Kap & Mina's Sunday Afternoon Tailgate: Week 6

We're back from our bye week, which means that we are hungrier than ever for this week's Frankenfoods tailgate. What is a "Frankenfood?" We're glad you asked. 

A Frankenfood is a unique mash-up of two completely unrelated foods. We're not talking about Hawaiian pizzas here or pizza burgers. We're talking complete and utter culinary madness--Gyro Eggrolls, Peanut Butter and Jelly Fishsticks, and Ramen Burgers. Our only requirement is that this spooky fusion of flavors tastes good!

So come and join us . . . if you dare!

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A Truly Spooky Tailgate Mash-up

To start with, a Reuben is already a frankenfood, but it's just one that we've come to accept.  (Just think about it: in what other universe would corned beef, sauerkraut, and thousand island dressing find their way onto marbled rye-bread?) But this year, we upped the ante, by making a Reuben inside an Asian-style dumpling! The creaminess of the Reuben filling matches the creaminess of a traditional crab and cream cheese rangoon, and our Thousand Island dip has Sriracha sauce inside it to dip our strange fusion treat. 

- Mina

REUBEN RANGOON

• 1 Packet Wonton Wrappers
• 1/2 lb. Corned Beef, shredded
• 1 bag Shredded Swiss Cheese
• 8 oz. Cream Cheese, softened
• A few drops of Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 4-oz. can Bavarian-Style Sauerkraut
• Salt and Pepper, to taste
• Corn Starch slurry, for sealing
• Oil, for frying
• Homemade Sriracha-Thousand Island Dipping Sauce (recipe below)

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Heat oil to medium heat in a skillet. Do not overfill with oil (it only takes a little bit to fry. You don't have to submerge the rangoons entirely; you can simply turn them in the oil.)

In a bowl, mix together corned beef, cream cheese, swiss cheese, salt, pepper, and sauerkraut. Eyeball this--you probably won't use all of the Swiss cheese and sauerkraut.

Spoon a small amount into the center of a square wonton wrapper. Use only about 1-2 tsp. Do not overfill or they will burst.

Wet the edges of the wonton wrapper with cornstarch slurry and fold diagonally into a triangle. Squeeze out excess air. Fold in two of the three points to make a small purse or pentagonal envelope.

Fry in the oil until browned, a few minutes on each side. If they start to float, they are done. Carefully remove with tongs. Salt lightly, and let dry on a paper towel.

Serve with Sriracha-Thousand Island Dipping Sauce (recipe below)


Sriracha-Thousand Island Dipping Sauce

• 1/2 c. Miracle Whip (or Mayonnaise)
• 2 TBSP Ketchup
• 1 TBSP Chili Sauce
• 1 1/2 TBSP Sweet Pickle Relish
• 1 tsp. Dehydrated Onion (rehydrated in 1 tsp. White Vinegar)
• 1/4-1/2 tsp. White Sugar, to taste
• Pinch of Garlic Salt
• Pinch of Black Pepper
• Pinch of Paprika
• 2-3 tsp. Sriracha Sauce (or more, to taste)

This is what happens when you cross a bacon-cheeseburger with sushi. Think of it as sort of a meatloaf on steroids. In America, everyone thinks sushi means "raw fish," but in reality it refers to the vinegared rice. I've seen some recipes for this sort of roll without rice, but they wouldn't technically be sushi. We here at the tailgate believe in authenticity (even in our most untraditional food combos). Of course, no sushi would be complete without the pungent bite of horseradish and something pickled.

- Kap

BACONATOR SUSHI ROLL

• Autumn Rub (recipe below)
• 12 strips of bacon
• 1 lb. Ground Beef
• 1 c. Sticky White Rice (prepared the night before with 1 TBSP Rice Wine Vinegar and a pinch of salt; best if refrigerated overnight)
• 4-5 thin slices of Colby-Jack Cheese or Jarlsberg Cheese Spread (we used the spread, made at our local supermarket)
• 1 c. BBQ Sauce of your choice, plus additional for basting (I used Yuengling Lager BBQ Sauce)
• 2-3 TBSP Horseradish Sauce (I used Ingelhoffer because I like the kick!)
• French's Fried Onions, roughly crushed
• Pickled Jalapeno, for garnish
• *You'll need a Sushi Mat for this recipe and some Cling Wrap

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cover your sushi mat with cling wrap and lattice with your strips of bacon.

Mix together your raw beef with your spice mix, making sure not to over-handle. Spread beef out in a thin layer over the bacon, and cover with a thin layer of sticky rice. Place your cheese slices on top, overlapping just slightly (or top with cheese spread).

Begin rolling your sushi up tight. (There is a technique to this, as shown in the following video.)

Carefully move the roll to a lightly greased broiling pan and baste on all sides with BBQ sauce. Cook for 1 hour (or longer if needed). Tent with foil if the outside starts to burn.

Baste again with BBQ sauce and cook for 5 more minutes.

Mix together your remaining cup of BBQ sauce with 2-3 TBSP horseradish sauce, depending on taste. Set aside.

Remove roll from oven and carefully roll in the French's fried onions. Let cool for 5 min. Then, with a very sharp knife, cut the roll width-wise into slices that resemble sushi.

Serve with pickled jalapeno and reserved horseradish-BBQ sauce.


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Autumn Rub

• 1/8 c. Paprika
• 1 TBSP Fine Sea Salt
• 1 TBSP Brown Sugar
• 1 TBSP Cumin
• 1 TBSP Mustard Powder
• 1/2 TBSP Chipotle Powder
• 1/2 TBSP Garlic Powder
• 1/2 TBSP Black Pepper
• 1 tsp. Dried Thyme

Mix well.

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My favorite Halloween candy has always been candy corn. I could eat it pretty much every day. So when I found a version of this recipe online, I had to give it a go here, for our scary-good frankenfood weekend.  We had some leftover Marshmallow Vodka from our Glamping Tailgate so this was an easy choice.
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​- Mina

CANDY CORN MARTINI

• 1 1/2 oz. Fluffed Marshmallow Vodka
• 1 oz. fresh Lemon Juice
• 3/4 oz. Simple Syrup
• 2 oz. Pineapple Juice
• 1/2 oz. Homemade Grenadine*
• Whipped Cream, to top

Combine vodka, lemon juice, simple syrup, and pineapple juice in a shaker with ice. Shake thoroughly and strain into a martini glass. Slowly add grenadine so that it sinks to the bottom. Top with whipped cream.

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*Note: Making Homemade Grenadine is as simple as making simple syrup and it tastes much better than the bottled stuff. Just mix 1 c. each of pure pomegranate juice and white sugar. Throw in a few strips of orange peel and a few cloves, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 15 mins. Let cool, remove the orange peels and cloves, and store in the refrigerator up to a month. It is important to use unsweetened pomegranate juice for this recipe. I suggest POM brand, as it tastes the best.

Technically, we didn't just make "rummy" bears--we made all sorts of booze-infused gummies. But rummy bears just sounds better. We prefer these to jello shots any day, but be careful; they do pack a punch! These tricky treats are definitely adult only!

​- Kap & Mina

RUMMY BEARS

You don't really need a recipe for these. You just need gummy bears and your favorite booze. Immerse the gummies in the booze so that they are just covered, and let sit. Some people recommend different lengths of time. We find that a few hours generally does the trick. We'll share a few fun combinations below!

• Classic Rummy Bears = Gummy Bears + White Rum

• Watermelon Margaritas = Sour Patch Watermelons + Tequila (for these, we soak them a shorter amount of time so that they don't lose flavor)

• Sour Appletini Sharks = Sour Apple Sharks + Citrus Vodka

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• Whiskey Sour Patch Kids = Sour Patch Kids + Bourbon (for these, we soak them a shorter amount of time so that they don't lose flavor)

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PREDICTION

​Win vs. New York Giants!

I haven't picked the Eagles to lose yet this season. It's a function of their schedule, not their play. Still, the Birds finally looked like the team we expected last week (at least in the second half), blowing out the Saints and bringing my record back up to a dismal 2-3. The Giants showed some fortitude by coming back to beat the struggling 49ers on a gamewinning final drive with only seconds left. They could be a tough team to beat, especially since Philly has struggled this season against big-time playmaking receivers like Odell Beckham Jr. 

Still, the Giants tend to be up and down. So they are due to fall off this week. Add to that the fact that Philly generally gets the better of this series in early months, and I think the Eagles should prevail. Struggling or not, they are still a tougher team than San Fran. and probably a tougher team than New York, as well.

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Kap's Season Record: 2-3

Eli showing excellent form

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Tune in next week for Sensational Salads!

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All recipes listed above come from our own imaginations unless otherwise indicated. If you try one of these recipes in your own kitchen, leave a comment below and tell us how it goes. And, of course, share your modifications, enhancements, improvements, etc.