My post, above, made me think - please post your favorite unique, regional dish. I'll start...

dawnnys

Well-known member
Salt potatoes:

From a local blog...

"April 18, 2005 09:20 PM Salt Potatoes are a Central New York summer staple. Growing up in CNY - I prefer eating them with a side if corn on the cob, and a Hofmann (Coney)Snappy Griller available at ( www.hofmannsausage.com ).

The Original SALT POTATOES were coined in 1914 by John Hinerwadel in North Syracuse NY 13212. They were an accompanyment to the families clam bakes (Steamed Clams).

As stated in an exerpt from 10/09/02 Syracuse New Times newspaper, "Few people outside Syracuse know of those delightful nuggets invented at the height of the local salt industry: salt potatoes. In fact, salt potatoes are to Syracuse what chicken wings are to Buffalo... It's Syracuse's blue-collar roots that led to the invention of salt potatoes. Local salt workers, many of them Irish, toiling along Solar Street and Onondaga Lake, evaporated salt from water by boiling the brine in large vats. Since the water was hot anyway, they plunked small tubers into the brine for a cheap lunch.Today, no clambake would be complete without a half-dozen or so salt potatoes, accompanied by butter for dipping. It's no accident that Hinerwadel's, that North Syracuse home of sumptuous clambakes, packages salt potatoes in five-pound bags for sale in grocery stores to be enjoyed at home."

I have tried "homemade" versions using B-red and NEW Potatoes but have found the taste to not be correct. The Bag of Original Hinerwadel's Salt Potatoes states: 4 1/4 Lbs U.S. No. 2 Potatoes (Min 1"-Max 2 1/4", 12 oz. Salt.

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS: Place 2 Quarts of water in a pot with entire contents of the salt packet and bring to boil. Add all the potatoes and cook about 20 minutes, or until tender when pierced with a fork. Drain & serve Hot. Dip cooked potatoes in melted butter just before eating. Leave skins on as they're the best part.

I hope this helps you enjoy the great taste of Salt Potatoes, just like I have my whole Life.

The Original Hinerwadels Salt Potatoes are available in season at http://www.tasteofcny.com/index.htm"

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Dawn's note: Yes, basically "new potatoes", boiled in a very salty solution.

http://www.recipezaar.com/bb/viewtopic.zsp?start=0&t=144109

https://recipeswap.org/fun/wp-content/uploads/Finer_Kitchens/saltpotatoes.jpg

 
here's the post ang.

Anyone who has ever traveled to Quebec knows that the Canadian province is full of of contradictions. For example, this French-speaking society has a well-deserved reputation for its culinary creativity. Montreal in particular is known worldwide for having sumptuous five-star restaurants that effortlessly combine old-world charm and new-world innovation. But Quebec’s staple dish is known as “poutine,” an artery-clogging plate of slop that takes years off your life with every irresistible bite.

Perhaps best described as a “heart attack in a bowl,” poutine is a meal consisting of French fries topped with cheese curds that are generously covered with dripping hot gravy.

Once just a fast-food staple, this fatty dish can now be found in Montreal’s finer restaurants, smothered in goat cheese, camembert, stilton, and yes, even foie gras. But why stop there? Try out the following recipes and find out for yourself why French Canadians can’t get enough of this remarkable regional dish.
an introduction to poutine
A note about pronunciation
Originally a Québécois word, poutine is pronounced “poo-tsinn.” Although many debate the word’s true origin, most insist it’s a bastardization of the English word “pudding.” Sadly, pronouncing it correctly does little to limit its quotient of empty calories.

A few words about poutine snobbery
If you’re traveling north of the border, you should know that Quebecers take their poutine very seriously. For purists, the dish simply isn’t the same unless it starts with hand-cut fries cooked in pure, unadulterated lard. Secondly, there’s no substitute for real gravy. Unlike its watered-down American cousin, poutine gravy is as thick as molasses. Finally, the cheese curds must come from fresh white cheddar. Any other combination of ingredients might be just as tasty (and possibly just as lethal), but it won’t make the real thing.

A brief warning
Although undeniably delicious, one of the many side effects of eating poutine is the irrational desire to separate from Canada. Oh, and gas. Loads of it.
gourmet poutine recipes
Classic Poutine
The standard for all poutines, this is Quebec’s national dish at its most basic.

Ingredients:
2 tbsps butter
2 tbsps flour
2 cups beef stock
2 lbs Idaho white potatoes, peeled and cut
½ lb fresh cheese curds
Black pepper, freshly ground
Salt

Cooking directions for classic poutine, Italian poutine and more gourmet versions...
Directions:
Combine the butter and flour in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until incorporated. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes. Stir in the stock, and season with salt and pepper. Bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and continue cooking for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and keep warm.

Peel and cut the potatoes into French fries, 4” by ½” (or to desired thickness). Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, add the potatoes and blanch for 4 minutes. Remove, drain and cool. Fry the potatoes until golden brown. Remove and drain on paper towels, and season with salt and pepper. Place the fries in bowls and crumble the cheese curds over the fries. Spoon the gravy over the fries and cheese, then serve.

Serves: 6

Italian Poutine
Italian poutine differs from the standard recipe in that it uses meat spaghetti sauce in place of beef gravy. Don’t fool yourself, however; it’s still the culinary equivalent of smoking five packs of cigarettes in one sitting. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 qt vegetable oil (for frying)
10 ¼ oz meat spaghetti sauce
5 medium potatoes cut into fries
2 cups cheese curds
Black pepper, freshly ground
Salt

Directions:
Heat the oil in a deep fryer or a deep heavy skillet at 365ºF. Place the fries in the oil and cook until light brown. Warm meat spaghetti sauce in a saucepan or the microwave. Remove the fries and drain on paper towels, and season with salt and pepper. Place the fries in bowls and sprinkle the cheese curds over them. Ladle spaghetti sauce over the fries and cheese, and serve immediately. Top with a bit of parmesan cheese for an authentic Italian flair that Rocky Balboa would approve of.

Serves: 4

Traditional Poutine à la Ritz
If you’re going to clog your arteries, then you might as well do it with style. This gourmet variation is the personal recipe of Gilles St-Hilaire, the Executive Chef of Montreal’s five-star Ritz Carlton Hotel.

Ingredients:
12 oz French fries
7 oz canned poutine or BBQ sauce
9 oz cheese curds
2 tomatoes, diced
½ tsp fresh tarragon, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
A dash of chili, salt and fine ground pepper

Directions:
Preheat olive oil. Add garlic, tomatoes and tarragon and simmer for 2 minutes. Once done, put aside. Put 4 oz of cheese and all the French fries in a deep bowl. Add the tomato mixture, then add the rest of the cheese. Add poutine or BBQ sauce. Sprinkle with a dash of chili, salt and fine ground pepper. To add flavor to the sauce, reduce it by half and add a few roasted chicken bones while it cooks. Remove the bones before serving.

Serves: 4

 
Alaska: salmon or halibut anything. Link to state seafood site. Rec:Halibut Olympia

Many variations of this recipe are served up here. This is an easy version, easy to tweak to your preference.

Krog's Kamp Halibut Olympia

2 pounds halibut filets
1 cup Japanese bread crumbs (PANKO)
1 cup corn flake crumbs
2 cups mayonaise
1 stick butter
1 large onion

Filet halibut so that filets are no more than ½ inch thick; lay halibut on paper towels until excess moisture has been absorbed; melt butter in shallow baking dish in oven; slice onion ¼ inch thick into baking dish and return to oven until onion is soft. Set aside. Mix corn flake crumbs and panko crumbs together in shallow bowl. Place mayonaise in another shallow dish.

Smear mayonaise on both sides of halibut and then dip mayo’d halibut into crumb mixture - covering both sides. Place crumbed filet on top of sauteed onions. Once pan is completely filled, place in preheated oven set at highest bake temperature and bake for 12 - 15 minutes. Remove and serve
Ang's notes: I sprinkle halibut with Greek seasoning or Seasoned Salt before coating with mayo. Sometimes I add 1/2 cup parmesan cheese to crumb coating. I bake at 400.
Recipe from fishingalaska.net

http://www.alaskaseafood.org/recipes/index.cfm

 
Cincinnati's contributions: Goetta, Graeter's, and a 4-way...

Goetta is an old German sausage that we inherited from the German ancestry here in Cincy. It's pin oats, pork, and spices. Nothing better for breakfast than slicing it and frying it crispy golden brown.

Oprah has discovered Cincinnati's treasured ice cream: Graeter’s is still made in small batches in French Pots (specialized churns that make couple gallon sized-batches). It's time consuming and they resist the urge to industrialize and ruin it. The finish is they pour melted bittersweet chocolate into the pots to make candy bar sized chunks of chocolate "chips." It’s all cream, eggs, sugar, and the flavorings. And to gild the lily, I get a scoop of either mocha chip or blackberry (each fruit flavor is made with fresh crushed fruit in season) chip with hot fudge, whipped cream, nuts, and a cherry. Graeter’s still uses toasted pecans (no peanuts!), and fresh cream spritzed from siphons in their old-fashioned parlors.

And of course, the one most people know: Cincinnati Chili. Born of Greek Macedonian immigrants in Cincinnati, the Cincy chili is a ragout of beef, tomato, onion, allspice, chilies, chocolate, and a host of other ingredients. It's served over spaghetti and topped with shredded cheddar (a 3-way—the way it’s ordered here in Cincy Chili Parlors—there are about 400 in the city), or with onions or beans added (a 4-way), or all of the above (a 5-way). And of course the ubiquitous accompaniment: A Coney Island. (Cheese Coney to the locals). And for those of you that might think this was borrowed from New York, it wasn't. Cincinnati's Coney Island opened on the banks of the Ohio about the same time as New York's version in the 19th century, complete with clickety-clack wooden coaster (The Shooting Star) at the water's edge (which is just off to the left in this old 19th century postcard).

http://www.ultimaterollercoaster.com/coasters/history/img/ci_cin1.jpg

 
Wow, Dawn- been eating them all my life without knowing they were regional! Had some friends from

Florida satying with us last year when I served them and they said they had never had them. Thought it was just them! Thanks for the info!

 
Tourtiere or Quebec Pork Pie

Tourtiere or Quebec Pork Pie

Everyone in Quebec has his/her favourite tourtiere recipe. Although this one comes from Bon Appetit it is typical. It can be enjoyed at any time but is popular on Christmas Eve.


Recipe By : Bon Appetit
Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Main Dishes Pork & Ham

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

1 Pound Chopped Pork -- chilled
1 Medium Potato -- peeled and chopped
1 Small Onion -- chopped
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Dried Savory
1/4 Teaspoon Ground Celery Seeds
1/4 Teaspoon Ground Cloves
1/2 Cup Water
1/4 Cup Dry Breadcrumbs
Dough For Double-Crust Pie

Grind pork, potato and onion through medium plate of meat grinder. Transfer to heavy large saucepan. Stir in salt, savory, ground celery seeds and cloves. Add water and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until water evaporates, about 20 minutes. Stir in crumbs. Cool completely.

Preheat oven to 425° F. Roll dough out on lightly floured board to thickness of 1/8". Cut out two 11" rounds. Fit 1 round into 9" pie plate. Add filling, spreading evenly. Cover with second round. Seal edges; crimp decoratively. Make slits in top to allow steam to escape. Bake until crust is golden, 35 to 40 minutes. Serve immediately with chutney of your choice.

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NOTES : All-ready pie crust seems ideal to me for this dish, saves all that mixing and rolling.
Just about any spicy chutney would go well with this pie.

 
A friend of mine from Canada makes beaver tails using

canned biscuits. She rolls each biscuit out to a thickness of about 1/8 of an inch. She makes them shaped like a beaver tail then she fries them in 365 degree F oil.

Finally she sprinkles them with cinnamon sugar or for those who prefer, she brushes them with garlic butter.

 
And I cannot aforget to add Ohio Buckeyes...

but they are so indigenous now that they don't qualify as native. Anyone need the recipe? I'll look it up and post it.

 
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