Although most frequently served hot, the salad is good chilled as well.
Potato-Barley Soup
This hearty soup is based on a recipe in the Dallas Czech Club's book, Generation to Generation: Czech Foods, Customs, and Traditions, Texas-Style.
3 medium baking potatoes, peeled or unpeeled, chopped in bite-size chunks
½ cup pearl barley
1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh or 1 tablespoon dried dill
1½ teaspoons salt, or more, to taste
6 cups unsalted chicken stock
2 hard-boiled eggs, sieved or grated
¾ cup sour cream
Serves 6
In a stockpot, combine the potatoes, barley, onion, dill, salt, and chicken stock, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat, and simmer, covered, 50 minutes to 1 hour, until the potatoes and barley are both very tender. Pour in a little water if the mixture begins to dry out. It should be thick but still soupy. Remove the pot from the heat, and stir in the eggs and sour cream. Serve the soup hot.
* * *
Unlike this Tex-Czech specialty, many soups are too thin for Lone Star tastes. Arthur and Bobbie Coleman, in one of the best Texas cookbooks of recent decades, called their soup chapter "Crybaby Feed."
* * *
Candied Yams
A longtime star on Texas holiday tables, candied yams are often sugary enough to serve as a dessert. This version is sweet, but it is better balanced than some, leaving room for the potato to shine.
2
to
2½ pounds (about 3 medium) sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced ¼ to ⅓ inch thick
½ cup fresh orange juice
⅓ cup dark brown sugar
¼ cup unsalted butter
2
to
3 tablespoons sherry
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup chopped pecans, toasted
Marshmallows (we prefer the miniature kind)
Serves 6
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Grease a medium baking dish.
Place the sweet potato slices in a medium saucepan, and cover them with water. Bring the water to a boil, and cook the potatoes until they are just tender, about 15 minutes.
While the potatoes cook, combine the orange juice, brown sugar, butter, sherry, corn syrup, and salt in a small saucepan, and warm them over medium-low heat.
When the potatoes are tender, drain them. Layer half of them in the baking dish. Scatter about half the pecans over the potatoes, and, if you're inclined, toss in a few marshmallows, too. Pour half of the sauce over the potatoes. Top with the remaining potatoes and pecans. Scatter as many marshmallows as your sweet tooth allows, and drizzle with the remaining sauce.
Bake the yams, uncovered, 35 to 45 minutes, or until much of the sauce is absorbed and the potatoes and marshmallows have melded together in a white-capped sea of orange. Serve the yams warm.
Tequila-Tipsy Yams
We need a dose of candied yams occasionally, but these days we usually prefer this recipe, or the one that follows this one, as a holiday substitute.
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1¼ pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and grated
1½ tablespoons sugar
1½ tablespoons tequila
Juice of ½ medium lime
Salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste
Lime wedges, for garnish
Serves 4
Melt the butter in a 9- to 10-inch skillet or saucepan. Add the grated potatoes, patting them down with a spatula into a solid layer. Sprinkle the sugar over the potatoes, and cook, uncovered, for about 15 minutes over medium heat. Every few minutes, scrape the potatoes up from the bottom and then pat them back down firmly. The potatoes are ready when they are soft and a little translucent, though still holding their shredded shape, and the sugar has begun to caramelize.
Before removing the pan from the heat, pour in the tequila and lime juice, and sprinkle the potatoes with salt and pepper. Toss the ingredients one more time with the spatula, and turn the potatoes into a bowl. Serve the potatoes hot, with lime wedges.
* * *
George Washington Carver improved and popularized sweet potatoes in the early twentieth century. Before then, most Americans regarded them as second-rate fare. One Texas settler left the state in 1845, telling neighbors that "dry beef, black coffee, sweet potatoes, and other hard features of your country would ruin me." The best an 1891 Austin cookbook could offer on the spud was a recipe called "A Good Receipt for Poor Sweet Potatoes."
* * *
Sweet Potato, Pecan, and Bacon Compote
This recipe was inspired by a dish Dean Fearing developed at the Mansion on Turtle Creek as an accompaniment to molasses-marinated beef tenderloin. Our simpler compote doesn't require any sous-chefs and is equally good with a holiday ham or turkey.
4 slices slab bacon, chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ medium onion, chopped fine
½ pound mushrooms, preferably wild, sliced thin
¼ cup unsalted chicken stock
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons unsulphured dark molasses
½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
¼ teaspoon chile caribe or other crushed medium-hot red chile
Pinch of powdered ginger
Salt to taste
¾ pound (about 1 medium) sweet potato, peeled and diced in bite-size pieces
1 dozen pearl onions, blanched and peeled
½ cup Candied Pecans ([>])
Serves 4 to 6
In a large skillet, fry the bacon over medium heat until it is browned and crisp. With a slotted spoon, remove the bacon from the rendered drippings, drain it, and reserve it. Melt the butter in the drippings. Add the onion and the mushrooms, and sauté them over medium heat until they are softened, 2 or 3 minutes.
Add to the skillet the stock, vinegar, brown sugar, molasses, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, thyme, chile, ginger, and a touch of salt, and mix well. Stir in the sweet potatoes, and simmer over medium heat 2 or 3 minutes. Add the pearl onions, cover the pan, and continue to cook another 7 to 10 minutes, until both the potatoes and onions are tender. The dish can be made ahead to this point 1 hour in advance of your meal; if you do make it ahead, cover the pan at this point.
Uncover the pan, and cook another couple of minutes, stirring continually, until the sauce reduces to a glaze. Sprinkle in the pecans and the reserved bacon, and stir to mix them in. Taste, add a little more salt if you like, and serve.
Sweet Potato Hash Browns
These hash browns go as well with pork or venison as French fries do with a hamburger.
1 large sweet potato (about 1 pound), peeled and grated
⅓ medium onion, grated or minced
1 egg
¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
Salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste
Oil for frying, preferably canola or corn
Serves 4
In a medium bowl, mix together all the ingredients except the oil. Form the mixture into eight small patties. (This step can be done 1 hour or so ahead. Refrigerate the patties until you are ready to use them.)
Warm ⅛ inch of oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Place the patties in the skillet, frying in two batches if necessary. Fry the patties for 3 to 4 minutes or until they are browned and crispy. Drain the patties, and serve them hot.
* * *
In some parts of the country farmers used to grow black-eyed peas to feed cattle, calling the beans cowpeas. When Union troops in the Civil War burned Southern crops, according to some stories, they passed over pea fields because they couldn't imagine anyone eating the animal fodder. Makes you wonder how they won, with smarts li
ke that.
* * *
Ham-Stuffed Yams
If you like bacon in a baked potato, you'll love ham in a yam.
2 medium sweet potatoes
Oil, preferably canola or corn
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons prepared brown mustard
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon paprika, plus more for garnish
½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon salt
½
to
¾ cup warm milk
¾ cup minced ham, preferably well smoked, such as Hormel Cure 81
Serves 4
Preheat the oven to 375° F.
Scrub the potatoes well, prick them in several spots, and coat them with a light film of oil. Place them on a baking sheet, and bake them until they are very soft, 1¼ hours or more, depending on the size of the potatoes. Reduce the heat to 350° F.
Remove the potatoes from the oven, and let them cool a few minutes. Slice each one in half horizontally. Scoop out the potato from each skin, being careful not to scrape through the skin. Reserve the potato shells.
Mash the potatoes well with a potato masher or a ricer. Put the mashed potatoes in a medium bowl, and vigorously mix in the butter and sour cream. Add the mustard, brown sugar, paprika, thyme, and salt. Mix in the milk, about ¼ cup at a time, adding as much as the potatoes can absorb to become light but not soupy. Fold in the minced ham.
Spoon the potato filling back into the shells, mounding it up in the center. (The potatoes can be prepared to this point a few hours ahead and refrigerated.)
Transfer the potatoes to a small baking dish. Sprinkle each potato liberally with paprika. Bake the potatoes 15 minutes, or until they are heated through. (Allow an extra 5 to 10 minutes if your potatoes were refrigerated.) Serve the potatoes hot.
Chili Onion Rings
These are best with sweet onions such as Noondays or Texas 1015s, a variety named for its October planting date, but they work well with nippier onions, too.
3 large onions, preferably sweet (such as Texas 1015, Vidalia, or Walla Walla)
3
to
4 cups buttermilk
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons chili powder, preferably homemade ([>]) or Gebhardt's
1 teaspoon ground dried red chile, preferably New Mexican
1 teaspoon sugar, if you are not using sweet onions
Peanut oil, for deep frying
Serves 4
Cut the onions into ¼-inch slices. In a nonreactive dish, soak the onions in the buttermilk for 30 to 60 minutes. In a brown-paper sack, combine the flour, salt, chili powder, chile, and, if it is needed, sugar. Drain the onions, and dredge them in the seasoned flour.
Pour at least 4 inches of oil into a heavy saucepan at least twice that deep. Heat the oil to 375° F. If the oil smokes before reaching the correct temperature, it cannot be used for deep frying. Use only fresh, unused oil.
Fry the onions, in batches, about 2 to 3 minutes, or until they are golden. For the crispiest results, drain the onions on paper towels and spread them on a serving platter. Don't pile them into a basket, where they are likely to get soggy. Serve the onions immediately.
* * *
Texas 1015s are the state's best-known sweet onions. Some of the yellow beauties grow as large as grapefruit and are mild enough to munch like apples. Like other sweet onions, 1015s mature during the winter months, when shorter days inhibit the development of the acid that makes onions pungent. Most sweet onions are available only from April through June.
* * *
Onion Bread Pudding
A savory twist on a popular dessert, this bread pudding is particularly good with sweet onions.
1 tablespoon oil, preferably corn or canola
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
½ medium onion, preferably sweet (such as Texas 1015, Vidalia, or Walla Walla), chopped fine
1 garlic clove, minced
4 cups of bite-size pieces white or whole-wheat bread, lightly toasted
½ cup (2 ounces) grated sharp cheddar cheese
½ cup milk
¼ cup half-and-half
2 eggs
1 tablespoon minced parsley
Pinch of cayenne
Salt to taste
Serves 4 to 6
Preheat the oven to 350° Grease a baking dish.
Warm the oil and butter together in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, and cook them a couple of minutes, until they are softened. Spoon the onion and garlic into a bowl, and add the remaining ingredients, mixing well. The mixture should be very moist but not soupy. Pour it into the prepared dish. Bake the pudding 30 minutes, or until it is lightly browned and crusted on top. Serve it hot.
* * *
The East Texas town of Noonday prides itself on sweet onions that are as good as Texas 1015s, Vidalias, Mauis, and Walla Wallas. The residents celebrate the crop each June in a festival that features an "Onionhead" contest for babies and bald men and a tear-jerker storytelling competition, in which contestants try to make the judges cry by peeling an onion and telling a sad tale.
* * *
Popeye Noodles
German and Czech settlers, not Italians, introduced pasta in Texas. They began making Old World noodles as soon as flour became widely available in the state, in the mid-nineteenth century. The idea caught on quickly with the general population. In this dish noodles are paired with fresh spinach.
2 cups whole milk
2 cups egg noodles
¼ teaspoon salt, or more, to taste
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoons chopped onion
10
to
12 ounces fresh spinach, chopped
Generous grind of black pepper
Pinch of nutmeg
1 hard-boiled egg, grated or sliced, optional
Serves 4
Place the milk, noodles, salt, and butter in a large, heavy saucepan. Over low heat, cook the noodles in the milk, stirring occasionally, until they are softened and the milk has been almost completely absorbed. The noodles should be very soft and creamy in texture.
In a skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion, and cook it briefly until it is softened. Stir in the spinach, and cook it until all the leaves are wilted.
Mix the spinach into the noodles and heat through, sprinkling in the pepper and nutmeg at the end. The egg can be added at the table, but we think the dish is rich enough, and plenty tasty, without it.
Garlic-Cheese Grits
Coarse-ground dried hominy cooked up as a stiff porridge, grits can he bland by themselves. Texans usually liven up the dish, often in this way.
1 cup grits (see Technique Tip)
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ medium onion, minced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups (8 ounces) grated sharp cheddar cheese
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon paprika
¼
to
½ teaspoon Tabasco or other hot pepper sauce
Serves 4 to 6
Preheat the oven to 300° F. Grease a 9-by-11-inch baking pan.
In a large saucepan (grits will expand in volume during the cooking), bring 6 cups of water to a boil. Sprinkle in the salt and grits, a handful at a time, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook the grits about 25 minutes, until they are thickened and soft in texture. Stir the grits occasionally as they cook.
While the grits are cooking, melt the butter over medium heat in a small skillet. Add the onion and garlic, and cook them until they are well softened. Remove the skillet from the heat, and set it aside.
Take the grits off the heat. Stir in the onion-garlic mixture and the cheese, eggs, paprika, and Ta
basco. Pour the grits into the prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour, or until the grits are lightly firm and slightly browned.
Let the grits sit at room temperature for at least 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Serve them warm or at room temperature, cut into squares or wedges.
Variation: For spicier grits, use jalapeño jack cheese instead of sharp cheddar, or combine them half and half.
* * *
Technique Tip
Avoid "instant" grits, which are as phony as instant mashed potatoes. The 5-minute version called "quick" is acceptable (for this recipe, reduce the cooking time accordingly), but you get maximum flavor with the 30-minute variety.
* * *
Sour Cream-Chile Rice
In this robust rice dish, soothing sour cream offsets the heat of green chiles.
3 cups cooked rice
¾ cup sour cream
Texas Home Cooking Page 35