Chicken dish Country Captain had a general’s approval

Good morning, friends. An acquaintance reports that a recent invitation to breakfast resulted in a conversation about a shared love for — and the versatility of — eggs. “How do you like your eggs?” asked the cook. “Scrambled? Jane Henegar Fried?” Yes and yes, answered her guest, who has yet to find a way with eggs she doesn’t like.

Same with potatoes, their conversation continued. Baked, mashed, stewed, served as dinerstyle hash browns or in a cheese-filled casserole — all ways with potatoes have their place on the table. And potato salad, of course, has the double bonus of both favored ingredients. So we open up the questioning to your favorite recipes for eggs and/or potatoes, from simple to fancy. You’ll find two recipes below — for Idaho Potato Rolls and Breakfast Pizza — for inspiration.

REQUISITIONED CHICKEN

Today opens with a recipe with history, and Ann Viamonte of Dalton, Georgia, is the culinary historian.

She began, “I grew up in Columbus, Georgia. My mother was a wonderful cook, and I learned much from her. My favorite recipe that she prepared was Country Captain. The story goes that when General (George) Patton came through Columbus (to

Fort Benning, now Fort Moore), one of the many good cooks there made him Country Captain. From then on, when he knew he would be in the area, he would wire ahead, ‘If you can’t give me a party and have Country Captain, put some in a bucket and bring it to the train.’”

Country Captain

3 to 4 pounds chicken

pieces

Flour for coating chicken (seasoned with a little salt and pepper) 2 finely chopped onions 2 finely chopped green

peppers

1 to 2 crushed garlic cloves 1 heaping teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon thyme 2 teaspoons curry powder 2 (16-ounce) cans tomatoes, crushed (or whole, cut up) 1 teaspoon chopped

parsley Currants

1/4 pound slivered almonds, toasted Remove skin from the chicken, and roll in some flour and salt and pepper. Fry it in a bit of oil until slightly brown. Place chicken in a roasting pan, and keep it warm in the oven. Into the oil used for the chicken, put onions, peppers and garlic. Cook until soft, and then add salt, pepper, thyme, curry, tomatoes and parsley. Cook this until all is well heated, then pour the sauce over the chicken pieces. Cover the pan with aluminum foil, and cook for 45 minutes to one hour at 300 degrees.

Serve with white rice; put the sauce on the rice and sprinkle currants and almonds on top.

This recipe can be found in “A Southern Collection, Then and Now” from the

Junior League of Columbus, Georgia.

FROM THE FILES

The rest of this column continues to be history, as I have fled across the ocean, but not before opening the treasures of past Exchangers for you all. Some of the recipes you are about to read are in answer to recent queries; others are simple reminders of the long-ago original senders. Next week, you will resume your rightful places in the culinary current of present contributors to this column.

Feta-Cini With Artichokes

3 tablespoons olive oil 1 onion, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced 1 bell pepper, chopped 2 tomatoes, chopped 1 (6-ounce) jar marinated artichoke hearts, chopped, with marinade

1 pound fettuccine pasta,

cooked

8 ounces crumbled feta

cheese

½ cup grated Parmesan

cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in skillet, and sauté onion, garlic and green pepper until softened. Add tomatoes, and cook 5 minutes. In a separate bowl, toss artichoke hearts and marinade, cooked fettuccine, feta and Parmesan cheeses. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Combine the two mixtures, and serve hot immediately.

Variation: Use cooked spaghetti instead of fettuccine for feta-ghetti.

Makes 4 servings.

New York Sausage With Pasta

1 pound hot or sweet Italian sausage

½ pint whipping cream 8 ounces ricotta cheese 1 pound fresh mushrooms,

sliced

Pasta for 4 cooked,

drained and kept hot

Cook sausage in frying pan, crumbling as you go, and then drain. In the same frying pan, simmer together on low heat the whipping cream and ricotta. Add the mushrooms to this mixture, and heat until they cook a bit. When mixture thickens, add sausage and pasta, and serve immediately.

Idaho Potato Rolls

Oil for preparing pans 1 large potato, boiled and

well-mashed (1 cup) 1 cup warm water

½ cup sugar

2 packages active dry

yeast

4 to 4 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour, divided use

3 large eggs

1 stick unsalted butter,

melted

1 teaspoon salt

Lightly oil 4 round cake pans. Place mashed potato, water, sugar and yeast in a large bowl. Mix well. Add 1 cup of the flour, and whisk until smooth. Add another ½ cup flour, and mix. Cover and leave to rise about an hour.

Add eggs, mixing after each one. Add butter and salt. Mix well. Gradually add 2 ½ cups flour. Knead until smooth; dough will be very soft and sticky.

Heavily flour the dough and your work surface. Roll dough out to ¾-inch thickness. Cut with a biscuit cutter, and place in pans to rise 1 ½ to 2 hours.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool 5 minutes and serve.

Source: “Farmhouse Cookbook”

Chicken Cheese Chowder

1 cup shredded carrots ½ cup chopped onion 4 tablespoons butter ½ cup flour

2 cups milk

1 (13-ounce) can chicken

broth

1 cup diced cooked

chicken

2 teaspoon celery seed 1 teaspoon Worcestershire

sauce

1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

In a large saucepan, cook carrot and onion in butter until tender but not browned. Blend in flour; add milk and broth. Cook and stir until thick and bubbly. Add chicken, celery seed and Worcestershire sauce. Heat through. Add cheese, and stir until melted.

Garnish with chives, if desired. Makes 4 to 5 servings.

Breakfast Pizza

1 pound bulk pork sausage 1 (8-ounce) package refrigerated crescent rolls

1 cup frozen loose-pack hash brown potatoes, thawed

1 cup (4 ounces) sharp

Cheddar cheese

5 eggs, beaten

¼ cup milk

½ teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Cook sausage in a medium skillet until browned. Drain and set aside.

Separate crescent dough into triangles; place triangles with elongated tip toward center in a greased 12-inch pizza pan.

Press bottom and sides to form a crust; seal perforations. Spoon cooked sausage over dough. Sprinkle with hash brown potatoes and Cheddar cheese.

Combine eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Pour over sausage mixture. Bake in a preheated 375-degree oven for 25 minutes. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, and bake an additional 5 minutes.

Corn and Green Chilies

1 (16-ounce) can creamstyle corn

6 ounces (2/3 cup) grated Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese 2 tablespoons melted

butter

½ cup milk

1 egg beaten

1 small can chopped green

chilies

1 cup biscuit mix

Mix all ingredients together well. Pour into a greased pan, and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Please come back next week. You are always welcome here.