Cool Indiana Cuisine by Ruth Paget
I thought Indiana was infinitely cool as a kid, because I spent long weekend vacations there with my mom, who was doing union organizing and attending International Typographical Union Midwest Conference meetings in places like Gary and Indianapolis. (The International Typographical Union is now part of the Communications Workers Union of America.)
The ladies auxiliary of the Union babysat me, stuffed envelopes, and wrote letters to the editor poolside while I swam for hours under Indiana’s blazing hot sun that is good for crops and kids, who need Vitamin D.
Après nage, I looked forward to eating Indiana’s wholesome farm food that still reflects German, Polish, and Italian immigrant heritage. My favorite main dishes were German sweet and sour pot roast seasoned with cranberry jelly and pork loin with cream sauce. Both were served with buttered egg noodles.
These dishes were different from my mom’s English roast beef and vegetables. They made me feel that Indiana was rather exotic compared to Detroit as we zoomed past signs warning drivers to share the road with horse-drawn Amish buggies.
These Indiana memories came back to me as I read Best of the Best from Indiana Cookbooks edited by Gwen McKee and Barbara Mosely.
For decades Indiana was famous for Notre Dame University’s football team coached by Knute Rockne. I thought the following appetizers were just the thing for football game munchies as I read the cookbook:
-beer cheese for spreading on crackers or toast made with cheese, horseradish, hot sauce, and mayonnaise
-Gouda Wellington – warm croissant wedges made with Gouda cheese and apricot preserves
-Reuben snacks – baked snack balls made with breadcrumbs, Swiss cheese, shredded corned beef, drained sauerkraut, and melted butter
-Chocolate chip cheese ball – made with cream cheese, vanilla, cinnamon, powdered sugar, mini-chocolate chips, and chopped pecans
Two other coffee and football treats include:
-Mrs. Rockne’s Swedish coffee cake topped with brown sugar, coconut, and melted butter
-Little applesauce muffins
Other dishes in Best of the Best from Indiana Cookbooks are surprisingly simple to cook such as:
-baked and stuffed green peppers that are stuffed with ground beef, tomatoes, and bread crumbs
-seafood fettucine with a sauce made with whipped heavy cream
-pork tenderloin with scallion and mustard sauce
Finally, desserts are always good and plentiful when dealing with people of German descent. Some of my favorites in this cookbook include:
-mocha and cherry cake
-lemon cheese bars -pecan bars
-sesame seed tea cake
-springerles - anise-flavored cookies
-pfeffernusse - peppernut cookies seasoned with cloves, allspice, cinnamon, white pepper, and almonds
-gingersnaps
Tasty recipes abound in the pages of Best of the Best from Indiana Cookbooks edited by Gwen McKee and Barbara Moseley, making it a good purchase for chefs.
By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France
