When deciding what to write about this week, I noticed today was Mother鈥檚 Day. That, in turn, made me think about my childhood and my mother, Julie, who died in 2006, and 鈥� not surprisingly, given my profession 鈥� the foods she made when I was growing up.
I also thought about my Ontario-based brothers: David and Bill in Thunder Bay, and Richard in St. Catherines. Not long after, we were having an email exchange and the conversation was all about Mom鈥檚 cooking.
As noted in a past story, my Montreal-born, French-91原创 mom was the 17th child in a family with 19 kids. With her family impoverished, at age two, she was sent to a convent and raised by nuns. Her own mother died when she was eight.
Mom said the convent was like a live-in school with God watching over you. That experience seemed to provide her with the tools needed to live independently and frugally, and the ability to care more about others, rather than herself.
Those traits, and a good sense of humour, aided her when she married my dad and they had four kids, all born before she was 26.
Dad was in the air force and our family was stationed in places such as Winnipeg and Moose Jaw, and he would go away on courses. His corporal鈥檚 pay was modest and, although Mom worked, she had to stretch the food budget to ensure her always-hungry sons were fed.
When I think of her cooking, simple meat-and-potatoes fare is听what first comes to mind. My oldest brother, David, concurred, but when he started describing foods she cooked it was obvious simple did not mean they weren鈥檛 delicious.
鈥淪he always made a great pot roast using chuck steak with carrots, onions, thyme and a bay leaf with gravy always made from flour. She also made a hamburger soup, which she called Ragu, and I am pretty sure it had barley, too,鈥� David said. 鈥淔or sweet stuff, I remembered most of her cakes were made from scratch. She also made this mind-blowing chocolate fudge.鈥�
My brother Bill also remembered Mom鈥檚 sweet treats. Not shocking because when he was a kid he had quite the sweet tooth and would literally scale the kitchen cupboards to find the place she stashed her goodies.
鈥� [Her] potato peanut butter candy roll refrigerator cookies were always a hit,鈥� Bill said. He was also fond of her macaroons and her divine, soft-in-texture chocolate cookies.
Some dishes Mom made we all liked, others not. One example was her hamburger stroganoff, which we called 鈥渕ush鈥� because that鈥檚 what it looked liked.
It contained things you would put in stroganoff, but instead of using sliced tender steak, it had ground beef. My brother Richard said it was his favourite. Bill thought she made it too often, but his opinion of it changed recently.
鈥淥ne day, when my wife [Mary] asked for something other than hamburgers with ground beef, I re-created it and now I get requests for it at home,鈥� Bill said.
Richard also fondly remembers the big, roast pork or beef Sunday dinners Mom made and the sour-cream-rich, cucumber side dish she always served. 鈥淚 remember her Boston cream pie, too. It was good!,鈥� Richard said.
I remember that awesome dessert too, and, on the savoury side, had a fondness for her p芒t茅 chinois, a French 91原创-style shepherd鈥檚 pie I published a recipe for last year.
She also made great cr锚pes and it was always a happy day when we got to have homemade french fries and eggs for dinner. Mom also inspired me to make tourti猫re at home and I now serve it every Christmas Eve.
Mom, like other moms at that time, also used convenience foods, such as Shake 鈥橬 Bake coating mix for baked chicken, a family favourite meal back then. David said Mom often served that chicken with her famous homemade potato salad, which was rich, creamy and marvellous.
Mom鈥檚 meals were pretty simple, but after discussing this topic with my brothers, it was clear she added a little French flair when she could. She was also able to create meals even when the cupboard was pretty bare.
She passed the latter trait on to me and I used that skill to create today鈥檚 baked chicken recipe. It sort of tastes like Shake 鈥橬 Bake chicken, but the coating uses ingredients I had at home and is not as salt-rich. It is family friendly, easy to put together and a recipe that kids could help make today or any day.
To all who qualify, happy Mother鈥檚 Day!
Family Favourite Baked Chicken
I named this recipe, which all ages should enjoy the way I did, because its taste, texture and ingredients are similar to the Shake 鈥橬 Bake chicken my family enjoyed when I was a kid. However, my coating is not overly salty like the Shake 鈥橬 Bake mix and, rather than moisten the chicken with water to make the coating stick, I used more flavourful mayonnaise and mustard.
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Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 45 to 50 minutes
Makes: four to six (two to three pieces each) servings
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For the coating
1 cup dried breadcrumbs
1/4 cup cornmeal
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp ground sage
1/2 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp celery salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
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For the chicken
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tsp Dijon mustard
6 large chicken drumsticks
6 large chicken thighs, excess loose skin, removed
Preheat oven to 375 F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine coating ingredients in a wide, shallow bowl. Combine mayonnaise and mustard in another bowl large enough to hold the chicken. Add the chicken and toss to coat each piece well.
Coat each piece of chicken in the coating, gently pressing it on to help it adhere. Set chicken on the baking sheet. Bake chicken for 45 to 50 minutes or until cooked through.
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Eric鈥檚 options: This chicken can also be served cold and enjoyed at听a picnic. To do so, once baked, cool chicken to room temperature. Transfer chicken to a sided dish, cover and refrigerate chicken for听at least four hours or overnight. When ready to take to your picnic, pack it into an ice-cold cooler and keep there until ready to enjoy.
Eric Akis is the author of eight cookbooks. His columns appear in the Life section Wednesday and Sunday.
