Recipes
The following recipes are taken from The Gift of Southern Cooking:
Southern Coleslaw
1 large head green cabbage, very finely shredded
3 cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and sliced paper thin
3 T. kosher salt
Dressing
1⁄2 c. white vinegar
1⁄2 c. granulated sugar
1⁄2 t. salt
1 T. Dijon mustard
1⁄4 c. vegetable oil
1⁄4 c. heavy cream
2 T. sour cream
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Mix together the shredded cabbage and sliced cucumber in a large colander. Toss well with the salt and leave to wilt for 20 minutes. Squeeze the slaw firmly by handfuls to extract as much liquid as possible, and then use your fingers to toss and loosen the squeezed slaw. Toss it into a large bowl.
To make the dressing: Bring the vinegar, sugar, and salt to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring just until the sugar is dissolved. Boil for 3 minutes and whisk in the Dijon mustard and oil. Pour the hot dressing over the reserved slaw and stir well to blend. Allow to cool slightly before stirring in the heavy cream and sour cream. Taste carefully for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste as needed. Serve cold or at room temperature.
Tomato-Field Pea Salad with Garlic Mayonnaise
11⁄4 c. mixed field peas and beans, at least 3 varieties if possible (I used Crowder peas, black-eyed peas, and lima beans)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tomatoes, cut into 1⁄2-inch wedges
Dressing
1 T. plus 11⁄2 t. sherry vinegar
1 T. plus 11⁄2 t. red wine vinegar
1 t. salt
1⁄4 t. freshly ground black pepper
1 t. Dijon mustard
1 T. finely chopped shallot
1⁄2 c. plus 1 T. extra-virgin olive oil
Garlic Sauce
1 clove garlic, rubbed to a paste with a pinch of sea salt
1⁄2 c. mayonnaise
1-2 T. boiling water
Boil the mixed peas and beans in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender, but al dente, for about 8 minutes. Drain immediately and refresh in a bowl of ice water. As soon as the peas are chilled, drain well and put them into a bowl with the tomato wedges.
To make the dressing: Put the sherry and red wine vinegars, salt, pepper, Dijon mustard, and shallot into a small non-reactive mixing bowl. Stir until the salt is completely dissolved and slowly whisk in the extra-virgin olive oil. Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper as needed.
To make the garlic sauce: Stir the garlic into the mayonnaise and slowly stir in a little boiling water until the sauce is thinned to a drizzling consistency. Refrigerate until needed.
When you are ready to serve, season the peas and tomatoes with salt and pepper to taste. Pour enough of the dressing over the vegetables to coat them and gently toss to mix the salad. Drizzle the garlic sauce generously over the salad and serve, passing additional garlic sauce with the salad.
Okra Pancakes
1⁄2 c. white cornmeal
1⁄2 c. flour
11⁄2 t. salt
1 t. baking powder
1 egg, lightly beaten
1⁄2 c. water
1⁄2 t. freshly ground black pepper
1⁄2 c. finely chopped onion
2 c. thinly sliced okra (I used 1 bag of frozen)
Oil for frying
Put the cornmeal, flour, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and baking powder in a mixing bowl and stir well with a whisk to blend. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg and water, then stir into the dry ingredients, mixing only until moistened. Sprinkle the remaining 1⁄2 teaspoon salt and the pepper over the onion and sliced okra. Toss lightly. Fold the vegetables into the batter.
Pour 1” of oil into a heavy skillet and heat to 340°. Spoon the okra batter by heaping tablespoons into the hot oil; do not overcrowd the pan. Fry until golden brown on one side, then carefully turn and continue frying until both sides are browned. Remove from the skillet and drain well on a draining rack or crumpled paper towels.
Bay Studded Pork Shoulder with Sauce of Wild Mushrooms
1 bone-in pork shoulder
1⁄2 t. salt
1⁄2 t. coarsely cracked black peppercorns
11⁄2 t. dried thyme
3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced thinly lengthwise
12 whole bay leaves
2 large onions, peeled and thickly sliced
1 bottle red wine or ruby or tawny port
Wild Mushroom Sauce
2 T. butter
2 c. mushrooms, sliced
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 shallot, minced
2 small cloves garlic, minced
2 T. finely snipped parsley
Reserved liquid from cooking the pork shoulder
1⁄2 c. heavy cream
Using a sharp paring knife, cut twelve slits in the skin side of the pork shoulder about 1” wide and 11⁄2” deep. The slits should be at three rows of four each, spaced equally apart.
Mix together the salt, cracked peppercorns, and thyme. Sprinkle approximately 1/8 teaspoon of the seasoning mixture into each slit, then insert one garlic sliver and one whole bay leaf. The bay leaves should protrude from the shoulder so that you can easily remove them before serving. Sprinkle any remaining seasoning all over the pork shoulder.
Scatter the sliced onions over the bottom of a baking dish or roasting pan that will hold the meat. Place the seasoned pork shoulder on top of the onion slices and pour the wine into the bottom of the pan. Lay a piece of parchment paper directly on top of the pork shoulder and wrap the pan tightly with a double thickness of foil. Bake at 325° for 41⁄2-5 hours until the meat is very tender when pierced with a sharp knife. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly. If you have a roast that has its skin intact, raise oven temperature to 425°.
Remove the onions and cooking liquid from the roasting pan and strain through a fine-meshed sieve, pressing gently on the onions with the back of a wooden spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. Skim any visible fat from the surface of the cooking liquid and reserve for the sauce.
Meanwhile, remove the bay leaves from the pork shoulder and discard. Using a sharp knife, carefully separate the skin rind from the top of the pork shoulder and remove in one piece. Transfer the pork shoulder to a heated serving platter and keep warm.
Heat the butter in a large skillet until hot and foaming. Add the mushrooms and cook over high heat until they begin to brown, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and a small amount of pepper. Add the minced shallot, garlic, and snipped parsley and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes, stirring often. Pour in the reserved cooking liquid and boil until the liquid is reduced by one-half. Add the heavy cream and simmer briefly. Taste carefully for seasoning and adjust if needed. Serve hot.
The next day I placed the bone with some meat and the leftover gravy into a pot of northern beans. They were the best-flavored beans I have ever made.
Southern Pan-fried Chicken
This is what the book had to say about this recipe. “We have blended our best chicken-frying tips from Virginia and Alabama in this recipe: it requires a bit of extra effort, but the results are absolutely outstanding. The chicken gets two long soaks, Alabama-style, first in brine and then in buttermilk. The frying fat is a special mix—Virginia-style—of lard and sweet butter, flavored with a slice of country ham, which makes the chicken extra crispy and rich-tasting. The cornstarch in the dredge adds to the crispness, too. Carefully cooked, fried chicken will absorb a minimal amount of fat. Be sure to pat off all excess dredge; fry evenly at the proper temperature; and drain the chicken well on crumpled-up—not flat—paper towels or a wire rack.”
One 3-pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces, brined for 8-12 hours (we used five chicken breasts cut in half)
1 qt. buttermilk
1 lb. lard (we found this in a blue box above a meat case that contained ham hocks)
1⁄2 c. unsalted butter
1⁄2 c. country ham pieces, or 1 thick slice country ham cut into 1⁄2-inch strips (we used this later to season the green beans)
1 c. flour
2 T. cornstarch
1 t. salt
1⁄2 t. freshly ground black pepper
Brining, which is soaking in a saltwater solution before cooking, serves a twofold purpose. It helps the flesh retain moisture and seasons it all the way through. To make the brine, stir kosher salt into cold water until dissolved, in the proportion of 1⁄4 cup salt to 1 quart of water. (Don’t use table salt in this formula; it will be too salty.) Mix enough brine to cover the poultry completely in a nonreactive bowl or pot. Store refrigerated for 8-12 hours.
To prepare the chicken for frying, drain the brined chicken and rinse out the bowl it was brined in. Return the chicken to the bowl, and pour the buttermilk over. Cover and refrigerate for 8-12 hours. Drain the chicken on a wire rack, discarding the buttermilk.
Meanwhile, prepare the fat for frying by putting the lard, butter, and country ham into a heavy skillet or frying pan. Cook over low heat for 30-45 minutes, skimming as needed, until the butter ceases to throw off foam, and the country ham is browned. Use a slotted spoon to remove the ham carefully from the fat. Just before frying, increase the temperature to medium-high and heat the fat to 335º.
Prepare the dredge by blending together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and pepper in a shallow bowl or on wax paper. Dredge the drained chicken pieces thoroughly in the flour mixture, and then pat well to remove all excess flour.
Slip some of the chicken pieces, skin side down, into the heated fat. (Do not overcrowd the pan, and fry in batches if necessary.) Cook for 8-10 minutes on each side, until the chicken is golden brown and cooked through. Drain thoroughly on a wire rack or on crumpled paper towels and serve.
(We retained the chicken drippings to use for frying our potato pancakes and eggs the next morning, our Tilapia fillets that evening, ham and eggs for breakfast the following morning, and so forth.)
Tomato Gravy
Again, this is what the book had to say about the following recipe. “We love to serve creamy tomato gravy along with fried chicken, using a bit of the flavorful frying fat after the chicken is done, and either fresh tomatoes or good-quality canned ones, depending on the season. The gravy is a very old Deep South recipe and was often prepared as part of a hearty breakfast, just spooned over hot biscuits.”
2 T. bacon fat or fat from frying chicken
1 c. finely diced onion
2 large cloves garlic, finely minced
1 t. salt
1⁄2 t. freshly ground black pepper
11⁄2 t. dried thyme
1 T. flour
1 lb. tomato
1⁄2 c. milk
1⁄2 c. heavy cream
Heat the chicken frying fat in a heavy nonreactive skillet and add the diced onion. Sauté over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the garlic, 1 teaspoon of the salt, the freshly ground black pepper, and thyme and cook for another 5 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over and cook, stirring well, for another 2 minutes. Stir in the chopped tomato and the remaining 1⁄2 teaspoon salt and cook 5 minutes longer. Slowly stir in the milk and heavy cream, and bring to a simmer. Simmer gently for 5 minutes. Taste carefully for seasoning, adding more salt and freshly ground black pepper as needed.
(This gravy was delicious with the chicken and the mashed potatoes and equally delicious the next morning over the potato pancakes I made with the leftover potatoes mixed with some beaten eggs and more salt and pepper. For that breakfast, I made fried eggs, potato pancakes with gravy, corn mush with butter and syrup, and grapefruit sections. It was yummy!)