Traditional American Recipes

Miss Isness

Miss Isness

Jedi Master
I participate in an association for cultural integration in Italy, that organizes dinners with different themes. They are having an Italian/American dinner in November, and are looking for good traditional American Recipes. Any suggestions?

Generally, Italians tend to think of American food as hamburgers and french fries, and they like to joke about the lack of culture. I've been here so long, I've forgotten or lost my American recipes. I'm thinking barbecued spare ribs, corn bread, chili and beans, devil's food cake......and would also be thrilled to learn about new specialties.

Your help is greatly appreciated.
 
Traditional American Recipes

Ingredients
3 pound trimmed beef brisket
1/4 pound bacon diced
1 pound white onions chopped
1 tablespoon ground cumin
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
4 large cloves garlic minced
1 can beef broth
28 ounce can plum tomatoes in puree
2 canned chipotle peppers
1 cup water

Directions
Cut beef into 1/2 inch cubes.
In a Dutch ovenover medium heat cook bacon until crisp then remove and reserve.
Remove all but 1 tablespoon drippings and reserve.
Over high heat saute beef in batches adding drippings as needed then remove to bowl.
Over medium heat saute onions in any remaining drippings until well browned.
Meanwhile heat skillet over medium heat then add cumin and cook 1 minute.
Stir in chili powder, paprika, oregano, pepper, salt, thyme, and cinnamon.
Stir seasoning and garlic into onions and sauté 1 minute.
Stir in bacon, broth, tomatoes, chilies and beef breaking up tomatoes with spoon.
Heat chili to boiling then reduce heat.
Cover partially and simmer gently for 3 hours.


Hi Ms. Isness,
I am participating in a chili cook off this month and this is the recipe I will be using--I hope it is helpful to you.
 
Traditional American Recipes

I almost forgot---The Waldorf Astoria Salad is one of my all time favorites and is an American classic. This recipe is for two, but you can adjust your amounts to accomodate more guests.

1/2 cup chopped, slightly toasted walnuts
1/2 cup celery, thinly sliced
1/2 cup red seedless grapes, sliced (or a 1/4 cup of raisins)
1 sweet apple, cored and chopped
3 Tbsp mayonnaise
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
Salt
Pepper
Lettuce

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise (or yogurt) and the lemon juice. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of fresh ground pepper. Mix in the apple, celery, grapes, and walnuts. Serve on a bed of fresh lettuce.

Serves 2.
 
Traditional American Recipes

Thanks so much seeker 1313! Just a couple of things - what's beef brisket, chipotle peppers, and dutch oven? (excuse my ignorance)
 
Traditional American Recipes

HI Ms. Isness,

Beef brisket is the cut of meat from the breast area--the key to cooking a delicious and tender brisket is to cook it over a low heat for a long period of time. Example when I prepare one I wrap it in foil, put it in my pan, turn the oven to 325 and cook for bout 5 hours--this would be for about 4-5 pounds.
A dutch oven is nothing more than a large pot with a lid.
[chee-POT-tleh] peppers are smoked jalapeno chili peppers and are also known as chili ahumado. These chilies are usually a dull tan to coffee color and measure approximately 2 to 4 inches in length and about an inch wide. As much as one fifth of the Mexican jalapeno crop is processed into chipotles.
I am in Texas so Peppers of all kinds are in abundance here-- so am not sure if if your have jalapenos or chipotles available to you---but they are hot and add flavor to many foods---- I myself cannot eat them directly because I break out, but I can eat foods flavored with them.
I hope this helps you.
 
Traditional American Recipes

I was going to give you my Okie chili recipe, but it is so close to Seeker 1313's that I don't think that I'll confuse the issue with it. One item that I think makes a big difference is using a sauce from tomatoes straight from my garden, but I have found a good off-season substitute in an Italian sauce from the German chain stores, Lidl, here in France. The brand is Campo Largo tomato puree. It makes a wonderful authentic Yank chili... and it is cheap. It is packaged in Italy in 500g boxes.

A Dutch oven is not a necessary component for chili. Any heavy pan of adequate size for the quantity that you are making will suffice. It should be deep enough to allow a little extra "splash" height, as chili, when simmering and becoming the proper density (you don't want it watery, but with a some body), will create thick bubbles which can decorate the surrounding area when they pop. A deep pot is recommended, with a screen splatter shield on top.

The beauty of chili is the versatility of ingredients that can be used. I have had buffalo, venison and even rattlesnake chili. Don't feel overly concerned about exacting meat demands. One friend of mine makes an excellent chili with a combination of ground pork and beef. Your butcher can coarse grind some good lean cuts of beef which will work well, if you don't want to cube the meat.

I have a good crop of jalapeño and habanero peppers in the garden this year, but they are hard (impossible?) to find in the stores over here. I discovered that the little dried whole cayenne peppers grown in Spain and sold in the groceries all over Europe will add all of the heat you are likely to need for a good southwestern US chili. I add them whole to the simmering stage and then remove them before serving. I used to dice them up and add them, but they really generate the excess heat when the seeds are loose in the brew. Eeyow! I've little doubt that there are many varieties of peppers grown in Italy that would work fine.

Seeker 1313 adds two ingredients that I have never seen before in a chili recipe; cinnamon and cloves. Hmmm... I might try that on the next batch, but I remain skeptical about those two ingredients. I also use bay (laurel) leaves (2 or 3) instead of thyme. A liberal splash of tequila, when the ingredients are initially combined, is an essential component in my chili, too.

The only REAL essentials for authentic southwestern chili are: meat (preferably identified, but not mandatory), bacon drippings, chili powder, cumin, salt, garlic and onion. Everything else is a tribute to the creative spirit of the chef. Chili, like many of the favorites of southern cooking, are dishes that were developed by poor folks, to make cheaper and less tender cuts of meat tasty.

About American culture:

“American society is the only one which has passed directly from barbarism into decadence without once knowing civilization.”

~ Unknown Frenchman quoted by Douglas Reed in Far and Wide
 
Traditional American Recipes

KENTUCKY BREAKFAST

Well, this is my Favorite purely "American" meal. We call it Kentucky Breakfast because my Mom, who is from Kentucky, brought it out west with her. This is by far the best way to cook venison if the "gamey" taste bothers you. Now, if venison is not as available as it is up here in the the NW, you may use beef or pork--thin slices (1/4 inch) cut off a roast. Actually just about any kind of meat can be used--I've even heard of squirrel or possum!

Venison
Biscuits
Venison Gravy
Fried Apples

Make a batch of baking powder biscuits (use any recipe for BP Biscuits you like--or even Bisquick is you want a short cut!). Let them sit on the cooking sheet for a few minutes and preheat the oven:

Slice up about 3-4 apples with skins on (remove core). Put these in a hot pan to cook with about 2 tablespoons of butter. Stir these about every 4-5 minutes. They'll be done when the gravey is done.

Use small pieces or thin slices of venison. Dredge in salt and peppered flour. Fry in oiled skillet, hot at first then turn down heat, until well done. Remove from skillet--but don't clean or rinse skillet.

Put your biscuits in the oven.

Turn the heat back up for your skillet. Add a couple tablespoons of butter to This Same skillet and about a heaping tablespoon of flour (4 servings). Cook while stirring with whisk or fork until brown. Pour about 2 cups of cold milk--all at once--into skillet and whisk this until it just comes to a boil. Salt and pepper to taste. Don't worry, the lumps will dissolve. Turn down heat to simmer and let the gravey cook for about 5-10 minutes, add more milk or water if it gets to thick.


Serve and join each other in your arrival to heaven!

This type of food was a staple for the Appalachian region, and all over the west. This, as well as Cornbread and Beans!

PS; for more folk food ideas and grandma's biscuit bowl see this: http://p101.ezboard.com/Grandmas-Biscuit-Bowl/fthefletchergirlsfrm10.showMessage?topicID=1.topic
 
Traditional American Recipes

Yummy! Biscuits and gravy. I forgot about that. Can't say I've ever tried it with venison, but I bet it's good. I've never tried apples fried in butter either. Thanks for the recipe and the link, Kel.

And thanks for the chili pointers, Rabelais. I was wondering how all of you normally eat chili. I've always had it with beans, or like a soup with grated cheddar cheese on top. Any other suggestions?
 
Traditional American Recipes

Miss Isness, you are so welcome. Hope you enjoy and others too! I feel that we here in 3D need to at least get some of the "goody" out of this experience, and for me, great food is part of the "goody"--STS as it may be...at least if we share the goody with others, maybe it becomes somewhat STO.
-Kel
 
Traditional American Recipes

Miss Isness said:
Generally, Italians tend to think of American food as hamburgers and french fries, and they like to joke about the lack of culture.
Click to expand...
It is definitely the perception.
I have found out that Southern cooking is quite vast in its repertoire. We have so many great Southern cookbooks at home, that we sometimes can't decide what new recipe to try. We usually end up falling back on some favorites.
A good cornbread recipe is sure to be a winner.
 
Traditional American Recipes

So true, Italians hate every kind of food from abroad... expecially because when they flew abroad they can only afford to ate cheap meals and don't know how to find good recipes in local restaurants ;-) let's say also that usually they go to UK, as an example, and become horrified because spaghetti and pizza aren't like those the eat at home (this is quite silly, isn't it?)

So they go back in Italy and throw stones of wrath towards the food of others.

I have to say that after having flew abroad 10-12 times I can say that I love local recipes a lot, up to the point to start loving it! I'm with you Miss Isness on this one! :-)

One thing that I love above all it's the use of sauces, any kind, that came from US, MExico, UK, Spain and France, the few I know of - here in Italy we aren't really much on sauces, it's pretty much all raw food, butter and olive oil, so good ok, but quite boring to say the least... :-) (Here I'm not talking about the sauces we put into pasta i.e. spaghetti, maccheroni, fusilli and all that "first dishes".)

In the end, I'll appreciate very much any 'sauce recipe' here.
 
Traditional American Recipes

Reading this thread is making me hungry!

At work I occasionaly bring in what I call Sausage Balls. Many wanted the recipe at work, so I wrote it down, passed it around, and now will post it here. This is the same recipe I gave at work (untouched), and therefore contains food stuff brand names that can be bought here in the USofA. I hope the brand names can be translated into something available in your area. Man, Im hungry now...

Here's the recipe for those spicy sausage balls:

Ingredients:

1# bulk hot breakfast sausage (Bob Evans, JimmyDean).
8 oz. shredded/grated sharp/extra sharp cheddar cheese.
2 C. baking mix (Bisquick,Jiffy).
Assorted hot peppers, dried-ground, fresh-chopped, to taste.

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400. Break sausage apart and sprinkle/add hot peppers and knead together. Add cheese and baking mix and mix together. If mixture is too dry, o.k. to add water to bring texture to meatloaf-like consistancy.(When doubling I use about +/- 1C.) With wet hands, roll mixture into little balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake @20-25 min.

Enjoy!!
 
I haven't seen the infamous American grits yet. I always think of it as some fried "gritty", grainy hash brown sort of thing.

I know it's a porridge, don't think the "grit meal" can be bought outside the USA though.
 
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