Soul Food

By good chance, this was the book I picked up to get me through election night and beyond. I could not have made a better choice.

Rick Bragg writes of the elemental cooking (and people) of Alabama--where my mother's folks came from. The cooking he  describes is quite familiar to me--corn bread, pork, greens, and beans. It's what my grandmother cooked. It's poor folks' food but in the hands of the gifted cooks of Bragg's family, it's ambrosial.

Using plain, cheap ingredients and taking extra care with then so as to delight the people who eat is the secret--the little dollop of mayo in the cornbread batter, the carrots cut just so to add sweetness to the slaw, the pig's knuckles, slow roasted to a melting deliciousness, the sweet potato cobbler to pacify a bunch of hungry kids. He even tempts me to try my hand at pinto beans--something I've never much cared for--black-eyed peas were the legume of choice on my grandmother's table. But Bragg makes a good case for the lowly pinto.

It's really a book about folks and family--the recipes just keep cropping up. Wonderful, opinionated characters, some more than a little crazy. The part I've read so far is back in the depression, which accounts for the hunger and the treatment of food as something close to sacrament. There's Jimmy Jim, the sour old man who taught his wild daughter-in-law to cook; Ava, who spoke in tongues and turned a tornado, her husband  Charlie, who did his best to put meat on the table, Sis, a cursing block of a woman who showed her love by feeding people, and a passel of kids who weren't above lifting a chicken or a bit of meat from a neighbor's smokehouse.

And as I read, all though this trying election aftermath, as my friends and I wring our hands and wonder how so many of our fellow Americans can support the man we see as the antithesis of civility and democracy, I realize that all these folks--Bragg's folks--that I'm so fond of would likely be square on the GOP side. Like so many of my neighbors. Like, no doubt, a lot of my kin back in Alabama and Florida.

How to explain nice, well-meaning folks, folks you'd love to sit down to a meal with  or visit with on the porch, voting for a small-minded, divisive, corrupt, petty vulgarian? 

I'm not talking about the flat out Trumpers with their flag-bedecked trucks or the avowed white supremacists or those whose chief goal is to make the libs cry. 

I'm talking about those who say they don't like Trump but just couldn't vote for Biden because _____. Fill in the blank: abortion, fear of 'socialism,' fear of immigrants; fear of 'defunding' the police and releasing anarchy across the land . . . what else?

The Democrats/Progressives need much better messaging. For example, the fact that abortion drops radically when women have access to affordable healthcare and childcare and contraception; that there's a difference between the socialism of places like Cuba (where the USA has had a heavy hand in making sure the economy struggles) and the socialism of the Scandinavian countries; that without the hard-working immigrants, our farmers are in trouble. 

And whoever came up with the phrase 'defunding the police' should be ashamed. Yes, I know the original meaning of the phrase was to take some of the funds from the police in order to spread out to other professionals the burden the police are currently being asked to carry--dealing with psychologically troubled individuals, domestic disputes, homeless, and on and on. Defunding the police didn't mean getting rid of law enforcement but that's sure what it sounded like. When dealing with people who may not read beyond the headlines, that phrase is poison.

But I digress. Aside from reminding me of my culinary roots and inspiring me to go back to some old favorites, Bragg's excellent book pulled me back from the temptation to block out or even hate those folks who voted Red. Instead, I'll be working to understand them and their reasons.

Bless their hearts. And I mean that both ways.

 

Snow and Recipes

Not much snow but enough to put an end to a few lingering blooms and to make it feel like the proper season. 

And for Misty, who asked, some of the recipes from yesterday's post.

PUMPKIN CHIFFON PIE  (from The Southern Junior League Cookbook whose recipe also calls for caramel sauce drizzled over the pie along with the whipped cream and almonds but really, there's wretched excess, which this pie is, and there's a step too far.)

 ¾ c milk

2 c canned pumpkin

1 ½ c brown sugar

1/8 tsp salt

¾ tsp ginger

¾ tsp cinnamon

1/3 tsp nutmeg

5 egg yolks

2 envelopes unflavored gelatin

1/3 c cold water

5 egg whites

1 ½ c heavy cream

1/4 cup sugar

2 10” baked pie shells

Caramelized almonds (see below)

Whipped cream for topping (1 cup heavy cream, dark rum or vanilla, a very little sugar)

***

 Heat milk with pumpkin, brown sugar, salt, and spices. Beat egg yolks slightly and add hot mixture gradually to yolks. Mix well and cook in double boiler till thick, stirring constantly.

Soften gelatin in cold water and add to hot custard. Stir till dissolved. Cool till it begins to thicken.

Beat egg whites till stiff but not dry. Fold in custard. Cool a little but not until set.

Whip cream, fold in the 1/4 c sugar, then fold cream into pumpkin mixture. Chill till very thick then pour into baked pie shell. (I do all this the day before Thanksgiving.)

Before serving, top with whipped cream flavored with dark rum or vanilla and sprinkle with caramelized almonds.

CARAMELIZED ALMONDS (also terrific as an ice cream topping)

 ½ c sugar

1 c slivered blanched almonds

Stir in heavy skillet till sugar melts and caramelizes. Spread on greased cookie sheet. Break apart when crisp and store in airtight tin.

 

BA’S CRANBERRY GELATIN SALAD

(I know, gelatin salads are so Fifties. But this is really refreshing as a part of a heavy meal , crunchy with celery and nuts and tart rather than sweet. Ba (my grandmother) served it with a dollop of mayo -- which I still like but usually forgo because calories.)

2 TB gelatin

½ c cold water

1 c boiling water

3 TB sugar

½ tsp salt

¼ c lemon juice

1 c crushed pineapple

1 ½ c cranberry sauce

1 c finely chopped celery

½ c chopped pecans

Soak gelatin in cold water for 10 minutes. Dissolve in boiling water then add sugar, salt, lemon juice, and pineapple. Allow to cool but not congeal. Add cranberry sauce, stirring thoroughly. Add celery and pecans last pour into mold which has been rinsed with cold water and not dried. Chill till set. Serves 8

Crock Potting

On the days I keep Josie, using a crock pot means I can put something together in the morning before Josie's driver delivers her and then have dinner ready soon after her driver calls for her in the evening.

Yesterday I made turkey thighs with beer and onions. We could smell it for most of the day and when we finally ate it, it was excellent. The gravy is rich and delicious and doesn't really taste like beer. I served it over rice but I think I'll use the leftover half as the base for a cottage pie.

The recipe I used is HERE at Dad Cooks Dinner. (For once, I followed it exactly -- given a choice of amber lager, brown ale, oAr porter, I used porter.)

A few days ago I made a kind of Pork Chili Verde/Posole --

We had the remnants of a pork tenderloin in the freezer and I cubed it up and browned the cubes in olive oil. Tossed the meat into the slow cooker, along with some salt, and in the same pan, sautéed a couple of chopped onions, some cut -up peppers (the mini red, yellow, and orange ones -- if I'd had some jalapenos, I'd have added them,) and some chopped garlic.

When the onion was translucent, I added the vegetables to the meat in the slow cooker, dumped in a jar of salsa verde, a little cayenne, and some cumin, and some chicken broth because it seemed to need more liquid. I let it cook all day on low. About a half an hour before dinner, I stirred in a can of hominy for the Posole effect.

We had this with a green salad with mango slices and corn tortilla quesadillas on the side. (Note: the tenderloin I used was fattier than most -- which was a good thing in this recipe. Pork shoulder would also work well.)

I have a feeling there's more crock potting in my future.

What's for Supper?

I headed out to the garden yesterday morning planning to do some hoeing and weeding. But first, I thought, maybe I ought to see if anything needs picking. Two and a half hours later, I staggered into the house with about ten pounds of purple beans at least fifteen pounds of cucumbers, some broccoli,  zucchini, lettuce, and Tuscan kale.

I spent the afternoon dealing with the bounty. I turned about 2/3's of the cukes into my favorite summer salad. (It keeps well in the refrigerator for several days.)

Thin sliced cucumbers and onions, toasted black sesame seeds, garlic salt, sesame oil, and rice vinegar -- so easy.

Then there were all those beans to snap -- a quietly meditative task.

By the time the beans were snapped, it was too late to begin blanching them -- I'll tackle that today.

I did saute some for supper -- in butter with a bit of salt and thyme.

Notice that the purple changes to green as they cook.

But what about the zucchini and kale? Ah, they ended up in a truly delicious quiche. Really, it was yummers. (The homemade pie crust didn't hurt.) With the cucumber salad and the sauteed beans, it was a pleasant summer meal. (With leftovers for lunch today!)

Here's a LINK to the recipe that I followed, more or less. Rather than blanch the kale, I just added it to the almost sauteed zucchini till it wilted. Of course, Tuscan (or black) kale is especially tender. And I baked the pie crust for 10 minutes before adding the other ingredients.

Morels!

Oh, joy! While mowing the orchard, John discovered a pair of morels! We had found some there about ten years ago but haven't seen any since -- until now.

Only two little morels -- I decided to stretch their flavor by putting them into a cream sauce.

They're hollow . . .

I sizzled them in a tablespoon of butter with some garlic chives . . .

Then I added a tablespoon of flour, about a cup of hot milk, and salt and pepper to make a cream sauce. Piled onto a toasted ciabatta, it made an fine breakfast.  (About four times as many morels would have been nice ...)  My Carolina Kitchen has another wild mushroom recipe (and far more elegant presentation) HERE.

Fall Flush

A heavy rain together with warm days and we've been enjoying the Fall flush of mushrooms -- shitake mushrooms. I came home after my writing class to see mushrooms spread out on every surface in the kitchen and have been drying them for later use.

A few days later -- there were more and I managed to remember to  get a picture.

A nice little harvest, but nothing like the earlier one. Still, with a few garlic chives ...

two fresh eggs and a bit of butter . . .

l
some Cherokee Purple tomatoes on the side and I have a fine brunch.

  The winner of the drawing for a signed copy of THE DAY OF SMALL THINGS over at Poe's Deadly Daughters is Iil Gluckstern -- who needs to get in touch with me!

There'll be another chance to enter another drawing tomorrow~

Deep Dish Pizza and the First Rain of May

Monday is pizza night at our house. I love it. John makes the pizza; Claui makes the salad; and I wait for those magical words -- "Dinner's ready!" 

Last night it was something a little different -- Chicago-style Deep Dish pizza.  And the magic words were Justin calling --"I've poured you a glass of Prosecco..."

Whoopee! A wonderful way to celebrate the rain!

  We were awakened around five Monday morning by the welcome patter of raindrops and, mindful of my grandmother's teaching, I rolled out of bed and stepped out to the deck to get wet in the first rain of May -- thereby ensuring good health all year long. (I walked barefoot in the first snow of the season too -- I should be brimming with good health!)

But back to the pizza.  ( John combined these recipes from Recipesource and Food Network and here) 

One had spinach, broccoli, leeks, mushrooms, cheeses, and quite a lot of garlic  and olive oil (no tomato sauce though.)

Beautifully garnished . . .  

The other was more traditional -- Italian sausage, tomatoes, mushrooms, and cheese.  Both were made in springform pans -- the kind you use for cheesecake. And, of course he makes his own crust -- this time with some cornmeal added  for extra strength.

I love Mondays!

Thai Green Curry and Panna Cotta

Justin and Claui cooked an amazing meal for my birthday dinner. They had made this Thai Green Curry for us back in January and I had immediately requested it for my birthday. 

There's not a recipe, as such but the essentials for this very large amount (it fed five of us with leftovers for probably five more) are 6 oz. (1 and 1/2 cans) of Maesri brand green curry paste and a 19 oz. can of Mae Ploy coconut milk -- both available at most Asian markets.

The various ingredients - red and yellow peppers, garlic and onions, chopped eggplant, boneless chicken breasts -- were sauteed in  separate batches and each seasoned to taste with the curry paste, some coconut milk, and a little chicken broth.

The sauteed elements were combined and the tiny corn on the cobs added along with more of the curry, coconut milk and broth. The snow peas went in last just to barely heat. They should remain crisp.
 

The whole glorious mess was served over basmati rice. There were condiments -- toasted almond slivers, lime slices, hot peppers in vinegar, chopped cilantro, and crispy fried chopped garlic.  On the side there was also a simple carrot/red cabbage slaw, seasoned with lime juice and hot sauce.

Yes, we like our food hot and spicy -- and after all there was plenty of champagne to cool us off.

For dessert Claui made a delectable panna cotta (From Ina Garten -- and there's a real recipe --just click the link.)  Cool and smooth and vanilla-y with a drift of lemon zest and a surround of strawberries blessed by a touch of sugar and basalmic vinegar. The perfect complement to the flavors of the curry.


How good was it? So good that we gobbled it up before I thought to take a picture -- this was taken from the recipe site.