#nonfiction #biography #cookbook Clementine (pronounced Clem-en-teen) Paddleford turns 125 years old today! Who is Clementine Paddleford, you ask? The best-known food editor you never heard of, that's who. Clementine was born on September 27, 1898, at Stockdale, Kansas. Stockdale was inundated by the Tuttle Creek Reservoir, so you will not find the town on any current map. After Paddleford graduated from Kansas State University in 1921, she headed to New York City. Her goal, to be a famous journalist. In 1953, Time magazine declared her the best-known food editor. Her cookbook How America Eats was published in 1960. "This book," Paddleford wrote, "has been twelve years in the writing. It was in January 1948 I started criss-crossing the United States as roving Food Editor for This Week Magazine - my assignment, tell 'How America Eats'. I have traveled by train, plane, automobile, by mule back, on foot - in all over 800,000 miles." Paddleford interviewed more than 2,000 cooks in their homes or their restaurants. They all prepared food for her to eat while sitting at their table. Then she ate the dish again when This Week's test kitchen created the dish to verify the accuracy of the recipe before it went into print. How America Eats is full of recipes and mini-biographies of those who Paddleford interviewed. Her articles were not boring and she had millions of followers: both women and men. If she was so well-known, why hasn't more people heard about her? In 1931, she had throat cancer and ended up with a trach tube. With a voice that was just a hoarse whisper, she could not do radio or television. Then prior to her death, in 1967, the editor of This Week Magazine asked to purchase her name so that her column could continue. She refused to sell her name. Since this is Autumn and football season is in full swing, many people are tailgating. Here is a hearty recipe that will feed 10 to 12 people. (page 294, How America Eats) Burtis Ranch Stew 5 pounds beef round, cubed 4 pounds potatoes, peeled and diced 2 pounds carrots, scraped and diced 2 large onions, grated Salt and pepper to taste Brown meat in its own fat in a large skillet. Add 2 1/2 quarts (10 cups) water. Cover and simmer 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or until meat is tender. The last 30 minutes, add vegetables and continue to simmer until tender but not mushy. Season to taste. Paddleford wrote, that "This stew at first glance is so simply done, you wonder why it's wonderful. The answer is that it tastes like meat, good meat, plainly seasoned, and no tomatoes to detract from the flavor." Learn more about Clementine Paddleford by reading Hometown Appetites: The Story of Clementine Paddleford, the Forgotten Food Writer Who Chronicled How America Ate (Gotham, 2008).
Photograph of Clementine Paddleford is courtesy of Department of Special Collections, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas.
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