Cook andouille sausage on the stovetop until browned. Remove from heat and set aside in a mixing bowl.Andouille and Shrimp Hush Puppies
Nothing to hush about, these are delicious and perfect for sharing.
INGREDIENTS
1½ cups andouille sausage, diced
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup shrimp, minced
1 Tbsp fresh tarragon, finely chopped
¼ tsp Old Bay seasoning
2 cups cornmeal
1¾ Tbsp self-rising flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
½ cup white onion, grated and drained of moisture
2 cups buttermilk
1 egg, beaten
Lard or high-heat cooking oil
DIRECTIONS
Cook andouille sausage on the stovetop until browned. Remove from heat and set aside in a mixing bowl.
Using the same pan, melt the butter on medium-low heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Add the shrimp to the pan and cook until it is no longer translucent; however, it should still not be fully cooked. Sprinkle in the tarragon and Old Bay seasoning. Stir and remove from heat.
In a mixing bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir. Add the onions and stir well.
In the bowl with the sausage, combine the shrimp, buttermilk, and egg. Stir to combine. Slowly whisk, to avoid creating lumps, the sausage mixture into the dry ingredients until everything is fully combined.
When you are ready to cook the hush puppies, drop a big spoonful of lard or oil into a deep fry pan on medium heat. Ideally, you want the cooking oil to go halfway up the hush puppy. Start with a sample hush puppy. Dip a spoon into cold water, take a spoonful of the batter, and add it to the fat. Remember: you want the hush puppy to be big enough to eat in two bites, but not so big that the outside burns while the inside is still uncooked. Keep a keen eye on this as you do not want your hush puppy to burn. Once you test out your first sample, you will be able to determine how long to cook the rest. Adjust your temperature as needed.
Eat and drink in moderation, but indulge from time to time in your new friend Cream Cheese.
The Quakers, also known as the Society of Friends, mostly settled in New England and some of the middle colonies. They weren’t welcome in the South due to their civil disobedience (they spoke up and questioned authority). Those of stricter religious backgrounds viewed them as a threat. But the Quakers were peaceful people, tired of religious intolerance. Even in the New World, they were somewhat persecuted (or rather made to feel unwelcome and labeled as “heretics”). Eventually, they seemed to thrive in Pennsylvania and the Delaware Valley. As a humble but outspoken group, they were the first to come out against slavery, view women as spiritually equal to men (unlike most religious institutions at the time), build schools and universities, and develop education programs for Native Americans.
As far as food goes, the Quakers were strict with diet. Overindulging was strongly discouraged. They did not eat butter (it was tainted by sin—see you in hell, Paula Dean), and they stuck with plain and simple dishes despite the wide array of new ingredients found in this new land. They also did not drink coffee because it was produced by slave labor. Boiling was the preferred method of cooking—almost every meal was boiled. Dumplings were their main dish, but they also ate dried meats, which they also used to flavor dumplings. In fact, they used dried meats in so many dishes it was often referred to as “Quaker gravy.” On a more interesting note, the Quakers are credited as inventing cream cheese and scrapple. While you most certainly have heard of cream cheese, scrapple is a pudding made from scraps of meat and various grains, and it is still popular in certain parts of Pennsylvania.
LET’S GO DUTCH
Dutch Americans, mostly located in New Netherland—now called New York—had a more interesting diet. I think we owe these settlers a big thank you for introducing us to cookies and waffles! They were incredibly social and gathered regularly to dance, celebrate their heritage, drink, smoke, and just be friendly to one another. They were big on community and everything to do with food. As you may have guessed, they also brought us the Dutch oven. As big foodies, the Dutch took great care into food preparation. These specific pots allowed for slow, steady cooking and produced what we now call a casserole.
The Dutch were well-known for having a sweet tooth (or teeth) and, along with cookies and waffles, they also brought with them olykoek, a deep fried ball of dough with apples and raisins—heaven. During the holidays, it was common to see fancy pastries covered in almond paste alongside the traditional plates of meat and vegetable casseroles, cabbage dishes, pea and bean spreads, dried cod, and fish soups.
We’ve combined the Quaker’s love of cream cheese with a celebratory bourbon sauce as a nod to the Dutch and strongly recommend you pair said cheesecake with the Fish House Punch (page 125).
