On the Southern Literary Trail discussion

Don't know about you, but some of these books are just downright delicious. While I only make my pound cake at Christmas, Mattie has me wanting one - now! Walking Across Egypt Every time I use Grandma's cast iron skillet, I can't help but think about The Clearing and chuckle. Boy these books help me remember what "healthy" eating has made me forget. So, what are you all serving up for supper Sunday? This is a perfect place to keep those traditions alive that too easily disappear before we know it. Favorite meals? Recipes?

Edna Lewis did some fine books....The Gift of Southern Cooking: Recipes and Revelations from Two Great American Cooks...is one of my favorites...

What I'd really love is to have someone like Mattie to cook for me. But I do love to cook, so thanks for opening this thread. Maybe we'll get some great recipes to use.

My talented husband makes an awesome ammeretto pound cake and the best carrot cake! I cook and he bakes. It works out just fine!

I guess I gound the thread! I can't find the one I was thinking about, I remember that Mike had posted some recipes, but we can use this one.

Best Sunday Dinner: Fried Chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, white acre peas, collards, and any kind of cobbler for dessert :)

My mother's bread pudding. Oh my gosh. To die for.

I'm one of those rare southerners who doesn't have a lot of childhood memories of good food. My mother hated to cook, and as a result, wasn't very good at it. Mom loved any convenience food, so I ate a lot of things out of a box or a can. Her mother was an even worse cook. Grandmother grew up with "help" and had a "live in" much of her adult life. She never really learned to cook much of anything.

Now I had a great aunt who was an excellent cook, but we didn't live close to her, so we didn't see her much. Aunt Zala wasn't a fancy cook, and she was of the generation that cooked vegetables to death, but my goodness they were tasty! (Maybe the fatback or bacon grease in them had something to do with that). She also baked the best cobbler, and make wonderful bread-and-butter pickles. Don't think she owned a measuring cup, a measuring spoon or a cookbook...it was all in her head and hands.

I started cooking a little bit when I was maybe 14 or so. Perhaps I had an inkling that there were better things out there. I was exposed to and really learned to appreciate good food after I left home. I love a good southern meal, and can make a pretty decent one for myself.

Now I'm thinking about that cobbler. Peaches have been pretty worthless this year, but maybe I can get some blackberries at the grocery this weekend... (stomach rumbles)

Cooking in lard was my grandma's secret for great fried chicken. Plus wringing the chicken's neck herself. The first time I saw this, I was shocked - such a church-going woman. But that was the way she did things, much closer to nature than we are now.

One of the most fascinating books recently published on Southern Cooking is The Potlikker Papers: A Food History of the Modern South by John T. Edge. Consider this more than a collection of recipes, but more a cultural culinary history of the South. Should you come across it, this is a book to be dipped into on subjects that interest you. Reading straight through dimishes the varied subjects covered in this valuable book.

Diane wrote: "I guess I gound the thread! I can't find the one I was thinking about, I remember that Mike had posted some recipes, but we can use this one."

Yep. I did establish a thread containing a number of recipes. It may have been moved during our housekeeping to stream line our discussion topics. I will search for those. And notify members should I find them.

Oh food ! Southern at that YES please

From Trail Member Melki:

Limpin' Susan

This Low Country dish combines okra, rice and shrimp for a hearty one-pot meal. Legend has it that Limpin’ Susan was the wife of Hoppin’ John
•1/4 cup green bell pepper, diced
• 1/4 cup yellow onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound okra, stems and tips removed, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 1 pound shrimp, peeled
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 cup long-grain white rice
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Ground black pepper and cayenne pepper to taste

In a 12-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat, saute the the onion and pepper in the oil until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for 2 minutes, being careful not to burn it. Add the rice and stir well with a fork until the grains are coated and cook, stirring often about 3 to 4 minutes or until rice is opaque. Add the okra, stock, salt, and black and cayenne peppers and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and and simmer, covered, until the rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed, about 20 minutes.

Adjust seasonings, stir in the shrimp and cook until the shrimp curl and turn pink, about 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and serve.

Makes 4 servings.
- See more at: http://www.chefrick.com/limpin%e2%80%...

Lawyer wrote: "From Trail Member Melki:

Limpin' Susan

This Low Country dish combines okra, rice and shrimp for a hearty one-pot ..."

OOOOooooh this sounds good. Unfortunately for me, my hubby's shellfish allergy means I can't cook/eat shrimp at home. And I don't know of a restaurant in Milwaukee Wisconsin area that would have this on their menu .... S I G H ..... Saving the recipe for that future occasion when Hubby goes off with his friends fishin' (or whatever) and I can cook for myself ....

I do the same thing when my husband goes out of town. I make quiche, casseroles, creamy soups, all the things he doesn't eat because of fat content. Fortunately he does not have seafood allergies, that would be a disaster!

With Hurricane Irma looming large and scary for those of us in the Southeast, I'm reminded of the cookbook my husband bought me several years ago after hearing this interview on NPR:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/st...

The title of the book is 'Cooking Up A Storm: Lost And Found Recipes From The Times-Picayune Of New Orleans,' and it is a treasure. During Hurricane Katrina, residents of New Orleans lost generations of family recipes. This book is not only a collection of many of those recipes (pieced together from memory and a newspaper column called "Exchange Alley"), but is a story of the South, its people, and its food. Each recipe is preceded by a bit of history about the dish and/or its contributor.

Tonight I'm fixin' "Smothered Chicken" (pg. 158), courtesy of Mr. Justin E. "Papa Justin" Wilson: "Smothering is a favorite down-home Southern technique similar to braising. The idea is to cook something in liquid in a covered pot [preferably cast iron] until it falls apart in tender pieces. Vegetables are always involved." This recipe is now a family favorite. If you like cookbooks that tell a story, this is a good one to buy.

Chandler wrote: "With Hurricane Irma looming large and scary for those of us in the Southeast, I'm reminded of the cookbook my husband bought me several years ago after hearing this interview on NPR: .."

I love "reading" cookbooks. This one sounds scrumptious!

Chandler, I just kayaked past Justin Wilson's old house on Cane Bayou on Sunday. The house is defunct now from hurricanes, but its an art deco structure w glass blocks and modernistic lines. His first cooking show was filmed right there at the house, and he would walk down to his little dark with the film crew and catch fish off the dock that he would then clean and cook on the show.

Because of the houses modernistic lines, the TV station and it up building him a fake kitchen down in the city of New Orleans that looked more like an old Cajun home.

As an aside, my 14-year-old son and I have started working on a story, possibly a novel I might self publish for him early next year. It is set on that bayou where we kayak all the time and on the grounds of this unusual old house.

Oooooo-ieee, cher! I gauronnteee!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=J8LV_iM...

Thanks for the link, LeAnne. What a character - he was hilarious! Now I'll be able to hear his voice ever time I make this dish ("time to add the oinyons"). And that house is, or at least was, magnificent - not one you'd expect to see tucked back on a bayou. You probably know or would recognize the names of half the contributors in this cookbook :-) Good luck to you and your son on your own book!

It is a very "scrumptious" book, Concierge. There are no food photos in it, but there's lots of history and authentic New Orleans recipes right down to Austin Leslie's Mirliton Gumbo, Maquechou, and Beignets.

LeAnne wrote: "Chandler, I just kayaked past Justin Wilson's old house on Cane Bayou on Sunday. The house is defunct now from hurricanes, but its an art deco structure w glass blocks and modernistic lines. His fi..."
Great video! Thanks for sharing.

Sharing this paragraph from Carson McCullers' 'The Member Of The Wedding':

Now hopping-john was F. Jasmine's very favorite food. She had always warned them to wave a plate of rice and peas before her nose when she was in her coffin, to make certain there was no mistake; for if a breath of life was left in her, she would sit up and eat, but if she smelled the hopping-john, and did not stir, then they could just nail down the coffin and be certain she was truly dead. Now Berenice had chosen for her death-test a piece of fried fresh-water trout, and for John Henry it was divinity fudge. But though F. Jasmine loved the hopping-john the very best, the others also liked it well enough, and all three of them enjoyed the dinner that day: the ham knuckle, the hopping-john, cornbread, hot baked sweet potatoes, and the buttermilk. And as they ate, they carried on the conversation.

Love this quote! Now I'll have to consider what my death-test would be. Probably bacon.

Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd would call that "bekkin" Diane :-)

Chandler wrote: "Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd would call that "bekkin" Diane :-)"

I just finished reading News of the World. I so enjoy it when I actually recognize a reference!

What's your best Southern cornbread recipe? I've looked online for one like my Mama's and can't find one like it.

Scout wrote: "What's your best Southern cornbread recipe? I've looked online for one like my Mama's and can't find one like it."

This is old fashioned Southern Cornbread cooked in a cast iron skillet. First of all, it doesn't have flour in it. And I won't have cornbread with flour in it. The texture is too much like cake. And it doesn't have sugar in it. If it does, call it cake. And, no. You don't put maple syrup in it. Neither do you put molasses in it. That would be an abomination. Lastly, cook it in a cast iron skillet. Or cast iron cornstick rings, or Cast Iron muffin tins. The cast iron does make a difference in the crust and the taste.

Ingredients
Nutrition
2 eggs
2 cups white cornmeal
2 cups buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1⁄4 cup bacon grease
salt (most bacon grease provides plenty of saltiness) That means don't overdo the salt!

Cookin' it...

Directions
Preheat oven to 425°F.
Put first 5 ingredients in mixing bowl. (If it makes you feel better, go ahead and mix the dry ingredients, whisk the eggs into the buttermilk, then combine dry/wet ingredients).
Mix with large spoon or whisk.
Put bacon grease in well-seasoned 10-inch cast iron skillet over medium to high heat.
Just as the bacon grease is about to start smoking, pour it into the other ingredients, stirring as you pour (if you can manage it). Leave enough in the skillet to coat the bottom and sides.
Pour entire mixture into the skillet.
Place skillet on middle rack of oven; bake until cornbread is springy in the middle, browned and pulling away from the skillet on the sides (about 15-20 minutes).
Remove from oven and invert skillet over serving plate. If cornbread does not drop easily, you may need to run an icing spatula or even a flexible metal egg-turner around/under it so it comes loose. If your cast iron skillet is seasoned proper, that bread will drop.
Recipe halves well, just remember you can't cut the bacon grease by half because you still need to coat the skillet.
Serve hot, with plenty of butter. Or margarine, if you insist. But I say use the butter. If you're going to have cornbread, it's not fittin' to eat with margarine.

And there you have it.

Serve it hot. Cold cornbread's about taking a cold tater and waitin' till the food is on the table.

"Lawyer Stevens"

Amen to bacon grease, Lawyer.

Bacon Grease for scalded lettuce....anyone know what I am referring to?

Laura wrote: "Bacon Grease for scalded lettuce....anyone know what I am referring to?"

Yes, indeed, I do!

Here's a mighty fine receipt.

Wilted Lettuce Salad


Prep
10 m
Cook
10 m
Ready In
20 m

Recipe By:Mary Jones

"This wilted salad is lightly coated with a delectable warm dressing."

Ingredients

5 slices bacon
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon white sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 head leaf lettuce - rinsed, dried and torn into bite-size pieces
6 green onions with tops, thinly sliced
Directions
Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Remove from skillet, crumble and set aside.
To the hot bacon drippings, add the vinegar, lemon juice, sugar and pepper. Stir over medium heat until hot.
In a large bowl, combine the lettuce and green onions. Add the warm dressing and toss to evenly coat. Sprinkle with bacon and serve.

OR kick it up a notch.

Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing

141 Reviews
Recipe courtesy of Alton Brown
Show: Good Eats
Episode: American Classic I: Spinach Salad

Ingredients

Ingredients
8 ounces young spinach
2 large eggs
8 pieces thick-sliced bacon, chopped
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 large white mushrooms, sliced
3 ounces red onion (1 small), very thinly sliced

PREP

Remove the stems from the spinach and wash, drain and pat dry thoroughly. Place into a large mixing bowl and set aside.
Place the eggs into an electric kettle and cover with cold water by at least 1-inch. Turn the kettle on. Once the water comes to a boil, the kettle will turn itself off. Leave the eggs in the water for 15 minutes. Remove and peel off the shell. Slice each egg into 8 pieces and set aside.
While the eggs are cooking, fry the bacon and remove to a paper towel to drain, reserving 3 tablespoons of the rendered fat. Crumble the bacon and set aside.
Transfer the fat to a small saucepan set over low heat and whisk in the red wine vinegar, sugar and Dijon mustard. Season with a small pinch each of kosher salt and black pepper.
Add the mushrooms and the sliced onion to the spinach and toss. Add the dressing and bacon and toss to combine. Divide the spinach between 4 plates or bowls and evenly divide the egg among them. Season with pepper, as desired. Serve immediately.

Bacon grease is nectar of the gods.

Yup, love it!!! Wilted/scalded lettuce with cornbread.

Diane wrote: "Bacon grease is nectar of the gods."

True, but too much may hasten your journey to the hereafter.

Tom wrote: "Diane wrote: "Bacon grease is nectar of the gods."

True, but too much may hasten your journey to the hereafter."

I am in trouble then as Bacon is one of my favorite foods! However, I feel it is probably all relative to several factors as my father and mother ate all of the Southern foods that are supposedly bad for you and both of them lived pretty healthy lives until they developed Alzheimers in their mid 80's and both lived until they were just a few months short of 90.

Lawyer wrote: "Scout wrote: "What's your best Southern cornbread recipe? I've looked online for one like my Mama's and can't find one like it."

This is old fashioned Southern Cornbread cooked in a cast iron skil..."

Thank you for the recipe. Will have to try it. I especially like your comment on the "no sugar" as I do not like sugar in my cornbread either.

From 'A Lesson Before Dying' by Ernest J. Gaines: "Miss Emma put rice in each pan, then she poured gumbo over the rice until the pan was nearly full. Besides shrimps, she had put smoked sausage and chicken in the gumbo, and she seasoned it well with green onions, filé, and black pepper. Gumbo was something you could always eat, even if you were not hungry." I'm making a pot of gumbo this week, so feel free to share your favorite recipe :-)

Oh, I love gumbo! But my husband has a shellfish allergy so I tried making it without the shrimp. Just didn't "taste right" to me, though hubby liked it and we did eat it all. I've never made it again.

Anything Ernest Gaines writes makes you want Gumbo. I've made chicken and sausage gumbo before, and it was pretty good, but shrimp takes it over the top!

Also, I've had Wyndy's gumbo before, and it's delicious.

Wyndy wrote: "From 'A Lesson Before Dying' by Ernest J. Gaines: "Miss Emma put rice in each pan, then she poured gumbo over the rice until the pan was nearly full. Besides shrimps, she had put smoked sausage and..."

What time is dinner, Wyndy?!! ;0

Diane wrote: "Also, I've had Wyndy's gumbo before, and it's delicious."

Awww - thank you, Miss Scarlett! Wish I had some of those Shem Creek shrimps :-)

Candi wrote: "Wyndy wrote: "From 'A Lesson Before Dying' by Ernest J. Gaines: "Miss Emma put rice in each pan, then she poured gumbo over the rice until the pan was nearly full. Besides shrimps, she had put smok..."

Any time you make it down here to North Carolina, Candi! Your very own pot of gumbo will be waiting :-)

That would be awesome, Wyndy! You know, I think I've only had gumbo once! I may actually have to hunt down a recipe now and make some :)

More eatin'! While searching for Amor Towles' recipe for Latvian Stew from 'A Gentleman In Moscow,' I ran across this Southern gem - Demetrie's Chocolate Pie from 'The Help,' sans a certain infamous ingredient :-)

http://bookclubcookbook.com/chocolate...

"Let the pies set up in a cool spot, like a plug in refrigerator". Now that's an old recipe !

"and cover with wax paper so you don't get a skin" - remember making Jello chocolate pudding from the tiny box? Wax paper was crucial :-)

I like the skin on a pie and pudding too but really I just like pie and pudding!!!

For anyone interested in buying stoneground grits, these are our favorite after trying several different mills in North and South Carolina. Ratio should always be 4 parts liquid to 1 part grits. I only use white grits - just a personal preference. We frequently eat grits instead of potatoes with pork chops, chicken or seafood, but grits do take time and you have to watch them constantly. https://palmettofarms.com/

Thanks for sharing, Wyndy! I couldn't resist and just treated myself to a bag of the white grits :) I also printed out the recipe for the shrimp and grits!

Enjoy, Candi! Grits go with everything - even without sugar :-)

I know next to nothing about southern cooking but this popped up in my feed today.

https://www.shondaland.com/live/trave...