Good morning, as we begin a month that has more than once been described as “sheer loveliness.” Whatever your view of the weather outside your kitchen, here at Fare Exchange we are seeing some fresh interest in ethnic cooking from all over the world.
Today, Suzann Helber shares her paternal grandmother’s culinary tradition, and with warmth. So we are thinking about your grandmothers and your travels and your homeland. Does your kitchen feature some authentic dishes from places you have visited or from countries that have nourished your families? Tell us more. And while you’re at it, tell us where to buy locally the ingredients needed to create your own riff on a tasty tradition.
You will also note below a reference to Cajun-Creole cooking. That’s another well-loved culinary tradition. I am thinking of a certain Chattanoogan who knows these recipes well; here’s hoping she is reading this very sentence and will send some of her favorite Louisiana dishes.
STUFFED CABBAGE
Suzann Helber wrote about her recipe for Serbian-style stuffed cabbage. “I was always told to write out a recipe as if the person making it has never done it before. This recipe is a little bit different. There are many variations on recipes for cabbage rolls. What follows is the one that’s been in my family for donkey’s years, originally from my paternal grandmother who was born and raised in Yugoslavia/Serbia, Austria-Hungary. As is no doubt true of many families, we’ve enjoyed recreating and sharing them with others. I believe what makes this recipe a bit different is that it is prepared in a large oval enamel roasting pan, fried on the stovetop then baked (covered) in the oven.”
Serbian-Style Stuffed Cabbage
1 large head cabbage
1/2 cup raw white rice
1/2 to 3/4 pound ground beef
1/2 to 3/4 pound ground pork
1 medium to large white or yellow onion, diced
1 large egg
1 teaspoon minced garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
4 cubes beef bouillon
Vegetable oil
3 cans undiluted tomato soup
Cut core from cabbage, and boil cabbage in large pot of water. Remove leaves with tongs as they loosen, and place on a plate. Once all large leaves are removed, strain water from pot and reserve remaining cabbage.
Prepare raw white rice in 1 cup boiling water. Simmer 15 minutes.
Mix ground beef and ground pork in a separate large bowl. Add diced onion. Add egg, prepared rice, minced garlic and salt and pepper. Mix well.
Remove tough ribs from cabbage, and put about 1/3 cup meat mixture at ribbed end and roll, tucking in sides of leaves.
Dissolve beef bouillon cubes in 1 cup boiling water. Pour vegetable oil in roasting pan, and heat to medium high on 2 burners; add 1/2 cup bouillon water. Place cabbage rolls in pan and turn as they brown. Add a bit more oil and remaining water. Continue to cook down.
Chop remaining cabbage into small pieces. Add to pan with 1 can undiluted tomato soup. Mix carefully as to not unroll cabbage. Adjust heat and simmer 10 minutes.
Pour 2 more cans of tomato soup (undiluted) over rolls, cover and bake in oven at 425 degrees F 30 to 45 minutes. Let rest 15 minutes. Serve with hearty crusty bread.
CARROT CASSEROLE
When Roseann Strazinsky’s friend Beverly asked for her carrot recipe, she copied it for Fare Exchange. There’s a good idea: When you get a request for a recipe you have served, share it with the rest of us.
Plantation Carrots
For carrots:
6 to 8 carrots
1 cup Hellmann’s mayonnaise
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon horseradish
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup carrot water (set aside after boiling carrots)
For topping:
1/4 cup breadcrumbs (I used Italian breadcrumbs)
1 tablespoon melted butter
Dash of paprika
Clean and cook carrots whole until tender, reserving 1/4 cup of this carrot liquid before draining. Then cut the cooked carrots into strips all the same size, about 2 inches long. Set aside.
Lightly spray an 8- by 8-inch casserole dish with Pam.
Heat oven to 325 degrees F.
Combine mayonnaise, onion, horseradish, pepper, salt and the reserved carrot water. Cut the carrots lengthwise in half and fourths. Place a couple of spoonfuls of the mayonnaise mixture into the bottom of the casserole. Spread the carrots neatly into rows; this makes them easier to serve. After making one row, spoon some mayo sauce over them. Repeat until all carrots and mayo sauce are used, ending with the mayo sauce.
Prepare the topping by mixing together the breadcrumbs, butter and paprika.
Sprinkle the topping over all. Bake for 20 minutes. Serves 6 to 8.
MIREPOIX PRIMER
And now to the virtues of mirepoix, defined by Jim Sparks for us as “a combination of diced onion, carrot and celery sauteed in butter or oil. It originated in France, so the Cajun/Creole combination of onion, green bell pepper and celery is probably derived from mirepoix.”
Mary Ann McInturff continued the discussion: “Mirepoix is French and is pronounced ‘meer-pwah.’ Mirepoix is defined by ‘Larousse Gastronomique and LaVarenne Pratique’ as the mixture of diced carrots, onions and celery (sautéed in butter until softened) as the first step in many dishes. (Size of dice can vary depending on the dish.)”
HAM HACK
Patrick of Rock Spring, Georgia, wrote, in response to the request for new-tech appliances, “I am not sure we cook anything that is particularly impressive. The one silly-simple thing that comes to mind is cooking a ham in an electric roaster. Roasters are big enough for goose, turkey and a big ol’ ham shank. Most hams come precooked, but I cook some more. I put one in the roaster, pour a Coca-Cola over the top, set the temp to 285 degrees F or so, put the lid on it and let it do its thing. Five hours later, one can shred the ham in a big serving dish, pour the juices over the top, and take to a potluck or an hors d’oeuvres party. It is a hit.”
Talk of a mirepoix reminded Patrick of “the locals in the Caribbean islands who serve ‘ground provisions.’ They are potatoes, yams, onions, etc. that are roasted and seasoned. Again, a daily consumption item.”
We have much to learn about food; well, at least I know I do. Please help.
REQUEST
— More homeland recipes
TO REACH US
Fare Exchange is a longtime meeting place for people who love to cook and love to eat. We welcome both your recipes and your requests. Be sure to include precise instructions for every recipe you send, and know we cannot test the recipes printed here.
Mailing address: Jane Henegar, 913 Mount Olive Road, Lookout Mountain, GA 30750
Email: chattfare@gmail.com
Jane Henegar