It's OK to serve the alligators ... for dinner

Back in the '80s, it was referred to as wild game. Nowadays, game meats are as common as "regular" meat and poultry. Things like duck, lamb, goose, rabbit and venison can be found in grocery stores.

Unusual sea foods like alligator, octopus and sashimi-grade tuna were only found in specialty markets. Now they are everywhere or can be ordered at a simple request. What once was exotic has now become commonplace and regular. Where then do we turn for the unusual and the unexpected?

Ordinary foods, things we ate growing up, can still be prepared "exotically" as we open our minds to the fact that it is not the meats or sea foods that need to be exotic, but it is in the way we prepare them that makes them come into a different light and world of taste.

Choosing different herbs, spices and sauces to compliment your entree is where the difference will come from ordinary to extraordinary. In the world of chefs, simply naming something to sound exotic is all it takes.

Orange duck becomes Duck A L'Orange. Stir fry shrimp becomes

Oriental Shrimp w/Essence of Soy Vegetables. Baked Chicken becomes Roasted Hen w/Herbs de Provence.

A simple name change can lift some dinnertime eyebrows. When asked what the new names mean, simply reply, "I thought I'd make something different tonight."

Enjoy these spins on "ordinary" dishes, and make tonight extraordinary in name, if not taste. You'll be surprised what excitement comes from mere presentation changes.

ALLIGATOR CREOLE

Serves: 4

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 large green pepper, chopped

1 large onion, chopped

1 1/2 cups celery, chopped

1 pound tomato, chopped

1/3 cup dry white wine

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce

2 each bay leaf

4 whole cloves

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

salt and pepper, to taste

1 1/2 pounds alligator meat, cubed

Melt the butter over medium high heat in a large nonreactive skillet. Add the pepper, onion, and celery. Saute, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are translucent, 10 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes.

Add wine, lemon juice and worcestershire sauce. Stir in the bay leaves, cloves, and hot pepper flakes.

Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Add the alligator meat, stir, and return to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low; cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is cooked and tender, 30-45 minutes. Remove the bay leaves and cloves.

Adjust seasoning to taste and serve immediately.