Southern Cooking!

[KittyT]

Hello Loungers! There's a BBQ thread but I am interested in other aspects of Southern cooking. Please share your recipes and tips for all of your favorite traditional Southern dishes - succotash, fried green tomatoes, collard greens....

CORNBREAD

The best cornbread recipe I know comes from the Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook. I have an OLD copy of it from the 60s...

1 C sifted all-purpose flour
1/4 C sugar
4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 C yellow cornmeal
2 eggs
1 C milk (use buttermilk!)
1 C shortening (I use vegetable oil)
Combine ingredients. Do not overmix. Transfer to greased 8 or 9" square pan and bake at 425 F for 20-25 min.

A couple of things I've found: Stone ground cornmeal is best, not that new-fangled self-rising stuff. Make sure your baking powder is fresh and still active. And most importantly, cornbread will be 100% better if you use BUTTERMILK instead of regular milk.

I've heard it's best to use a 9" cast iron skillet and let it preheat in the stove, and cook the cornbread in that, but my cast iron is the wrong size. Can any Southerners here weigh in on cast iron cornbread?

RED BEANS & RICE (slow cooked)

This recipe can also be made in a large skillet (use cast iron!) or saucepan, but I recommend a slow cooker so the flavors really have time to come out. Also, I prepare the bacon/sausage/onions/peppers ahead of time and refrigerate overnight. Then I can just add everything to the slow cooker in the morning.

1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, chopped (or to taste)
6 strips (or to taste!) thick cut bacon, cut into approx 1" sections
1 lb andouille sausage, halved, then sliced
1 red pepper, diced
2 cans red beans (not kidney beans - they are not the same thing!!!)
1 can diced tomatoes
2 TBsp tomato paste
1/2 veggie bouillion cube
bay leaf, thyme, oregano, cayenne, allspice, cloves

Cook bacon in skillet (cast iron is best!) until cooked through but still soft. Move bacon to slow cooker, add sausage to skillet and cook through. Move sausage to slow cooker. Cook onion in bacon/sausage grease until soft, add garlic and red pepper, and cook until the pepper has softened. Add tomato paste and a small amount of water (maybe 1/4c.) and mix well. Transfer mixture to slow cooker (don't forget to scrape in as much of the grease as you can. I'm serious - it's so important for flavor!).

Drain and rinse red beans and add. Drain tomatoes and add about 3/4 of the can. Add bouillion and seasonings (1 bay leaf, about 1/2 tsp each allspice and cloves, start w/ 1/4 tsp cayenne and season to taste, thyme and oregano to taste). Slow cook on low all day, mix well and serve over rice.

 

[Smuterella]

ooh this is painful, I don't think I can get red beans or that fancy sounding suausage over here and it all sounds so delicious.

I love food...

 

[KittyT]

ooh this is painful, I don't think I can get red beans or that fancy sounding suausage over here and it all sounds so delicious.

I love food...

Andouille sausage is basically just a spicy cajun sausage. Any kind of spicy sausage will work. Kielbasa is very similar in texture and taste or any kind of spicy German or Polish sausage would work fine.

As for beans, you never know. Red beans are also a staple in Mexican cooking, so you may be able to find them if you look. Also, I'm sure you can at least get them dried, although cooking dried beans takes significantly more effort.

 

[Tamamiko]

Hello Loungers! There's a BBQ thread but I am interested in other aspects of Southern cooking. Please share your recipes and tips for all of your favorite traditional Southern dishes - succotash, fried green tomatoes, collard greens....

CORNBREAD

The best cornbread recipe I know comes from the Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook. I have an OLD copy of it from the 60s...

1 C sifted all-purpose flour
1/4 C sugar
4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 C yellow cornmeal
2 eggs
1 C milk (use buttermilk!)
1 C shortening (I use vegetable oil)
Combine ingredients. Do not overmix. Transfer to greased 8 or 9" square pan and bake at 425 F for 20-25 min.

A couple of things I've found: Stone ground cornmeal is best, not that new-fangled self-rising stuff. Make sure your baking powder is fresh and still active. And most importantly, cornbread will be 100% better if you use BUTTERMILK instead of regular milk.

I've heard it's best to use a 9" cast iron skillet and let it preheat in the stove, and cook the cornbread in that, but my cast iron is the wrong size. Can any Southerners here weigh in on cast iron cornbread?

Here's my two cents and a recipe. Cast iron corn bread is the best. And even better, add a finely diced fresh jalapeño to the mix. It gives the corn bread just a bit of a bite that is fantastic!

Hoppin' John

2 - 3 fresh sprigs of celery (chop coarsely)
half a medium yellow onion (chop medium to fine)
an equivalent amount of green pepper (1/2 bell or 2 - 3 large jalapeños depending on your spice tolerance. chop medium to fine)
1/2 pack chopped smoked sausage (again of your spice preference. chop coarsely)
1 can black eyed peas
1 - 2cups cooked white rice

Take your hard veggies (onion and celery) and sauté them on medium heat with a little bit of oil/bacon grease/butter (or other such lubricant) for 2 - 3 minutes. Next add the peppers and sausage and sauté for another 2 - 3 minutes. Finally dump entire contents of black eyed peas (sauce and all) into pan and let simmer until heated through. Serve over rice and top with sour cream and salsa.

 

[Lady Day]

Can any Southerners here weigh in on cast iron cornbread?

My Granny always used the Jiffy corn muffin mix for our everyday cornbead.
Little salt, sugar, egg, butter, milk, and baked it in an iron skillet.

An iron skillet is the only way to go. People will tell you different, no, they are wrong

Its texture was between a cake and a scone. Too firm to be cake, not dry enough to be a scone. Perfect

LD

 

[KittyT]

Here's my two cents and a recipe. Cast iron corn bread is the best. And even better, add a finely diced fresh jalapeño to the mix. It gives the corn bread just a bit of a bite that is fantastic!

I love cornbread with jalapeno. My dad always made it that way when I was a kid.

Thanks for the recipe.

 

[Babydoll]

The Mister is from Texas. (Is that considered Southern?) He loves cornbread and corn muffins. I cheat a bit when I make them. I use the Jiffy mix, but I doctor it with a few drops of his hot sauce we got at the grocery store, possibly a few tablespoons of picante sauce, and some grated sharp cheddar cheese. So good!

He also craves pinto beans. They're pretty easy to make, but do require overnight soaking of the beans if using dried. I'll have to ask him for the recipe he used a few weeks ago for it. Took no time at all for prep. Really cheap to make, and good for several meals.

Chicken fried steak is another favorite of his. Again, I've learned how to make it in a cheating kind of way, but he likes it enough to satisfy the cravings.

Chicken Fried Steak

cube steak (sold in the grocery store as such)
milk (buttermilk ideally)
flour
pepper/lemon pepper/salt/garlic powder/onion powder/paprica/cayenne
vegetable oil

Mix enough flour (about 1/2 cup) with desired amount of seasonings (he likes a lot of pepper, so I go heavy on that). Put in flat dish for dredging.

Put 1/3 cup milk or buttermilk in flat dish for dredging.

Heat a few tablespoons in a heavy skillet until hot.

Dip cube steak in milk, coating thoroughly on both sides. The dip in flour to coat on both sides. Put into hot pan and let it cook on first side until golden brown. (The hardest thing here is to NOT TOUCH IT for at least 3-4 minutes to let it develop the brown color.) When the steak doesn't stick to pan anymore it's ready to be turned over. Carefully turn. Don't tear off the coating you've worked so hard to create. Cook for another 2-3 minutes, or until done. Pull steak from pan and set aside. Use drippings in pan to make white ("country") gravy.

White Gravy

drippings from Chicken Fried Steak pan
flour
milk

Put a couple tablespoons of flour into the pan and mix with the drippings from your CFS. Once mixed, add milk a little at a time, whisking to incorporate and eliminate lumps. Continue to stir, bringing to a bubble. If it's too thick, add a little more milk. Let cook for a couple minutes. Add S&P to taste.

Serve with Chicken Fried Steak, mashed potatoes, biscuits, and greens. Receive warm praise about food being as good as Grandma's.

Greens (the cheater's way)

2-3 slices of bacon
1 bag frozen greens (your choice - turnip, mustard, collard)
salt and pepper

Slice bacon into small pieces. In sauce pan, fry bacon until crispy. Remove bacon, but leave bacon grease in pan. Add water and greens for cooking. Cook until almost done according to directions on package, and then return bacon to pan. Finish cooking with bacon in with greens. Add S&P to taste.

(We're a household that doesn't like the traditional vinegar in our greens, but this is pretty darn tasty.)

 

[Fletch]

Anybody here bake their own biscuits? From scratch?

A lady I used to know in the magazine business was from Newp't News, V'ginia. She used to have a Xmas party in NYC every year with nothing but a lot of drinks and mixers, one genuine Va. ham, and a mess of hand baked biscuits. It was the crowdedest Xmas party you ever saw. Your mouth was dry for 36 hours after that ham - mmmmmm! - and those biscuits.

Another thing I like is Brunswick stew. What do you put in yours?

 

[KittyT]

Anybody here bake their own biscuits? From scratch?

I *always* make biscuits from scratch, and I do make them pretty often. I use the recipe in the aforementioned Better Homes cookbook, but I'd love a better recipe. Mine never come out quite as light and fluffy as I'd like.

I hear that if you use soda water in your biscuits they will get really fluffy, but I don't really know how that whole thing works.

 

[adamjaskie]

cooking dried beans takes significantly more effort.

I wouldn't say it takes *effort*, just time. And most of that time you can spend doing something else. You basically dump a bunch of beans in a pot, dump in a bunch of warm water, leave them overnight, pick out any that float, drain, put in fresh water, bring to a boil, and simmer them until they're soft. And don't put any salt in until they are soft.

 

[TheDutchess]

I have a confession that I will admit here only because no one in my family reads this site...I don't make my own biscuits from scratch. I buy frozen Mary B's buttermilk biscuits, pop them in the oven, throw some flour around the room and on the biscuits, butter them suckers and keep it moving lol.

Slightly fftopic: but have you guys been to http://thepioneerwoman.com/? She has some of the best recipes ever! You guys should check it out.

 

[Foofoogal]

As no.9 of 11 children and a southern gal with a drawl I can cook Southern and especially beans.
Lima beans with ham are my favorites. Baby or big.
I like red kidney beans also.
Pork chops and cabbage anyone. lol

 

[rumblefish]

I *always* make biscuits from scratch, and I do make them pretty often. I use the recipe in the aforementioned Better Homes cookbook, but I'd love a better recipe. Mine never come out quite as light and fluffy as I'd like.

I hear that if you use soda water in your biscuits they will get really fluffy, but I don't really know how that whole thing works.

Same here. I use the -Dry ingredients with the shortening mixed in a food processor method- then quickly combine with the buttermilk. I think minimal kneading is the trick for light fluffy biscuits.

I've used butter, rendered pork lard, and goose grease for the shortening and have gotten interesting results. When I add cheese, herbs, or spices I leave the dough a bit wetter and make spoon or drop biscuits.

Oh, and a brush of melted butter on top before they go into the oven.

Where are the collards recipes? I've got a bumper crop this year!

 

[KittyT]

As no.9 of 11 children and a southern gal with a drawl I can cook Southern and especially beans.
Lima beans with ham are my favorites. Baby or big.
I like red kidney beans also.
Pork chops and cabbage anyone. lol

This post is useless without recipes

 

[scotrace]

I *always* make biscuits from scratch, and I do make them pretty often. I use the recipe in the aforementioned Better Homes cookbook, but I'd love a better recipe. Mine never come out quite as light and fluffy as I'd like.

I hear that if you use soda water in your biscuits they will get really fluffy, but I don't really know how that whole thing works.

The recipe from "Baking With Julia" is THE ONE. They are perfect. I'll post it later when I get home.

 

[Smithy]

I have no idea what on earth you're all talking about but it all sounds delicious.

I love grub but have never tried Southern US food. I might have to have a crack at doing something from here.

Also what's a biscuit? Where I come from that's what you have with a cup of tea, like a gingernut or a Tim-Tam

 

[Foofoogal]

Also what's a biscuit?

lol lol that is ok. half the world doesn't know what real barbeque is. Some think they do.

Sorry Kitty, have any requests?


Not even sure if I could write a recipe. I just use a dash of this, pinch of that and chunk it all in a pot. The way my mom cooked and most every woman I know does. lol

I had some leftover grits yesterday so broke 2 eggs over them. Stuck them in microwave and had eggs and grits. My latest invention. Have to break yoke at beginning or they will blowup.

 

[KittyT]

I have no idea what on earth you're all talking about but it all sounds delicious.

I love grub but have never tried Southern US food. I might have to have a crack at doing something from here.

Here's a little bit of information about traditional Southern food. One notable aspect of Southern food is that a lot of it is fried or made with bacon or sausage grease.

from http://bama.ua.edu/~bgray/recipes.htm:

The traditional southern dishes reflect the history and past economics of the region. Although the South was once noted for its large cotton plantations, even at that time most rural Southerners were subsistence farmers, and were quite isolated from the rest of the world. These people were most numerous in the Southern Applachian region, and their ancestral origins were mostly Scotch, Irish, English, Germanic, and to a lesser extent, French or Dutch. They made do with what they could grow, and what they could find in nature. For example, the extensive use of corn meal probably resulted from the fact that wheat was little grown in the South. Native Americans (Indians) were major contributors to the diet of the South. From them, poor southerners learned how to use many wild or cultivated plants and game. In addition, the early African-Americans introduced several of the plants, such as blackeye peas, okra, sweet sorghum, and watermelons, from which many prized southern dishes are derived. In many affluent households, they were the family cook, and as such, they molded and modified the taste preferences of those they served. There is little doubt that the creative use of food by American Indians, subsistence farmers, and the African-Americans were the major influences on the nature of Southern cooking, and there is historical evidence to indicate that these groups learned from each other.

There are many sub-regions where the type of cooking was influenced by local factors. One important region, as we have pointed out, was the Appalachian region that was populated mostly by subsistence farmers. The cooking of some coastal areas were influenced by their early settlement by the Spanish or French. The well known cuisine of southern Louisiana was mostly influenced by the "Cajuns", who were immigrants from Canada and of French origin.

There is also a lot more detailed information at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_U.S._cuisine. It's quite interesting!

Also what's a biscuit? Where I come from that's what you have with a cup of tea, like a gingernut or a Tim-Tam

From Wikipedia:

In American English, a "biscuit" is a small form of bread made with baking powder or baking soda as a leavening agent rather than yeast. (Biscuits, soda breads, and corn bread, among others, are sometimes referred to collectively as "quick breads" to indicate that they do not need time to rise before baking.)

Biscuits are extremely soft and similar to scones. In the United States, there is a growing tendency to refer to sweet variations as "scone"[citation needed] and to the savory as a "biscuit", though there are exceptions for both (such as the cheese scone). A sweet biscuit served with a topping of fruit and juice is called shortcake. In Canada, both sweet and savory are referred to as "biscuits", "baking powder biscuits" or "tea biscuits", although "scone" is also starting to be used.

Biscuits are a common feature of Southern U.S. cuisine and are often made with buttermilk. They are traditionally served as a side dish with a meal, especially in the morning. As a breakfast item they are often eaten with butter and a sweet condiment such as molasses, light sugarcane syrup, sorghum syrup, honey, or fruit jam or jelly. With other meals they are usually eaten with butter or gravy instead of sweet condiments. However, biscuits and gravy (biscuits covered in country gravy) are usually served for breakfast, sometimes as the main course.

 

[KittyT]

Sorry Kitty, have any requests?

Just pick some favorites

Not even sure if I could write a recipe. I just use a dash of this, pinch of that and chunk it all in a pot. The way my mom cooked and most every woman I know does. lol

I cook a lot this way as well. I think it's OK to write a recipe using things like "cayenne pepper to taste", or "pinch of salt" or whatever. The red beans and rice recipe I posted isn't exact when I make it either. I used my best guess on quantities for a lot of the ingredients. I figure anyone here who loves to cook is probably going to modify a recipe to work for them anyway.

 

[Smithy]

Many thanks Kitty, that was hugely helpful :eusa_clap

So it's basically a scone then. Never tried them with gravy though, just cream and jam!