Cleaning Out the Pantry: Black Walnut Cookies

We are firmly in spring now, so it's time to do a little foodie spring cleaning and clear the winter stores out of the pantry. If you've not used up all of those nuts you gathered on hikes in the country last autumn, now's the time to get cracking - literally.

To help you undertake your endeavours, I humbly offer up Black Walnut Cookies. Technically, these can be made with any big, tasty nuts you have in the house, but black walnuts were used in my original. In addition, this recipe masterfully shows off the somewhat exotic flavor of black walnuts. However, be it noted that hickory nuts and pecans are tasty substitutes. If you use pecans, crisp them up in a 350 degree oven for 2 or 3 minutes first; this makes them more flavorful, so that you become pleasantly subjected to all that nutty goodness.

A college friend of mine discovered that M & Ms candy also makes a good substitute for the nuts. Experiment away, I say.

These Black Walnut Cookies call for amazingly few ingredients, so they are easy to make, not to mention tasty. Have I said that already? They are pure black walnut in flavor, making for yummy little cookies to go with the afternoon cuppa:

Black Walnut Cookies

2 c. brown sugar
4 well-beaten eggs (large ones are better)
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 c. chopped black walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix the brown sugar and the well-beaten eggs together. In a seperate bowl, combine the flour, salt and baking powder. Blend the dry mixture into the egg-n-sugar mixture. Stir in the black walnuts.
Drop by teasponfuls on greased (I use stick margarine or stick butter) baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until cookies are just beginning to be a bit brown around the edges and they seem firm, but not hard, in the middle.

Barbara Fritchie Pudding

This honorary dish is named for the patriotic German-American Unionist, Barbara Hauer Frietschie. Legend has it that a 95-year-old Frietschie rubbed the Stars-n-Stripes in the faces of Stonewall Jackson's Confederate troops as they advanced through Frederick, Maryland, daring them to shoot the American flag that waved before her humble abode. Supposedly, Gen. Jackson was a gentleman and asked his troops to to aim their rifles elsewhere.

Historians beg to differ; they claim the very elderly Barbara was feeling a bit puny and was abed that day. The flag currently on display in the Barbara Frietchie House Museum is shot full of holes. However, the incident has been memorialized in John Greenleaf Whittier's poem, Barbara Frietchie; in a Frederick, Maryland, restaurant, http://pages.frederick.com/dining/fritchie.htm; and in this oh-so-simple, very old-fashioned American pudding, which is actually a pie.

I discovered this recipe in The Southern Cook Book of Fine Old Recipes, compiled and edited by Lillie S. Lustig, S. Claire Sondheim, and Sarah Rensel. (Reading, PA: Culinary Arts Press, 1939.)

The recipe states that the pudding should be served "very cold," and it's even good eaten frozen, if you're into that sort of thing, but it's also delicious warm from the oven, served up with a dollop of whipped cream. Even better if you've got a ginger cookie to crumble over top of the whole delicious dish. Make this right now; you've got all the ingredients on hand.

This recipe is exactly as it appears in the 1939 tome:

Barbara Fritchie Pudding

3/4 c. granulated sugar
1/2 c. heavy whipping cream
3/4 c. brown sugar
2 egg yolks
2 egg whites
2 Tb. butter
Nutmeg to taste*
1/2 tsp. vanilla**

Into a double boiler put the sugar, cream, brown sugar, egg yolks and butter and cook until thick [stirring fairly constantly, to keep the mixture from sticking - krw]. Remove from the fire, add the vanilla and the well-beaten egg whites. Pour into an unbaked pie shell, sprinkle with nutmeg, bake in a slow oven (275 F) for about 45 minutes or until custard is set. Serve very cold.

* For goodness' sake, I hope you're not one of those persons who's still using nutmeg from a tin. If so, slap yourself then get down to the health food store or the whole foods retailer and buy yourself some nutmegs and a nutmeg grater.
** I use an entire tablespoon of vanilla -- in every recipe I make that calls for it. Do not be tempted by the lure of cheap vanilla. Yet get what you pay for.

Morel Mania

It's April in Appalachia and that can mean only one thing to the fungi fiend: morels. Morels are a dense, earthy fungus found primarily in hardwood forests. They are one of the first foodstuffs to pop through the loamy soil during the first warm, wet days of spring.

In Southeastern Ohio, where I grew up, morels are also known as land fish. I've no idea why, unless the name is supposed to somehow reference the shape of the 'shrooms. They certainly don't taste like fish.

In recent years, morels have gained in popularity among food cognoscenti. They can be purchased dried and tossed into soups and stews, but morels shine best when they are fresh and "steak fried." Here's the way my mama does it:

l Gather morels. Trim away any root stock that may still cling to the stem. Place morels on a cutting board, and slice them lengthwise. (You can skip doing this to the small ones.) Remove any forest-land insect hitchhikers you come across -- and release them safely outdoors!
l Wash mushrooms and place in a colander to drain.
l In a large bowl, combine 1 cup flour, 2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, and 1/2 tsp. salt.

l Take up a handful of the morels and gently toss them in the flour mixture, dredging them and being careful not to break their stems or to seperate the caps from their stems.

l Set aside. Finish dredging remaining morels.

l Heat a cast iron or electric skillet. Add just enough oil to the skillet to generously cover its bottom, but remember that you are not deep frying. Just before oil reachest the smoking point, add some of the dredged morels. Do not crowd the mushrooms. If you want a good, crispy 'shroom, they need breathing space. (To test whether the oil is hot enough for frying, sprinkle a bit of flour in the oil. If it begins to fry, then your oil is ready.)

l Salt and pepper. (I go light on the salt at this point. If you are not one for heavy or spicey seasoning, you can skip this step. You already have salt and pepper in the dredging flour.) Cook mushrooms until crispy brown, not burned, turning once.

l Drain on paper towels. Serve immediately, while still hot.

Morel Menus:

Morels are delcious at any meal, but I think they are especially tasty when eaten for breakfast. Serve morels with hot buttered biscuits, eggs over-easy, and strong coffee or hot tea. Morels are a natural complement to the taste of eggs.

White bread, straight from the store, really enhances the flavor of fried morels, believe it or not. Butter two slices of bread and make a sandwich of hot morels. If you've got a fresh green onion to put on your sandwich, all the better. Serve with a mug of strong, hot, sweet tea. Delicious.

Morels are also good served with country ham and fried chicken.

If you've got more morels than you can eat, lucky you!, slice them fresh from the woods, remove any soil with a damp paper towel, place in a plastic bag, and freeze. Don't wash them at this point, but wipe them with a wet paper towel or lint-free cloth. Eat within three months time, for optimal flavor.

Happy eating and welcome to spring!