DIFFERENT STROKES FOR DIFFERENT FOLKS

Let the season of food begin. We all have our own comfort foods and this rings true especially during the holidays. Comfort food helps you get through a bad day or feel better when you are sick. Certain foods are even associated with treasured memories.

In a broader sense, different parts of the country have certain foods that are indicative of that region like grits in the South, pasties in Upper Michigan, lobster in Maine, etc. Then there are those off-the-wall regional favorites, many of which you can only love if you are raised with them. Some of these include:

DEEP-FRIED CHEESE CURDS, popular in the upper Midwest. In Canada, folks relish fresh cheese curds and gravy smothering their fries and also the deep-fried variety. Original deep-fried cheese curds are always the most popular food at the Minnesota State Fair.

CHOCOLATE GRAVY is made with flour, fat, cocoa powder and varying amounts of sugar. It is more popular in the South, served as a Sunday morning dish over biscuits and gravy. Head to the Ozarks and Appalachia and you are sure to cross paths with this favorite. The first time I encountered it was recently in a restaurant in New Castle, IN. Apparently, it is moving north!

LOCO MOCO is one of Hawaii’s most popular comfort foods. Expecting it to be something made with pineapple, I was surprised to learn that it is white rice topped with a hamburger patty, fried egg and brown gravy.

GOETTA says Cincinnati all over it. Locals refer to the scrapple-like breakfast food as “Cincinnati caviar”. It was originally created as a way for German immigrants to save money and extend their ground pork or beef supply by adding steel-cut oats. The meat and oat mixture is shaped into a loaf and then sliced and fried in pork fat until it is brown and crispy at the edges.

REINDEER HOTDOGS is a popular treat in Alaska. Mike Anderson of M. A.’s Gourmet Dogs in Anchorage has served this popular street food for 20 years. Made with caribou (reindeer) meat, grilled franks are topped with Coca Cola caramelized onions. The meat is readily available in Alaska and the Alaska Sausage and Seafood ships smoked reindeer sausage spiced with coriander and white pepper so the rest of us in the lower states can also enjoy.

GEODUCK is a popular food in the Pacific Northwest. It gets its name from the leathery siphon protruding from the six-inch shell of the Geoduck clam that lives in the waters off Washington and British Columbia. The clams weigh about 3 pounds, can be 100 years old and the edible siphon can grow to lengths of three feet. The tender body meat is sautéed in butter with shiitake mushrooms and asparagus.

FRIED DIAMNONDBACK RATTLESNAKE is a delicacy in Texas. The world’s largest rattlesnake roundup is in Sweetwater, TX where the snakes are captured in the desert, skinned and then battered and fried. I have heard the word “delicious” used to describe them, however I think I will pass.

TURDUCKEN hails from Louisiana. Cajun chef Paul Prudhomme invented this dish of chicken stuffed inside of a duck stuffed inside of a turkey with all bones removed so it slices like a multi-ringed pork loaf. NFL commentator Joe Madden ate one during a New Orleans-Saints game in 1997 and made it famous.

CHITLINS, this food also originated in the South. Sometimes known as chitterlings, this traditional soul food dish is made from the small intestines of pigs. After a thorough cleaning, they are slowly simmered until fork-tender and then breaded and deep fried.

PROVEL is known in St. Louis, MO. It is a Velveeta-like processed cheese product made with mild cheddar, Swiss and provolone cheeses with liquid smoke added. It was first made popular by Imo’s Pizza in St. Louis as a pizza topping. Today, the famous St. Louis style pizza uses Provel cheese on crispy, thin-crusted square slices of pizza.

PICKLED PIGS FEET, a southern delicacy, are pigs’ feet that are slow-cured in a brine of white vinegar, salt and spices and preserved in a jar. Fans navigate through fat and gristle to find bits of vinegary ham-like meat. They are usually eaten straight from the jar with some hot sauce.

SCRAPPLE is straight from the Pennsylvania Dutch. They were resourceful in creating a farmhouse pate as a way to use up the unpopular parts of a pig such as the head, organ meats and sometimes the skin. These parts are boiled with cornmeal then pressed and baked in a loaf pan. Slices of it are then fried. Pon haus is a cousin of scrapple. Many folks think they are one and the same even though there are slight differences. Usually, folks are fans of one or the other.

BULL TESTICLES, not surprisingly, are popular in the West. Testicles are sliced, battered and deep-fried. Yep, you read that right! Usually bulls or bison supply the meats which are also known as Rocky Mountain oysters or prairie oysters. Whatever the name, it is the same animal part. An annual festival is held in Clinton, MT and is called none other than the Testy Festy!

HOT BROWNS is a Kentucky classic started in the 1920’s as a late-night indulgence for revelers at Louisville’s Brown Hotel. It is an open-faced turkey and bacon sandwich topped with creamy Moray sauce.

STUFFIES are served in southern New England, especially in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Stuffies are Qualog clams stuffed with chopped clam, sausage, bread crumbs and herbs.

ACUTAQ is the Alaskan Eskimo version of ice cream. Its origins date back thousands of years and was created as a portable snack for Alaskan Inuit hunters on extended trips. It is fat rendered from polar bears mixed with seal oil, berries and snow. Modern versions mix shortening, berries, sugar and water (or snow if available).

FRITO PIE, now popular as fast foods and fair food, originated in Texas. It is a conglomerate of Fritos, chili and cheese, often called a “walking taco”. No matter what you call them, they are the original “messy Marvins”!

ALLIGATOR SAUSAGE hails from New Orleans and is a mixture of alligator meat and pork. This sausage is usually used in gumbos and stews.

GARBAGE PLATE is a concoction from upstate New York. Macaroni salad is combined with potatoes and topped with meat (sausage, steak, meat patties or hot dogs), mustard and chopped onion. Some versions “grow” until they weigh upwards of three pounds…very appropriate name!

WATERGATE SALAD is one of the South’s versions of a salad although it is probably as far from healthy as you can get. This southern favorite combines pistachio pudding, crushed pineapple, Cool Whip, mini marshmallows and nuts.

CHAUDIN hails from the Cajun low country. It is roasted hog stomach stuffed with a sausage mixture and served sliced over rice with Holy Trinity Gravy, which is a local favorite in itself. The gravy is made with flour, browned onion, bell peppers, celery and garlic. The Pennsylvania Dutch have their own version of stuffed pig belly with sausage, cabbage, potatoes and seasonings. I make this quite often although I choose tin foil instead of pig belly.

This list could go on with many more local favorites. Part of the fun of traveling is experiencing local flavor. So, this year you could add some of these regional favorites to your menu…or not. My only suggestion would be to know what is in it before you eat it!

KITCHEN GARDEN PROVIDES VEGGIES ALL YEAR

For all of us die-hard gardeners, the world is just not right when something green is not growing. That’s why late fall and the winter months seem so terribly long.

Kitchen gardens provide the perfect solution to the winter doldrums. The concept is really very simple; it is growing vegetables from veggie stumps and vegetable scraps. These are usually tossed but, with just a little work, they can regenerate many times over.

Many varieties lend themselves well to this method. A few of the more popular ones are:

CELERY

 

Celery stalks can be grown from a stump. Merely cut the bottom two inches off the bottom of a celery stalk and plant it root-side down in a saucer of water or into one or two inches of potting soil or moist sand. Leaves, then tender stalks will appear from the center. When it is well-rooted, put it in a bigger pot and enjoy fresh stems and leaves for months.

LETTUCE, BOK CHOY AND CABBAGE

Place leaves from these plants in a bowl with just a little water. Put the bowl where it gets plenty of sunlight and mist the leaves with water a couple times a week. After a few days, when roots and new leaves appear, plant the new plants in soil.

LEMONGRASS

This herb grows just like grass. Place the leftover root in a bowl or jar with enough water to cover it and leave it in the sunlight. After a week, put it in the herb garden or a pot.

BEAN SPROUTS

Soak a tablespoon of your favorite beans in a jar with shallow water. Leave overnight and then drain the water and put the beans in a container. Cover the container with a towel overnight and rinse in the morning. Keep doing this until sprouts appear and reach the size you want.

AVOCADOS

Wash avocado seeds and use a toothpick to suspend them over water in a bowl. Water should cover the bottom inch of the seed. Keep it in a warm place but not in direct sunlight. Check the water each day and add more as needed. It can take six weeks for the stem and root to appear. Once the stem is 6 inches high, cut it back to 3 inches. When leaves appear, plant the seed in soil, leaving half an inch above ground.

POTATOES

 

Potatoes can be started from peelings. Cut the peelings into two-inch pieces, making sure that each piece has at least 2 or 3 eyes in it. Allow them to dry overnight and then plant 4 inches deep in soil, with the eyes facing up. In a few weeks you will have new potato plants.

SWEET POTATOES

Cut each one in half and suspend it in the same manner as for avocados. Roots will appear in a few days and sprouts can be seen on top of the potato. Once the sprouts are 4 inches long, twist them off and put in a container of water. When the roots are an inch in length, place them in sand.

GINGER

Ginger is easy to re-grow and it will provide you with a steady supply for months. Simply place a spare piece in potting soil. New shoots and roots will appear in about a week. Pull it up and use it again. Be sure to always save a piece of rhizome from each new plant so you can keep the cycle going.

PINEAPPLE

Cut off the top and insert a few toothpicks to hold it above a container of water. Keep it in direct sunlight and change the water every other day, making sure to keep the container full. Roots will appear in about a week. Plant them in soil outside and in cooler climates, keep them inside.

GARLIC

Just pull a clove off and plant it with the roots facing down. Place in direct sunlight and once roots appear, cut them back so you get a bulb. Part of the new bulb can be planted again.

ONIONS

Cut the root of the onion off, leaving half inch of onion attached. Cover lightly with potting soil and keep in a sunny area. For green onions, put the entire white base with the roots in water and set it in direct sunlight. Change the water every few days. Snip off what you need and let the rest grow.

PUMPKINS

Take your jack-o’-lantern and wash and dry the seeds. Spread the seeds in a sunny area and cover with soil. Even easier, you can plant the entire jack-o’-lantern, just fill with soil and plant the whole fruit.

PEPPERS

Save the seeds, plant in potting soil and keep in direct light. These grow fast so you can keep saving seeds over and over.

TOMATOES

You can have those fresh tomatoes and BLT’s all winter. Plant seeds indoors in pots, make sure they get plenty of sunlight and water a couple times a week.

TURNIPS

Salvage the tops of turnips and put them in a container of water. New green tops appear in a few days. Allow roots to grow until they are ready to be transplanted. This works for many root crops like beets and parsnips.

CHERRIES

You can grow an entire new tree from a pit. Keep it in cold storage a few weeks so it will germinate. Clean it, put it in nutrient-rich soil and put it in the fridge in a lidded container. Leave it three months and then plant outside.

APPLES

Remember Johnny Appleseed? Apple seeds can be planted, just allow them to dry first. However, several seeds from the same apple will yield different kinds of apple trees. You will need at least two trees for them to grow well. This technique can be used with peaches, nectarines and plums too.

LEMONS

Save your seeds and grow dwarf trees inside. Meyer lemons produce smaller plants so they are a better choice for indoors. Just clean and dry the seeds and plant in rich soil. Be patient though, you will have to wait a couple years for your efforts to pay off.

HAZELNUTS AND CHESTNUTS

These trees can also be grown from seed. Just dry them out well before planting and remember to plant more than one for cross pollination.

This is just a partial list of fruits and vegetables that can be grown right in your own kitchen. Now, you can’t get much fresher than this!

POPCORN ISN'T JUST POPCORN

Who doesn’t love popcorn? Well, I know a couple folks, there just has to be something wrong with anyone who doesn’t like this light, fluffy salty treat for the taste buds.

For us connoisseurs of America’s favorite snack food by volume, we know that popcorn is a lot more complicated than just one snack. After all, you can add most any flavoring to it ranging from cheese flavoring, chocolate, spices and caramel, to name a few. There are also many different varieties of popcorn to choose from, something that will suit everyone’s palette.

To help distinguish which kind is most suitable to your taste, there is a little popcorn 101 information that needs to be clarified. What few people know is that all corn is a human invention. It cannot exist naturally in the world but rather it must be planted and protected by humans. It is believed that it was developed in central Mexico at least 7000 years ago from a grass called teosinte.

Many folks who are unfamiliar with the ways of the country believe that popcorn can come from the large fields of corn that they see. Not so. There are actually three types of corn. Dent corn, so named for the dent that forms on top of the kernel as it dries, is commonly known as field corn. Sweet corn is higher in sugar than dent corn. There are over 300 varieties of sweet corn plants which are harvested in their immature stage and eaten as a sweet summer treat.

Then there’s popcorn. This is a special type of corn that has a dense, moisture-resistant shell or hull. This strong hull allows pressure to build up inside the kernel when heated until the whole kernel explodes (hopefully!). Even though other whole grains like amaranth and sorghum can also pop, popcorn is what we all know and love.

There are basically just two kinds of popcorn; butterfly and mushroom. The main difference between these two is the shape of the kernel. Butterfly, also called snowflake, is best known for theatre popcorn and homestyle popped popcorn products that are usually eaten with just salt and butter.

The mushroom type is perfect for confection-coated applications like caramel corn. Its sturdy, baseball shape is minus the butterfly wings of the theatre variety and stands up to the processes of candy coating because it has more surface area. It also takes flavors very well, stays fresh and crisp longer than its butterfly cousin and is less prone to crushing.

Popcorn gets even more complicated. In each of these kinds, there is a wide range of quality, flavor, color and size variations. In each of these variations, there is also white and yellow varieties. White popcorn is a bit smaller than yellow and has a neutral, pure popcorn flavor. It is excellent for flavorings and seasonings. Some types of white are Lady Finger, Baby White, Sweet Baby Blue, Tender White and more.

Yellow popcorn is a little bolder. It pops up with a yellow tint and looks more buttery which is why it is favored more at movie theatres. It also has a more distinctive flavor. Yellow types include Baby Yellow, Big and Yellow, Extra Large Caramel as well as others.

Many people prefer the hulless variety even though, technically, this is not a variety but rather a characteristic. All popcorn has a hull which is the outer layer of the popcorn kernel. Usually, the norm is that the smaller the kernel of corn, the fewer hulls it will have and the thinner they will be. Baby White, Lady Finger, Midnight Blue, Vintage Red and Tender White are all “hulless” varieties. Bigger popcorn varieties that have the fewest hulls are Big and Yellow, Extra Large Caramel, Sweet Baby Blue and White Meadows, which is grown in Canada.

Regardless of the kind of popcorn you choose, the science behind why it “pops” is basic for all varieties. Early Native Americans believed that a spirit lived inside each kernel and when heated, the spirit became angry, burst out and fled into the air as a disgruntled puff of steam.

Now, for the scientific explanation. Popcorn pops because its hull has just the right thickness to allow it to burst open. Each kernel has a small drop of water stored inside its circle of soft starch. Popcorn needs between 13.5 and 14 percent moisture to pop the soft starch that is surrounded by the kernel’s hard outer surface.

As the kernel heats up, water begins to expand and at 212*F. the water turns to steam and changes the starch inside each kernel into a superheated gelatinous substance. The kernel keeps heating to 347*F. when the pressure inside the grain will reach 135 pounds per square inch before bursting the hull open.

As it explodes, steam in the kernel is released and the soft starch becomes inflated and spills out, cooling immediately and forming into the shape we love. A single kernel can swell to up to 50 times its original size.

As the first bit of starch emerges, it forms a “leg” of sorts which catapults the kernel like a gymnast as the rest of the starch spills out. This is why it “jumps” as it cools. Kernels can pop as high as three feet into the air. Wow, all of this happens inside my beloved Whirley Pop popper!

With only 35 calories per cup of oil popped corn, no wonder we are in love with this snack. America eats 14 billion quarts of popcorn each year. That is 43 quarts for each man, woman and child. The world’s largest popcorn ball was created in 2013 at the Indiana State Fair. With the help of Pop Weaver, Snax in Pax and the Indiana Family of Farmers it weighed in at 6510 pounds and was 8 foot in diameter.

So, popcorn fanatics like myself, don’t give up until you find the variety that is right for you. We all have different tastes and, when it comes to popcorn, there is something out there for everyone.

Tony and Jeanine Plushnik, dear friends of ours have been on a mission with us as of late. We are in search of the perfect popcorn. So far, Tiny Tender is ranking right up there, but this mission may be never ending as new varieties pop up all the time. Who knows, we may even have to do a little experimenting and grow our own perfect kernels. That’s just about right.