If you’re a basketball fan, the Madness of March is about to begin while the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations are likely underway. Before we move further, we’d like to mention our Emmy-nominated program “Celebrating Arkansas,” which highlights different celebrations throughout the state. Amongst those highlighted is Hot Springs’s World Shortest St. Patrick’s Day Celebration.
Food is always a great way to gather people together, and we have some recipes from our friends Phyllis Speer and John Philpot from the Arkansas TV original production “Cooking on the Wild Side” to help bring friends and family together for these March events.
Each Saturday at 2:30 p.m., “Cooking on the Wild Side” brings back Speer and Philpot with mouth-watering recipes and endearing banter from the original “Arkansas Outdoors” series.
Glazed Corned Beef
This writer has never seen a traditional St. Patrick’s Day meal, but a search revealed corned beef is a popular choice. Round out this meal with a side of cabbage and potatoes, and you have yourself a delicious meal to celebrate the day of green.
- 1 (3 to 4 lb.) brisket
- 1 Tbsp. mixed pickling spices
- 3 firm Bosc or Anjou pears (unpeeled), halved
- 1/2 cup apricot preserves
- 1/3 cup fresh orange juice
- 1 Tbsp. prepared mustard
- 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
Place brisket and pickling spices in a large Dutch oven. Add water to cover. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer for 3 hours. Drain; place brisket in a roasting pan. Place pears around the brisket and cut the side up. Combine preservatives and remaining ingredients; stir well. Brush over brisket and pears. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, basting often with pan juices. Remove brisket and pears to a serving platter.
Creek Bank Taters
Add a side of potatoes that will pair well and can be prepared the night before.
- 12 oz. pkg. bacon
- 2 1/2 to 3 lb. baking potatoes
- 1 large onion, chunked
- Cavender’s Greek seasoning
Bake potatoes the night before, and store them in a plastic bag in the cooler. In a deep-sided heavy skillet, cook bacon until done. Remove from the skillet. Slice potatoes, and place in a skillet. Add onions, and cook until golden brown. Crumble bacon, and add to the mixture. Season to taste with Cavender’s Greek seasoning.
Venison Cabbage Rolls
Enjoy the extra flavors that help to bring out the taste in these cabbage rolls.
- 12 large cabbage leaves
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
- 1 lb. ground venison
- 1 cup cooked rice
- 1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
- 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
Immerse cabbage leaves in a large kettle of boiling water for about 3 minutes or until limp; drain. Combine egg, milk, onion, salt, pepper, venison and cooked rice. Place about 1/4 cup meat mixture in the center of each leaf; fold in sides and roll ends over meat. Place in a Dutch oven. Combine tomato sauce with brown sugar, lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce. Pour over cabbage rolls. Cover and cook for 5 hours.
Hot Venison Dip
While you watch March Madness and hope you nail that perfect bracket, you have to try this hot venison dip. Buffalo chicken dip gets a lot of love for good reason, but maybe this will compete for your dip championship.
- 2 lb. ground venison
- 1 can refried beans
- 1 envelope dry taco mix
- 1 can enchilada sauce
- 1 jar taco sauce
- 3 cups grated cheese
- 1/2 cup sour cream
Spread the refried beans in the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Brown meat and remove from heat. Add taco mix, enchilada sauce and taco sauce. Mix well and pour over the beans. Spread grated cheese on top. Heat in a 400-degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly. Spread sour cream over cheese and return to the oven for 5 minutes. Serve with nacho chips.
Apple Dapple Cake
Rounding out this mix of St. Patrick’s Day/March Madness dishes is a cake that is fun to say. It’s not quite the Irish Apple Cake, but it will help get you close enough that you may not miss out on the difference.
- 1/2 cup oil
- 3 eggs
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cups sugar
- 3 cups flour
- 1 cup nuts
- 3 cups apples peeled and chopped
Mix oil, eggs, sugar and vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt, then add to the oil mixture. Stir in nuts and apples. Pour into a greased tube pan. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.
Glaze:
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 stick margarine
- ½ cup milk
Mix, cook for three minutes. Pour over the warm cake still in the pan. Let it stand until cool.
How to Watch
For more delicious recipes, catch episodes of “Cooking on the Wild Side” Saturdays at 2:30 p.m. See the complete schedule at arkansastv.gov/schedule.