Food, Glorious Food!

In a recent posting explaining why I am the Scrapple King I made mention of a chili sauce made by my Uncle Joe which is an excellent topping to scrapple made according to my recipe. I indicated that if enough inquiries for the recipe were made I would ask my Uncle Joe to send me his recipe. Well, enough requests were made so, true to my word, I asked Uncle Joe for his recipe and he sent it to me. The recipe can be found at the end of this post.

But before I get to the recipe I must write about the man who created the chili sauce in the first place. That individual was my grandfather Joe Janson. My uncle (his son) was obviously named after him. In a unique twist of blessings, both my wife and I each had a grandfather named Joseph so our son is named Joseph in honor of both men. Pop Pop, as I called him, was a blacksmith who had a shop along Front Street in Philadelphia back in the early years of the twentieth century.

For those familiar with the City of Brotherly Love, picture Interstate 95 running along Penn's Landing, close your eyes and try to visualize what that area would have been like before the monster highway was built. His shop would be right there in the center of your thoughts. Pop, a college trained artist, left the ironwork field to run a successful food delivery business in the city. I have fond memories of helping him load up his truck with perishables from his refrigerated storehouse and delivering them door to door in the Manayunk neighborhood community of Philadelphia, the city of my birth.

When Pop retired and eventually moved to Doylestown to live with my aunt, he spent his golden years gardening, baking and watching the Phillies on television (as well as being a second father to myself and my eight cousins -they lived in the same house with him). A trip to Pop's always began with a tour of his garden, which included the best tomatoes available in that beautiful land founded by William Penn. As Pop got older the size of his garden grew smaller as did his ability to maintain it. But he kept at, even when he was well into his nineties. His energy and enthusiasm was an inspiration for the entire family.

Pop Pop was a great baker as well. A visit to his home always ended with either a slice of homemade chocolate pie with whipped cream on top, or perhaps a slice of yellow cake with homemade frosting (and another large slice wrapped in plastic to take home with you). Never did a birthday pass without a handmade marble cake with deliciously thick icing on top to help celebrate the event.

I could write about Pop for pages on end but do realize that chili sauce was the main reason for this posting. When he shared the recipe with me, Uncle Joe told me that it was originally written by my maternal great- grandmother, but the copy he has was written in Pop Pop's hand:

UNCLE JOE'S CHILI SAUCE

(IN MEMORY OF JOE "POP POP "JANSON)

4 qts. (8 lbs.) chopped, peeled tomatoes

2-1/2 cups chopped onions

2-1/2 cups chopped green peppers

1-1/2 cups granulated sugar

2 tblsp. salt

1 qt. cider vinegar

about 4 tblsp. pickling spice in a cheesecloth bag. Add pepper if desired.

Simmer slowly uncovered for 10 to 12 hours or until mixture thickens. Follow usual canning procedure.

To make things easier Uncle Joe advises that he now uses canned diced tomatoes because it does not seem to make any difference in the taste of the final product. To echo my Uncle Joe's wish of "bon appétit" to all who make his chili sauce, I bid you well as you serve it with anything you desire, but don't forget the scrapple. Habbersett, of course, is "Philadelphia's Favorite" and will always get my endorsement.

I was watching "Guilty Witness" on "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" a week or two back and to my delight one of the characters was served a plate of scrapple, one of my all-time favorite foods (my mom's homemade cheese blintzes and my wife's home-made split pea soup are right up there at the top of the list too). It reminded me that I needed to fulfill a promise to foodie blogger extraordinaire Jessica Porter, to explain my rather elegant title of "The Scrapple King." (I contribute to her food blog "Adventures in Food" at http://goodeats-chickengirl10.blogspot.com/ )

I know that the countless readers of this excellent blog wonder why I chose that moniker rather than, say the "Meister of Meatloaf" or "Baron of Bacon" (both of which, by the way, I wouldn't mind owning as well). I chose "The Scrapple King" because it best describes my love for this wonderfully unique Pennsylvania Dutch meat product. It is a royal designation that admittedly I have bestowed upon myself, although my paternal grandmother was descended from the original Pennsylvania Dutch settlers who made a new life in Southeastern Pennsylvania over two hundred years ago. Perhaps my claim to a royal title is not that far-fetched, is it?

A couple of years back I had the joy of sharing my love for scrapple with the readers of Every Day With Rachael Ray. With such an iconic figure of modern cooking recognizing my love of scrapple it serves only as an endorsement, at least in my mind, that I do deserve the title of "The Scrapple King." So I will wear the badge with honor as I go about the world extolling the virtues of this creative, affordable and ultimately delicious food.

If there is a true royal name in the world of scrapple it is Habbersett. This Pennsylvania-based company makes the best scrapple in the civilized world. I was born in Philadelphia but spent most of my childhood in nearby Bucks County, not too far from Chester County, the true seat of scrapple's origins. While my grandmother's ancestors no doubt made home-made scrapple as was the practice in the 1800's, I truly believe I inherited the genetic predisposition to love and adore this food, but not the desire to make it myself. To me Habbersett, going strong since 1863, is the epitome of scrapple production so there is no need to compete with it. If one can't locate Habbersett in your nearest grocery store, Jones Dairy Farm out of Wisconsin makes a passable substitute but it is well worth the effort to track down the red, white and blue packaging of Habbersett. Here is an order form to get it directly from Habbersett.

"What is scrapple?"you may be asking. Well, don't ask. Be content in knowing that scrapple is a pork-based product that efficiently leaves no parts of pork wasted. Just as the early colonial settlers were conscious of making every penny stretch, we should, in these challenging economic times, also be conscious of making our food budget stretch as well. Scrapple is an affordable and tasty way to feed family and friends without making much of a dent in your wallet. Be satisfied in knowing that scrapple is a wonderful mixture of meat and spices that make it an excellent breakfast meat, although I could eat it at any time of the day or night (and have been known to do so).

Scrapple is a very easy product to make. It comes in one pound bricks that take but a few minutes to prepare and eat. The brick should be sliced while it is cool but not too cold. With a sharp kitchen knife the brick should be sliced into thin pieces roughly ½ inches thick. Too thin and the slice will probably break apart. Too thick and you will find it difficult to adequately ensure that the center of the slice will be properly heated without burning the outside. Once cut, coat the slices with plain white flour and place on a preheated frying pan at medium temperatures. Non-stick pans do not need any prior treatment but skillets or other non-treated pans would benefit from a light coating of PAM cooking spray or shortening (this to keep the slices from sticking when flipped.)

Scrapple should be fried for several minutes on each side. The best way to know when to flip the slice over is when the flour coating the top of the slice appears melted or translucent. A quick flip is required because scrapple has been known to break-up if the flip is done too slowly. An equal amount of heating on the second side and the scrapple is ready to be served. I prefer it dipped in ketchup, my mom and wife prefer it with a side home-made Pennsylvania Dutch chili sauce, once lovingly prepared by my late-grandfather, now fashioned by my Uncle Joe (perhaps if I get enough requests for his recipe, Uncle Joe will share it with me and I with you). Some prefer it plain. No matter how you eat it the key is to savor each delicious, spicy bite. Before you know it the one pound brick will be gone and you'll be rushing back to the store for more. To avoid this scenario purchase several bricks at once. Trust me, all you scrapple-newbies, your life will be forever changed once you have savored your first bite of Habbersett's well-earned slogan: "Philadelphia's Favorite."

I just heated up a can of Spaghetti-O's for lunch. I know that this sort of food would be something that my kids like to eat, but for a parent of three who is getting a little gray around the temples? Nah. But, I confess, I still eat the little pasta rings with meatballs, although I do like the ones with sliced franks as well. When I share the fact that I like Spaghetti-O's for breakfast I usually get "uugh" sounds and faces contorted into grimaces from my peers. Most also dismiss my enjoyment of cold pizza as my morning meal as "weird."

As we discuss the subject of munchies I must, of course, reveal that I still like Cap'N Crunch cereal and Froot Loops for breakfast. Although I admit I do try to eat more Shredded Wheat and Raisin Bran in recognition of the fact that those foods do serve a more practical purpose for one of advancing years (I have not conceded the need to eat Grape Nuts, though, and probably never will). Speaking of breakfast cereals, does anyone remember Quisp? I have found but one person in my age group who recalls this unique spaceship-shaped delight from the early 1970's. Please let me know. Perhaps we can start a fan club.

Moving on to snacks, I like Oreo's and Nutter Butter cookies, yet another joy from my childhood. I still like Pepperidge Farm Goldfish crackers, especially the pizza flavored ones. One thing that I have not been able to stomach, however, is Gummi Bears nor their various incarnations such as Gummi Worms. My kids have a taste for those delicacies so I suppose that will help to perpetuate their existence into the next generation.

Having just laid out for all the world to see what sort of culinary delights I enjoy I can only hope my children will make better diet choices than I. One only knows how much my wife has tried to introduce me to more healthy foods, which I usually rebel against (I really do like Spam). Not all is lost, however. I eat more fresh vegetables than ever before. I love no-fat Snyder's pretzels and could dine on sushi every day of the week if I could afford to do so.

I expect there will always be a place in my life for the not-so-good foods of my youth. If nothing else they remind me of a simpler time before worries of cholesterol levels and body fat ratios were in mind. Boy, all this talk of food has made me hungry again. I think I'll pop open another can of those round little pastas and start munching!

My wife once accused me of being "obsessed" with tea. As much as I hate to admit it she was probably right. When I take an interest in something I tend to dive wholeheartedly in to it. I like to study its history, impact on culture, or whatever arcane branch of the subject that catches my attention. Tea is no exception. Tea, which played such an important part in the formation of the United States, is the single most consumed beverage in the world. Unfortunately, there does not seem to be much of a local market for this most unique drink.

I never acquired a taste for coffee. When I was a kid my dad would let me have a little of the coffee/milk mixture from his morning cup. Perhaps that experience forever jaded my taste buds to the juice of the bean. Whatever the reason, coffee drinking was not in my future. Tea drinking was, however. Enjoying the elixir of the leaf began early and continues to this day.

Captain Picard's favorite blend of tea is Earl Grey. Named after the second earl of the British Grey family, the mixture of black tea and oil of bergamot (an Italian orange) is my number-one choice also. Despite my best efforts to branch out and sample other flavors and blends I keep coming back to the one which first captured my mouth's fancy. Running a close second on my all-time list is a good oolong, the tea which is served in Chinese restaurants, unlike the green tea one finds in most Japanese eateries.

I tend to be a tea purist. I don't consider herbal "teas," tisanes or other infusions the same as real tea. Nor do I advocate adding milk or sugar to a cuppa. However, I will allow lemon juice, preferably fresh, to be added to a hearty tea such as English Breakfast or any of the commercial brands found in most restaurants. I do use tea bags for the convenience but nothing beats a freshly brewed pot of loose tea.

It's odd to me that domestic marketers see tea primarily as a product for "high tea" such as that found in good hotels, not a drink that appeals to those who want an alternative to coffee. Sure, there are Barneys and Joe Muggs and the like, but they are all coffee-centered enterprises. In those places tea always seems to be an afterthought. The little tins of tea bags which they offer are nice, but where are the fragrant pots brewing fresh tea leaves? Non-existent, I'm afraid.

Perhaps some of the java purveyors should consider branching out into the tea business. A stand in the mall dedicated to tea, or a tea cafe in the local bookstore would surely be a complement to the coffee sellers, not competition. They don't get much business from me now so they wouldn't lose anything if the market offered the choice of tea also. Maybe a groundswell of support for such an idea may make it a reality. Maybe an association of tea drinkers could be formed to spread the word of tea and its impact ...perhaps I am getting to be a bit obsessive after all.