Category: columns-food

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Pudding Pi

By Fran Hill

2021 seems like the best year to celebrate the little things, to recognize happiness wherever we find it. Most of us have been through a lot and need joy.

Nobody is better at finding the best silly ways to celebrate than the food obsessed. Every day of the year represents some kind of made-up food holiday. Just in the last few months alone, we have had National Ranch Dressing Day, National Spaghetti Day, National Margarita Day and World Nutella Day. Not to mention entire months dedicated to Oatmeal, Potato Lovers and Celery. The message is clear: food should be fun and appreciated.

Of course, those of us grasping for any reason to celebrate have embraced March 14. 3-14 is recognized worldwide as Pi Day in honor of the mathematical constant and has been lovingly hijacked with its homonym pie. Who doesn’t want to eat pie on Pi Day?

This year, as I look to Pi Day, I am also acknowledging my husband’s love of pudding pies. While I may think of pie as vehicle to highlight amazing seasonal fruit, pudding pies are always his first request. Homemade butterscotch may be tops for him, and when I saw that Martha Stewart paired this luscious amber dessert with a pecan shortbread crust, I was sold. Garnished with candied pecans, this Butterscotch Pie with Pecan Shortbread Crust brings joy to any Pi Day celebration.

Butterscotch Pie with Pecan Shortbread Crust

(adapted from Martha Stewart)

March 14 (3-14) is known as Pi Day in honor of the mathematical constant. Pie lovers celebrate too. A favorite of Fran Hill’s is Butterscotch Pie with Pecan Shortbread Crust.

Crust:

1 cup pecan halves

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg yolk

Filling:

1 cup firmly packed dark-brown sugar

2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

4 large egg yolks

1 2/3 cups whole milk

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Sugared Pecan Garnish:

48 pecan halves (This is roughly how many you will need to ring the tart pan, but the egg white mixture can easily coat a few more. Do it for snacks and salads.)

2 tablespoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 egg white

Crust: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Toast pecans on a rimmed baking sheet until fragrant and golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes, then finely grind in a food processor. Add flour and salt to food processor and pulse just to combine. Add the softened butter and sugar to the food processor and pulse a few more times. Add the egg yolk and process to thoroughly incorporate. Mixture will have a fine crumb texture and hold together when pressed between fingers. Press evenly into bottom and up sides of a round 11-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom.

Freeze pan 15 minutes, then transfer to oven and bake until set and deep golden brown, about 20-25 minutes. (Watch the crust near the end of baking. Mine was probably done at 20 minutes, but I failed to check on it and have a more toasted result … still tasty but would probably have been better with a few less minutes in the oven.) Transfer pan to a wire rack; let cool 15 minutes.

Filling: (Don’t be me. Don’t get ahead of yourself and make the pudding while the crust is chilling. Wait until the crust is baked and cooling. Otherwise, you will be constantly whisking the pudding until the crust is ready to keep it from setting up. Learn from my mistakes.) While the crust is cooling, in a saucepan, whisk together brown sugar, cornstarch and salt. Whisk egg yolks into the milk and whisk this mixture into the dry ingredients. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 1 minute. Remove from heat and whisk in butter. Pour filling into crust and let cool.

Sugared Pecans: Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Whisk sugar, salt and egg white together. Stir in pecans. Spread nuts in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment. Bake, stirring once (being careful to keep nuts separate and not clump together), until golden brown and crunchy, about 15 minutes. Let cool completely. Garnish pie with sugared pecans. (Extra pecans can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.) Refrigerate pie until pudding is set, at least 4 hours, but up to 2 days.

To serve pie, remove sides of pan, transfer pie to a platter. Slice and serve. May offer whipped cream with each portion, if desired. It is delicious without, though. (Serves 10-12)

Fran Hill has been blogging about food at On My Plate since October of 2006. She, her husband and their three dogs ranch near Colome.

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Brunch on the Farm

By Fran Hill

It’s been a minute since I shared a recipe here with South Dakota Magazine. Allow me to reintroduce myself. I am Fran, and I like brunch. No, let’s revise that. I LOVE brunch. I am not an early riser, if I can help it, and savoring a slow multi-course meal mid-morning while sipping coffee with a splash of a little something-something is heaven for me.

The reality is that my husband’s farm responsibilities don’t allow for us to dip into this brunch fantasy on a daily basis. The sheep get fed before the humans around here and are waiting at the feed bunks for their breakfast every morning in rain, snow, sleet or shine. My husband is a sport, though, and does try to indulge my brunch desires one day a week. Sundays, he returns home after morning farm chores, and finds me elbow deep in eggs, bacon, sausage and fruit.

Sometimes, I get elaborate with my brunch spread and bake quiches layered with vegetables, cheese and even salmon. Sometimes, I just boil eggs. We are lucky enough to have a freezer full of locally raised pork which allows bacon and sausage to rotate through my menus. I try to include some vegetables, even going as far as finely chopping kale or spinach and adding to my rich homemade sausage gravy that we ladle over fluffy biscuits. Trust me. It IS still delicious. And fruit is a mainstay for a Sunday brunch. I love that citrus is such a bright seasonal spot in the winter.

A good brunch needs something sweet as a finish. What would a decadent meal be without some kind of dessert? Baking muffins seems to be a no-brainer, and I try to search out small batch recipes that don’t leave the two of us with extra baked goods for days and days.

I have a Small Batch Blueberry Muffin recipe that I make so frequently, the cookbook falls open directly to the page. I have slightly altered the original to suit ingredients that I usually have on hand, and the large, bakery-style paper baking cups I long ago ordered in bulk and may never run out of only make five muffins instead of the intended six. No matter how they are baked, I always love that first bite of tenderly caked muffin dotted with tart berries. THIS is what Sunday brunch should be.

This small batch recipe for blueberry muffins is perfect for “brunch for two.”

Small Batch Blueberry Muffins

(adapted from Dessert for Two)

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1/2 cup sugar

1 large egg

3/4 cup Greek yogurt (I use plain or vanilla)

1 tablespoon milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup flour

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup fresh blueberries

For the streusel:

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon flour

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cold

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with 6 paper liners (if you have the larger bakery-style liners, there will only be enough batter for 5).

Combine melted butter, sugar, egg, yogurt, milk and vanilla. Stir in flour, baking powder and baking soda until incorporated. Gently fold in blueberries.

Fill each paper muffin liner with batter.

For the streusel:

Combine the brown sugar, flour and cold butter using your fingertips to slightly warm the butter and create a crumble. Sprinkle liberally over each muffin.

Bake for 16 to 18 minutes, or until a toothpick tests clean. (Larger muffins may take longer to bake through.) Allow muffins to rest in tin for a couple of minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool. (Yields 6 muffins)

Fran Hill has been blogging about food at On My Plate since October of 2006. She, her husband and their three dogs ranch near Colome.

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The Art of Gingerbread

By Laura Johnson Andrews

For the January/February 2021 issue of South Dakota Magazine, we talked to Barb Feilmeier, a Mitchell woman who has elevated gingerbread architecture to lofty heights by crafting everything from the grand Victorian Beckwith House in Mitchell to the South Dakota State Capitol out of flour, sugar and spice.

After making gingerbread houses for 50 years, Feilmeier has amassed a wealth of tricks to make the process run smoothly while stretching the bounds of her creativity. One year, that involved making domes for the Corn Palace out of giant Hershey’s Kisses, whittled down to size. Another time, she built a stone wall for an Irish castle out of Rice Krispies bars and rock candy.”I have to do something that I haven’t done before,” she says.

Feilmeier kindly shared photos of gingerbread houses past from her massive scrapbook, as well as her recipe and many tips. Perhaps they will inspire you to think outside the gingerbread house kit next year.


Gingerbread

(Adapted from Family Circle, December 1970)

5 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 pinch baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons ginger
2 teaspoons cloves
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 cup molasses
1 egg

Sift flour, baking soda, salt and spices onto wax paper. In a large bowl, beat shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in molasses and egg. Stir in flour mixture to make a stiff dough. Chill several hours or overnight, until dough is firm enough to roll.

Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and sprinkle with flour. Roll out 1/4 of the dough to 1/8-inch thickness on the foil, covering the whole cookie sheet. Arrange as many pattern pieces as possible, allowing at least 1/2 inch between pieces, and cut out with a sharp knife, saving the trimmed dough.

Bake at 300 degrees for 20 minutes, or until cookies feel firm to the touch. Remove from oven and trim pieces while still warm. Let cookie sheet cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then remove sheet and let cookies cool completely.


Royal Frosting
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon lemon juice
3 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
food coloring, if desired

Beat egg whites and lemon juice until foamy. Slowly beat in sugar until frosting stands in firm peaks and is stiff enough to hold a firm line when cut through with a knife. Divide and tint with food coloring, as desired.


Sugar”Cement”
Spread 1 cup sugar in a small, heavy skillet and heat slowly until sugar melts and turns pale golden. Use immediately.


Building Tips

  • When designing a house, make sure that the pieces you need won’t be larger than the interior of your oven.
  • Don’t be afraid to use flour when rolling out the gingerbread.”You want it to get stiff,” Feilmeier says.
  • After baking the gingerbread, trim each piece to square. Feilmeier uses an old serrated bread knife as a saw.
  • Crushed LifeSavers make great stained glass windows. Before baking, make a hole in the gingerbread dough and drop the candy crumbs in. They will melt during baking and cool into swirls of color. Gelatin sheets (available online) work for clear windows.
  • If your gingerbread goes soft before you put your building together, check the humidity in your home. You can re-dry the dough in your oven if need be.
  • Feilmeier recommends decorating the walls before assembling the house because it’s easier to work on a flat surface.
  • If you’d like to light up your gingerbread house, try battery-operated mini lights. Just be sure to put them inside before you put the roof on.
  • Want columns? Try rolled wafers, wafer cookies or candy canes. Intricate railings can be crafted from spaghetti that has been cooked to al dente, rolled in food coloring or tinted frosting, then dried.
  • Royal icing “snow” covers a multitude of ills.
  • Gingerbread houses aren’t an ideal project for young children. It’s best to wait until they are about 10.
  • Not up to baking? Try building simple houses out of cheap graham crackers — the more expensive brands are better for eating than for building.
Barb Feilmeier of Mitchell celebrated her 50th anniversary of making gingerbread houses for Christmas by constructing an 1880s village, incorporating the first pattern she made, a gingerbread church, plus other new additions. The village was displayed at the Carnegie Resource Center in Mitchell in November 2020.
Barb Feilmeier of Mitchell celebrated her 50th anniversary of making gingerbread houses for Christmas by constructing an 1880s village, incorporating the first pattern she made, a gingerbread church, plus other new additions. The village was displayed at the Carnegie Resource Center in Mitchell in November 2020.
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To All the Lutefisk We’ve Loved Before

By John Andrews

I’ve always thought that neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night could keep a Norwegian from a plate of lutefisk, but this year has challenged that belief. COVID-19 forced the cancellation of family holiday get-togethers and community celebrations across the state, including the venerable Summit Lutefisk Supper. This would have been the 82nd annual feast and tribute to the finicky fish that both unites a culture and serves as punch line to countless jokes like this one: Did you know that the first person to fly an airplane solo across the Atlantic Ocean was not Charles Lindbergh but a Norwegian pilot from Minnesota? Unfortunately, his plane carried a cargo of lutefisk, so no one met him at the airport.

Lutefisk is a culinary oddity whose origins are tough to pin down. A popular folk tale says it all began more than 1,000 years ago when Irish citizens, hoping to poison a group of pillaging Vikings, boarded the Norse long ships and poured lye over their fish. But instead of dying, the Norwegians ate heartily and declared the lye-soaked fish a delicacy. Another reference in a 16th century book tells of a successful Norwegian fishing trip to the North Atlantic. After the men had eaten their fill, they left the remaining cod on the beach. Birch ash leftover from their fires combined with water to create lye, or”lute.” The fishermen noticed that it had perfectly preserved their catch. All they needed to do was rinse, cook and eat. The method was passed through Norwegian families for generations.

We traveled to Summit a few years ago to see how the town of 290 people stages an event that often draws twice that many diners. It seems nearly everyone in town has a job. Two days before the feed, fourth graders at the Summit school devote their physical education class time to hauling tables and chairs and setting them up on the old gym floor of the Summit Hall. On Friday night, high school honor society members carefully assemble each place setting. There are butter melters, lefse makers, coffee brewers, dishwashers and the all-important lutefisk chefs, led by Diane Knutson and Sheryl Steinocker, both veterans of at least 40 lutefisk suppers.

We watched as they prepared the fish for that evening’s dinner. Water boiled steadily in two pots while they explained the process. The fish is placed inside cheesecloth and plunged into boiling water.”They used to say 4 or 5 minutes, but you can’t go by that because some pieces are thicker than others,” Knutson said.”So we stab each bag.”

Lutefisk. Cheesecloth. Boiling water. Five minutes. It sounds simple, but there’s a lot riding on the preparation.”It has to be fork tender,” Steinocker said.”There’s a fine line.”

“And a true lutefisk lover knows where that fine line is, so we have to get it right,” Knutson adds.

When they get it right, they can see it in the empty platters that return to the kitchen almost as quickly as they left.”Sometimes the plate makes it all the way around the table, and other times it only makes it through two people,” Knutson said.”That’s how you tell who the real Norwegians are.”

Even in pre-pandemic years, lutefisk suppers didn’t seem to fill the fall calendar in South Dakota as they once did. Perhaps younger generations aren’t as enamored with the idea of eating fish that is preserved in lye. Maybe it’s the distinctly fishy aroma that can emanate from a boiling pot of lutefisk, or the gelatinous texture it can take on when overcooked. Still, the lutefisk suppers that remain often sell out, attracting diners who both truly love the fish and those who are willing to eat it once a year for the sake of nostalgia or to preserve their cultural heritage.

We’ll have to put the fun and fellowship that comes with community suppers like the Summit lutefisk feed aside for the moment, but cod willing, we’ll be back in 2021.

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Balancing Act

By Fran Hill

How many of you have been baking your hearts out? Have you made homemade caramels and fudge and pressed together popcorn balls? Do your friends and neighbors love the surprise platters of cookies that show up on their doorsteps? If so, you are ahead of me. I haven’t baked a single thing this holiday season. No flour, sugar or chocolate have been elevated in my kitchen.

I love cookies and candies and fudge. I crave sweets and dream of decadent desserts. However, honestly, I don’t really enjoy baking. At some point, I will give in and create some holiday confections. Don’t worry; there will eventually be some cookies. It isn’t Christmas without something from the oven.

In the meantime, I am focusing on balance in our meals. Winter has hit, and we are relying heavily on comfort food main dishes. I am rounding out the menus with vegetable sides that pack a punch of flavor and bring some freshness to the table. Winter Kale Salad with Goddess Tahini Dressing hits all of those qualifications.

Kale, red onions, apples and toasted pecans are massaged with a creamy and herb-packed tahini dressing. The salad is fresh and healthy and balances the multitude of cookies that I hope to be able to devour this holiday season.

Winter Kale Salad is a light reprieve from a holiday diet that is not short on sweets.

Winter Kale Salad with Goddess Tahini Dressing

(adapted from Milk Street)

1 1/4 cups fresh flat-leaf parsley

1/3 cup fresh cilantro

1/2 cup tahini

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

1/4 cup olive oil

2 teaspoon honey

1 clove garlic, chopped

1/3 cup water

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 bunches kale, stemmed and chopped

1/2 small red onion, sliced thinly

2 apples (Gala, Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, or your favorite), cored and chopped

1 cup pecans, toasted and chopped

In a blender combine parsley, cilantro, tahini, lime juice, oil, honey, garlic, water, salt and pepper. Blend until smooth.

In a large bowl, combine the kale and onions. Drizzle dressing over the salad. Massage lightly and toss to coat the greens. Let stand for about 15 minutes to allow acid in the dressing to tenderize the kale.

Add apples and toasted pecans to the salad; toss to coat with dressing and serve. (Serves 6)

Fran Hill has been blogging about food at On My Plate since October of 2006. She, her husband and their three dogs ranch near Colome.

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A Thanksgiving Table Set for Two

By Fran Hill

I am not hosting Thanksgiving this year. As the CDC tells us, it just isn’t prudent to host gatherings right now. However, my husband and I love a good turkey dinner, and I will still prepare a full holiday meal just for us. Even in this crazy, messy world of 2020, there is much for which to be thankful when we sit down to our table set for two.

Portion sizes will be easily cut down for the mashed potatoes, sage and sausage dressing, roasted butternut squash and shaved Brussels sprouts. I haven’t needed to roast turkey legs ahead of time to make extra stock for the vats of gravy our full table usually requires. My cranberry sauce recipe will be fine with leftovers used in my oatmeal and yogurt, and I still purchased a pretty big turkey because turkey sandwiches and pots of turkey noodle or turkey and dumpling soup are a post-holiday must.

The only thing that is bothering me as I put together next Thursday’s menu is dessert. I have always felt that the major bonus of having a holiday table full of guests was the opportunity to make multiple desserts. Pumpkin pie is a given, because even if nobody wants it on Thanksgiving, it is the most perfect Black Friday breakfast. There is usually another pie, be it pecan or salted nut, or something creamy like buttermilk. The season also always calls for apple pie or a galette, and it wouldn’t be fall without the Cranberry Dessert Cake with Warm Butter Sauce that I have been making since I was just a blushing bride.

The addition of sour cream makes this cake’s texture almost reminiscent of a pound cake. Tart, fresh cranberries dot the moist crumb and are tempered by the luscious warm butter sauce ladled over each serving. I baked one up this week, and Thanksgiving came early as we enjoy slices each evening and sometimes even for breakfast. Pie may get all the fame for this holiday, but Cranberry Dessert Cake with Warm Butter Sauce is something to be thankful for.

Thanksgiving gatherings will look different in 2020, but take comfort in Cranberry Dessert Cake with Warm Butter Sauce.

Cranberry Dessert Cake with Warm Butter Sauce

(adapted from Pillsbury)

FOR THE CAKE:

2 3/4 cups flour

1 1/4 cups sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups sour cream (I have subbed Greek yogurt in a pinch.)

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

2 eggs

3 1/2 cups fresh cranberries

FOR THE BUTTER SAUCE:

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 cup sugar

pinch of salt

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease and flour bottom only of 9×13 pan.

Combine flour, 1 1/4 cups sugar, baking powder, soda, and salt. Mix well.

In medium bowl, beat sour cream, milk, oil, almond extract and eggs.

Add sour cream mixture to flour mixture. Stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. Gently fold in cranberries. Spoon into prepared pan.

Bake at 375 degrees F for 45 to 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

FOR THE BUTTER SAUCE: In small saucepan, combine 1 cup sugar, butter and whipping cream. Bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla.

Serve warm sauce over cake.

Fran Hill has been blogging about food at On My Plate since October of 2006. She, her husband and their three dogs ranch near Colome.

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Start the Day with Comfort

By Fran Hill

I had hoped winter would hold off for a while. My husband and I have hardly begun the annual leaf clearing project in our backyard, and just last week, I harvested the last of the garden. However, the weather seems to have other ideas. After a few weeks of nearly perfect autumn temperatures and glorious fall colors, the thermometer has dropped to frigid and much of South Dakota has experienced its first snow.

While the white stuff has just been a dusting in my part of the state, it has still ushered in a call for comfort foods. Roasted chickens with mashed potatoes and gravy, big pots of slowly simmered beans flavored with herbs, vats of brothy vegetable soups, and even cheesy, creamy noodle casseroles with {gasp} canned soup have recently graced our table. But why should comfort foods be relegated to just dinner? Why not start the day with something hearty and soothing?

Baked Oatmeal with Berries is a warming breakfast casserole flavored with cinnamon and dotted with tart, fresh berries. Pepitas add a crunchy element and maple syrup and dates a subtle sweetness. Bake this up for Sunday brunch and enjoy a quick reheat of leftovers throughout the week to start every day in comfort.

Baked Oatmeal with Berries is comfort food for the breakfast table.

Baked Oatmeal with Berries

(adapted from Martha Stewart)

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

2 cups whole milk

1/4 cup pure maple syrup, plus more for serving

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup dates, pitted and chopped

2 1/2 cups old fashioned rolled oats (NOT quick cooking oats. The recipe needs the texture of old fashioned oats.)

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 – 1 cup fresh mixed berries (I used raspberries, blueberries and blackberries, but one type of fruit would work, or even sliced bananas.)

1/4 cup toasted pepitas

powdered sugar, for dusting (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Add butter to an 8-inch cast iron skillet (or similar oven-safe pan) and place in the preheating oven to melt. While butter is melting, whisk together milk, maple syrup, eggs and vanilla extract. Add about 2 tablespoons of the melted butter to the milk mixture and combine. Swirl the remaining butter around the pan to fully grease bottom and sides.

Stir oats, baking powder, salt and cinnamon into the milk mixture. Scatter the dates evenly across the bottom of the buttered pan. Spread the oat mixture over the dates. Sprinkle the top with fresh fruit and pepitas. Bake for 35 minutes, until just set. Allow to cool slightly (about 5-10 minutes). Dust with powdered sugar, if desired.

Serve drizzled with additional maple syrup. While totally not necessary, my husband and I liked our servings scooped into a bowl and served with just a little milk (more like traditional oatmeal) before drizzling with syrup. Leftovers can be stored covered in the refrigerator for up to five days. (Serves 4-6)

Fran Hill has been blogging about food at On My Plate since October of 2006. She, her husband and their three dogs ranch near Colome.

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All the Right Notes

By Fran Hill

I am tired. Exhausted. Wiped out.

It isn’t always this way. Some days, I start out strong and hit my to-do list hard. I check things off and accomplish much before eventually hitting a wall. Other days, I simply wake up tired.

Unfortunately, we always have to eat. It doesn’t matter if I am tired or not. Dinner always needs to be served. Thank goodness for sheet pan dinners. Tossing some vegetables and a protein into the oven and pulling out a full meal is a lifesaver.

Roasted Sausage, Potatoes and Kale is a comfort food meal that hits all the right notes. The heartiness of potatoes and onions meets flavorful sausage and dances with a bright dressing on the kale.

I always feel better when I can put a great meal on the table, and it is an absolute bonus when it is as easy as this.

Roasted Sausage, Potatoes and Kale is a simple one-sheet dinner that satisfies at the end of a long day.

Roasted Sausage, Potatoes and Kale

1 1/2 pounds fingerling potatoes, halved lengthwise OR small new potatoes, halved

1 medium yellow onion, wedged into eight pieces

2-4 cloves of garlic, sliced

5 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt, divided

1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, divided

1 ring bologna or sausage

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 1/2 teaspoons honey

1 bunch kale, stems removed, leaves torn into large pieces

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Toss potatoes, onions and garlic with 2 tablespoons oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper on a large, rimmed baking sheet. Roast 10 minutes, stirring halfway through.

Meanwhile, on a cutting board, make slices into the ring bologna or sausage at 1/4-inch intervals leaving the bottom intact. DO NOT cut clear through the sausage. Add the sausage to the roasting pan, nestling it among the potatoes. Roast an additional 10-12 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk vinegar, mustard, honey, remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl. Toss kale in dressing, using your hands to massage dressing evenly into leaves.

Scatter dressed leaves in an even layer over sausage and potatoes. (Can reserve any dressing in the bottom of the bowl for drizzling when meal is plated.) Roast, tossing kale halfway through, until tender and charred in places, 3–5 minutes. (Serves 4.)

Fran Hill has been blogging about food at On My Plate since October of 2006. She, her husband and their three dogs ranch near Colome.

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Heirloom Food Cures for the COVID Era

By Katie Hunhoff

My mom comes from the sprawling Mulloy family of South Dakota. Her dad and uncles built roads all over South Dakota when she was a child, so they have roots and stories in many communities. One favorite Mulloy tale is how Grandma Mulloy could throw together a pan of caramel rolls at a minute’s notice that were tastier than anything you could find today.

One of my uncles insists that her secret was butter laid between the folds of the dough. Another says it was the brown sugar. We can’t check the recipe because Grandma didn’t use one; she did write her process down for one of my cousins in Washington, who either lost it or won’t share it, so we’re stuck with trying lots of butter and brown sugar for now.

The Mulloys aren’t the only South Dakotans blessed with wonderful memories of special foods. They say the kitchen is the heart of the home, and if that’s true then favorite foods made by loving hands are the lifeblood of a family.

Knowing that, we’re always alert for special family food stories — and recipes when they haven’t been lost. Our Sept/Oct issue features a big article by Laura Johnson Andrews about the heirloom recipe contest held every year at the South Dakota State Fair. Laura judges the contest with a foodie friend, Catherine Lambrecht of the Greater Midwest Foodways Alliance.”We’ve sampled everything from pickled pigs feet to cornstarch pudding,” she says,”and enjoyed every bite.”

She says taste is important to the judges, but every entrant also submits a story about the recipe — a written history that may include photos, recipe cards or other memorabilia. Our article tells some of those stories. We write about Sheryl Kloss’s bread pudding from Tulare, Marie Harvey’s kraut strudels passed down in her Neu family and Mary Helen Wipf’s rahmstrudel from Huron. Tammy DeWald of Milbank shared tips on the DeWalds’ knoephla soup and Becky Neuhalfen of Yankton tells of a cherries and dumplings dish that dates back to 1929 when her Grandma Krause moved to a farm with fruit trees.

We also have a story in the Sept/Oct issue on the Hoffbeck family’s cinnamon rolls from Big Stone City.”Her motions were as graceful and unchanging as a choreographed dance,” writes Barbara Hoffbeck Scoblic of her mom in the kitchen with a wood-burning stove.”She dusted the board with flour, cut a section of dough and rolled it out. She swept the softened butter over the surface, dotted it with small chunks of brown sugar and dashes of cinnamon, rolled up the dough into a log, cut it in a dozen pieces and placed the shiny circles of deep brown and ivory neatly in a baking dish.”

Barbara even shares the detailed recipe with us. I’d gladly reprint it here, but it’s quite long. If you don’t have access to a South Dakota Magazine copy, just email me at editor@southdakotamagazine.com and I’ll send it to you. I don’t think Barbara will mind.

Our South Dakota comfort foods are more appreciated than ever in this pandemic. Cinnamon and caramel rolls probably won’t cure COVID-19 (though has anybody tested that to be certain?), but they bring us closer together as families and friends and that’s healthy for the heart.

Cinnamon rolls from Barbara Hoffbeck Scoblic’s mother’s recipe for SO20
Cinnamon rolls from Barbara Hoffbeck Scoblic’s mother’s recipe for SO20
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Rounding Out the Meal

By Fran Hill

This August, like most, I am wholeheartedly jumping into the garden bounty. It is the time of year when EVERYTHING is at its peak, and I appreciate it all. Most of our meals revolve around a grilled protein and multiple vegetables. There are often a couple of salads on the table. (Kohlrabi Coleslaw has been a recent favorite.) Zucchini, summer squash, ears of corn, onions, carrots, beets and new potatoes fit right in on the grill. Tender, fresh from the garden green beans can be roasted in a grill basket (or steamed, if I want to bother with a pot of water on the stove). Sliced tomatoes round out every meal.

I don’t miss the carbs of pasta or rice. The perfectly ripened vegetables fit my summertime cravings. There will be plenty of time for noodles in the coming cold winter days. However, sometimes, I do want something else rounding out our plates. Garlic and Basil Focaccia is just the thing.

This yeast bread comes together so quickly that I recently whipped it up in less time than it took the repairman to fix my wayward dryer. The sliced garlic on top roasts in the depressions of olive oil and has a delicious flavor impact. In my world, basil always says freshness and makes this a perfect bread for summer meals.

I always bake it in a cast iron pan, but a cake pan will work just as well. If you choose a square utensil, any remaining of this flat loaf can be cut into squares and split horizontally to make an excellent vehicle for sandwiches.

Garlic and Basil Focaccia perfectly complements a meal that’s heavy on garden vegetables.

Garlic and Basil Focaccia

3/4 cup warm water

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4-ounce package Rapid Rise yeast

4 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided

1 3/4 cups flour

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 clove garlic, sliced

1 tablespoon freshly grated parmesan

1 tablespoon freshly chopped basil

flaky sea salt

Preheat oven to 200 degrees F.

Add sugar to warm water in a 2-cup glass measuring cup. Stir in yeast. Place in a warm (not hot) place and allow to stand for 10 minutes, until yeast is activated and foamy.

Add flour and salt to bowl of stand mixer fitted with dough hook. With mixer running, add activated yeast and water and continue to stir.

Gradually add 2 tablespoons olive oil. Mix on low until combined. When the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl, increase mixer speed and allow mixer to knead the dough for about 3-5 minutes until dough is smooth and seems to be forming a ball. (Depending on the weather, more flour or olive oil may be needed to form a smooth dough.)

Grease a cast iron skillet or an 8- or 9-inch cake pan with 1/2 tablespoon of the olive oil.

Lightly flour a flat surface. Remove the dough and place onto the floured surface and sprinkle the top lightly with flour. With your hands, gently shape the dough into a flat disk and place in the prepared skillet.

Gently press the dough evenly in the bottom of the skillet and to the sides, then cover with a clean towel.

TURN OFF THE OVEN and place the covered dough in the oven for 20 minutes to rise.

Remove the skillet from the oven and remove the towel. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Brush the remaining olive oil over the focaccia bread dough, sprinkle with the sliced garlic, grated parmesan, chopped basil and flaky salt. Make indents over the top of the dough with your thumb.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden. Remove from the oven. Cool slightly on a wire rack before serving. (Serves 8-10)

Fran Hill has been blogging about food at On My Plate since October of 2006. She, her husband and their three dogs ranch near Colome.