Stepheny Duke prefers savory cooking over baking pastries

By Published On: February 6, 2019

“I make everything!” said Stepheny Duke.
“My mother was a trained chef and my dad wasn’t too bad, either,” she said.
At least once a month she makes the Bolognse Sauce. “It’s authentic, and it freezes well, too,” she said.
She “picked up” cooking in her 20’s, and once she started, “it was like natural.”
“I just like food and I cook with love,” she said, adding that she cooks mostly from scratch.
When she gets inspired to cook, she gets creative, she said. She is more savory with her cooking and she doesn’t like baking. “My mother was into pastries,” she said.
Stepheny likes the Ruben Egg Rolls and Crab Won Tons, saying they are great appetizers, and simple to make. She likes making appetizers and “everyone raves over them,” she said.
She uses Dad’s Burger Mix seasoning when making her sliders.
She prefers green tomato chow-chow and loves it with peas and cornbread. Chow-chow is something she also likes to make. She and her husband, Bobby, have taken cooking classes before when traveling.

Bolognese Sauce for Pasta
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp. finely chopped garlic
1/2 white onion, finely chopped
2 stalks grated and chopped celery
1 grated and chopped carrot
1 lb. ground beef
4 hot sausage, casing removed
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil
2 Tbsp. chopped flat leaf parsley
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 tsp. chopped fresh oregano
Salt and black pepper
1 cup dry red wine
28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
2 cups beef stock
2 cups grated Romano cheese
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
Chop everything! For the celery and carrots I use a box grater on the finest side, then chop it again with a knife. If you have a food processor, use that. Once everything is chopped, grab a medium/large pot and heat the oil on medium/high. Throw in the garlic and onion after a minute or so. When the onion is starting to soften, add the carrots and celery. After 5 minutes add sausage and beef. Brown the meat, then add the herbs, salt and pepper. Dump in the wine and bump up heat a little. Once the wine has cooked off, add tomatoes and beef stock. Lower heat and simmer sauce, uncovered, until it is desirable consistency. I simmered mine for about 2.5 hours. Just prior to serving, stir in butter and cheese.

Ruben Egg Rolls
1 pkg. egg roll wrappers
1/2 lb. deli sliced corned beef
1/2 can sauerkraut drained
1 pkg. shredded Swiss cheese
Thousand island dressing.
Chop deli meat into small pieces. Mix with cheese and sauerkraut in a bowl. Put into egg roll wrapper and roll, making sure to bring sides in. Seal edges with a little bit of water using your finger to apply it. Deep fry egg rolls until golden brown and serve with thousand island dressing to dip into.

Crab Cheese Wontons
2 blocks cream cheese
1 pkg. frozen imitation crab meat
4 Tbsp. organic honey
2 scallions
2 garlic cloves
1 pkg wonton wrappers.
Soften cream cheese. Add all ingredients and mix with a spoon. Place by spoonful into wonton wrappers and pinch together at top. Drop a few at a time into deep fryer. Be careful not to overcook. You want the wonton just starting to bubble and turn a little golden color.

If you have a suggestion for a “Cook of the Week,” please email us at calhouncountyjournal@gmail.com.

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