A French Heritage Dinner And Recipes

Taking my queue from the article French Heritage Recipes From Ste. Genevieve, I decided we would break somewhat from our traditional turkey and dressing for a meal from the influence of the Colonial French on the Missouri foodways. By the time my family of Ruddells/Ruddles began to arrive in Spanish (but populated by mostly the Colonial French) Territory during the 1790s, there was a melting pot of the French, Spanish, African American, and Native American cuisine, as well as their own Virginia-North Carolina-Tennessee-Kentucky dishes. French families, originally from French Canada and France itself, were my family's neighbors in New Madrid County where they finally settled. Two of my fourth great aunts married French Canadian men. Francois Jarvais or Gervais married Fanny Ruddle. Hyacinthe Gayon married Elizabeth Ruddle. So, my family would have been familiar with Creole foods. By this time, boatloads of grains, mostly wheat and corn, were taken down the Mississippi River to New Orleans. In fact, the Spanish Territory of the present-day state of Missouri was known as the bread basket for New Orleans and European countries. My ancestral cousin, George Ruddell, built a water mill on the Pemiscon River and shipped the milled grain to New Orleans on a regular basis. There was much traffic on the Mississippi from New Orleans, providing supplies such as rice and spices that were not available in the New Madrid area. I like to think the Ruddells might themselves visit New Orleans on occasion but I have no documentation of it.

Thinking about my family and now having a home in the heart of Ste. Genevieve, I decided I'd pull out a few of those family recipes that were similar to the ones in the French Heritage article.

 The Menu

Chicken Bouillon 

Smoked Turkey and Sausage with Ham Jambalaya

Christmas Relish (I like it on the Jambalaya)

Sweet Potato Casserole

Corn Pudding 
Cabbage

Venison Summer Sausage

Cheese 
Garlic Bread

For dessert, Great Grandmother's Fruit Cake for John

A poached pear with toasted, buttered pecans for myself 

I followed the Chicken Bouillon recipe on the Heritage Post, which is the same as my chicken stock recipe.

The Smoked Turkey and Sausage with Ham Jambalaya is my Chicken and Ham Jambalaya recipe but I substituted smoked turkey for the chicken.

Jambalaya is one famous dish with Spanish roots, as well as Creole. It is said that saffron could not easily be found or imported to make paella, so tomatoes and then later Caribbean spices were incorporated into the dish. Traditionally it is made with meats, vegetables, spices, stock and rice. Jambalaya has many varieties including Creole or “red” jambalaya, found in and around New Orleans, and rural or “brown” jambalaya. My recipe would be considered a Creole jambalaya because of the addition of tomatoes. It is a recipe given to me years ago while visiting New Orleans.

Smoked Turkey and Sausage with Ham Jambalaya

2 medium onions, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 green peppers, chopped

2 large carrots, chopped

1/4 cup butter

1/2 lb smoked sausage

2-3 cups smoked turkey

1 cup ham, chopped

2-3 cups tomatoes

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 bay leaves

1 tsp thyme

1/2-1 tsp chili powder

Salt, Pepper, Cayenne Pepper to taste

(Creoles-and I- like lots of Cayenne)

1 quart chicken or turkey broth

1 1/2 cup (1 cup-see note below) washed long grain rice

Brown first four ingredients in the butter. 

Add meats and brown slightly.

Add tomatoes and cook 5 minutes.

Add herbs and spices, broth, and rice.

Boil one hour or until rice is tender.

Taste after one half hour. Add more salt, pepper, 

cayenne pepper thyme or chili powder to taste.

Note: John likes his rice to soak up all the liquid, 

becoming almost dressing-like.

If you prefer your Jambalaya stew-like,

reduce the rice or increase the liquid

 

Serve with Christmas Relish (optional). For recipe, Click Here
 

Sweet potatoes were introduced to the Creole foods by the African Americans. They were close in flavor and texture to the yams of their native Africa. Sweet potatoes were considered a vegetable primarily grown and eaten in the South until recently, when people all over the country discovered what we have always known. They are healthy and always delicious.

For our Christmas dinner, it was a "no-brainer"--Mom's Sweet Potato Casserole. Christmas just was not Christmas without it, and that included this one.

Sweet Potato Casserole ready for the oven. . .

Mom's Sweet Potato Casserole 

4 large Sweet Potatoes
3/4 cup Sugar
1 tsp. Salt
Pecans, chopped
Coconut
Miniature Marshmallows 
(optional)
3/4 cup Butter

Bake or boil sweet potatoes. Remove skins. Mix with an electric mixer the potatoes, sugar, and salt. Do not clean beaters. The sweet potato fibers will remain on them. 
Spread in a casserole dish. Top with pecans, coconut, and optional marshmallows. (I don't use them.) Melt butter and pour over all. Bake at 350 degrees until it is hot and bubbly.

The recipe for Goli-she-was, found in the French Heritage article, are traditional Indian corn cakes. For our corn dish, I chose to make a corn spoon bread. Easy and quick and really delicious. You'll find the recipe for Corn Spoon Bread Here. . .

The early French included Blood Sausage for Le Reveillon. I had originally planned to substitute Oberle's Summer Sausage-locally made and a favorite. Then a good Arkansas friend sent us his own Venison Sausage. He knows how much I love it! There was no doubt it would find its way to our Christmas table. . .And with it, some Cheese. . .and Arkansas Wine. . .

From: Grandmother Magers

Great Grandmother Elizabeth Ruddle's Fruit Cake recipe dates back at least a hundred and fifty years. It is sweetened with sugar and molasses, along with the candied fruit and raisins. Nuts, whiskey, and spices add more flavor. Then it is glazed with more whiskey. It is a dark, dense cake and more English than French, which is why I won't include the recipe here. John wants it every Christmas since I first baked it for him. Sometimes I think it was Great Grandmother's Fruit Cake that won him over.

I took one more idea from the Ste. Genevieve French. The foods of Le Reveillon were left on the table for everyone to continue to eat until the dishes were empty. We decided to do the same.  I left the bouillon warming on the stove and the other foods available for snacking throughout the day and evening. We ate way too much, but enjoyed every bite.

Next year. . .Gumbo?
 

Bonne Annee
(Happy New Year)