Two of each!

I can’t recall when and where I was turned on to The Potlikker Papers by John T. Edge, but if you have any interest at all in the origins of classic American foods (shrimp creole anyone?), it’s a fascinating read. (And see below for a few other reading recommendations.)

One of the lasting takeaways from The Potlikker Papers is the impact that Cajun and Low Country food traditions have on our diet, being, most likely, the source of what could be called ‘purely American cuisine’. The culinary scene in Charleston, South Carolina, plays quite a role in American cuisine, so it was no surprise that when I ran across something called “Charleston Chewies”, or just “Chewies”, that I had to look into and give it a try.

Some things are just meant to be!!!

Butter, brown sugar, eggs, flour, vanilla, and pecans. What’s not to like?!?!? You can find the recipe here, and I hope you’ll try it. Much as we’re told that a pound cake is made from a pound of this and a pound of that, this chewie recipe has an almost Biblical connection, with its primary ingredients marching two by two. Two sticks of butter, two cups of brown sugar, two eggs, two cups of flour, and two teaspoons of vanilla! Add some baking powder, salt, and pecans, and you’re good to go.

Chewies are great with your second cup of coffee or tea, great as a dessert (with or without an accompanying scoop of vanilla ice cream), or just as something to satisfy a moment of self-indulgent guilt.

Give ’em a try!!!

READING RECOMMENDATIONS

The Cooking Gene, by Michael W. Twitty
Gullah Geechee Home Cooking (Recipes from the Matriarch of Edisto Island), by Emily Meggett
Jubilee (Recipes from two centuries of African American Cooking), by Toni Tipton-Martin