Kale with Corn Meal Dumplings
—Writer, historian, and experienced home cook Kara Mae Harris began building a database of Maryland recipes in 2011 and turned it into a blog in 2015. Then, realizing there was so much more to explore in Maryland’s culinary history, she then designed an informative website and published four (!) books; she continues to conduct research and still makes time to fashion vintage-styled tea and cloth napkin sets. Follow Old Line Plate on social media for Kara’s ongoing insights into foodways in the Old Line State.
Kara selected this seasonally apt recipe from her collection of 300+ Maryland cookbooks. She notes:
“The 1993 cookbook called Dock & Dine in Dorchester was produced by the Long Wharf Lighthouse Committee. The original lighthouse in Cambridge was built in 1921 and dismantled in the 1960s. Using this cookbook and other means to secure funds, the community eventually rebuilt a replica of the lighthouse in 2012 from the original plans—almost 20 years after this book was printed! The Choptank River Lighthouse is now an icon of Cambridge.
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“In addition to all the crab you can handle, the book has recipes for other Eastern Shore favorites like oysters, tomatoes, corn, duck… and muskrat. Mildred Keplinger’s kale recipe calls for salt pork and could be made with minced bacon, leftover ham, or turkey (dark meat is better) or some veggie stock or bouillon. Just make sure the cooking broth is good and salty.”
Kale with Corn Meal Dumplings
1 slice 1/2-inch-thick salt pork (or minced bacon or meat. To make vegetarian use about 1/2 cube vegetable bouillon)
1–2 pounds kale, cabbage, or collard greens, cleaned and chopped
4 medium potatoes, halved
1.5 quarts water
salt and pepper
Put pork and water in large pot. Bring to a boil, then simmer to get flavor out of meat for about 35 minutes (skip step if using bouillon). Add potatoes, cook 15 minutes. Then put greens in and continue cooking until greens are almost tender. Add more water if necessary to keep greens covered while cooking. Taste the pot liquor, add salt and pepper if needed. Then add prepared cornmeal dumplings, pushing greens aside and putting dumplings toward the outside edge of pot. Cover and cook for 20 minutes.
Corn Meal Dumplings ("Dodgers")
1 cup white corn meal
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup pot liquor from cooking greens
1/4 cup cold water
Mix dry ingredients together. Add pot liquor, mix, then add cold water. Mix together with your hand until mixture forms a firm dough. Dampen your hands and make round, flat dumplings about 2.5 inches wide. Put in pot with kale, collards or cabbage and cook covered for 20 minutes. Be sure dumplings are covered with pot liquor. Yield: 4 servings.
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