The Rural Voice, 1998-01, Page 44Book Review
Hearty meals in Cowboy Country Cookbook
Reviewed by Bonnie Gropp
It may not be how the west was
won, but hearty meals were a big part
of home on the range.
The Cowboy Country Cookbook,
by David and Barb Poulsen and
Lauren Hitchner, offers recipes with
authentic western flavour and flair.
Published by Red Deer College Press,
Cowboy Country is an imaginative
and fun way to put wholesome meals
on your table.
The authors are no strangers to life
in the west. David Poulsen has been a
rodeo competitor and rodeo clown. A
rodeo commentator, he's appeared
three times at the Canadian Finals
Rodeo and has done 11 stints at the
Calgary Stampede. He's also appeared
in TV's The Black Stallion and in the
feature film Convict Cowboy.
His wife, Barb was born in
Winnipeg and raised just outside
Saskatoon. She has competed in pro -
rodeos across western Canada and
works every summer with the CBC
television crew covering the
Stampede.
She and David raise quarter horses
and Texas longhorns on their Alberta
ranch.
Hitchner, a life-long Albertan, is
the the daughter of Royal Burrows, a
Cutting Hall of Fame horseman. She
shows and judges cutting horses and
lives with her husband on a ranch in
Alberta, where they raise and train
quarter horses.
With recipes from western
restaurants, cowboy poets, country
music entertainers and rodeo
champions, the Cowboy Country trio
helps you imagine what it was like to
ride the lone prairie, to sit by the fire
simmering a pot of "Red Eye Stew"
and sipping a mug of "Campfire
Coffee."
Following a page depicting the
brands of the book's contributors, is
an introduction telling the story of the
cowboy from the time of Abraham to
present day. Tidbits such as the fact
that the word cowboy was first
mentioned in Irish writings of
1000AD show this cookbook is not
strictly an entertaining how-to
concept, but one that provides
interesting insights into a colourful,
and for most of us, foreign realm.
The next three pages offer
40 THE RURAL VOICE
information on the southwest, "Tex-
Mex" area of Arizona, New Mexico
and Texas. It tells of the increasing
popularity of the hot, spicy, colourful
food and its origins.
The recipes themselves cover a
veritable smorgasbord of dishes from
beverages and coffees, to casseroles
and stews, to cheesecakes and pies.
The dishes featured in Country
Cookbook are, for the most part
simple, delicious fare, perfect for the
novice who likes to put together a
tasty meal. The directions are
undaunting, the ingredients, generally
the basics that everyone has in their
kitchen cupboards.
And interspersed with the recipes
throughout the book are anecdotes
and heroes of the old -west, which
enlighten and amuse.
Whether you're a closet cowboy
who dreams of the romantic ride on
dusty trails or just someone who
enjoys good food, you'll get a kick
out of the novel Cowboy Country
Cookbook.
Cookin' up some dishes from The
Cowboy Country Cookbook
HUSH PUPPIES
1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup milk
1 tbsp onion, minced
Sift dry ingredients •together. In a
separate bowl, beat eggs and stir in
milk and onion. Add egg mixture to
dry ingredients and mix well.
Heat oil in a frying pan. Drop
batter into oil by heaping
teaspoonsful. Fry until golden, turning
as they brown. Remove from pan and
drain on paper towels. Serve hot.
RED-EYE STEW
1/2 cup flour
3 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 lbs stewing beef
1/2 cup oil
4 lbs onions, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic
12 oz can beer (optional)
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp steak sauce
1 tsp thyme
2 bay leaves
4 cups tomato juice
8 potatoes, peeled, diced
8 carrots, diced
2 cups frozen peas.
Combine flour, salt and pepper.
Dredge meat in flour mixture and
brown in hot oil. Add onions and
garlic and cook until onion is
transparent.
Add beer, soy sauce,
Worcestershire and steak sauce. Add
thyme and bay leaves and bring to a
boil. Lower heat and simmer for 1
hour. Add tomato juice and simmer
30 minutes. Add potatoes and carrots
and cook until vegetables are tender.
Add peas and heat through.
Remove bay leaves before serving.
CAMPFIRE COFFEE
1 large enamel coffee pot
3 to 4 quarts water
2 to 3 heaping tbsp coffee
whiskey (optional depending on time
of day)
Heat water in pot over coals. Add
coffee to boiling water and simmer.
Remove from heat when done and add
a dash of cold water to settle the
grounds.
PAPER -SACK APPLE PIE
3-4 Large apples
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
2 tbsp flour
1 to 2 tbsp lemon juice
dash of salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/4 to 1/2 cup butter
1 unbaked single -crust pie shell.
Peel and slice apples. Combine
sugar, nutmeg and 2 tbsp flour.
Sprinkle over apples and coat well.
Spoon this mixture into unbaked pie
shell. Sprinkle with lemon juice and
add a dash of salt. Combine brown
sugar, 1/2 cup flour and butter. Blend
well and sprinkle over top of pie.
Place in large brown paper bag and
secure with clips. Bake at 425°F for
one hour.0
The Cowboy Country Cookbook: by
David Poulsen, Barb Poulsen and Lauren
Hitchner. Published by Red Deer College
Press, Roundup Books, Paperback, 352
pages. $18.95.