Gaido's publishes cookbook with favorite recipes

GALVESTON — It took Gaido’s Restaurant 100 years to document its recipes, but one look at its new cookbook, simply titled “Gaido’s Famous Seafood Restaurant,” makes it clear it was worth the wait.

“All the recipes are from the restaurant, translated into familiar terms and units for cooking at home,” Casey Gaido, who compiled the cookbook along with Paulie and Mary Kay Gaido, said. “Some of them are employee favorites, others are family favorites, and there are some that our customers told us we just had to include.”

The Gaidos also collected photos and artifacts to illustrate the cookbook, especially in the opening chapter, which details the history of the restaurant from its origins as a sandwich shop started by San Giacinto Gaido.

The sandwich shop led to the first Gaido’s restaurant, located in Murdoch’s Bathhouse.

“A big part of writing the book was collecting the stories,” Casey Gaido said. “The Wooden Shoe has been a popular dessert drink for as long as I can remember, but I didn’t know that it was named after a Dutch sea captain who came in and told the bartender exactly how to make the drink he wanted.”

While the cookbook includes many details about the Gaido family, it emphasizes throughout the book the contributions of many staff members. Recipes for Shrimp Pegues, Watkins’ Bisque and Brooks’ Gumbo are accompanied by photos of the chefs who created them and recollections of what these chefs meant to the restaurant.

One of the biggest challenges in writing the cookbook was reducing the recipes to serve a family or small gathering.

“It took some adjusting,” Gaido, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, said. “You can’t break a protein or vegetable down in the same proportion as seasonings, so some recipes took quite a few tries before we had the taste exactly like it’s served in the restaurant.”

Many of those trial runs were conducted by a team of 14 local women who volunteered to cook the recipes at home.

“Because of them, we know that these dishes can be made by home chefs as well as culinary chefs,” Gaido said.

At first, some of the volunteers were surprised to be given what they had assumed was classified information.

“One of the ladies said, ‘Are you sure you want to give away your secrets?’ but knowing all the steps is the only way to get the flavor,” Gaido said.

The recipes in the Gaido’s Restaurant cookbook span much of the century that the restaurant has operated. The book notes that no one living can remember when stuffed flounder was first offered, and estimates the recipe has been used for at least 60 years.

Other recipes were developed by Casey Gaido and his siblings and cousins, the fourth generation of the Gaido family to work in the restaurant.

“One of my favorites is Banana Bread Foster, maybe because it’s one I actually helped to create,” Gaido said. “You start with the most moist, succulent banana bread, brown it in butter, then top it with crème anglaise and ice cream.”

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Shrimp Pegues

Brown Sugar Glaze

1 cup packed brown sugar

4 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoon molasses

1 tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon chipotle base

Shrimp

7 jumbo shrimp

2 cups breadcrumbs

1/2 cup finely shredded Cheddar-Jack cheese

1 teaspoon seasoned salt

7 whole jalapeño peppers, julienned

7 bacon strips

Brown Sugar Glaze

Combine the brown sugar, lemon juice, molasses, honey and chipotle base in a saucepan.

Bring to a boil.

Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.

Shrimp

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Peel, devein and butterfly the shrimp.

Combine the breadcrumbs, cheese and salt. Divide the mixture into seven 1-ounce portions and shape into oblongs around slivers of jalapeño.

Stuff the mixture into the belly side of the shrimp.

Wrap each stuffed shrimp tightly with a piece of bacon.

Arrange the shrimp on a baking sheet.

Bake for 15 minutes.

Coat the shrimp with Brown Sugar Glaze and bake for 5 more minutes.

MAKES: 1 serving

SOURCE: Gaido’s Restaurant

Creamed Spinach

1/2 pound bacon

1 cup diced yellow onions

Vegetable oil for frying

11/2 pounds fresh spinach, washed

2 roasted garlic cloves

4 ounces canned artichoke hearts

11/2 cups heavy cream

1 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

6 ounces cream cheese

4 ounces fontina cheese, cubed

2 ounces Cheddar cheese, cubed

Fry the bacon until the fat is rendered. Drain the fat. Chop the bacon and set aside.

Saute the onions in a little oil in a saute pan until translucent.

Add the spinach and garlic; cook until the spinach is wilted and the liquid has evaporated.

Add the artichokes and cook for 3 to 5 minutes.

Add the cream, salt, pepper, cheeses and bacon.

Cook for 15 minutes, stirring frequently.

MAKES: 10 servings

SOURCE: Gaido’s Restaurant

Cy’s Demise

San Jacinto Butter

2 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon minced yellow onion

4 tablespoon white wine

16 tablespoon butter

4 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Oysters

12 oysters on the half shell

4 ounces grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley

San Jacinto Butter

Saute the garlic and onion in the white wine in a saute pan until very tender.

Combine mixture with butter, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a blender. Process to purée.

Oysters

Melt the San Jacinto Butter in a small saucepan.

Brush the oysters generously with the San Jacinto Butter until coated all over.

Sprinkle the cheese over the oysters.

Grill the oysters for 5 to 10 minutes until the butter bubbles. Watch closely to ensure cheese doesn’t burn.

Sprinkle with chopped parsley.

MAKES: 1 dozen oysters

SOURCE: Gaido’s Restaurant