West Virginia’s Date of Statehood – JUNE 20th, 1863
Country roads, take me home
To the place I belong
West Virginia, mountain mama
Take me home, country roads!
Admit it, you almost starting singing! To celebrate this state’s cuisine, we’ll take a trip to the rolling greens and deep coal mines that make up this beautiful state. The pepperoni roll was, like so many dishes, constructed to be a hearty meal on the go for the working men of West Virginia, more specifically, coal miners. And the salad is an homage to the fertile land the grows so many different tasty things! TAKE ME HOME, COUNTRY ROADS!
Tips and Tricks
- The dough for this recipe will seem far too wet/loose. Don’t worry, this is how it is supposed to be.
- When working with this kind of loose/sticky dough, use a rubber spatula to mix.
- When cooking bacon, place the bacon in a COLD pan and place the pan over low heat.
- When preparing cucumber for a salad, peel it, cut it in half lengthways, scoop the seeds out with a spoon, and then dice.
Pepperoni Roll
Serves 4
- 3/4 Cup Milk
- 2 Tbs Unsalted Butter
- 1 Tbs Sugar
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 Envelope Rapid Rise Instant Yeast
- 2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1 Large Egg
- 1/2 6 oz. Stick of Pepperoni, cut into 2 logs and then split in half lengthwise
- 1/8 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 3/4 Cup Mozzarella, shredded
Step 1: In a small saucepan, combine the milk and butter. Place the pan over medium-low heat. Once the butter is melted, remove from the heat and place a thermometer in the liquid. Once the milk cools to 115 degrees, whisk in the sugar, salt, and yeast. Let this sit for 10 minutes or until the yeast gets foamy.
Step 2: Put the flour in a large bowl and make a well in the center. Crack an egg into the well and pour the yeast liquid over the egg. Using a rubber spatula, mix until the ingredients are fully incorporated. The dough will be very sticky and loose. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm, dark place for 2 hours.
Step 3: After the first rise, remove the plastic wrap and knead with the rubber spatula. Form the dough into a ball, as best as you can, and recover with plastic wrap. Set the dough aside in a warm, dark place for 1 more hour.
Step 4: Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and knead to incorporate as much flour as needed to make the dough soft, but not sticky. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Step 5: Divide the dough into 4 equal parts. Take 1 dough portion and roll it into a ball. Then, with your hands, flatten the dough out into a 5-inch circle. Place a piece of pepperoni into the center of the circle and then brush the meat with a little olive oil. Add 2 Tbs of shredded mozzarella to the pepperoni.
Step 6: Fold the dough over the pepperoni, like a burrito, and pinch all the seams closed. Place the roll seam side down onto the parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Repeat the steps for the rest of the dough.
Step 7: Cover the dough loosely with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm, dark place for 30 minutes.
Step 8: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Step 9: Once the 30 minutes is up, brush the rolls with the remaining olive oil and place them in the hot oven. Bake for 35 minutes or until the rolls are lightly browned and the dough sounds hollow when tapped.
Berry Salad with Shallot-Basil Vinaigrette
Serves 4
Salad
- 1 Package Baby Arugula
- 1 Cup Sugar Snap Peas, cut in half
- 5 Large Strawberries, leaves removed and slices
- 1 Small Cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped
- 4 oz. Gorgonzola Cheese, crumbled
- 4 Strips of Bacon, cooked and crumbled
Dressing
- 3 Tbs Red Wine Vinegar
- 1 Shallot, peeled and chopped
- 1 1/2 Tbs Sugar
- Handful of Fresh Basil Leaves
- Juice of 1/2 a Lemon
- 1 tsp Dijon Mustard
- 1/8 tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- 1/8 tsp Salt
- 1/3 Cup Canola Oil.
Step 1: To make the dressing, place the vinegar, shallot, sugar, basil, lemon juice, mustard, pepper, and salt into a food processor or blender and process until smooth.
Step 2: Add the canola oil slowly while the food processor is running until the oil is incorporated.
Step 3: Divide the arugula equally among serving bowls and top with sugar snap peas, strawberries, cucumber, gorgonzola cheese, and crumbled bacon.
Step 4: Serve cold with the dressing on the side.
Fun Facts about West Virginia: 1. Mother’s Day was first observed as a holiday at Andrews Church in Grafton on May 10, 1908. It became a national holiday in 1914. 2. The New River Gorge Bridge is the longest steel arch bridge in the Western Hemisphere. It spans a length of 1,700 feet. Every October on Bridge Day, the bridge is closed to traffic while individuals parachute and bungee jump 876 feet off the bridge. 3. Nearly 75 percent of West Virginia is covered by forests. 4. The first rural free delivery mail service took place in 1896 in Charles Town through the Post Office Department’s pilot program to determine the feasibility for rural delivery for the rest of the country. 5. Contrary to its name, the New River is actually one of the oldest in the world and unusually flows south to north because it was formed before the mountains. 6. The first brick street in the world was laid in Charleston, WV on Summers Street. 7. The Trans Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, a National Historic Landmark, is the largest hand-cut stone masonry building in North America and second in the world to the Kremlin.
Edible U.S. 