Posted on 04/05/2006 10:43:24 AM PDT by HungarianGypsy
Today is Wednesday. In my house that means American History is our History/Geography topic. We are also learning about the individual states. The best way to learn is always through hands-on experience. Since we can't travel to each state at this time, I hoped all the good Freepers could bring their states to us. What recipes do you have that are specific to your area and can rarely be found anywhere else?
It's actually pretty good.
Add me to the ping list please.
SMOKED MULLET SPREAD
Smoked Mullet Spread
1-1/2 pounds smoked mullet
2 teaspoons minced onion
2 teaspoons finely chopped celery
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons finely chopped sweet pickle
1-1/4 cups mayonnaise (not salad dressing)
1 tablespoon prepared yellow mustard
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Remove skin and bones from mullet. Flake the fish well. Mix all ingredients together and chill at least one hour. Makes approximately 3-1/2 cups of mullet spread.
Here is a recipe that I devised from an item served in the dorm cafeterias at Oklahoma State University in the mid-70s:
Beef Biscuit Roll-ups
Bisquick biscuit mix
1-1/2 lbs. hamburger
1 medium onion
1 can Campbell's beef broth
water
flour
salt/pepper
Finely dice the onion and brown with the hamburger - salt/pepper as desired. Drain mixture, reserving about 1/4 cup of drippings (to make gravy). Set hamburger/onion mixture aside to cool.
Set oven to 425 degrees F.
Follow the recipe on the Bisquick box that requires 2 cups of mix to start making biscuits (requires milk). When the biscuit mix is made, allow to stand for 5 minutes to ensure time for the bisquick to absorb moisture. Turn on to a floured surface and knead to create layers in the dough. Do not overwork.
Using a rolling pin, make the biscuit dough into about a 12" square that is about 3/16" thick. Spread cooled hamburger/onion mixture across the biscuit square, reserve some meat/onion mix for gravy.
Roll up the square as you would for cinnamon rolls. Cut into 1" rolls and distribute on baking sheet. Bake until biscuits are done, about 10-12 minutes.
While baking roll-ups, use drippings to make gravy in the pan you cooked the hamburger and onion in, using reserved meat mix to flavor the gravy. Add 1/4 cup flour to the 1/4 cup drippings to make a roux, cook to remove raw flour taste, add beef broth can plus 1 can of water to make gravy. Additional water may be required to achieve desired consistency.
Serve with mashed potatos and vegetable du jour.
Do you remember the early version of a convenience store named "Tote-A-Poke," lol? I do.
Iron Range Pasties (Northern Minnesota)
Pasties were brought to the Iron Range country by "Cousin Jacks," miners from Cornwall and Wales. They would leave a brick in the oven/fireplace/stove overnight, put it in their lunchbox and place the cooked pasty on top of it. That way they would have a warm lunch. Miners of other ethnicities appreciated the cleverness of these hearty meat and vegetable filled pies and prevailed upon their wives to learn to make pasties too. They became a tradition in mining communities.
Although my family were Slovenian, my mother made pasties routinely. They are most excellent for supper on cold, snowy days, can be refrigerated for up to a week and then reheated.
By the way, the correct pronunciation of "pasty" uses the "a" as in "path," not the "a" as in "pay."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Makes 2 pasties:
You will need 1 rolled out piecrust per pasty. If you make your own, make a thickish "workingman's" crust using lard rather than butter or margarine. The traditional crust was very basic and breadlike rather than being buttery and flaky.
Preheat oven to 350.
Non-mom approved alternative: Be lazy like me. Use Pillsbury premade pie crusts. They are just about exactly the right consistency and are easy to work with. Bring them to room temperature prior to unrolling.
Chop the following into smaller-than-bite-sized cubes:
2 medium sized potatoes (Unpeeled if new, peeled if mature)
2 carrots
1 medium sized onion
2 sticks celery
1 medium rutabega or turnip
1 clove crushed garlic (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste.
Non-mom approved hint: Combine the above ingredients in a microwave safe covered bowl and microwave until just soft.
Cut a pound of beef steak (or stew meat) into smaller than bite sized chunks. You can often find this precut and trimmed. Fajita strips or stir fry meat works fine and you only need to cut them in one direction.
Unroll the pie crust on a cookie sheet
Onto one half of the piecrust, spoon half of the cooked vegetables. Place half the beef chunks evenly on top of the vegetables.
Fold the remaining half piecrust over the filled half and roll/pinch the layers of crust together to make a half-moon shape. Tuck up the corners. A tight, pinched, seal is important.
Repeat with second piecrust and remaining vegetables and beef.
Using sharp knife, cut 3 or 4 2" vent slits into the top of each pasty.
Bake at 350 degrees for 40 - 45 minutes until crust is light brown.
Serve and eat with lots of catsup. This is important. Pasties without catsup are incomplete.
Non-mom approved hint: A nice glass of dark beer or ale is a perfect accompaniment.
When we lived in Philly for a year, I REALLY missed authentic Mexican food because after living in CA all my life, I got spoiled. I set out to collect some real authentic Mexican recipes so I'd never have to go without again ;)
I hope you like it as much as I do! :) It takes a bit of work obviously, but it's worth every minute. Yummers...
This is such a great thread. I can't wait to try all the different recipes. Thank you again! :)
Yummy! Being in the SCA I have looked into pasties. The last recipe I had was mushrooms and cheese. THis looks so much more tasty. I will need to try it.
stainless,
I always knew you were good people. ;^)
Kudos to your sour cream sugar cookies recipe! I tried it today and they taste great.
In my oven i had to go with 375 degrees for 13 minutes.
Thank you!
Parkers is on my list of places to visit!
Pinto beans cooked in a broth with ham hocks. Greens (I prefer collards or kale) wilted over bacon fat (or olive oil loaded with garlic, which is my preference).
White cornbread, made from Martha White's Cornbread Mix (Just cornmeal, a little flour, and leavening) with no eggs and no sugar, and no yellow meal! Eggs and sugar make it into a Yankee muffin, which is fine, but not rural mountainous southern.
If you really want to do the cornbread right--make it in a covered cast iron skillet in the fireplace. The scent going up the chimney will attract the neighbors. I did this when the power was out this December.
This is "poverty food"--but if you're feeling rich, cut some vidalia onions and open a jar of sweet/sour chowchow, and use an extra couple of ham hocks in the pintos.
I hope Wilber's in Goldsboro is too!
"Eggs and sugar make it into a Yankee muffin, which is fine, but not rural mountainous southern."
We always called it "that sweet yellow Yankee cake," lol.
If you want sweetn'in', sugar, drizzle a l'il blackstrap on your bread.
We always went more for apple butter or sourwood honey on biscuits, but molasses on cornbread sounds like it'll do just fine too, lol.
Here it is! This thread will give you the craves!
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