American Culinary Dominance

 

I remember Chung King making it to our table on a regular basis growing-up.  It's not as good as real Chinese food served in a restaurant; nevertheless, it was fast and easy fare and added variety to the family dinner ritual.  

My recollection is that mom fried bite-size pieces of fresh chicken added the vegetables and sauce from the can and served it up with boiled minute rice and a side of crunchy Chinese rice noodles.  Yum.

As good as it was in my childhood memories I wouldn't do it today; unless, it was disaster food consumed in a bunker.  If I'm making Chinese for me and the missus the only thing out of a can is baby corn, water chestnuts and crispy, crunchy Chinese rice noodles.  Everything else if fresh, from scratch. 

Remarkably, it was an Italian-American guy named Jeno Paulucci who founded the Chung King brand when he borrowed $2500 to grow bean sprouts in Minnesota which he canned with chopped celery and sauce as a convenience food for post-WWII American families.  Paulucci was innovative in solving the mushy vegetable challenge.  He packaged the meat and sauce in one can and the veggies in a second, taped them together allowing the consumer to combine them later. 

From a purely cultural perspective it was entrepreneurs like Paulucci who popularized Westernized Chinese-American food like egg rolls, chow mein, chop suey and soy sauce; all of which left a huge imprint on the taste-palate of American consumers.  Who doesn't like Chinese food?  Heck, there is a Chinese buffet in nearby Sturgeon Bay. 

Fast Fact: Wisconsin is home to the highest-producing and largest naturally-brewed soy sauce facility in the entire world.  Take that, China!  

Anyway, Paulucci sold the Chung King brand to tobacco conglomerate R.J. Reynolds in 1966 for $63 million.  He later went on to found Jeno's Pizza Rolls, which later became Totino's Pizza Rolls. 

After changing hands a couple of times, Chung King was sold to Singaporean Yeo Hiap Seng in 1989 and eventually acquired by ConAgra's Hunt-Wesson in 1995.  ConAgra already owned Chung King's chief competitor La Choy and consequently shut-down production immediately.  By 1996 Chung King had disappeared from supermarket shelves  leaving La Choy as the sole survivor of the era of Chinese-American grocery items. 

The missus and I have a fondness for Chinese stir fry and make almost once a month on principle.  If you type "stir fry" in the search tool in the upper left hand corner of the blog's home page you will be redirected to several tutorial posts on the subject.

Meanwhile, if you like the subject of ethnic food in American popular culture the documentary - The Search for General Tso is a delightful tale about the origins and ubiquity of Chinese American food through sweet and spicy chicken.  You can find it on Netflix.  And don't forget the fortune cookies....

Recipe Of The Day

This recipe has become a household favorite and as the days grow shorter and the temperatures drop this will warm you from top to toes.  If you have garden tomatoes and fresh basil put them to use.

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Autumn Shrimp, Sausage and Tomato Stew

This is the time of year that tomatoes are really coming on-line and if you’re like me you’re eating fresh, vine-ripened tomatoes multiple times every day. If you have an abundance of tomatoes from your garden or the farm market here’s a terrific recipe that is an easy-peasy meal to enjoy in a bowl by the wood stove accompanied by a chewy baguette.

Ingredients

4 cloves of garlic – finely chopped

1 pound smoked sausage of your choice (andouille, venison, chorizo, etc.) – cut into pieces.  I used smoked Conecuh from Alabama.

Olive oil

½ t fennel seeds

2 - 15 oz cans of garbanzos – drained and rinsed

4 C of garden tomatoes cut in chunks 

1 C dry white wine

24 jumbo shrimp (peeled and de-veined)

½ cup fresh basil leaves - chiffonade 

Fresh-cracked sea salt and black pepper to taste

Crusty baguette

Crushed red pepper (optional)

 

Instructions

 

In a stock pot brown your sausage in olive oil until it is brown and beginning to crisp. Add the garlic and fennel seeds and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant.

 

Add the garbanzo beans, tomatoes, wine and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat and cook (covered) until the tomatoes begin to break-down. 

 

Uncover, add the shrimp to the pot and cook for another 3-4 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir-in the basil.

 

Serve with slices of baguette and that bottle of dry white wine. Fireside is best.

It’s acceptable to dunk your bread in the stew.

 

Recipe serves four. 

When You Have Tomatoes...

...Make Tomato Pie.

This was dinner a couple of evenings ago.  Served with fresh greens from the garden and a Take And Bake baguette.

 

It's kinda putzy as far as recipes go, but you can perform all the prep in-advance.  Assembly and final bake is the relatively short part of the process

While you should seed your tomatoes; you don't have to bother peeling them.  The two most prolific tomatoes in my raised bed garden repertoire this year include San Marzano and Korean Long - both are high in the flesh department and low in seeds. If at all possible use fresh basil prepared in a chiffonade.    

Tomato Pie

Classic Southern tomato pie, a savory summer pie with seasonal tomatoes and basil topped with a creamy cheese mixture and baked until golden brown in a flaky pie crust shell.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prep Time 30 minutes mins Cook Time 55 minutes mins Total Time1 hour hr 25 minutes mins

Ingredients

● 1 9-inch frozen deep dish pie shell
● 3 large ripe tomatoes, cut into chunks about 3 to 4 cups
● I cup chopped onion - caramelized
● ¾ cup good quality mayonnaise I like Duke's
● 2 cups grated cheese - sharp cheddar, Gruyere, mozzarella and Monterey Jack
● Large handful of fresh basil, chopped or thinly sliced (chiffonade) about ¼ cup
● Frank’s hot sauce or Tabasco to taste
● Kosher salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400º.
2. Follow package directions to bake pie shell; prick bottom all over of sllghtly thawed shell, bake for 10 to 20 minutes until browned.
3. Meanwhile, place tomatoes in colander and sprinkle with salt. Let drain, tossing several times. Then with paper towels, press down to blot up even more of the liquid.
4. In small bowl, mix together mayonnaise and cheeses until combined well.
5. Turn oven down to 375º .
6. Layer baked pie shell as follows: onions, tomato, basil, salt and pepper, mayonnaise-cheese mixture and spread evenly over the top.
7. Bake in center of oven for 30 to 40 minutes until golden brown on top. Cool at least 20 to 30 minutes or longer. Slice and serve, warm or at room temperature.

Notes

● Make sure to drain the tomatoes, extracting as much juice as possible.
● Grate the cheese yourself, it melts better. That said, prepackaged shredded cheese will work, too.
● Serve warm or at room temperature, make sure to let it cool at least 20 minutes or longer.

American Culinary Dominance

For any of you regular readers you already know that from time to time I have been critical of many of the foods and certainly outdoor grilling during the 1960s.  But this vintage magazine ad from 1958-59 (or thereabouts) is actually appealing to me.  So much so I am inclined to try it out  Although the missus is going to ask me to leave the mustard out of her burger.

Click on image to read the recipe

Anyway, the pitch is:  Burgers Aren't Burgers Without French's Mustard.  Versions of this ad appeared in Life and Look magazine  featuring the distinctive red, white and blue Pure Prepared Mustard jar pitching mustard as an essential cooking ingredient.  

Whether you enjoy a plain hamburger or a fancy cheese burger mustard is not just something to put on top of the meat - you can incorporate it in the meat to enhance your culinary experience.

There's a detailed recipe explaining the mixing of butter, bleu cheese (Roquefort) and French's mustard into the beef.  Branding highlights the light and lively flavor, specific  blend of spices and quality of mustard seed making this uniquely suited to your needs where other mustards are not up to the task.  It is simple enough to appeal to a home cook looking for an entertainment recipe.

If I try my hand a building a better vintage burger, you can expect that I will opt for Dijon paired with Roquefort and possibly Dusseldorf and Swiss.  What could I pair with pizza mozz? 

Fall Harvest Corn Chowder

I've heard that there are some people who surf the web to watch porn.  You know; stuff like sex videos.  And because my appetite leans towards food and less to carnal temptations I surf the web to watch food videos.  

Recently, I watched a Jacques Pépin tutorial on preparing a corn chowder.  I was intrigued by the ease he denuded a cob of it's kernels without sending them flying all over the kitchen for the dog to chase.  It's all about keeping your knife on both a horizontal level while at the same time a horizontal angle.  Who knew?  In any event, I found a New York Times recipe in my digital cooking index and short of sourcing some fresh sweet corn I had everything else on hand including some extras.  Sunday morning I fetched a half-dozen beautiful ears of sweet corn from Wienke's Market over on County S.  Besides, Packer Football is always better at halftime over a bowl of soup; notwithstanding a loss to the Vikings.

Individualizing a chowder or soup is a simple matter; consequently I incorporated chopped celery (including the tops) in lieu of parsley along with a cup of locally-sourced chopped oyster mushrooms I had on hand.  And smoked bacon.  Why, you ask?  Because I always have Marchant's bacon in the freezer in the event of an emergency.  Make it your own!_________________________________________________________________  

Basic Corn Chowder

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By Mark Bittman  Updated July 2, 2024

Total Time 30 minutes    Yield  4 servings

This is chowder at its simplest: corn, onion, potatoes and milk, with a couple of chopped
tomatoes and a handful of parsley to add flavor and color. Starting with bacon and finishing with cream makes a richer version of the dish. But you could easily expand its borders by adding curry powder and ginger, sour cream and cilantro. Or when the potato is replaced by rice and the cream with coconut milk, Southeast Asian seasonings can be added to make a chowder that has little in common with the original, save for its intense corn flavor.

Ingredients

● 4 to 6 ears of corn
● 1 tablespoon butter or neutral oil, like canola or grapeseed
● 1 medium onion, chopped
● 2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
● Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
● 2 tomatoes, cored, seeded and chopped (optional)
● 1 cup whole or low-fat milk
● ½ cup chopped parsley (optional)

Preparation

1. Shuck corn, and use a paring knife to strip kernels into a bowl. Put cobs in a pot with 4
cups water; bring to a boil, cover and simmer while you continue.  The corn water constitutes your stock.

2. Put butter or oil, I had residual bacon drippings (hubba hubba) in a saucepan, and turn heat to medium-high. When butter melts or oil is hot, add onion and potatoes, along with a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion softens, about 5 minutes; add tomatoes and cook, stirring, for another minute or two.

3. After corncobs have cooked at least 45 minutes, strain liquid into onion-potato mixture;
bring to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer. When potatoes are tender, add corn kernels
and milk, and heat through. Taste, and adjust seasonings. Garnish with the parsley, and
serve.

Pro Tip

I added the oyster mushrooms along with some flour to make a roux at Step 1, the celery at Step 3 along with crispy chopped bacon bits as a garnish before serving.  

For a South Asian flair try curried corn chowder:  In Step 2, use oil, and add 1 tablespoon each curry powder and peeled and minced ginger to the onions. In Step 3, use sour cream in place of milk; garnish with cilantro in place of parsley.  Make it your own!

American Culinary Dominance

The advertisement below dates back to 1964.

This was a time when home freezer ownership was becoming commonplace.  At least it was in our household.  I clearly remember the big, upright Sears Frost Free Coldspot  freezer prominently ensconced next to the ancient beer fridge in the basement laundry room.  

That freezer was a godsend as it allowed mom to freeze seasonal fruit, berries, homemade applesauce and her delicious baked goods.  We'd stock-up on bakery from the day-old bread store and all manner of grocery sale items that could stand freezing found their way there.  Amazingly, that freezer was still running when I bought my first house in 1984 and it was moved into my basement laundry room where it delivered years of maintenance-free service before the power company offered me a $100 savings bond to haul it away. 

Anyway, back in the mid 1960s the market for TV dinners and convenience foods, including frozen pizzas, was expanding and naturally, Chef Boy-Ar-Dee dipped their toe in the market.

Ironically, I have no memory of a frozen pizza served our household; although we could get carryout from a local pizzeria on rare celebratory occasions.  Chef Boy-Ar-Dee was a major player in the convenience meal niche and having dominated the boxed pizza kit sector the Chef brought to market a premade frozen pizza.  Simple cheese or sausage and cheese. 

Clearly the advertising is targeted to teenagers and their parents touting the frozen pizza as the ultimate party-perfect food; freezer to table in minutes.

Notably, this was the peak of Chef Boy-Ar-Dee as an independent company.  In 1966 the brand was acquired by American Home Products; a national leader in convenience food offerings.

I have to say, the pizza pictured is not very appealing.  There, again, frozen pizzas were a novelty in 1964; and after sixty years of culinary evolution they now command their own territory in the frozen foods section of a grocery to accommodate the selection.  That's impressive progress for sure. 

I should add that I have admittedly become a pizza snob; and make my own sourdough pizza and bread dough.  I make pizza sauce made from San Marzano tomatoes grown - not in the rich volcanic soils in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius - but in marginal Door County soil in the shadow of Brussels Hill.  

And I'm rather adept at it. 

 

 

Kermis

Kermesse, or kermis, or kirmess, is a Dutch language term derived from 'kerk' (church) and 'mis' (mass) that became incorporated in French and English. Its origins are originally associated with the mass said on the anniversary of the founding of a church (or the parish) and in honor of the Patron Saint.  Such religious celebrations were regularly held in the Low Countries, in Central Europe and also in Northern France, and were accompanied by feasting, dancing, drinking and sports. 

The Dutch-American Village of Little Chute, Wisconsin, has celebrated Kermis annually since 1981 with a street festival. The Wallonian settlements in Door and Kewaunee Counties have celebrated Kermis with traditional Belgian dishes and events for as long as anyone can remember.  

Traditionally, Kermis around here stretched over several calendar weeks as each small settlement - Namur, Brussels, Rosiere, Little Sturgeon, Forestville, Lincoln, Duvall and Casco celebrated the harvest and the life-giving bounty of food. 

The 2026 Belgian Kermiss Festival took place Sunday at the Belgian Heritage Center in Namur.  This historic harvest festival dates all the way back to 1858.  This event serves as the center's largest annual fundraiser; plus it's a terrific way to get your Booyah fix. 

 

The historic church, school and convent serve as the repository preserving the history and culture of the largest Walloon Belgian settlement in the United States.

 

 

Anyway, there were demonstrations featuring old school mechanized farm machinery powered by early gasoline engines. Cool stuff. 

 

 

 

But this caught my attention. 

 

Driven by the power takeoff on a modern Deere tractor this is technically a diesel-powered ice cream maker. 

 

 

Rib Fest Reunion - The Cousins

One of the notable features of Rib Fest is the cousins.  Lots of cousins.  Therefore, a word about the cousins.

Here's your family tree lesson of the day.

And I'm putting it here insofar as I always have difficulty remembering how this works.

Your first cousin is the child of an aunt or uncle.  These are first cousins.

The child of your first cousin is you first cousin - once removed. Removed indicates a difference in generation. 

The child of your first cousin once removed (who is your first cousin's child) is your second cousin.

 

Keep that straight as there will be a test later.

These are first cousins once removed and small second cousins.

 

Meanwhile it's been heartening to see the successive generations grow and prosper.

Oh, and by the way, ribs prepared three ways....

 

Because, you know it's Rib Fest....

Rib Fest Reunion - The Giant Fish Fry

Growing-up the cousins on both sides of the family were pretty close.  My dad's brother and his tribe lived at the opposite end of the block.

 

Anyway, the cousins on my mom's side of the family have been consistent in helping to maintain many of the family traditions; including getting-together over the Christmas holiday and hosting a summer gathering.

 

Sun, surf and cousins reconnected for another Annual Rib Fest celebration on Legend Lake in Keshena, Wisconsin.

 

 

 

I dodge the rib event nowadays and orchestrate the Big Friday Family Fish Fry mostly because it’s so difficult to squeeze a large group into a supper club or local watering hole for Friday fish. And because I like cooking for a group. 

 

 

So I take the fry on the road. 

  

 

I recommend outdoor cooking, sparing the kitchen, and taking it under the upper deck on account of rain.

  

And a frosty Hamm’s.

 

From The Land Of Sky Blue Waters…..

 

How To Throw A Fish Fry

 

The kids live on the Gulf of Mexico and do not generally have an opportunity for a traditional Wisconsin fish fry. Consequently, daughter asked. 

 

 

 

From the frozen fish section of one of the basement freezers i found a package of wild-caught, personally-cleaned, walleye and perch fillets. 

 

Having done this countless times on fishing trips, deer camp and annual family get-togethers, I recommend you move your fish fry outdoors if conditions allow. You can do all your prep beforehand and since everything but the coleslaw is fried once your oil is at temp everything comes together in about 15 minutes. 

 

 

And your kitchen will not be trashed. 

 

 

Raising a toast to deep-fried deliciousness. 

 

 

 

Pretty good chow if you can get it….

Garden To Table

I collected seven harvests of spinach from one of my raised garden beds already.  We love fresh spinach.  Yesterday I resowed one of the two rows.  My second sowing of radishes is poised for picking and last evening we had fresh garden lettuce on grilled burgers.  Everything else is coming along nicely.

 

Anyway, I made a loaded quiche recently with onion, bacon, Gruyère and garden spinach along with a rich egg and cream custard. 

 

Pretty good chow. 

 

The secret is the crust. It is made with lard….

 

 

Leftovers

Periodically we like a good pork chop; typically bone-in for flavor.  Although a boneless loin chop works too as long as all your chops are cut thick so as to have a nice pink, juicy center.  Not like the thin chops of my youth which always seemed to be cooked to the consistency of army boots.  Anyway, grilling season is upon us and I found myself with a leftover loin chop recently along with enough leftover brown rice and frozen veggies to whip-up a batch of pork fried rice.

 

Easy directions if you follow the pics: 

 

Cooking with flame, a nonstick Calphalon wok, some olive oil and the pork along with sliced scallions (green tops reserved). 

 

Add the leftover rice and veggies and continue frying giving a stir and a flip every coupla minutes

  

When it's got some nice crispiness to it add in a couple of locally-sourced eggs and scramble

 

 

Finish with a couple splashes of Thai fish sauce for umami and serve-it-up in a bowl and garnish with sliced green scallions tops

 

Pretty good chow if you can get it

 

Pro Tip:  Since it is grilling season if you're smoking BBQ ribs now you have a way to repurpose any leftovers. 

Taco Tuesday

For any of you deer hunters out there consider donating an extra deer or three to Wisconsin’s Hunt For The Hungry program.  Since 2000, hunters have donated over 100,000 deer, yielding more than 4 million pounds of wholesome meat for families facing food insecurity.

Venison burger is the foundation of everything from chili, to sloppy joes, to spaghetti sauce.  In our household tacos are a crowd-pleaser.   We dine on deer weekly. 

Clockwise from 12 o'clock:  traditional frijoles, chips, crumbled cotija queso, soft taco, homemade guacamole topped with lettuce, tomato and sweet onion.

Forgot a dollop of sour cream on top of the guacamole salad.  Nuts!

Anyway, pretty good chow if you can get it….