On Facebook, I follow Chef Greg Atkinson, a legend in the Pacific Northwest for putting Seattle's Canlis restaurant on the fine dining map (where it has stayed under the work of others). Yesterday he posted this delightful exploration of the famed southern dish Country Captain and at the end he posted a recipe for a vegetarian version made with chick peas. Even more interesting, instead of serving it on rice he served it with a corn pudding. I love everything about this! Thought I'd share.
Nine different cookbooks are open on my desk right now, and all of them are opened to the same recipe, Country Captain.
The recipe has been floating around in printed form since at least 1857 when it appeared in Miss Eliza Leslie’s New Cookery Book. Miss Leslie says the dish originated in East India, and is attributed to a captain of the local (country) troops serving the Raj. One, Cecily Brownstone, who served as food editor for the Associated Press from the 1940s well into the 1980s, took it upon herself to persuade American food editors that Miss Leslie’s Victorian era version of the dish is the one true version.
The first time I remember eating Country Captain, my cousin Lois made it. We were in her little kitchen at her last house in Eugene. I’m not sure where Lois got her recipe; it was not from The Joy of Cooking, or The James Beard Cookbook, or even The Fannie Farmer Cookbook. All of those sources use essentially the same formula laid down in 1857 and staunchly defended by Ms. Brownstone.
Lois’ version differed from those in a couple of significant ways. Instead of the usual rice, my cousin served the dish with savory corn pudding, and while most versions of the dish involve sautéing chicken pieces in butter, hers began on a foundation of bacon fat. The dish is traditionally finished with a sprinkling of dried currants and sliced almonds, Lois’ version also included crumbled bacon among the garnishes.
The only printed versions of Country Captain made with bacon that I can find come from Evan Jones’ American Food, and Jean Anderson’s Love Affair with Southern Cooking. Southerners, especially Carolinians claim that the dish came from the captain of a merchant vessel selling spices in Charleston. I think this is the story that was served with the dish at Lois’ table.
The dish might have remained a regional southern favorite, but in the 1930s, when Franklin Roosevelt was receiving physical therapy at Warm Springs in Georgia, he was served a meal of Country Captain, and soon it was being served at The White House. There it was presented to General George S. Patton who claimed it was his favorite dish. In honor of the general, a military MRE (Meal Ready to Eat) version of Country Captain was created in this century to give our enlisted folks a taste of home.
When I decided to make Country Captain for our supper last night, I went with Miss Leslie’s original formula. And as I was putting everything together, I was reminded of how simple and delightful a curry supper can be. When I was a young vegetarian, I cooked and ate a lot of Indian food, because a culture with thousands of years of vegetarian culinary tradition has a lot of vegetarian dishes up its sleeves. Usually, I would cook some kind of dal and serve it with rice or cornbread. As the aromas of curry powder, garlic and thyme wafted over me, it occurred to me that with some garbanzo beans this same sauce would make a good easy to prepare stew. So this morning I decided to make Country Captain Chickpeas. Betsy and I agreed that it was a great lunch, but she let me know in no uncertain terms that my cousin Lois’ version with bacon is still her favorite.
Country Captain Style Chickpeas with Corn Pudding
This meatless version of the classic old school curry gets a touch of umami from the onions browned in butter at the beginning, but the real wonder of the dish is the fragrance that fills the house with the warmth of spices. I like to boost the basic curry powder with a little chili powder. As an homage to my late cousin, I served the curried chickpeas with corn pudding, and because the plate cried out for something green, I foraged in the garden for a few early chives for garnish.
(Serves 4)
For the Chickpeas:
1/4 cup butter
1 medium onion, peeled and cut into small dice
1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and cut into small dice
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced or grated on a micro-plane grater
1 tablespoon Madras style curry powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes in their juice
1 (15.5-ounce) can garbanzo beans or chickpeas, drained
For the Corn Pudding:
3 large eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup Frozen corn
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon butter for the pan
For the Garnishes:
1/2 cup dried currants or raisins
1/2 cup sliced almonds lightly toasted
2 – 3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
1.) To prepare the chickpeas, melt the butter in a Dutch oven, and when it’s sizzling hot, sauté the onion until it is soft and slightly browned. Stir in the diced pepper, garlic, curry powder, bay leaf and thyme, then pour in the canned tomatoes and bring the mixture to a boil.
2.) Stir the drained chickpeas into the tomato mixture, reduce heat to low, and cover. Simmer stew until the flavors have merged, and the liquid is reduced into a thick sauce, about 35 minutes.
3.) While the chickpeas are simmering, prepare the corn pudding, Preheat the oven to 350 and butter a small gratin dish or a glass pie pan. Put all the ingredients into the pitcher of a blender or the work-bowl of a food processor, and purée until fairly smooth. Pour the mixture into the buttered baking dish and bake until set, about 25 minutes.
4.) Serve the curry with the hot corn pudding, and pass the dried currants, toasted almonds, and chives separately.
