Fare Exchange: Savory beef, Yankee cornbread and a lemon pie on the menu

Jane Henegar

Good morning. Today we will gather your requests, written and exchanged in conversation, under one colorful banner: Vegetables.

"Eat your vegetables," we children were told, and that advice seems increasingly wise the older one gets. Last week we printed a beet salad; how do you serve beets, if in fact you do? Eggplant? Vegetarian soups and veggie burgers? A salad with surprising ingredients? A way to prepare kale that is not chewy?

A reader wrote admiringly of a group of local cooks whose families came from India and who prepare authentic Indian food, mostly vegetarian. Please, whoever you are, share those recipes.

There are many among us who have adapted the most authentic ethnic cuisines to add flavor to our table, and both can be mighty tasty. I think of Mexican and Tex-Mex. And my guess is that the local experts receive our adaptations with a graceful grain of salt. So here is another challenge. Give us your favorite ethnic dish, Indian or otherwise, straight from the old country or transplanted. Vegetarian or meaty. I think of my friend who has a ceiling-to-floor map of the world beside her kitchen table. That's the spirit.

BEEF BURGUNDY

Mr. and Mrs. Sunday are expert adapters, revising this French dish with taste and humor. One note: If you can't have soy sauce, use nothing in its place, or replace it "with (less) fish sauce and/or a teaspoon of Marmite or Vegemite dissolved in a couple of ounces of brandy."

They have a detailed step-by-step version of this recipe, but this shorter one is ideal for those who have prepared such dishes before. This recipe does not have any flour, but if you prefer a thickened stew, flour may be replaced by tapioca flour, particularly for gluten-free diets. "Mix into a slurry and add to hot liquid. Acts fast, you don't taste it and it survives freeze/thaw much better."

Beef Burgundy in the Short Form

The basic recipe is simple (by weight):

3 parts beef (chuck steak works well)

1/3 part pig fat (about)

3 parts onion

1 part carrot

1 part celery

1 part mushrooms

3 parts red wine (nearly 2 bottles for 3 pounds of meat)

Umami bombs (this term refers to ingredients that add to the savoriness of your stew: soy sauce, Vegemite, Marmite, a little fish sauce)

Thyme, bay leaf and garlic to taste (use a lot)

Brown beef on both sides in a very hot skillet before cubing it; faster, less hassle and better results than trying to brown cubes. You're not cooking the beef in this step, just getting a good brown crust. When brown cut in 1-inch pieces.

Chop bacon, hog jowl or salt pork into 1/4-inch dice, render, and save the crispy bits as a garnish or add to salad.

Cut the vegetables in 1/4 to 1/2-inch pieces. Use the pig fat to brown veggie pieces and add browned beef cubes. Cover with wine (an inexpensive Australian Shiraz works well). Add umami bombs and herbs and simmer (uncovered) until tender (30-60 minutes depending on chunk size and simmer temperature). Adjust seasonings and serve.

And here's a teaser: Next week we will give you some of Mr. and Mrs. Sunday's Tips and Tricks for this recipe.

As per a request, the Sundays sent a reminder of wintertime tomatoes with summertime taste. They are "NaturSweet Red Cherub grape tomatoes, always available at Walmart and recently at Publix, at least at the North Shore location."

YANKEE CORNBREAD

Cornbread copy continues, and that is good. Nanette Tucker wrote from Cleveland, Tenn., about her New York version. "We ate this cornbread a lot when I was growing up on Long Island, always with one-pot meals or soups. While she was at Black Fox Elementary School, our granddaughter's teacher had a cornbread contest for the children. Our granddaughter Kayla won first place with this recipe."

Now that is one smart teacher at Black Fox. One learns all about weights and measures, reading instructions, cleaning up after oneself, hopefully teamwork and a little hard work, good-natured competition and something tasty to eat together as a celebration.

Aunt Pearl's Yankee Cornbread

1 1/4 cups flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup cornmeal (yellow or white)

1 cup milk

1 egg

1 tablespoon oil

Stir together dry ingredients. Make a well in the center. Stir together the wet ingredients and add to the dry. Blend lightly.

Bake in a preheated 400-degree oven in an oiled 10-inch skillet or muffin tins for 20-25 minutes. Watch carefully, especially in the smaller muffin tins.

GO-TO PIE

This pie is Linda Leake's "go-to easy pie, from a Real Lemon cookbook. It makes its own crust."

Unbelievable Lemon Pie

1 (14-ounce) can Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk (NOT evaporated milk)

1 cup water

1/2 cup Real Lemon juice from concentrate

1/2 cup Bisquick baking mix

3 eggs

1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup flaked coconut (optional)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a blender container, combine all ingredients except coconut. On low speed, blend for 3 minutes. Pour into a greased 10-inch pie plate, and let stand 5 minutes. Sprinkle with coconut, if using. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until knife inserted near edge comes out clean. Cool slightly; serve warm or cool. Refrigerate leftovers.

CHURCH CLASSICS

Here are two recipes from Barbara Smith's collection, "Fabulous Feasts" from Rutledge Baptist Church.

Homemade Crockpot Creamed Corn

4 cups frozen corn

8 ounces cream cheese

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup butter

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon fresh-ground pepper

Combine all ingredients in a 3-quart slow cooker. Don't worry about mixing thoroughly; just throw it all in. Cook on high for 1 hour. Stir, then cook an additional hour. Serve with fresh-ground black pepper.

Recipe may be doubled.

Gourmet French Toast Casserole

1 to 1 1/2 cups brown sugar

3/4 cup butter

1/4 cup light corn syrup

10 slices French bread

4 whole eggs

2 1/2 cups milk or half-and-half

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/4 cup butter

Combine the first 3 ingredients in a medium saucepan; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, 5 minutes or until mixture is bubbly. Pour mixture evenly into a lightly greased 13- by 9-inch baking dish. Arrange bread slices over mixture. Combine eggs, milk or half-and-half, vanilla and salt. Stir well. Gradually pour over bread slices. Cover and chill at least 8 hours, or overnight. Combine 3 tablespoons sugar and cinnamon, and stir well. Sprinkle evenly over soaked bread.

Drizzle 1/4 cup melted butter over bread, and bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly. Serve immediately.

Next week? Let's keep meeting like this.