TURKEYS: We always like listening to stories and recipes from Andy Heffner of Ormsby. Andy called us this week to talk about Thanksgiving turkeys, feed sack shirts and chowder.

We’ll start by sharing an imitation crab meat chowder recipe that he created.

You’ll need:

1 quart of milk

1/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon corn starch

1 teaspoon butter

salt

pepper

1 carrot

1 stalk of celery

1 medium onion

two medium potatoes

1 8-ounce package of imitation crab meat

First, make a white sauce in a sauce pan using the milk, flour, corn starch, butter and salt and pepper to taste. Then, dice the carrot, celery, onion and potatoes, steam them and add them to the sauce.

Finally, warm the imitation crab meat, which comes precooked, in the microwave and add it to the rest.

“The best thing is to let it sit until the next day,” Andy said.

He notes that he’s made the soup with codfish and haddock, too, with good results. The soup is always a hit, and he’s had more than one person ask for the recipe.

Andy recently learned what imitation crab meat is made from when watching a show on the National Geographic Channel. He explained that it’s made from pollock that is partially frozen, then turmeric and another ingredient are added to stain it the color of crab meat. It’s then sliced and packaged.

Andy’s always happy to share the food he makes, as well as his recipes, with others. “People enjoy something like that. That’s my reward,” he said.

There’s nothing better than a hot, homemade soup on a cold day. It’s just in time, too, as there’s a chance of snow showers in today’s forecast.

While Andy is usually the one sharing recipes with us, he was hoping maybe one of our readers could help him track down a recipe his oldest son brought home from school in Smethport several years ago.

It was for hickory stuffing, and he thinks the recipe included a cup of hickory nuts and applesauce. “It was delicious, delicious stuffing.”

Andy said there are a lot of hickory nuts in Farmers Valley, so that year he picked a bunch to use in the recipe, a task that was not as easy as it sounded. “It took us a whole week in the evenings cracking hickory nuts to get enough meat to get a cup out of it,” he noted.

So, readers, does anyone remember a recipe like that?

We’ll share more from Andy on Friday.