Monday, December 8, 2008

It's Shit On a Shingle at My Place Tonight

So, how many plates shall I get out?

Some of you may be too young to understand the name of my dish as you have neither served on a navy ship or had a relative who liked to relive the magic of a life at sea, but I'm pretty sure that's where the name comes from. No don't go there, I'm not talking about sea sickness at all. I'm talking food that is cheap and filling. Comfort food, if you will. The stick to your ribs kind. Maybe it's prison food, too.

Once when I was visiting one of my lefty friends in New Orleans, I found a small bookstore in the Quarter that had a copy of a book called White Trash Cooking. I'm not kidding. Of course I bought that overpriced paperback, and worth every penny it was. So valuable in fact that when my house was broken into, the bastard stole my copy of White Trash Cooking. Have you noticed that final g on cooking? Wonder if it was a phony? No, I know white trash cooking, and this was the real deal. Every ingredient can be found at your local convenience store alone with your Kools. Unless we're talking crawdads, or frogs for instance. One of my favorite recipes was the sugar sandwich. I swear I never made one, but damn it was tempting. Take two slices of Wonderbread. Spread with one of four greases: butter, margarine, Crisco, or lard. Sprinkle generously with granulated white sugar and eat. Yup, that's it.

I wish I still had that book, but I did memorize a few recipes and have added my own flourishes. Any recipe with a cream sauce I'm good with. Add a salty dried beef, finely cut into small pieces to spread that salt around. A bunch of frozen peas. Buttered toast. Pour the "chipped beef" mixture on the buttered toast and hunch yourself down at the table with a cheap beer. Heaven on earth some days. Delicious enough to make me moan. But it doesn't take much to make me moan. It's a very versatile dish as it can be served at any meal. Scramble a couple of eggs and dump them on the toast and then spread the shit on it and you've got yourself a hearty rib sticking breakfast.

I just checked and yup, it's still on the market. I'm gonna order one as soon as my social security check clears.

20 comments:

LeAnn said...

Oh this made me laugh!!!! Especially since I just made Bruce a grilled cheese ala him... wonder bread coated with Imperial on the outsides Kraft American cheese from the loaf then...sprinkled with granulated sugar! I think I'll have to try the just sugar version on him!

It also made me crave my mom's "porcupines" meatballs with rice in sauce.

I am going to get me a copy of that book.

Anonymous said...

There is a place in the Haight called the Pork Store Café that serves biscuits and gravey, and I swear you just gave the recipe.

Damn, I love that place.

You're alright Utah.

Regards,

Tengrain

Utah Savage said...

Tengrain, do you realizer that I now know how to find you? I lived in the Haight in 1964/65.

Sorry folks, got to go, I have some stalking to do.

Dave Dubya said...

Mmm, Mmm. I remember improvising such delectables as cold Miracle Whip Sandwiches and nice warm open face Cream Style Corn on Buttered Bread.

Utah Savage said...

When I was in grade school, I'd come home to the joys of an empty house. I'd open a can of Campbell's undiluted cream of mushroom soup, open a can of tuna in oil (those were the days) mix the two together on low heat on the gas range, then dump it on toast. My first version of SOS.

Anonymous said...

Hi, Utah -- just found your site a couple days ago, and have been enjoying it.

I am also from Utah, and even lived on Lincoln St a very long time ago.

I usually get some laughs from your posts - and tonight I just got hungry, so went right to the site you mentioned to order the book -- sounds like my kind of cooking/eating. LOL

Thanks -- Have a good one, Rainbow

Utah Savage said...

Rainbow, how long ago. Maybe we know each other. Are you still in Salt Lake?

Blueberry said...

My mother fixed Shit on a Shingle all the time, and that's what she called it too. That book looks interesting.

She also liked raw onion sandwiches - I refused to eat that one. I hated onions as a kid.

Randal Graves said...

I'll admit that I'm not very culinarily(yes, I just made that up)-skilled, but those are some fucked up meals. White people. Sheesh.

Anonymous said...

We never had SOS but my dad referred to it often. It was a staple at his house, I guess.

We did eat sugar and margarine sandwiches. And my dad taught us to eat jello with milk, sprinkled with sugar. Okay not sprinkled, covered in shovelsful of sugar.

I can still make the folks at 'Tits HQ go screaming out of the room when I make that jello concoction.

Kulkuri said...

Shit On a Shingle is a staple in the chowhalls of all the services. I first learned about it from my uncle who was a cook in the army during WWII.
We have the cookbook White Trash Cooking and it seems to me that most of the recipes are heavy on the sugar. At least the ones for desserts are.

Kate said...

Oh you have just reminded me of my favorite cookbook given to me by our common friend, Jane. "The Roadkill Cookbook" Nope, not kidding and man can they do some interesting things with racoon. BURP!

Nan said...

I love White Trash Cooking. One of my favorites in it is the Grand Canyon cake -- it involves cake mix, food coloring, and booze. You use food coloring to make each layer a different color (blue, red, whatever), then rip the cake in half so there's a wide chasm -- and then pour in a lot of booze. I've never made it, but I keep thinking that sooner or later there's going to be a potluck that just screams for a dessert that's both filling and will knock you out.

There must be a lot of people around who still make shit on a shingle because the stores are still selling chipped beef. I can't think of anything else that stuff is good for.

Anonymous said...

I don't believe any of the lies that the FBI is spouting about Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich selling Barack Obama's old Senate seat to a Republican for a hefthy chunk of change. This type of Simony is a Mortal Sin that no one in their right mind would commit. Surely Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich would never sacrifice his Immortal Democrat Soul for 30 pieces of Silver.What is the World coming to?

Llort

Utah Savage said...

Breaking News from Anonymous. It's true.

Unknown said...

omg..we lived on this stuff when I was a kid. I hated it..my mom loved it.

I think I just dated myself..LOL! ;p

Utah Savage said...

Raw onion sandwiches are great, especially if made with Vidalia onions. Dcup, am I spelling Vidalia correctly?

Utah Savage said...

Vidalia it is, I just checked.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vidalia_onion

MRMacrum said...

SOS was a mainstay at our house. SOS was a mainstay when I went to military school. I know what you mean about it being a comfort food. At school it was one of the few dishes I trusted. That and fried eggs.

D.K. Raed said...

well my high-class family always called it "creamed chipped tornedo on toast points". And my mom always made an endive radiccio salad to go with it. Desert was chocolate-dipped strawberries & champagne (you know this is all a lie, don't you?) ... My hub was the first one to tell me the REAL name. He said that's what his gyreenes called it.