Buffalo Rising Online

Jun 5th 2008, 12:00pm By Chef Bill Metzgar

Like many boomers, I‘ve begun to look back with some fondness on my youth. And, as far back as I can remember, food--and more specifically the smell or the aroma of food--is intrinsically attached to specific memories.

If I close my eyes and think back I can remember the bouquet of my suburban elementary school’s “Multi-Purpose Room” (gymnasium, auditorium and cafeteria). It might be the gathering of students to witness the launch of a Mercury spaceship, probably with Scott Glenn or Gordon Cooper on their way to a trip of as many as a shocking 22 orbits around the Earth. But, upon further recollection, it must have been a Friday because I was in heaven. They were serving toasted cheese sandwiches and cream of tomato soup that day. Mmmmm.

There was no cream in that soup, I’m certain, but the melted government surplus cheese on that sandwich was worth crossing over and supporting “meatless Fridays” and the Pope. The aroma of the butter browning and the cheese oozing out onto the griddle, getting all crispy and crusty like it oughta--man, that smell grabs hold of me even now. So, like I was saying, I can identify a time and place just by catching a whiff of some familiar or long forgotten scent.

One of my favorite scent memories is an early summer dinner that I knew only by the Italian sounding name my Mom gave it; Bona Camise. What was this stuff? Well, to put it plainly, it was a thick, rich and delicious vegetable stew with a gravy made from bacon fat. Why did it have a name like that? Mom said it’s what her mother had called it and her mother before her. An 8 1/2-year-old boy doesn’t ask or need to know the etymology of a word or the origin of a dish, they just want it to taste (and smell) good and to finish the meal in time to get back to the game of “kick the can” or “Red Rover” that they’d been forced to quit just to get dinner in the first place.

Now, that’s where we pick up this story. In later years as I grew into my career as a chef and educator, I began to research my personal ethnic background and became fascinated by all things German…history, music, art, and of course FOOD! So, in examining these things I came around to the meals of my youth and began to dig in to find out where did these things come from? Was my family the only one to have certain meals on certain holidays? What was the reason we ate this or that? Nowadays we call this “foodways” and there’s been a great deal written on the subject (you can check it out on the web).

I learned (or re-learned) how to make Sauerbraten, Spaetzle, Rote Gruze, Wiener Schnitzel and Apfel Strudel. So, after a time and two visits to Germany I came away with more respect for the cuisine of my ancestors. Surprisingly, it’s not all sausage and beer!

Eventually, I came around to the table of my boyhood and wondered, what’s with that dish with the Italian sounding name? Bona Camise? With Oma gone and my Mother not having a clue why it was called that, I did some digging in old German cookbooks and online to discovers its origins. As best I can make out (and filling in with some assumptions), I believe that this dish was probably named for the main ingredients and the stew that they become. Thus, Bona Camise is likely Bohne Gamisch or 'bean mixture'.

It is interesting to note that the recipe components are vegetables which all mature and are ready for picking from the backyard garden at about the same time; green beans, yellow beans, new potatoes, spring onions and baby carrots. There was probably always smoked bacon available and as we all know, bacon fat if FUN!

So, this is what I’ve surmised: Oma must’ve been using whatever was available from the garden at the time , it was inexpensive to put together a big pot of stew for the family, and it was delicious and stuck to your ribs for a good long time. If I close my eyes, I can smell the bacon cooking and taste the rich gravy, flavored with the essence of the beans cooked in it and the crunchy bits of bacon that were so savory. Everyone knows that some of the best bacon in town comes from Spar's. Their smoky, tasty bacon is affordable and always available at their shop on Amherst Street.

So, this July, when the vegetables begin to arrive at your local farmers market (check out BuffaloRising.com's Farmers Market Guide) consider making a batch of Bona Camise or Bohne Gamisch and see what you think. Oh, and call it whatever the heck you want to.

Bohne Gamisch (Bona Camise) serves 8

1 lb smoked Bacon, diced · 1lb fresh green beans, trimmed and cut in 2” pcs · 1 lb fresh yellow beans, trimmed and cut in 2” pcs · 5 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4” rounds (another option would be to use 6oz. baby carrots, whole) ·1 lb new potatoes, peeled and diced 1” pcs · 2 med onions, lrg. dice · 1/2 cup flour · salt & pepper to taste ·chopped parsley

In a large pot, cook the beans in a large amount of salted water until al dente (Oma would’ve said "mit bones in dem"). When cooked remove from the pan and reserve. Repeat with the carrots and then the potatoes in the same water. Reserve this cooking liquid (pot liquor) for the stew; approx. 6 cups or a quart and a half is needed. If you need more, you may add chicken stock from the pantry.

Meanwhile, in a large Dutch Oven, cook the bacon until crisp and remove from pan, reserve these delicious bits.

Pour off bacon fat and return 6 tbsp to the pan, sweat the onions in the fat without coloring them about ten minutes. Add the flour to make a roux and cook slowly without browning for 5 minutes.

Slowly add the pot liquor while stirring the roux, about a pint at a time until the gravy is the thickness you like. Add the reserved cooked vegetables and cook 20-30 minutes over low heat, stirring often, but don’t break up the vegetables, Liebchen.

Add the reserved bacon (you determine how much you like) and season to taste. Garnish with parsley and serve with a green salad and ice cold lager.

“Das schmeckt gut!”



Bill Metzgar, the chef/owner of ACME Personal Chef Service, is a 25-year veteran of the Hospitality Industry. Educated right here in WNY at Niagara County Community College and Buffalo State College, Metzgar has always had a passion for cooking and teaching.

Other services include experiencing ACME professional chef's insights and expertise by hosting a cooking class right in your own home. Interactive Dinner Parties are just a wonderful way to host your group of friends for an entertaining and informative night out. For more information, please email Chef Metzgar.