Office of Sen. Al Franken
Chef Franken's Wild Rice and Turkey Hot Dish
Our neighbor to the west is known for its "Minnesota nice" and as a home of "hotdish" -- a food substance more often termed a casserole (although not universally) on this side of the state line.
Like Wisconsin, Minnesota also has its liberal side and its conservative side. But partisanship was left stoveside as U.S. Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) invited his fellow Minnesotan representatives to engage in a "Hot Dish Off" in late January at Franken's Washington office before the State of the Union address.
While the cookoff was a gesture toward bipartisanship, it should be noted that of the six participating chefs, five were Dems; Rep. Michele Bachmann was the lone Republican.
Products of the state were highlighted in most of the dishes, including wild rice, venison brats and "Mississippi River Water." Franken's own recipe was a wild rice and turkey concoction.
U.S Sen. Amy Klobuchar's Taconite Tater Tot Hot Dish took top honors; recipes can be found here. (Note: Recipe does not contain actual taconite.)
So how about it, Wisconsin? Senator Kohl could get the ball rolling with his Kohlrabi in Cream... competing against Baldwin Brats, Ryan Ratatouille or some RonJohn Jambalaya? It's good clean fun; we promote Wisconsin products (cheese! milk! cranberries!)... and ideally, the recipe swap means new taste sensations to add to the weeknight casserole rotation. And cooking at home is good family values, no matter who's in your family.
