A GASTRONOMICAL HATE CRIME:

Carp: It's what's for dinner -- and it's pretty good (Chuck Haga, October 20, 2003 , Minneapolis Star Tribune)

Using their special ingredient, the students in Doris Wang's food science class at the University of Minnesota, Crookston experimented last spring with a chowder, an enchilada and a quiche.

They formed balls for grilling and puree for chowder. They made tacos and a casserole.

All with carp. Ground carp.

Skeptical? Wait till we get to the artichoke hearts.

"The food bank people called and said they had all this ground carp and didn't know what to do with it," said Dina Van Dorsten, 31, a student in the class.

"At first, it was 'Oh, gross!' Nobody wanted to hear about ground-up fish. But it actually worked better than hamburger in some of the recipes.

"The best was the quiche," she said. "The worst was some kind of casserole we came up with."

Cheddar carp quiche

Shell: 1 cup all-purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon salt 3 tablespoons shortening 1/4 cup milk

Filling:

1 pound ground carp

1 cup (4 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 cup chopped green pepper

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

3 eggs, beaten

1 1/4 cups milk

Brown ground fish in a small amount of oil, drain and set aside.

In a bowl, combine the flour, salt; cut in shortening till crumbly. Stir in milk. On a floured surface, roll dough into a 10-inch circle. Transfer to an ungreased deep-dish pie plate or quiche dish. Trim and flute edges. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

In a bowl, combine browned fish, cheese, green pepper, onion, flour, salt and pepper; spoon into crust. Combine the eggs and milk, pour over fish mixture. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.

Yield: 6 servings.

Recipe adapted and tested by dietetic technician students at University of Minnesota,Crookston.