Virginia’s Date of Statehood – June 25, 1788
There is so much history in Virginia! It was the home to many of our country’s Founding Fathers, as well as some of the best preserved historical culinary traditions! At Mount Vernon, Martha Washington was known to have a “ham boiled daily” so that the famous Virginia pork could be enjoyed at every meal. Thomas Jefferson was an avid farmer, and his are the first records of the planting of Brussels Sprouts in North America in 1812. Spoon bread is thought to have originated with the Native Americans, but it is definitively in a cookbook from 1847. So, this meal feels fairly colonial, in the yummiest possible way!
Tips and Tricks
- When roasting Brussels Sprouts, start with the fresh vegetables. Frozen sprouts, while tasty, won’t get the crunchy, crispy outer leaves that (in my opinion) are the best part of roasting these little green gems!
- When carving your ham, don’t worry about getting long thin slices. Carve off large chunks of boneless meat and cut that into smaller, thin slices.
- Freeze the ham bone for later use. It tastes delicious when used in the making of soup, collard greens, or beans.
- Once cooked, the ham is good for 3-4 days in the refrigerator or it can be frozen for 3-4 months.
Virginia Brown Sugar Baked Ham
Serves: A Small Army
- 1 10 lb. Smithfield Smoked Half Ham, bone-in
- 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
- 1/2 Cup Molasses
- 1/4 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- 2 Tbs Yellow Mustard
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
Step 2: Line a shallow roasting pan with aluminum foil. Place a roasting rack in the pan. Remove all of the packaging from the Smithfield ham and place it, fat side up, on the rack. Cover the ham loosely with aluminum foil.
Step 3: Place the ham in the hot oven and roast for 15-12 minutes per pound. For a 10 lbs. ham, I roasted the meat for 2 1/2 hours.
Step 4: After the 2 1/2 hours, remove the ham from the oven and uncover. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. While the oven is heating, whisk together the molasses, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, and mustard in a small bowl. Pour the glaze over the hot ham and brush it to cover all of the exposed surface. Once the oven reaches 400 degrees, return the ham, uncovered, to the oven and roast for 10 minutes.
Step 5: Remove the glazed ham and allow it to sit for 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Garlic and Pancetta
- 1 lb. Fresh Brussels Sprouts, ends trimmed and halved
- 2 oz. Pancetta (about 1/8 lb.) trimmed of fat and diced
- 2 Cloves of Garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 Tbs Olive Oil
- Salt and Pepper to Taste
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Step 2: In a large bowl, toss together the cut Brussels sprouts, garlic, diced pancetta, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Step 3: Spread everything in a single layer on a large rimmed baking sheet and place in the hot oven.
Step 4: Roast for 25 minutes, stirring about halfway through the cooking time.
Step 5: Once the sprouts are brown around the edges and are tender, remove them from the oven and serve warm.
Virginia Spoon Bread
Serves 9
- 1 Cup Boiling Water
- 1 Cup Cornmeal
- 2 Eggs
- 1 tsp Salt
- 2 tsp Baking Powder
- 3 Tbs Milk
- 1 Cup Milk
- 1 Tbs Butter
Step 1: Place an 8 x 8-inch pan in the cold oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Step 2: While the pan heats, add the 1 cup of boiling water to a medium bowl. Whisk in the 1 cup pf cornmeal until it is well incorporated. Add 1 egg and mix until it is thoroughly combined. Add the second egg and mix until thoroughly combined. Add the salt and mix until thoroughly combined.
Step 3: In a small bowl, dissolve the baking powder into the 3 Tb of milk. Once dissolved, add the baking soda/milk mixture to the 1 Cup of milk. Then, pour the milk into the cornmeal mixture. Stir to thoroughly combine.
Step 4: Once the oven and pan are hot, carefully remove the pan from the oven. Place the 1 Tbs of butter into the hot dish and carefully swirl it around to grease the dish with melted butter. Once the pan is buttered, give the batter one more thorough stir (it will be VERY thin and liquid-like) and pour it into the hot pan.
Step 5: Place the pan in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
Step 6: The spoon bread will have a custard-like texture. Serve warm with butter and honey.
Fun Facts about Virginia: 1. More than half of all U.S. residents live within 500 miles of Virginia. 2. Virginia handles 70% of the world’s internet traffic. Know as the “Silicon Valley of the East,” well over half of the world’s internet traffic goes through data centers in Loudoun County. 3. Eight United States Presidents were born in Virginia: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, William Harrison, John Tyler, Zachary Taylor, and Woodrow Wilson. 4. The first peanuts grown in the United States were grown in Virginia. 5. Virginia is also known as the “birthplace of a nation” as the American Revolution officially ended here in Yorktown with the surrender of British General Cornwallis. Virginia also witnessed the nation’s rebirth with the surrender of General Robert E. Lee of Confederate States, ending the Civil War in Appomattox. Also, out of the 4,000 battles fought in the civil war 2,200 were fought in Virginia. 6. The first iron furnace was built in 1619 in Virginia.
Edible U.S. 