"Newfie" Homestyle Cooking and Baking

[Run Amok]

the single leaf of lettuce & tomato cracks me up! But, if you take away the coleslaw & pasta salad-- this sounds a lot like a plowmans lunch or a bento box or personalized charcuterie or smorgasbord-- right? Or, heck, even a protein box from starbucks. 

[diablita]

or "healthy" airport fare in one of the less health-focused cities.  In fact I've worked in some tiny towns where I'd have killed for such a nice option.  (there's ALWAYS Subway)

[BonitaApplebum]

Right, I can see eating some sort of cold plate, no problem. It's all the mashed potato based salads I can't handle. The beet one is the real deal breaker!

[Run Amok]

Right, I can see eating some sort of cold plate, no problem. It's all the mashed potato based salads I can't handle. The beet one is the real deal breaker!

Generally speaking, I'm not into cole-slaw, pasta salad, or potato salad. Especially if they involve mayo. So, adding cold mashed potatoes to the mayo-based-salad mix just just...  I actually think pickled beats or may would be a 100% improvement on the situation.

[Run Amok]

Wait! Chef Bonita (pronounced bahnita) has a newfoundland kitchen youtube channel!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgoEFpyytME

.5 tsp salt in your potato water because that's the only time you are going to salt the dish. OMG!

and it also has a tablespoon of sugar!

my mind is totally blown over here.

She keeps saying something that I don't understand. Is it leftovers from your jake's dinner? jeeks dinner? Jinx dinner?

[caribougrrl]

Wait! Chef Bonita (pronounced bahnita) has a newfoundland kitchen youtube channel!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgoEFpyytME

.5 tsp salt in your potato water because that's the only time you are going to salt the dish. OMG!

and it also has a tablespoon of sugar!

my mind is totally blown over here.

She keeps saying something that I don't understand. Is it leftovers from your jake's dinner? jeeks dinner? Jinx dinner?

Jiggs dinner!

Jiggs dinner is essentially corned beef and cabbage. You take a hunk or two of salt beef and soak some of the salt out (or some people don't), boil it in a pot with potatoes, carrots, turnip (actually rutabaga), and quartered cabbage (or turnip greens in season)... optionally added to the pot: a cloth bag of split yellow peas and butter for pease pudding and/or a cloth bag of figgy duff (lard and molasses pudding with raisins, or blueberries in season)... the pease pudding and figgy duff "steam" in the pot.  That all cooks up together. When you serve it, however, you separate all the ingredients out onto their own serving dish: pease pudding stirred up with a bit more butter, figgy duff sliced, a bowl of cabbage (it will be yellow by now), a plate of carrots (be careful, they tend to break apart when handled because they are that overcooked), a platter with potatoes piled up on one side and turnip on the other, and a plate with salt beef cut into serving sizes.

Jiggs dinner is the local traditional side to a stuffed roast turkey. Sometimes it is served without the turkey.

In terms of household labour, jiggs dinner is interesting. All the ingredients store well, and it is a meal that was not uncommon in fishing camps of yesteryear, and is now pretty commonly served on offshore fishing vessels and the offshore oil rigs. It's the only thing I can think of that historically and currently is equally as likely to be prepared by men as by women, for feeding the family on Sundays. The turkey is still primarily women's work.

A couple of other notes: those potatoes are guaranteed to be well salted whether the beef was soaked or not. Some people drink the pot liquor (broth) like tea. Also very salty. Salt beef is disgusting. Cabbage cooked until the colour is gone is disgusting. Turnips are disgusting. Carrots that can't hold their own shape have no business being served as food. The only good things about jiggs dinner, and they are very good, are pease pudding and figgy duff.

[caribougrrl]

Oh, and Chef Bonita is the first person I've seen make potato salad with butter and cream rather than mayonnaise... which is, frankly, probably more traditional since mayo requires oil.

[Run Amok]

Fascinating! And her accent is also amazing.

She adds a half cup of miracle whip at the end with the mustard.

[caribougrrl]

Fascinating! And her accent is also amazing.

She adds a half cup of miracle whip at the end with the mustard.

ah, I didn't watch that far!

[caribougrrl]

good lesson on the pronunciation of "toutons" in her bread video, if you watch for about 30 seconds starting at 10:21, she says it at least twice

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyR_rxsKVpI

[Chasing Amy]

Bou, you really haven't sold me on Jiggs dinner.

[ihop]

Re:  Jiggs dinner

Turnips aren't disgusting. 

[BonitaApplebum]

Bonita's Kitchen does NOT serve cold plate!!!

[caribougrrl]

Re:  Jiggs dinner

Turnips aren't disgusting. 

I hate turnip. Unless it is roasted. I don't LIKE it roasted, but I can tolerate it.

Bou, you really haven't sold me on Jiggs dinner.

yeah, whenever people come here looking for authentic Newfoundland experineces, I'm always, "whatever you do, do not let anyone talk you into eating jiggs dinner"

[diablita]

Noted

I love turnips raw, sliced thin and salted. Yum

[BonitaApplebum]

Noted

I love turnips raw, sliced thin and salted. Yum

I think you are the person that introduced me to that. It's so good.

[diablita]

glad you like them.  kohlrabi is also excellent this way; when I'm entertaining and can find both I love it for color variety and flavor

[Ice Cream]

Noted

I love turnips raw, sliced thin and salted. Yum

That's how I ate them as a kid! 

I love cooked and mashed turnip, with nutmeg.

[radial]

For some reason, I was rarely/never exposed to turnips as a kid.  I still don't go out of my way to eat them, but they seem pretty tasty.  And they are relatively low carb, so if that's important to you, they are a great vegetable. 

[Natasha]

I love corned beef and cabbage. It's salty! My mom used to make it and it was essentially as you said, minus the pease porridge and figgy Duff. And the turnips... we didn't ever eat turnips for some reason.