RNC delegates take a bite of the Big Apple

So what are Republicans eating when they're dining out in New York City? Frequent visitors to the “Today” show, the Scottos — Elaina, Anthony, John and Marion — share their menu with a slightly right slant. Here are the recipes:

Heirloom Tomato Salad With Bacon, Boston Bibb Lettuce and Creamy Maytag Blue Cheese Dressing
(6 servings)
3 heads Boston Bibb lettuce
4 pounds Heirloom tomatoes of varying size, flavor and color
½ pound smoked bacon cooked crispy
¼ cup of excellent quality extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Separate leaves of Bibb lettuce leaving leaves whole; wash and chill. Cut tomatoes in 1/4-inch slices, keeping slices of each tomato in order of which they were cut. Season with a little salt and pepper and a sprinkle of olive oil as you go along.

Line a large platter with lettuce leaves and stack tomatoes with the largest slices first. Alternate color and place smaller sizes on top. Build a stack 3 to 4 inches high. Top each stack with creamy dressing and decorate with bacon, either by leaving pieces whole or crumbling.

Creamy Maytag Blue Cheese Dressing
(Yields 1 quart)
7 ounces Maytag blue cheese, crumbled
2 cups mayonnaise
4 ounces sour cream
6 ounces buttermilk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground pepper
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
3 dashes Tabasco sauce
3 tablespoons thinly sliced chives

Mix cheese, mayo, sour cream and buttermilk well. Adjust seasoning with lemon juice, Worcestershire, Tabasco, salt and pepper. If too thick, thin with more buttermilk; finish dressing by adding chives last.

Cheddar Cheese Risotto With Caramelized Onions and Smoked Ham
(6 servings)
1 pound Arborio rice
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 large onions, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 pound shredded Vermont cheddar
1 tablespoon thyme leaves
1 cup excellent quality smoked country ham, cubed
2 quarts chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 cup dry white wine
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon butter over high heat. Add onions and celery and cook slowly until caramelized; be careful not to burn. When onions and celery are done, add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add rice and sauté while stirring with a wooden spoon for 5 to 7 minutes at low heat. When rice begins to stick to bottom then add ham and fresh thyme and continue to stir.

Add wine and stir for 2 minutes, until nearly absorbed. Ladle about 1 cup of simmering stock into rice. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring often, until stock is almost completely absorbed.

Add more stock, 1 cup at a time, stirring gently until broth is absorbed by the rice, before adding the next cup.

After about 15 minutes, begin tasting the rice. At this point, add the stock with caution. The rice should be firm, yet cooked through in 18 to 20 minutes total cooking time.

Stir in all but 4 tablespoons of cheddar cheese and remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with cheese and serve.

Grilled T-bone Steak With Grilled Red Onions, Red Beans, Sweet and Hot Chiles
(6 servings)

Texas Style BBQ Sauce With Beans
Sauce should be made first, before preparing steak. If time permits, do this the night before your meal,as beans will take on better flavor.
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and minced
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 cup water
3 tablespoons cider vinegar (or more to taste)
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons pineapple juice
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
2 tablespoons molasses
4 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon Old Bay spice mix
1 heaping tablespoon Chipotle peppers in Adobo sauce (or more if you want more heat)
4 cans cooked pinto beans (or ½ pound dry pigeon beans, cooked according to package directions)

Heat the oil in a large nonreactive saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and bell pepper, and sauté until soft.
Stir in ketchup, tomato sauce, 1 cup water, cider vinegar, Chipotle pepper and all other remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil while stirring so sauce does not scorch. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until thickened, about 15 to 25 minutes. Stir to prevent scorching. If sauce becomes too thick, add a little water. Remove from heat and taste; sauce should be highly seasoned. Transfer sauce to a clean saucepan and add prepared beans and mix thoroughly.

Grilled Steak
The best choices are T-bone or porterhouse steak. Have steaks cut no less than 1 1/2-inches thick, leaving enough fat for maximum flavor.
3 T-bone steaks, 1 1/2-pounds each, cut 1 1/2-inches thick
4 large sweet red onions, peeled, cut in 1/4-inch slices
4 green frying peppers, halved and seeded
4 red frying peppers, halved and seeded
4 hot chiles (or thin red chili peppers)
4 jalepeno peppers (or hot yellow banana peppers)
1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped

Light a charcoal fire or turn gas grill to highest setting. In a bowl, toss onions and peppers with a light sprinkling of olive oil, salt and pepper. Grill until nicely charred and soft. When done, set aside and sprinkle with freshly chopped cilantro.

Season the steaks heavily with salt and pepper and grill until desired temperature, about 8 minutes per side. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.

To serve, top each steak with peppers and onions. Serve hot beans and BBQ sauce on the side.

Maple and Bourbon Glazed Roast Pork Loin Stuffed With Apples and Sun Dried Cranberries
(6 servings)

Maple Syrup and Bourbon Glaze
1/2 cup Vermont maple syrup
1/4 cup excellent quality bourbon whiskey
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together in nonreactive saucepan and bring to a slow simmer. Cook until ingredients lightly coat a spoon and set aside. If desire more Bourbon flavor, add at will.

Apple and Sundried Cranberry Stuffing
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup Granny Smith Apples, peeled, cored and coarsely diced
1/2 pound well-seasoned ground sausage meat
1/2 cup sundried cranberries
1/2 onion, diced
1/4 cup celery, diced
1 pound breakfast-sausage meat, crumbled (taken out of the casing or already ground)
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
Salt and pepper to taste

Reconstitute cranberries in 1 cup boiling water for 30 minutes or until soft, then drain and set aside.
For stuffing, melt butter over medium heat in 10-inch sauté pan. Add onion and celery, cook until soft. Add all apples and cook until all moisture has evaporated and mixture starts to stick, then add cranberries. Transfer this mixture to a large, clean bowl and let cool. When cool, add ground sausage, bread crumbs and parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Pork Roast
Have butcher prepare a 5-to-6 pound boneless pork loin roast, split lengthwise down the middle for stuffing
Preheat oven to 400°. Spread the stuffing on the pork and roll up the loin. Fasten it securely with skewers and tie with butcher twine.
Put loin on preheated roasting pan in 400° oven and cook for 1/2 hour, then reduce temperature to 325° and roast until internal temperature reaches 150°.
Test with meat thermometer. When done, reheat Bourbon glaze and brush loin after it has rested for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove skewers and twine; glaze. Slice loin in 1/4-inch slices, arrange on platter nicely and glaze again just before serving.

Blueberry Strawberry Shortcake
(8-10 servings)
4-2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter (very cold)
1 cup vegetable shortening (very cold)
1/2 cup buttermilk
Additional sugar for sprinkling and to sweeten cream
3 cups heavy cream
1 quart strawberries, hulled and sliced
1 quart blueberries

Mix together flour, sugar and salt. Cut in butter and shortening until mixture resembles coarse sand. Add buttermilk and mix just till dough comes together in a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours. Roll dough on lightly floured surface and cut three 10-inch circles. Prick them with a fork, sprinkle liberally with sugar, and bake at 325° for 25 to 30 minutes.

To construct, place one pastry disk on a serving plate, top with berries and whipped cream. Continue with remaining pastry, berries and cream. Serve immediately.

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