Baking For Count Basie
Count Basie circa 1938, Courtesy of the New York Public Library
Here is another story in my series on African-American food writers. In February 1942, the Count Basie Band went on tour with gigs in Kansas City, St. Louis, Akron Ohio, and wheeling West Virginia. Bessie M. Gant was a prominent African American Pittsburgh caterer in her day who cooked for celebrities like Count Basie. In her newspaper column "Bout Good Things to Eat," she celebrated Basie’s tour and her love for his music with several recipes, one of which I am sharing here because I love savory pies. She writes, when Count Basie stops in your town on his tour, prepare this dish for him. “But follow the directions carefully or the Count will count me out of his long list of friends.”
Count Basie Beef Pie Cobbler Recipe
Ingredients
2 pounds steak
1 1/2 cups sliced onions
1/4 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon pepper
3 teaspoons chopped parsley
3 teaspoons flour
2 1/2 cups water
2 cups diced raw potatoes
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
a good pie crust pastry recipe
Instructions
Cut meat into 1 inch cubes; add onions and sauté in olive oil until brown. Stir in seasoning, parsley, flour and mix well. Add water slowly stirring constantly. Add potatoes; cover and simmer for about 30 min. Pour into greased 8-inch casserole. Cover with pie crust pastry rolled 1/4 inch thick. Prick with work to show wedge-shaped pieces. Bake at 450 for 20 min and/or until Golden Brown.
The Pittsburgh Courier, February 14, 1942
