Savoring the Seasons of the Northern Heartland by Lucia, Dooley, Beth Watson

Here are more than 200 delicious seasonal recipes from the upper Midwest – from the lakes, the forest, and farmlands, as well as from the small towns and cities of Minnesota, Wisconsin in, Iowa, Michigan, and North Dakota. The wonderful variety of dishes tells the story of the Scandinavian, German, East European, Scottish, and Welsh farmers who first settled here, cultivating the rich farmlands and developing the milling industry and the dairy cooperatives. At threshing time, barn raisings, and hog killings, robust dishes satisfied the appetite, and miners and loggers (from Finland to Slovenia) relished the hearty foods of boardinghouses and cook shacks. Beth Dooley and Lucia Watson have brought together all the strands of this colorful Northern Heartland history by giving us the foods that tell the story. They have tempered the recipes for today’s appetites and developed new creations that make the most of the indigenous produce – the kinds of fresh and flavorful dishes that devotees of Lucia’s popular restaurant in Minneapolis have been enjoying since it first opened in 1985. Here is a sampling: – From their Milling and Baking chapter – Finnish Cardamom Coffee Bread, Lussekatter Buns, Swedish Limpa Rye, German Oven Pancake – From The Communal Pot – Roasted Vegetable Strudel, Thresher’s Beef Stew, Sarma (Stuffed Cabbage Rolls), and Pasties (a delectable version of what is known as “the boardinghouse meal under a crust”) – From North Woods and Prairies – Holiday Roast Wild Turkey, Grouse with Cranberry-Sage Butter, Woodcock with Wild Mushrooms – From Deep Lakes and Swift Streams – Baked Walleye with Asparagus and Fiddlehead Ferns, Pan-Fried Trout with Smoky Bacon and Hazelnuts, Spring Crappies with Morels – From Backyard Gardens and Sacred Paddies – Summer Tomato, Potato, and Eggplant Bake, winter Gratin of Pumpkin and Leeks, Wild Rice Pilaf with Dried Cherries and Walnuts In this part of America where people are separated by long distances, hospitality means good food. And Beth Dooley and Lucia Watson share the bounty by showing us how to prepare all the good things that make this region so special.