Mom Ollie's™ Gluten Free Chicken Noodle Soup

History:
Origin of Chicken: South East Asia (India) Global
Origin of Soup: Global
Time: Domestication of chickens- 3000 B.C.E
Time: Soup- 6000 B.C.E
Chicken Noodle Soup Influences: Unknown

Chicken 

Paige Smith and Charles Daniel wrote, "The origins of the domestic fowl (Gallus domesticus, as the Romans named it) go back tens of thousands of years. Charles Darwin, observing the Red Jungle Fowl of southeast Asia, identified it as the progenitor or the modern barnyard chicken. Some present-day archaeologists assume the time of domestication to be in 3000B.C. and, following Darwin's lead, the place India, or the Indus valley. Others prefer Burma and others the Malay Peninsula. There is evidence that chickens were known in Sumer in the second millennium and the Sumero-Babylonian word for the cock was "the king bird." In Egypt we find mention of chickens as early as the Second Dynasty...references in Greek writings of the fourth century B.C. to the fact that the Egyptians kept chickens and , moreover, that they were able to incubate large numbers of eggs...Indeed it was no accident that Egypt, like ancient China, was a mass society which mastered the technology of large-scale incubation. Some four thousand years ago the Egyptians invented incubators capable of hatching as many as ten thousand chicks at a time...From Greece, the chicken spread to Rome...When the Romans conquered Britain, they brought chickens with them...But they also found domestic fowl already there."

 ---The Chicken Book, Paige Smith and Charles Daniel [ University of Georgia Press: Athens] 1975 (p. 10-16)

 Commercial USA Chicken Industry 

Before the 1920s, chickens were primarily raised on farms for personal use. However, the practice of mass producing chickens did not become large-scale until that decade. Chicken was actively promoted by US government during WWII as a cheap alternative to beef. 

Chicken Soup

The Chinese have a tradition of cooking chicken soup for several days, intensifying the nutrients with herbs until it becomes more like a medicine. Soups were often given to the ill because it was thought that since the broth was thin, it would be easy to digest. In fact, the Chinese still serve soup to drink with a meal because it is believed to be unhealthy to consume cold beverages while eating.

Chicken soup has claimed a similar spot in Jewish cuisine. Sometimes known as “Jewish penicillin,” chicken soup is often fed to family members who are not feeling well. Officially, in the 12th century, a physician called Moses Maimonides was the first to actually suggest chicken soup would help a patient over a cold. At one time in England, medical prescriptions were commonly given for chicken soup.

Chicken soup recipes have been included in all the earliest cookbooks. One version, from Scotland called cock-a-leekie, was published in 1598. This is still a traditional soup eaten in Scotland made from leeks and chicken. In Medieval times, the chicken was eaten separately after cooking and the broth and its contents were eaten like soup. It was originally made with chicken, onions, and prunes.

Chickens were introduced to the Americas by early settlers, who also brought their own recipes for soup. As more immigrants poured into America, the variations of chicken soup cooked there increased. Jewish recipes fill the rich golden broth with noodles, matzo balls, or dumplings known as kreplach. Chinese won ton and egg flower soups became popular. Greek populations brought over their recipes for chicken soup with eggs and lime.

As the years went by, chicken soup was consumed plain or with noodles, rice, potatoes or dumplings. Every grandmother had her own special recipe. The soup would be started on the stove and as the hours went by, it would eventually be transformed into a meal anyone could be proud of. First, each family kept their own chickens. As cities grew, flocks were grown by farmers and sold to stores. Today, most of the chicken we consume is raised by contract farmers working for large agricultural corporations. During the 20th century, new methods of processing allowed canning companies to make chicken soup. As people began buying readymade soup in a can, fewer learned the old tried and true recipes to make chicken soup.

source:  http://www.amazingsouprecipes.com/articles-4/chicken-soup-articles/a-delicious-guide-to-the-history-of-chicken-soup/#.UajlXoLD_AMrce:


Fun Fact

The term Chicken Noodle Soup is a 20th Century term by Campbell's. It is said to have originated during a Campbell Soup Company advertisement on the Amos and Andy Show. Of all the soups that Campbell’s sold, their "Chicken Soup with Noodles" was not as popular and was on the verge of being discontinued due to low sales. The executives at Campbell’s made a last ditch effort to save the brand, and decided to promote it on the radio. It is said that the announcer, in error, referred to the product as "Chicken Noodle Soup". After the broadcast, listeners began to request the Chicken Noodle Soup. This prompted Campbell’s to change the name. Today, it is one of the most recognized and purchased soups in America, and remains one of Campbell's best-selling products.

 

Photo: Kevin Lynch

Gluten Free Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients

6 skinless chicken breast fillets
12 cups Swanson’s chicken broth
1 onion, diced
3 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
3 celery sticks, finely chopped
3 parsnips, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped parsley
2 oz Gluten Free Noodles (Bob’s Red Mill or Trader Joe’s noodles)
2 Knorr chicken bouillon cubes
Salt to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste

Preparation

First, prep the vegetables by dicing the onions, finely chopping the celery and parsley then thinly slicing the carrots and parsnips

After the vegetables are prepped, place chicken breasts in a Dutch oven. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Let boil for about 3 minutes then skim away any foam that appears. Once most of the foam has been removed, reduce heat to a simmer and cook chicken thoroughly. After the chicken is done, remove the pieces from the broth and allow them to cool. After the chicken has cooled, cut them into bite sized pieces. Skim the fat from the broth once the chicken is removed. Bring the broth back to a boil and add onions, carrots, celery, parsnips and bouillon cubes. Reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are tender.

When the vegetables are tender, add egg noodles and cook until done. Add the cut pieces of chicken and parsley. Simmer just enough to heat the meat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.







 

Gluten Free Eastern Carolina Chopped Barbecue

History

Origin: North Carolina (Eastern Region)

Timeline: Pre-Colonial
Influences: American

There is a distinction in eastern and western North Carolinian barbecue, Bob Garner, from his Guide to North Carolina Barbecue, wrote, "From the very beginning, barbecue in North Carolina meant pork. During the 1500s, the Spanish introduced pigs to the southeastern part of America. Whereas cattle tended to fare poorly in the region, swine flourished nowhere more so than in North Carolina."

He explains that the pork would be cooked over an open fire and would be seasoned with “Salty Vinegar", an ordinary table condiment of the time, which consisted of vinegar, salt, red and black pepper, and oyster juice… Salty vinegar liberally laced with pepper (but minus the oyster juice) is still basically the same sauce used on eastern North Carolina barbecue today

There are only two differences between eastern barbecue and western (Lexington-style) barbecue. The first is ketchup, and ingredient commonly added to the sauce of western barbecue. The other difference is that in the eastern regions, they use the whole hog, both white and dark meat, while in the west they cook only the pork shoulder. 

Photo: Daniel Pineau

Gluten Free Eastern Carolina Chopped Barbecue

Ingredients

7 pound pork shoulder, bone in
1 pint homemade barbeque sauce,

 Ingredients for Homemade BBQ Sauce

1 gallon apple cider vinegar
1 (28-ounce) bottle Heinz ketchup
22 ounces light brown sugar
1/4 cup garlic powder
1/4 cup sea salt
1/2 cup crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

Mix all ingredients in a 6-quart stainless steel pot. Bring to a boil then simmer about 15 minutes. Turn off heat and let stand, about 30 minutes. Sauce can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.

Preparation

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

Wrap pork in aluminum foil and place in a broiler pan. Cook for 7 hours, about 1 hour per pound. Remove from oven and let stand for 1 hour.

Wearing heavy rubber gloves, pull skin from the meat and discard. Remove most of the fat and all of the bone. Cut meat into 8-ounce chunks and place in large pan.

Place meat on a charcoal fire and cook, covered, for another 30 to 45 minutes, until well smoked, turning meat over every 10 to 15 minutes. Pour barbecue sauce over meat during the last 10 to 15 minutes of cooking.

Remove meat from the grill and chop into very small-sized pieces. Serve with additional barbecue sauce if desired.

 

Gluten Free Louisiana Red Beans n' Rice

History

Origin: New Orleans, Louisiana
Date: unknown
Influences: West African Slaves.

Although the bean plant did originate in America, red beans are actually native to West Africa. It was introduced to America when slaves in the Caribbean were forced by the Spanish to move to Louisiana.

During the slave rebellion in Haiti, many of the sugar plantation owners fled to Louisiana and brought with them their salves and the red beans. It is claimed this dish was created in New Orleans' French Quarter, and quickly gained popularity as a of New Orleans.
Traditionally, it was made on Mondays when women could wash the laundry while the pot simmered, leaving them to tend to their work.

Photo: Jessica Wood

 

Gluten Free Louisiana Style Red Beans n' Rice

 

Ingredients

1 lb dry red beans
3 quarts water
1 cup yellow onions, chopped
1 cup celery, finely chopped
4 bay leaves
1 cup green pepper, chopped
4 tbsp garlic, chopped
3 tbsp parsley, chopped
2 tsp dried thyme, crushed
1 lb Spicy sausage - cut into 1/4 inch pieces (can be replaced with turkey)
1 ham bone and small chunks of ham (can be replaced with turkey necks)
1 tbsp sea salt
1 tbsp black pepper
Frank’s Red Hot Sweet Chili Sauce- (certified gluten free)

 * Always check label to make sure the sausage does not have any wheat products

Preparation

In a strainer, rinse red beans under running water, carefully removing the bad beans.

In a 10-quart pot add beans, water, ham bone, ham, sausage, onions, celery, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil...reduce heat.

Cover and cook over low heat, for 11/2 hours or until beans are tender.

Stir and mash beans against the side of pot.

Add green pepper, garlic, parsley, thyme, salt, and black pepper.

Cook uncovered, over low heat until creamy, for 30 minutes.

Remove bay leaves.

Serve over hot cooked fluffy rice.

Add chili sauce to taste

The red beans used in Louisiana are not the same as kidney beans, but if you can't get any thing else the kidney beans will work.

Makes 8 servings

Gluten Free Garlic n' Cheese Biscuits

Not much is known about the origin of garlic and cheese biscuits. Most researchers believe it was an adaptation, and evolved from its basic form, like most foods. But what about the origin of the biscuit? 

John Mariani wrote, “The American meaning for biscuit was first noted by John Palmer in his Journal of Travels in the United States of North America, and in Lower Canada, (1818), and by 1828 Webster defined the confection as "a composition of flour and butter, made and baked in private family.”

---The Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink, John F. Mariani [Lebhar-Friedman:New York] 1999 (page 29)

There were, and still are, many types of biscuits. That held true for my home state of Maryland. While I am not using this particular recipe, I thought it would be interesting to see a particular Maryland biscuit recipe from the mid-1880s . The bottom is an original recipe from the 19th century.

Maryland Biscuit by Eliza Leslie (1857)

Take two quarts of sifted wheat flour, and add a small tea-spoonful of salt. Rub into the pan of flour a large quarter of a pound of lard, and add, gradually, warm milk enough to make a very stiff dough. Knead the lump of dough long and hard, and pound it on all sides with a rolling pin. Divide the dough into several pieces, and knead and pound each piece separately. This must go on for two or three hours, continually kneading and pounding, otherwise it will be hard, tough, and indigestible. Then make it into small round thick biscuits, prick them with a fork, and bake them a pale brown. This is the most laborious of cakes, and also the most unwholesome, even when made in the best manner. We do not recommend it; but there is not accounting for tastes. Children should not eat these biscuits-nor grown persons either, if they can get any other sort of bread. When living in a town where there are bakers, there is no excuse for making Maryland biscuit. Believe nobody that says they are not unwholesome. Yet we have heard of families, in country places, where neither the mistress nor the cook knew any other preparation of wheat bread. Better to live on Indian cakes."

Gluten Free Garlic n' Cheese Biscuits

Ingredients

2 cups Bisquick Gluten Free mix
2 tsp. minced garlic clove (see note)                                                                        
6 tsp. Land O' Lakes Butter (firm)              
2/3 cup buttermilk
3 medium eggs (beaten)
1 cup (4 0z.) Cracker Barrel New York Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese (grated)
I tsp. salt (optional)

Note: Garlic Powder can be substituted, but for a real garlic taste use the clove.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
Garlic n' Butter Topping

 

1/2 cup Land O' Lakes (melted)

1 teaspoon garlic powder                   


Preparation (Biscuits)Preheat oven to 425°F.

Grate cheese and set aside

chop garlic cloves and set aside

 

In medium bowl, combine flour mix and garlic powder. Add butter, using pastry blender or fork, until mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Stir in buttermilk, add grated cheese and eggs until soft dough forms.

Drop dough by 10 spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 8 to 11 minutes or until light golden brown.

Preparation (Topping)

Mix melted butter and teaspoon garlic powder; brush on warm biscuits before removing from cookie sheet. Serve warm.

Makes about 10 biscuits

 

 

 

Eastern Shore Corn Bread (Spoon Bread)

This recipe comes from Melanie Draper of Sharpsburg, Maryland. (Born in Delmar, Md.) It's a recipe handed down from her grandmother to her mother...and eventually to her.

She wrote that she was concerned if it qualified as gluten free. Yes, Melanie...it does. However, I wouldn't have cared if it didn't. We are adding a section for non GF recipes...The only perquisite is that is has to come from "The Shore"

To back up my claim of this recipe being GF, my friends at LiveStrong.com write, "If you follow a gluten-free diet, any product with wheat, barley or rye is off-limits. Cornmeal is made from dried corn kernels, and thus contains none of these ingredients."

To read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/442873-is-cornmeal-gluten-free/#ixzz2UPrFcTR4

I can also say it qualifies to replace my original GF cornbread recipe. Mine was too damn complicated! I like simplicity.

Cornbread History

Food historian Lynne Olver (http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodfaqa.html#super) writes. "Corn bread was not invented. It was a product of cultural exchange and practical necessity. Corn [aka maize] is a new world food. Native Americans were cooking with ground corn long before the European explorers set foot on New World soil. The food we know today as "corn bread" has a northern European (English, Dutch, etc.) culinary heritage. Because the new settlers often had to "make do" with local ingredients [corn meal] when their traditional ingredients [finely ground wheat] were in short supply. When colonial American recipes carried the name "Indian" in their title (Indian bread, Indian pudding) it was because one of the ingredients was cornmeal".

In the book, Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink, Mariani writes, "Native Americans roasted their corn and ground it into meal to make cakes, breads, and porridges...The new cereal was precious and helped the early settlers to survive those first harsh years. ..Before long uniquely American dishes were being developed on the basis of this new grain, including an Indian bread called pone' or corn pone' (from the Algonquin word apan,' [meaning] baked) made of cornmeal, salt and water. This was later called corn bread' and has been a staple of American cooking to this day...Once the [corn] crops took hold throughout the colonies, cornmeal foods were everyday fare..."

 ---Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink, John F. Mariani [Lebhar-Friedman:New York] 1999 (p. 96)




Contributor: Melanie Hearn Draper

Eastern Shore Cornbread

by Melanie Draper- Sharpsburg, MD

"I've never had cornbread like this and [I] get rave reviews whenever I make it, especially if I serve it warm out of the oven.  My mom would always make this whenever she made fish that my dad caught at the beach.  I'm not familiar with gluten-free recipes but from your description I think this qualifies.- Melanie Draper

Ingredients

2 cups cornmeal (white cornmeal preferred but you can use yellow)

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. Crisco

3 cups boiling water

2 cups milk (I use 2%)

2-3 beaten eggs

Preparation

Mix cornmeal, sugar, and salt in large pot and drop Crisco on top.  Bring water to a boil and add to cornmeal mixture to melt Crisco (turn heat on medium) then add milk and beaten eggs.  Stir continuously with a wooden spoon over medium heat until batter thickens (this will happen quickly).

Pour batter into greased iron frying pan and bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour until top is very brown.  Let cool slightly.  Can be served warm or cold.  The consistency of the cornbread is almost like a dense cheesecake.   It's not crumbly or "cakey" at all but more like a very firm spoonbread.

You can also lightly fry leftover slices in a small amount of butter for breakfast the next morning and top with powdered sugar or syrup.

*note: Don't expect the same results if you anything other than a cast iron skillet. - G.S. Jones

Thanks Melanie!

G.S. Jones

Cousin Louise's Sweet Potato Pie (GF version)

 

From the G.S Jones and Pinkett/Handy family gallery
Miss Ollie's cousin Louise 
(circa 1935)

If you ever wanted to experience, in one place, the culinary diversity of all the great cooks in my community of Mt Vernon, you’d have to go to St Paul United Methodist…our community church. You would also have to wait for one of three events to occur… the Friday lunch/dinner fundraisers held from April to September, a funeral, or the infrequent camp meeting. No matter the event, there was one thing you could count on…good food at the church hall. The “Hall” was (and still is) a detached building several yards from the main sanctuary, but the fusion of aromas coming from foods like fried chicken, oysters, fried fish and collards always worked its way into the church, competing with the Reverend’s promises of eternal salvation or damnation (depending on who you were).

Outside of holiday dinners, the church hall was the only place I was guaranteed a good sweet potato pie. The church hall's kitchen never had a shortage of capable cooks... any one of them had the skills to whip up a good sweet potato pie; but after all these years, my accolades go to my mother’s cousin, Louise. Her pies always had the right amount of the ingredients. Maybe it was the bourbon vanilla extract, but I think it was her crust. Instead of regular pie crust, she lined the pan with vanilla wafers.

I can't recreate Cousin Louise's particular pie, but I have one from mom's recipe notes that's close...even with the gluten free frozen pie shell.

History of the Sweet Potato Pie

Sweet potatoes are "New World" foods, and pie is an "Old World" recipe. Creamy recipes combining orange vegetables with sweeteners, spice and cream were known in Medieval Europe.

King Henry VIII of England, liked sweet potatoes so much that he ate them in heavily spiced and sugared pies, a fashion that survived at least until the 1680s.

Sweet potatoes were introduced to West Africa soon thereafter. They were similar to yams ("Old World" foods) and quickly incorporated into the local cuisine. Sweet potato pie seems to have converged in the American South from very early colonial days. It quickly became a staple of the region. Today this fine pie is considered by some to be a cornerstone of Soul Food.

---The Potato: How the Humble Spud Rescued the Western World, Larry Zuckerman [North Point Press:New York] 1998 (p. 9)

Slaves in the South knew the yam from their homeland, and the two potatoes have become virtually interchangeable in Southern cooking. Most Southern sweet potato recipes have been developed by Blacks from their traditional cuisine

---Biscuits, Spoonbread, and Sweet Potato Pie, Bill Neal [Alfred A. Knopf:New York] 1996 (p. 268)


* I have a gluten free pie crust recipe coming soon!

 Ingredients

1 9- inch gluten free frozen pie shell from Whole Foods (or your choice)
2 large sweet potatoes, (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, cut into pieces, room temperature
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon bourbon vanilla extract
juice of half a lemon

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Fill a medium saucepan with 2 inches of water; place over high heat and bring to a boil. Fit saucepan with a steamer basket, add sweet potatoes, and cover. Steam until potatoes are easily pierced with a fork, about 1 hour. Extra water may be needed as sweet potatoes steam. Allow potatoes to cool a little. Then, remove skins by rubbing potatoes with a paper towel.

Place potatoes in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Set the mixer speed to medium and beat the sweet potatoes until they are well mashed and any stringy pieces have wrapped themselves around the paddle. Remove the attachment, wipe clean, and return to mixer.

Change mixer speed to low. Add butter, and beat until completely mixed and cooled. Slowly add sugar. Add eggs, one at a time. Add allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and lemon juice. Continue beating until completely mixed.

Pour mixture into pie crust. Transfer to oven and bake until center is dry. 45 -50 minutes.

Grandma Marie's Old Bay Meatloaf (Gluten Free Version)

They always say "never trust a skinny cook". I don't exactly know who "they" were, but I will wager "they" never ate at Grandma Marie's (Mom-Mom)table.

Marie Emily Pinkett (nee Handy), the mother of Mom Ollie, stood 4'11" and was around 100 pounds soaking wet. A serious and religious woman, she wasn't the Norman Rockwell type of grandmother, or the granny written about that famous holiday song. You know the one....the "over the river and through the woods" type. 

 

Born May 8, 1897, and raised in rural Somerset County on Maryland's Eastern Shore, "Mom-Mom", the grandaughter of former slaves, was more of the "get over here and sit your ass down" type of grandmother. Kids were seen...not heard. She had more superstitions than I care to count; and God was in every corner, ready to strike us down for any minor infraction of his divine law. If you thought you were grown enough to stand up to her, you quickly learned how fatal that decision was. Despite her small frame, she was an old school country girl who would not hesitate to "whup" your behind. I still smile when I think about the scores of headslaps she liberally dished out whenever I would squirm or fidget during those agonizing and never-ending church sermons she dragged me to. That was her brand of love, and I miss her dearly. 
 

Marie Emily
Handy-Pinkett
(1897-1991)

It was a little more than a year after my mother passed that I finally mustered up the courage and energy to open the hand-carved Japanese chest she inherited from a cousin who toured with Josephine Baker. Beneath the stacks of faded and tattered photographs, funeral programs of relatives and friends long gone, and countless other keepsakes, I found her recipes and only a few of my grandmother's. It was as if I had found one of the Dead Sea Scrolls, considering "Mom-Mom" never wrote anything down. Any attempt to watch and record how she prepared her dishes was an exercise in futility. She hardly measured anything. For her, it was a pinch here...a dash there; but no matter how many times she did it that way, her dishes came out deliciously consistent. 

 

I fondly remember her for many things (including the discipline). Foodwise, I best remember her  handmade dinner rolls and her Sunday meatloaf. While I've tasted many variations over the years, none came close to hers.  I can throw together a palatable facsimile when I have the mind to, but it's nothing compared to her's.

 

Here's to you "Mom-Mom" Marie...you are not forgotten.

There are three ingredients in this recipe that contained gluten...Bread crumbs,  Worcestershire Sauce, and Ketchup. They were switched with Ian's Bread Crumbs, Wizard's Worcestershire Sauce, and Heinz Ketchup. All claiming to be gluten free.

 

Meatloaf History

Meatloaf is another European dish that found its way to the America. However, it did not appear in any published cookbooks until the late 1800s. Researchers claim the European version of meatloaf was first mentioned in “Apicius” the famous Roman cookery collection written around the 5th century A.D. While meatloaf is a cousin to the Italian meatball, its American cousin is closely related to scrapple, a mixture of ground pork and cornmeal that was popular with the German-Americans in Pennsylvania during the Colonial period.Ingredients

2 pounds ground beef
2 large eggs
2 ounces applesauce
1 cup Ian’s bread crumbs 

1 medium chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
2 teaspoons Wizard’s Worcestershire sauce
2 cups Heinz ketchup (The poor man's tomato sauce)

1/4 cup Old Bay
Milk

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400° F

Combine all ingredients (except the ketchup) in a large mixing bowl and thoroughly blend the mixture with your hands.

Add a small amount of milk if necessary to make the mixture moist. With a large spatula, turn the meat mixture into a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan. Press down and smooth the top. Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes.

Carefully remove pan and pour off excess fat. Spread ketchup over the top of loaf, return to oven and bake for an additional 30 minutes. Remove from oven and carefully pour off excess fat

Mom Ollie's™ Gluten Free Maryland Crab Cakes

Photo: Kharli Chanel

Although the practice of making minced meat patties can be traced back thousands of years, recipes for crab-cake type dishes were introduced to the colonies by English settlers.

Most American cookbooks had crab recipes dating from the colonial period. The recipes had many names such as crab croquettes, stewed crabs, fried crabs, dressed crab, and crab patties. The term “crab cake” did not appear until 1930s in Crosby Gaige’s New York World’s Fair Cook Book, where they were called “Baltimore Crab Cakes”.

Source: Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink, John F. Mariani [Lebhar Friedman:New York] 1999 (p. 103)


Ingredients

2 lb. lump crab meat
4 slices Gluten free bread (crust removed)
2 large egg2 beaten
2 tbsp. Gluten free mayonnaise
2 tbsp. parsley flakes
2 tsp. prepared mustard
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. Gluten Free baking powder (Rumford)
2 tsp. Old Bay
1/2 tsp. salt
Milk


Preparation

In medium sized bowl, break bread into small pieces and moisten with milk. 
Mix in eggs, mayonnaise, parsley, prepared mustard, Worcestershire sauce, baking soda Old Bay and sea salt. 

Pick over crab meat to remove any shell particles.

Add crab meat to mixture, mixing gently but thoroughly. 

Shape into six patties and chill 30 minutes. 

Pan fry in a butter or oil until brown on each side.

Makes 8

Gluten Free Maryland Eastern Shore Style Potato Salad

Origin of Potato Salad

The origin of potato salad can traced to the 16th century, where the first mention of it came from London botanist John Gerard. In his book,  Herball, or Generall Historie of Plantes, he writes about the many virtues of the white potato; and mentions the many ways people made a "salad" of it.
There are two ways you can eat it, warm or cold. Cold potato salads can be attributed to the British and French, while the warm versions are said to be of German origin because of their preference for hot vinegar and bacon dressings served over vegetables.

Early cold potato salad recipes often called for "French dressing"; and was thought of as an economy dish because it was a good way to dispose of leftover potatoes. During the 1940s mayonnaise slowly began to replace the use of French dressing. However, some people preferred to use Miracle Whip instead. 

There are as many variations to making potato salad as there are people who prepare it; that includes Maryland's Eastern Shore. I can't ever recall eating any person's potato salad without tasting something different. Of course, no one will ever make it like that special one we grew up with. It will either have too much of this or not enough of that. For many of us, some are too bland or too tangy. Of course, there are the ones that are down right terrible to everyone except the one who prepared it.    

With that said, here is a recipe I found in Miss Ollie's notes. I can't say that it came from her except it does have her signature Miracle Whip instead of the widely used mayonnaise, and the staple of most Eastern Shore recipes...Old Bay.

The good thing about this recipe is it contains no gluten. Warning...If you are lactose intolerant, you will want to stay away from the Miracle Whip, or Mayo.

Ingredients

*Potato Salad is naturally Gluten Free

2 lbs Medium Idaho White Potatoes

1/12 cups Miracle Whip

1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 Tbsp yellow mustard

1 tsp sea salt

2 -3 tsp Old Bay

1 tsp black pepper

1 medium white onion, chopped

2 large celery stalks

4 hard boiled eggs, chopped

 
Preparation

Place about 1 inch water in a 3-quart saucepan (salted if desired), and bring to a boil.

Add potatoes. Cover and heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cook 30 to 35 minutes or until tender. Drain. Cool slightly; cut into cubes.

Mix Miracle Whip, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper and Old Bay in large glass or plastic bowl.

Add potatoes, celery and onion; toss. Stir in eggs. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours until chilled.

Serves 8

 

Gluten Free Eastern Shore Style Fried Chicken w/Old Bay

*The title should not be confused with the traditional Maryland-Style Fried Chicken which is traditionally served with gravy, reminiscent of fricassee.

Who Knew?

The term "southern fried" did not come into being until it appeared in print around 1925. However, contrary to popular belief, Southerners were not the first people in the world to fry chickens. Fried chicken can be found as far back as Ancient Rome, and can be found in places throughout Europe and South East Asia. Viet Nam has a version called Ga Xao. Still, the fried chicken that is popular is "Southern Fried". 

Food researcher, Lynne Olver, of foodtimeline.com wrote, "the Scottish, who enjoyed frying their chickens rather than boiling or baking them as the English did, may have brought the method with them when they settled the South. The efficient and simple cooking process was very well adapted to the plantation life of the southern African-American slaves, who were often allowed to raise their own chickens. The idea of making a sauce to go with fried chicken must have occurred early on, at least in Maryland, where such a match came to be known as "Maryland fried chicken." By 1878 a dish by this name was listed on the menu of the Grand Union hotel in Saratoga, New York..."

---The Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink, John F. Mariani [Lebhar-Friedman:New York] 1999 (p. 305-6)


Gluten Free Fried Chicken Compared to Traditional

There’s not much difference between gluten-free or the traditional wheat battered fried chicken taste-wise. However, gluten free batter does ten to crack and fall off the chicken.

Because wheat flour is not used in gluten free fried chicken, dark meat is best. However, if you prefer white meat, it works fine with this recipe too. You will need to bake large chicken breasts for an extra five to 10 minutes.  As with all of my recipes, this can be used for gluten and non-gluten cooking.

Ingredients

3 lb. chicken thighs or drumsticks, bone-in
½ cup kosher salt or ¼ cup crushed sea salt
¼ cup black pepper
1 cup flour (for gluten free add 7 cups rice or millet flour)
¼ cup Old Bay Season Mix
3 large eggs (beaten)
2 tbsp onion powder
2 tbsp garlic powder
2 tbsp paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp Xanthan gum (for elasticity of batter if you are going non gluten)
Vegetable oil for frying

Preparation

Brine the chicken by placing the meat in a large bowl. Pour in 2 1/2 quarts of water. Add and 1/2 cup kosher salt or ¼ cup sea salt. Place mixture in the refrigerator for 3 1/2 hours. After which drain and pat each chicken piece dry.

Preheat oven to 325 F. Grease a baking dish large enough to hold all the chicken in one layer with butter or oil. Use two baking dishes if one can not hold all the meat.
Place three large shallow bowls onto the dredging area. Add 1 cup of flour and to bowl on the left and mix thoroughly. Add eggs to the middle bowl. In a large freezer bag, add the remaining flour, Xanthan gum, and spices (salt and pepper, paprika, garlic power, onion powder and cayenne pepper). Close the bag and shake vigorously to combine the spices with the flour. Pour spice mix into the bowl on the right.

Individually dip each piece of chicken the bowl on the left, coating on all sides. Remove excess flour by shaking gently. Dip flour-covered chicken into the egg until it is covered on all sides then allow excess liquid to drip off. Place two pieces at a time inside the freezer back and shake until chicken is fully covered with seasoning. Place chicken in cling wrap and let sit for one hour.  

Place the prepared baking dish next to the dredging area.

After one hour remove the chicken from the cling wrap, repeat the process of dipping in egg and shaking in the seasoned flour.

Shake off excess seasoning and place chicken into the prepared baking dish(s).

Bake chicken for 20 minutes, or until the coating turns light brown then remove from oven.

In a large skillet, heat enough oil to submerge chicken halfway over medium-high heat. Fry all pieces, turning once until thoroughly cooked, about 7 minutes per side.

Note: If using an instant-read thermometer, the temperature should read 175 F at the thickest point of dark meat, and 165 F at the thickest point of white meat).

Gluten Free Creole Style Sausage Jambalaya w/Shrimp




Photo: Stephanie Morgan

Originating from the French Quarter of New Orleans, Jambalaya actually got its start from the Spanish.

Apparently, the dish was born from a failed attempt by the early Spanish settlers to make Paella. However, since saffron was not readily available, tomatoes became the substitute. Eventually, the French took over, and their use of Caribbean spices changed this dish into something totally different.

Today, the dish has evolved along a variety of different lines. Creole Jambalaya, or "Red Jambalaya" as it is called by Cajuns, is found primarily in and around New Orleans. The only difference between Cajun and Creole jambalaya is the use of tomatoes in the Creole version.

Source:   food.com. retrieved: 2, May, 2014

2 Tablespoons safflower oil, divided 2 (12-ounce) packages Johnsonville pre-cooked spicy Italian (your choice of meat) sausage, sliced diagonally
2 chopped celery stalks,
1 chopped green bell pepper
1 large diced yellow onion
6 chopped garlic cloves
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
4 cups Swanson’s chicken broth
1 1/2 cups water
2 1/4 cups Zatarians long-grain brown rice
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 (1-pound) bag frozen okra
1 (1-pound) bag frozen shrimp with tail-on
50 peeled and de-veined large shrimp (cooked) 
Hot sauce (your choice) for serving

In a large pot, add 1 tablespoon oil over high heat. Add sausage and cook until lightly browned then remove from pot and set aside.

Add remaining oil, celery, bell pepper, onion and garlic. Cook until vegetables are soft.

Stir in tomatoes, broth, water, thyme, salt and cayenne. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer

35-40 minutes, stirring periodically.

Add okra and sausage. Cook, uncovered, stirring frequently, until rice is tender for15 minutes. Add frozen shrimp and continue cooking until heated through.

 

Taste and season with more salt or cayenne if desired. Add in precooked shrimp as a topping.

 

Serve with hot sauce.

 

Gluten and the African American Community

My mother, Olive and grandfather
Martin Pinkett. circa 1934

Growing up in on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, there was no shortage of people who could “burn” (a term of respect that most African Americans use for people who have skills in the kitchen). The food was as diverse as the style of the cook. While everyone could prepare almost everything, each had their own specialty. For me, there was Cousin Louise’s potato salad, my mother’s fried chicken or crab cakes, Aunt Sarah’s vegetable soup….Aunt Elva’s chocolate cake, or my Cousin Bernetta’s chicken and dumplings…. and of course, my grandmother’s biscuits and rolls.   

Further south, was my family in North Carolina; another region known for its own brand of good cooking. One of my father’s cousins was known all around Halifax County for her chopped BBQ and catfish fritters. She came up in the Jim Crow south, but she would always speak fondly of how Black and White folks would put aside some of their racial differences to come together around her BBQ. She once told me that good food was the best race relations in the world.

For those who grew up eating soul food or any version of southern-style cooking, they will agree that it is one of the great pleasures of life. Like all ethnic food, soul food plays an integral role in the community. This type of cooking defines us…gives us an identity that we can be proud of. Unfortunately, this same type of cooking has also been behind many illnesses ranging from diabetes to heart disease in African Americans. 

Studies from the University of Maryland Center for Celiac Research indicate that the disease affects 1 out of every 150 Americans. That is up from original estimates of one out of every 7,000 Americans with the disorder. While Celiac is more common to those with Northern European descent, it can also affect African American, Asian, and Hispanic individuals as well. It is estimated that 1 in 233 African Americans are affected. Among people who have a first-degree relative diagnosed with celiac disease, as many as 1 in 22 people may have the disease. (http://www.umm.edu/celiac/)

Celiac.com states that Celiac Disease is often associated with type-1 diabetes, which is a major disease in the African American community. So, if you have Type-1 (even type-2)…or are pre-disposed, it is suggested that you also be tested for celiac. A simple blood test can help determine if celiac antibodies are present, however, there are currently no tests for diagnosing CD with 100% certainty. In other words...your blood test could come back negative and you can still have CD or some form of gluten intolerance. 

If you have been tested and the tests were negative, but you still feel you have a bad reaction to gluten and other wheat-based products, one approach is to simply stop eating food that contains wheat flour or gluten. It’s challenging, but you may notice immediate changes like I did.

Be forewarned. It’s not that simple. Almost everything has wheat or has been cross-contaminated with wheat. If you are just starting out, you will find yourself spending more time the grocery store aisles than you want. The good thing is that more and more stores are offering gluten free products. While they are still a bit more expensive than their non-gluten counterparts, there prices are going down due to increased demand.

Of course (as I will always add at the end of each post), this blog is not a substitute for medical advice. If you think you have CD, are gluten intolerant, or just want the benefits of a gluten free diet, you should consult with your physician first. Also, this blog is not designed for people with heart problems, diabetes, other illness, or for those who have special restrictions in their diets. It is for those who need or choose to live a gluten free life without sacrificing taste.

Enjoy

 

G.S. Jones