Recipes from
The Casa Alma Cookbook
and Beyond!
We eat Corn Bread with a lot of dishes at Casa Alma. It’s a must with Alma’s Corned Beef &
Cabbage, and with Joe’s New Year’s Black-eyed Peas. We usually make a double batch of the following recipe in a
14-inch cast iron skillet, since many family members like a slice, slathered
with butter and swimming in syrup, for dessert. And Joe likes it crumbled into a tall glass, then filled with
“sweet milk”, as a cold breakfast cereal.
A double batch is necessary for Joe’s Corn Bread Dressing recipe.
Joe’s Texas Corn Bread
1 c corn meal ½ tsp salt
1 c flour 2 extra large eggs
2 tsp baking powder 3/4 c milk
1/3
c shortening
Preheat oven to 425ºF.
In a mixing bowl, blend all dry ingredients together with a fork. Beat the eggs lightly in a separate bowl,
add the milk, then beat to combine. Add
to the dry ingredients, and stir until all dry ingredients are moistened.
Melt the shortening in a 10-inch heavy cast iron skillet over medium
heat. Pour all but about 1 Tblsp of the
melted shortening into the batter, and stir to combine. Return skillet to medium high heat, and when
fat is hot, sprinkle in a little corn meal over the bottom of the skillet. Pour in the batter, pouring in the center of
the skillet. Place in the preheated
oven, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until top is golden brown.
The corn bread should slide out of the skillet onto a serving
plate. If not, cut it in quarters and
lift out with a spatula. Cut in
pie-shaped wedges, and serve hot if possible, or at least warm.
Buttermilk
Corn Bread: Add 1/8 tsp baking soda to
the dry ingredients, and replace the 3/4 cup sweet milk with 1 cup
buttermilk.
While we’re emphasizing the versatility of Corn Bread, we might as well
move to Thanksgiving, and Joe’s recipe for Texas Corn Bread Dressing. This is a dressing, i.e., a casserole side
dish, and not a stuffing for the turkey.
Alma stuffs the turkey with her version of Minnesota Bread Stuffing,
while Joe makes the Corn Bread Dressing on the side, using the bag of giblets
from the turkey. Alma always makes more
stuffing than we can get into the bird, and cooks the balance in a casserole,
as a Bread Dressing. We mix it with the
super moist stuffing from the turkey when it comes out of the oven, and thus
have a side dish of the traditional American wheat bread dressing and a side
dish of corn bread dressing on the table.
People take a portion of each, and smother both with turkey gravy.
Joe’s Corn Bread Dressing
Turkey giblets ½ c pecans, chopped
3 c water 2 tsp poultry
seasoning
1 tsp chicken stock base 2 tsp sage
2 recipes of corn bread ½ tsp cayenne
2 Tbl sausage drippings ½ tsp black pepper
½ medium onion, chopped 2 extra large eggs
½ c chopped celery 2 hard boiled eggs
Rinse the giblets, reserve the liver, and place the neck, heart, and
gizzard in a pot with the 3 C water and 1 tsp chicken stock base. Cover, and bring to a good simmer over
medium high heat, reduce heat, and simmer until meat on the neck is done. Add the liver, and simmer 5 minutes
longer. Set aside to cool.
Bake the double batch of Corn Bread, and turn out on a rack to cool.
When giblets are cool, reserve the broth, and cut the meat off the neck
with a boning knife. Trim the gristle
off the gizzard. Fine chop the neck
meat, heart, gizzard, and liver, and reserve.
Crumble the corn bread in a large mixing bowl. Heat the sausage drippings in a small
skillet, and sauté the onion and celery, stirring, until the onion is
transparent and limp. Add to the
cornbread. Add the chopped giblets and
pecans, with enough broth to barely moisten.
Sprinkle the poultry seasoning, sage, cayenne, and black pepper evenly
over all. Stir to distribute the
ingredients uniformly in the corn bread.
Slightly beat the 2 eggs, and add to the dressing with more broth,
stirring, until dressing is moist and sticks together well. Coarse chop the 2 boiled eggs, and lightly
fold into the dressing.
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Bake in
a greased casserole dish until a light brown crust forms on the edges, about 40
to 45 minutes. Let stand about 10
minutes before serving.
Foolproof Mashed Potatoes
Probably one of the easiest of side dishes, and
unfortunately the easiest to mess up! Here's how we avoid some of the standard
pitfalls to make the smoothest of mashed potatoes, ever. And, I have included
some variations, as well.
4 lbs
Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into uniform chunks
6
quarts cold water
1 tsp
salt
4 Tbl unsalted butter,
melted
1/3 c
heavy cream, more or less, heated
ground
white pepper and salt, to taste
Place the peeled potatoes into a large enough
stockpot to hold all of the potatoes and still leave about 3 inches of space
from the top of the pot when covered with water. Bring to a boil over a
medium/high flame, uncovered, and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, or until potatoes
are very tender when pierced with a fork. Carefully drain all of the water from
the pot and return the pot to a low flame. Shake the pot vigorously to help dry
the potatoes - about 5 minutes - but do not burn. Remove the pot from the flame
and mash the potatoes lightly. Heavy mashing could make for stiff potatoes. Add
the melted butter and heated cream and stir them into the potatoes. Continue to
mash gently, while seasoning with ground white pepper and salt. Taste and
adjust for seasonings. Serve immediately!
Sour Cream Variation:
After mashing the potatoes lightly when they come
fresh off the burner stir in 1/3 cup sour cream, then season with salt and
ground white pepper, and continue to mash until creamy.
Garlic Mashed Variation:
While bringing the potatoes up to a boil add 4 to 5
whole, peeled garlic cloves directly into the pot. As the water boils the
garlic will infuse into the potatoes. Then, after draining the water, and
drying the potatoes on the burner you can choose to remove the garlic cloves
from the potatoes before you mash, for a light garlic flavor. Or, you may
choose to leave the garlic in the potatoes while you mash for a more intense
garlic flavor.
Sweet Potatoes
with Marshmallows and Pecans
Another
Sheppard Family classic, yet never written down until now!
4
to 5 sweet potatoes, (about 4 lbs.)
2
Tbl unsweetened butter, melted
¼ c
brown sugar or maple syrup
1 c
mini marshmallows
½ c
raw pecans, chopped
½
tsp ground nutmeg
¼
tsp ground cloves
Pre-heat
the oven to 375°F and move the rack to the center position. Line a baking sheet
with aluminum foil and spray it with no-stick. Make several slits in the skin
and place them on the sheet and into the oven. Roast the potatoes for 1 to 1½
or until fork tender. Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature.
Cut the potatoes in half and scoop them out into a large bowl. Add the butter,
sugar, (or syrup,) nutmeg and cloves – stir well to combine. Spray the bottom
and sides of a 2-quart round casserole and scrape the sweet potato mixture into
the prepared casserole. At this point you can cover the dish and refrigerate it
until ready to reheat the day of the meal. To finish the dish, preheat the oven
to 350°F and move the rack to the center position. Sprinkle the top with
chopped nuts and marshmallows and bake uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes or until
heated and nicely browned on top. Cool for 10 minutes and serve. Makes 8, ½ cup
servings. ENJOY!
Braised Parsnips &
Carrots in Cider
I based this recipe on one
that appears in my Mom and Dad's family cookbook, "The Casa Alma
Cookbook". I substituted the ½ cup orange juice with ½ cup hard cider. I
think they can forgive me!
6 carrots
6 parsnips
2 Tbl honey
1½ Tbl butter, melted
½ c hard cider
1 orange, zest and juice
Butter or non-stick spray a 2-qt covered casserole. Peel the carrots and parsnips with a potato
peeler, and cut off the ends. Cut into
1½” long pieces on the diagonal. If the
tops are much larger in diameter than the bottoms cut them in half
lengthwise. Put carrots and parsnips in
casserole, and add all other ingredients. Cover casserole and place in a 350ºF
oven. Remove after 10 minutes and toss
vegetables to evenly coat with the sauce.
Return to oven, covered, and cook for 30 to 45 minutes, or until carrots
and parsnips are tender but not mushy.
Toss again in sauce before serving.
Cook's
Note: The 350ºF temperature is not critical for braising these vegetables, so
if you are cooking them in the same oven with something else at a different
temperature, just watch the vegetables for doneness. ENJOY! PS
Fresh Cranberry Sauce
For those of you, like me, who cannot stand the
cranberry sauce from a can - in all of its metallic wonder - here is another
Sheppard classic that would not be missing from the Thanksgiving table!
1 bag fresh cranberries
water, to cover
1/4 c sugar, or honey
3 Tbl fresh squeezed orange juice
2 tsp grated orange peel
pinch of salt
Rinse the berries in a colander and pick over the
berries, removing any bad ones and stems. Place them into a medium saucepan and
cover with water. Add the sugar, or honey, orange juice and salt and stir to
dissolve. Bring the berries slowly to a boil and simmer for 4 to 5 minutes, or
until the berries just start to break their skins. There is plenty of natural
pectin in cranberries so don't worry if the sauce is a little thin when hot. It
will naturally thicken as it cools. Cool the sauce and pour up into a
non-reactive glass, or ceramic bowl. Cover and place into the refrigerator to
chill for at least 4 hours. Serve on the side with roasted turkey. Makes about
2 1/2 cups of sauce.
Grandma Irene’s
Rutabagas and Apples
There
are few dishes that are absolute must haves on the Thanksgiving dinner than
rutabagas! A long time past my Grandma Irene was visiting from Minnesota and
saw rutabagas in the super market and brought some home to make for the dinner.
An instant convert, I championed rutabagas for the next few Thanksgivings. It
stuck! Here is a recipe for Rutabagas and Apples that comes straight from my
Grandmother to you!
Rutabagas and
Apples
3
cups rutabagas, peeled and cut into 2” chunks
1
cups Granny Smith’s apples, peeled and cut into chunks
4
Tbl unsalted butter
¼
tsp cracked pepper
1
/2 tsp salt
several
grinds fresh nutmeg
In the basket of a steamer pot place the rutabaga
chunks and steam for 30 to 35 minutes, or until nearly tender. Add the apple
chunks and steam for 15 minutes more. Place cooked rutabagas and apples into a
large flat bowl Add the butter and mash until nearly smooth. Stir in the
pepper, salt and nutmeg and scrape into a serving bowl. This dish can be made a
day ahead and reheated just before serving the turkey.
Pete’s Special
Corn Soufflé
This
is my standard go-to recipe for all backyard gatherings and is perfect for fall
parties, no just Thanksgiving! The amazing this is its simplicity, a real easy
dish that everyone just raves about!
2 “tubes” soda crackers, crushed
4 eggs, beaten lightly
½ c
milk
4
oz grated cheddar cheese
4
oz can diced green chiles
4
Tbl melted unsalted butter
2
Tbl flour
1
tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
paprika, as garnish
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees and move the rack to the
center of the oven. In a large bowl combine the corn, soda crackers, eggs,
milk, cheese, green chiles, butter, flour, baking powder, salt & pepper.
Mix together well. Spray a 2-quart casserole with no-stick and scrape the
batter into the dish. Sprinkle the top with paprika and bake for 50 minutes, or
until nicely browned and the sides are pulled away from the dish. Cool for 10
minutes before serving. More like a corn “pudding” this dish is best made ahead
and reheated just before serving the turkey.
Pete's Chunky Apple Pecan Dressing for Turkey or Pork
This is the dressing I served at the Bobby Flay Shop
Brew shoot and it was such a big hit I had to include it here. The main
difference between "dressing" and "stuffing" is simple.
Dressing is served as a side dish, separate from the bird; stuffing is actually
cooked inside the bird, then put on the side. It is my humble opinion that you
can never have enough of either of them at the Thanksgiving table!
2 loaves fresh, or day old,
French bread, cut into 1/2" chunks
2 Tbl
rubbed sage
1Tbl
dried basil
2 c low
sodium turkey broth, (from paste avail. at Smart & Final)
1 c
white wine or hard cider, (Riesling or Blackthorn cider)
2 Tbl
unsalted butter
2 Tbl
oil
2 c
peeled Granny Smith apples, cut into 1/2" chunks
2 c
celery, strings removed and cut into 1/2" chunks
2 c
white onions, peeled and chopped into 1/2" chunks
1 c
flat leaf, or Italian parsley, chopped or torn-up
juice
and zest of 2 sweet lemons
3/4 c
chopped raw pecans
salt
& pepper, to taste
Pre-heat the oven to 300°F. Arrange the cubed bread on baking sheets lined with
parchment paper and toast in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until very dry -
but not burnt! Set aside in a very large bowl to cool. Raise the oven
temperature to 325°F. In a large skillet over a medium/high flame
melt the butter and add the oil. Add the onions and celery and toss to coat,
sweating the veggies for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the apples and
toss to coat, sauté for 4 to 5 minutes until the onions and celery are almost
limp. Add the cooked apples and veggies to the dried bread and season with
sage, basil, salt, pepper and fresh parsley. Toss the mixture with your fingers
to incorporate well. In the same pan you fried the veggies in mix up the turkey
broth and heat along with the white wine, or cider, until it just barely
simmers. Pour the liquid into the bread/veggie mixture and toss with two wooden
spoons. Scrape the dressing into one large, or two smaller flat casserole
dishes, (9" x 13" x 2"), that have been sprayed with no-stick.
Season each casserole with a little more salt & pepper. Sprinkle the
chopped pecans evenly over both casseroles and cover with foil. Bake for 15
minutes, covered, then remove the foil and bake an additional 10 minutes to
brown the top. Serve with mashed potatoes and sliced turkey. Makes 8 cups of
dressing.
Country Pies and Other
Sweets
As you might expect, Joe’s favorite
pie is Texas Pecan Pie. It was also his
father’s favorite, and the one pie that his mother served most. It was also about the cheapest pie she could
make. Every fall, Joe’s family picked
up pecans that had fallen to the ground under the many pecan trees in Central
Texas where he grew up. The pecans were
shared with the owner of the property.
Such activity was called “picking on quarters”, or “picking on halves”,
depending on what fraction you had to give to the property owner and what
fraction you got to keep. The family
filled a 50-gallon milk can with unshelled pecans, which lasted until the next
fall. They had their own chickens, so
eggs were plentiful, and Joe’s mother, Freddie Barham Sheppard, used lots of
eggs in her pecan pie. The result was
more like a custard than the thin, syrupy pecan pies you typically find
served.
Joe’s mother
didn’t have a written recipe (we’re not sure she ever wrote a recipe down), but
Alma evidently got the right inspiration, because Joe considers Alma’s Texas
Pecan Pie as the best he has ever eaten.
Her recipe below makes two pie crusts, but only one pecan pie. To preserve our Minn-Tex heritage, Alma
usually makes a pumpkin pie at the same time with the second crust. If you want to go this route, take a can of
pumpkin pie mix, and follow the directions on the can. If you want to make two pecan pies, make two
batches of the filling below (and that means two separate batches; don’t try to divide
one double-batch between two pies). And
don’t try to cut the crust recipe in half; it just doesn’t work out.
Alma’s
Texas Pecan Pie
Crust: Filling:
3 c flour 4 eggs
1¼ c shortening ¾ c dark corn syrup
1 egg ¾
c dark brown sugar
5 Tbl cold water ¼ c melted butter
1 tsp vinegar 1 tsp vanilla extract
1¼
c pecan halves
To make the crust,
cut the shortening into the flour with a pastry blender to a crumb stage. In a separate bowl, beat the egg well, then
beat in the water and vinegar. Add to
the flour, and blend with a fork to just form a dough ball. Divide in half, and roll each half out on a
well-floured board to generously fit a 9” pie plate. Crimp the edges of the dough around the pie plate with your thumb
and finger. Line the bottom of the
crust with baking marbles to keep it from loosing its shape. Bake in a preheated 400ºF oven for 8
minutes.
This recipe makes
2 pie crusts. If you are making 2 pecan
pies, make two separate batches of the filling recipe. Otherwise, use the second pie crust for
another pie.
While the crusts
are baking, make the filling. In a
bowl, beat the eggs well, then beat in the syrup and sugar. Add the melted butter, vanilla extract, and
pecans, and stir to blend. Pour the
filling into the pre-baked crust.
Bake the pie in a
preheated 400ºF oven for 10 minutes, then lower the heat to 350ºF and bake for
20 to 25 minutes longer, until the pie is set.
Check it by pressing down on the pecans, which will float on the
top.
Pecan pie is best
at, or just above, room temperature. Do
not put in the refrigerator. Top with
whipped cream or ice cream, if you must.
Old fashion dishes seem more
appropriate in Battle Lake than in SoCal.
To make pie crusts with lard doesn’t raise an eyebrow. Of course, as noted earlier in this
cookbook, the health nut gurus have actually determined that lard is the most
healthful of the saturated fats, i.e., makes the healthiest pie crust. Alma’s lard pie crust recipe is given below
along with her favorite recipes for apple pie and pecan pie.
Alma’s Lard Pie Crust
3
c flour
1
large egg
1 c cold lard
5
Tbl cold water
1 tsp salt
1
tsp vinegar
1 Tbl sugar
Using
a food processor with the metal blade, pulse the flour, lard, salt
and
sugar until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
In separate bowl
beat
the egg, water and vinegar with a whisk, then add to the processor.
Pulse
until the mixture begins to form a ball of dough. Turn out onto a
lightly
floured board and form into two rounds.
Dough
may be rolled out immediately for use, or can be wrapped in
plastic
and stored up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator or indefinitely in
the
freezer. Allow to return to room
temperature before rolling out.
This
recipe makes enough for a 9” two-crust pie or 2 single crust pies.
Alma’s Apple Pie
6 Granny Smith apples 1 tsp cinnamon
1 c sugar* ¼
tsp nutmeg
2 Tbl flour 2 Tbl
butter
Peel
and core apples and slice thinly. Blend
sugar, flour and spices,
add
to apples and toss to coat. Put into a
9” pastry-lined pan, and
dot
with the butter. Arrange top crust and
crimp edges. Cut several
slits
in top crust for steam to escape.
Bake
in 400ºF oven for 50 minutes. *Note: If
less tart apples are used,
decrease
sugar to ¾ C.
We have already given a
recipe for Texas Pecan Pie in the Minn-Tex section, so we’ll just call this
Alma’s Pecan Pie. The pecan pie is an
endless variation of sugars, syrups, and eggs.
The problem is that almost any combination will make a tasty pie. This recipe makes a very good pie indeed,
and Alma says it is the neatest to make.
Use a single lard pie crust from above.
Alma’s Pecan Pie
3 large eggs ½ c butter, melted
¼ tsp salt 1 c dark corn syrup
¾ c sugar 1½ c pecan halves
Preheat
oven to 450ºF. Roll out and adjust
pastry in a 9” pie pan.
Cook
in the 450ºF oven for 5 minutes, and set aside to cool. Lower
the
oven to 425ºF.
Add
salt to eggs and beat until very light.
Beat in sugar a little at a
time. Stir in the melted butter, then the
syrup. Pour into the partially
baked
pie crust and arrange the pecan halves evenly on top.
Bake
for 10 minutes in the preheated 425ºF oven, reduce the
heat
to 325ºF, and bake for an additional 45 minutes.
Peter’s Pumpkin Cheesecake
I came up with the following recipe by accident one day when I went to
make the standard cheesecake recipe and was short on cream cheese. The answer?
Add a can of mashed pumpkin!
Crust:
1 c flour
2 egg yolks
1 c gingersnaps, pulverized
½ tsp vanilla extract
½ c powdered sugar
¼ lb cold butter
Grind
the gingersnaps in a food processor until very fine crumbs form. Sift the flour
and powdered sugar into a large bowl and combine with gingersnap crumbs. Separate the two eggs, reserving the
remaining whites for the filling. Make a well in the middle, and add the egg
yolks and vanilla. Cut the stick of
butter into chunks, and add to the mixture.
Mix the ingredients together with your fingers to form a dough. Press
evenly over the bottom and halfway up the sides of a spring form pan. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Filling:
8 oz cream cheese 5 eggs, separated
8 oz can pumpkin puree (plus 2 egg whites)
1½ c sugar 1 3/4
c sour cream
3 Tbl flour 1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
In
a large bowl, blend together the cream cheese, pumpkin puree, sugar, and flour.
Beat in the 5 egg yolks, vanilla, and pumpkin pie spice until smooth. Add the
sour cream and blend well. Pour the cream cheese/pumpkin mixture into a very
large bowl and clean the mixer bowl. Beat the 7 egg whites until just stiff,
and carefully fold into the cream cheese/pumpkin mixture with a large spatula.
Tap the side of the bowl to break up as many bubbles that form as
possible. Pour into the prepared crust
in the spring form pan smoothing the top. Garnish with a little ground
cinnamon.
Bake in a preheated 350ºF oven for 1½ hours with a
large, high-sided cookie sheet filled with hot water on the rack underneath the
cheesecake. The cake is done when it springs back to the touch in the center.
In the last 15 minutes of baking time turn off the heat and prop the door of
the oven open with a wooden spoon. Allow the cake to cool completely before
removing from the oven, about 30 to 40 minutes more. Continue to cool in the pan, on a wire rack, then refrigerate
overnight. Serve with whipped cream.
Here is a copy of my favorite beer bread recipe – I
have made tons of these loaves for the Maltose Falcons Home Brewing Society
over the years!
The Best Pumpkin Stout Bread
Recipe On The Planet!
INGREDIENTS:
3 c
plus 2 Tbl sugar
1 c
vegetable oil
3
eggs, beaten
2 c
mashed pumpkin
3 ½
cups all-purpose flour, sifted
2
tsp baking soda
2
tsp salt
1
tsp baking powder
1
Tbl pumpkin pie spice
1
tsp ground ginger
2/3
c stout beer
Spray
baker's "no-stick" into two 9"x5" loaf pans and preheat the
oven to 350ºF. Cream sugar and oil. Add eggs and mashed pumpkin and beat well.
Sift together flour, soda, salt, baking powder, and spices into a bowl.
Alternate flour mixture and stout into the sugar and egg mixture, beating well
after each addition. Pour into loaf pans and bake for 1 ½ hours, or until tops
are golden brown and spring back lightly to the touch. A skewer inserted into
the center should come out clean. Allow loaves to cool for 10 minutes before
removing from pans. Serve with lemon curd – YUM! ENJOY!
Have yourselves a great Turkey Day! Don't forget to party like a hamster...
NIBBLE! NIBBLE! NIBBLE! ALL DAY LONG!!
