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Authors: Maya Corrigan

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Recipes from the Codger Cook Newspaper Column

MYSTERY SALAD

When I first saw this salad, I recognized the little tomatoes. The other ingredients were all a mystery to me. Turns out the mushy green stuff was avocados and the white disks were hearts of palm. Now I’ve heard tell of avocados, but I never knew palms had hearts. The whole mess tasted pretty good, though.

Hearts of palm from a 14-ounce jar, drained
and cut crosswise into ¼-inch slices
2 cups diced ripe avocados (2 Haas
avocados)
1 cup small grape tomatoes, halved
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
[Salt and pepper, optional]

Throw it all in a bowl and taste it. Add salt, pepper, and more lemon juice if you like.

Serves 6.

JUST SMALL POTATOES

Use plain ole spuds for this dish, not ones with fancy names like russets, creamers, or fingerlings. Parmesan cheese straight from the canister works great. If you have a hunk of Parmesan and want to grate it, knock yourself out, but I can’t guarantee the potatoes will taste as good.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

6 medium to large potatoes
¼ cup flour
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
¼ teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons melted butter

Pour the melted butter into a glass baking pan (13 x 9 x 2 inches). Combine the flour, cheese, and salt in a plastic bag. Peel the spuds and cut each into eight pieces. Dip ’em in cold water, throw ’em into the plastic bag a few at a time, and shake. When the pieces are coated, plunk those babies in the pan, flat side down, nestled in a single layer. Bake for an hour, turning them after half an hour to brown another side.

Serve them in the baking pan. If you want the pan to look pretty, you can add parsley sprigs.

Serves 6.

NO MISTAKES CRAB CAKES

“Less is more” when it comes to crab cakes. The best ones contain crabmeat and just enough other stuff to make the crab stick together. No bread crumbs, mayo, veggies, and sauces needed.

1 pound fresh lump crabmeat, picked over
to remove any shells
1 beaten egg
1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning, or to taste
2 tablespoons flour plus enough for coating
the patties
4 tablespoons olive or canola oil

Gently mix the first four ingredients. Shape the mix into four patties. Put the patties on a plastic-lined plate, covered loosely with more plastic wrap, and chill them, 30 minutes in the fridge or 15 minutes in the freezer. If you skip this step, the patties may break up in the pan, which mars their beauty. They still taste fine, though.

Pour the oil in a large skillet and heat it at medium. Dredge each crab cake in flour right before putting it in the hot oil. Turn up the heat to medium-high. Flip the crab cakes carefully when you see that the underside has browned around the edges (5-7 minutes) and brown the other side. Serve with lemon wedges.

Serves 4.

GRAND BERRIED PORK

A lot of my friends have teeth that nature didn’t supply. This dish suits them just fine. The meat’s real tender. It’s grand berried pork for grandparents. You can use the same recipe for pork chops, but only if you and your guests have good choppers.

1½ pounds pork tenderloin
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 cups fresh cranberries
¾ cup sugar

cup water

Wash the berries, discarding any mushy ones. Slice the pork into 1-inch thick pieces, and press the pieces between wax paper, flattening them to ¾ inch. Dry the meat with a paper towel if you want it to brown—and you do. Heat the oil in a large skillet at medium heat. Brown one side of the meat. When the meat pieces no longer stick to the pan, they’re ready to turn. Brown the flip side of the meat for a few minutes. Drain the fat and juices from the pan.

Add the cranberries, sugar, and water to the meat in the pan. Stir. When the mixture comes to a boil, reduce the heat. Cook covered, with the mixture at a slow boil, for 20 minutes, turning the pork pieces halfway through. If it looks like the cranberries are sticking to the pan, add water. Salt the dish to taste, serve with white rice, and pass the cranberry sauce as a topping.

Note: For six ¾-inch thick bone-in pork chops, simmer an hour or until the chops are tender.

Serves 4-6.

EASIER-THAN-PIE APPLE CRISP

This recipe, with five main ingredients plus optional sprinkles of cinnamon and salt, is for people with at least one sweet tooth in their mouth.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

5 cups thinly sliced, peeled apples (about
5 medium or 3 large apples)
½ cup flour
½ cup brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
½ cup softened (not melted) butter
[Pinch of salt and sprinkling of cinnamon,
optional]

Put the sliced apples in a shallow, square baking pan (8 or 9 inches). Sprinkle with cinnamon if desired. Cover the pan with foil and bake the apples for 20 minutes.

Mix together the flour, brown sugar, and nuts. Add a dash of salt if desired. Mash the softened butter into the mixture with a fork if you’re finicky, and with your fingers if you’re not. Mighty good lickin’. When the apples have baked for 20 minutes, cover them with the crumb mixture.

Bake uncovered for 30 minutes or until the topping is golden brown.

Cool the apple crisp for at least 30 minutes unless you want blisters on your tongue. Serve it warm or cold. Add vanilla ice cream or whipped cream to make your sweet tooth even happier.

Serves 6-8.

DE-LISH ROCKFISH

The Chesapeake Bay rockfish goes by the name of striped bass in other regions. Call it what you like, it’s Maryland’s official state fish and a favorite of bay anglers. Rockfish is de-lish no matter how you cook it. This recipe uses fillets topped with a simple sauce that seals in the moisture. You can use the same recipe for any firm white fish or even salmon.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

4 rockfish fillets 4-5 ounces each
¼ cup reduced fat mayonnaise
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped green onion
½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Combine the mayonnaise, cheese, onion, and Worcestershire sauce.

Shoot some cooking spray into a pan large enough to hold the fillets. Put the fish in the pan, skin side down if it has skin. Spread the mayo mixture over the fillets.

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the fish flakes.

Serves 4.

MRS. Z’S E-Z MACAROONS

Your tongue might twist if you say the name of this recipe fast three times. For sure it will sing when you taste these cookies. Most macaroons are made with egg whites. The whole eggs in this recipe make for golden nuggets.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2 eggs

cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon of grated lemon zest
1 7-ounce bag of shredded sweetened
coconut

Beat the eggs in a bowl. Add sugar slowly while stirring. Mix in the vanilla and lemon zest. Fold the coconut into the mixture. Be sure to break apart any large lumps (unless you want lumpy macaroons). The mixture should look moist and glossy.

Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper for an E-Z cleanup. Drop heaping teaspoons of the mixture onto the sheet, spacing them an inch and a half apart.

Bake 12-15 minutes or until the edges and some coconut shreds turn light brown. The center of each macaroon should still be soft.

Slide the parchment onto racks. Remove the cookies when they’re cool and start eating.

Yield: 30-36 cookies

Adapted from a recipe by Jayne Sutton in
Cookies Unlimited
by Nick Malgieri.

A LOT O’ STRATA

A strata is a layered casserole. Folks compare it to quiche, but it’s a lot less trouble and a good way to get rid of stale bread. Like the Codger Cook, this dish needs its rest. You have time between mixing and cooking to take a nap or even get a good night’s sleep. With this recipe you can feed brunch to a crowd. For LESS O’STRATA, use half the ingredients and a smaller pan, but stick to the same sleep and bake time.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

1 pound bulk sausage, turkey or pork, spicy
or not, depending on your taste
6 eggs
2 cups milk
Stale bread: French, white, wheat, or
whatever
1 cup grated sharp cheddar
[½ teaspoon salt, optional]

Brown and drain small chunks of the sausage.

Beat the eggs with the milk and salt if you use it.

Cube the stale bread and spread it in a single layer at the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan. Sprinkle the sausage and the cheese on the cubed bread.

Refrigerate overnight or a minimum of an hour.

Bake for 45 minutes.

Serves 8-10 for breakfast, brunch, or lunch.

Acknowledgments

Though too many cooks may spoil the broth, many experts enhanced
By Cook or by Crook
. I’d like to thank the Police Department of Chestertown, Maryland, for information on how crime scenes are handled within their jurisdiction and on the roles of various law enforcement units from the town, county, and state in the investigation. I’d also like to thank D.P. Lyle, M.D., for clarifying the medical and forensic issues in my murder scenario. Any mistakes in the book are mine and not the fault of those who shared their expertise with me.

When I needed assistance to test a scene for the book’s first chapter, the initial response was a bemused question: “You want to do
what
with a tennis racket?” Once over that hurdle, my friend, John Fay, guided my use of a hatchet, and my son, Paul Corrigan, made sure my controlled burn didn’t go out of control. I also owe John thanks for the fish recipe the Codger Cook renamed and adapted.

My gratitude goes to the many generous veteran and newbie authors in Sisters in Crime and their Guppy subgroup. They taught me much about writing and publishing mysteries and led me to my agent, John Talbot. Thanks, John, for shepherding my proposal. I’d also like to thank my editor, John Scognamiglio, for taking on a new writer based on a proposal and making me part of Kensington.

Special thanks go to my friend and writing partner, Carolyn Mulford. She read more versions of this book than anyone else and offered insights and suggestions that improved it at every stage. Thank you to the Maryland mystery writers who critiqued an early version of the manuscript: Mary Nelson, Helen Schwartz, and Sylvia Straub. I’m grateful for the helpful suggestions of the Virginia Sisters in Crime who read the completed manuscript: E.B. Davis, Sherry Harris, Maureen Klovers, C. Ellett Logan, and Robin Templeton. My friends and family gave thoughtful comments: Susan Fay, Elliot Wicks, and the Corrigans: Nora, Paul, Toni, and Rob. Mike Corrigan read early and late versions and supported me in every way as I wrote and rewrote. He never once asked, “When are you going to finish that book?” Or if he did, I’ve forgotten it. I won’t, however, forget what I owe to those who helped me with this book. Many thanks.

KENSINGTON BOOKS are published by

Kensington Publishing Corp.
119 West 40th Street
New York, NY 10018

If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the Publisher and neither the Author nor the Publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”

Kensington and the K logo Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM Off.

ISBN: 978-1-6177-3138-9

ISBN-10: 1-61773-138-2
First Kensington Mass Market Edition: November 2014

eISBN-13: 978-1-61773-139-6
eISBN-10: 1-61773-139-0
First Kensington Electronic Edition: November 2014

BOOK: By Cook or by Crook (A Five-Ingredient Mystery)

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