Oh my gosh! We
flipped over this dish, big time!
It was
a beautiful cool fall day yesterday and Bill was busy working up an appetite burning
brush in the back yard. Much later, he
was one happy man when I served him this incredibly delicious hearty dish for
dinner. I was happy with it too! Woo hoo!
The other day, I had a great surprise when I read an email. Travis, at The Harvard Common Press, had
contacted me and asked if I would like a review copy of Prairie Home Cooking by Judith Fertig.
He explained as a way of
celebrating a growing focus on regional American cooking, The Harvard Common
Press has re-jacketed its classic America Cooks series, including this cookbook
by Fertig.
Travis further stated that Patricia Wells praised it as “pure inspiration.” That really drew me in as I’m a huge fan of
Wells and have a lot of her cookbooks.
Here’s what Patricia went on to say about the cookbook: “For those of us who grew up with cherry
trees and fresh raspberries, corn and tomatoes fresh from the garden, bushels
full of peaches and apricots from the farmers’ market, and all those homemade
layer cakes, pies, and yeast rolls, Prairie Home Cooking is much more
than a nostalgic journey. It is pure
inspiration, encouragement to head back into the kitchen and recreate the bliss
of our childhood."
Prairie Home Cooking is truly a great collection of tasty American Midwest recipes and is no
small book. There is nothing fancy about
it, no glossy food shots in color.
But, it does contain a plethora of old-fashioned
recipes and new ones too, informative cooking tips and heartwarming, charming
stories about the people and places of the heartland; an area that has sadly
been overlooked by both the east coast and west coast food writers.
Fertig’s cookbook is chock full of comfort food dishes;
the ones just like my Grandma used to fill her table with.
I’m a breakfast lover and by coincidence that
is the section I first opened the cookbook to ~ St. Louis Gooey Butter
Coffeecake. That’s definitely a gooey
St. Louis standard and one of my favorites to bake and enjoy.
Move on to Old Country Sour Cream Breakfast Crêpes,
or how about Amish Friendship Pancakes slathered with melted butter and maple
syrup, or maybe a couple of spoonfuls of Asparagus, Goat Cheese, and Fresh Herb
Bread Pudding or a savory Ohio breakfast of Smoked Turkey Hash.
Dinner would be mouthwatering with Old-Fashioned
Pan-Fried Chicken with Gravy or Prairie-Style Hay-Smoked Grilled Steak; even Fish
Schnitzel or Bill’s favorite, Rich and Creamy Oyster Stew.
And at last, on to dessert: a couple of dainty Thumbprint Cookies, a
slice of Lemon Verbena Pound Cake with Lemonade Glaze, Blitz Torte, Honey
Custards with Warm Spiced Berries or one that sounds just like my favorite cake
from childhood that Mom baked: Black
Walnut Applesauce Cake. YUM! The trick for me now is finding someone
wanting to share a stash of black walnuts!
 |
| Judith Fertig |
So, as you have probably surmised, this excellent
cookbook of Ms. Fertig’s is just like the people of the Midwest ~ a melting pot; a beautiful
mosaic of German, French, Polish, Dutch, Scandinavian, Italian, Czech, Russian,
just to name a few heritages.
Whether you are: From
a farming family which produces harvests of crops for the “breadbasket” section
of the country, a gardener with a green thumb, someone who is fond of
lake-caught delicacies, or maybe a Michigan cherry lover like me, or a Spam
lover like Bill, or if you’re someone who is curious about Midwest cooking and
traditions, or maybe you are just a person who likes to eat delicious robust
and comforting food ~ this is the cookbook for you to peruse.
As I’ve said, “I have a weakness for cookbooks and read them like many
women read a romance novel, always looking for new creations and interesting
facts.” Prairie Home Cooking is not only packed with delicious recipes that
will excite your taste buds, it’s a good read!
There are so many outstanding recipes in Prairie Home Cooking that I will be
trying, and posting for you in the future, with the following being the first
one I made: German Breslauer Steaks with
Egg Noodles. I’ll let Judith Fertig
describe it for you: “Brought by
northern German immigrants to Iowa and Nebraska, this dish is a cousin of Swedish
meatballs; in both dishes, nutmeg flavors the meat among other
similarities. Serve with a steamed green
vegetable or a simple green salad, either of which will provide a break from
the heaviness of this dish.”
Believe me ~ this dish is mouthwatering delicious to say the least and the
cookbook is a wonderful thing. I’m not saying
this just because Travis kindly offered the cookbook to me: anyone who knows me, knows I am not afraid to
voice my opinion and my opinion is exactly what I think. You should be adding Prairie Home Cooking to your collection soon! For me, it’s like my new best friend!
Enough said for now!
Here’s the recipe:
German Breslauer
Steaks with Egg Noodles
Ingredients:
1 recipe Homemade Egg Noodles (page 259), or 12 ounces
packaged egg noodles
1 pound ground veal
1 pound ground pork
3 tablespoons snipped fresh chives
1/3 cup minced onion
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon fresh-grated nutmeg
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ pound mushrooms, sliced thin
¾ cup chicken stock
½ cup heavy cream
Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
Method:
If you are using homemade noodles, prepare them up to the
point at which they are ready to be cooked.
Mix together the veal, pork, chives, onion, salt, pepper
and nutmeg in a bowl.
Shape the mixture into 4 large or 6 medium patties.
Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
Pan-fry the patties for about 5 minutes on each side, or until
they are cooked through. (cut to the
center of a patty with a knife to see that there is no pinkness left in the
meat).
Transfer the patties to a plate.
Pour off all but 3 tablespoons of the drippings left in
the pan.
Add the mushrooms, and sauté them until they begin to
brown and give off their juices, about 5 minutes.
Add the stock and cream, bring to a boil, reduce the heat
to a simmer, transfer the steaks back to the pan and simmer gently, uncovered,
for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook the egg noodles in a pot of boiling
water, according either to the recipe for homemade noodles or to the package
directions.
Drain them in a colander, run them under cold water for a
few seconds, and transfer them to individual plates.
Top with the steaks, spoon the mushroom sauce over all,
garnish with parsley and serve.
ENJOY!!!
Excellent explains it all! Thank you again, Trevor and The Harvard
Common Press and Judith Fertig for a fine cookbook!
