Real Stew

Over the years, I have spent hours and hours calmly sitting by myself reading cookbooks. For those of us who are foodies, this is not uncommon. A cookbook to me is like a fashion catalog to a girlie-girl. As you can tell, I'm not a girlie-girl. Not that there's anything wrong with that--but it's not me.

I'm a nurturer. I love to feed people (especially on the weekends when I have more time to cook from scratch). I also love history and when the two loves come together I am ecstatic. It comes together in a cookbook entitled, "Real Stew," by Clifford A. Wright. I am big into soups and stews. I could easily eat soup every day of my life and be happy about it.

I bought this book a handful of years ago at first for the stew/soup recipes. But as I sat down to read it, I fell in love with the history Wright throws in with the recipes. It's a combination of travelogue, history and really good food. I loved it.

Ever wonder how to make Waterzooi? It's a snap. This Flemish stew is a delicious chicken stew filled with vegetables, eggs and a rich broth.

Instead of making Hamburger Helper for your family, how about whipping up a pot of Córdoban Farmer's Wife's Stew? This mélange is a cabbage and chickpea stew that has the taste and smell of cumin. Wright shares that this "is from the hilly farmlands around Cordoba, in Andalusia. It is called an olla cortijera de Cordoba, meaning 'the way the farmer's wife makes it.' and is an example of the simplest of preparations from cocina pobre, the 'cuisine of the poor.' " You can make it on the weekend when you have more time, freeze it and thaw it later in the week and it's still delicious. Toss in some buttered French bread and you are set.

The Córdoban Farmer's Wife's Stew

5 quarts water
2 cups dried chickpeas (about 1 pound), picked over and rinsed, soaked overnight in cold water to cover, and drained
1 large onion, chopped
3 large garlic cloves, peeled
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste
1 teaspoon freshly ground cumin seeds
1/2 pound Irish or Canadian bacon, diced
1 small head green cabbage (about 1 1/4 pounds), cored and chopped

Bring the water to a boil in a stew pot. Add the drained chickpeas, onion, garlic, olive oil, salt, and cumin. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 2 hours.

Add the bacon. Cook until the chickpeas are soft, about 1 hour more.

Add the cabbage and cook for 1 hour. Taste and correct the seasonings, and serve.

Makes 8 servings.

(Recipe from Real Stew, by Clifford A. Wright)

If you are really daring you can try making Cacciucco. This recipe is on page 235. It's a fish stew from the Tuscan port of Leghorn. According to Wright, "traditional cooks add a stone taken from the sea to the stew so it can reach its true height of earthly perfection." The stew is full of bits and pieces of fish and shellfish. The ingredient list is a bit intimidating. For those who are brave, check it out. Me, I'm not that brave.

You could also try the Octopus Stew from the Island of Djerba. This recipe is from the Island of Djerba, off of the Sahel, the desert region of southern Tunisia, which was thought to be the land of the lotus eaters made famous by Homer.

I can't quite see myself walking into my local supermarket and asking the butcher for one pound of octopus and by the way, can you please clean it for me, too. Ummm....nope.

Don't let me scare you; there are plenty of normal sounding/ingredient recipes. You can make some wonderful Beef Burgundy, Irish Stew, Hungarian Goulash and Old Fashioned American Stew.

The world of stews and soups are at your fingertips with this cookbook.

Check it out. It's well worth the journey.

Real Stew: 300 Recipes for Authentic Home-Cooked Cassoulet, Gumbo, Chili, Curry, Minestrone, Bouillabaisse, Stroganoff, Goulash, Chowder and Much More

by Clifford A. Wright

Publisher: Harvard Common Press, 388 pgs.

ISBN: 978-1-55832-199-1

Friend of A Friend

It didn't matter if you looked left or right, you couldn't escape it. From the floor to the ceiling it was in your face. It was unapologetic, direct, sizzling hot and it made me smile.

I knew the first moment I walked into the Cooks N' More I was a goner. My pulse raced and I think I finally understood how Imelda Marcos felt about shoes--but for me it was Le Creuset cookware and bundt pans shaped like castles. There was no saving me now. I had never been in a store before, heck; I had never been shopping for anything before that made me as happy I was when I walked into the renovated store that was a church in its former life.

Faded Texas limestone walls still retained their holy elegance. It wasn't until you walked into the store that the sexy hotness smacked you in the face and took your breath away.

"Ah, another victim." The man who spoke those words smiled from behind the register. He closed the cookbook he had been reading, carefully marking his spot with a wooden spoon. "Welcome to Cooks 'N More. It's not much, but I call it home."

"I really love your home." I slowly replied, not taking my eyes off the multitude of kitchen goodies that filled every shelf, display case and even dangled from light fixtures. Gleaming pans hung over my head--a display that would even make Julia Child stop and stare.

"Tell me I haven't died and gone to gourmet heaven." My unfettered laughter was that of a child. I found myself mentally processing all the recipes I could make if I only had the Ebelskiver Filled-Pancake Pan or the Miyabi 7000 pro knife that I knew would fit my hand perfectly.

"You haven't died, but this is my take on heaven," the man said. "The name is Warren and this place is my baby. It's always great to convert another soul to the goodness that is cooking."

"Hello, Warren. My name is Dicey and I am very happy I decided to stop and check out your place."

I couldn't help myself; I walked over to a display and started browsing the copper cookie cutters hanging from a wooden peg display. All shapes and sizes glimmered in the diffused sunlight. Bells, stars, gingerbread men and the traditional candy cane shapes were mixed with off-the-wall designs--from dinosaurs to presidents of the United States and even one in the shape of the great state of Texas.

"These are so cool."

"If you don't see anything you want, let me know. I can order practically anything you want and I know a lady who can custom make any cookie cutter you'd need." He brushed his hand through his straight brown hair and contently looked around his store.

The inside of the store was mainly one big room with the register near the front. Looking toward the back of the store on the right, bookshelves lined the walls.

"Cookbooks?" I whispered reverently.

"Cookbooks," he replied with pride. "New or used. I also have a sharing library where you can bring in books to swap. Sometimes people buy books they later don't use. So they bring them here, and find another one they like and leave the one they don't. I also have a reference cookbook library people can access if they need."



Oversized chairs were scattered near the area and a few were filled with customers reading while others sat a large wooden table, copying recipes onto notepads.

"I have cooking demonstrations every Wednesday night in the demo area. I also offer cooking classes." He pointed to the back of the store to the left. A small kitchen opened into the room with a large island that could easily sit 10 people.

"This place is amazing."

"Thanks. It's nice to know I'm not the only person who thinks so," Warren said, with a chuckle.

They walked toward the back of the store. A display table held an assortment of books stacked in-between kitchen accessories. "Catering to Nobody," sat next to potholders, while "Fatally Flaky" tipped out of a KitchenAid food processor.

"Diane Mott Davidson is one of my favorites." My hand reached out to pick up a copy of "Cereal Murders." "I love her recipes. I've actually made a few of them. Mysteries and cooking--you can't go wrong there."

"Have you read Joanne Fluke's series? Her cookie recipes are to die for." He said with a wicked grin.

"I've read them all. I'm a readaholic." I shrugged my shoulders as if I should apologize for my love of reading.

"Nothing wrong with that. It could be worse; at least you aren't an alcoholic."

"True. Sometimes it's just as addicting. But it is one vice that does increase my vocabulary."

"If you like reading cozy mysteries about cooking, you should check out our book club. We meet once a month and discuss the latest culinary mystery and we make recipes from the books. It's called, "Dying to Cook."

.... To be continued

From Scratch

As a kid, my first real cooking creation was homemade pudding. Mom never really bought snacks and after school I'd get the major munchies. I couldn't eat just anything from the cabinets as what she bought was for dinners and off limits. I had to be creative if I wanted to eat.

What Mom did have was staples in her pantry. Flour, sugar, salt, cocoa and other basics were lined up nice and neat. The only problem was Mom didn't have any cookbooks. She made everything from memory. And as this was pre-Internet, I couldn't just pop on the World Wide Web and check out a recipe to make a snack from scratch.

So I became creative. I love chocolate, so I pulled out the cocoa. I tried to visualize what was in pudding. I thought of milk, vanilla and sugar. I had no clue about measurements when it came to the ingredients. It took a lot of experimentation to creative anything that was edible. I truly believe that my early pudding recipes was where my love for dark chocolate began--using Hershey's cocoa made for some deep, dark pudding.

I'd make small batches and would spoon the dark, gelatinous goodness while hiding from my siblings in my room. I wasn't going to share. They wouldn't have shared with me. Lol

I know for a fact this is where my love of cooking began--especially cooking from scratch. I truly respect how hard it is to make something from nothing. I take great pride in the fact that I can bake and cook from scratch. Cakes, cinnamon rolls, ice cream, candy and cookies. I do not need a stinking box mix. Give me the staples and I will create you some goodies.

It could be why I also collect cookbooks. Mama never had them, but now I have hundreds of them. You think I jest? I have bookcases full of them. My cookbooks cover a wide range of subjects, tastes, countries and are old to more recent. My oldest is from the 1800s, the strangest might be the road kill collection. Among my favorite cookbooks are my Taste of Home cookbooks because it's real recipes by real cooks. I love my Paula Deen books (her banana pudding recipe is a holiday staple for us). I also have a signed cookbook by Emeril Lagasse.

I have a collection of recipe cards that belonged to my husband's late Granny and Mother. Granny made amazing candy from scratch. I loved the homemade rolls his mother and grandmother made. Amazing tasting and they made it look so easy when I know it's not. I miss them. Women like Granny, Gwen (Jerry's mother) and my mother made their gravy from scratch. It's an art that I find hard to master. I know it's a matter of letting the roux cook the flour, you can't be too quick or it won't taste right.

Cooking means love to me. I love my family, so I cook for them. It's probably the reason Jerry and I have gained the weight we have over the years. I love to cook and we also love to eat. Lol

Here are some of my favorite recipes.

This isn't my recipe from years ago, but it's pretty darn close.


Thick Chocolate Pudding Recipe

4 Servings
Prep: 15 min. + cooling

Ingredients
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup baking cocoa
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Whipped topping, optional

Directions
In a 1-qt. microwave-safe bowl, combine the first four ingredients. Stir in milk until smooth. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 2 minutes; stir. Microwave 3-5 minutes longer or until thickened, stirring after each minute. Stir in vanilla. Pour into individual serving dishes; cool. Refrigerate. Garnish with whipped topping if desired. Yield: 4 servings.


http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes

----


Not Yo' Mama's Banana Pudding

INGREDIENTS
2 bags Pepperidge Farm Chessmen cookies
6 to 8 bananas, sliced
2 cups milk
1 (5-ounce) box instant French vanilla pudding
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12-ounce) container frozen whipped topping thawed or equal amount sweetened whipped cream

DIRECTIONS
Line the bottom of a 13-by-9-by-2-inch dish with one bag of cookies and layer bananas on top.

In a bowl, combine the milk and pudding mix and blend well using a handheld electric mixer. Using another bowl, combine the cream cheese and condensed milk together and mix until smooth. Fold the whipped topping into the cream cheese mixture. Add the cream cheese mixture to the pudding mixture and stir until well blended. Pour the mixture over the cookies and bananas and cover with the remaining cookies. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Recipe from Paula Deen, as seen in The Lady & Sons Just Desserts: More Than 120 Sweet Temptations from Savannah's Favorite Restaurant, (Simon & Shuster).

---



Bailey's No Bake Cookies

This was passed down to me right after I married Jerry from his mother Gwen. My family loves these delicious cookies. Be careful, if you eat too many of them in a short time you will get a sugar-rush headache!

Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1 cube butter
3 tablespoons cocoa
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups Minute Oatmeal

Directions:

Mix the first four ingredients in a pan and let it reach boiling. Stir often. After it has reached the boiling point, let it boil a hard boil for about five minutes.

Add the peanut butter, and vanilla. Let it boil again for one minute.

Remove from stove and add the 3 cups of oatmeal. Stir well to coat everything together.

Drop by teaspoons onto wax paper. Let it set until hardened.

Enjoy with a cold glass of milk!

A Thousand Years Over a Hot Stove

It's fitting that I should pull out one of my favorite books as Thanksgiving is approaching. "A Thousand Years Over A Hot Stove," by Laura Schenone is great for someone who loves women's history and the history of cooking. It gives a different insight into the past than the normal dusty tomes.

Most of our history has been given to us from a male viewpoint. I don't mean to knock it, but that's only one viewpoint. The highlights have usually centered on men.

Well, guess what? Women have a colorful and interesting history, too. The writer pulls much of what she writes about from oral history of women. That's where people actually sat down and talked to the older women from all cultural levels of life and asked them first hand what it was like growing up. I love reading those accounts.

What I like about this book is that she shares historical recipes that I haven't seen anywhere else. I have learned how to cook locusts. That's right. Locusts.

Remove legs, wings, and head of insect. Brown the rest in the ashes and eat. It tastes like peanuts. Used to be eaten in the old days, but now mostly by children. Used as medicine to cure stomach ache and prevent measles, smallpox or other contagious diseases. --Flora L. Bailey "Navaho Foods and Cooking Methods," 1940

I know, I'm a slight freak. I can't help it. I love history.

I bought this book for my Women's History class at college. But it actually combines my two loves--history and cooking. I relate to the writer's comments in the intro of the book.

"Though the majority of American women may no longer slaughter pigs, preserve peaches, or make their own tortillas, the effort of cooking continues to be largely women's work, a major force in the rhythm of our lives, keeping us alive, and bringing us together around the table with those we like, those we love, and those we need. Perhaps this is why cooking still matters to women."

I have pulled the book out of my bookcase and I'm going to re-read it this week. If there is ever a time to remember cooking and women's history this is it. My husband made a comment to me recently that since the kids are elsewhere and we are alone, that I didn't need to stress out making a Thanksgiving meal. He didn't get it. I make our Thanksgiving meal because it shows how much I love them. I might look stressed out, but it's a good stress. It's my way of artistically showing them how much I love them. I care deeply about my cooking. It might not be perfect, but it's from the heart.

If you get the chance to read this book, I highly recommend it.