Sheila Connolly - A Killer Crop

The poet Emily Dickinsons shadow still hovers over Amherst, Massachusetts, more than a century after her death, and its hard to open a magazine or newspaper these days without finding a reference to her. I am not immune to her lasting appeal, and since Im writing about that part of Massachusetts, I thought it right to include her in this book. Many of the details of her local family connections are based on fact, which is why Meg and her mother, Elizabeth, are drawn into Emilys story. I may as well confess: I can lay claim to being Emilys fifth cousin, five times removeda distant connection, but Im happy to have discovered it.

As always, I want to thank my agent, Jessica Faust of BookEnds, for making this series possible, and my editor, Shannon Jamieson Vazquez, who always manages to excavate the essential story from my piles of words.

Simon Worralls compelling book, The Poet and the Murderer, sheds light on the lengths to which some people will go to possess an original work by Dickinson. Alfred Habeggers richly detailed biography of the poet, My Wars Are Laid Away in Books, which I read years ago, provides much detail about Emilys life, as well as a helpful family tree. And I treasure a copy of The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson, edited by Thomas H. Johnson, which I purchased in the bookstore up the street from the former Dickinson home.

And since the reproduction of Emilys works is tightly controlled, the final words in the book are my daughters tribute to the poet. She accompanied me on numerous excursions to Amherst that always managed to include one of the delightful restaurants there, which Ive included in the book.

Megs mother, Elizabeth, enjoys making this flavorful and delightfully rich cake. The two gingers give it a distinctive flavor, and sprinkling the pan with coarse sugar provides an interesting crunch.

The recipe calls for a 12-cup tube pan, but it can easily be cut in halfuse a 6-cup pan and watch your baking time so that it doesnt become too dry.

softened butter (for pan)
cup raw sugar (also called turbinado sugar)
2 cups flour
4 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons baking powder
teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream
1 cupchoppedcrystallizedginger(youmaychopthis as fine as you like, depending on how much you like crystallized ginger)

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Generously butter the inside of a 12-cup tube pan (you can use a bundt pan). Sprinkle raw sugar over the butter, coating the pan completely.

Whisk together the flour, ground ginger, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.

Using an electric mixer or stand mixer, beat the butter in a large bowl until smooth. Gradually add the sugar, and beat at medium-high speed until blended, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in extra egg yolk and vanilla.

Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the sour cream, beating on low speed until just blended after each. Mix in the chopped crystallized ginger.

Spread the batter in the prepared pan, being careful not to dislodge the raw sugar.

Bake the cake until the top is light brown and a tester comes out with just a few crumbs, about 55 minutes. Transfer to a rack and cool in the pan for 15 minutes.

Invert the pan and tap the edge carefully on a work surface until the cake loosens. Place cake on rack and cool completely.

Slice and serve! This cake doesnt need any embellishment. It also keeps well and travels well.

Another hearty but simple dish for a nippy night.

Serves 4-6

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced (or use a garlic press)
1 medium red cabbage, coarsely shredded
4 apples (you want a relatively firm apple, like a Fuji or a Braeburn), peeled, cored, and sliced
1 whole kielbasa, about 2 pounds (you may substi- tutethesmallerindividual-sizeonesifyou prefer)
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried thyme, or two sprigs fresh thyme
teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
cupstock(youmayusebeef,chicken,orvegetable)
1 tablespoon red wine or apple cider vinegar

Heat the oil in a large kettle and saut the sliced onions and the garlic for 5 minutes, until soft but not brown.

Stir the shredded cabbage into the onions and cook for 5 minutes over medium heat.

Add the sliced apples to the cabbage and onion mixture.

Lay the kielbasa in the pot with the vegetables, and add the herbs and spices.

Add the stock and vinegar. Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes.

When cooked, remove the kielbasa (if whole) and cut into serving-size pieces. Arrange the cooked vegetables on a platter and top with the kielbasa.

Serve this with boiled potatoes.

This recipe has traveled a long way from its Southwestern origins, but its a satisfying dish for a chilly autumn night.

1 15-ounce can navy beans
1 large onion, chopped
1 stick ( cup) unsalted butter
cup all-purpose flour
cup chicken broth
2 cups half-and-half
1 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
teaspoon salt, or to taste
teaspoon white pepper, or to taste
24-ounce cans chopped mild green chilies, drained
2 pounds (approximately) boneless, skinless
chicken breasts, cooked and cut into half-inch
pieces
1 cups, about 6 ounces, grated or shredded
Monterey Jack
cup sour cream

Drain the beans in a colander and rinse them.

In a skillet cook the chopped onion in 2 tablespoons of the butter over moderate heat until softened.

In a 6- to 8-quart heavy kettle, melt the remaining 6 tablespoons of butter over moderately low heat and whisk in the flour. Cook the roux, whisking constantly, about 3 minutes (make sure it doesnt brown). Stir in the cooked onion and gradually add broth and half-and-half, whisking constantly until the mixture is smooth.

Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes or until it thickens. Stir in the chili powder, cumin, salt, and white pepper (you may adjust the amount of seasoning to your taste).

Add the beans, chilis, chicken, and cheese and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally for 20 minutes. Stir in the sour cream just before serving.

You may serve this alone or over cooked rice.

Meg Corey set a cup of coffee in front of her mother and sat down across the kitchen table. Mother, what are you doing here?

The morning light that flooded through the east-facing windows of the kitchen was not kind to Elizabeth Corey, highlighting the faint glints of silver in her carefully cut hair, the slight crepiness gathered at the corners of her eyes. She rotated the handle of the cup in its saucer, avoiding her daughters eyes. Meg, dear, why shouldnt I be here? Isnt it about time that I visited you and saw what you were doing with our house?

She was stalling, Meg could tell. Of course you should see italthough except for the kitchen floor, most of what Ive done has been boring structural stuff and you cant even see it. I would have invited you sooner, but the place has been such a mess, and Ive been so busy, with renovations and the orchard ... Meg stopped herself: why was she on the defensive? It was her mother who had shown up the night before without warning. Yesterday, Meg had been at the grand opening of Grans, the new Granford restaurant, which had served an extraordinary meal for the group of farmers of Granford who had provided all the locally grown materials. It had been an unqualified success for owner-chefs Nicky and Brian Czarnecki, and Meg was looking forward to many more delightful meals in the converted house on the town green. Seth Chapin had brought her home after dark, and shed been anticipating... well, some quality time alone with Seth, as a happy conclusion to a wonderful evening. Instead they had found Elizabeth sitting on Megs front steps in the dark, waiting for her. That was totally unlike her mother, who usually planned things down to the last detail. Why didnt you let me know you were coming?