Weekly Cooking (and related issues) Thread

[Jamestown1630]

Long before we had 'The Pioneer Woman', we had a Pioneer Lady: Jane Watson Hopping, who published many cookbooks featuring old-fashioned recipes and reminiscences of country life.

Last weekend, while Liz was posting those beautiful, fresh, Spring-like salads, we were having weather that was very bitter for April - biting winds, low temps, and even some snow. At the thrift store I found Hopping's book, 'The Pioneer Lady's Hearty Winter Cookbook', and it seemed perfect for the strange April day that we were experiencing.

The book is full of recipes; but remarkable for how the recipes are framed by old family photos and memories, tales of country life in a long-gone era, poetry, and reproductions of pretty vintage drawings. It's a book to be quiet with, curled up by a fire; and reminds me somewhat of Gladys Taber's many books and articles from Stillmeadow Farm (q.v.).

(The cover of the book is a detail from Grant Wood's 1934 painting 'Dinner for Threshers' - which is probably what first attracted me, as he is one of my favorite 20th Century American painters :-) - and many of Hopping's books appear to be still available through Amazon:)

http://www.amazon.com/Jane-Watson-Hopping/e/B001HMMP7G

One of the recipes is described as a 'late harvest' dish; but looks good for us now all the year around:

Ida Louise's Late Harvest Jeweled Slaw

6 Cups shredded White Cabbage

1/2 yellow Bell Pepper, cut into slivers

1/2 Cup red Bell Pepper, cut into slivers

1 Cup Pineapple Tidbits, drained

2 T. Chopped Chives or Sweet Onion

1/2 tsp. Salt

Dash of freshly-ground Pepper

1/2 Cup Mayonnaise

1/2 Cup Sour Cream

1/2 tsp. Sugar

1 T. Vinegar

1/2 tsp. Dry Mustard

1/4 tsp. Paprika

In a medium to large salad bowl, combine cabbage, red and yellow peppers, pineapple and chives. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.

In a smaller bowl, mix together remaining ingredients. Toss the dressing lightly with the vegetables, and chill at least an hour before serving. _________________________________________________________

I promised to try a hummus recipe this week, and I was intrigued by Califreak's post about “Authentic Syrian Kicked Up Hummus”, because the garlic was roasted first, which is very different from every recipe I've used before; and that's the one I tried this week.

I was all geared-up to pick the skins off of those chickpeas, but the brand I used was 'Iberia': much smaller chickpeas and with very little skin, so I didn't bother with that 'peeling' business, this time.

The recipe used a bit more Tahini than I was used to using; and I wondered if that would create the silkiness of my remembered 'Excellent K Street Hummus'.

As it turned out, this is a really good recipe for what I recall as 'Sandwich' hummus - mine came out thick, not silky; might have used a little more salt; and depending on your chickpeas, you might want to add a little more lemon juice, or a little water, to make it better for dipping. Roasting the garlic gives it a more mellow hint of garlic, far less sharp than recipes calling for raw garlic. But overall, an excellent recipe for hummus!

After chilling, we drizzled a little olive oil on top, sprinkled paprika, and spread it on Naan that we found in the grocery. I couldn't find the frozen brand that Miss Marmelstein recommends, but will keep looking (and Miss M. was absolutely right about packaged Naan from supermarket bread shelves - it's gummy, and has an odd flavor.)

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/126786/authentic-kicked-up-syrian-hummus/

-JT

[Jamestown1630]

This week: Country Cookbooks; Slaw; and a very different recipe for Hummus!

(If you would like to be on or off of this weekly cooking thread ping-list, please send a private message.)

-JT

[doorgunner69]

Never cared much for traditional American slaw, but am a sucker for a good Asian slaw if someone has a good recipe.

[dainbramaged]

That slaw recipe sounds pretty good, might have to try it. I have a large batch of oxtail stew going in the crock pot today and it smells great.

[goosie]

My favorite slaw is a recipe I got in Mississippi. Cabbage, onions and a dressing of mayonnaise, dill pickle juice and dill and celery seed. It puckers.

[Liz]

Lucky you-—adding those wonderful retro cookbooks to your collection. The slaw recipe is a must-try.

I happened onto your new thread as I was about to ping Miss M to a Nigella recipe....still on my clipboard.....cont below.

[Liz]

An unusual Nigella recipe (from her first book) to satisfy those cheesy Mexican cravings. Great for leftovers—or start from scratch and do entire dish day ahead; oven-bake next day. The creamy filling satisfies even the carnivorous. Using sweet potatoes would also be delicious.

ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH ENCHILADAS

PREP Roast butternut squash halves tender flesh side down on parchmented sheetpan 400 deg 40 min. Let cool.

FILLING Mash roasted squash, 2 tb ea cr/cheese, chp cilantro, minced green onion, 1-2 minced canned chipotles in sauce, 1/2 tsp cumin, tsp adobo sauce; s/p.

ASSEMBLY Center 2 large spoonfuls on 6 corn tortilla (microed in damp paper towel 20 sec to soften); roll up. Bake seam-side down 8x8" sprayed baker. Blanket w/ can enchilada sauce. Sprinkle w/ grated mozz, cheddar, jack. Bake/melt 400 deg 15 min (enchiladas are bubbly).

SERVE w/ sides of guacamole or salsa, green salad. 1-2 margaritas wouldn't hurt.

[bgill]

THE BEST recipe for cole slaw is below. I’ve moved it from cookbook to cookbook to weight watchers notebooks to low carb notebooks to finally taping it on the kitchen cabinet. Not that I need it written out anymore but it’s there anyway.

Cole Slaw

In a large bowl, stir together:
1/2 C sour cream
1/2 C mayo
1 shredded carrot
2 T sugar or splenda
1 T vinegar
a couple sprinkles of onion powder
1 t celery seed optional (I rarely have it)

Toss in:
1/2 head of cabbage shredded or cut thin

Cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Stir it up a couple of times to make sure the cabbage gets seasoned well with the dressing.

[Jamestown1630]

Your post reminds me of one of the loveliest meals I’ve ever had.

Many years ago, I made the friendship of a lady originally from Germany, who had spent time in a concentration camp during the war because she had been using her papers to help Jews escape the Nazis - she was part of a Quaker group that was involved in this enterprise, and she finally got caught.

(She used to joke that she was ‘allergic’ to barbed wire; and told stories about how the neighbors, during the time when she was ‘active’ in this endeavor, must have thought she was a prostitute, with all of these men sneaking to her door in the dark of night.)

After the war and her release, she emigrated to the US, where she spent many happy years as one of the first female professionals in her field, and married to a lovely American man. By the time I met her, she was widowed, and had a tiny but elegantly and perfectly appointed apartment near Dupont Circle in DC.

One day she made a meal for me entirely from scratch: Oxtail Soup, and a flat little fruit tart with a wonderful flaky crust. But the company and stories are what made it a memory of a lifetime for me.

Great meals are always much more than the food.

-JT

[miss marmelstein]

I Carumba! Nigella goes Mexican as she often does (to my confusion.)

Thanks for posting!

[bgill]

I’d rather sit down with an old cookbook than any reading material. The older, the better. I’ve downloaded free internet old cookbooks and that’s what I shop for at garage sales and thrift stores. On vacation at Williamsburg, you know what I bought. Our German exchange student’s mom sent a cookbook but it was in German before the age of google translate but it has nice pictures, lol. Even old home economics textbooks are fun. Many times, community published cookbooks have the person’s picture or an interesting write up on why they submitted the recipe. There are 4 generations of such in the kitchen cabinet. Others may come and go but my grandmother’s old Betty Crocker will always be with me.

[miss marmelstein]

The Little Prairie Cookbook based on all of the foods in the Little House series. Excellent cookbook, the author went through every difficult 19th century meal described by Laura Ingalls Wilder and recreated them and simplified them for the modern American cook. While I've never used the recipes myself, the book is a treasure trove of pioneer cooking written in a very nice, knowledgeable way. Great bedtime reading!

For wonderful reading and cooking, Edna Lewis's The Taste of Country Cooking. She grew up in Freetown, a Virginia town (now lost to history) that was founded by freed slaves. She goes through the 4 seasons describing what they grew and hunted and cooked. Totally delightful and informative.

Lastly, Cross Creek and Cross Creek Cookery by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings. Wow! Her long chapter in Cross Creek on the food of northern Florida - Cracker food - is to think you died and went to heaven. She was also a most felicitous writer. You'll not be disappointed.

I make a basic slaw: Savoy cabbage (make sure you use the dark green as well as the light), grated carrot, mayo, red wine vinegar, sugar and salt and pepper and a bit of celery seed to complete the pix.

[miss marmelstein]

Sounds very much like mine. So simple but delicious and very nutritious. Won’t make an edition of Bon Appetit but it hits the spot in summer.

[Jamestown1630]

Yes, many cookbooks are good for just READING.

I mentioned Gladys Taber; here is a post from Susan Branch’s blog (Susan is another person who writes lovely cookbooks that are also great for just reading) on her visit to Taber’s Stillmeadow Farm (you have to scroll down a bit, to get to the Stillmeadow part):

http://www.susanbranch.com/2014/06/light-the-candles-and-set-the-table-gladys-taber-stillmeadow-farm-marthas-vineyard/

-JT

[miss marmelstein]

If you love cookbooks, try the Book of Cury, a medieval cookbook that is free on Kindle. I spend a lot of time writing and thinking about medieval history and this book has helped my knowledge. Our ancestors ate a very varied and exotic diet.

[bgill]

Everyone, go download amazon’s and bdalton’s free download cookbooks (or whatever subject) now before they put all the free books into their subscriber “not so free” program.

[Jamestown1630]

Thank you so much for those tips. I’ve been aware of the Laura Ingalls Wilder story, but haven’t really investigated yet.

Here is a more recent, but also historical American cookbook that has always intrigued me because of the exigencies of getting food up there and cooking it: The Lookout Cookbooks - I’m not sure I’ve posted this link before (it may intrigue me, because when I was taking those tests in Elementary School that are supposed to indicate your aptitude for certain careers, I always came up as “forest ranger” :-):

http://www.foresthistory.org/ASPNET/Publications/Cookbook/Lookout_Cookbook.aspx

-JT

-JT

[miss marmelstein]

I’ll bet those were sponsored by the WPA.

I have a book by Mrs. Nesbit - the ‘chef’ in the White House under FDR. A very charming book although FDR absolutely loathed Mrs. Nesbit’s cooking. She and Eleanor cooked up some pretty awful recipes for the bonvivant president!

[bgill]

Is it this one?

The Forme of Cury: A Roll of Ancient English Cookery Compiled

I downloaded it. Thanks, I enjoy medieval history.

[Jamestown1630]

LOL!