Slow Cooker Recipe: Brunswick Stew

Been a while since I posted a recipe, so here's one for Brunswick Stew.

Claimed by both Brunswick, Georgia, and Brunswick County, Virginia, this is a thick, tomato-based stew that makes a hearty and flavorful meal. A traditional, home-cooking dish from the hunting culture of the Southeast, it has a distinctive, tomato-based, smoky flavor. And no, contrary to what you might have heard, you don't have to add squirrel—chicken will do just fine.

Brunswick Stew is the sort of meal you make for large gatherings, like parties, potlucks, and family dinners, so this recipe is for 10 servings.

1 ½ lb. skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1 inch pieces
3 potatoes, cut into ½ inch pieces
1 onion, chopped
1 can of tomatoes (not drained)
1 can of lima beans, rinsed and drained
1 can of cream-style corn
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon dried marjoram leaves
8 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
¼ teaspoon red pepper sauce

Mix all ingredients together except bacon and pepper sauce.
Cover and cook on the low setting for 8 to 10 hours until potatoes are tender.
Stir in bacon and pepper sauce.

Serve with biscuits or cornbread.

Slow Cooker Soup Recipe

Here's a savory soup to make in the slow cooker/crockpot. Makes about 6 servings:

1 lb. ground pork or turkey
2 carrots, sliced/julienned
2 green onions, chopped into 1 inch pieces
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 can of chicken broth
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup bean sprouts

1. Cook the meat in a skillet until brown; drain.
2. Mix the cooked meat and ingredients (except mushrooms and bean sprouts) into slow cooker.
3. Cover and cook on the low setting for 8 hours.
4. At 7 hours, stir in the mushrooms and bean sprouts.
5. Cover and cook for another hour, still on low, until the mushrooms are tender.
6. Serve with rice.

William-Adolphe Bouguereau, Soup, 1865

Creative Innovators: Julia Child

Julia Child is an icon.

She marched into the kitchen with the attitude that haute cuisine didn't have to be so darn mysterious and off-limits to the ordinary cook. Down-to-earth and warm, Julia always held a party in her kitchen. And we were all invited.

In her famous public television show, The French Chef, she did something innovative and unique: she demonstrated that the art of French cooking wasn't a snobbish affair, wasn't some arcane ritual—it was fun. Yet her ebullience wasn't a sign of a careless, uninformed approach. In addition to her experience living in France, she majored in history in college and knew France's history and culture.

And how she got to France was an interesting journey. During WWII, Julia worked for the Office of Strategic Services as a researcher for General "Wild Bill" Donovan and then was station in Sri Lanka. There she met another OSS employee, Paul Cushing Child, who impressed her with his wit and sophistication. After the war, Paul worked for the State Department and was assigned to France. The Childs lived in Paris where Julia, who always got into the spirit of the life around her, took up the challenge of learning French cooking, starting at the Le Cordon Bleu school.

Her book, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, hit the bestseller list in 1961 and is still in print today. The book's success plus the articles she published in newspapers and magazines led to the creation of her iconic show on Boston's WGBH. The French Chef was an instant hit. Not only did she show how easy cooking was, she was also totally and utterly herself and the audience loved her. No pretensions, no fuss, just roll up your sleeves, and get to it.*

In this segment from the show, she demonstrates how to make a flat French omelette. Dig that jerking pan technique, beats stabbing at it with a spatula. And she had a way with a whisk—I gotta strengthen my wrist muscles if I want to emulate that.

After Julia passed in 2004 (at the good age of 91), one of her kitchens was moved into the Smithsonian, where you can see it in the National Museum of American History.

So, whisk in hand, eggs at the ready, I say thanks Julia, merci!


*(Of course, I can't help but think of Dan Akroyd's impersonation of Child on Saturday Night Live. Save the livah! Apply pressure to the wound!)

Image: Elsa Dorfman, 1988, Creative Commons License 2.5

Slow Cooker Recipe: Red Beans and Rice

An American creative culinary fusions, red beans and rice is an inexpensive and easy-to-make meal.

Originating from the Creole culture in New Orleans, red beans and rice meals were traditionally cooked on Mondays, left to simmer on the stove while women did the laundry. Creole cooking combined the flavors of France, Spain, and Africa, and the Caribbean, representing the city's history as a port and creative community.

I adapted the following simple recipe for slow cookers from an old Betty Crocker cookbook, with portions for a 3 ½ to 6 quart crock-pot, intended to make 6-8 servings.

1 lb. (2 cups) dried kidney or red beans, rinsed
1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
7 cups of water
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper (or, if you want to heat it up, cayenne pepper)
1 teaspoon powdered thyme
1 teaspoon powdered paprika
2 bay leaves
2 cups uncooked instant rice
hot sauce/red pepper sauce
sliced green onion, thin sliced


1. Mix ingredients except rice, sauce, and green onion in the slow cooker.
2. Cover and cook on high heat for 4-5 hours (until beans get tender)
3. Stir in the rice
4. Cover and cook on high for about 20 minutes more.
5. Before serving, garnish with green onion.

Usual side servings: hot sauce, sausage, or pork chops

The vegetables should be chopped small enough so that they melt away during the cooking process. To get that Creole taste, be sure to use the "Holy Trinity" of onions, peppers, and chopped celery. For variation, I also sometimes add a little tomato sauce and diced ham.

That's what makes a recipe like this so practical and fun—you can improvise, just like that other New Orleans invention, jazz.

More about food, music, and culture in New Orleans

St. Louis Cathedral, Jackson Square

Best Macaroni and Cheese Recipe

I've tried different recipes for macaroni and cheese but I keep coming back to this one I found in the recipe archives of Carnegie Mellon University. The text is in a plain, printer-friendly format which I prefer since I like to put recipes in a plastic sleeve and then prop them up on a stand while cooking.

This recipe turns out great every time. I've made it for potlucks and it's usually gone within twenty minutes.

Image: Making cheese in a 14th century kitchen

Advertising in Translation: Tourist Pamphlet

The tourist industry writes its own kind of poetry. The ad above is taken from a 1920s guidebook to Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a place I know well.

The copy reads:

In Rothenburg ob der Tauber, every visitor should see the little architectural jewel that is the Baumeisterhaus, Rothenburg's most beautiful Renaissance house with things to see, historic court, and restaurant rooms. Built in 1596. Telephone 104.

Café/Wine restaurant/Bakery

First class kitchen

Unique baked goods, original Rothenburg specialties almond pastries and holiday bread.

Music and dancing

Owner Richard Gerlinger

"Hutzelbrot" is usually translated as holiday bread or holiday loaves or dare I utter it--fruitcake. (Here's a recipe from FoodGeeks.)