Mirliton Dressing

It is that time of year to begin thinking about Thanksgiving dinner. I have been looking at all the magazines on how to cook the turkey, the many sides possible, and of course the desserts. I generally go back to most of the things I have done for years, but always want to try at least one new thing.

My husband came in from the garden and told me he had some mirliton in the garden and what could I do with them. Most people know that mirliton are squash and are also known as chayote. The mirliton is an inexpensive and versatile staple of Louisiana. This unusual gourd contains one large seed and is a member of the cucurbit family--think cucumbers and watermelon--similarly mild and fibrous and distinctive for the vine like growth of its plants, many of which bear edible fruit.

These squash are pale green and pear shaped with ridges along the skin. Their flavor is delicate, and once you start cooking mirliton they almost melt away. They work well with crabmeat and shrimp and are most often served roasted and stuffed with a mixture of seafood.

You can often find mirlitons (more often called chayote) in the grocery but they grow well in our deep South climate and are perennial in our garden. Mirlitons are so easy to grow that many cultivate them in backyard gardens. All you have to do is stick the end of the fruit in the ground at a 45-degree angle (after the ground has warmed up in the spring) and give it lots of water, and a wild and vigorous vine will clamber over a fence or a trellis, producing a crop in early fall. The vines really do need a lot of support.  If you are thinking of planting a mirliton next spring just save one from the grocery.  They generally sprout before planting time.  You can place in a pot and put it out later when the weather is more favorable.

So in honor of the mirliton in my garden I am doing a mirliton dressing for Thanksgiving. Diced day-old bread is the best to use in this recipe. Mirliton dressing is too loose for a stuffing, so it is always served as a side dish.

From John Besh’s  My New Orleans, The Cookbook

Mirliton and Shrimp Dressing

Serves 10

4 mirlitons, halved and peeled

3 tablespoons olive oil

8 tablespoons butter

1 medium onion, diced

1 stalk celery, diced

1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

Leaves from 1 sprig fresh thyme

Leaves from 1 sprig fresh rosemary, chopped

Leaves from 1 sprig fresh sage, chopped

1 pound medium shrimp, peeled deveined, and finely chopped

½ cup crabmeat, picked over

4 cups diced day-old French bread

2 cups basic chicken stock

½ teaspoon basic Creole spices

1-2 dashes Tabasco

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350ᴼ. Rub the mirlitons with oil. Place them on a baking sheet cut side down and bake until they are fork tender and easily peeled, about 45 minutes. Set the mirlitons aside to let rest until they are cool enough to handle, then peel and cut them into 1-inch pieces

Melt the butter in a large skillet over moderate heat. Add the onions, celery, and bell peppers and cook until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Increase heat to medium-high, add the fresh herbs and shrimp, and stir frequently, until shrimp are must cooked, 3-5 minutes, Stir in the crabmeat. Transfer to a mixing bowl. Add the diced mirlitons and the remaining ingredients and stir until well combined.

Spoon the dressing into a large buttered baking dish and bake until golden brown, 20-30 minutes.

I like to add some Tabasco just before eating.

Although this would be a side at Thanksgiving, the mirliton dressing makes a good main dish for dinner.

 

Hot Tamales (Miss-Mex! not Tex-Mex)

I have been eating tamales lately and have a semi-fondness for them. They look hard to make so I think I will be eating them instead of preparing them. I had some delicious ones at Fat Mama’s Tamales in Natchez this past week. They do not make them in the restaurant anymore but out-source them and bring them in frozen and cook them in boiling water as needed. At a wildlife festival this past weekend, I had some wild hog tamales. They were actually spicy and really good.

How did hot tamales get into Mississippi? Many think that tamales made their way to the Mississippi Delta in the early 20^th century when migrant laborers were brought in from Mexico to work the cotton harvest. The basic tamale ingredients, cornmeal and pork, were easily adapted by the African Americans who shared the fields. Others say that the Delta’s history with tamales goes back to the U.S. Mexican War 100 years earlier, when soldiers from Mississippi traveled to Mexico and brought tamale recipes home with them.

Today, African Americans are the primary keepers of the tamale-making tradition in the Delta. Through slavery and sharecropping, tamales have proved to be a viable support system, financially and nutritionally, to rural communities throughout the area.

No two people make hot tamales exactly the same way. Pork is traditional, but some cooks use beef, while others prefer turkey. Some boil their meat, while others brown it. Some people use masa, while others prefer the rough texture of cornmeal. Most wrap in corn shucks, while a few have turned to parchment paper. Some season the tamale in just one way, while others will season the meat and the meal, as well as the water used to simmer the rolled bundles. Some eat theirs straight out of the shuck, while others smother them in chili and cheese. I do know that in the Delta tamales are served with crackers and a cold beer! Why crackers? Got me. I thought it was a mistake when we got a bowl of crackers with our tamales at Fat Mama’s.  I heard of one person who always eats hers with crackers and ranch dressing!

Many people say that the best time to eat hot tamales is during the winter months, but tamales are sold year round. The RED HOT TAMALES are in fact bright red in color. This visual is the result of spices added in all stages of tamale preparation and cooking.

Even though making tamales are time consuming, they perhaps are worth doing. Below are the steps in preparing tamales, so you can have this recipe on hand if you decide to make some. Fortunately they are readily available here in southwest Mississippi even though this is not the Delta.

Mississippi Delta Tamales

Makes 7-8 dozen (If you are going to the trouble, might as well make a few.  One can easily eat a dozen. They are usually sold by the dozen or half dozen.)

Meat Filling

6-8 lbs. boneless meat (pork shoulder, chuck roast, or chicken)

¾ cup vegetable oil

¼ cup chili powder

2 Tablespoons paprika

2 Tablespoons salt

2 teaspoons black pepper

1 teaspoon ground cayenne

1 Tablespoon onion powder

1 Tablespoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

Cut the meat into large chunks and place in a large, heavy pot. Cover in cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover the pot, and reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until meat is tender, 2-2 ½ hours. Remove the meat and reserve the cooking liquid. When the meat is cool enough to handle, remove and discard any skin and large chunks of fat. Shred or dice the meat into small pieces. There should be 10-12 cups of meat. Heat the vegetable oil over medium heat in a heavy pot. Stir in the chili powder, paprika, salt, pepper, cayenne, onion powder, garlic powder, and cumin. Add the meat and stir to coat with the oil and spices. Cook, stirring often, until the meat is warmed through, about 7-10 minutes. Set aside.

Corn Husks

While meat is cooking, soak the husks in a large bowl or sink of very warm water until they are softened and pliable, about 2 hours. Separate into single leaves, trying not to tear them. Wash off dust and discard any corn silks. Keep any husks that split to the side, since two small pieces can be overlapped and used as one.

Corn Meal Dough

8 cups yellow corn meal or masa mix (can be found in most stores)

4 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons salt

 1 2/3 cups vegetable oil or lard

6-8 cups warm meat broth (from cooking of the meat)

Stir the corn meal, baking powder, salt and lard together in a large bowl until well blended. Gradually stir in enough warm liquid to make soft, spongy dough that is the consistency of mashed potatoes. The dough should be quite moist but not wet. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth.

Assembling the tamales:

Remove a corn husk from the water and pat dry. Lay husk on a work surface. Spread about ¼ cup of dough in an even layer across the wide end of the husk to within 1 inch of the edges. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of the meat mixture in a line down the center of the dough. Roll the husk so that the dough surrounds the filling and forms a cylinder or package. Fold the bottom under to close the bottom and complete the package. Place the completed tamales in a single layer on a baking sheet. Repeat until all dough and filling is used.

Cooking the tamales:

To simmer: Stand the tamales upright, closed side down, in a large pot. Place tamales together in the pot so that they do not fall down. Carefully fill the pot with enough water to come just to the top of the tamales, trying not to pour water directly in the tamales. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover the pot, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until the dough is firm and pulls away from the husks easily and cleanly, about 1 hour.

To steam: Stand the tamales upright, closed side down, in a large steamer. Cover the tamales with a damp towel or additional husks. Steam the tamales over simmering water until the dough is firm and pulls easily from the husks, about 1-1 ¼ hours.

Serve tamales warm, in their husks. Remove husks to eat.

Sweet Potatoes 2012

We just received the October 15 ‘Mississippi Market Bulletin’ featuring sweet potatoes.  Sweet potatoes give Mississippi a number 2 national ranking with 22,500 acres in sweet potatoes (It’s nice to see Mississippi near the top of a list, rather than the bottom); North Carolina is first with 64,000 acres. Harvest started in August and was 46 percent harvested by late September. The majority of the state’s sweet potatoes are grown within 40 miles of Vardaman in Calhoun County in the northeastern part of the state. The bulletin notes that Americans now consume about 5.7 pounds of sweet potatoes per person each year.

All Southern states produce sweet potatoes commercially so they are readily available this time of year. And they are quite healthy: rich in fiber; fat and cholesterol free, large amounts of Vitamin C, a respectable dose of Vitamin E and A, and folic acid, iron, copper, calcium and beta-carotene; they also have anti-tumor, anti-HIV, anti-muscular dystrophy, antifungal, antibacterial, anti-hypertensive and ant-diabetic effects.  However, most people eat their sweet potatoes with an added dose of sugar which is not so healthy.

The market bulletin had a page of ‘sweet’ sweet potato recipes but my husband only wants to eat them in savory dishes.  And as we began our own harvest of sweet potatoes I found this savory Vietnamese soup recipe in Louisiana Cookin’. This soup is a winner. It won first prize as a main dish at a contest at Delgado Community College in New Orleans.

Sweet Potato Vietnamese Soup

Makes 4 servings

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 pound ground pork

1 small onion, finely chopped (about ½ cup)

¼ cup chopped fresh basil, divided (It’s still growing in pots on our patio.)

1 (3-inch) piece lemongrass (I finally got to use some of the lemon grass we have been growing for years.)

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 jalapeno pepper, chopped

2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 ½ teaspoons ground cardamom

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 2 cups)

1 quart chicken stock

1 (13.5-ounce) can light coconut milk

Garnish: chopped fresh cilantro, jalapeño pepper slices and basil

In large stockpot, heat oil over medium heat. Add pork, onion, 2 tablespoons basil, lemongrass, garlic, jalapeño, ginger, cumin, cardamom, and nutmeg. Cook until pork is browned and onion is soft, about 10 minutes.

Add sweet potatoes, chicken stock, and coconut milk. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook until sweet potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Uncover, remove lemongrass, and add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with remaining basil, cilantro, and jalapeño. The soup gets better with standing and the second day I used small red Thai chilies as a garnish.

In the same magazine was a sweet potato side dish that was a winner also. Using sweet potatoes with macaroni sounds like a dish just made to savor.

Cheesy Sweet Potato Mac

Makes 8 servings

8 ounces macaroni (about 2 cups)

1 (15-ounce) can sweet potatoes (use fresh ones this time of year.)

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 cup whole milk

1 cup shredded fontina cheese

½ cup soft bread crumbs

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

½ cup chopped pecans (Picking those up now also. This looks to be a good year for pecans here.)

1 tablespoon pecan oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook pasta according to package directions, and drain. Return to pot, and add sweet potatoes.

In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour, salt, and pepper, and cook for 2 minutes. Whisk in cream and milk; cook, stirring frequently, until thickened, about 3 minutes. Stir in fontina ¼ cup at a time. Stir cheese sauce into pasta.

Transfer macaroni and cheese to a 2-quart baking dish. In a small bowl, combine bread crumbs, Parmesan, pecans, and oil; sprinkle over pasta.

Bake for 30 minutes or until bubbly and golden. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

 

 

Biryani

Recently I had a party for my choir, sixteen people. What to cook for this crowd? I wanted to do something they do not get normally and I decided on biryani. What in the world is that? Biryanis are grand, festive casseroles in which partially cooked rice is layered over cooked meat. Orange saffron milk is dribbled over the top, thereby coloring some grains yellow while leaving others white. (But today even in India, saffron is so expensive they use yellow food coloring mixed with water). I used the food coloring also. Soaking the rice in salted water for 3-24 hours is a trick the Persians used to get the rice grains as white and as separate from each other as possible.

 

A biryani is a meal in itself but may be eaten with some accompanying dishes: a yogurt dish, a carrot salad, or tomatoes with ginger. I used all three to go with the biryani and made naan  (an Indian bread) and it was a wonderful meal. I did have a good Indian dessert with ground cardamom served over ice cream. So this choir had something to SING about!

 

A long recipe but worth it! I did it three times so it took most of the morning. I could have done with only two but I had some left over to freeze for a quick meal sometime when I need one.

 

From Madhur Jaffrey’s Indian Cooking

Serves 6-8.

 

15 oz. long grain rice

3½ pints plus 3 tablespoons plus 6½ pints water

About 3 tablespoons salt

1 teaspoon saffron threads (if using) or 2 teaspoons yellow food coloring and 2 teaspoons water for substitute

2 tablespoons warm milk (if using saffron) to mix

3 medium-sized onions, peeled

4 cloves garlic, peeled

¾ inch fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped

4 tablespoons blanched, slivered almonds

13 tablespoons vegetable oil

4 tablespoons raisins

1 ½ lb. boned lamb from the shoulder (I used chuck from grass-fed beef)

8 oz. natural yogurt

5-6 cloves

½ teaspoon black peppercorns

½ teaspoon cardamom seeds

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

1 inch stick cinnamon stick

about 1/6 nutmeg

¼ cayenne pepper

1 oz. butter, cut into 8 pieces

3 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and at room temperature

 

Wash the rice in several changes of water. Drain it and put it in a large bowl. Add 3½  pints water and 1 tablespoon of the salt. Mix and soak for 3-24 hours.

Put the saffron threads (if using) in a small, heavy frying pan. Toss the threads until they turn a few shades darker. Crumble them into the warm milk and soak for three hours.

 

Cut 2 of the onions in half, lengthwise, and then cut the halves into fine half-rings. Set these aside. Chop the remaining onion very coarsely. Put this chopped onion, garlic, 2 tablespoons of the almonds and 3 tablespoons water into the container of an electric blender. Blend until you have a paste.

 

Put 6 tablespoons of the oil in a 10-inch skillet, preferably nonstick, and set over medium-high heat. When hot, put in the onion half-rings. Stir and fry them until they are brown and crisp. Remove them with a slotted spoon and spread them out on a plate lined with paper towels.

 

Put the raisins into the same oil. Remove them as soon as they turn plump--which happens immediately. Put the raisins in another plate lined with a paper towel. Put the remaining 2 tablespoons almonds into the oil. Stir and fry them until they are golden. Remove them with a slotted spoon and spread them out beside the raisins. Set aside for use as the garnish.

 

Now, put the meat cubes, a few at a time, into the same hot oil and brown them on all sides. As each batch gets done, put in a bowl.

 

Add the remaining 7 tablespoons of the oil to the frying pan and turn heat to medium. When hot, put in the onion-garlic-ginger-almond paste from the blender. Fry, stirring all the time, until the paste turns a medium-brown color. If it sticks slightly to the bottom of the pan, sprinkle a little water and keep stirring. Return the meat and any accumulated juices to the pan. Add the yogurt, 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring well between each addition. Now put in 1¼  teaspoons of the salt and 5 oz. of water. Mix and bring to a simmer. Cover, turn heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes.

 

While the meat is cooking, put the cloves, peppercorns, cardamom seeds, cumin seeds, cinnamon and nutmeg into the container of a spice-grinder or a coffee-grinder. Grind finely.

 

When the meat has cooked for 30 minutes, add all the spices from the spice-grinder as well as the cayenne and mix well. Cover again and continue to cook on low heat for another 30 minutes. Remove cover, raise heat to medium, and cook stirring all the time until you have about 7 oz. thick sauce left at the bottom of the pan. The meat should be pretty well cooked by now.

 

Spread out the meat and sauce in the bottom of a heavy casserole. Cover and keep warm.

 

Pre-heat the oven to 300°F.

 

Bring 6 pints water to a rolling boil in a large pan. Add 1 ½ tablespoons salt to it. Drain the rice and rinse it off under running water. Slowly, scatter the rice into the boiling water. Bring to a boil again and boil rapidly for exactly 6 minutes. Then drain the rice.

 

Work fast now. Put the rice on top of the meat, piling it up in the shape of a hill. Take a chopstick or the handle of a long spoon and make a ½ inch wide hole going down like a well from the peak of the rice hill to its bottom. Dribble the saffron or food coloring in streaks along the sides of the hill. Lay the pieces of butter on the sides of the hill and scatter 2 tablespoons of the browned onions over it as well. Cover first with aluminum foil, sealing the edges well, and then with a lid. Bake in the oven for 1 hour. Remove from the oven.

 

Just before serving, quarter the eggs, lengthwise. Mix the contents of the rice pan gently. Serve the rice on a warmed platter, garnished with the eggs, remaining browned onions, raisins, and almonds.

 

 

 

South Indian Vegetables

The summer vegetables are coming to an end and some fall vegetables are making their way forward. My husband brought in some butternut squash, some more green beans, and some curry leaves. So the search began for what to do with these. Of course, Indian curry comes to my mind and with just a few extra spices and some more vegetables you have a wonderful meal with a great combination of flavors.

The September issue of Food and Wine had a nice section on south Indian food and that just suited what I wanted to cook. The use of coconut milk is common is south Indian cooking and one can find coconut milk in all the stores now. From ‘‘Food and Wine,” September, 2012.

Keralan Vegetable Stew

4 servings

2 tablespoons canola oil

2 tablespoons finely julienned peeled fresh ginger

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

12 fresh curry leaves or 2 bay leaves (There is nothing like the flavor of curry leaves but they are unavailable for most people.)

2 serrano chilies, finely chopped

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

Coarsely ground black pepper

1 cup frozen pearl onions, thawed (I used regular onions)

Salt

1 medium Yukon Gold potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

2 medium carrots, cut into ½ -inch dice

½ pound green beans, cut into ½-inch pieces

½ cup vegetable stock or broth

1 cup unsweetened coconut milk

In a large saucepan, heat the canola oil.  Add the ginger, garlic, curry leaves, chopped chilies, turmeric, 1½ teaspoons of black pepper and ½ cup of the pearl onions. Season with salt and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are softened, about 8 minutes. Add the potato cubes, diced carrots, green beans, vegetable stock and the remaining ½ cup of pearl onions and bring to a boil.

Add the coconut milk and simmer partially covered, until the vegetables are tender and the coconut milk is slightly reduced, about 30 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper. Discard the bay leaves, if using and serve with rice.

This is a wonderful use of butternut squash and a colorful dish to serve with your vegetable curry.

Butternut Squash Basmati Rice

4-5 servings

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

1 cup basmati rice

¾ pound peeled butternut squash, cut into ½-inch dice (2 cups)

2 cups water

2 teaspoons kosher salt

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Add the cumin and mustard seeds and cook over high heat until the mustard seeds begin to pop, about 30 seconds. Add the rice and diced squash and stir to coat with the butter. Add the water and salt and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over very low heat until the squash is tender and the water is completely absorbed about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let the rice stand covered for 5 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork and serve right away.

This meal was so good and healthy. It took a small amount of time to get together and was good for two meals. Give it a try!

 

 

Memphis and Lemon Pie

We have been on the road again and this time to Memphis to see Graceland and to Tupelo to visit the birthplace of Elvis. We took my sister and her son on this trip and really thought we would not enjoy it as much as we did. This year was the 35^th anniversary of Elvis’s death and we missed the anniversary by a week. Lucky for us since so many people do come for that specific time. Elvis was the “King” and when you see him entertaining in his prime he was just so good!

 

Elvis was born in a two-room house in Tupelo. It was very small and you can see how poor his family had been so the move was made to Memphis when he was 12. Elvis learned to sing in his church choir at an early age, and the church is on the museum property at this point in time and it was strange to think that Elvis sang is this church. If you have time go to Tupelo and visit the Elvis museum, home, and church. It is worth the trip. Tupelo has done a great job on their restorations and museum building and exhibits.

 

Our first food event was lunch (probably better termed ‘dinner’) at The Cupboard, a famous old restaurant at 1400 Union Ave. in downtown Memphis. We had heard about it on NPR from The Stern’s on The Splendid Table. They were raving about it because of the lemon pie. The Cupboard, which has been around for 70 years, is a restaurant for the locals with a meat and three sides. If you want Southern food this is the place to go. You can get fried chicken, fried fish, and a host of vegetable options, eggplant casserole, fried green tomatoes (my favorite), broccoli casserole, greens, beans, mashed potatoes, and of course there is that lemon pie. I saved a little room for dessert and I will say the lemon pie was the best of all. I read that the lady who makes the pies only uses real lemon juice and 2 eggs for each pie. They do use sweetened condensed milk, although the cookbook recipe, available for sale at the restaurant, does not.

 

The afternoon was spent at Graceland.  It should be on your to see list.

 

While in Memphis, we did see the ducks at the old Peabody Hotel and went to the famous old restaurant The Rendezvous in a basement nearby. We did not have their famous dry or wet ribs (still full from the Cupboard), but just a really fabulous barbecue sandwich. Tupelo had one restaurant that everyone seemed to know about called The Grille. We did have a good sandwich and garlic fries for lunch the next day. I wanted to try their Hershey Pie, but just not enough room.

 

I decided to make a lemon pie like the one at The Cupboard and got out my cookbook, Screen Doors and Sweet Tea, by Martha Hall Foose.  Her recipe was very similar to the one in The Cupboard Cookbook (one I did not buy but looked at the recipe). I did find some information about sweetened condensed milk. Prior to refrigeration, there was no way to safely keep milk for more than a few hours. Gail Borden used vacuum pans to condense fresh milk by evaporation over 60 percent of the water and sweetening the residue. After several failed attempts, he was granted a patent in l854 for his new product, shelf-stable milk. It fueled the Union troops during the War Between the States. Borden’s

plants in New York, Connecticut, and Maine were commandeered to supply milk for the troops. However, Gail Borden lived in Liberty, Mississippi, just down the road from us and that is where he developed the condensed milk.

 

Lemon Icebox Pie

 

Makes one 9-inch pie

 

1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs

¼ cup granulated sugar

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter melted

2 (14-ounce) cans sweetened condensed milk

4 large egg yolks (The Cupboard only uses 2 egg yolks)

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

½ cup fresh lemon juice

2 cups heavy cream

6 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

 

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

 

In a medium bowl, combine the crumbs, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter. Pat into a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan and bake for 6 to 8 minutes, or until slightly browned. Remove to a wire rack to cool.

 

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the milk, yolks, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Pour the lemon filling into the cooled crust. Bake for 10 minutes, until set. Cool on a rack. Chill the pie for 30 minutes.

 

When the pie is completely cooled, whip the cream with the confectioners’ sugar until stiff peaks form. Mound the whipped cream on top of the pie and chill for 1 hour.

 

If you prefer a meringue topping:

Preheat the oven to 425ºF.

 

Topping:

4 large egg whites

¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

5 tablespoons sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

 

Whip the egg whites in an electric mixer on medium speed until frothy. Add the cream of tartar and slowly increase the speed as the egg whites become opaque. Add the sugar, one tablespoon at a time. Add the vanilla extract. Whip until the whites form a soft peak. Spoon the meringue over the warm pie.

 

Bake for 4 minutes, or until the meringue is puffed and brown. Cool on a rack for 20 minutes, and then refrigerate for 2 hours---or until you can’t stand it anymore.

 

Devon

Last week we attended the 5^th annual North American Devon conference and sale, this year in Richfield Springs, New York—a charming Victorian village with hills and rolling pastures nearby. No by-pass diverts the driver from the main street.  It was cold on Saturday and we needed our winter coats.

Devon cattle are the oldest breed.  They were noted in Britain in 23 BC.  The first Devon in America consisted of 3 cows and a bull brought to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1623 on the ship Charity.  Though they were popular as an all-purpose breed (milk, oxen, and meat) for a long time they began to fade out as cattle began to be shipped off to feed lots.  They became a rare breed but are making a comeback as people are learning of the health benefits of grass-fed beef.

I’ve talked about grass-fed beef before and the Devon folks believe that Devon is best on grass.  Everyone knows “Certified Angus.”  There is now “Certified Devon Beef.”  You probably can’t find any.  I think we are the only owners of Devon cows in Mississippi.  I know of one producer in northern Alabama. Most Devon and Devon X beef is sold off farm to the locals.  I picked up a flier noting “Certified Devon Beef” is 100% grass fed, 100% antibiotic free, 100% hormone free and 100% humane management. One ranch in Virginia noted their “Certified Devon Beef” has ½ the saturated fat and 4 times the beta carotene and vitamin E.  CDB is rich in omega 3 fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid.

If you can’t find Devon at least try to buy grass fed.  If you are going to eat beef, eat healthy beef.  And grass fed can be just as tender as grain finished beef if harvested at the right time.  Some people claim that grass-fed tastes different as well.  Last year I found one study in Australia comparing grain finished and grass finished beef.  The younger tasters noted that the grass-fed beef tasted beefier.  We have been eating factory raised beef, pork and chicken so long that we don’t know how the real thing tastes.

The best lecturer at the conference was Dr. Gregg Renfrow from the University of Kentucky.  He is a professor and a meat scientist---and a butcher.  He talked about cooking the tender cuts from the muscles of support vs. the less tender cuts from the muscles of locomotion which should be cooked slow and low (225ᴼ or less).  He also noted some new cuts.  The flat iron steak is the most popular new cut and one of the more tender cuts in the entire carcass.  This is the rotator cuff and not exercised in the cow.  He noted the chuck roast can be cut into chuck eye steak and is much cheaper.  Another factor besides the type of muscle or the way the muscle is cut that affects tenderness is aging.  Dry aged is better but costs more as the dehydrated muscle must be cut off and therefore there is less meat to sell.  Stores usually sell wet aged.  The type of grass affects the flavor as well, and handling of the animal before slaughter can harm the meat.  Unless we are buying off farm from a producer that we know, we are not likely to know about these factors in the grocery store meat but grass-fed and organic are becoming more available. 

90% of US shoppers buy their meat either at the supermarket or at a warehouse club.  “That means that the vast majority of meat is bought through a veil of cellophane, its origins obscured by a label that withholds far more information than it discloses. And it is bought without any personal contact with an expert who might illuminate us further.” This according to Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall in The River Cottage Meat Book.  I noted he also says that Devon “produce the best beef I’ve ever tasted.”

I couldn’t help but think it odd that at this beef conference the first meal was chicken, the next pork.  Not till the last day did we have beef in the form of hamburgers.

Since grass-fed beef is more expensive I often just buy the grass-fed ground beef.  We ate at an old restaurant, The Southern Inn, in Lexington, Virginia on our way back home.  We had the meat loaf made with a combination of ground beef, veal, and pork and when I got home I found a good recipe for just that in the new ‘Food Network Magazine.’

1770 House Meatloaf (from the restaurant of the same name in East Hampton, NY.)

Serves 6-8 

2 tablespoons good olive oil

2 cups chopped Spanish onion (1 large)

1 pound grass-fed beef

1 pound ground veal

1 pound ground pork (pastured is healthier but hard to find)

1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives

3 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten

2/3 cups whole milk

2 tablespoons kosher salt

1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

2 ½ cups panko (Japanese bread flakes)

Garlic Sauce (recipe follows)

Preheat the oven to 350ᴼF.

Heat the olive oil in a large (12-inch) sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent but not browned. Set aside to cool slightly.

Place the beef, veal, pork, parsley, thyme, chives, eggs, milk, salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl. Put the panko in a food processor fitted with the steel blade and process until the panko is finely ground,

Add the onion mixture and the panko to the meat mixture. With clean hands, gently toss the mixture together, making sure it’s combined but not compacted.

Place a piece of parchment paper on a sheet pan. Pat the meat into a flat rectangle and then press the sides in until it forms a cylinder down the middle of the pan (this will ensure no air pockets). Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until a thermometer inserted in the middle reads 155ᴼ to 160ᴼ. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Slice and serve hot with the Garlic Sauce.

Garlic Sauce

¾ cup good olive oil

10 garlic cloves, peeled

2 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine the oil and garlic in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until lightly browned. Be careful not to burn the garlic or it will be bitter. Remove the garlic from the oil and set aside. (I saved the oil for vinaigrettes.)

Combine the chicken stock, butter and cooked garlic in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and cook at full boil for 35 to 40 minutes, until slightly thickened. Mash the garlic with a fork, whisk in ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper, and taste for seasonings. Spoon the warm sauce over the meatloaf.