Judy Alter is the author of the
Kelly O’Connell Mystery series and the Blue Plate Café Mystery series. Her work has been recognized with
awards from the Western Writers of America, the Texas Institute of Letters, and
the National Cowboy Museum and Hall of Fame. She has been honored with the Owen
Wister Award for Lifetime Achievement by WWA and inducted into the Texas
Literary Hall of Fame.
In Judy Alter’s latest Kelly
O’Connell Mystery, Danger Comes Home,
one of the major characters opens a high cuisine hot dog restaurant. Writing
that part of the novel gave Judy a grand opportunity to explore the world of
hot dogs, and she even held a hot dog bar in her home for friends. Learn more
about Judy and her books at her website and her Judy’s Stew and Potluck with Judy blogs. -- AP
Remember
the old days when a hot dog meant a plain beef frank in a soft white bread bun
with mustard and maybe pickle relish? If you were really lucky, you got to
grill the hot dog over a campfire on the end of a coat hanger—tasted so much
better. And you could follow it with toasted marshmallows. Well, the times are
changing, my friends. Hot dogs aren’t what they once were, and the internet is
full of hot dog recipes that range from interesting to bizarre.
First, you
must decide what kind of hot dog you want—beef was standard for years (probably
with some pork in it) but today you can get chicken, turkey, seafood, even tofu
or duck (there is honestly a suggestion on the Web someplace about a duck hot
dog l’Orange). Personally, I don’t know where you’d find tofu, seafood or duck
dogs—just haven’t seen them—but Google will tell all. I have always liked
either Nathan’s or Hebrew National, but (and I’m not endorsing a product here)
I like to get the new Oscar Mayer Select for my grandchildren—turkey or
chicken, all breast meat, no preservatives. And so far, no complaints.
Then, what
kind of bun will you use? You’re not limited to “cotton candy” white. The
easiest alternative is a healthy whole wheat bun but you can use croissant,
tortilla, poppy seed roll.... You’re only limited by your imagination.
And then
what are you going to do with it? Newest craze is to spiral cut the dog. Stick
a metal skewer through the dog lengthwise and then, slowly turning, cut through
to the skewer. Remove skewer, and the hot dog becomes one long sausage curl,
giving you much more crisp surface when you grill. And burning faster, so watch
it.
The website
Mystery Lovers Kitchen has some interesting recipes for hot dogs, including the
Danger Dog which is a hot dog slit open to insert a piece of cheese, then
wrapped in bacon and deep fried. Find it here.
I always
liked the hot dog appetizer at Tolbert’s Restaurant in Grapevine, Texas
(founded by legendary chili king Frank Tolbert.) Called Donkey Tails (for what
reason I don’t know,) these hot dogs are slit and stuffed with cheddar, wrapped
in flour tortillas and lightly deep fried. Served with sides of salsa, mustard,
and chili.
Want a
plain hot dog with a variety of relishes? There again, let your imagination
carry you as far as it can—way beyond the Coney Island dog or the Chicago dog
or the chili dog. Try marinated vegetables (such as olives or artichoke hearts),
sun-dried tomatoes, hummus, bacon, even fruits—there is a Hawaiian hot dog with
pineapple chunks. Don’t forget the German dog, with sauerkraut, mustard and
optional Swiss cheese.
Cool entertaining idea: a hot dog bar. Use all the common
toppings plus whatever comes into your head. I even saw a recipe recently for
hot dogs with cheddar and sautéed apples. Still thinking that one over. Provide
really good hot dogs and buns and probably some good German lager.
I expect
hot dogs to show up in stew any day now, but here’s a recipe that I’ve used for
years for something called Polka Dot Salad. I’ve doctored it enough to make it
my own, and it’s known as German potato salad in my household:
Polka Dot Salad
(serves 4)
Ingredients:
6 hot dogs,
either boiled or grilled and cut in chunks
Four strips
of bacon, fried until crisp, drained and set aside
3
Tablespoons bacon grease
4
scallions, diced
2 large
stalks celery, diced
1
Tablespoon flour
1/2 cup
water
1/2 cup
cider vinegar
1
Tablespoon yellow mustard
2 cans
(approximately 3-4 cups) potatoes, sliced
fresh
chopped parsley or snipped chives (optional)
(Note:
similar recipes add sugar, in varying amounts; my family prefers it without.)
Sauté the
scallions and celery in bacon grease. Add flour, and stir to make roux (add
more flour if needed.) Gradually add water and cider vinegar. Stir in mustard
(you can add more to taste if you prefer.) Stir in potatoes. Add the hot dogs.
Crumble bacon over top. Add parsley or chives for color. Serve hot.
Danger Comes Home
Kelly
O’Connell’s husband, Mike Shandy, insists she has a talent for trouble, but how
can she sit idly by while her world is shattering. Daughter Maggie is hiding a
runaway classmate; protégé Joe Mendez seems to be hanging out again with his
former gang friends and ignoring his lovely wife Theresa; drug dealers have
moved into her beloved Fairmount neighborhood. And amidst all this, reclusive
former diva Lorna McDavid expects Kelly to do her grocery shopping. In spite of
Mike’s warnings, Kelly is determined to save the runaway girl and her abused
mother and find out what’s troubling Joe, even when those things lead back to
the drug dealers. Before all the tangles in the neighborhood are untangled,
Kelly finds herself wondering who to trust, facing drug dealers, and seeing
more of death than she wants. But she also tests upscale hot dog recipes and
finds a soft side to the imperious recluse, Lorna McDavid. It’s a wild ride,
but she manages, always, to protect her daughters and keep Mike from worrying
about her—at least not too much.
3 comments:
Anything with bacon sounds good...personally, I would add more bacon though...just sayin'
Cheers,
Alan.
My brother-in-law hosts a hot dog night every Thursday. Unfortunately, he lives across the country, so we can't be there. But it always sounds like so much fun.
Thanks for the recipe.
Alan, you can add as much bacon as you like. I love it on anything too. Janie, hot dog night! What fun! Ask what kinds of toppings he puts out for guests. I'm always interested in new ideas.
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