09/18/14 recipe -Taste USA

Thursday, September 18, 2014

Cheddar Cornmeal Loaf

How to make Cheddar Cornmeal Loaf Recipe - This version is mixed with Cheddar cheese, another classic American product. The fried slices are served for breakfast or lunch with ham, sausages or crisp bacon.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Ingredients:
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup milk
2 cups boiling water
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound medium to sharp Cheddar cheese, cubed
Flour
1/2 cup butter, bacon fat or vegetable shortening

Method:
Lightly grease a 9" x 5" loaf pan. In a large heavy saucepan, combine cornmeal and milk. Add boiling water and cook, stirring, over medium heat until thick. Reduce to low and cook, covered, 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat. Add salt and cheese, stirring until cheese melts. Spoon into greased loaf pan. Cool until solid. Turn out of pan and cut into slices about 3/4 inch thick.

Dust slices lightly with flour. In a large heavy skillet, heat fat. Fry slices in hot fat until crisp and golden on both sides.

Notes:
This is a variation of Hasty Pudding which was a loaf of cooked cornmeal, chilled and cut into slices, dipped in batter and fried in hot butter or bacon fat until crisp and golden. It was served with maple syrup.

Bennys Mothers Filled Polenta

How to make Bennys Mothers Filled Polenta Recipe - This is a "filled polenta." The vegetable filling can be varied as desired, and you can also adjust the amount of cheese.

Ingredients:
Filling, see below
Polenta, see below
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese

Filling:
1 red bell pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small red onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced or pressed
3 tomatoes, peeled, seeded, diced (1-1/2 cups diced)
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil or 1 tablespoon dried leaf basil
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Polenta:
1-1/2 cups cornmeal
5 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese

Method:
Preheat oven to 450F (230C).

Grease a shallow, 1-1/2-quart, baking dish. Prepare Filling; set aside. Prepare Polenta.

Pour half of polenta mixture into greased dish. Top with half of filling, then remaining polenta. Top with remaining filling.

Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons Parmesan and 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese. You can do this ahead; refrigerate. Before serving, bake 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and polenta is bubbly around edges. If refrigerated, it will take 5 to 10 minutes longer. Makes 6 servings.

To prepare Filling:
Preheat broiler. Broil red pepper 3 inches from source of heat, turning, about 10 minutes or until evenly charred. Place in a paper bag; cool. Peel pepper; discard core and seeds. Chop pepper. In a large heavy skillet, heat olive oil over medium to low heat. Add onion and garlic. Saute 3 minutes or until soft and aromatic. Add red pepper, tomatoes, basil, sugar, salt and black pepper. Simmer 3 minutes longer or until watery liquid has evaporated. Remove from heat; set aside.

To prepare Polenta:
In a medium-sized bowl, mix cornmeal and 1 cup cold water. In a large saucepan, bring remaining 4 cups water with 1 teaspoon salt to a boil. Slowly whisk in cornmeal and cook, whisking constantly, 20 minutes or until thick and smooth. Remove from heat; stir in 2 tablespoons Parmesan and 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese.

Spatzle

How to make Spatzle Recipe - This cross between noodles and dumplings was brought to the United States by immigrants from Austria and Hungary.

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon farina
2 eggs
Water
1/4 cup butter, melted

Method:
In a medium-sized bowl, combine flour, 1 teaspoon salt and farina.

Blend in eggs and enough water to make a thick stiff dough. Bring a pot of water to a boil and add remaining salt to it.

Turn dough onto a board. Cut into almond-sized pieces. Drop into boiling water to make dumplings. Or, press through a spatzle maker into boiling water.

After dumplings rise, cook 1 to 2 minutes longer. Remove from water with a slotted spoon. Turn into a warm serving dish. Toss with melted butter.

Macaroni and Cheese

How to make Macaroni and Cheese Recipe - is an enormously important Italian contribution to American cooking. Macaroni, shaped in long sticks, could have been the first pasta to be in general use among Americans of all ethnic backgrounds.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients:
2-1/2 cups elbow macaroni, or long macaroni, broken into 1-inch pieces
1 small onion, peeled
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2-1/4 cups milk
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1 teaspoon salt
Dash of freshly ground black pepper
2 eggs
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
Butter

Method:
Cook macaroni in boiling water with 1 onion added, until macaroni is tender but firm to the bite. Drain macaroni; discard onion.

Preheat oven to 400F (205C). While macaroni cooks, heat butter in a small saucepan. Stir in flour and cook 1 minute. Add milk, a little at a time. Cook, stirring, until sauce thickens and bubbles.

Add mustard, salt and pepper. In a small bowl, whisk eggs. Add a small amount of sauce to eggs, then mix egg mixture into sauce. Set aside about 1/4 cup cheese for top.

In a 2-quart baking dish or casserole, arrange alternate layers of macaroni and cheese.

Pour sauce over all; sprinkle with reserved cheese, bread crumbs and some small pieces of butter. Bake 35 minutes or until top is browned.

Classic New England Baked Beans

How to make Classic New England Baked Beans Recipe - This is the most frequently copied of the New England foods.

Makes 10 to 12 servings

Ingredients:
1 pound pea beans, navy beans or great northern beans
Water
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
1/4 cup molasses
1-1/2 to 2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 pound salt pork, rind scored

Method:
Wash beans and pick over, removing any pebbles or dirt. Place in a large pot.

Add cold water to cover. Soak overnight. Drain. Add fresh water to cover. Bring to a boil; boil about 1-1/2 hours or until bean skins begin to break but beans are intact. To test, remove a few beans with a spoon.

Blow over them, skins should ruffle. The quick-soak method can be used. Turn beans with their liquid into an earthenware pot. Add salt, mustard, molasses and brown sugar. Press piece of salt pork, rind-side up, into center of beans so it is even with top of beans. Add enough water to not quite cover beans.

Place in oven and set at 300F (150C). Bake, uncovered, just until beans begin to simmer, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Cover.

Bake 8 hours, adding more boiling water occasionally as liquid evaporates. Remove lid for last 30 minutes so juices will boil down. Don't stir, this would
mash up beans and they should remain whole.

Variations:
Connecticut-Style Beans: Bury a large peeled onion in beans before baking. Some cooks
first stick onion with 4 or 5 whole cloves.

Cape Cod Beans:
Pour 1/2 cup whipping cream over beans during last 30 minutes of baking.

Vermont-Style Beans:
Substitute maple syrup for molasses and brown sugar.

Autumn-Style Beans:
Bury a bay leaf in beans below salt pork. Add 4 cups fresh whole-kernel corn to beans during last 30 minutes of baking.

Souffleed Grits

How to make Souffleed Grits Recipe - To serve it plain and buttered, the hominy is soaked overnight in fresh water. Then it is boiled until all the water has evaporated, buttered while hot and served in place of potatoes. Ground hominy is called grits and has a texture slightly coarser than cornmeal.

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:
5 cups water
1 cup hominy grits
2 eggs, separated
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper

Method:
Boil water in a medium-sized saucepan. Stir in grits.

Cook over low heat 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cool. Preheat oven to 350F (175C). Grease a 1-quart casserole.

Blend yolks into cooked grits. Add cream, salt and pepper. In a medium-sized bowl, beat egg whites until they stand in peaks; fold into grits. Spoon into greased casserole.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until puffed and golden. Serve immediately.

Pilaf

How to make Pilaf Recipe - a variation of pilaf, is a favorite main dish. Still another variation of pilaf, Limping Susan, is a combination of rice, bacon, okra, salt and pepper.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup uncooked long-grain rice
2 cups chicken, beef, clam or vegetable broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika (optional)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Method:
In a 2-quart saucepan, heat butter. Add onion. Cook over medium heat about 5 minutes or until onion is translucent.

Add rice. Stir until golden, about 5 minutes. Add broth, salt and paprika, if desired. Cover and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer 20 to 25 minutes or until all liquid has been absorbed. Fluff rice with a fork; mix in chopped parsley.