Feast on Philly

Every visitor to Philadelphia wants to know where to go to get the best cheesesteak, hoagie and soft pretzel. But there is more to Philadelphia food than these culinary icons. We are famous for foods that go back several hundred years.

Philadelphia is called the Quaker City in honor of our founder, William Penn. Next year marks the 300th birthday of another famous Philadelphian, Benjamin Franklin. Although he was born in Boston, Ben arrived here as a teenager and he is synonymous with Philadelphia, fine food and drink. His wine cellar was second to none.

Pharmacist Charles E. Hires introduced his drinkable invention — root beer — during the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Fairmount Park. The ice-cream soda is also a Philadelphia creation, and locally based Bassett’s ice cream has been around since the Civil War.

Kraft Foods has produced cream cheese for many years. According to the Kraft Web site, in 1880, a New York cheese distributor named A.L. Reynolds began to sell cream cheese wrapped in tin foil, calling it Philadelphia brand. The name was adopted because top-quality food products often originated or were associated with the city, and were often referred to as "Philadelphia quality." Still, I was surprised to discover Philly brand cream cheese in a supermarket in London. The brand is sold in more than 50 countries.

Cream cheese and another dairy product, sour cream, are both used in cheesecake — another Philadelphia favorite. In 1927, Harry Goldberg began to make sour cream from his South Philadelphia home. He hitched his horse-drawn carriage and sold sour cream on the streets. Business was so good, he needed a manufacturing operation, which turned out to be two South Philly rowhomes. Thus, Penn Maid, Philadelphia’s own dairy company, was born. Penn Maid is now located in a huge manufacturing plant in the Northeast.

The most famous Philadelphia soup is pepper pot. It is on the menu at The City Tavern, where chef/proprietor Walter Staib took great pains to research the recipe. Across the street from The City Tavern is Bookbinder’s, which will reopen next month. The legendary Philadelphia restaurant opened its doors during the Civil War. Its snapper soup became so well known, Bookbinder’s started to can it. Although I don’t know where you can find turtle for the soup, you can still buy Bookbinder’s canned variety.

Scrapple is another famous Philadelphia treat. When it is prepared correctly, it is downright delicious. It is made from ground pork, liver, cornmeal, buckwheat flour and lots of seasonings. When it is crisp-fried and thinly sliced, it is the perfect side dish for bacon, eggs and grits.

Here are recipes for tasty Philadelphia fare.

Philadelphia Pepper Pot Soup
From The City Tavern Cookbook by Walter Staib

Ingredients:

Begin the salt-curing process three days ahead.

3/4 pound salt-cured pork shoulder, chopped
3/4 pound salt-cured beef shoulder, chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 Scotch bonnet pepper, seeded and chopped
1 bunch scallions, chopped
1 pound taro root, peeled and cut into 2-inch-by-1/4-inch strips
4 quarts chicken stock
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon chopped thyme
1 tablespoon freshly ground allspice
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound collard greens, rinsed and chopped
Salt

Directions:

Rub the pork and beef all over with kosher salt and refrigerate for three days. Wash the salt off the pork and beef and dry well. Set aside.

In a large stockpot, saut� the pork and beef in the oil over high heat for 10 minutes, until brown.

Add the onion, garlic and Scotch bonnet and saut� for three to five minutes, until the onion is translucent.

Add the scallions and saut� for three minutes.

Add the taro root and saut� for three to five minutes.

Add the chicken stock, bay leaves, thyme, allspice and ground pepper.

Bring to a boil on high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for about 30 minutes, until the meat and taro root are tender.

Stir in the collard greens. Reduce the heat and simmer for about five minutes, until wilted. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Serves 10.

Caramel Cheesecake
From A Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking by Marcy Goldman

For the crust:

1-1/4 cups graham-cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted
1/4 butterscotch chips

For the filling:

1-1/2 pounds cream cheese, at room temperature
1 (14-ounce) can condensed milk
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Very tiny pinch of salt
15 caramels, minced or quartered

For the sour-cream topping:

1-1/2 cups sour cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon granulated sugar

For the garnish:

1/3 cup coarsely chopped chocolate-covered toffee bar such as Heath or Skor

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a food processor, pulse the crust ingredients together to make a crumbly mixture. Press the mixture into the bottom of a 9- or 10-inch springform pan.

Using an electric mixer, cream the cream cheese with the condensed milk until smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then the vanilla, lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Fold in the minced caramels. Pour the batter over the crust into the pan.

Place in the oven and immediately reduce the heat to 350 degrees. Bake until the cake is set, about 45 minutes. Make the topping.

In a small bowl, stir together the sour cream, vanilla and sugar. Remove the cake from the oven and gently spread this mixture over the top. Bake for an additional five to eight minutes.

Remove the cake from the oven and immediately refrigerate it for several hours or overnight. Sprinkle with the chopped toffee bar and serve.

Serves 10 to 12.

Note from Phyllis: It goes without saying that I always use Philadelphia brand cream cheese and Penn Maid sour cream.