ELISABETH BLANCHARD
The most interesting thing about her dish was the social aspect
that surrounds this dish. Elizabeth's family is from Maine, where they
soak up and look forward to their summers. The lobster bake is prepared
outside, in a social setting, where its baked over a fire for a long
time. The preparation allows for a family to come together and spend
time not only eating but during the preparation time as well.
My family has been on the northern Atlantic coast for a few hundred years, living
throughout Maine, Massachusetts, and Nova Scotia. I was born in raised in the
small coastal town of Yarmouth, Maine. Throughout the 1700 and 1800’s
Yarmouth was a major ship building town for the northeast, building mostly schooner
vessels. The main industry of the region is seafood, specifically lobster, clams,
cod, and mussels. Seafood has been utilized in the northeasterners diet for
hundreds of year, but only developed as a significant industry in the 1850’s.
There is a countless number of seafood recipes from my region ranging from the
ever-famous New England Clam Chowder to the more unusual Snow Pea and Lemon
Lobster salad.
Accustomed to the long harsh winters of the northeast, New Englanders cherish
the few summer days that we have and spend their days outside relishing in the
sunlight and warmth. Cookouts and picnics have become a staple of the New England
summer diet and are usually centered on seafood. The most popular tradition
is a Lobster bake. Usually prepared as a multi-course meal cooked outside in
a social setting, the food is considered as important as the company you eat
it with. The meal emphasizes regional industries and products, especially those
in season, all brought together as a gluttonous feast. A Lobster bake begins
with a bowl of clam chowder, followed by the main course of steamer clams, lobster,
corn on the cob and potatoes. For dessert, blueberries are usually served as
either plain or as a shortcake. Below I have detailed the main course. It can
be prepared either outside over a fire, or inside on the stove depending on
you location.
ANDREA GOODRICH
Andrea told me a story of how her family came to the states that I found interesting.
In short, in the 1930s the Olympics were in Germany and there was a basketball
game between the US and Canada. The game was almost over and it got rained out
with three minutes left. One of the teams was winning the game by a large margin
and instead of finishing the three minutes, they started the game over. The
other team (the team that was losing) ended up winning and because of this game
some of the family moved to the state while others stayed in Canada. This is
how her part of the family came to the States.
MARY S
Mary S, I found out that her great uncle was the
general council to the Cherokee Indians at one time. I encouraged her to look
into recipes to see if there was any Cherokee influence in her family cooking
ALISHA NATHOO
PRE-1900’s RECIPE
KITCHIRI
Ingredients:
• 1/2 cup of rice
• 2 heaping spoons of lentil (whatever is available)
• 1/2 onion, finely chopped
• Salt, to taste
• 3 cloves
• A few tablespoons of oil
First, soak the rice and lentils together and leave it for at least 30 minutes.
Fry the chopped onion in 2 tablespoon of oil. When brown add soaked rice and
lentils with 2 glasses of water. Then add salt to taste and cloves. Allow mixture
to boil and when the water is absorbed but the rice still seems moist, lower
the heat considerably and cover the pan. Simmer it until tender.
Adding more or less water will determine the consistency of the food. For example
if the person is very sick and having a hard time digesting food, then the preferred
consistency will be soft for easy digestion. This recipe has been known for
years in South Asia and is quite popular to make as an everyday dish. It is
especially popular to use while sick since it provides adequate nutrition to
those who are ill. There are studies in medical research that discusses the
nutritional element to this dish. Families have eaten this dish for a very long
time, including my own. In my family, both my parents and their parents remember
eating it often. It is very inexpensive, and sometimes my dad refers to kitchiri
as the poor man’s food. When my father was very young, his father and
their family owned one of the largest mango groves in the region where he grew
up. When the British took over, one of the new laws they enforced was that one
could only own the land that they could physically till themselves and my father’s
family lost everything to the British government. His family obviously had to
eat this dish more often and so its now a joke with ours when my mom cooks it.
The ingredients are fairly cheap so it is a common meal for poor communities
in India. She mentioned how her own family lost most of its land during
colonization and this recipe became a staple meal. I also found it
interesting that it was a common meal for people who are sick (similar to the
chicken soup phenomenon in the US). She also mentioned how a doctor friend
mentioned that is an important meal because it is extremely nutrious and
good for those who are sick.
TOM HAYES
Cranberry Apple Bake
My recipe comes from my mother’s side of the family since none of my
family recipes come from my father’s side as he does not cook. My mother
is from Conway, South Carolina and grew up in a home with two other sisters
and a mother who spent much time cooking. As they helped their mother prepare
meals, the sisters adapted and even invented recipes. The result of this period
of their lives was a common set of recipes and style of cooking amongst the
sisters. During holidays or other family gatherings, our meals are very similar
no matter whose house we are visiting (my father has no siblings so most holidays
are spent visiting my mother’s family). As for this particular recipe,
no one is exactly sure if it was a creation or an adaptation. It seems unlikely
that the dish could have been adapted from a regional recipe since cranberries
are traditionally a New England crop and apples are not too commonly grown in
the southeast. But, by the time that this recipe came into family usage, around
1960-1970, both of these items would have been available at the grocery store.
Thus, though it seems unlikely that the dish was a regional recipe, regional
constraints on ingredients have not been prohibitive to the formation of non-regional
recipes with the advent of the supermarket. I feel, and my mother feels, that
the recipe was probably adapted from something the sisters might have found
in a magazine or cookbook. Across our family, the recipe varies: one of my aunts
prefers to focus on the crust, making it thick and crunchy, while my mother
focuses more on the freshness of the fruit than on the top layer. As for when
we serve this dish, it is always served at Thanksgiving since cranberries are
such a prominent part of most Thanksgiving meals, and it usually makes an appearance
around Christmas.
JOHN ZAKARIAN
When meeting new people, I always fear the question, “So, where are you
from?” Many people can answer that in just one word: Houston, Minnesota,
Mexico… For a long time now, I have tried to figure out a good way of
clearly conveying where I am from while not dragging out my answer. I usually
just say Kuwait to make the story short but I am not Kuwaiti at all. In fact,
my father was born in Jerusalem. His mother was pure Greek and his father was
pure Armenian. Even though both their families lived in Palestine for generations,
marrying outside your cultural community was frowned upon; they were the first
of either of their families to do it. My mother is a Christian Arab Palestinian
from Ramallah, Palestine. Both my parents left Palestine because of the Arab-Israeli
conflict and moved to Jordan where they met. I was born in Kuwait and since
you do not get the passport by being born there, I inherited the Jordanian passport.
When the Gulf War started, I moved to California and acquired the American Passport.
In 1994, I moved back to Kuwait and graduated from high school there.
Although my mom has moved around so much and, according to my dad, did not know
how to cook an egg when they got married, she has always made amazing Arabic
food. One thing that she makes on special occasions is kibbeh. My mom and her
sister make it as part of a big lunch or dinner whenever a family member goes
back to visit Kuwait. According to my mom, kibbeh is at least 350 years old.
It is usually considered a Lebanese dish but quickly spread over the region.
In the old days, a mortar and pestol were used for all the mincing and mixing
instead of today’s food processor. It is amazing that even with today’s
technology, kibbeh still takes so long to make.
Kibbeh recipe
1 pound of minced meat
1 cup of crushed wheat washed well
1 big onion
Put all in food processor and process well, adding few pieces of ice to it.
Remove from food processor and put into a bowl and add 1 tsp of salt and 1/2
tsp of each: all spice, cinnamon, black pepper.
Spread half of this kibbeh in a very well oiled tray (use 1/4 of oil) with wet
hands. Add the stuffing (recipe below) and then spread the other half over the
stuffing, also using wet hands.
Pour on it 1/3 cup oil and bake for 40 minutes at 350 F. Serve with yogurt.
Stuffing:
2 pounds minced meat , 5 onions minced fine, 1 tsp on salt, 1/2 tsp of each
all spice and black pepper, 1/4 cup oil.
Heat oil, add onions and fry for 3 minutes. Add meat and cook for 12 - 15 minutes
KAREN CHAO
the narrow escape her grandfather made from Mainland China before
the communists took over. Literally taking the last flight out of the
country and making it to Taiwan.
Cesar Berdeja and Edgar Vega
Family history and recipies.
Edgar’s Recipe and History
So about my
recipe, like I mentioned in class, I'm going to be making the Capirotada that
my mom and my great grandma make during Lent. She learned it from her
mother, and her mother from her mother, and so on... so this recipe should be
fairly old.
I looked up some history on this old Lenten dessert and I found out it
actually originated around medieval times, if not earlier. Research seems to
indicate that capirotada descends from favorite dish of the seventh-century
prophet Muhammad. Capirotada, by this name, dates back to at least the 16th
century. A book published in 1599, Libro del Arte Cozina by Diego Granado,
contains three different capirotada recipes thatvary on some ingredients but,
like most versions (including my mom's), they remain consistent with the main
theme of using toasted bread, onion, and cheese. My mom's recipe has some
unique ingredients, and personally, I think it's the best.
I tried to investigate on the family history relating to this dish, but I
didn't find much. I learned that my great grandma learned how to cook
Capirotada back in the days when she lived in Fresnillo, Zacatecas. Around
the year 1950, the entire family moved over to Juarez in search of a better
living in the promising "frontera del norte." My grandpa set up a
small ranch
that contained hens, donkeys, goats, and pigs, plus he also raised some minor
crops. If we really need to incorporate some history of the region, I was
thinking that we could mention immigration patterns and the growth of Ciudad
Juarez as a commercial border city. If you think this would be appopriate,
I'll look more into it, but for now, this is all I really have.
pss: Capirotada ingredients for mother's recipe: toasted bread pieces,
piloncillo,
onion, eggs, apples, milk, raisins, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, cheddar-style
cheese, cream, bananas, and sprinkles
Cesar’s History.
My maternal and paternal families come from different regions in Mexico, but my parent’s immediate families moved to Juarez, Chihuahua around the same time. My father’s father lived in Acapulco, which is a city in southern Pacific state of Guerero. His family name has been traced back to a man named Juan Bautista Berdeja, who served as a general to one of the first Mexican President’s name Alvarez. My paternal grandfather moved up north with is family around 1950, to a very small town called Villa Ahumada. Later they moved closer to the border and settled in Juarez. It would be here that my father would meet his best friend and older brother to his future wife, my mom. My maternal lineage is from an area much closer to the northern region of Mexico. Particulary, my grandmother is from small village named, Matachic. My grandparents met here and later moved to Cd. Juarez as well. My maternal family also claims to have three brothers of my great aunt who served Pancho Villa, but later defected and were murdered at his command.
A great tasting dish with origin to my paternal family’s heritage would
be “ceviche de pescado. See recipe below.
Ceviche Recipe
ingredients
• 3/4 lb Red snapper fillets; cut in pieces 1 x 1/2 inch
• 8oz small shrimp, peeled and de-veined
• 6oz scallops
• 6 limes
Ceviche Marinade
• 1/2 cup white onion, chopped fine
• 4 serrano peppers; chopped
• 2 lg.tomatoes; finely chopped
• 1/2 cup minced green olives-pimento type
• 1/4 cup parsley finely chopped
• 3 tbl. olive oil
• 1/2 cup cilantro finely chopped
• 2 tbl jalapeno pepper strips finely chopped
• 1 tbl Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup white onion, chopped fine
• 2 tbl crushed dry oregano leaves
• 3/4 cup tomato juice
• salt to taste
To prepare Red Snapper and Shrimp:
Place seafood in glass bowl and cover with juice. Marinate 6 hours or overnight. Drain and return seafood mixture to bowl.
Marinade
Mix onion, tomatoes, olives, parsley, serrano peppers and cilantro. Stir in
tomato juice, oil, jalapeno peppers with juice, Worcestershire, oregano and
salt. Pour marinade sauce over fish, mix gently and marinate for 1 day in refrigerator.
Serve in cups and garnish with chopped avocado and cilantro.
JOHN DAWSON
Himmels Torte and its History
The part of the recipe that differentiates it from others is that it's filled
with jam (apricot and raspberry were the two he suggested). What was especially
interesting was how the torte was created by a new chef of the duke of Vienna
as a type of consolement food because his hired chef was laying sick in his
deathbed. I was just struck by how Andrew knew exactly how the recipe originated.
As written by Perpetua Dielmann Jehl, San Antonio, Texas; 1910. Brought to Texas
by Maria Gros Dielmann in 1880.
3/4 lb butter, 4 egg yolks, 1 lb fine flour (3 cups), 4 tblsp sugar, the rind of one lemon. Bake this in one sheet. Allow crust to cool completely. Cover with chopped nuts mixed with the beaten white of one egg, cinnamon and sugar. Cover the nut mixture with strawberry or raspberry preserves. Then make a cream of 1 pt sour cream, sugar and vanilla and the juice of one lemon, when it boils add 2 tablsp cornstarch dissolved in a little water, add two egg yolks. Cover the preserves with the cream.
My grandfather Karl Gerchsheimer grew up in Wurzburg, Germany, eating this
rich cake whenever he went to visit his grandmother. She claimed that her mother
and grandmother had made it for her. My grandfather remembers having to go into
the garden and pick fresh raspberries or strawberries so that the cake could
be made; he said that he did not really mind, since he knew he would receive
such a tasty reward for his hard work. My mother and her sisters, who grew up
in Germany during World War II because my grandfather had to leave the United
States, have told me how much they always looked forward to visiting their grandmother,
Tante Fannie, because she always had fresh Himmel’s Torte for her granddaughters.
My mother still describes the cake as “divine,” which is fitting
because the name of the dish translates from German into English to literally
mean “Heaven’s Cake.”
As it so happens, my mother’s mother, a fourth-generation Texan by birth,
was also of German heritage. She too ate Himmel’s Torte made by her mother
and grandmother, only that she was lucky enough to have it central Texas. Her
mother, Perpetua Dielmann Jehl, wrote down the above recipe in 1910 when she
lived in San Antonio, Texas. The recipe was brought to Texas by Maria Gros Dielmann
in 1880.
Although it is not the exact recipe that my grandfather ate growing up in central
Germany, it is very close; I remember him being extraordinarily fond of it,
actually.
My mother’s mother was Austrian and my mother’s father was Hungarian.
They married each other in Cleveland, though, where my mother was born. My grandmother,
though, brought over many recipes from Austria along with her mother. My grandmother
used to make this recipe for my mother when she was growing up. Speaking to
my mother about this recipe, she has fond memories of helping make it, but she
never received her mother’s cookbooks because her mother died before she
got married. As a result, I have never personally had this recipe from my mother.
I have gone back to Cleveland, though, and visited my great-aunt Mary who still
lives in a highly ethnic neighborhood there and maintains strong cultural ties
to Eastern Europe. She made this torte for me when I visited and it was quite
delicious. Even though this recipe dates back to the 1830s, there would be many
impediments to the common man/woman making this recipe. Most of the ingredients
would have to be bought at a store and at some great expense. As mentioned in
the brief history, this is a delectable dessert for the spoiled consumer. When
my grandmother came to America, though, this is a dessert she would make for
every dinner party. There are a few variations on the recipe, but I looked at
this one online with my mother and she said this most closely resembles the
Sacher Torte she remembers making with her mother.
SCOTT LENOBEL
My ancestors lived in several different countries in Eastern Europe and Russia,
including Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia, and Austria-Hungary. My great-grandparents
immigrated to the United States during the late 1800’s and early 1900’s.
Potato latkes are a traditional Ashkenazi Jewish food eaten during Hannukah.
Latkes are made from potatoes that are mashed, seasoned, and then fried into
pancakes using oil. Latkes are important because of the oil used to cook them.
When the Jews revolted against the Syrians, the Maccabees sought refuge in a
defiled temple. They rededicated the temple to God, celebrating the first Hannukah,
which is the Hebrew term for “dedication.” The Maccabees only had
enough oil to last them for one night. But when they lit a lantern, it burned
for eight nights. The oil used to cook the latkes represents the holy oil that
burned for eight nights.
Interestingly, even though potato latkes are considered traditional Jewish food,
the potato originated in the Andes Mountains of South America. The potato did
not reach Europe until nearly 1600.
JOHN TUCKER
Chicken mole enchiladas have been a favorite of mine ever since my mother got
the idea from my grandmother, her mother-in-law. I say idea because the recipe
my mother uses is far simpler to prepare than the original due to the recent
advent of mole concentrate. The complex Mexican sauce can have as many as fifty
ingredients, and the ratios can be tough to perfect. It was a dish that my grandmother
never made, but which had been made for her mother, my great-grand mother, when
she was a young girl living in Saltillo, Mexico, south and west of Monterey.
The woman who cooked for the family and raised my great grandmother would sit
her in the kitchen while she made the sauce, and would entertain her by letting
her fling tiny handfulls of spices into the cast iron pot. Although she was
to frail to make the dish when I knew her, she had kept a vaguely written recipe
with her, and it was in searching through such recipes that my mother and grandmother
happened upon it.
Although I was not introduced to them until relatively recently, my mother’s
chicken mole enchiladas are definitely now my favorite food. I must have good
taste because not long ago some friends of mine attended a culinary clinic in
her kitchen to learn the recipe. I myself took the telephone course, but I found
that, while delicious, this dish is surprisingly easy to make. The use of store
bought roasted chickens and mole concentrate really reduce the time and effort
of preparation, but I guarantee that anyone you serve it to will be extremely
impressed with this culinary relic of old Mexico.
AMANDA CAHN
recipe is popular with all of her family, it came out of a magazine rather
than being handed down generations
My dad’s stepmother is an incredible artist. She can draw, she can paint,
and she can take hundreds of blocks of scrap wood and make the most fascinating
sculptures. But if you put her in a kitchen, she can’t do anything with
ingredients. She says she likes food with one ingredient only. That means baking
a chicken, or, more likely, throwing a precooked meal in the microwave. So when
I asked my own mother about her recipe for Mississippi Lemon Squares, which
was given to her by Grammy’s daughter, Beryl, she said it probably came
from a magazine somewhere, not from Grammy. After a little bit of research from
family phone calls, I found she was right.
But even though I’m only the third link in the recipe’s chain, and
only its second generation, this recipe has already become a huge part of my,
and my family’s, story. Actually, I remember perfectly the first day I
tried the recipe. It came out alright, but I won’t ever forget my one
mistake. My mom said I packed the first mixture to tightly into the pan. It
hasn’t happened since.
For me, lemon squares taste like a homecoming. In fact, they have become part
of a ritual for my brothers and myself. Here’s what to do. A few days
before you are going to see Mom (this has to be after at least a month of separation),
request that warm, yummy goodness. She’ll say ‘I’d love to.
But I’m not sure if I can get to the grocery store in time. We’ll
see…” Sure enough, when you arrive, there they are, sitting on the
counter in that familiar glass pan. The pan which she might use for other things,
but which always, always, always makes you think of her Mississippi Lemon Squares.
Mississippi Lemon Squares
1 c. flour
½ c. soft butter
¼ c. powdered sugar
pinch of salt
– cut together with hands, pack into pan (8” x 8”) and bake at 350? for 20 min.
2 eggs, beaten
1 c. granulated sugar
2 tbs. lemon juice
¼ tsp. lemon extract
– mix, pour on top of first mixture and bake at 350? for 20 min.
– after done, sprinkle with powdered sugar
– cool in pan before cutting in squares
HABIB IRSHAD
The open-air markets in Lahore, Pakistan are without a doubt my favorite memories
from my many summers there with my family. Whether there are merchants in the
streets selling cloth, or children eating ice cream on the curb, the markets
are the hub of activity and a place visited by all on a daily basis. A popular
kind of shop that can be found in any area is a sweets store that sells distinctive
Pakistani desserts and small snacks that accompany afternoon teatime. These
shops are easily distinguishable by their brightly colored foods, huge vats
of cooking oil, and small groups of chairs to the side. It is in these small
stores that one can find the namak para sold by the bag full, and it is for
that reason that I hold my family’s recipe for this item so close to my
heart.
Food has an incredibly nostalgic power, and that it is no more evident that
when my mother or her mother cooks up a batch of their delicious namak para.
Though the recipe and preparation are both very simple, the smell of the dough
being fried in the kitchen immediately reminds us of the street markets in Lahore.
Whenever my brother, sister, or I had any sort of cultural assignment to complete
for school, we would always beg our mother to prepare a container full of these
strips for school, and the fact that we really did grow up with these snacks
makes them all the more special to us.
Namak Para (Salty Pieces)
Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
¼ cup margarine
¼ tsp. cumin
¼ tsp. baking powder
dash of salt
Directions:
Mix all ingredients together. When kneading dough, slowly add 2 tbsp. water.
Roll dough into large ball and pound with fists. Break into 8 smaller balls.
Flatten each ball into very thin sheet using rolling pin. Cut thin sheet into
small strips. Place vegetable oil on medium heat. Fry strips until golden brown.
FRANK DONNELLY
History: This recipe was given to me by my maternal grandmother Laura Cluett.
She was taught to make turkey dressing this way by her maternal grandmother
or my great-great grandmother Carinth Haynes. Carinth came up with the recipe
by combining several others that she knew. Carinth grew up in Mississippi, but
later moved to South Texas. My family continued living in South Texas until
my grandmother moved to Houston, where we have lived since. Since the recipe
was passed down orally, it has probably changed slightly between generations.
This is, in fact, the first time the recipe has been written down.
Although I have never attempted to prepare the recipe, I have seen it done many
times. It does not seem to be a very difficult recipe. Traditionally, we have
had the turkey dressing on Thanksgiving Day. My grandmother, however, has made
it occasionally for other family dinners. As one can assume from reading the
recipe, this turkey dressing is different from most. It is not stuffed into
the turkey at all and has a different texture from most dressings. Personally,
I think it is far better than any turkey dressing or stuffing I have tasted.
I encourage everyone to try it out!
Turkey Dressing
Ingredients: 1 recipe for cornbread made without cooking oil, enough pieces
of white bread (slowly toasted like croutons) to cover a cookie sheet, 3 large
onions (chopped), 4-5 ribs of celery (chopped), 3 eggs, turkey drippings, salt
and pepper to taste
Directions: Break up cornbread and toast. Add onion, celery, eggs, drippings, salt, and pepper. Mix well with your hands and form mix into balls about the size of your palm. Place balls on cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. They should be slightly toasty on the outside, but soft and moist in the middle. Serve with giblet gravy.
JAY HEGDE
Imagine that the only language you are able to speak and understand is an imaginary
language called Texan. Next, imagine that the only place Texan is spoken is
in Texas, and the instant you cross the border into any other state, communication
becomes very difficult. New Mexican speakers cannot understand Texan speakers,
and Texan speakers cannot understand Oklahoman speakers. What would it be like
to live in country where every state is so characterized by its own distinct
culture that the languages of the country are mutually incomprehensible?
It would be like living in India.
One of the most interesting aspects of the Indian culture is the variety of languages. Almost every region of the country has its own language with its own alphabet, and as a result, groups of people are identified solely on how they communicate with each other. So diverse are the linguistic traditions in India that my parents, growing up within 100 miles of each other, only had a common language in English. The result of a father that speaks Kannada, the native language of the state Karnataka, and a mother that speaks Malayalam, the language of Kerala, is a son who only knows how to speak English.
And although the above illustration has nothing to do with my specific recipe, it does show how much regional variation exists in all things Indian. What we take as popular Indian food is often only found natively in small regions in India. The food of India is just as amazingly diverse and unique as all of India’s languages and could probably fill volumes of text without any repeat entries.
OWEN MILLER
This sweet breakfast item has always been my food of choice for holidays and
the occasional weekend morning. My parents first started making them when
they were newly married after coming across the recipe in Sunset magazine.
They're rather tricky to make so we didn't cook them very often but they
were always a special treat. My family has a tradition of eating special
breakfasts on the weekend and by the time I was in high school, it was rare
that I made it out of bed for breakfast. Knowing my affinity for
aebleskivers, they would bribe me to the table by telling me in advance that
they were going to make them. Once at the table, it was usually an all out
scramble to eat them as fast as they arrived from the kitchen. When we were
younger, my brother and I would count to make sure that we weren't getting
fewer than the other. Not having the special pan they're made with, I
always try to request them for breakfast when I'm home for the holidays
[He says that his parents tell him the night before that they're making the
danish pastry thing so that he'll wake up before 1.]
Aebleskivers
Danish Ball Pancakes
3 eggs separated
1 1/4 cup Bisquick
1/2 cup milk
Beat egg whites in large mixer bowl on high speed until stiff but not
dry. Set aside.
Blend egg yolks, baking mix and milk in small mixer bowl on low
speed. Fold egg yolk mixture into beaten egg whites.
Grease each cup in aebleskiver pan. Heat pan over medium heat. Fill
cups 2/3 full.
Bake until bubbly; turn carefully with metal skewer several times
until it makes a ball.
Fill with applesauce using a bulb baster and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
JOHN LEMM
His grandfather's father was a blacksmith on a farm in
Germany and that John's grandfather got in a fight with the landlord's son.
This fight between the two boys was what made John's family leave the farm
and come to America. I thought that this story was just so fascinating in
that a fight between kids could impact a family's history so much! Pomerania,
the region of Germany where my
grandfather is from
My father’s father, Wilhelm Lemm was born in the German land of Pomerania
in 1914. Pomerania, also known as Prussia, was the most northeastern section
of German territory prior to WWII, bordering Poland on the South and Lithuania
to the East. The lands of Pomerania were prized not only for their deep water
ports to the Baltic, but also for their fertile soils, which always produced
an abundance of grains and potatoes. Accordingly, Pomerania was primarily an
agrarian society based on a tenant system where the Prussian nobles called Junkers
ruled and protected a large farming village on their land.
Wilhelm was the son of the village blacksmith, a job that provided substantially
more income than a farmer, and resultantly afforded my grandfather’s family
with more luxury than a typical Pomeranian tenant farming family. As a consequence,
they did not produce much of their own food, but instead purchased it from the
town market. This distinction however, was only in the acquisition of ingredients
and did not hinder the family’s attempts to preserve culinary culture.
While many such recipes have been passed down to my family, my grandfather always
seemed to prefer one to all others: Bratwurst.
Sausage making in Pomerania is as ancient as the first Prussian inhabitants,
a technique that evolved slowly over time, then flourished once spices became
available to the region through advances in trade routes through shipping during
the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries A.D. My grandfather’s recipe includes
nutmeg, thyme, ginger, rosemary, and mace, all of which were made readily available
due to his family’s elevated financial status and proximity to port cities.
He remembers watching his mother simmer the bratwurst on a frying pan, preferring
beer to water as the cooking medium. To this day, he jokes that it is a crime
to boil bratwurst, and I have eaten it no other way.
Smoked Bratwurst (German)
80-90 pounds pork trim
3 quarts water
3 cups salt
1 to 11/3 cups sugar
6 tablespoons cure
2 tablespoons nutmeg
2 tablespoons thyme
2 tablespoons ginger
1 tablespoon rosemary
1 tablespoon mace
Grind meat trimmings until coarse. Add water, salt, sugar, cure and spices.
Mix thoroughly. Regrind until much finer. Stuff into pork casings. Smoke sausage
to desired color and heat to about 150 degrees. Cook thoroughly by simmering
in beer or water.
JOHN TURPIN
sense of adventure
CLAYTON FORSWALL
My Dad's parents are both swedish and live in Georgetown, Texas which was
originally a Swedish settlement. In fact my great great grandfather came
over and settled here a long time ago. A traditional scandinavian dish that
has been past down through my fathers family is Lute Fisk. My grandparents
still eat it on christmas morning after they have their traditional sunrise
church service. I am not sure whether this was always the appointed time
for eating Lute Fisk. It is very time intensive to make and may have been
reduced to once a year because of that. My Dad has had it a couple of times
and like most swedes of his generation he absolutely hates it. It is good
for a tradition and is unlike any other meal I know, but as far as taste
goes I understand that it is horrible.
To prepare lute fisk, you first start with a white fish like cod something
typically caught in northern Atlantic waters. You cut it into thick strips
about six inches long. It then goes through a process of being soaked for
several days in lye water. This is apparently where it gets its horrible
taste. After being soaked in lye water for several days you soak it for a
few days in clear water, changing it everyday. After this process is done
you boil it in a cheese cloth for a few minutes. It is served with a cream
sauce over the top of it. The whole thing is apparently bland and rotten
smelling. I haven't had a chance to try it but I would really like to try
it sometime just to know what it actually tastes like. I probably won't
make it for class though cause there is some expertise in making it. It is
one of those things that everybody's grandmother make the best way.
MANDY MULARZ
he was also a Baptist minister. A minister going to war is an interesting duality
especially since he was from Canada, which did not have a large role in the
war. I am curious if he was a regular member of the army, he was drafted, or
volunteered
My mother's mother's mother and her husband moved from Canada into the northeastern
New Jersey/Newark area of the United States after World War I. My mother's mother's
father had fought in the war; exposure to gas had damaged/weakened his heart
and lungs. His health was poor for the rest of his life, and he decided to follow
doctors' advice and move further south soon after returning home. He and his
wife were of British lineage (not French!), and their culture and cooking reflected
their heritage. From what I have asked my mother's mother, the move from Canada
to New Jersey did not affect their lifestyle or eating habits in any notable
way. They may have picked up several recipes and their derivatives from the
area, however- my mother's mother's father was a priest in the Episcopal Church,
and the family was in close contact with the people of his parish. The only
other ethnic group my family was in contact with in New Jersey were Jews, but
I am confident that the family recipe obtained from my mother's mother is not
Jewish in origin and that the family's cooking was not influenced by any Jewish
friends.
MICHAEL STANTON
My family recipe was Kolaches made in the Czech style. Unlike the usual American
idea of a Kolache with sausages in a roll, these are a pastry with a fruit or
sweet cheese filling, generally eaten for dessert. My family is predominantly
German, ~90%, with the remaining bit being Czech. This recipe is from my maternal
grandmother. My mom grew up on a farm and a large part of the farming culture
is passing the cooking tradition from mother to daughter. My mom spent a lot
of time cooking with my grandmother and saved many of the recipes. The rest
of my grandparents were entirely German. They were first generation Americans
and I know at least one of my grandfathers fought in World War II. The interesting
thing about that is that there were members of my family fighting on the German
side of World War II. For my family at least, it was practically brother against
brother. I wish I knew how that affected my grandfather and if after the war
he tried to get in touch with the family he left behind. I am sure he worried
about them but I don't know if there was a violent split. Unfortunately all
of my grandparents have passed away so I can't ask them about their past and
how those times affected them. They also decided to settle in a small town in
Illinois. That is generally an unusual choice for immigrants who tend to settle
in areas with an established population of the same ethnic background. The town
that they chose to live in had no immigrant population. I wish I knew if they
were ashamed of the German actions or of fleeing Germany, or if there was a
simpler answer, that my grandparents had lived on a farm in Germany and were
just doing what they knew here in the US. Unfortunately because they have all
passed away without leaving any records of the affair, these are all questions
that can no longer be answered.
TOMMY OLEKSY
I grew up in Nederland, Texas, a small town just outside of Beaumont.
I represent the fourth generation of Oleksy’s to reside in this area of
Texas. My father was born and raised in Nederland. His mother grew up in
Port Arthur, while his father grew up in Port Acres, both just one mile from
Nederland. My great grandparents emigrated from Poland shortly after the
turn of the century. They were lured to Southeast Texas on account of the
Spindletop Oil strike around 1900. My great grandfather worked for Texaco
for most of his life once reaching Texas. Oil was the main staple of this
undeveloped area at the time, and the men in my family have all made a living
working in oil refineries.
Southeast Texas is rich in Cajun culture spilt over from Louisiana, and
Cajun cooking exists in many local restaurants, as well as among almost all
homes. Our family was no different, as Gumbo’s, Jambalaya’s, and
Etouffee’s
represented a main staple of our meals. My family did not cling to any of
its European roots once in Texas, thus the cooking styles of the area became
the new way for my family. The spices and vegetables used in most Cajun
cooking could be found at most markets in the early 1900s, as well as the
main ingredient rice, which is mass-produced in the area. Both my
grandmother and grandfather grew up eating Cajun food, and my grandmother has
passed her recipes down to my mother (her daughter-in-law), as well as my
sister and myself. These are the true traditions of my family, not those of
my ancestors just those developed by my family in the America’s. I may
be
biased, but Cajun’s have some of the best food in he world, I could eat
happily everyday off of foods such as Gumbo, Etoufee, and Jambalaya.
Tommy's family has been in this country for four generations
and has lived in the same region for all that time.
RAFFI BELIZAIRE
Eggplant Sandwiches
Being in the kitchen while my grandmother was preparing dinner was seen as
a mortal sin. All I was good for was getting in the way, eating all the food
before dinner, and ruining the sauce by dipping Sicilian bread in the pot and
leaving soggy crumbs behind. Therefore we were never allowed in the kitchen…that
is, until the creation of the eggplant sandwich. Although my grandmother and
mother were fully capable of preparing this on their own, it is much easier
to have an “assembly line” because the process calls for several
laborious tasks. The positions were as follows: “the slicer”, the
person who sliced the eggplant, “the flour-er”, the one who floured
the slices, “the egg-er”, the one who dipped the sliced floured
eggplant into egg, and “breadcrumb”, the one who covered the floured/egged
eggplant in breadcrumb. I was usually not “the slicer” because I
would cut them too thickly and that too, was a mortal sin. The person who did
the egg usually also did the breadcrumb because their hands were messy already,
so they were fortunate enough to be multitasked. Regardless of the position,
I was content with any job so long as I was close enough to the food to sneak
a bit of food while my grandmother was busy frying and putting the cheese in
the middle.
Eggplant sandwiches became my favorite food and for every holiday my mom and
I would make them. Consequently, only a few survived for the actual meal!
she has an italian
heritage. her mothers mothers mother was neapolitan and her mothers mothers
father was sicilian. she said there marriage resembles a romeo and juliet
story because the two groups were rivals in italy. the neapolitans were known
for having fun and the sicilians were known for being serious. her great-
grandparents, however, lived happily ever after. they came over to new york
before 1900 and lived in the italian neighborhoods of new york called.
raffis italian mother met raffis hatian father in new york. her father
left haiti when he was 18 to attend college in mexico. upon graduation, he
went to new york for medical school where he met raffis mother. after
residency, he relocated to baylor to complete a fellowship for vascular
surgery. a hospital in west texas recruited him and thats where raffi is from.
Molly Rossow
Family Recipe History
she and her whole family are
vegetarians,
Both of my grandmothers were Norwegian and both of my parents grew up eating
Norwegian food. They had meat and potatoes at every meal. My mom's mom made
dry breads with candied fruits in them and sometimes served boiled fish. My
dad's family makes lefse, a type of cold, greasy, potato pancake. By the time
he was an adult my dad hated potatoes. My mom was also looking for a little
variety. She's told me about how nice it was to discover that rice or pasta
could be substituted for potatoes as the starch in a meal. My mom learned to
make lentil soup in college or graduate school. It's inexpensive and only takes
half an hour and one pot to prepare. We ate it from time to time for my whole
life. When I was young, it was the back up meal for when there wasn't much time
or grocery shopping hadn't been done recently.
In the beginning of high school my family became vegetarians and lentil soup
became a more significant part of our diet. My mom and I decided that it was
wrong to eat animals when it possible to get adequate nutrition elsewhere. My
dad's moral views are more complicated but he is very concerned with eating
a healthy diet and was willing to give up meat for the sake of preventing cardiovascular
disease. My sisters were pretty young at the time and didn't have much say.
Today, the both eat at least some meat. We phased meat out of our diet over
several months. Just eliminating the meat from most American diets won't leave
you with much nutrition. Lentils are good for vegetarians because they are high
in protein, iron, zinc, calcium and the B vitamins--all things that are found
in meats. My mom tried a few other lentil dishes but most of them are too dry;
soup is best.
My sister and I consider lentil soup our all time favorite food. It's what we
miss when we're away from home. We ask for it on our birthdays. It's a food
that's somewhat unusual and we associate it with our family.
CATHERINE CHEN
Shwei Jaudz is a very common food in Chinese and Taiwanese eating. Better
known as dumplings or pot stickers, Schwei Jaudz consists of a flour-based
shell wrapped around a meat or vegetable filling. The dumplings are then
boiled and can be pan fried after they are boiled for a more tough
texture. Shwei Jaudz can be served with soy sauce and sesame oil. They
can be eaten on any occasion.
My family would often spend hours sitting around a table making the
dumplings by hand and cooking them for a family dinner. We would often
cook half and then freeze the rest to eat at a later date.
BRENNA
Guava chicken is a unique recipe that incorporates different cultural practices
and foods into one distinctly Hawaiian dish. My mother’s mother cooked
guava chicken in big pans, with large quantities of sticky rice when they spent
weekends at their beach house in Makaha. Friends and family were invited over
to eat, surf and play volleyball. This recipe is even more interesting when
considering the origins of the ingredients, the movement of various races and
their foods to the islands, and the history of my family as well.
Hawaii was first discovered by Polynesians from the Marquesas Islands in AD400.
The islands were settled a second time in the 9th century by Tahitians. Following
these first two immigrations, Hawaiians were isolated until 1778, when Captain
James Cook made the first recorded contact between Hawaiians and Europeans.
It is believed that Captain Cook was preceded by Spanish explorers in the 1500’s,
as they sailed between Latin America and the Far East, but this theory has not
been conclusively proven. In 1793, the Spaniard Francisco de Paula Marin came
to Hawaii and became an interpreter and advisor to King Kamehameha. He also
grew the first coffee trees, as well as the first guava trees at his home in
Hawaii.
In 1820 the first American missionaries began moving to Hawaii to spread Christianity.
My mother’s father’s father’s father Frederick Lowrey moved
to Hawaii in 1879, at the age of 17. In 1893, Hawaii’s legislature approved
of the hiring of foreign laborers from China, Japan, Portugal, Puerto Rico,
Korea and the Philippines to work in sugar and pineapple industries.
Hawaii became what it is today because of the immigration of so many diverse
cultures to the islands. These people brought their own foods, languages and
customs, thereby creating a new Hawaiian culture, reminiscent of many different
backgrounds.
http://www.islander-magazine.com/spanish.html
http://toptropicals.com/html/toptropicals/articles/fruit/guava.htm
http://hawaiiplanner.com/html/history.htm
http://mcel.pacificu.edu/as/students/hawaii/
http://www.hawaiiscubadiving.com/Home/hawaiian%20history.html
Guava Chicken
5 lbs chicken thighs (with skin)
8 oz guava jelly
1 Tbs cornstarch
¾ cup water
¼ cup lime juice
2 Tbs worcestershire
2 Tbs sherry
¼ tsp ground ginger
1 ½ tsp allspice
3 tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
sticky rice
Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees.
Prepare sticky rice.
Combine ingredients in baking dish. Lay chicken thighs in dish, pour mixture
over thighs. Cook for fifteen minutes in 450 degree oven, and forty-five minutes
in 350 degree oven.
Serve chicken over sticky rice and pour liquid over rice and chicken.
GEORGE MCGUIRK
Here's the recipe I got from my mom. Obviously when our relatives first
started using it, it probably wasn't as precise, but this is the version we
have now. Its from my mom's mom's parents, not sure which one though.
4 1/2 c. sifted all-purpose flour
3 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. salt
1 2/3 c. crushed whole bran cereal
2 1/2 c. buttermilk
Sift together flour, baking soda, sugar and salt. Add cereal to flour
mixture, mix well. Add buttermilk and mix until all dry ingredients are
moistened. Flour hands and press dough into greased 9x5x3 inch loaf pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until knife inserted in center comes out
clean.
ANDREW DAWSON
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Both sides of the family came from the same area in Germany, but one side
lived up North while the other side lived down here in Texas. Several
generations lived in the US before Jack's parents met, yet both families
used the same recipe despite having moved from Germany many years before.
My mother's mother used to make this cake and my mom said this online recipe
is pretty much the same as hers. My mother's mother actually left no recipes
behind but my mom helped her make it before and remembers somewhat.
The history of the world-famous Original Sacher-Torte dates back to 1832, when
the still omnipotent "Coachman of Europe", Wenzel Clemens Prince Metternich,
gave out the order to create a particularly delicious dessert for spoiled, high-class
guests. "But don't get me into disgrace, tonight!". The sixteen-year-old
apprentice Franz Sacher, while covering for the chef who was on his sickbed
created this delicacy. His efforts were crowned by full success and this was
the beginning of the tour de force of what probably is the world's most famous
cake.
Original Sacher-Torte is at its best when served with unsweetened whipped cream
and a cup of Original Sacher Café or tea.
Ingredients for 12 people
130 g (4.5 oz.) butter
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
110 g (4 oz.) icing sugar
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
6 egg yolks
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
130 g (4.5 oz.) chocolate
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
130 g (4.5 oz.) flour
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
6 egg whites
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
100 g (3.5 oz.) fine granulated sugar
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Apricot jam
Preparation
1.. Beat together the butter and icing sugar; gradually add in the egg yolks
and the melted chocolate, stirring constantly.
2.. Beat the egg whites with the granulated sugar to stiff peaks and mix them
into the chocolate batter. Gently fold in the flour.
3.. Place in a buttered tart mould and bake for 60 minutes at 180° C (350°
F).
4.. Let cool, remove from the mould, slice through the centre and fill with
a layer of good apricot jam. Glaze with chocolate.
JOHN TURPIN New Braunfels and my Momma
Remembering quite a few summers spent drifting on the Guadalupe and Comal
Rivers as a kid, I decided to do a little local history of New Braunfels,
Texas. The town unfortunately isn’t my home town, but I do have family
that
lives there and right now New Braunfels ranks up high on my favorite town
lists, as a charmin’ old home away from home for me.
On March 21, 1845 a group of German immigrants stopped along the Comal creek
and found the site perfectly situated: with constant power and water from the
rivers, and a continuous passing of travelers and businessmen between Austin
and San Antonio. The settlement quickly blossomed into a hub of commerce as
Hispanics and Lipan Indians moved in and local artisan and millworks business
became abundant. The area grew so rapidly that in 1850 it was Texas’ fourth
largest town, and by 1880 it was home to over 2,000 residents. Those
residents voted unanimously in 1858 to impose a tax to support a local school,
The New Braunfels Academy, 18 years before the statewide law providing for
such taxation was passed.
Tourism has grown to become one of the major industries in New Braunfels,
sustaining nearly 30 hotels in the area during the 1980’s, a fact that
is not
a surprise to anyone that has visited the area. Surrounded by good old Texas
Hill countryside, New Braunfels is also home to Canyon Lake, Natural Bridge
Caverns, Wurstfest, numerous parks and recreation areas along with a culture
and people that haven’t forgotten their German heritage.
A few years ago, my mom and I decided that we were going to embark on a
culinary voyage of sorts. You see, my family has never been too experimental
when it comes to dining and usually a hamburger, fries and maybe a jalapeno
or
two is all that is dreamed about for dinner. Fortunately, mom and I think
differently about our meals and we were determined to come up with some
quality, easy recipes that (nearly) everyone in the family could appreciate
and enjoy. I say nearly everyone, because my 10 year old brother still can’t
stand fish in general – unless it comes packaged in an ugly blue box and
plastic and you can just nuke it to get your fish sticks. Beside the point,
sorry.
Well the recipe we came up with simply is salmon, marinated in a sesame ginger
sauce, grilled skin-on, and then topped with a mango cilantro. Sounds kind of
out there, but believe me the texture, and taste of salmon done just right
combined with the sweet and sour feel of the sauce and the tart of mangos and
a little red onion make this dish unbeatable. We even did it perfect on the
first try! The only thing we’ve changed from the beginning was making
the
mango salsa a little less complicated – the only things needed are mangos,
red
onions, and a touch of cilantro – nothing too fancy.
Considering our combined culinary backgrounds we’re pretty proud of what
we
came up with and even our family lacking the taste buds for anything exotic
definitely enjoys the meal. My mom grew up in a typical Houston family that
pretty much cooked for quantity – she had 4 brothers and 1 sister who
all grew
into either basketball/football players or bodybuilders. “Lots of meatloaf
and
hamburger helper,” as she recently described it to me. My father’s
was even
more predictable, consisting mainly of fried chicken, fried potatoes, fried
(fill in the blank) and hamburgers. So I’m proud to be a part of a new
trend
in my family, out on the frontier exploring the variety of foods and flavors
available, and in my humble opinion enhancing the traditions of my family for
future generations. Alright, I’m not that idealistic or optimistic, I
just
like cookin!
DAN STROUD
Crawfish Etoufee
My recipe of crawfish etoufee plays a very important role in our Catholic
family. My mother’s mom’s parents came to New Iberia, LA from France.
Being Catholics, they could not eat meat on Fridays and the regional alternative
was crawfish. Louisiana is known for its marshes, creeks, and swamps that house
a plethora of crawfish. However, the bayou is where the majority of crawfish
were captured when my great-grandmother was cooking for her family. My mother’s
mom’s sister says most of the older generation does not eat crawfish because
the majority of it is shipped from China and sold at half the price. The shipment
period, among other possible prejudices, supposedly affect the quality of the
crawfish and that is why the older generation does not enjoy crawfish etoufee
very often. However, current information seems to point to a revolt against
the under-pricing Chinese crawfish market.
In the fall of 1996, U.S. domestic crawfish producers filed a petition with
the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) and the U.S. International Trade Commission
(ITC) under the U.S. antidumping law with respect to imports of crawfish from
China. On August 29, 1997, the ITC ruled that the Chinese were in fact dumping
crawfish in the U.S. by selling below the fair market value in the host country.
This opened the way for the imposition of tariffs ranging from 91% to 200%.
However, was only the beginning of the case as Louisiana Agriculture officials
accused China of mislabeling crawfish imports as "Product of Singapore"
to avoid the tariff. This action took place in January of 1998, and further
complicated things. These actions were then followed by a series of lawsuits
on the part Louisiana Department of Agriculture and the importers of Chinese
crawfish.
Resources
“US-China Crawfish Dispute,” http://www.american.edu/projects/mandala/TED/craychin.htm;
last accessed 3-26-03.
Carlo Quinonez
Sonora, Mexico
Sonora is a state in North West Mexico, on the Gulf of California, south of
Arizona and Hermosillo is the capital. It has a population of 1,823,606 people
and an area of 70,484 square miles. Sonora is mostly mountainous, with vast
desert stretches and along the gulf are low, broad coastlands. Reclamation projects
on the Yaqui, Sonora, Mayo, and other rivers have opened large areas to agriculture.
cotton and wheat his grandparents came to the United States from Mexico so his
grandfather could serve in the US army. His grandmother lived in Arizona, and
spoke little English. When visitors came, she would make tons of food....I think
that is how she communicated with her
grandchildren.
Chorizo
My earliest memories include the smell of my grandma cooking chorizo for all
the family and friends that happened to be in her house. She would put a large
plate of the cooked chorizo on the table, and next to that plate would be a
skillet filled with eggs and a large folded cloth filled with tortillas. My
mother is not sure how far back the recipe goes, because my grandmother is deceased,
but she remembers eating chorizo as a child. What is unique about the chorizo
recipe is that it is made completely out of beef. The typical chorizo is made
out of pork or a pork/beef combination, but our family is known for having a
weak stomach to grease, therefore the recipe only calls for lean beef. My mother
also modernized the chorizo by not putting the chorizo in the long sausage wrappings,
rather making a patty out of the meat for ease and quickness, and puts the patties
in the freezer for long keeping. The taste of the chorizo is not the only thing
that makes my mouth water, but also the smell that penetrates the house as the
beef is simmering in the skillet. This imagery reminds me of the coffee commercials
where people are woken up by the smell of brewing coffee, except in my version,
it is the spicy smell of chili powder and oregano. My mother just recently taught
me how to make the chorizo so that the recipe will continue to live on.
GEORGE MCGUIRK
George McGuirk told me that he found a copy of his family's recipe for the
grilled peppers in a jar while he was digging a drainage ditch in his
backyard. Apparently, the recipes for stuff that was grilled were kept in a
mason jar by the smokepit and grill in the backyard; the only seemingly
possible explanation is that some many years ago the jar was left out near
the grill and a storm or something blew it away, eventually it was buried.
My father used to make these peppers, though the recipe came from my mom’s
side of the family. The recipe originated in Arpino, Italy, a town south of
Rome where my mom’s family is from. All the ingredients are readily available
throughout Italy as the terrain and climate is ideal for raising the olives,
garlic, and peppers (though they were introduced from the new world). In fact,
peppers adapted so well to growing in Italy that they are one of the most important
crops in Italian cuisine along with tomatoes. Therefore, there are numerous
ways to prepare and serve peppers, but this recipe is one of the best.
My mom’s mother’s mother brought the recipe with here when she and
her husband, Rocco Giovanni, moved to America to Washington, Pennsylvania. There,
my mom’s mother learned the recipe and made the peppers occasionally for
her family after she was married. Coming from Italy, the recipe. After my mom
and dad married, my dad learned many recipes from his mother-in-law including
the roasted peppers which proved to be his favorite.
The recipe was simple, though work intensive, and produced a delicious appetizer
for any meal, so these peppers have become famous in my family, as they are
served at every family meal. My dad would watch for red peppers to go on sale
and would buy several bushels at a time and spend the whole weekend roasting
them and peeling them. After they were cooked, my dad would store the peppers
in the freezer to ensure we always had a good supply for any parties we might
have. Once we arrived at a family dinner with the peppers, the main course would
never start until after all the peppers were eaten, soley because everyone would
stand around them eating until they were all gone. Now my brother and I make
the peppers when we need them to ensure that the roasted peppers will stay as
one of our family traditions for a long time to come.
Dad’s Italian Roasted Red Peppers
1. Rinse whole red bells peppers (15-20 good sized peppers).
2. Heat oven to 200-250 degrees F.
3. Lay peppers flat in paper grocery bag on top of a cookie tray.
4. Seal bag by folding the open end over, and place the cookie try with bag
and peppers in the oven.
5. Roast for approx. 2 hours and remove, flip bag over, and roast for another
2 hours.
6. After roasting the peppers should be soft, with blistered skin.
7. Dump the peppers from the bag in a bowl.
8. BE VERY CAREFUL. PEPPERS ARE EXTREMELY HOT AND FULL OF HOT JUICES!!!
9. Carefully peel the skin off the pepper and clean out the seeds.
10. Cut pepper flesh into 1-2 inch strips.
11. Place peeled pepper strips in colander and drain off extra juices.
12. While draining, finely chop up a handful of parsley, set ¼ of chopped
parsley aside for garnish.
13. Peel half a bunch of garlic. Slice each clove length wise into 3 or 4 thin
slices.
14. After the peppers are drained, place them in a bowl and add just enough
olive oil to lightly coat all the peppers (there should not be oil sitting in
the bottom of the bowl). Then mix in garlic and parsley by hand.
15. After mixing, sprinkle the parsley you set aside over the top of the peppers
for a nice colorful presentation. Serve with sliced Italian bread and sharp
cheese, preferable a sharp fontina.