Missouri's Crossroads Cuisine by Ruth Paget

Missouri’s Crossroads Cuisine by Ruth Paget 

Missouri’s position in the center of the United States next to the Mississippi River has made it a crossroads of commerce and exploration of the American West, commemorated by the towering Gateway Arch in St. Louis. 

The Pony Express was started in Missouri and connected the state via pony relays with the Pacific. Cosmopolitan traders worked in St. Louis and their cuisine seems to influence Missouri to this day with many very good dishes to prepare ahead and serve immediately to satisfy hunger with the exception of meat dishes that take a little longer to cook. 

The following recipes in Best of the Best from Missouri edited by Gwen McKee and Barbara Moseley might interest readers who would like to prepare some deli and bakery items at home in addition to main dishes: 

-saganaki – Greek Kasseri or Kefalotiti cheese ignited with brandy and doused with lemon juice when the flames die make this a sour and savory appetizer. I ate saganaki all the time as teen in Detroit, Michigan’s Greektown. It was a popular appetizer and blackened the ceilings over customers’ tables. Everyone in the restaurant yelled, “Opa!” when the saganaki came out. 

-Missouri pâté – made with butter, mushrooms, shallots, bourbon, liverwurst, cream cheese, and dill -smoked fish pâté – made with salmon or trout, scallions, cream cheese, and mayonnaise 

-Armenian white bread 

-Jewish challah bread – egg bread made with poppy seeds -pimiento cheese bread 

-wild rice soup made with milk and cheddar cheese 

-Clamato aspic salad – lemon jello made with oyster and tomato flavored Clamato juice, chopped artichoke hearts, green pepper, and avocado 

-pasta with vodka sauce and sun-dried tomatoes -rice and noodle casserole made with chestnuts and mushrooms 

-horseradish mousse made with cottage cheese and onion 

-Clinton County pork chops with sour cream sauce 

-pork medallions with mustard cream sauce – I ate these in Germany to win instant acceptance at weinstubs like Trollinger in Stuttgart, Germany 

-mustard mousse made with heavy cream – very welcome on dish on hot summer days Travelers might also like to sample the multicultural fare described in Best of the Best from Missouri edited by Gwen McKee and Barbara Moseley. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Click for Ruth Paget's Books

St. Louis, Missouri Trip by Ruth Paget

St. Louis, Missouri Trip by Ruth Paget 

As a child, I traveled around the Midwestern United States with my mother, who was an elected Secretary-Treasurer of the Midwest Conference of the International Typographical Union (a forerunner of the Communication Workers of America) as well as a union organizer. 

Many of the conferences were held in Detroit, where we lived. For other meetings, mom drove her black Thunderbird with rock and roll blaring while drinking a Fresca (a carbonated grapefruit drink that was low in calories). 

I liked staying in hotels with pools and did not mind reading while the conferences were going on. Some of the infinitely cool places we visited include: 

-Toledo, Ohio 

-Cleveland, Ohio

-Cincinnati, Ohio 

-Gary, Indiana 

-Indianapolis, Indiana 

-Chicago, Illinois 

-St. Louis, Missouri 

Even if a meeting were held at O’Hare Airport in Chicago, my mom drive up Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago to get to the airport, so we could model white-rimmed sunglasses while listening to rock music. The Detroiters were in Chicago. 

My mom would tell me Detroit insider music information that her fiends in bands told her such as:

-“Everyone in the music industry knows that the Pontiac Silverdome has 82,666 seats that they can fill with people who will buy at least one $20 T-shirt.” 

“People who sell rock merchandise need to sell sunglasses.” 

“Rock concerts would sell out faster, if they could get an army of salesman to sell on commission as a side-job.” 

Today, she would probably agree that online boutiques are a great way to sell 24/7/365. I think her remarks encouraged me to become a member of the Major Activities Board (Concert Board) when I was a student at the University of Chicago. 

The place I remember best from these travels, though, is St. Louis (Missouri) for its Gateway Arch, designed by architect Eero Saarinen. My mom told me it was the tallest arch in the world. 

Even as a child, I knew it was a doorway to a big land with high mountains in the West. 

As an adult, I like living in the Western United States in California where it is okay to write, cook, and use technology. 

By Ruth Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Click for Ruth Paget's Books

Ruth Paget Photo