Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island,
Florida
Present Day
Jane Marie writes: The folks
in Brunswick, Georgia say they invented Brunswick Stew although Brunswick County,
Virginia claims it was first served at a political rally held there in
1828. Whichever is correct, this Southern dish is now made with chicken,
beef and/or pork (bacon) in lieu of the traditional squirrel.
Breelan Dunnigan, the heroine
in my Victorian romantic novel, The
Goodbye Lie, makes her mother’s version of Brunswick Stew as the entrée for
her first dinner party. And what a
dinner party it turns out to be. Her
stew is a tad different from Miss Ella's and the comments are … kind, sweet,
funny, mean? Once you discover who
attended the dinner party, you'll have a good idea of the general sentiment
there.
In the meantime, on those
cold, harsh days of winter, make a kettle and enjoy!
Jane Marie
Brunswick Stew
You’ll need:
1
pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2
pound of ham, cut into cubes
3
1/2 quarts of water
1 large or 2 medium yellow or white onions, chopped
4
cups of fresh or canned tomatoes (with the juice)
4
large potatoes, washed, peeled and cubed
2
cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
2
cups lima beans
Salt
and pepper to taste
3
tablespoons butter or margarine
Place the chicken, ham and onion in a large
stew pot, and cover with the water.
Add a little salt and pepper.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer
on the stove covered for 2 1/2 hours. Stir once in a while to keep
ingredients from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
Add the tomatoes, potatoes, corn and
beans, and simmer for another 1½ hours until the beans and potatoes are tender.
Add the butter and serve warm with
bread or rolls.
Makes at least 12 servings
depending upon the portion size.
*******
Fernandina
on Amelia Island, Florida
1880s
Breelan Dunnigan writes: I often think back to that first night
 |
| Breelan |
entertaining in my own new home. I was proud
to have done the whole dinner on my own.
The fact that all the food was cooked and put on the table at the proper
time was a miracle. The world is full of
miracles if we slow down enough to see them.
I am trying to do that at least once a day.
(Breelan Dunnigan is featured in The Goodbye Lie set on Amelia Island, Florida in 1882. The Goodbye Lie is the first historical novel in the series with the same name, available at Amazon and book sources everywhere as paperback and e-book.)
Brunswick Stew recipe is reprinted from GraciousJaneMarie.com.
Leaving the kitchen and entering Story Central, down the hall, the
special spot in our home where the minutes, like the overcooked
noodles, disappear as I empty my mind of the thickening agent which will
add flavor to the characters in my next novel, Sand and Sin. What
eventually tore me away from the story of the woman in the leaking canoe being paddled down the rough river rapids through the jungle--was the smell, a delicious small. I
hastened back to the kitchen, to trip over the cat
and land, after one less than graceful skid, in front of the crockpot. Daring not to lift the lid, I anticipated the taste of heaven arriving within the next hour.
The table set, I served the spiced bouquet of odiferous delight by the bowl to my waiting family. The comments flowed like the tomato based broth before them.