When the boys were growing up it was difficult to afford feeding a house of five men who mainly wanted hearty meals of meat and potatoes. And that was back when you could get three cans of vegetables for one dollar. Now you cannot even get one can for that.
I was only 19 starting out and had no clue how to cook. My mother-in-law taught me quickly how to make those "one pot meals" that fed my soon-to-be-growing crew. She even provided me with the huge pot I still cook out of today.
In our southern area of Louisiana above the seafood city of New Orleans, the influence of these poor man's meals were more like hearty beef stew with vegetables and potatoes served over rice, or red beans over rice, or chicken and dumplings over rice. These meals could feed the masses with a controlled budget. And Americanized versions of pasta one pot meals also became a quick go-to such as spaghetti, lasagna, or what my boys came home talking about after staying at a friend's house, goulash.
Even the name sounded strange to me, but they insisted I try cooking it. I called the mom to ask about it, and soon realized it was like most soups, stews, and one pot dishes. You add in pretty much what you have. Another dish I was taught to make was literally referred to as "poor man's gumbo." I never heard the term "rich man's gumbo," but if there were such a title it would mean the gumbo was made with seafood. The rural southern version of gumbo made by people who lived a good distance from the Gulf Coast consisted of chicken and sausage that was usually made with venison.
When my daughter-in-law, Candace, joined our family she and her two boys brought on a new dish that made her house smell amazing. It took the boys several tries to get me to pronounce the Puerto Rican dish correctly. Chicken Fricassee. A recipe I looked up calls for olive oil, ham, onion, green pepper, garlic, oregano, cilantro, chicken, tomato sauce, Manzanilla olives, capers, potatoes, and sweet peas. Now that is a melting pot served over rice, but one that literally melts in your mouth.
Another similar Hungarian dish brought my way by a young lady whose family descended from that area is referred to as Chicken Paprikash. When she explained it to me it sounded somewhat like my grandma's chicken and dumplings but with different seasonings. Chicken, onions, broth, and a hearty portion of paprika, sour cream, flour, and a variety of seasonings. Lastly homemade dumpling balls made of water, flour, salt, and eggs were dropped into the boiling broth to quickly cook.
In today's fast-paced world where drive through chicken nuggets, take out pizza, and boxed meals packed with sodium and preservatives are the go-to for families on the go with a shoestring budget, these suggested one-pot-meals sound like somewhat of a luxury. They no longer seem like meals fit only for those who need to cook what they must create a filling dinner to satisfy the household. I would imagine people would even purchase these dishes in a nice restaurant. Some of these dishes freeze well and can be cooked in a crock pot. It would take some planning. And the modern-day cupboard / pantry usually doesn't have all these ingredients on hand the way they once were due to those boxed and packaged meals we have grown accustomed to storing. But it remains a hearty way to feed the masses fresh ingredients out of a poor man's pot - a meal fit for a king.
