Bluegrass Specials
Saturday is Kentucky Derby Day at Churchill Downs in Louisville. And even though Los Angeles is a long way from Kentucky, you can celebrate the Derby with a dinner devised by Scott County’s Glencrest Farm, the stable that produced the 1960 Derby winner, Venetian Way. On the menu: Chicken Tetrazzini Glencrest, a layered vegetable salad, buttered beaten biscuits with sliced ham, Chess Tarts and Hummers (Kahlua, white rum and ice cream).
But that’s just one dinner party idea compiled in the cookbook “Bluegrass Winners” from the Garden Club of Lexington, Ky. Menus and photographs from leading horse farms start the book. Recipes include lots of Southern food--country ham canapes, Kentucky burgoo, Southern fried chicken, Country Captain, spoon bread, beaten biscuits (“beaten” in a food processor, not by hand) and pecan pie. The poetic, page-long tribute to the Kentucky mint julep (“crush ice to the size of pebbles from a clear and running brook”) is more interesting than the drink.
You can order the book by sending a check for $16.95 plus $3 for postage and handling to “Bluegrass Winners,” the Garden Club of Lexington, Inc., P.O. Box 22091, Lexington, Ky. 40522. But since Derby Day is coming fast, here’s a preview of the Glencrest Farm recipes; they should make good eating for your own post-race party.
CHICKEN TETRAZZINI GLENCREST
1 (5 1/2- to 6-pound) chicken
Butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups hot chicken broth
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
1/4 cup Sherry
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Salt, pepper
1 onion, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1 pound mushrooms, sliced
1/2 pound thin spaghetti
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Simmer chicken in water to cover until tender, about 1 hour. Let cool in broth. Pull skin from hen and slip meat from bones. Reserve broth. Chill meat, then dice.
Melt 1/4 cup butter in large saucepan over low heat. Add flour and stir 3 to 4 minutes, until well blended. Slowly stir in broth, cream and Sherry. Season with lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer sauce, stirring with wire whisk, until thick, smooth and hot.
Saute onion and green pepper in 2 tablespoons butter until tender. Remove from pan. Add mushrooms and saute. Add vegetables to sauce. Cook spaghetti according to package directions, using any leftover chicken broth as part of cooking liquid. Place spaghetti in bottom of greased shallow casserole. Cover with chicken and sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 325 to 350 degrees 30 minutes, until bubbly. Makes 8 to 10 servings.
Each of 8 servings contains about:
693 calories; 656 mg sodium; 193 mg cholesterol; 50 grams fat; 25 grams carbohydrates; 36 grams protein; 0.59 gram fiber.
LAYERED SALAD DELUXE
1 pound spinach, torn in pieces
1 medium head lettuce, torn in pieces
6 hard-cooked eggs, sliced
1 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 (8-ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and sliced
1 (10-ounce) package frozen peas, thawed
1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1 (0.4-ounce) package ranch-style dressing mix
Chopped parsley or watercress
In large salad bowl, layer spinach, lettuce, eggs, bacon, water chestnuts, peas and mushrooms in order given. Combine mayonnaise, sour cream and dressing mix. Spread over top of vegetables, covering to edge of bowl. Garnish with parsley, cover and refrigerate overnight. Toss gently before serving. Makes 10 to 12 servings.
Each of 10 servings contains about:
406 calories; 754 mg sodium; 161 mg cholesterol; 33 grams fat; 19 grams carbohydrates; 12 grams protein; 1.58 grams fiber.
CHESS TARTS
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon cornmeal
1 teaspoon vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla
8 unbaked individual tart shells
Combine butter, sugar and eggs. Beat until blended. Add cornmeal, vinegar and vanilla and mix thoroughly. Pour into tart shells. Bake at 375 degrees 40 minutes. Makes 8 servings.
Each serving contains about:
410 calories; 215 mg sodium; 111 mg cholesterol; 22 grams fat; 50 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams protein; 0.05 gram fiber.
