Stuff it!
Just a (not so, it turns out) quick Thanksgiving eve note to wish all the hundreds,
well, dozens, okay, my few readers a happy day tomorrow. The hell with the turkey, it is what it is,
and we’ve discussed that anyway. Just
enjoy the company of friends, family, and special people. Take tomorrow and live it.
Also not to leave food alone, there was another food section
from the Washington Post (you can think what you want about their politics,
they do have a good food section). The
theme of the section was stuffings, a dish close to my heart. I think I mentioned that aside from the bird,
these “sides” are where you can express yourself. The article was written by Tim Carman, who is
my idol Tom Sietsema’s right hand man, and I would guess heir apparent. He is a bit more acerbic than Tom which of
course I like.
Anyway he addresses the subject of “dressings” from kind of
a (forgive me) anthropologic view. One
of the great things I really like about our country is regional cooking and its
variations. Like how BBQ sauce is so
different from Texas, Alabama, South Carolina, and with a nod to FOJTY, Kansas
City.
This is also evident in the case of the second most
important dish at the table (maybe the first -
Dessert excluded) the “South” pretty much refers to it as “dressing”
while the Northern states prefer call it “Stuffing”. I also learned that in Pennsylvania Dutch
country it is referred to as “filling”.
Further, that community bases most of their recipes on potatoes. Besides the name, ingredients reflect
regional preferences: Cajun style
dressings in Louisiana, Italian-style in New York and Jersey. New Englanders
rely on Bell’s Seasoning (thank God no Old Bay!!); Minnesota makes use of wild
rice, southwestern leans toward corn bread and Hatch chiles. As for preparation “in or out” is a
debate. As he sums up: “Some
call it stuffing and roast it inside the turkey (except when the don’t). Others call it dressing and bake it in a
casserole (except when they don’t)”.
If he has a point, it is that our dear friend loosely
referred to as “Social Media” is blurring the regional distinctions. Home cooks in Seattle have instant access to
recipes from Alabama, and vice versa. And with the other side of the blade,
ingredients are no more than a click and a day from your doorstep. You can make Oyster dressing/stuffing/filling
in Omaha if you wish. I’m not sure this
is a good thing.
He includes some “regional” recipes:
Charleston Rice Dressing (low country) with chicken livers
and pee-cans
Grandma Jerry’s stuffing (new jersey) with two kinds of
Italian sausage Pennsylvania Dutch – Style Potato Filling (Dutch country) -
mostly potatoes
Nana’s Andouille and Corn Bread Dressing (san Antonio) –
sausage and turkey giblets
West Coast Oyster Dressing (Olympia area) – west coast
oysters (which he found at Costco!) and sour
dough bread
And believe it or not from my native St. Louis’s Dierberg’s
School of Cooking in Chesterfield:
Theresa Lewis a manager there served her family……..wait for it….White Castle Dressing which was made
originally as sort of a culinary joke on a dare (having had a long personal
relationship with the late night sliders), but the family “loved it” and it’s been
a staple on their table ever since..
And so at least temporarily regional cuisine lives on reflecting
the rich diversity of this great country.
So enjoy your day tomorrow, convene around good food and
drink, and rejoice in those around you and remember those who aren’t. and depending on the group pick an appropriate way to
DFD.
and in the spirit of the season I will postpone a rant on car commercials
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