Culinary Discovery: The Tastes of Rhode Island
by Gabriella
True
Rhode Island is smallest
state in the US nation of states. Yet what it lacks in size is
completely made up by its rich history, beautiful architecture,
fun festivals, perfect bays and oceans for sailing, fishing and
swimming. There are enough open roads and dense woods to explore
but don't forget to eat while seeing the sights because Rhode
Island is blessed with a unique and delicious cuisine.
The state fish is the
striped bass commonly measuring twenty to thirty inches in length
and weighing three to ten pounds. If its habitat is favorable,
the bass can reach sixty pounds and live up to thirty years. The
state fruit is the Rhode
Island Greening Apple and as the name implies, it is a yellow
green apple. They have a sharp taste retained during cooking so
they are perfect for apple pies and apple slumps. Slumps (or grunts
in Massachusetts) are stewed fruits topped with a dumpling.
Then there is the all
important state drink, coffee milk. It became the official
drink in 1993 winning over Del's
Frozen Lemonade. The lemonade is delicious and can be found
throughout Rhode Island but due to its similarity to an Italian
ice and coffee milk's uniqueness, the latter won out. However,
Del's should not be missed. Mr. Delucia first made it in 1840
in Naples, Italy. He kept snow frozen in caves all year round
so he could mix it with lemons and sugar for a refreshing summer
drink. Delucia's son brought the recipe to the US and his great
grandson invented a machine that would mass-produce the product
with a regular consistency. Franchises for the frozen lemonade
can be found across Rhode Island waiting to quench your thirst.
But getting back to
Rhode Island's official winner, coffee milk. You've had chocolate
milk made with milk and chocolate syrup? Well, coffee milk is
the same thing but with coffee syrup. You won't find a bottle
of Autocrat's or Eclipse's coffee syrup, the leading brands, outside
of Rhode Island. If you are in Rhode Island or surfing the web,
pick up a bottle. Simply add 2 tablespoons of coffee syrup to
8 ounces of hot or cold milk. If you add ice cream to coffee milk
then you are drinking a "coffee cabinet" or in outsider's terms
a coffee milk frappe. But don't say milk shake because the
waitress will just shake your coffee milk and not put any ice
cream in it.
If there were a state
shellfish it would undoubtedly be the clam, especially the quahog
which is a very large clam. Quahog derives from the Narragansett
Indian name for poquauhock. The scientific name, mercenaria,
comes from the Latin meaning wages because Native Americans strung
the shells like beads and used them as money or wampum.
Clams come four different
ways in Rhode Island: clam cakes, chowder, baked and stuffies.
Clam cakes are deep fried fritters the size of golf balls made
up of chopped clam and flour. They are often overloaded with grease
and so nicknamed 'sinkers' since they sink to the bottom of your
stomach. Clam chowder is a New England staple with its creamy,
potato base. There are two other varieties: Manhattan, made with
a tomato base and the true, authentic Rhode Island version, made
from a clear broth with clams in it.
A true sign of the
end of summer is the clambake. Usually it's a large gathering
of people reaping the benefits of a few companions building a
sand oven and steaming clams, mussels, lobsters, corn and potatoes
in seaweed under hot rocks all day.
The fourth way to prepare
clams is to stuff and bake them. Generally the quahog is used
but littleneck clams can be stuffed and are perfect for cocktail
parties. Whatever the size, they are usually made by mincing clam
meat and mixing it with an onion, breadcrumbs and spices. Oh,
and of course clams can always come in the form of steamers, fried
strips, and raw.
Are you from New York?
Have you ever heard of the New York System Hot Weiner? Well I
have lived in New York City for thirty years and had no clue what
it was until I spent a few summers in Rhode Island. These Rhode
Island dogs are not individual links but are cut from one continuous
dog and they do not have casings. Some dogs are actually twenty
feet in length. Then the long hot dog is sliced to fit the bun.
And if ask for "three all the way" then you will get a hot dog
in a bun smothered in a meat sauce flavored with nutmeg, garlic,
celery salt and onions.
There is a very high
population of Portuguese descendants in Rhode Island. Many breakfast
places will serve Portuguese chorizo instead of sausage links.
Chorizo is a spicy pork sausage with different flavored with paprika.
The most typical Rhode Island breakfast is a big heaping stack
of Jonnycakes which look like silver dollar pancakes but made
with stone ground white cornmeal. There are versions of Jonnycakes
in the Midwest and New Hampshire but those are baked or baked
then fried. Rhode Island Jonnycakes are cooked up just like pancakes.
Newport County Jonnycakes are thin and crispy while South County
Jonnycakes are thick and moist. Either way they are delicious
and taste like you would imagine a fried grit but served with
butter and maple syrup.
Recipes:
Rhode Island
Quahog Chowder
3 pounds red bliss potatoes 1/2-inch dice
Water, to cover
4 teaspoons white pepper
4 teaspoons salt
3/4 pound ground salt pork
1 Spanish onion, diced
2 cups chopped quahogs
2 cups quahog juice
4 teaspoons tablespoon fresh thyme
Place potatoes in a
large pot, cover with water by 2 inches. Add salt and pepper,
bring to boil then reduce to a simmer. Meanwhile, heat the salt
pork in a large skillet, add the onion and sauté until the onions
are translucent. Then add onions and pork to the simmering potatoes.
Then add quahogs, quahog juice, and thyme. Simmer for 30 minutes
or until potatoes are cooked through.
Makes: 15 portions
Clam Cakes
2 eggs
1/2 cup clam juice
1/2 cup milk Pepper
1 1/2 cup flour
salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
8 oz. can minced clams
oil for deep frying
Beat eggs until light
and frothy in a medium bowl. Add milk and clam juice and stir
to combine. Sift flour, baking powder, salt and pepper. Add the
minced clams to the flour mixture then add enough of the liquid
to make a thick batter. Drop batter one teaspoon at a time into
375 degree oil. The cakes will flip over by themselves once one
side is cooked. Drain on paper towels. Serve immediately.
Jonnycakes
1 cup stone-ground cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/4 cups boiling water
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
In a medium-size bowl,
combine cornmeal and salt. In a thin steady stream, pour boiling
water into the cornmeal mixture, stirring constantly. The batter
will remain thick but once the water is absorbed, stir in the
milk and the batter will be thin. Heat a large nonstick skillet
over medium heat and pour in a little of the oil. Pour about 1/4
cup of the batter onto the griddle for each jonnycake. The batter
will spread to about 5 inches so don't overcrowd the pan. Cook
about 2 minutes on each side or until golden and crisp around
edges. If they aren't browning quickly within those two minutes,
increase heat to moderately high. Serve with butter and maple
syrup.
Makes: 8 servings
Gabriella True has
had a passion for cooking since the day her Mom let her pound
down the freshly risen dough created from her Grandmother's bread
recipe. In fifth grade she chose Julia Child as her hero to write
about in English class. Growing up in the heart of New York City
she was able to avidly explore the foods of the world. Since then
she has catered small parties and spent hours writing and testing
recipes to share with her loyal audience. She began writing about
food, its culture and history through her association with Splendid
Palate. You can contact the author directly via email at Gabriella@splendidpalate.com
