Chas: All good stuff, yum especially the Yorkshire (batter) puds!
So did you also eat laver bread (seaweed bread, for Americans) and bara brith?
Christmas dinner for us was also usually roast beef. With Yorkshire pud. And English mustard (very hot) or Dijon mustard (for those who like it more mellow). And horseradish sauce, if you want to blow the top of your head off and steam clean the sinuses (Linda Z: nothing too bland about that!!).
My great grandfather was apparently a big fan of beetroot - cooked and eaten like any other root vegetable, with a meal and not just part of a salad. This did not pass into family food history. Actually it's quite nice like that, but beetroot takes so long to cook that it's scarcely viable.
Sorry, I just had to say that I was reading the last part of this thread thinking Chas was talking to herself. I ave always associated that kitty avatar with Chas since she's had it for so long and didn't even look at the names till I wondered why Chas was replying to herself. Surely there's plenty of folks at the Cafe for Chas to talk to. :unsure:
Some folks I've come to associate with their avatars because they've had them for so long. Yours is one of them. I don't even look at the name, just the pic - Sushi is another - Catcup, Tom Strange, Jonny Lingo, DMiller, Krys, Psalmie, WhiteDove, Cindy!/Chinson, Raf, etc.... I guess I should start paying better attention.
My oldest brother had the job of cleaning the hog's head - it's scraped, boiled, chopped, diced, and boiled some more. Then there's some spices, etc., added. It's then pressed into a mold - like a big sieve. It sets up by itself.
Twinky, my dad and uncle used horseradish on their roast beef, but I never tasted it until I was older.
Trust me, I'm not knockin' my Brit food heritage. I like simple foods, and I've learned to use lots of spices that my mom and grandmothers never did.
I first heard about Bubble 'n Squeak on one of Jamie Oliver's cooking shows (I love that guy!). I've made it a couple times...I used brussel sprouts rather than cabbage.
That hog's head cheese just might be the grossest looking "food" I've ever seen. Looks like a big white worm stuck right in the middle of it. Ewwwwww, coolchef, how could you stand it??
Speaking of gross, the first time I visited the Indiana campus of twi, it was for some weekend event that incluced a big picnic. One of the things they served was beef tongue. I hear from afficianados of the stuff that it's a delicacy. Well. Not when the cook knows no better than to leave the darn tastebuds on the tongue. Ewwwww again.
And no pickled pigs' feet. Whose idea was that, anyway?
Linda - I can't believe they didn't know to peel the tongue first - you have to scald it and then the skin comes off. It's gross, yes. I grew up with it in sandwiches.
And horseradishes - my dad grew them in the garden and my brother talks about how he had to help his mom grind them (he's my half-brother - same dad) - I guess it sucked to be the oldest boy on the farm!
I love horseradish - it's gotta be on a roast beef sandwich - and it's tough finding one that isn't watered down or cut with something else.
Pickled pigs feet - still eat em. Love em. Craved pickled hot sausage when I was preggers with Andreas - gawd I went thru jars of that stuff. It's especially good on a hot day - as all pickled things are!
Chas, I used to tend bar at a Polish tavern. There was an old man who made horseradish every year and came by and sold it at the tavern. It would curl your toes...loved it! I'm with you. I don't like the kind that's diluted with mayonaisse or anything else. Just give me the straight stuff.
I'd never heard of it until I went to PA with our LC, W@lter R0we^, when he visited his mum after the ROA. It was so PA country, it wasn't funny. I remember having scrapple for breakfast - it's sorta a loaf made of ground up scrap meat, grains, and sorta looks like suet. It was quite good fried.
And down South, there was some sorta lunch meat my ex just loved that was made of parts - and for the life of me I can't remember it right now - had a strange name and you bought it in a big chunk...
SOUSE MEAT!
Anyone into souse? (I did try it - didn't think it was anything special....)
I wanted to bring this thread back up because there's so many posts about holiday traditions and it seems that regional favorites are a theme...
Here's some of the things I've noticed on the other threads about Christmas foods:
LindaZ mentions Amish ham (Chas wonders what that's like, as Chas loves ham!) And baked beans for Christmas - that's different. (Around here we consider baked beans a common Saturday night supper dish.)
CoolChef & I talk a lot about pork or meat pies (a favorite in Maine)
Some posters mention greens - i.e. mustard or collard greens - must be a southern thing
Lots of mentions of prime rib - YUM - but that seems wide-spread, not just New England, etc.
There's a place in Clifton, NJ, that deep fries HOT DOGS. It's called Rutt's Hut. If you're ever in Joisey, you have to stop there (be sure to have your cholesterol under control before entering).
I worked in a fast food joint in Connecticut as a teen that deep fried the hot dogs. I used to throw a dozen long dogs in the same vat that made the fries. You knew they were done when the dogs 'split'. Easily the best chili dog I've ever tasted.
The factory nearby would order up 40 or more of them every day, so someone agreed. I have no idea how much their life expectancy was shortened.
That poor little fry vat. We made fries, onion rings, hot dogs, shrimp rolls and fried clams in it. After awhile, the flavors would start to mix. It sounds horrifying, but was strangely compelling.
The guy who owned the joint was creative. We featured milk shakes in over a dozen flavors, including root beer, pineapple, grape, etc.
He also provided 'lunch specials' like stuffed peppers and soup that were quite good. The place closed in a year.
My best garden ever had horseradish growing in it. A friend gave me a few pieces of the stuff to plant and OH MY did it take off!
Now I mostly plant herbs.
Now for regional food....
In Texas:
Chicken Fried Steak with Biscuits and Gravy - this can be good or it can be awful - depends on the preparation of the meat. I've had it so tough you can't chew it and so tender it melts in your mouth.
Tex-Mex ( I dont' count it tho)
Then there's the sloppy BBQ that is so popular down here.
Fried Okra or Pickled Okra
In New York:
Hmmmmm - I lived in NYC so I lived in the midst of that huge melting pot. All I can say is that on Christmas Eve we had a huge meal that was a fish meal. We were Catholic, and Chrtistmas Eve was considered a day of fasting - so if you wanted to eat meat - well you had to eat it after Midnight - and some families in Italy still do that.
We always had a huge dinner that started with a red sauce that was made with scalllops, clams, and other fish, over linguine. That was followed by Lobster, salad, bread (the GOOD crusty kind - not that excuse for bread that gets sold in way too many places) Dessert was usually forgone since we ate about 9pm. After dinner, Dad would always slip downstairs to the his apartment and then call SCREAMING for us to go down because Santa was there!
We always made a mad dash down some dangerous marble stairways.
When the call came for us to return to Grandma's apt - where the majority of the gifts were, we ran back upstairs to find a room transformed into a Christmas wonderland - and the window over the fire escape was always left open to show that Santa had just left. (Dang! We always seemed to just miss him by mere seconds..)
Ok so I got off topic here. Seems that part of the New York/Italian food thing is the memories that get renewed along with the meals.
Thank you kindly! Being a yankee, I don't know nuttin bout no chicken fried steak, but I may like to surprise a Texan we both know with a little home cookin sometime.
Chas - that has always been my complaint about the name. Apparently folks wanted to say that its steak that has been breaded like chicken - but they wanted fewer words....
Texas-Style Chicken Fried Steak with Cream Gravy
It is hard to get much more Texan than Chicken Fried Steak. Quality of the beef really counts in this dish. This recipe calls for cube steaks, but good round steak that you have asked the butcher to run through the tenderizer or that you have tenderized yourself with a mallet (no big deal and can be a real stress reliever) can be even better.
* 4 tenderized beef cutlets (known in supermarkets as "cube steak") OR 1 round steak, with fat removed, that you've tenderized yourself (see above)
* 1 egg
* 1/4 cup milk
* all-purpose flour
* cooking oil or melted Crisco
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 1/4 teaspoon paprika
* 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
Beat together the egg and milk and set aside. Mix together the salt, black pepper, paprika and white pepper and sprinkle on both sides of beef cutlets.
Dredge the cutlets in the flour, shaking off the excess. Then dip each cutlet in the egg/milk mixture, then back in the flour. (You're going to get your hands messy here, so take your rings off.) Set cutlets aside on a piece of waxed paper.
Heat the cooking oil in a large cast-iron or other heavy skillet over medium-high heat for a few minutes. Oil should be about a half-inch deep in the pan. Check the temperature with a drop of water; if it pops and spits back at you, it's ready.
With a long-handled fork, carefully place each cutlet into the hot oil. Protect yourself (and your kitchen) from the popping grease that results. Fry cutlets on both sides, turning once, until golden brown. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook 4 or 5 minutes until cutlets are done through. Drain cutlets on paper towels.
Cream Gravy
After the cutlets are removed from the pan, pour off all but about 2 tablespoons of oil, keeping as many as possible of the browned bits in the pan. Heat the oil over medium heat until hot.
Sprinkle 3 tablespoons flour (use the left-over flour from the chicken fried steak recipe (waste not -- want not) in the hot oil. Stir with a wooden spoon, quickly, to brown the flour.
Gradually stir in 3/4 cup milk and 3/4 cup water, mixed together, stirring constantly with the wooden spoon and mashing out any lumps. Lower heat, and gravy will begin to thicken. Continue cooking and stirring a few minutes until gravy reaches desired thickness. Check seasonings and add more salt and pepper according to your taste. I have been known to add a drop or two of Worschestershire sauce and Tabasco sauce, each.
Note to Cream Gravy novices: Gravy-making is an inexact science. Cream gravy is supposed to be thick, but if you think it's too thick, add more liquid until you're satisfied with it.
Add some mashed potatoes or biscuits and you've got yo'sef a meal. (If and when I make this I double or even triple the gravy because then I can re-heat it and make biscuits and scrambled eggs the next morning and have a fairly easy breakfast.
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Twinky
Chas: All good stuff, yum especially the Yorkshire (batter) puds!
So did you also eat laver bread (seaweed bread, for Americans) and bara brith?
Christmas dinner for us was also usually roast beef. With Yorkshire pud. And English mustard (very hot) or Dijon mustard (for those who like it more mellow). And horseradish sauce, if you want to blow the top of your head off and steam clean the sinuses (Linda Z: nothing too bland about that!!).
My great grandfather was apparently a big fan of beetroot - cooked and eaten like any other root vegetable, with a meal and not just part of a salad. This did not pass into family food history. Actually it's quite nice like that, but beetroot takes so long to cook that it's scarcely viable.
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Belle
Sorry, I just had to say that I was reading the last part of this thread thinking Chas was talking to herself.
I ave always associated that kitty avatar with Chas since she's had it for so long and didn't even look at the names till I wondered why Chas was replying to herself. Surely there's plenty of folks at the Cafe for Chas to talk to. :unsure:
Just call me "Dork".
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Sushi
Belle,
Dork !
BTW, I did get your card. Thank you, I needed it.
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ChasUFarley
It's okay Belle - it's actually Twinky. I've had the black cat now since 2000 on Waydale. I guess I can share.
:)
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Belle
Sushi - Thanks for obliging me.
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coolchef
ok back to topic has any one ever had hog's head cheese? sounds gross but it is great!!
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Belle
I buy
Does that count?
Sorry, just can't bring myself to eat something that looks like this:
made of this:
"the meaty chunks of a cow's, sheep's, or pig's head,
chopped and combined with a savory gelatinous broth
and allowed to cool in a mold"
"adds a distinctive and memorable quality to salads,
sandwiches, hors d'oeuvres, and even the back porch,
especially if left undiscovered for a few warm days
What does it taste like? Meat jello?
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bowtwi
Tastes like chicken, of course! :blink:
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ChasUFarley
I hate headcheese.
My oldest brother had the job of cleaning the hog's head - it's scraped, boiled, chopped, diced, and boiled some more. Then there's some spices, etc., added. It's then pressed into a mold - like a big sieve. It sets up by itself.
No thanks.
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doojable
There's always pickled pig's feet.......
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Linda Z
Twinky, my dad and uncle used horseradish on their roast beef, but I never tasted it until I was older.
Trust me, I'm not knockin' my Brit food heritage. I like simple foods, and I've learned to use lots of spices that my mom and grandmothers never did.
I first heard about Bubble 'n Squeak on one of Jamie Oliver's cooking shows (I love that guy!). I've made it a couple times...I used brussel sprouts rather than cabbage.
That hog's head cheese just might be the grossest looking "food" I've ever seen. Looks like a big white worm stuck right in the middle of it. Ewwwwww, coolchef, how could you stand it??
Speaking of gross, the first time I visited the Indiana campus of twi, it was for some weekend event that incluced a big picnic. One of the things they served was beef tongue. I hear from afficianados of the stuff that it's a delicacy. Well. Not when the cook knows no better than to leave the darn tastebuds on the tongue. Ewwwww again.
And no pickled pigs' feet. Whose idea was that, anyway?
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ChasUFarley
Linda - I can't believe they didn't know to peel the tongue first - you have to scald it and then the skin comes off. It's gross, yes. I grew up with it in sandwiches.
And horseradishes - my dad grew them in the garden and my brother talks about how he had to help his mom grind them (he's my half-brother - same dad) - I guess it sucked to be the oldest boy on the farm!
I love horseradish - it's gotta be on a roast beef sandwich - and it's tough finding one that isn't watered down or cut with something else.
Pickled pigs feet - still eat em. Love em. Craved pickled hot sausage when I was preggers with Andreas - gawd I went thru jars of that stuff. It's especially good on a hot day - as all pickled things are!
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Linda Z
Chas, I used to tend bar at a Polish tavern. There was an old man who made horseradish every year and came by and sold it at the tavern. It would curl your toes...loved it! I'm with you. I don't like the kind that's diluted with mayonaisse or anything else. Just give me the straight stuff.
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coolchef
i love hogs head cheese! i used to make it
sooooo good spread on homemade toast
i also make horseraddish each year
i like it straight up or lightly mixed with sour crean great on roast beast
warning if you plan to raise horse raddish be aware it spreads like crazy
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ChasUFarley
Okay, since we're on the subject of parts...
How about SCRAPPLE?
I'd never heard of it until I went to PA with our LC, W@lter R0we^, when he visited his mum after the ROA. It was so PA country, it wasn't funny. I remember having scrapple for breakfast - it's sorta a loaf made of ground up scrap meat, grains, and sorta looks like suet. It was quite good fried.
And down South, there was some sorta lunch meat my ex just loved that was made of parts - and for the life of me I can't remember it right now - had a strange name and you bought it in a big chunk...
SOUSE MEAT!
Anyone into souse? (I did try it - didn't think it was anything special....)
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ChasUFarley
I wanted to bring this thread back up because there's so many posts about holiday traditions and it seems that regional favorites are a theme...
Here's some of the things I've noticed on the other threads about Christmas foods:
LindaZ mentions Amish ham (Chas wonders what that's like, as Chas loves ham!) And baked beans for Christmas - that's different. (Around here we consider baked beans a common Saturday night supper dish.)
CoolChef & I talk a lot about pork or meat pies (a favorite in Maine)
Some posters mention greens - i.e. mustard or collard greens - must be a southern thing
Lots of mentions of prime rib - YUM - but that seems wide-spread, not just New England, etc.
It's all good - and most interesting! :)
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Sushi
There's a place in Clifton, NJ, that deep fries HOT DOGS. It's called Rutt's Hut. If you're ever in Joisey, you have to stop there (be sure to have your cholesterol under control before entering).
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hiway29
I worked in a fast food joint in Connecticut as a teen that deep fried the hot dogs. I used to throw a dozen long dogs in the same vat that made the fries. You knew they were done when the dogs 'split'. Easily the best chili dog I've ever tasted.
The factory nearby would order up 40 or more of them every day, so someone agreed. I have no idea how much their life expectancy was shortened.
That poor little fry vat. We made fries, onion rings, hot dogs, shrimp rolls and fried clams in it. After awhile, the flavors would start to mix. It sounds horrifying, but was strangely compelling.
The guy who owned the joint was creative. We featured milk shakes in over a dozen flavors, including root beer, pineapple, grape, etc.
He also provided 'lunch specials' like stuffed peppers and soup that were quite good. The place closed in a year.
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doojable
My best garden ever had horseradish growing in it. A friend gave me a few pieces of the stuff to plant and OH MY did it take off!
Now I mostly plant herbs.
Now for regional food....
In Texas:
Chicken Fried Steak with Biscuits and Gravy - this can be good or it can be awful - depends on the preparation of the meat. I've had it so tough you can't chew it and so tender it melts in your mouth.
Tex-Mex ( I dont' count it tho)
Then there's the sloppy BBQ that is so popular down here.
Fried Okra or Pickled Okra
In New York:
Hmmmmm - I lived in NYC so I lived in the midst of that huge melting pot. All I can say is that on Christmas Eve we had a huge meal that was a fish meal. We were Catholic, and Chrtistmas Eve was considered a day of fasting - so if you wanted to eat meat - well you had to eat it after Midnight - and some families in Italy still do that.
We always had a huge dinner that started with a red sauce that was made with scalllops, clams, and other fish, over linguine. That was followed by Lobster, salad, bread (the GOOD crusty kind - not that excuse for bread that gets sold in way too many places) Dessert was usually forgone since we ate about 9pm. After dinner, Dad would always slip downstairs to the his apartment and then call SCREAMING for us to go down because Santa was there!
We always made a mad dash down some dangerous marble stairways.
When the call came for us to return to Grandma's apt - where the majority of the gifts were, we ran back upstairs to find a room transformed into a Christmas wonderland - and the window over the fire escape was always left open to show that Santa had just left. (Dang! We always seemed to just miss him by mere seconds..)
Ok so I got off topic here. Seems that part of the New York/Italian food thing is the memories that get renewed along with the meals.
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bowtwi
dooj - do you have a recipe for this Chicken Fried Steak with Biscuits and Gravy?
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doojable
Indeed I do! I have a party to attend tonight - but I'll post that recipe and more tomorrow.
Now, make no mistake about it, Chicken Fried Steak in NOT my idea of "mighty fine eatin'" - but the Texans sure seem to love it 'round these parts.
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bowtwi
Thank you kindly! Being a yankee, I don't know nuttin bout no chicken fried steak, but I may like to surprise a Texan we both know with a little home cookin sometime.
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ChasUFarley
Chicken Fried Steak -
This always boggled my mind...
Is it chicken?
Or is it steak?
(What critter is it?)
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doojable
Chas - that has always been my complaint about the name. Apparently folks wanted to say that its steak that has been breaded like chicken - but they wanted fewer words....
Texas-Style Chicken Fried Steak with Cream Gravy
It is hard to get much more Texan than Chicken Fried Steak. Quality of the beef really counts in this dish. This recipe calls for cube steaks, but good round steak that you have asked the butcher to run through the tenderizer or that you have tenderized yourself with a mallet (no big deal and can be a real stress reliever) can be even better.
* 4 tenderized beef cutlets (known in supermarkets as "cube steak") OR 1 round steak, with fat removed, that you've tenderized yourself (see above)
* 1 egg
* 1/4 cup milk
* all-purpose flour
* cooking oil or melted Crisco
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 1/4 teaspoon paprika
* 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
Beat together the egg and milk and set aside. Mix together the salt, black pepper, paprika and white pepper and sprinkle on both sides of beef cutlets.
Dredge the cutlets in the flour, shaking off the excess. Then dip each cutlet in the egg/milk mixture, then back in the flour. (You're going to get your hands messy here, so take your rings off.) Set cutlets aside on a piece of waxed paper.
Heat the cooking oil in a large cast-iron or other heavy skillet over medium-high heat for a few minutes. Oil should be about a half-inch deep in the pan. Check the temperature with a drop of water; if it pops and spits back at you, it's ready.
With a long-handled fork, carefully place each cutlet into the hot oil. Protect yourself (and your kitchen) from the popping grease that results. Fry cutlets on both sides, turning once, until golden brown. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook 4 or 5 minutes until cutlets are done through. Drain cutlets on paper towels.
Cream Gravy
After the cutlets are removed from the pan, pour off all but about 2 tablespoons of oil, keeping as many as possible of the browned bits in the pan. Heat the oil over medium heat until hot.
Sprinkle 3 tablespoons flour (use the left-over flour from the chicken fried steak recipe (waste not -- want not) in the hot oil. Stir with a wooden spoon, quickly, to brown the flour.
Gradually stir in 3/4 cup milk and 3/4 cup water, mixed together, stirring constantly with the wooden spoon and mashing out any lumps. Lower heat, and gravy will begin to thicken. Continue cooking and stirring a few minutes until gravy reaches desired thickness. Check seasonings and add more salt and pepper according to your taste. I have been known to add a drop or two of Worschestershire sauce and Tabasco sauce, each.
Note to Cream Gravy novices: Gravy-making is an inexact science. Cream gravy is supposed to be thick, but if you think it's too thick, add more liquid until you're satisfied with it.
Add some mashed potatoes or biscuits and you've got yo'sef a meal. (If and when I make this I double or even triple the gravy because then I can re-heat it and make biscuits and scrambled eggs the next morning and have a fairly easy breakfast.
Edited by doojableLink to comment
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