Stella’s Nutcake.

Something special from my trip to the UK. This is my mother-in-law’s special recipe for nutcake. She’d worked it out with great care to match my father-in-law’s memories from prewar Poland.

No flour, but it uses breadcrumbs Folding in stiff eggwhites is how cakes were made in the days before baking powder..

Southern Bubble and Squeak.

Time out while I edit, edit, edit, and edit.

A traditional English food is “Bubble and Squeak.” Here’s a Southern version that uses Collards. Collards are a reverted wild cabbage adapted to our heat. Though I started ours in November and nursed them through the winter so they’re only now starting to turn bitter.

Take roughly equal parts cooked collards and boiled potatoes.
Mash the potatoes, add salt and pepper to taste.
Add in the chopped collards and mix together thoroughly.

Fry in a well-seasoned pan with  a thin layer of oil, making something that resembles a pancake. Allow it to brown and then flip it over. Brown the other side.

Andouille and Shrimp Jambalaya

With ‘fat Tuesday’ rapidly approaching, this is my take on a traditional Southern dish. Easy to make and delicious!

Take 1 lb of Andouille sausage, cut in 1 inch chunks and saute in a large saucepan. I use about 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil.   Andouille sausage, for the Yankee and Brit, is sort of like Keilbasa, except it isn’t. It has larger chunks of meat, is laced with garlic, slightly smoky and very spicy. If I were desperate, say snowbound in Boston, I might try a high grade Keilbasa with some hot sauce.

Add about 1/2 cup coarsely chopped onions and continue to saute until the onions are clear.

Add 1/2-3/4 pounds shrimp. I use the frozen, de-veined, but shell on type. The shells add to the flavor, so don’t wuss out with peeled or precooked. It won’t work right.

I add about a teaspoon of dried thyme and a cup of rice. Cook until the rice turns from translucent to white, but don’t let it burn.

Add 3 cups of water, bring to a boil, then simmer until done. You can add more water if needed.

Bacon and Walnut Stuffing

This is from new years day where we had a chicken, bread and no sausage for a traditional stuffing.

Cut in pieces and fry 2-3 pieces of bacon (streaky bacon in the UK).
when they turn translucent add a handful of crushed or chopped walnuts, and cook until the bacon begins to brown.

Chop up one medium onion and add to the mixture. Saute until the onion is translucent.

Season with:
pinch nutmeg
2 pinches ground ginger
3 pinches sage and thyme (I suppose in the UK “Mixed seasonings” would work here).

Tear enough bread for the bird into chunks, add the bacon, onion, walnut mix + its drippings to the bread. Then add an egg and mix thoroughly.

Stuff (dress?) the bird and bake the way you normally would.

Bacon Braised Leeks

This is a variation of a classic recipe that could have graced tables in the regency.

Take 3 leeks, clean and trim (remove the tough bottom bit and cut where the leaves turn green.) Slit twice lengthwise most of the way along the stem so that the leek can fan out. The tops can go into stock or the compost pile.

Cut up 2 strips of bacon in about 0.5 cm or 1/3 inch strips. In the US I use bacon, in the UK it would be ‘streaky bacon’. Fry the bacon, possibly with a small amount of oil to stop sticking, until it is mostly done (just beginning to turn brown).

Then add the leeks and lightly brown each side.

Put in about 1/2 cup beef stock (or other stock). I use a water with a concentrate called ‘better than bullion’ but whatever you have will do.

Simmer until the stock is mostly dried/absorbed. If it evaporates too quickly you can add water, but doing so ad infinitum will result in leek mush which is not desirable.