Chapter 8:

Northeast Region

New York, Massachusetts, Vermont, Pennsylvania, Maine, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, Connecticut, New Hampshire

The cuisine of the Northeast United States was derived long before the British colonials landed. The Native Americans had lived there their entire life and mastered the art of harvesting. So when the Pilgrims arrived, they were able to learn how to grow crops from the Native Americans.27 This was just the beginning. Geographically, it was obvious that the Northeast region would take advantage of the abundance of seafood available to them. The coastal region was inhabited by fisherman and whalers and fresh seafood was always available. As time went on, immigrants from Ireland, Italy, and people from Jewish heritage would bring their own cuisine to the region that is still dined on today.28

Soup

New England Clam Chowder

Being so close the water, it was easy for fisherman to bring in their catch of the day. It was easy to take their loot from their daily trip, throw it into a pot, and let it make its own soup. While chowder varies from state to state in the Northeast, the classic New England clam chowder had its iconic milk and cream base added only after the dish became so popular that it was beginning to be sold commercially.29 The dish is so popular it even made a cameo in Herman Melville’s Moby Dick.30

Equipment

• Grill or Hot Plate (R)
• Wooden spoon
• Tailgate pot
• Battery powered immersion blender - Optional
• Ladle

Makes 4 servings

• 3, 6.5 oz cans minced clams
• ½ lb bacon cut into strips
• 1 leek chopped
• 2 stalks celery chopped
• 2 large Yukon gold potatoes chopped
• 1 bottle of clam juice
• 1 pint of half and half

Over direct high heat on grill or medium heat on hot plate, brown bacon until crispy. Add leeks and celery and sauté until tender. Add potatoes and half and half. Drop heat to low direct heat on grill and low on hot plate and let simmer until potatoes are soft and tender, about 20-25 minutes. If using a hot plate, stir every few minutes so nothing burns. Add canned clams with their juice and bottled clam juice. Simmer for another 5-10 minutes. Use immersion blender for desired thickness. Serves 4.

Appetizers

Grilled Oysters

Since the Northeastern United States has an abundance of seafood at their disposal, one delicacy that is never overlooked are the oysters. Some of the most popular kind of oyster is the Crassostrea virginica, an Atlantic oyster. 31 Historically, the oysters were only eaten in the months that contain an “R” because of quality and refrigeration capabilities.32

Equipment

• Grill
• Tongs

Makes 4 servings

• 12 oysters stored in ice
• 1 stick of softened butter
• 5 cloves of garlic chopped
• ¼ red onion chopped
• 1 tsp chives
• 1 tsp dried parsley

Before tailgate,combine all ingredients in a bowl except oysters and mix thoroughly. Remove from bowl and wrap in plastic wrap. Put butter log in freezer for 30 minutes to 1 hour or refrigerate overnight.

At tailgate, take oysters out of the ice and shuck oysters and place over direct high heat. Cut butter log into enough slices and top oysters. Cover and allow to cook until butter is bubbly and melted, 6 minutes or so.

Buffalo Wings

The history of the Buffalo Wing is something you would think is from a movie. There are actually two versions of the story with the same people involved. One story is that the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York, was sent chicken wings as a mistake instead of a large shipment of other chicken parts and the bar had to find an innovative way to get rid of the wings.33 The second story is that the owners of the Anchor Bar, Teressa Bellissmo, was working one day at the bar when her son and his friends came back after a night at the local watering hole and asked for something to eat when she deep fried the wings.34

Equipment

• Grill
• Tongs
• Small mixing bowl
• Large Mixing bowl
• Zip Bag

Makes 4 servings

25-30 chicken wings, a combination of drumettes and wingettes

• ⅓ cup of salt
• ⅔ cup of sugar

For the honey mustard hot sauce

• ½ tsp onion powder
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp chili powder
• 2 tsp cayenne pepper
• ½ cup yellow mustard
• ¼ cup apple cider vingear
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil

Before the tailgate, dissolve salt and sugar in a large mixing bowl to create a brine. Pour brine over chicken wings in a zip bag and allow to sit in a fridge for at least an hour, the longer the better. Add enough water so wings are submerged completely.

At tailgate, preheat grill to medium high. Oil grates so wings do not stick. Grill chicken wings over direct medium-high heat, turning every two minutes or so for a total cooking time of 16 to 20 minutes. For the hot sauce, combine all the ingredients in the small mixing bowl and mix to combine. After 20 minutes on the grill, remove the wings from the grill and toss in mixing bowl with hot sauce until thoroughly coated.

Sides

Potato Latkes

Latkes are a classic Jewish dish made from potatoes. Potatoes were not introduced to the Jewish population until the 1850s when Czar Nicholas I required farmers to plant more potatoes in Eastern Europe because of its fast growing capabilities.35 The Jewish population was so enthralled with this new vegetable that it was used all the time. Eventually, the potatoes were fried in chicken fat (schmaltz) and served every Hannukah.36 Roughly 1.1 million people who live in the five boroughs of New York City are Jewish. That makes New York City the most populated Jewish city in the world, including the cities in Israel.37

Equipment

• Grill or Hot Plate (R)
• Cast iron skillet
• Spatula
• Mixing bowl

Makes 4 servings

• 2 beaten eggs
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 large onion grated
• 1 cup flour
• 1 half bag of frozen hash browns, thawed
• Canola oil

Make sure hash brown are thawed and then dried. Add potatoes to mixing bowl and add remaining ingredients with only a tablespoon of oil. Mix thoroughly. The consistency should be like batter, but strong enough to form cakes. Place cast iron skillet over high direct heat on grill or medium heat on hot plate, add enough oil to come ½ inch up the pan. Form cakes. The cakes should look like a big hockey puck. Fry on both sides until golden brown.

Boston Baked Beans

Beans were a staple of food in the New World. Native Americans baked beans long before the colonials arrived.38 The Puritans and Pilgrims did not work or cook on the Sabbath. To solve this problem, they would bake beans on Saturday in a bean pot overnight. The beans would still be hot on Sunday.39 One of the key ingredients in Boston Baked Beans is molasses. Molasses is a byproduct of processing cane sugar and used in making rum. In the 18th century, Boston became the hotspot for rum manufacturing and selling. This is probably where the molasses component of Boston Baked Beans came.40

Equipment

• Grill or Hot Plate (R)
• Tailgate pot
• Spoon
• Ladle

Makes 4 servings

• 2 cans of pork and beans
• 3 tbsp molasses
• ¼ cup of brown sugar
• ¼ cup of ketchup
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder

Over high direct heat on grill or medium heat on hot plate, combine all ingredients. Bring to a boil. Move to indirect...