Fewer Americans are sitting down to the traditional home-cooked dinner these days, and that has renowned cookbook author Marion Cunningham worried. With her latest book, Lost Recipes: Meals to Share with Friends and Family, Cunningham offers simple recipes in hopes of luring more of us back to the kitchen.
"I feel very strongly about the loss of home cooking," Cunningham tells Rebecca Roberts, in a Morning Edition report. "It's the best way we can bring ourselves together with others."
Below are recipes for garlic-crumb-stuffed artichokes and Bess Truman's Ozark pudding from Lost Recipes (Knopf).
Garlic-Crumb-Stuffed Artichokes
Serves 4
Many people serve these warm, but I like them cold. I usually prepare the artichokes up to a day ahead, wrap them well, and refrigerate until serving. They make a good substitute for the usual salad. Note that each slice of bread makes approximately ¼ cup when crumbed. Each artichoke takes about ¼ cup of crumbs to stuff. And don't detach the stems from the artichokes until after cooking; they are very good.
4 artichokes
4 slices bread
2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
¾ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons olive oil
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Peel the coarse fibers from the artichoke stems. Remove the tough bottom leaves, then slice 1 inch off the top of each artichoke. With scissors, snip off the prickly tops of the remaining side leaves. Drop the artichokes into the boiling water, and boil them gently until the bottoms of the chokes are tender when pierced with a fork, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the artichokes from the water and turn them upside down on a large plate to drain.
While the artichokes are cooking, prepare the crumbs. Tear each slice of bread into 5 or 6 pieces and put them in a blender or food processor. Blend a few seconds until you have crumbs. Spread the crumbs on a baking sheet and dry them in a 250-degree oven until lightly golden, about 15 minutes.
Toss together the crumbs, garlic, salt, and olive oil in a bowl to mix well.
Using your fingers, separate the artichoke leaves so they open up a little. Spoon a small amount (about 1 teaspoon) of stuffing between the leaves until it is all used up. Serve warm or chilled.
Truman's Ozark Pudding
Serves 6
President Harry Truman loved Ozark pudding, which his wife, Bess, often made for him. It was called "Bess Truman's Ozark Pudding" and was especially popular with all the Democrats.
1 egg
¾ cup sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup chopped peeled apples
½ cup chopped nuts
1 teaspoon vanilla
Whipped cream (with a touch of rum, if desired) or vanilla ice cream
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 10-inch pie pan.
Beat the egg and the sugar together until smooth. Add the flour, baking powder and salt. Blend well. Fold in the apples, nuts and vanilla. Pour into the prepared pie pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from the oven; the pudding will fall, but it's supposed to. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.