Tusculum's Old Oak Festival

Last weekend, we had the pleasure of attending the Old Oak Festival at Tusculum College, located in tiny Tusculum, Tennessee. We met some new friends, connected with old ones, and generally had a splendid time.

Every time I read or hear someone talking about the backward hillbillies of the southern Appalachians, I want to point them toward Tusculum College. Founded before Tennessee became a state, it is the oldest college east of the mountains, and accepted women, free blacks and Native Americans from its inception. The founder, Samuel Doak, was a Presbyterian minister who gave the invocation as the heroes of the Battle of Kings Mountain departed upper East Tennessee to do battle with the British in South Carolina. His home, adjacent to the campus, is open to visitors, having been restored to its 18th Century stateliness.

Amid the centuries-old trees that give the festival its name, the oldest building still standing on campus was once the library. When it was constructed in 1841, one of the donors was Andrew Johnson, Greeneville's most famous native son. Today the building serves as a museum.

The festival celebrates local artists, craftspeople, and musicians, with continuous performances by local and regional talent, a food court, and vendors selling everything from T-shirts to hand crafted furniture.

Learn more here, and make plans to attend next April. Accommodations in the area include several major chains, along with the General Morgan Inn, a 5-star property on Greeneville's Main Street.

Before returning on Sunday, we enjoyed the hike to Marguerite Falls, along a trail lined with numerous wildflowers, including the showy display of halberd-leaf violets accompanying this post.

Gumbo

Now, I know perfectly well that gumbo is not a creation of Appalachian cooks. Indeed, the origins of this iconic dish of the Deep South are shrouded in mystery. The ingredients and techniques involved in making a good gumbo are derived from multiple traditions: okra came from Africa with enslaved people, andouille is clearly French in its origin, and the practice of substituting a mixture of onions, celery and bell peppers for the traditional European mirepoix, along with bold seasoning, comes from the Cajun people who settled in the Louisiana bayou country.

However much gumbo bears its regional imprint, its ingredients are readily available everywhere, and the technique for making it will be familiar to most cooks. If you cannot find fresh okra, frozen is just as good, and you need not even thaw it before adding it to the pot.

Good sides to go with gumbo are potato salad, three bean salad, and sweet corn in any form you like.

One Pot Chicken Gumbo
Don’t be put off by the long ingredients list. Everything you need should be available in any well-stocked grocery store. Some gumbo recipes call for thickening with a roux, which requires long cooking and some experience to get right. This recipe is foolproof, and relies on okra to thicken it. If you can’t find andouille, substitute any good smoked pork sausage. You can multiply the quantities and store the extra seasoning mix in an airtight container for use in other Louisiana-style dishes. (If you go that route, two tablespoons is the right amount for this dish.) The seasoning mix and the combination of onions, celery and bell peppers, create that distinctive Creole and Cajun flavor. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

1½ teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

½ teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs

3 ounces andouille sausage

¾ cup chopped onion

½ cup chopped celery

½ cup chopped green bell pepper

¼ cup vegetable oil

½ pound okra, in half-inch pieces

1½ tablespoons minced garlic

4 cups chicken stock

½ cup drained and diced canned tomatoes

2 bay leaves

Cooked rice and sliced green onions, to serve

Hot sauce

Combine the paprika, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, thyme, and black pepper in a small bowl.  Mix well and set aside. Cut the chicken into 1-inch chunks. Sprinkle half the seasoning mix over it and allow to stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Chop the andouille into ¼” dice.  Combine the onion, celery and bell pepper in a small bowl.

In a heavy saucepan or Dutch oven, heat the oil over high heat until it ripples. Add the chicken pieces and stir fry until they are lightly browned.  Transfer the chicken to a plate. Reduce the heat and add the sausage.  Cook until browned.  With a metal spoon, remove any excess fat. Add half the chopped vegetables and half the remaining seasoning mix.  Cook until the onion is translucent.  Add the okra, the garlic and one cup of the chicken stock and bring to a boil, stirring well. Adjust the heat and simmer until the stock is reduced by half. Add remaining chopped vegetables, the tomatoes, the remaining seasoning mix, bay leaves, remaining 3 cups of stock and the chicken, along with any juices that have accumulated on the plate.  Simmer 30 minutes.  Serve with rice, topped with chopped scallions. Pass hot sauce.

Meal Prepping Saves Time

If you are not prepping your ingredients for multiple meals at once, you are likely wasting a lot of time in the kitchen. Meal prepping once a week can save you hours, especially if your work week tends to be hectic. Many people prefer to prep on Sunday, but around here that is a day for a family outing or other activity, so I typically prep on Tuesday. The main reason for my choice of day is that the local supermarket offers double gas points, so making the major purchases for the week makes sense.

Because I prefer not to cook much on Sundays, that is the day I try to use up as many leftover items as possible from the refrigerator and freezer. This saves time that would otherwise be spent on the day's meal preparation, in addition to saving money by avoiding waste.

Here are some tips and safety guidelines for food preparation:

Raw vegetables, such as radishes, cauliflower, carrots, celery, onions, squash and sweet potatoes, will keep for a week in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Put a paper towel in the bottom of the container to absorb excess moisture.

Leafy greens and more perishable vegetables, such as broccoli, snow peas, and asparagus, keep best if they  are blanched for 1 to 3 minutes and then refreshed in ice water prior to refrigeration.

Peeled white potatoes will keep 24 hours in the refrigerator if submerged in cold water.

Fresh berries will keep better if a small amount of sugar is added to them before storage. One tablespoon is enough for a 6-ounce clamshell of blackberries. The berries will soften and release juice, but they won't mold. Store in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.

You can roast multiple vegetables and proteins on one or two sheet pans and then store them separately in the refrigerator or freezer. To keep items separated, use inexpensive aluminum foil pans or just aluminum foil. Preheat the oven to 350, prep your foods, and then place them on sheet pans, using one for vegetables and one for meats. Drizzle the food with a little olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and add any herbs or spices that you like. Pop the pans into the oven and bake until the food is done. Check regularly and use tongs to transfer food to appropriate storage containers as it is cooked.

Use an instant-read thermometer to insure food, especially poultry, is at the proper internal temperature. This is especially important for food that you plan to store for later in the week. Undercooked food may spoil.

Purchase ground beef in bulk when it is on sale. Weigh out portions and freeze them that day. Browning the beef, draining off the fat, and then freezing it is another way to save a huge amount of time when later you want to make tacos, spaghetti sauce, chili or Sloppy Joes. You can do the same thing with bulk sausage.

You can also batch cook rice or pasta ahead of time and store it in suitable portions.

Cooked food will keep for three days in the refrigerator. Otherwise, freeze it.

For safety's sake and to avoid damage to your appliance, cooked food should be cool before placing it in the refrigerator or freezer. You can speed up cooling with a small fan, placed to blow air away from the food. Liquid foods in pots or pans can be set in a sink and surrounded with cold water, or in a larger pot filled with ice. This is a good technique for beans, stocks, soup and stew. Stir the liquid every few minutes to speed cooling.

Keep a written inventory posted on your freezer door so you know what you have available for meals. Keep a copy on your phone, as well, so you will have it when at the grocery store.

Putting a little effort into planning and preparation a few hours a week can pay off with more time for you and your loved ones to enjoy life. And that's what it's all about, after all.