Recipes of the South

Southern cooking -- a taste of Dixie

For many of us, fried chicken was as much a part of childhood Sundays as the comics and getting dressed up for Sunday school. Traditional southern cooking is made up of simple, easy to prepare, yet wonderfully delicious dishes. You never left the table hungry or unsatisfied. The art of "Old Southern Cooking" is best summed up as this: A good old southern cook like many of our grandmothers and great grandmothers could go into a kitchen and declare how there is no food in the house. In an hour's time they can have food cooked for thirty people, all of it on the table and all still hot.

This is an art form that is rarely duplicated today even with modern conveniences like microwave ovens. Our plates are piled high with greens, corn and sweet potatoes. And you've got to have fried green tomatoes. With romantic images of the South, magnolias in bloom, honey suckles in the air -- from gracious, columned mansions to meals on an elegant table --So a taste of the South is still going strong, thanks to the efforts and experience of great Southern cooks who are preserving memories of meals from days gone by!

Southern Fried Chicken

Ingredients:

1 (21/2-to-3 pound broiler-fryer chicken
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Shortening, salad oil or bacon drippings

Cut chicken into serving-size pieces and rinse in cold running water; do not dry. Blend dry ingredients in a plastic or brown paper bag. Drop two or three pieces of chicken at a time into floured mixture and shake until chicken is coated. In a large heavy skillet heat enough shortening to fill skillet 1/2 inch deep over high heat until a drop of water sizzles when added to grease. ( Bacon drippings give the best and tastiest chicken.) Place chicken skin side down in hot fat; put in large pieces, such as breasts and legs first. You may need to adjust heat as chicken cooks, lowering to medium high. Turn pieces to brown evenly. Reduce heat to medium low, cover, and cook about 30 minutes until tender...

Fried Green Tomatoes

Ingredients:

4 large green tomatoes
2 cups plain white corn meal
1 1/2 tablespoon salt
Pinch of black pepper
1/2 cup cooking oil

Wash the tomatoes and pat dry. Cut tomatoes in 1/4-inch slices. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Dip each slice in corn meal and lay aside on waxed paper. Heat oil. Fry tomato slices until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Serve hot. Some people prefer *green* tomatoes, others prefer slightly pink tomatoes.

DIXIE PORK CHOPS WITH APPLES AND RAISINS

Ingredients:

3 slices bacon
6 large loin pork chops
Salt and black pepper to taste
3 apples, cored, peeled, and coarsely chopped
1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 Tbsps. all-purpose flour
1 Cup water
1 Tbsp. cider vinegar
1/4 tsp. dried sage
1/2 cup seedless raisins

In a large, heavy skillet, fry the bacon till crisp; drain on paper towels, and crumble well. In batches, brown the pork chops on both sides in the bacon fat, adding a little vegetable oil if necessary. Arrange the chops in a large baking dish and season with salt and pepper. Divided the chopped apples equally over them and sprinkle with the brown sugar. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Add the flour to the fat in the skillet and stir over moderate heat for 1 minute. Add the water, vinegar, and sage to the skillet.
Cook until thickened, stirring continually. Add the raisins and crumbled bacon to the skillet mixture. Pour the mixture over and around the chops, cover with aluminum foil, and bake 1 hour. YIELD 6 servings

Southern Fried Corn

Ingredients:

3 - 4 bacon strips
1 pound froz
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon butter or bacon drippings
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
Salt and pepper, to taste
First, cook the bacon strips in a frying pan until crisp. Set them aside to cool, reserving 1 tablespoon of the pan drippings. When they have cooled, crumble the bacon strips into small pieces. In a saucepan, bring the corn, milk, and water to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the butter or pan drippings in the frying pan over medium heat. Stir in the flour, and when this begins to gently bubble, add the corn mixture. Stir in the bacon pieces. Cook the corn over medium heat, stirring frequently, for about 2 minutes or until the mixture is thick and the corn is tender. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

FRIED OKRA

Ingredients:

1 pound okra
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons salt to taste
2 teaspoons black pepper, freshly ground

Wash the okra in cold water and drain. Cut it into 1/2-inch slices and remove the stems. Heat half the oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add half the okra and spread it into an even layer with a spatula. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Fry, turning the okra with a spoon to cook evenly, until the okra is tender, crispy, and well browned, about 10 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining oil and okra and serve hot.

~~Okra: A favorite ingredient in many traditional Southern dishes, was brought to America by slaves from West Africa.~~

Southern Fried Okra

Ingredients:

1 pound okra
vegetable oil(I use olive oil)
salt to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, beaten

Wash and slice okra; Remove tip and stem end; cut okra into 1/2 inch slices, pat dry with paper towels. Combine eggs and buttermilk; add okra, and let stand for 10 minutes. Combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt and pepper. Drain okra, small portions at a time, using a slotted spoon. Dredge okra, small portions at a time, in flour mixture. Pour oil to depth of 2 to 3-inches in a Dutch oven of deep-fat fryer and heat to 375*F (190*C). Fry okra until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and serve immediately.

Southern Fried Dill Pickles

Ingredients:

1 cup cornmeal
2-1/4 cups flour
1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. Mrs. Dash
3/4 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
Vegetable Oil
2 eggs beaten
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp. Tabasco
3/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. Garlic Powder
1 qt. sliced dill pickles
salt & pepper

Combine 2 eggs, 1/4 cup flour, milk, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, cayenne pepper Mrs. Dash, and Garlic Powder; stirring well. Set aside. Combine cornmeal, 2 cups flour, salt, and pepper: mix well. Dip drained pickles into milk mixture and dredge in flour mixture. Deep fry at 350 degrees until golden brown. Drain. Salt and Pepper to taste. Also works great with peppercorns.

More RECIPES HERE.. Ya'll!!

Fried Peanut Butter & Banana Sandwiches

Ingredients:

2 slices of white or wheat bread
2 to 3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
1/2 large, well-ripened banana, mashed
1 to 2 tablespoons of butter

Spread peanut butter on one side of both pieces of bread. Spread mashed banana on top of the peanut butter on one of the bread slices. Put the two slices together to make a sandwich. Then spread butter very thinely on the side of the bread that will go into the skillet. Heat a skillet over medium heat. Fry the sandwich, when the first side is brown turn over, then butter the other side, browning both sides. Serve and eat immediately.

Hoppin' John

Ingredients:

4 slices of bacon - cut up
1 cup Black-eyed peas
1/4 teaspoon Thyme 1/3
1/2 teaspoon Poultry Seasoning
2-4 Tablespoons of Soya sauce
1/2 cup white rice

Place black-eyed peas in medium saucepan, cover with cold water. Let soak for 1 hour. Pour off water and replace with fresh water. Add bacon and seasonings. Bring to a boil, then simmer with top on. When peas are almost done, approx. 3/4 hr, add rice and soya sauce. Salt is optional as the soya sauce is salty. Bring to a boil again, then simmer until rice is done. Excellent with Chicken, beef or pork. Gravy on top makes it more moist.

Southern Sweet TEa

A Southerner can't get through a day without ICED TEA. And it has to be SWEET! In the south, iced tea flows like water. Summer, Spring, Winter & Fall - it's what we drink and I am going to tell you how to make PERFECT Southern iced tea... First, fill a medium size saucepan half full of water. Place 6 tea bags (preferably Red Diamond) in the water and bring to a boil on high heat, let it boil for about 15 minutes. Then remove from heat and let it sit and brew for a about 10 minutes while you git the pitcher ready. In a gallon pitcher, measure 1 cup of sugar. Pour the brewed tea into the pitcher & stir to dissolve the sugar. Add more water to the pot of tea bags and pour into the pitcher making sure you squeeze out all the tea from the tea bags. Fill the pitcher with water, stir & refrigerate. Serve over ice and ENJOY!

Y'all be good now, ya heer?