ATTN: All good Americans

[johnnytruant]

So, we've had loads of classic British recipes here, which got me thinking - how about some classic American food?

Properly baked beans are a wonderful dish I've just discovered, and an American friend I shared a house with for a while taught me the value of a nice thick pancake (or stack thereof) drenched in maple syrup and melted butter. But I'm mostly in the dark - albeit willing to experiment, and learn.

Any recipes and/or suggestions for stuff to google for would be much appreciated!

 

[Phog Allen]

Hi Johnny. I know it is considered the same thing as polenta to a certain extent but proper dishes made from corn meal work a treat with the palate. Corn bread alone has about a million different variations. Sweet cake like breads baked in a sandwich tin or 9x13 inch rectangular pan are a real favourite of my family. Then there are the slightly less sweet corn cakes from the Southern states. Corn cakes/patties fried in a cast iron skillet (bacon grease please) are a real artery hardening delicacy as well. I won't even attempt to approach the variations in corn meal colours or the Mexican/Latino Masa Harina types. Whatever you do, don't settle for Martha Gooch corn meal or any of that other rot. It is about as bland as paper board. Try to locate something like Hogdon's Mill or others specialty grinders. The scent alone when you open the bag is enough to tell you you have something different...and much better.

As for other dishes I am not a great help. Most of my family's cooking would remind you of something right out of your granny's kitchen. There is a huge influence of Mexican food here in the States and like Brit food, it can have a hundred different variations depending on who is giving you the "official" recipe. I don't think you would ever refer to it as fine dining. It is people's/peasant food of the first water. Rich, filling, and waist expanding if you do not go easy on it. Most of what we eat here is really a melding of something called Tex-Mex. Lots of beef mince, heavy on the chili powders, etc. From what I gathered living in California a number of years ago pork, chicken, and goat were the main ingredients in most everyday Mexican style food their parents/grandparents cooked. Think of burritos and similar as the equivalent of a Cornish pastie. Workaday food that takes a back seat to nothing in taste but would never grace the menu of a fancy Froggy restaurant.

And last but really most famous is bbq. I won't even get the argument started as to which region makes the best style but as long as you know it is Kansas City you are set to go. It matters not that there are actually two cities with that name. They sit right across the Missouri river from each other and the eating is as good on either side. You can get a wide variety of styles here but the most common is a heavily smoked, tangy rubbed rack of spare ribs or baby back ribs. The sauce should come AFTER the smoking and is usually a very rich molasses (treacle) and tomato based sauce with a mild tang. Sometimes it can get downright hot but that is not common. There are other regional variations to consider. Mustard based sauces. Vinegar based sauces, etc. I am sure you will get lots of takers on this since I have missed lots of regional dishes.

Regards, Todd

 

[Phog Allen]

Oh by the way, your friend was right to introduce you to the fluffy pancakes. Here is my recipe which was purloined from somewhere online.

1 Cup All Purpose Flour

1 Tbsp. Sugar

1 tsp. Baking Powder

1/2 tsp. Baking Soda

1/4 tsp. Salt

1 Large Egg

2-3 Tbsp. Oil (preferably something with little or no flavour like peanut or canola oil)

1 Cup Buttermilk

Pre heat a cast iron griddle or skillet to a good lower medium heat.

Whisk all the dry ingredients together and make a well in the center. Add the egg and oil to the center and lightly whisk or stir them together a bit avoiding working them into the flour mixture as much as possible. Add all the buttermilk at once then stir all the ingredients together till just mixed. DO NOT OVER MIX the batter. It will knock down some of the leavening of the baking powder and soda. I use a whisk to mix the ingredients but I am quite gentle with it. This usually makes a batter that is a bit thick. It will pour but not quickly. If your griddle is ready, spoon or ladle about a 1/4 -3/8 cup of the batter onto it. It should immediately sizzle just a bit and start to raise slightly. When large bubbles start to surface, it usually ready to turn. I like mine to be good golden to very light brown on the bottom before I turn it. You can burn a pancake in a hurry so watch the heat. No real trick to them once you have made them a time or two. Enjoy.

Regards, Todd

 

[Alacrity59]

Or instead of the oil use some bacon fat . . . not tasteless!

 

[auk1124]

Pinto beans, cooked with country ham in a slow cooker
Homemade kraut
Homemade pickled corn
Green onions
Sliced tomatoes
Corn bread
Banana pudding for dessert

Nothing better.

 

[doesnotcompute]

Oh how I miss a good barbecued trip tip

 

[DSFC]

A few distinctly American favorites......

-Brunswick stew. I grew up in Virginia, where it's a local favorite, but apparently Georgia has its own Brunswick stew. Don't know what they put in theirs, but the one I grew up eating has chicken, corn, lima beans and tomatoes. Brunswick stew

-Another thing I always loved as a Southern boy was biscuits and gravy. My favorite breakfast in the world was biscuits and gravy with a side of corned beef hash. biscuits and gravy

-Gumbo....now there are so many different recipes and variations to gumbo that I won't bother posting a recipe. I like chicken and sausage gumbo myself, but you can probably find a recipe to suit any taste.

-Grits ya-ya....this one is a favorite from an excellent local restaurant here on the Gulf Coast. Who knew grits could make such an inventive, delicious meal? grits ya ya

 

[blackfoot]

Give me a little time. I can add a few to this.

I do remember speaking to someone from Europe that noted Americans seem to love to put lots of cheese on everything.

 

[Follicle Genocide]

Sausage gravy and biscuits.

 

[DSFC]

my grandma would be upset with me for leaving this classic out - country ham with red-eye gravy! not for the faint of heart

 

[airplanedoc]

Another thing I always loved as a Southern boy was biscuits and gravy

I'm with you brother, but it has to have lots of sausage in the gravy.

 

[Uncle Erik]

Another vote for the classic biscuits and gravy. There are a number of biscuit recipies out there. Most work well as long as you use good flour. Nothing is better than when they are just a few minutes out of the oven. Sausage gravy made from a standard white sauce is the perfect compliment.

Try grits, as well. They're not that easy to find out west here, but available enough to make me happy. I prefer them with melted butter and brown sugar.

One of my co-workers is a Brit and she always takes cans of clam chowder back to her family. She said that it isn't easily available over there, which came as a surprise. If you don't have it around, look for a few recipes and give it a try. You can also make it with almost any variety of seafood, though. If you have access to fresh fish or shellfish, make a chowder with it. You can also make it with corn. I prefer the Boston variety of chowder, but there's also a Manhattan version that is more of a broth-based soup than creamy.

Try your hand at the classic hamburger, too. If you can grind your own beef, all the better. Same with baking the buns. If you can cook outside, grill the burgers. Be sure to grill the buns and onions lightly while you cook the burgers. Throw a few ears of corn onto the grill for 10-15 minutes while still in the husk. Add baked beans and you'll have a terrific meal.

Speaking of ground beef, try your hand at a traditional meatloaf. There are a number of recipes, but I usually combine ground beef with some oatmeal, a raw egg or two, and ketchup. Bake it in a foil lined pan and serve with mashed potatoes, gravy and a couple of vegetables. Meatloaf keeps nicely and makes a wonderful sandwich with mustard and mayonnaise.

Also if you have a grill, do some research into creating your own barbeque sauce. There are many versions and plenty of debate over the "correct" way to make one. Find one you like and barbecue beef or pork ribs with your homemade sauce.

For dessert, try a pumpkin or sweet potato pie. I don't know if you have much access to either, but they are classic desserts almost everyone loves.

You might also want to try making lemonade - wonderful when homemade and will go with burgers and barbeque nicely. You could also try an "Arnold Palmer" which is lemonade mixed 1:1 with iced tea. Iced tea and the traditional Southern sweet tea are also great choices.

 

[DSFC]

I hadn't included this one earlier because I had no idea if crawfish are available across the pond, but on a summer weekend nothing beats a nice crawfish boil and a cold beer. Another reason I love living on the Gulf Coast

 

[Phog Allen]

my grandma would be upset with me for leaving this classic out - country ham with red-eye gravy! not for the faint of heart

Now there's one I haven't had since I was a kid!

Regards, Todd

 

[KaiserKrebs]

Oh by the way, your friend was right to introduce you to the fluffy pancakes. Here is my recipe which was purloined from somewhere online.

1 Cup All Purpose Flour

1 Tbsp. Sugar

1 tsp. Baking Powder

1/2 tsp. Baking Soda

1/4 tsp. Salt

1 Large Egg

2-3 Tbsp. Oil (preferably something with little or no flavour like peanut or canola oil)

1 Cup Buttermilk

Pre heat a cast iron griddle or skillet to a good lower medium heat.

Whisk all the dry ingredients together and make a well in the center. Add the egg and oil to the center and lightly whisk or stir them together a bit avoiding working them into the flour mixture as much as possible. Add all the buttermilk at once then stir all the ingredients together till just mixed. DO NOT OVER MIX the batter. It will knock down some of the leavening of the baking powder and soda. I use a whisk to mix the ingredients but I am quite gentle with it. This usually makes a batter that is a bit thick. It will pour but not quickly. If your griddle is ready, spoon or ladle about a 1/4 -3/8 cup of the batter onto it. It should immediately sizzle just a bit and start to raise slightly. When large bubbles start to surface, it usually ready to turn. I like mine to be good golden to very light brown on the bottom before I turn it. You can burn a pancake in a hurry so watch the heat. No real trick to them once you have made them a time or two. Enjoy.

Regards, Todd

Seeing this reminded me of my Grandfather (mom's side)...he worked in the lumber camps of the pacific northwest in the 1930's. That is where he acquired the recipie for beer batter pancakes, apparently milk was often scarce so the cook would sacrifice a bottle of beer or two as the liquid component in the recipie. It sounds crazy but is absolutely delicious! The smell coming from the griddle is enough to make you want to go chop a few trees down. Having these always reminds me of family visits to Oregon, where he'd make them for us on Sunday morning's.

 

[Unknownsoldier]

In the same way as bangers and neeps and tatties caused confusion, some of the bits here confuse me:

Biscuits : Dumplings??

Crawfish : Crayfish??

If American Crayfish is the feature of a recipe, if you guys in the UK live down South, try Keston Ponds and other rivers, actually want you to remove the PItA, and I know guys who take bucket loads. Just use a small crayfish trap and then at night shine a broght light on the trap, it'll fill in no time.... free crayfish...

BTW, anyone here from Florida way, that knows the "Boggy Creak" Cafe??? it's out on the 'glades... Got to be the worst experience I've had, other than that most American food hasn't been too bad (Not thats it's been bad... unlike BC, it's just not been to my taste, American food has a different set of flavours to British food...), I remember eating one Christmas in a restaurant in Florida, the size of several football fields, absolutely stunning grub. Hmmmmm, Ribs.... Damon's Rib house sounds nice at the moment...

Tom

Tom

 

[moshulu]

Americans seem to love to put lots of cheese on everything.

Americans? cheese? uh... let's make that "cheese-like product".

 

[moshulu]

Oh by the way, your friend was right to introduce you to the fluffy pancakes. Here is my recipe which was purloined from somewhere online.

1 Cup All Purpose Flour

1 Tbsp. Sugar

1 tsp. Baking Powder

1/2 tsp. Baking Soda

1/4 tsp. Salt

1 Large Egg

2-3 Tbsp. Oil (preferably something with little or no flavour like peanut or canola oil)

1 Cup Buttermilk

...etc.

That's a good basic recipe, but I recommend beating the egg white separately and folding it into the batter just before cooking. Also, I substitute melted butter for oil.

 

[doesnotcompute]

In the same way as bangers and neeps and tatties caused confusion, some of the bits here confuse me:

Biscuits : Dumplings??

Crawfish : Crayfish??

Biscuits, translated to English = scones. Except they (Biscuits) are a bit lighter and I think have more butter in them. Sounds odd to us Brits, but really, biscuits and chicken or sausage and sausage gravy (much thicker than british gravy) are lovely.

Crawfish are also know as Crayfish, but are much bigger then the tiddlers you find in the UK. They're essentially small freshwater lobsters.

If American Crayfish is the feature of a recipe, if you guys in the UK live down South, try Keston Ponds and other rivers, actually want you to remove the PItA, and I know guys who take bucket loads. Just use a small crayfish trap and then at night shine a broght light on the trap, it'll fill in no time.... free crayfish...

If you mean the white claw crayfish which is native to the UK, I believe it is (or at least, was) a protected species, so while free, there is/was a risk level in catching these.

 

[Unknownsoldier]

Biscuits, translated to English = scones. Except they (Biscuits) are a bit lighter and I think have more butter in them. Sounds odd to us Brits, but really, biscuits and chicken or sausage and sausage gravy (much thicker than british gravy) are lovely.

Thanks for that.

If you mean the white claw crayfish which is native to the UK, I believe it is (or at least, was) a protected species, so while free, there is/was a risk level in catching these.

Nope, some complete pillock released Signal Crayfish (massive bl**dy things, and a PIA to us fishermen) into British waters and they are decimating our minute things......

Tom