Question Of The Day #28

Going back perhaps to an earlier question about what got you into cooking, today's question is this: What is that one dish from childhood that instantly floods you with nostalgia? That special thing your mom made when you were sick.... the leftover sandwich grandma made when you came home from school...... what dish make tilt your head, smile, and let out an audible sigh as you remember days gone by?

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Matthew_Snyder_68770

I have three things that always remind me of growing up.

Everyday when my grandfather would come home from work, and I'd crawl up on his lap and eat a hot dog. No bun, cos that's how we rolled in central Pennsylvania. He was my main father figure as a child, to this day hot dogs remind me of my pappy.

My mom also made salads for me when I was a kid. Nothing fancy, just iceberg lettuce, lunchmeat, Pepperidge Farm onion & garlic croutons (which I used to eat straight from the box as a snack), and bad bottled Italian dressing. When I go back to visit (which I have not done in nearly ten years now...) that's the first order of business - salad du mom.

The final thing is a version of salad du mom in a different delivery vehicle. She'd take a hot dog bun that I did not use with the hot dog and make 'mini hoagies' with them, lettuce, lunchmeat, tomatoes, onion, and the same bad salad dressing.

FrankM_3301

Grandma's stocco...a southern Italian stew of salt cod, potato, olive, capers, tomato...

tshewman

Schneider's red hot hot dogs. Every Saturday watching bugs bunny where we all wanted this one special plate that had the circles on it that resembled the luney toones logo (some irony there) with the entire family. Or after a school event/game (basketball, football, track and field, badminton-I had 2 passions then sports and eating), I would have 6 waiting for me in the pot, and I would usually throw more in. I've even contacted Schneider's to get the complete recipe (of which they won't completely divulge) so I could deconstruct it.......a hot dog. One food,.....a simple food.... so many memories

Tim_Sutherland_52834

Toss up between a bone in cold roast leg of lamb studded with garlic and spreadable liverwurst in a plastic tube.

I have been known to polish off an entire leg from the fridge by myself. It has to be cold so the fat is hard and the meat jello makes it stick to the plate. Gnawing the bone is the best part. More than once mom had to find an alternative for dinner 30 minutes before it was served. I was at boarding school and lamb was a usual welcome home dish.

The liverwurst would be in the fridge for snacking. Nothing better than a thick layer of liverwurst on fresh bread. I knew it was all mine as I don't think anyone else in the family ate it and my mates wouldn't touch it.

Johan_Edstrom_5586

Meatballs, Mums bread loaves - the edges, warm with cheese and hot cocoa.

And chicken mommas way.

Brendan_Lee_56950

Either a steaming hot bowl of pho or char siu pork. Pho was a weekend staple for us and it was perfect any time of the year. Char siu always reminds me of shopping in Chinatown with my grandmother and it was always so good from the ladies we bought it from. I'm still chasing that flavor to this day.

I should also add that food was the only bridge between my dad and my grandmother because they did not speak the same language. It was really the only way they communicated directly with each other.

Matthew_Snyder_68770

Man, y'all had way better food childhoods than me!

I should add that there are also things that have a bad connotation. To wit: Scrapple. That's all I'm going to say about that.

michaelnatkin

For those of you who know me as the 30 year vegetarian, this is going to sound pretty funny. But a super clear memory for me is my Mom's breaded veal cutlets. She always cooked them in olive oil, and the only brand we had then was Pompeian, which is crappy and has a very particular smell when it is heated past the smoke point. It isn't exactly that they were good, but I do remember everyone gorging themselves and kinda fighting for the last piece.

Brendan_Lee_56950

My wife's family all love scrapple. It's a breakfast staple at the beach house in the summer

Matthew_Snyder_68770

Kill it with fire.

Steve_53138

Steak and kidney pudding, chips, gravy and mushy peas.

For those not from the north of England, it's a steamed suet pastry, filled with steak, kidney and a thick meat gravy. Chips (fries) preferably cooked in beef dripping, then mushy peas which are reconstituted marrowfat peas boiled with a touch of bicarbonate of soda so they breakdown like a think pea soup. Heavenly.

borgech

My Dad's Caesar Salad for sure. I can't quite replicate it, and that is probably in fear of using as much garlic as he did. I have 'fond' memories of the house smelling of garlic for days after he made it.

HammeredChef_DEFINITELY_does_NOT_work_at_22134

My grandmothers biscuits with butter. Im 64 now so it was a long time ago and the milkman delivered the butter 3 times a week....

DiggingDogFarm_65362

I love scrapple and hog maw and all that kinda stuff! : )

DiggingDogFarm_65362

There are many things that bring back fond memories but deer definitely played a BIG part in the food plan when I was growing up in rural north-central Pennsylvania.

The family favorite deer dish was, and still is, paneed deer (thin steaks pounded in flour) and fried in homemade butter.

I love that stuff!

Matthew_Snyder_68770

Man, I don't know........ I'm certainly a different kind of eater today than when I was younger (who among us isn't?), but I have such a strong negative association with scrapple. Maybe I should give it another go?

Matthew_Snyder_68770

I'm from central-central Pennsylvania, Altoona to be exact. Where are you from?

DiggingDogFarm_65362

I grew up in Tioga County, PA.

I still live in the same general area but ~20 miles north in New York state.