CRUMMY?
NO, CRUMBY!
Never mind.
David Wronski was waxing wistful over how his mother very often in the summer months would brown cracker meal or bread crumbs in butter with some light seasoning and toss into steamed green beans or yellow wax beans. (He grew up in an era when you got things only on a seasonal basis. And, fresh from the farm; as in, fresh. As opposed to now, when you can have a strawberry or asparagus any time of year shipped in from all points on the globe and stored for who knows how long. Just to name a few of the more obvious seasonal produce items.)
Mrs. Wronski also was famous for steaming a whole cauliflower head (removing most of the core to speed cooking) and then coating the whole thing with browned cracker meal. Served it at table portioning it with a large serving spoon.
So what you have just read should be enough for you to go and do it yourself.
Bread crumbs or cracker meal browned in butter is exactly what it sounds like. From that basic platform you can go on to all manner of variations. An additon of grated cheese is definitely one to try. And, perhaps some caramelized onion slivers. Try this with steamed Brussels sprouts or cubes of some firm winter squash. Summer squash too, come to think of it. And, if you want to really knock it out of the park, Panko (now available everywhere).
Here is the definitive exegesis on all crumby things.
A friend reminds that butter browned bread crumbs also do well in pasta and are indispensable for Mac and Cheese. Agreed. The above piece was mostly extoling the virtues of said browned bits mixed with vegetables. Come to think of it, gratins like to have a nice topping too.
ReplyDeleteIn his defense, Cooky Cat is not one for much hand holding. Exempli Gratia: Bread crumbs browned in butter with a little seasoning. Then YOU go figure what to do with it.
ReplyDeleteI do my best, but that is Cooky Cat. He's certainly not your average kitty.