Several weeks ago we were visiting our neighbours and had a tour of their vegetable garden. It was quite early in the gardening season around here, and their garden was quite spectacular. It gave me some inspiration for creating a veggie garden at our newly acquired "farm" next year.
While we were there, our neighbour grinned and told me she had enough vegetables to make a Hodge Podge for dinner the night before. I smiled and said something like "that's great" but I actually had no idea what she was talking about.
Fast forward a few weeks and John and I were driving home after watching some sailboat races in Chester. We stopped at a roadside vegetable shop, and they actually had "hodge podge" listed as one of their feature items.
So...I just had to ask the owner to explain Hodge Podge. Apparently it's a Nova Scotia classic meal, but only in parts of Nova Scotia. It's particularly popular on the South Shore. She told me what was involved and here is the official recipe:
Ingredients:
15-18 new baby potatoes
1 medium onion, peeled, quartered
1 clove garlic, peeled, crushed with side of knife (clove should be intact)
1 bunch fresh new carrots
1 pound fresh yellow and/or green string beans
1 pound fresh peas
2-3 ears fresh corn, shucked, broken into thirds (optional)
2 cups light coffee cream
1/4 cup butter (not margarine)
salt and freshy ground pepper
chives to garnish
Instructions:
Rinse potatoes but don't peel. Cut tops off carrots. Rinse well, but don't peel. Tip and tail beans. Shell peas.
Put potatoes in large pot. Add just enough water to barely cover. Add 1 tsp salt, garlic and onion. Cover and bring to a boil, cooking potatoes for 10 minutes or until halfway done. Add more water if necessary, just to steam boil veggies.
Add carrots. Cover and turn heat down to barely boiling. Cook until carrots halfway done. Add beans, peas and corn. Cook until tender-crisp.
Check water level. There shoud be about 1 cup. Turn heat to low. Add cream and butter. Be careful not to curdle cream. Season with salt and pepper.
Ladle into bowls. Add garnish. Serve immediately.
I've been told that Hodge Podge is even better if refrigerated and warmed up the next day.
I've also been told that it's meant to be a meal....not a side dish.
I haven't tried it out myself. If you try it, let me know what you think!
About Us
- Sara and John
- We are CFA's...."Come From Away's". We moved to Nova Scotia from Ontario in May 2008. Join us as we travel the province and share the treasures we find. We live on the South Shore, and most of our travels will be in this beautiful region of the province.
6 comments:
I am from Nova Scotia and this is an all time favorite dish of mine. living in the USA now I have been able to introduce it to many. YUM !! You won't be let down!!
Hello,
I'm originally from Lunenbury, Nova Scotia (now living in Québec). I was curious to read your hodge podge recipe billed as the official version. I'm not so sure...probably there are different versions in different areas. However, when I was growing up, this is not exactly the recipe I remember (and which I still try to make once or twice in summer when fresh vegetables are available). In the hodgepodge my mother used to make, there was no garlic or corn. Also, one of my favorite summer vegetables is missing: broad beans! This said, the one you suggest sounds just as enticing! Bon appétit!
Susan Parks
I must agree with Susan. I am from Bear River, Nova Scotia and have never had Hodge Podge with garlic, onion or corn. I am making a pot now. Can hardly wait!
Wendy Morgan-Jamiesn
Woodstock, N B
Making a big pot of it, too. I didn't use onion for fear of it overpowering the Hodge Podge. A touch of onion and garlic sounds good, though.
I'm making some tonight. New potatoes, new carrots, new beans, and peas but never corn or garlic. I love my garlic, grow it myself but hodge podge is a @delicate@ creamy dish that doesn't need garlic at all. Butter, yes, hi fat cream yes
Growing up in Annapolis Royal, NS and still living in the Valley I never had garlic or onions in Hodge Podge... However, I added them to it the last time I made Hodge Podge and it was incredible!!
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