Ring in the new year with tasty traditional eats & drinks



(WITI) -- Hoping for good luck in the new year? You might want to eat some herring. Kim Wall, owner of Beansch Food Products joined the Real Milwaukee team on Monday, December 29th.

Ma’s “It’s All About the Local Garnish” Bloody Mary

COCKTAIL


    GARNISH


      In a cold pint glass filled with ice in order given add all cocktail ingredients. Cap the glass with a stainless steel cocktail shaker and shake vigorously for 10 seconds. Pour the drink and ice into a pint glass. (Alternative: stir well with bar spoon in original glass). Insert bacon skewer and hickory slice. Alternately spear a Ma Baensch herring stuffed olive, a piece of Ma Baensch herring, olive, herring and olive. Lay skewer across top of the glass. Finish with fresh ground black pepper.

      Ma’s Herring Stuffed Green Olives

      Ingredients


        Drain the desired amount of olives well in a colander, discard liquid. Using a toothpick, carefully remove pimiento from each olive. If you wish, reserve pimiento for another use, otherwise discard. Continue to drain olives.

        You will need one piece of herring for every four olives. Drain desired amount of herring well in a colander, discard wine sauce. Sort through herring pieces, removing and discarding onion slices. Continue to drain herring.

        With a sharp knife carefully slice each herring piece vertically into four equal slices. Stuff herring slice into olive with the narrow end going in first. You may have a bit of herring protruding from the top of the olive.

        Store refrigerated in an air tight container or glass jar.

        Serve alone as a hors d'oeuvre or serve in one of the Ma Baensch Holiday Herring Cocktails; Baensch Press, Ma’s Martini or Ma’s Bloody Mary.

        Baked Bacon Skewers


          Preheat the oven to 400°F.

          Line a baking sheet(s) with foil (this makes clean-up easier). Set metal cooling rack over the foil-lined baking sheet. Weave strips of raw bacon on skewer like ribbon candy and lay the completed skewers over the cooling rack. Elevating the bacon allows it to cook from all sides and become extra-crispy.

          The bacon can be close together, but don't let it overlap or the bacon will stick during cooking. If necessary, use a second baking sheet.

          Place the baking sheet of bacon in the oven and bake until the bacon is deep golden-brown and crispy, 15 to 20 minutes. Exact baking time will depend on the thickness of the bacon and how crispy you like it. Begin checking around 12 minutes to monitor how quickly the bacon is cooking. The bacon fat will sputter and bubble as the bacon cooks, but shouldn't splatter the way it does on the stove top. Pour off the bacon grease as needed so the bacon isn't totally submerged in grease.

          Remove the bacon from the oven and use tongs to transfer it to a paper-lined platter to drain and finish crisping. Refrigerate bacon to chill for your drink.

          Refrigerated bacon will keep for a week in a sealed container or zip lock bag or freeze it for up to three months.