The 200th anniversary of Lincoln’s birth. Washington’s Birthday. And to celebrate both with a day off work—Presidents' Day. But what about all the other leaders of our nation whose names never get mentioned for this holiday? I find myself thinking of them as I anticipate my three-day weekend and I wonder why their great contributions are not celebrated. To remedy this grave injustice of American history, this year, I am going to specifically celebrate William H. Taft (1909-1913).
I chose Taft for a number of reasons. I like his name. He was the largest president ever elected (standing 6’2” and more than 300 pounds). He is credited with starting the “first pitch” tradition in baseball. He got stuck in a bathtub and had a new one installed in the White House that was 7 feet long. He is the only person to have served as both President of the U.S. and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Taft liked milk so much that he brought his own cows to the White House. One cow’s name was Pauline. Taft had a sweet mustache. And finally—back to baseball—he allegedly inspired the 7th inning stretch during the game at which he initiated the first pitch by standing and stretching during the 7th inning. The rest of the crowd reverently followed suit and the 7th inning stretch was born.
HOW MORE AMERICAN CAN YOU GET? All Washington did was cut down a cherry tree while Taft and his wife Nellie planted the Japanese cherry blossoms that D.C. celebrates every spring. So I say “Go Taft!” on this President’s Day. And I hope you will join me in celebrating those that history has overlooked. Pick Polk, Harrison, Fillmore, or Buchanan, and give them the love. And just for kicks—I am posting some presidential favorites and fun facts.
Turtle Soup
This was President Taft’s favorite dish and since 2009 is the year of William Taft (as proclaimed by us here at yum!), we will start there. (James Garfield loves squirrel soup—but even though I am from Louisiana—I am not down with that). This is Chef John Folse’s Creole Turtle Soup. Prep time: 2 Hours: Serves: 12.
This soup may be made with equal success using alligator, ox tail or any other soup meat. The use of grated eggs in this recipe is a carryover from when we used the fresh turtle eggs in the dish.
3 pounds cleaned snapping turtle
2 onions, quartered
1 stick celery, chopped
4 cloves garlic
1 bay leaf
2 gallons beef stock
1 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups flour
4 cups diced onions
2 cups diced celery
1 cup diced bell pepper
1/4 cup minced garlic
1/2 cup tomato sauce
4 quarts reserved beef stock
2 whole bay leaves
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp allspice
Pinch of nutmeg
Pinch of mace
Pinch of cloves
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup Heinz Chow Chow
1/2 cup Madeira wine
3 boiled eggs, grated
Salt and cracked black pepper to taste
In a 3-gallon stock pot, combine turtle with beef stock or water, quarter onions, celery, garlic and bay leaf. Bring to a rolling boil and reduce to simmer. Cook until turtle is falling apart, 1 - 1 1/2 hours. Strain and reserve 1 gallon of stock. Discard vegetables and coarsely chopped turtle meat.
In a two-gallon stock pot, heat oil over medium high heat. Add flour and using a wire whisk, stir constantly until roux is golden brown. Do not scorch. Should black specks appear, discard and begin again. Add onions, celery, bell peppers, and garlic. Sauté three to five minutes or until vegetables are wilted. Add tomato sauce blending well into the roux mixture. Add beef stock, one ladle at a time, stirring constantly until soup-like consistency is achieved. Additional stock may be needed during cooking to maintain consistency. Add turtle, bay leaf and season to taste with thyme, allspice, nutmeg, mace, and cloves. Add lemon juice and Chow Chow, bring to a low boil, reduce to simmer and cook approximately one to one and a half hours or until soup has developed its great flavor. Season to taste using salt and pepper. When ready to serve garnish with a tablespoon of Madeira wine and a tablespoon grated boiled eggs per serving.
Blueberry Banana Pancakes
Random I know—but pancakes are listed as at least five presidents' favorites: Andrew Jackson, Thomas Jefferson, Calvin Coolidge, FDR, and LBJ. And who doesn’t love pancakes? I can't remember where this recipe originated as it has slowly morphed into perfection. Knowing me, it was Self Magazine as these have healthier wheat flour. prep 10 minutes, cook 10-15 minutes
cooking spray
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 ripe bananas
1 cup milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
syrup—I like maple. good Vermont maple syrup.
Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Coat a griddle or large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and preheat. In a medium bowl, combine both flours, sugar, baking powder, salt, mix well with a fork and set aside. In a large bowl or food processor, mash bananas until mushy. Add milk, egg, and vanilla and mix or process until blended. Add dry ingredients to banana mixture and mix until just blended (tiny lumps will appear). Ladle about 3-4 tablespoons of the batter onto hot griddle for each pancake. Top each with 1-2 tablespoons of blueberries. When bubbles appear around the edges of pancakes, after about 2-3 minutes, flip and cook one minute. Transfer pancakes to a warm plate and keep warm in a 250 degree F oven while you cook remaining pancakes. Serve pancakes with syrup.
Bacon Margherita Pizza
Celebrate Obama. The Main Man likes the margherita pizza from Italian Fiesta Pizzeria in Chicago’s Hyde Park. I love the margherita but feel that bacon makes everything better. I dig the pig (and did I mention I worked at Piggly Wiggly in high school? Oh yeah. Yes, you can.).
12" prepared pizza dough (I like to get the frozen Pillsbury kind, roll it out and cook it for about 5 minutes to pre-bake)
3 Tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, separated and crushed
4-5 plum tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup of basil leaves, chopped
6 strips of cooked bacon, chopped
4 ounces Gruyère cheese, grated (this can be substituted for part skim mozzarella or any pizza cheese)
4 ounces whole milk buffalo mozzarella, sliced
1/2 teaspoon of salt - I use creole seasoning
Follow the directions for the dough and while your it is pre-baking, combine 2 tablespoons of olive oil, tomatoes, one garlic clove, and salt and let marinate. When dough is a bit firm (about 5 minutes), lightly brush with remaining olive oil and gruyere cheese, top with tomatoes, bacon, and mozzarella and bake for 3-5 more minutes, until crust is golden and mozzarella is melted. Remove from oven and top with basil. Slice. Serve.
