Brunswick Stew

Ah, Brunswick Stew that mysterious concoction born in the South that so wonderfully compliments smoked pork ribs or pulled pork BBQ. Brunswick Stew has many variations so it's difficult to pin down exact ingredients but essentially there's a meat, or a combination of meats - pork, chicken, beef, rabbit, even squirrel and possum, and a few vegetables like corn, butter beans - baby Lima beans to Yankees, green beans, okra or potatoes and who knows what else, all in a tomato sauce base with a tart sweet-sour background. Like BBQ sauce, it all comes down to the seasonings in the right proportions and balance that make this stuff sing. 

Here's a little more background just to confuse things even more. There are a couple schools of thought on where Brunswick Stew originated
1 - On St Simon Island, Brunswick, Georgia there is a monument with the original pot the first Brunswick Stew was actually cooked in in 1898.
2 - Another story claims a Virginia state legislator's chef invented the recipe in 1828 on a hunting expedition. 
3 - Then there's a goofy story about England's Queen Victoria loving a Brunswick Stew that was made in someplace in Germany. Really?

We are going with the Brunswick Stew from Georgia story because, well damn, they still have the original pot it was cooked in. 

This is our take, but not putting in seasoning amounts because that is all in the hands of the cook.... So just use this as a guide, go easy on the seasonings and taste along the way. The brown sugar and apple cider vinegar give it the sweet and sour background. You can see, however we chose not to use rabbit (although it is available, maybe next time) or squirrel or possum (we like live possums).

Ingredients - 

1 - 2 lb ground pork
1 - 2 boneless chicken breasts minced or ground chicken
Tomato sauce or canned diced tomatoes
Ketchup, yes ketchup (per Paula Dean)
Light brown sugar
Bragg's apple cider vinegar
Worcestershire sauce
Ramps about 7 - 9 - optional because of availability
Ramp wine - optional because of availability
1 medium sweet onion finely chopped
Fresh corn cut off the cob - 2 - 3 cobs worth
1 cup butter beans, OK, baby Lima beans
Sticky Fingers (or comparable) Mustard base BBQ sauce
Chili powder
Hot red pepper flakes
Shot or two of Rye Whiskey or Bourbon 
Vegetable oil
Salt and Pepper to taste along the way

Brown the ground pork and chicken in a little oil in a Dutch oven and remove when done
In the same Dutch oven add a little vegetable oil and saute the onions, butter beans, corn, ramps, ramp wine. 
Add back the meat
Add some tomato sauce and stir together
Add the rest of the ingredients plus add water if it is too thick.
Keep tasting and adding a little more of what you think it needs - more brown sugar if too tart, more apple cider vinegar if too sweet. 
Cover and cook on a low simmer for an hour or so checking for consistency and taste along the way.

Have fun and ENJOY!!!

Maryland Style Crab Cakes

I think you will agree crab cakes are a real treat. With warmer weather coming, summer is near, well, pretty near and that's good enough for me. To us, certain foods just speak summertime. Crab cakes are one of them. This is not an old family recipe or a friend's secret recipe. We looked at a number of preparations and came up with one of our own using ingredients we felt would play well together give the best straight forward flavor to the crab. The simple sour cream lime sauce is a nice addition and pulls it all together. We think you will like them.  

Ingredients – (makes 6 crab cakes, but we made 6 plus a runt with what was left...)

1 lb. jumbo lump or back fin lump crab meat, fresh or pasteurized

1 large egg

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1-1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

1-1/2 tsp Old Bay seasoning

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Sea salt

1-1/4 cups fresh breadcrumbs - from soft white sandwich bread

1 Tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

2 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 Tbsp olive oil 
Lemon wedges for serving - optional

Sour cream lime sauce -
1 cup sour cream mixed with the zest and juice from 1 lime 

Preparation –

Drain the crab meat, if necessary, and pick through it for shells. Put the crab in a medium mixing bowl and set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk the egg, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, Old Bay seasoning, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and 1/4 tsp. salt. Pour the mixture over the crab and mix in gently until well combined. Do not over mix.

Sprinkle the breadcrumbs and the parsley over the mixture, and mix them in thoroughly but gently with your hands; try not to turn the mixture into a mush—it should still be somewhat loose. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 to 3 hours. Shape the crab mixture into 8 cakes about 1 inch thick.

And place on wax paper on a cookie sheet then into the freezer for an hour. Cooking in 350 degree oil from frozen insures everything stays together. 

In a 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat the butter with the olive oil over medium heat. When the butter is frothy, add the cakes to the pan (8 should fit comfortably but don’t overcrowd). Cook until dark golden brown on the underside, about 4 minutes. Flip the cakes, reduce the heat to medium low, and continue cooking until the other side is well browned, 4 to 5 minutes. 

Serve with a dollop of the sour cream lime sauce. 

Possible Sides - Jasmine rice or roasted baby potatoes, coleslaw, sautéed zucchini or pan fried escarole or rainbow Swiss chard.