“Classic American Food Without Fuss,” by Frances McCullough and Barbara Witt, has the subtitle “Our favorite recipes made easy...finally.” And, on an inside page is a quote: “A good cook knows when to leave well enough alone.” So, all that being said, I expected this to be a book of same old everyday recipes. I was surprised to see what the authors consider classic American. Our food culture has embraced ethnic dishes to such an extent they are now seen as American cuisine. What fun for the “foodies” among us! Chicken With 40 Cloves of Garlic (From France)
12 chicken thighs 3 large heads of fresh garlic, separated into cloves, but unpeeled 1 sprig of fresh parsley, chopped 1 teaspoon herbes de Provence 1/4 cup olive oil Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Arrange the chicken thighs in a Dutch oven and salt and pepper them. In a bowl, mix the remaining ingredients and spoon over the chicken. Tightly seal the pot with a sheet of heavy foil so the garlic won’t burn, cover with the pot lid and bake for 1 1/4 hours. Serve with toasted French bread, smearing the roasted garlic on it. The garlic will squeeze right out of its skin. Mashed potatoes are perfect with this. Pastitsio (From Greece)
1 pound pastitsio noodles or elbow macaroni or ziti 2 tablespoons butter 1/2 cup freshly ground Parmesan cheese 6 tablespoons butter 1/2 cup flour 3 cups milk, heated 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 2 large eggs, lightly beaten 1 recipe Moussaka meat sauce (see recipe below) 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 large onion, chopped 3 cloves fresh garlic, minced 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice 1 1/2 pound ground lamb or beef 1 cup good quality canned tomato sauce 1/2 cup dry red wine (optional) 2 tablespoons tomato paste 1/4 cup chopped parsley Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste Heat the olive oil in a large skillet and sauté the onion and garlic until they soften. Add the seasonings and the meat and break up the lumps with a wooden spoon. When no red remains in the meat, add the rest of the ingredients and simmer the sauce over medium-low heat for 15-20 minutes. Taste for seasoning and correct if necessary.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, about 10-12 minutes. Drain well and butter the noodles. Butter a 9 by 13-inch lasagna pan and put half the noodles on the bottom. Salt and pepper to taste and dust with half the Parmesan cheese. Cover with the meat sauce and add another layer of noodles. Make a white sauce with the butter, milk and flour. Stir in the nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste. Stir until the sauce thickens. Add a little of the sauce into the beaten eggs, stir and return it to the rest of the sauce. Cover the dish of pasta and meat sauce with the white sauce. Bake for 50 minutes, until the top is set and golden brown. Cut into squares to serve. The desserts in this cookbook are pretty typically American. Things such as Mississippi mud cake, fruit cobbler, berry slump and gingerbread are always good ways to add a bit of sweetness to the end of a meal. We are truly more and more a melting pot society every year and so much the better for it as we put new and exciting dishes on the table that then become classics.
And...that’s all she wrote.
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