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Fish

Smelts

Daddy cooked on Saturday nights, often franks and beans, but he got more adventurous sometimes and would fry up a mess of smelts.

Mix the bread crumbs with the garlic, salt, and cayenne pepper.

Dip the smelts in the crumbs, then in the beaten egg, then in the crumbs again.

Sauté the smelts in butter or oil until golden brown.

Oyster Stew

The first time we made oyster stew, we poked around Norristown trying to find fresh oysters. They didn't have them at Genuardi's, and I remember my Dad went into a dark bar asking for them before we finally found a fish market that had them.

Pick over oysters, remove bits of shell, drain and reserve liquor.

Add oysters to melted butter, season with (salt), pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. Cook until the oysters are plump and the edges begin to curl.

Add milk (hot if you want) and oyster liquor. Heat to nearly boiling.

Sprinkle with paprika and serve at once with crackers.

Yields about four servings.

Meat

Pork Chops Supreme

I'm not sure where this recipe came from, but the marketing is inspired. Daddy made it on Sundays sometimes after he got out of the rotisserie chicken habit.

Brown the pork chops, seasoned with salt and pepper. Alongside each pork chop, sauté its slice of onion topped with the slice of lemon.

When the chops are browned, but not cooked through, top each chop with its slices of onion and lemon, and add to each one tablespoon of ketchup and one tablespoon of brown sugar.

Add 1/4 cup of water to the pan and cover. Cook gently for 20 to 30 minutes.

Uncle Paulie's Meatballs and Sauce

Via email from my friend Paul dated 19 Sep 2003. We like to make a big batch and freeze the sauce/meatball combination for later use. Start the sauce first, then make the meatballs and throw them in to cook for a while.

Marinara Sauce

In a large pot, sauté the onions in hot olive oil. When they begin to soften, add the garlic. When the onions and garlic have finished softening, add the tomatoes and one can of paste. Mash the tomatoes, bring to a low boil. Add salt, pepper, and oregano to taste.

Once the sauce begins to bubble, leave the top off to allow for reduction. Keep stirring, especially the bottom, every 10 minutes or so for one to three hours. If you can't wait that long, cook for at least 30 minutes. Somewhere near the end, check for thickness. If it's not thick enough, add another can of tomato paste and stir it in. Season to taste.

Meatballs

Combine all the ingredients, form them into meatballs (between 1 and 2 inches in diameter). I leave about 1/3 of the mixture loose and sauté that separately to add meat to the sauce.

Cover the bottom of a pan with olive oil. When the oil gets hot (a little water flicked in should sizzle), brown the meatballs. Put the meatballs into the sauce and continue cooking over low heat for about an hour.

As Paul said, "Well that was exactly the kind of 'first email of the day' I wanted to write."

Chicken

Honey Mustard Chicken

Wash and dry the chicken. Remove the skin if you want.

Melt the butter or oil in a shallow baking pan. Add remaining ingredients.

Roll chicken pieces in the mixture, then arrange in a single layer in the same pan.

Bake at 375°, basting occasionally, for 40 minutes (30 minutes if using boneless breasts).

This recipe is from the carefully preserved label from a jar of Golden Blossom Honey. Fred said that the key to this recipe lies in the frequent basting, to build up layers of flavor.

Smothered Chicken

In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook until golden brown, stirring occasionally. Remove the onions from the skillet and set them aside.

Add another tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet and cook the mushrooms for 3 to 5 minutes. Set them aside in the same bowl as the onions.

Place one chicken breast between two pieces of wax paper or plastic bag. Lightly pound the chicken with a mallet or rolling pin until 1/2 inch thick. Repeat for each chicken breast. Cut each breast in half.

Combine 1/3 cup flour, salt, and pepper in a flat dish. Dip each side of chicken in flour mixture to coat. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in the skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken lightly on both sides. Arrange chicken in one layer in a 13 by 9 inch baking dish. Top with onions and mushrooms.

Add the remaining 1/3 cup flour and 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet and stir until all the flour is absorbed. Add the chicken broth and stir until smooth. Cook over medium-high heat until the mixture boils and thickens to form gravy. Stir in the capers.

Pour the sauce over the chicken. Bake in 375° oven for 25 minutes or until the chicken is cooked all the way through. Sprinkle with chopped red bell pepper.

Vegetables

German-Stewed Potatoes

As Bea says, this is a difficult one, but important. This is the first memory she has of Daddy's cooking, going back to her early childhood.

In a large pot, lightly sauté the chopped onion in some oil or butter. (Optionally, you can start with some chopped-up bacon.)

Add chunks of potato and a little water or chicken broth. Cook gently and stir frequently. Add water or chicken broth as necessary to prevent burning.

When potatoes are cooked through, they will be somewhat mushy, but still basically chunky and well-flavored with the onion.

Desserts

Pumpkin Pie

This is a frozen pumpkin pie that Mommy always made for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Much better than traditional pumpkin pie, in our opinion. Maybe because of all the sugar!

Graham Cracker Crust

You can make this crust, or you can just buy prepared graham-cracker crusts.

Roll the graham crackers into crumbs.

Add the sugar, flour, and melted butter. Mix well. Press the mixture evenly into the bottom and sides of a greased pie pan.

Pumpkin/Ice Cream/Whipped Cream Filling

Line the pastry shell with a 1/2-inch layer of the vanilla ice cream, then put it back in the freezer.

Mix the remaining ingredients together (not including the whipped cream). Fold the mixture into the whipped cream.

Remove the pastry shell from the freezer and pour the pumpkin filling into the shell.

Place the unrapped pie in the freezer for about two hours or until the filling is firm, then wrap the pie in freezer wrap if you're not going to use it immediately.

Remove the pie from the freezer just before you want to serve it and add a whipped cream garnish.