Straight Talk from a Comfort Foodie - The Gravy Train

In all fairness to my mother and the great homemaker that she is, our family did enjoy the fruits of her "from scratch" dishes. She made great tuna fish sandwiches, and her pancake batter never had any lumps. Pepper steak from the electric wok was one of my favorites; I didn't care for the peppers, or the onions for that matter, but the thin slices of beef that had been soaked through and through with salty teriyaki sauce was right on the money. Come to think of it, that may have been the only dish that mom made that had sauce. I just seem to remember most of my childhood meals being very dry. I don't think she liked gravy much, because we never got it; which was the case with a lot of seemingly traditional foods.

I was standing in line at the school cafeteria with a tray full of carbohydrates. It was Thanksgiving time, and through the cardboard cutouts of cornucopias I spotted an odd-looking orange dessert. The other kids on line were grabbing at the plates as if they were a blue-light special, so I took their lead. When I had finished my slice of pizza, a buttered dinner roll, and some French fries, I again focused on the little paper plate with the orange concoction. It was smooth and sweet and tasted like spice cake pudding. The dense texture filled my mouth and was a perfect match with a pony of cold milk. When I came home that night and told my mother what fantastic dessert I was introduced to, she simply replied, "Oh that was pumpkin pie."

In amazement I asked, "How come we never have that at home? It's really good." She looked at me rather flat and said:

"My mother never served it. It's not a very Jewish dish". I didn't understand the explanation and still don't. My mother is an Atheist ? but I assume she recognizes herself as a "Gastronomic Jew". If it doesn't fall within the confines of traditional Jewish baking, it's not worth serving. To my mother, Thanksgiving was an assimilated holiday. She celebrated the event with little passion all the time knowing that those people weren't her forefathers. There hadn't been one Jewish Pilgrim at the original Thanksgiving table, and she resented that. She held out on the pumpkin pie for as long as she could. Now that the secret was out: she had no objection if I ate it, she just wouldn't bake it! From that year on, I had to purchase Entenmanns's from the convenient store if I wanted to have pumpkin pie with Thanksgiving dinner.

Mom pulled out the culinary stops when it came to the Jewish holidays, though. The matriarchs of the family, Grandma Lil and her nieces, sisters Sara and Bertha (both married to guys named Sam), would arrive two days early to start cooking the meal. This group of four women, none of whom stood above the five-foot mark, cooked and battled from dawn to dusk. Grandma would start the morning at 7:00 a.m. without even a cup of coffee to get her going; the competition alone got her adrenaline flowing. Her specialty was Brisket of Beef, and it wasn't until I was a married woman that she revealed the secret ingredient to her sauce.

"Don't tell anyone," she had said.

"I promise", I had assured her. "Don't even speak the words, just point to it".

She admired my conviction. "A bottle of ketchup," she humbly admitted. That was it. The secret ingredient that I had waited to hear about was ketchup? Even Grandma's entry to slow food had convenience written all over it.

The three older ladies, two with bottle-red hair, and the other with a blond bee-hive, planned every morsel that our family would devour over the two-night Passover feast. When they couldn't agree on whose recipe to use, they simply prepared two versions. My mother would make a turkey for the night following the brisket. I couldn't convince her to place the stuffing inside of the bird as I had seen it done in TV commercials. Instead, her stuffing was always baked in a metal pan, so that when it was done, the top was charred, and the contents resembled wood shavings. The gravy boat had been taken out of the china cabinet along with the good dishes, but it never made an appearance at the table.

My best friend's mother had the market cornered on preparing lamb. I just couldn't get over how juicy the stuff was. I had her call my mother, right from the dinner table, to set her up with the recipe. Mom felt a bit put off by such an elementary lesson on broiling until the weapon of succulence was revealed: gravy made from the pan drippings. I forced Mom to try and recreate the dish in her own kitchen, but to no avail. She just didn't have the gravy gene.

It wasn't until I started having dinner at my mother-in-law's house that I was able to soak up every piece of meat, potato, or bread with a rich helping of gravy. Her cooking followed the English style of heavy-handed measurements of butter and cream. The roast beef with Yorkshire pudding that we were served on Christmas Eve was legendary within their family. She taught me how to spin gravy drippings into soufflé gold. It would rise in the oven and fell when it hit the air, then lay flat on the plate just waiting to be doused with warm brown sauce. We all knew that the Gout was a disease that would rear its ugly head in that family. We just didn't know when.

Pepper Steak

1 1/4 cups beef broth, divided
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup thinly sliced mild onions
1 (1 1/2 pound) boneless round steak, cut into strips
1 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup olive or vegetable oil
4 medium green bell peppers, cut into julienne strips
2 large tomatoes, peeled and chopped
3 tablespoons cornstarch

Hot cooked rice

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, combine 3/4 cup of the broth, soy sauce, ginger, sugar and pepper; set aside.

2. In a skillet or electric wok over medium-high heat, brown beef and garlic in oil.

3. Add peppers and tomatoes. Cook and stir until peppers are crisp-tender, about 3 minutes.

4. Stir the soy sauce mixture and add to pan. Cover and cook until the meat is tender, about 15 minutes.

5. Combine cornstarch with the remaining broth until smooth; add to pan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes.

6. Serve over rice.

Marti Ladd is the cookbook author and food product designer of "The Recipe Company". See her media kit at http://www.martiladd.com or visit her virtual cookbook store at http://www.ecookbookstore.com

---

Easy No-Roll Pie Crust

EASY No-Roll Pie Crust3 cups flour1 teaspoon salt2 teaspoons sugar2/3... Read More

A Pease Journey

Remnants of dried peas were found in Egyptian tombs. Hot... Read More

Braised Fish in Soy Sauce (Hong Shao Yu)

Braised fish in soy sauce is the basic craft of... Read More

Cucumbers with Yogurt & Mint

Almost every day I eat with my energy in mind,... Read More

Light Veal Recipes to Barbeque or to Broil

With everyone watching their weight and seeking out recipes that... Read More

Wild Watercress Soupt (Nasturtium officinale)

Wild Watercress soup is a delicious and nutritious recipe with... Read More

All About Strawberry Shortcakes

Strawberry shortcake may be a 200 year-old American invention. With... Read More

Paella, The Most Famous Spanish Dish

First of all, paella is not exactly the dish but... Read More

Bourbon BBQ Sauce

If you are seeking a very unique flavored bbq sauce... Read More

6 Steps to Beating Childhood Obesity

These days kids would rather spend time on the computer... Read More

Campfire Cooking (Some Yummy Recipes)

It's almost picnic and camping time across most of North... Read More

Easy Insalata Caprese

It's tomato time! If you're a gardener, you might be... Read More

Chocolate Tasting Techniques

First of all start with an empty stomach. This has... Read More

Swordfish, a Nutritious and Healthy Addition to Any Diet

Swordfish belongs to the group of fish that have recently... Read More

Chinese Dumplings on Chinese New Year

One of my fondest childhood memories is the celebrations around... Read More

How to Make Kaiser Rolls

Want to impress your family and friends at the next... Read More

Sot Suppe (Norwegian Sweet Soup)

My mother was the daughter of Norwegian immigrants who homesteaded... Read More

Low Fat Salmon Recipes

Finding delicious low fat salmon recipes has just become easier... Read More

Low-Carb Pastry Pizzazz

This delicious treat adds only 1.9 grams of carb for... Read More

Holiday Recipe: Filled Cookies

From the book: Christmas In Dairyland (True Stories From a... Read More

Fish Recipes

These recipes are wonderful and they are old family recpies.... Read More

The Taffy Pull (A Story and a Recipe)

One year when I was growing up on our Wisconsin... Read More

Rowan Jelly (Mountain Ash - Pyrus aucuparia)

Sharp and sour but sweet and succulent all at the... Read More

Spanish Food - How To Prepare Boquerones

Whilst on your travels in Spain and pausing to take... Read More

Straight Talk from a Comfort Foodie - The Gravy Train

In all fairness to my mother and the great homemaker... Read More

Healthy Yummy Bran Muffins

An Individual Health Recipe to EnjoyToo many people start their... Read More

Easy-Cheesy Casserole

I have always loved mac-n-cheese, and this variation is one... Read More

A Simple Technique to Remember Grocery Items

Whoops! I Forgot the ... at the Grocery Store!Have you... Read More

Rib-Eye Steak with Mushrooms and Bleu Cheese

This is a mouth watering steak. Every time I serve... Read More

Farm To Market Days

Summer may begin in June but, for many parts of... Read More

Easy Summer Salads, Lighter Foods For A Brighter Summer

Easy summer salads are the way to go, now that... Read More

Weight Loss Recipe: Fish In Orange Sauce

Lean protein is your diet is essential to weight loss... Read More

How to Make a Tantalizing White Lightening Chili

Chili cooks always want to discover that award-winning chili recipe... Read More