Tour of Fifty States: Nebraska's meal

This weekend’s meal was from the Great Plains state of Nebraska, a.k.a. the Cornhusker State.   I knew we needed to find something with corn, and the excellent Corn Chowder went very nicely with the Reuben sandwiches we also had. 

Why Reuben sandwiches??  Why, that’s a NY deli favorite!!  It is claimed that Reuben Kulakofsky, a Lithuanian-born grocer in Omaha, Nebraska, was the inventor, perhaps as part of a group effort by members of Kulakofsky's weekly poker game held in the Blackstone Hotel from around 1920 through 1935. The sandwich first gained local fame when the hotel owner put it on the Blackstone's lunch menu, and its fame spread when a former employee of the hotel won a national contest with the recipe.  There you go!   This weekend, in honor of the above-mentioned poker game, we taught the kids how to play poker, blackjack, and Texas Hold 'Em with our jars of loose change.  Wow, they were fast learners and they have already mastered the art of bluffing!  

Since we are in the process of moving, much of our cooking and serving dishes are packed up, so I wasn’t able to make the dessert I’d picked out for Nebraska, Sweet Corn Panna Cotta…I’ll be sure to do a revisit to Nebraska after we get settled into our new home.  Instead, we had “Birthday Cake” ice cream sandwiches…Bill’s birthday is May 5^th! 

Menu:  Reuben Sandwiches, Corn Chowder

Outcome:  The Corn Chowder was really good and everyone had a second bowl.  It was probably one of the best soups we’ve made!  Oh, and the Reuben Sandwiches – Bill said it had been way too long since he’d had one….mmmmm!  Toasty and melty and crispy.  Instead of the standard “sour” sauerkraut, I chose “Bavarian-style” sauerkraut for the Reubens – it’s sweet and sour and reminded us of the wonderful red cabbage we have at Christmas. 

Next up:  Paula’s turn!  She chose New Hampshire!

Reuben Sandwich
 

Ingredients

• Sandwich ingredients:
• 4 Tbsp. butter, softened
• 12 slices rye bread
• 12 slices Swiss cheese
• 24 thin slices corned beef brisket
• 1 jar or can sauerkraut (I used Silver Queen Bavarian Style)
• 1 cup Russian Dressing (bottled, or see below)

Russian dressing:

Combine the following ingredients:

• 2/3 cup mayonnaise
• 3 Tbsp. ketchup
• 3 tsp. prepared horseradish
• 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• Salt, to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Makes one cup.

Directions

1. Butter one side of 6 slices of bread, and place the slices buttered-side down on a large piece of wax paper on a flat surface. Top each with a slice of Swiss cheese, and then divide half of the corned beef among them.
2. Using paper towels, squeeze out excess moisture from the sauerkraut. Divide the sauerkraut among the sandwiches, and top each with one Tbsp. of Russian dressing. Add another layer of corned beef and a second slice of Swiss cheese to each sandwich. Top with the remaining bread slices; butter the side facing out.
3. Preheat a griddle or frying pan to medium heat. Cook the sandwiches on one side until the bread is golden brown. Use a spatula to carefully flip the sandwiches over and finish cooking on the second side. Cut the sandwiches in half before serving. Serves 6.

Reuben Sandwich

Corn Chowder 

Total time:  45 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 strips of bacon
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 6 potatoes, peeled and diced
• 3 cans corn, drained
• 1 can creamed corn
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• salt and pepper
• 1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
• 5 cups milk
• 1 cup heavy cream

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, add the bacon and cook until crisp and remove to paper towels to drain.  When the bacon is cool, crumble and set aside.  Do not drain the pan.
2. Add the onion to the reserved bacon grease and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes, until soft.
3. Add the potatoes, bell pepper, corn, thyme, salt to taste, pepper to taste, and the milk. 
4. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a bare simmer. Cover the pot and cook for 30 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. Make sure the heat is as low as can be and still maintain a gentle simmer to prevent scalding the milk on the bottom of the pan.
5. Add the cream in the last few minutes of simmering.  Serve with the crumbled bacon sprinkled on the top of each bowl. 

Serves 6-8.

Corn Chowder with crumbled bacon!