Modern Appalachian Cuisine

By Jason Talbott

If you want to learn something new about Appalachian cooking, this could be the book for you.
I tried to make this book a combination of old family recipes; some are with modern twists, and others are just plain twists. From ramps to pawpaws, we got a little bit of everything.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Feb 7, 2023
• ISBN: 9798886855715

Book preview

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Modern Appalachian Cuisine

Jason Talbott

ISBN 979-8-88685-570-8 (paperback)

ISBN 979-8-88685-571-5 (digital)

Copyright © 2022 by Jason Talbott

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Preface

Acknowledgments

Apple Pie Filling and Topping

BBQ Cream Sauce

Beer, Bacon, and Ramps

Brown Beans

Grits Casserole

Honey Mustard

Honey-Whipped Pie Topping

Oatmeal Cookies

Pan-Fried Pork Chops

Trout with Pecan Butter

Pepperoni Rolls

Creamed Corn

Creamed Ramps

Creamed Spinach

Fried Potatoes

Fruit Cobbler

Granddad's Pie Crust

Granddaddy's Rolls

Grandmother's Meat Loaf

Tomato and Onion Quiche

Caramelized Onions

Ramp Butter

Red Eye Gravy

Roasted Tomato Vinaigrette

Roasted Corn Salsa

Smashed Sweet Potatoes

Stuffed Catfish

Sauce Recipe for Catfish

Sweet Cornbread Pudding

Hot Dog Chili

Blueberry Butter

Bourbon Dressing

Breakfast Hash

Broiled Catfish with Candied Pecans and Tomato Relish

Cucumber Salad

Fresh-Cut French Fries

Grilled Corn and Bacon Salad

Grilled Venison Tenderloin with Herbed Crumbled Blue Cheese and Honey Drizzle

Herb Butter

Pawpaw Bread

Pawpaw Smoothie

Raspberry Dressing

Red Tomato Gravy

Sassafras Sauce

Scallop Potatoes

Tomato Pie

Venison Marinade

Cabbage Succotash

Cracker Crusted Pork with Ham and Apricot Chutney

Catfish Cakes with Crispy Bacon Sour Cream and Cantaloupe Salsa

Fried Cornbread

Ramp Hash Brown Casserole

Red Neck Stew

Stuffed Peppers

Toasted Peanut Butter and Jelly

Venison Meatballs

Candied Walnuts and Apple Salad

Creamed Pork with Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Blueberry Pancake Syrup

Green Bean Casserole

Roasted Butternut Squash Puree

Mashed Potato Casserole

Turkey Pot Pie

Baked Beans

Buckwheat Salad

Pea Salad

Cantaloupe Salad

Cucumber and Watermelon Salad

Turnip Greens

Watermelon Sorbet

Roasted Eggplant

Turnip Mashed Potatoes

Curry Ramps

Roasted Tomato Salsa

Pickled Peppers

Parmesan and Ramp Dip

Pickled Cauliflower

Roasted Beet Puree

Pickle Relish

Sweet Pepper Spread

Asian-Style Hot Sauce

Hot Sauce

Pickled Green Beans

Giardiniera

Sweet Potato Pancakes

Pork Chops Stuffed with Bacon and Jalapeno Mac and Cheese

Spicy Honey Chicken

Ham and Apples over Rice

Garlic Mayo

Chicken and Morel Marsala

Bacon Waffles

Whipped Honey Butter

Squirrel Gravy

Yeast Bread

Pop Ice Cream

Peanut Butter Brownies

Pan-Fried Grit Cake

Pecan-Crusted Chicken

Elderberry Jam

Potato Salad

Braised Pork Butt

Cinnamon Butter

Bacon Deviled Eggs

Fresh Apple Cake

Fresh Apple Torte

Fried Chicken

Green Tomato Gravy

Hamburger Gravy

Hush Puppies

Honey-Glazed Pork Belly

Seared Chicken Breast with Ramps, Mushrooms, Peppers in a Sherry Cream Sauce

Potato Cakes with Horseradish Cream and Parmesan Cheese Crisps

About the Author

Preface

Let me just start by saying this is not your typical book on Appalachian cooking. Some of it is very outside-the-box. I should probably tell you that I grow up in Appalachia, in West Virginia, in a small town called Weston. Most people have no idea where it is. It's right in the middle of the state. Growing up we always ate things made from scratch and straight from the garden. Some of my earliest memories are of sitting in my granny's garage peeling potatoes that we had dug out of the garden. I used to watch her cook all the time. Everyone in my family both sides used to cook a lot of interesting things. I think that is a big reason why I started in the cooking business. I have worked in restaurants since 1996, about twenty-four years. I have never had any other kind of job, but I have had just about every job you can have in a restaurant from owner to dishwasher. In all kinds of different cuisines. In cities all over the eastern United States. I had a lot of fun and learned a lot, but none of it interests me like the cuisine in the place I came from. I really wanted to share some of my experiences with everyone and also some of the inventive recipes I came up with over the years with some of my family recipes mixed in. You see there is a lot of real cooking in Appalachia things made from the heart out of things people have grown. It's kind of like fine dining but with a lot less of the high prices and high-end wine. Some of the recipes in this book, if you plate them right, can make them look like they came out of a fine-dining restaurant.

With this book I tried to make the recipes as easy to follow as possible with as easy-to-get ingredients as possible. You will see a lot of ramp recipes in this book. If you are not in West Virginia, they are not the easiest vegetable to find. You can substitute baby leeks or green onions, but it will not be exactly the same. There are also quite a few venison recipes in which you can substitute beef or pork, but you will be missing some of the wild flavor the venison has. It is important to have these kinds of recipes because this is what people eat in Appalachia. Over the years this part of the country was very poor, so it was quite common to have to hunt or grow your dinner. Most people don't have a lot of money to go to the grocery store, so a lot of people still practice this lifestyle. You can really see this when you go in people's homes; everyone has a hunting rifle, their favorite deer-skinning knife, and canning equipment. A lot of people like my grandmother Jean made vinegar out of leftover fruit juice. You can see this all over; people save just about everything

There are quite a few baked goods in the book. A lot of that is due to everyone I know bakes. Corn breads, biscuits, icebox pie—these are all examples of the kinds of baked goods you will find in Appalachia. You will see quite a few pawpaw recipes in the book, which is basically an Appalachian papaya. A lot of baked goods use apples or dried fruit. Honey is also quite common to use as a sweetener. Wheat and buckwheat are very common types of flour.

The most important thing to remember is to have fun when cooking. It's great thing to get your family involved and make some new memories.

Please do not take any recipe too seriously. Remember if you do not like something in a dish, you can change it; all a recipe is is a guide.

West Virginia is a very unique place since you are right in the middle of the East Coast. There are a lot of different cultures there like Italian, Irish, Dutch, and you really see it in the food. A great example of this is pepperoni rolls that were made for the coal miners so they could have a hot meal, or all the different kinds of stew you see and so many things made out of potatoes.

Acknowledgments

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