“Tell me what you eat and I will tell you what you are,” said Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, lawyer, gastronome, and epicure. The simplest meal satisfied him, as long as it was executed with artistry.
I read recently that Spam is making a comeback. Is this because times are hard and buying a canned pork product that requires no refrigeration is some people’s idea of a way to save money and feed their families a balanced diet? Or is it a retro return to the foods of our youth that gave us some comfort? Perhaps a little of both.
Deborah Madison opened one of the first and best vegetarian restaurants in San Francisco over 30 years ago. She is the author of numerous cookbooks, a food educator, and former governor of Slow Food USA. When asked recently what her favorite family meal was she said, “Frito pie! Sounds tacky, I know, but it’s not!”
Her Frito pie is constructed of vegetables from her local farmers’ market, grass-fed bison, dried native chilies, and bolito beans topped with cilantro, chopped lettuce and tomatoes, cheese, and sour cream. “There are lots of textures and flavors, it’s soft and crisp, hot and cool all at once and it makes everyone happy. It’s a funny thing!”
When I was growing up my mother was just learning how to cook. In later years she could whip up a brilliant veal stew or a roast chicken and a perfect mustardy vinaigrette. But in the early years we were fed frozen fish sticks every Friday night, creamed chipped beef on toast (or you-know-what on a shingle, as my father and his fellow soldiers called it in World War II), an occasional “roast beef,” which was a tough, nasty piece of eye round, and Spam.
Yes, Spam. That little 12-ounce rectangle of pork shoulder byproducts would be lovingly decorated with pineapple rings, maraschino cherries, and dotted with cloves as if it were the finest country ham out of Smithfield, Va. In those days, we loved every salty, rubbery, fatty bite. A simple meal “executed with artistry?”
Tuna noodle casserole, potpies, macaroni and cheese, fondues, green bean casserole, tapioca pudding — these are all old-fashioned recipes that can (and should) be brought back into the kitchen with some healthy tweaking.
Granted, making a homemade bechamel sauce instead of opening a can of soup is a little more work, but it is fun, healthier, and more economical. When I make tuna noodle casserole or chili I load them up with vegetables — onions, carrots, celery, and peppers. Green bean casserole should, of course, be made with blanched fresh beans, not canned or frozen. Instead of the canned fried onions, top it with toasted seasoned breadcrumbs and sliced almonds.
Tapioca pudding should be made with the pearls that need soaking overnight, do not use quick cooking instant tapioca, it just turns into a translucent mush. Popular with the Japanese as “bubble tea,” tapioca pearls can be fooled around with. Try coconut milk and sliced mango for a tropical dessert. Prepared with vanilla and milk (the traditional way) the pudding can be topped with fresh raspberries or blueberry compote.
When Charles Elmer Doolin, a confectioner in San Antonio, Tex., “invented” the Frito, he only intended for them to be a condiment for soups or stews. As a matter of fact, he was a health nut and vegetarian who would grab the little chips off the assembly line before they were salted and would often only eat figs and yogurt for lunch at work. His wife, Katherine, is credited with inventing Frito pie (along with the less successful “Frito jets,” chocolate-covered Fritos), and the recipes were printed on the bags.
I’m not sure the Hormel Meats Company intended for Spam (the “miracle meat”) to be healthy when it was formulated in 1937. The goal was to provide a canned meat product that required no refrigeration. And it certainly wasn’t Mr. Doolin’s intention for future generations of Americans to gorge on king-sized bags of Fritos as a snack.
Somewhere in between these foods of past and present, there is a happy medium. We can take a stroll down food-memory lane, but let’s pick a few fresh vegetables along the way to make it worth the trip. Here are some retro, “re-constructed” recipes from the past.
Frito Pie
Serves six for sure!
Chili:
2 lbs. lean ground beef or turkey
2 cups chopped onions
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup sliced baby carrots
1/2 cup diced red pepper
1 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely diced 4 cloves garlic, chopped
3 Tbsp. chili powder
1 Tbsp. oregano
1 cup beef broth or red wine or beer
1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
Sauté onions, celery, carrots, peppers, and garlic in a little bit of cooking oil until softened. Add beef or turkey and cook until meat is cooked through. Drain off the fat if desired. Add spices and broth and cook 30 minutes. Add beans, if desired, and cook over low heat, tasting for seasonings.
Top with following garnishes:
Lime wedges
Chopped cilantro
Shredded lettuce
Chopped tomatoes
Chopped red onions
Sour cream
Shredded cheddar and Monterey jack cheese
Big bag of Fritos
To assemble, place a handful of Fritos in bottom of individual bowls. Top with chili and desired condiments. Throw a few more Fritos on top.
Homemade Tuna Noodle Casserole
Serves six.
6 oz. egg noodles
2 Tbsp. butter
2 cups bechamel sauce (recipe below), or substitute one can cream of mushroom soup and 1 cup milk
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup carrots, chopped
1/4 cup red pepper, finely diced
1/2 cup variety of chopped mushrooms
61/2 oz. can tuna, drained and flaked Toasted bread crumbs for topping if desired
Cook egg noodles in salted water, drain and coat with butter (or olive oil) Preheat oven to 425.
In large saucepan, sauté all vegetables until softened, then add bechamel and stir, taste for seasoning, add salt and pepper if needed. Fold in tuna and noodles. Pour into two quarts casserole dish and top with breadcrumbs. Bake 20 to 25 minutes.
Bechamel Sauce
This bechamel sauce can be used to make a cheese sauce for broccoli, or used as filling for moussaka, and as a topping for croque-monsieur.
4 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. flour
11/2 cups milk
1/4 tsp. paprika
Pinch of cayenne pepper Pinch of nutmeg
Salt and white pepper to taste
Melt butter in heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add flour and cook over low heat for about three minutes. Raise the heat to medium and add milk slowly, whisking all the time. Continue whisking and cooking until sauce is thickened, then season with paprika, cayenne, nutmeg, and salt and pepper.
Coconut Tapioca Pudding
Serves six to eight.
3 1/3 cups unsweetened coconut milk
2/3 cup small pearl tapioca 2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
Pinch salt
1 large egg, separated*
Soak tapioca pearls in two cups water overnight. Drain.
In heavy, nonreactive pan combine coconut milk, tapioca, sugar, and salt over low heat. Stir constantly, cooking until pearls are translucent, about 10 minutes.
Beat the egg yolk, remove saucepan from heat, and whisk in egg yolk. Cover and let stand until lukewarm, about 30 minutes to an hour. Add vanilla.
In small bowl beat egg white until stiff peaks form. Fold this into pudding and serve warm or cold.
Serve with grilled pineapple or mango slices and passion fruit sorbet.
*If you are reluctant to use raw or undercooked eggs, then leave this step out of recipe, the texture will not be altered that much.
