by Lynn Greene
All-American: Celebrate Fourth with the hot dog
We
celebrate our nation’s birthday this week — July 4 is Friday.
The American Revolution was based on the first European
colonists’ desire for freedom. History books will tell
us the driving force was the desire for religious freedom,
but economic freedom was even more important. Remember
the demand, “No taxation without representation?”
Freedom is the theme of the week, but remember, there
is a cost to such freedoms. Anyone with a family or friend
in the military knows that. So, let’s all celebrate on
July 4, but be thankful for those who make it happen.
The Fourth of July, like other holidays, developed its
own menu as a means of celebration. What would Thanksgiving
be without turkey, or Christmas without cookies and eggnog?
For this holiday, smack in the middle of the year and
at the beginning of summer, it’s all about hot dogs and
barbecue, lemonade and watermelon. We’re all looking for
easy foods that help us make the best of the summer weather
and the need to take it easy one in awhile.
Hot dogs were ranked as America’s third-favorite food
in 1994, behind pizza and sandwiches. Every year, Americans
eat about 20 billion hot dogs. Between Memorial Day and
Labor Day alone this year, Americans will eat 7 billion
hot dogs, reports Oscar Mayer.
There have been books written about it. In “All-American
Frank: A History of the Hot Dog,” by Robert W. Bly, you
get the inside story of the history, manufacture, marketing,
cooking, selling and consumption of frankfurters. It’s
a frank (pun intended) appraisal of the hot dog’s many
roles in nutrition, cuisine, the food industry and American
popular culture.
An enterprising cook can make their own hot dogs — but
why bother? The whole point is to have a food that’s easy
to prepare, serve and eat. Still, we insist on coming up
with recipes: encasing them in cornmeal or hiding them
in beans, wrapping them in puff pastry and slicing them
on pizza.
Here are some of the ... well, I can’t really say best
recipes, but they are fun.
Corn dogs
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 Tbsp. granulated sugar
3 tsps. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1-1/2 tsps. chili powder
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
oil or shortening for deep frying
1 pound hot dogs, about 10
wooden skewers or popsicle sticks
In a mixing bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking
powder, salt and chili powder. In another bowl, beat the
eggs with milk and the 1/4 cup of oil. Stir egg and milk
mixture into dry ingredients and whisk together until batter
is smooth. Heat oil in the deep fryer to 360 F.
Insert a wooden skewer or popsicle stick into each hot
dog, to make a “handle” for the hot dogs. Holding the stick
or skewer, dip each hot dog into batter, turning to coat
thoroughly and evenly. Fry corn dogs in two or three batches,
for about 3 to 5 minutes, or until golden brown. Drain
on paper towels or heavy brown paper.
Hot dog sauce
1 cup chopped onions
2 green bell peppers, chopped
2/3 cup sweet pickle relish
1/2 cup cider vinegar
2 cups chili sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 Tbsp. prepared mustard
few dashes hot pepper sauce or ground cayenne pepper
Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan. Cover and
simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Makes 3 cups of hot dog sauce, enough to serve with 3
pounds of hot dogs.
Rooting for beans
6 hot dogs
2 strips bacon, diced
1 small onion, diced
1 can (36 oz.) baked beans
1/2 cup root beer
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp dry mustard
pinch of ground pepper
pinch of garlic powder
pinch of brown sugar
Cook bacon with onion in medium-sized saucepan until bacon
is brown and crisp. Add remaining ingredients. Heat to
a boil; reduce heat and simmer, stirring often until slightly
thickened, about 20 minutes.
For each serving of beans, create an octopus hot dog.
Lay a hot dog on a cutting board. Using a sharp knife,
cut the hot dog in half lengthwise about two-thirds of
the way up. The uncut portion becomes the octopus head.
Carefully, make additional slices in the “legs” until you
have eight of them. Spread the legs out on a microwave-safe
plate, while keeping the head upright. Microwave to heat.
If you must have eyes, poke two holes on the top and insert
raisins after you microwave. Serve with beans.
Lynn Greene is senior editor for Community Shoppers Inc., which publishes the Stateline News. Contact her at lgreene@communityshoppers.com. |
