red, white, and blue... and green.

It being the eve of the the birthday of our nation, I felt it appropriate to blog about something... American. Cuz, you know... 'Merica. And all that jazz.


I think it's funny, of course, to pigeonhole 'American' food. After all, we Americans come from all corners of the globe, and everyone has contributed to our amalgam of cuisine. When I think of standard 4th of July fare, hot dogs, burgers and watermelon come to mind. But is that what I'm enjoying this holiday? Psh. 


My family has a habit of doing things a little differently. Summer, for me, has always been a time to celebrate the bounty of the land... things like fresh produce hand-harvested from the garden, and a catch of the day that you, yourself, actually caught. Whether Iowa corn and bluegill fillets or Louisiana okra and catfish, I've always had my bases covered for the best cook-outs you can come by.


Seeing as it was about high time to cut our collards this week, and the tomato plants are already going crazy and producing seemingly hundreds of beautiful green globes, I decided to get back to my roots and do a little fish fry dinner. Stopping by Hy-Vee on my way home from work to pick up our protein made me wish I could have spent the day fishing instead of at the office... ah, well. That day will come soon enough.


Quick Collards
Roughly 1 lb collard greens
2 slices bacon
1/2 C chicken stock
1/2 tsp cider vinegar
1/4 tsp sugar
Salt and pepper
Hot sauce


Dice the bacon and fry in a medium-hot pan until just firm. Meanwhile, rinse and de-stem the collards, then stack them together and slice into strips about 1/2 inch wide. Add the collard strips to the pan a handful at a time, stirring with each addition so the greens wilt. (Make sure they don't get too dark; at this stage they should still be a vibrant green.) Add the chicken stock, turn the heat to low, and cover the pan. Let the greens cook until tender, 10-20 minutes, or to your liking. Stir in the vinegar and sugar, and season with salt and pepper. Let cook another 2-3 minutes, and serve hot.

As for those tomatoes... I love them fried up just like this. It reminds me of a story my parents like to tell. When I was young, about four years old, my grandparents stopped by our house to see if I'd like to join them for ice cream at the best little ice cream shop in the whole wide world. Instead of clamoring out the door instantly like a normal child, I refused to go anywhere. Why? Mom was making fried zucchini. Mom and Dad had to swear on their lives that there'd be some waiting for me when I got back from Four Queens before I would agree to being treated to ice cream. Yeah. My mom's fried zucchini is that good.


   

Our collards and fried green tomatoes were excellent accompaniments to some fried catfish and frog legs. (You think I was a weird kid for loving fried zucchini that much? As a child I made myself sick eating too many frog legs on more than one occasion. What is it with me and food??) I totally failed at getting pictures of the fish, but let me show you how we do it proper in the South...

 So good. By the way, this is what I was eating exactly one year ago at our family's 4th of July fish fry. My uncle and cousin spent the early hours of the day (I mean early) checking traps and cleaning the fish just before throwing them in the fryer. They managed to feed all 30-something of us. Not bad. (Actually, quite good.) 


That's about all for now... gotta clean up the kitchen before we walk down to the pops concert at the capitol. I love holidays!


To life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness...


Cheers!