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    Home » Recipes » Plain Culture

    Kentucky Hot Brown, Bears, Etc

    Published: Oct 9, 2015 · Updated: Oct 9, 2015 by Kevin Williams | 3 Comments

    By Kevin Williams

    My parents went for a day-trip down into the hills of eastern Kentucky on Wednesday.

    While I live in vanilla-flat Ohio, there edge of the Appalachians are not far away.  Only about 90 minutes away from me, the landscape of Adams County, Ohio quickly transforms into rocky ridges and deep valleys with twisty roads and rippling creeks.   Many people in my part of the Buckeye State have roots in eastern Kentucky which contributes quite a bit of culinary and cultural influence.

    Nothing better than stopping in at a non-chain Mom & Pop diner, which is where my Dad ate this "Kentucky Hot Brown."   Several of you guessed his dish correctly.  No one guessed where.  The logical answer might be the Brown Hotel in Louisville, but the dish has spread across the Bluegrass State as a local favorite.  My parents were eating at Kathy's Country Kitchen in Clay City, Kentucky.  And, sheesh, it doesn't sound like the Hot Brown is their only good item.  How about a fried green tomato burger? Or some yummy potato cakes?    It's menus like this that provide the rationale for ditching the chain restaurants and sticking with the locals.

    By the way, there are no Amish communities in eastern Kentucky.  Farming in these hardscrabble hills isn't easy so the Plain people have generally bypassed this area.  I think there are some Mennonites in the area.  One exception:  Lewis County, Kentucky and the Amish settlement near Mays Lick-Flemingsburg.  These communities are both in the northeast part of the Bluegrass State where it is still very hilly.  Perhaps these two relatively new Amish areas will serve as a jumping off point for more Amish settlements deeper in the Kentucky hills someday.

    Meanwhile, here are some other pretty scenes from their journey into the spot where the hills meet the Plains east of Lexington, Kentucky.

    My Dad's meal of Kentucky Hot Brown.

    My Dad's meal of Kentucky Hot Brown.

    This barn has clearly seen better days, but framed against a crisp October sky it still maintains a certain beauty....

    This barn has clearly seen better days, but framed against a crisp October sky it still maintains a certain beauty....

    A sign on a rural back-road reminds you that you're in black bear country

    A sign on a rural back-road reminds you that you're in black bear country

     

     

    « Guess My Father's Supper
    Friday Favorites: Homemade Amish Cereal, Monster Cookies, One-Pot Spaghetti Supper, and Holmes County, Ohio »

    About Kevin Williams

    Hi, my name is Kevin Williams and I am owner of Oasis Newsfeatures and editor of The Amish Cook newspaper column.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Hazel

      October 09, 2015 at 5:04 pm

      Is there a recipe for a Kentucky Hot Brown? I've never heard of it.

      Reply
    2. Virginia

      October 09, 2015 at 6:34 pm

      Hi, Kevin....I've never heard of the Kentucky Hot Brown...so, other than bacon, egg and tomato (?), gravy (or grits?) what is in the meal??? Just curious. I've never visited any place south of Wichita Falls, TX, and no where south east of that area....

      Reply
      • Kevin

        October 13, 2015 at 6:12 pm

        I'll try to get Hot Brown recipe to post here soon!

        Reply

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    Kevin Williams - The Amish Editor Amish Cook Column

    Hi There, I'm Kevin!

    Welcome to Amish365, where I share my knowledge of Amish cooking and culture! I’ve spent almost three decades exploring Amish settlements and kitchens from Maine to Montana and almost everywhere in between. I’ll occasionally throw in stories of my travels, journalism adventures (I’m a Pulitzer prize-nominated journalist), fascination with grocery stores and Kmarts, and much more!

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