The Food of North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas by Ruth Paget

The Food of North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas by Ruth Paget 

North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas are very important to the United States for grain production. 

North Dakota grows durum wheat, which is milled into protein-rich semolina flour that is used in pasta and pizza dough. South Dakota grows oats and rye. Nebraska grows corn. Kansas leads the country in wheat production. These four states are a breadbasket that feeds millions. 

These states also grow vegetables that mix with these grains to form protein combinations. (Basically, you are looking for seed and grain combinations.) These states are famous for meat eating, but protein combinations augment their protein consumption. 

There are absolutely terrific vegetable dishes in the cookbook Best of the Best from the Great Plains Cookbook – North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas edited by Gwen McKee and Barbara Moseley that go well with meat and form protein combinations with grain products. 

Some of the great vegetable recipes from this cookbook include: 

-radish dip made with cream cheese, butter, celery salt, paprika, Worcestershire sauce, radishes, and green onion 

-hot potato skins served with shredded cheese and crumbled bacon 

-skorpor (Swedish rusks – a kind of Swedish biscotti) 

-cauliflower salad made with cauliflower, chestnuts, mayonnaise, ranch dressing, onion, sour cream, and dill 

-broccoli salad made with broccoli, almonds, cherries, onions, green peppers, and crumbled bacon 

-spinach salad made with spinach, eggs, celery, onion, and cubed cheese 

-wild rice salad made with white chicken breast, rice, green grapes, cashews, water chestnuts, mayonnaise, and curry powder 

-onion salad made with onion slices, vinegar, sugar, mayonnaise, and celery seed 

-pear and walnut salad made with blue cheese 

-carrot-apple salad raisins and sunflower seeds 

-company potatoes made with cream of chicken soup, sour cream, grated American cheese, butter, and a crust of crumbled cornflakes 

-stuffed squash made with baked acorn squash with onion, turkey, apple, and raisins 

-Swiss green beans made with French onion dip, green beans, and Swiss cheese. My mom made this dish for Sunday meals for years. 

-rice and sour cream casserole with green chilies 

-rice casserole with onions and mushrooms 

Cooks interested in a variety of vegetable recipes might be interested in the recipes The Best of the Best from the Great Plains Cookbook – North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas edited by Gwen McKee and Barbara Moseley. 

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

Click for Ruth Paget's Books

Nebraska Riches by Ruth Paget

Nebraska Riches by Ruth Paget 

Followers of college football know that the Nebraska cornhuskers represent a state full of corn and are pretty great players, but how rich can corn make you, really? 

Plenty, if ethanol, a fuel based on corn, becomes part of energy security for the United States and an export product for the country. In 2021, E15, a fuel with 15% ethanol, sold 814 million gallons according to the Renewable Fuels Association. This same organization reports that President Biden authorized that this fuel can be sold year-round in 2022, which will likely increase sales. 

Corn is also grown in Nebraska to feed the premium, black-skinned Angus cows that you can see from Interstate 80. Omaha Steaks runs a reliable delivery service. For years, my sister and brother-in-law have sent a Christmas order to my family that lasts till Easter. We eat red meat once a month to follow the Mediterranean Diet as closely as possible. (Sometimes I substitute Kentucky Fried Chicken for red meat reflecting my father’s Appalachian heritage.) 

Billboards along Interstate 80 advertise corn whiskey now. I think whiskey tastings with meals might be a good way to sell this product like they do in Irish bars. A country cure for colds uses whiskey for adults. The recipe follows: 

-1/2 to ¾ cup warm whiskey 

-juice of 1 to 2 lemons 

-1 to 2 tablespoons honey 

 Stir and drink while warm. 

This cure might not solve your illness, but will probably produce a bowel movement and sleep for a few hours to get you in shape to go to a doctor in town. 

Corn has significant amounts of Vitamin C and antioxidants, which help strengthen the immune system according to webmed.com. 

Along with popcorn, tortillas, and cornflakes, that makes seven good reasons why corn can be a source of wealth. If you do not plant a lot of corn and raise prices, farmers can efficiently sell corn to lead prosperous lives and protect independent farms. (If OPEC – Oil Petroleum Exporting Countries – can do this, why not corn farmers.) 

You see a lot of independent farms driving from one side of Nebraska to the other, the Western border of the state touches Wyoming. In the east, the land gently rolls and begins to rise in the west as foothills of the Rockies. Banks of sod appear. The Platte River follows most of Interstate 80 in the west and retains the history of French exploration in the area. (Platte meats flat.) 

We stopped in Sidney, Nebraska for an overnight stay from our road trip from Wisconsin to Monterey, California. We ate dinner at the 3 Margaritas Restaurant. I had a dish called Enchiladas Divorciadas. They are supposed to be divorced, because each cheese enchilada had a different sauce. One sauce was a green one made with tomtillo tomatoes. A bitter-sweet orange sauce tasted as if it were made with Seville oranges and paprika. A third sauce was a tangy sour cream. Spicy refried beans and rice flavored with pequin peppers rounded out my great meal. I highly recommend this restaurant for the fresh and delicious food. (There is a gas station nearby to make this a nice lunch or dinner spot.) 

The next day, I ate a country breakfast with biscuits and gravy, two 3-inch summer sausages, scrambled eggs, and bacon. I waddled out of the hotel with a coffee with milk, which is what I usually have at home. 

I loved the food and people in Nebraska, especially 3 Margaritas. 

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

Click for Ruth Paget's Books