Texas Gold Star Cuisine by Ruth Paget

Texas Gold Star Cuisine by Ruth Paget 

I have visited Houston, Texas once for the wedding of a college friend from the University of Chicago. 

The sultry Gulf Coast air in Houston made the big Texan hair I had worked so hard to curl like Farah Fawcett’s for the wedding fall limply on my face despite hair spray. (Or, could it have been from dancing and singing to songs from the 1980s after the wedding?) 

If I count the times I have made plane connections in the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, I can say that I have been to Texas about 30 times on my way to various points in the Eastern United States from California. 

All these short stays in Texas piqued my interest in the state’s history and cuisine. 

I wanted to see how the large population of descendants of German immigrants to Texas mixed their love of meat with Southwestern ingredients when I bought The New Texas Cuisine by Stephen Pyles. 

Three meat dishes from this book that I thought looked especially good include: 

-veal medallions on wilted greens with pinto-wild mushroom sauce and spicy whipped sweet potatoes 

-pork tenderloin with dried cherry sauce and caramel pine nuts 

-roast beef tenderloin with roast tomato ancho chile sauce and wild mushroom enchilada 

Pyles also provides a nice collection of poultry dishes that are a little easier on the pocketbook to make such as the following: 

 -roast chicken in adobo sauce with black-bean prosciutto refrito 

-roast wild turkey with blue cornmeal-chorizo stuffing 

-pheasant braised in tequila with peaches 

The New Texas Cuisine cookbook by Stephen Pyles will surely expand what cooks think of as Texan cuisine as they cook and provide background information for trips to the state. 

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

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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

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Alaska's Food Lessons by Ruth Paget

Alaska’s Food Lessons by Ruth Paget 

I have not visited Alaska, but enjoy the seafood from its frigid waters that run in Alaska Current off Monterey Bay (California) where I live. 

Some of the delicious seafood from Alaska that my family has enjoyed over the years include: 

-Sweet Alaskan King Crab legs, which I steam in a little water with white wine 

 -briny shrimp, which I turn into garlic shrimp with a sprinkling of hot red pepper flakes 

-Large, chunky Pacific cod, which Californians eat deep-fried in IPA beer batter with thick curly fries 

-Salmon, which I bake with green beans and seasoned butter 

My family and I have very good impressions of Alaskan food based on those dishes alone. To complete my knowledge of Alaskan food, I turned to the Best of the Best from Alaska Cookbook edited by Gwen McKee and Barbara Moseley. 

There are recipes for walrus meat in the cookbook, but I chose 5 dishes to represent what Alaska cooks that the continental US can also try:

-raspberry liqueur made with mashed raspberries, lemon peel, vodka, and sugar syrup

-salmon spread made with gelatin, white wine, sour cream, chili sauce, and canned salmon 

-cranberry apple nut bread 

-Swiss scalloped potatoes made with Swiss cheese, green onions, butter, flour, salt, pepper, milk, cream, and thinly sliced potatoes

-Celery custard made with diced celery, onions, milk, salt, pepper, and eggs. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. (Celery is a major crop in Monterey County California) 

For cooks interested in dishes for cold weather climates Best of the Best from Alaska edited by Gwen McKee and Barbara Moseley has great pantry recipes. 

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

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Wyoming's High-Altitude Food by Ruth Paget

Wyoming’s High-Altitude Food by Ruth Paget 

On the way to and from Wisconsin, my Californian family drove over the Rocky Mountains in Wyoming to go to a family reunion. The top of the Rockies around Laramie, their highest point, have rounded, black peaks devoid of snow and antelope grazing way up high in the 2020s. 

On visits to Yellowstone National Park, my family has also discovered that the high altitude whets the appetite, especially after hiking and alters baking times. 

I found several dishes that all go well with coffee, the always acceptable drink in Wyoming, in my souvenir cookbook entitled A Taste of Wyoming: Favorite Recipes from the Cowboy State by Pamela Sinclair that might interest other cooks: 

-blueberry kuchen or coffee cake brought by German immigrants to Wyoming, who make up the largest immigrant group in the state 

-ten-grain pecan pancakes with sautéed apples 

-mushroom risotto to go with the states beloved meat dishes 

-roasted garlic mashed potatoes to go with meat dishes -wild rice salad 

–a Native American dish made with chicken, celery, apple, cranberries, and walnuts 

-Basque lamb stew made by descendants of immigrants from the Basque country in Spain and France 

-Yellowstone drug store vanilla shake – a great way to end a day of hiking 

Cooks interested in expanding their repertoire might enjoy A Taste of Wyoming by Pamela Sinclair to relive grand moments in Wyoming and eat well, too. 

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

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Idaho's Potato Classics by Ruth Paget

Idaho’s Potato Classics by Ruth Paget 

I learned to love Idaho as a young woman when I ate baked potatoes with melted butter and sour cream topped off with chives at Carl’s Chop House in Detroit, Michigan. This delectable potato came with a medium rare T-bone steak and a side salad with ranch dressing and freshly cracked pepper on top. Detroit being Texan was perfectly acceptable in the 1980s. 

I finally was able to see Idaho up close and personal when my husband Laurent and I drove through it on a vacation to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks in the 2010s. Idaho is flat with lumpy soil full of delicious potatoes. 

I purchased the Idaho Cookbook by Laura Sommers to learn more about this state we drove through on the way to see Old Faithful. There are many potato recipes as you would expect as well as dessert ideas for huckleberries, which also grow abundantly in Idaho. 

Some of the recipes that I thought looked especially good in Sommers’ cookbook include:

-Idaho bean soup made with potatoes, onions, celery, carrots, vegetable stock, ham, and white beans  

-Waldorf potato salad made with russet potatoes, cider vinegar, mayonnaise, scallions, celery stalks, apples, and chopped walnuts 

-Idaho curry potato salad made with russet potatoes, golden raisins, olive oil, curry powder, yogurt, and green beans 

-Idaho garden potato salad made with red potatoes, carrots, radishes, cucumbers, scallions, parsley, chives, and mayonnaise 

-Duck fat steak fries that are baked after being tossed with thyme, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and melted duck fat 

Cooks interested in delicious new ways to prepare potatoes can find an excellent collection in The Idaho Cookbook by Laura Sommers. 

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

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Tuna-Black Bean Salad Recipe by Ruth Paget

Tuna-Black Bean Salad Recipe by Ruth Paget 

Serves 4 

Ingredients: 

-1 (5-ounce) can tuna fish 

-1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained 

-1 green pepper, seeded and minced 

-1/2 red onion, minced 

-3 tablespoons olive oil 

-1 tablespoon red wine vinegar 

-2 hard-boiled eggs, quartered 

Steps: 

1-Place tuna, black beans, green pepper and red onion in a large salad bowl. 

2-Mix olive oil and vinegar together. Season according to your liking. Pour dressing over salad and toss. 

3-Place egg quarters around the salad on the edges of the bowl and serve. 

Source: Ruth Paget – California 2023 

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

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Black Bean Salad Recipe by Ruth Paget

Black Bean Salad Recipe by Ruth Paget 

Serves 4 

Ingredients: 

-4 tablespoons olive oil 

-juice of 1 lemon or 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar 

-1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained 

-1/2 red onion, minced 

-1 green pepper, minced 

-2 hard-boiled eggs quartered 

Steps: 

1-Mix olive oil and lemon juice or vinegar together. Season according to your liking. 

2-Place beans, onion, and green pepper in a large salad bowl. 

3-Pour dressing over the beans and toss. 

4-Place egg quarters around the edges of the salad and serve. 

Source: Ruth Paget – California 2023 

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

Click for Ruth Paget's Books