Two Yankees in a Stew!

A couple of weeks ago Jodi and I attended our neighbor’s annual Brunswick stew up at their summer home in the Blue Ridge mountains of Virginia.  Billed as a taste of the old south, I was promised good food, friends, and music.  How in the world could I pass this up?  Food that I have never eaten, cooked apparently as it has been done for generations, in a beautiful location…I’m there!

I did a little reconnaissance to find out exactly what kind of eats to expect.  Apparently there are two feuding traditions of Brunswick stew – one from Brunswick County, Virginia and the other with roots in Brunswick, Georgia.  Of course each locale claims that theirs is the real deal.  Most of the authentic recipes call for squirrel or rabbit but folks tended to use whatever they could catch including beef, chicken, possum, beaver, raccoon, and even the occasional cute little chipmunk.  Recipe variations abound and are limited only by what is available locally and the cook’s imagination.

Stew day arrived and as we drove up into the beautifully picturesque countryside, we began to notice confederate flags outside of various storefronts and homes proclaiming that we might be in an unwelcome foreign land.  I was getting a little nervous …how far into these mountains did we actually have to travel, would Jodi and I fit in, and more importantly would I like the food?

As we turned onto the Blue Ridge Parkway, we rolled down our windows to enjoy the crisp fall air, which smelled like falling leaves.  As we approached our host’s home, the air was filled with the sound of a band playing a slow bluegrass tune. 

Our hosts quickly noted our arrival, introduced us around, and proceeded to hand us a mason jar filled with what they called “Sit Down Wine”, which turned out to be home brewed corn wine (only enough is made for small home gatherings.)  After the flame subsided from my chest, I began to detect fruit flavors.  Our hosts explained that they ferment the corn liquid with citrus zest, and this makes the drink quite tasty and refreshing.

I was in for another culinary delight as the sun began to set and our hosts gestured that it was time for the main attraction, the stew!  In the corner of the property I could see it…a large metal cauldron hanging over an open low flame fire pit.  The group of four men handling the cooking looked exhausted since the stew has to be constantly stirred throughout the 12 hour cooking process. 

The stew itself looked like a very thick tomato based soup filled with all sorts of vegetables (tomato, onion, okra, corn, beans) and meat (mainly chicken…don’t worry all of you chipmunk lovers out there.)  The dish was definitely hearty, perfect for a cool fall evening, but I would have definitely added some Sriracha (but, yet, then it wouldn’t have been authentic & traditional.)

What I was most impressed by were the sides…lovely homemade sourdough bread to dunk in the stew, crisp apple cider vinegar based coleslaw, locally grown creamy sweet potato casserole, and decadent pintos cooked with ham hocks, country ham, and bacon   (it’s always better with bacon - I had three helpings.)

Dessert, Jodi’s favorite part of the meal, did not disappoint: individual fried apple pies (warm with a good buttery crunch to the crust), spice cake, rich and dense chocolate cake, chocolate pecan pie, and sweet potato pie.  Of course I could not be rude and had a sampling of all five…I still can taste those wonderful fried pies.

  

Fully satiated, I finished off the last of my Sit Down Wine and thought to myself how wonderful it is that food traditions can still bring communities together…and the band played on.


- Jason