larry_stewart
Master Chef
Hey guys, for whatever reason, I woke up at 5am today thinking about my grandmothers cooking ( even though she had passed away 20 years ago). I began thinking about what meal/ dish/ recipe , of hers, was the one that reminded me the most of her.
Grandma Rosie used to make Hungarian goulash served over egg noodles, with a Ba-Tampte pickle on the side ( I know kinda strange coming from a vegetarian, but it was good ). Being honest, she wasn't the greatest cook. She had many restrictions. Having grown up during the depression, she used the basic of basic ingredients. She never travelled, so her cooking experiences were strictly based of what her mother made back from the mother country ( Eastern Europe). She was kosher. In addition, she had arthritis which limited her ability to prepare certain things, and an ulcer which was why she avoided anything spicy , acidic or even salty. So, when we found out we were going to grandma's for dinner, we would throw a fit. Unless she was making her goulash ( and pickle). In addition to that, she made a killer vegetable soup ( kinda like a mushroom barley ( undersalted of course). Which as a vegetarian, I still make to this day.
Grandma Ruth, on the other hand , although a similar background as far as where she came from, she wasn't kosher, travelled worldly, didnt have any health issues to worry about and also came from money, so this didnt prevent her from doing whatever she wanted. The dish I remember from her was some kind of Greek meatball. Instead of breadcrumbs she would just rip pieces of white bread up and mix them in. The sauce was a basic tomato/ white wine sauce. And, she used to make the meatballs more football/ sausage shaped than round. Im pretty sure she would brown them first in a pan, the n cook in sauce until done. In addition she was a great baker too, but the Greek meatballs were what we lookde forward too most.
Ironically, both recipes I was most fond of are meat ( Im now a vegetarian, for those who dont know). I never had the pleasure of having cooked with my grandmothers , cause at the time, I wasn't into cooking as I am now. Both grandfathers passed away before I was born, which is why I didnt bring them up.
One thing in addition. Although Grandma Rosie was frugal as a result of the depression, I remember she would go to the kosher butcher to get her meat, and she would spend a fortune ( $30 +, and this is going back 35 years) on the cut of meat she wanted. That was the only thing she spent money on. Also, when I became a vegetarian, she would always try to sneak meat into the vegetable soup, thinking I wouldnt realize it
So, my question to you guys is to skip a generation, and share what your favorite dish or signature dish was from a grandparent of yours.
Grandma Rosie used to make Hungarian goulash served over egg noodles, with a Ba-Tampte pickle on the side ( I know kinda strange coming from a vegetarian, but it was good ). Being honest, she wasn't the greatest cook. She had many restrictions. Having grown up during the depression, she used the basic of basic ingredients. She never travelled, so her cooking experiences were strictly based of what her mother made back from the mother country ( Eastern Europe). She was kosher. In addition, she had arthritis which limited her ability to prepare certain things, and an ulcer which was why she avoided anything spicy , acidic or even salty. So, when we found out we were going to grandma's for dinner, we would throw a fit. Unless she was making her goulash ( and pickle). In addition to that, she made a killer vegetable soup ( kinda like a mushroom barley ( undersalted of course). Which as a vegetarian, I still make to this day.
Grandma Ruth, on the other hand , although a similar background as far as where she came from, she wasn't kosher, travelled worldly, didnt have any health issues to worry about and also came from money, so this didnt prevent her from doing whatever she wanted. The dish I remember from her was some kind of Greek meatball. Instead of breadcrumbs she would just rip pieces of white bread up and mix them in. The sauce was a basic tomato/ white wine sauce. And, she used to make the meatballs more football/ sausage shaped than round. Im pretty sure she would brown them first in a pan, the n cook in sauce until done. In addition she was a great baker too, but the Greek meatballs were what we lookde forward too most.
Ironically, both recipes I was most fond of are meat ( Im now a vegetarian, for those who dont know). I never had the pleasure of having cooked with my grandmothers , cause at the time, I wasn't into cooking as I am now. Both grandfathers passed away before I was born, which is why I didnt bring them up.
One thing in addition. Although Grandma Rosie was frugal as a result of the depression, I remember she would go to the kosher butcher to get her meat, and she would spend a fortune ( $30 +, and this is going back 35 years) on the cut of meat she wanted. That was the only thing she spent money on. Also, when I became a vegetarian, she would always try to sneak meat into the vegetable soup, thinking I wouldnt realize it
So, my question to you guys is to skip a generation, and share what your favorite dish or signature dish was from a grandparent of yours.