Tour of Fifty States: Florida's meal

When Bridget picked Florida as our next state meal, we all thought -- Key Lime Pie!  But no one else could think of what the Main dish should be.  I shared with everyone about the Cuban sandwich (having lived in Florida for 4 years, I remembered that they were very popular, even where we lived, in Gainesville.)  The Cuban or cubano is basically a sub sandwich (see New Jersey.) What sets the Cuban apart from other subs is that it is pressed very firmly on a griddle or skillet until it’s flattened and crisp and the cheese is melty inside.

Cuban cigar factory workers immigrated to the Key West and Tampa areas to work in the cigar factories beginning in the 1860s and the sandwich was served there. Now it’s popular not only in Tampa, but in Miami, where many more Cubans immigrated in the 1960s.  The Tampa version of the Cuban includes Genoa salami (as a nod to Italians living in Tampa), and the Miami version omits it.  Since Matthew and Amanda live in Tampa with their father, we are adding the Genoa salami to our Cuban sandwiches.  J

Tostones (twice-fried plantains) are another dish influenced by the Cuban, Puerto Rican, and several other Caribbean islands’ immigrants that flooded into Florida in the last century – today their influence has led to a “Floribbean” style of food.

No fresh milk, no refrigeration, and no ice were available in the Florida Keys until the opening of the Overseas Highway in 1930. The original recipe was uncooked; canned sweetened condensed milk was “set” in reaction to key lime juice.  When looking up recipes for Key Lime Pie, I came across so many recipes!! Graham Cracker vs. pastry crust? Meringue vs. whipped cream?  Well, we are making 2 different pies and we’ll see which one we like the best!  Both variations are given in the recipe.  Check the Outcome to see which one each of us liked the best. 

Menu:  Cuban Sandwiches, Tostones (Fried Plantains), Key Lime Pie

Outcome:  The sandwiches were really good – Bill did a wonderful job pressing them with a heavy skillet on the griddle for us and got them very flat with the cheese melted just right.  I fried the plantains and Bill mashed them flat with a drinking glass and I fried them again.  They were kind of like potatoes in consistency and taste.  Bridget said they reminded her of pistachios as you chew them, with a little graininess and sweetness.  None of us were really blown away by the tostones, but at least we tried something we’d never had before. 

On busy Saturday, after Brandi’s upstate archery tournament, Bridget’s basketball practice and friend’s birthday party, Ben’s volunteering at a robotics competition, and Bill being on call, we made the first of the Key Lime pies in a Graham cracker crust with meringue.  Sunday Ben had a history project to work on at his school, so he missed dinner and the second pie (pastry crust and whipped cream.) His mom picked him up from school and came to our house to get the girls and we had a piece of pie and a fork waiting for him.   At this point, the rest of us were divided 50/50 on crust and topping.  See the table:  

  

	Graham Cracker Crust	Pastry Crust	Meringue	Whipped Cream
Bill	X		X
Paula		X		X
Bridget	X			X
Brandi		X	X
Ben	X			X

Graham cracker crust and whipped cream wins!  That’s how we’ll make Key Lime Pie from now on!
Next up:  Brandi’s turn!  She chose Pennsylvania!  She is the first one of us to pick a state that touches another one we’ve picked (she had also picked Ohio).  With Brandi, this finished up our rotation of names (middle names by ABC order.) We played a dice game called Farkle, one of our favorites, and our placement from winner to loser decided our next rotation.  Brandi won the game by a landslide, so she gets to choose next time. J

Florida's Meal

Tour of Fifty States: Virginia's Meal

Smithfield ham is a specific form of “country ham” cured in the town of Smithfield, Virginia.  Country hams are usually sold in stores unrefrigerated as whole, bone-in hams packaged in rough cotton bags, with identifying markings printed on the bags. It is also sold in presoaked, sliced, ready-to-cook form, usually vacuum-packaged.  There are several methods of cooking a country ham including slicing and pan-frying, baking whole, and simmering for several hours (in several changes of water). Whole hams may need to be scrubbed and soaked for several hours before eating to remove the salt cure and mold. Even when soaked, they are still quite salty.I didn't really want to do the soaking and scrubbing method, I chose to go with a “City ham” for our state meal instead.  Much less salt, also! 

For Virginia, our dessert called Virginia Apple Pudding … but it is really just a fruit topped cake.  Pudding in the US characteristically denotes a sweet milk-based dessert similar in consistency to egg-based custards.  Since Virginia was one of the original 13 colonies, the first citizens simply kept the traditional British word “pudding” when they refer to “dessert.” Pudding may also refer to other dishes such as bread and rice pudding. 

Menu:  Ham with Ginger Glaze, Sweet Potatoes, Virginia Apple Pudding

Outcome: The ham was wonderful.  I found Ginger Preserves at Publix and I amended the recipe – it called for an entire 2 liter bottle of Ginger ale, but I only added about a third that I basted the ham with (it seemed enough.)  The ham was spicy but not too much.  J  The Virginia Apple Pudding was – according to Bill, one of the best desserts we’ve had.  The cake was a muffin-like texture and really quite good.  We’ll be making this again with peaches as soon as they are ripe.  Can’t wait!
Next up:  Bridget’s turn!  She chose Florida!

Virginia Ham and Baked Sweet Potato with cheese!

Looking forward to next week...

Bridget picked Florida!  All of us are looking forward to Key Lime Pie....MMM .  What else will we serve?

Stay tuned....

Virginia's write up will come tomorrow.  :)