. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

 

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Area Four Food Truck’s Game Day Muffuletta

For the Piadina

2 C All Purpose Flour
½ C Cake Flour
2 ¼ t Baking Powder
1 ½ t Sugar
2 t Salt
3 T Olive Oil
2 T Vegetable / Canola Oil
⅔ C Water

Combine flours, baking powder, sugar and salt in bowl of mixer fitted with dough hook. Mix on low 1 minute. With motor running on low, add olive oil, canola oil and water into flour mixture until it comes together, 1-2 minutes. Increase speed to medium and mix for 5 minutes until smooth dough forms. Remove from bowl, shape roughly into a brick shape, cover tightly in plastic and refrigerate 30 minutes. Heat griddle to 350F. Cut dough into 4 equal pieces and round with your hands until smooth. Rest dough 5 minutes. Roll into ⅛” thick circles about 10-11” in diameter, dusting with flour. Toast each side of piadina for 20-30 seconds until lightly golden speckled. Set aside, stacked between sheets of paper towel.

For the Olive spread

1 C Green olives, pitted, drained
1 C Kalamata olives, pitted, drained
1 stalk Celery, diced small
¼ C Red onion, diced finely
2 each Garlic cloves, diced finely
3 T Olive Oil
2 T Red Wine vinegar
2 T Fresh parsley, diced
Zest of One (1) Lemon
Salt & Pepper

Pulse green olives 5-7 times for 1 second each in food processor. Remove to a mixing bowl and wipe out food processor bowl. Pulse kalamata olives 5-7 times for 1 second each in food processor. Remove to mixing bowl. Stir in celery, red onion, garlic cloves,olive oil, red wine vinegar and lemon zest. Fold in parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

For the Muffuletta

8 pieces Capicola hot, thinly sliced
8 pieces Mortadella, thinly sliced
8 pieces Salami, thinly sliced
8 pieces Pepperoni, thinly sliced
8 pieces Ham, thinly sliced (Virginia preferred)
8 pieces Swiss cheese
8 pieces Sharp provolone

Preheat griddle to 350F / medium. Place toasted piadina on griddle 15-20 seconds and flip. Onto piadina, arrange provolone and swiss and heat until cheese starts to melt slightly, 45-60 seconds. Add 2 slices of each capicola, mortadella, salami, pepperoni and ham onto cheeses. Remove from heat and add ½ C of olive spread across all of the meats. Fold in three parts, letter-style, pressing down slightly. Repeat with other piadini. Enjoy!

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The Fugu Truck’s Spicy Honey Soy Glazed Wings

Serves 4

2 pounds chicken wings
2 quarts simple brine
1 tablespoon thinly sliced scallions
1 tablespoon minced jalapeño pepper
1/2 cup orange juice
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Vegetable oil

1. Brine the chicken wings covered overnight in a refrigerator.

2. When ready to cook, dry all the wings with paper towel. In a hot pan, sear the wings with a little bit of vegetable oil. When the wings are browned on all sides, transfer them to a 350 degrees Fahrenheit oven to finish cooking, about 5 minutes.

3. Sauté the thinly sliced scallions and minced jalapeños in a small amount of vegetable oil, just until slightly colored. Deglaze the pan with orange juice. Add honey, light soy sauce, and red pepper flakes. Reduce gently until the mixture is almost a syrup consistency.

4. Remove the cooked wings from the oven and drain off excess oil.

5. Coat the cooked wings in the spicy glaze and serve immediately.

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Mei Mei Street Kitchen’s Kung Pao Chicken Dip

makes enough for 4 as a starter, 8 as a snack

We love Buffalo chicken dip - spicy, creamy, thick and deliciously chicken-y. This is our Chinese-American spin on it, made with our other favorite spicy chicken dish - the famous Kung Pao. We think all Chinese food is better with cheese, and this dip is chock full of dried chilies, aromatic ginger and scallions, and lots of other good stuff. It debuted at our pop-up with Staff Meal at The Gallows, and though it's not a staple of our truck menu, we're still pretty fond of it. This recipe is an approximation - we cook by feel and encourage you to do the same. And if you happen to just mix your leftover takeout kungpao with some cream cheese and sharp cheddar, don't worry; we won't tell.

for the chicken:

1 pound chicken, preferably dark meat, sliced into domino sized pieces
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons Chinese cooking wine or dry sherry
2 teaspoons corn starch
Neutral oil (peanut, canola, grapeseed, etc) for the pan
10 dried red Chinese chilies
3 scallion stalks, sliced across the grain
6 cloves garlic, minced
1.5 tablespoons grated ginger

for the sauce - feel free to make a giant batch and keep it in the fridge to use as marinade, or for future stir-fries:

1 tablespoon Chinese black vinegar or good-quality balsamic
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon hoisin sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon ground Sichuan peppercorns

for the dip:

12 oz cream cheese

12 oz grated sharp cheddar

1 cup crushed peanuts (optional)

1. Whisk together the soy sauce, cooking wine, and corn starch. Mix with chicken. Let marinate for 15 minutes while you prep your other ingredients.

2. Heat a wok or cast iron pan on high until it seems really ripping hot. Add a few tablespoons of your cooking oil, and then the chilies. Stir for a minute, until your kitchen smells really good and you're maybe crying a little bit and the chilies are just starting to smoke.

3. Add the ginger, garlic, and scallions. Stir-fry for another minute - your kitchen should be smelling really good.

4. Add the chicken and fry for another three minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. 

5. Pour in the sauce. Cook for another minute and then kill the heat. Taste it. Needs more salt? More sugar? More chilies? Add it now!

6. Fold in the cream cheese and cheddar. Feel your inner Paula Deen grow strong.

7. If you haven't already started eating it with a spoon, you can transfer it to a set of ramekins or a baking dish and then, before serving, bake for 20 minutes at 375. Top it with a little more grated cheese, and some crushed peanuts, scallions, or whatever else seems delicious to you.


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