The Southern Blend
The South has a reputation for good food. This is a well established fact. There is a distinctly Southern way of preparing, and serving, our cherished cuisine. I know the first thing that comes to most folks' mind is frying. But, it's not all about the frying. It is about the melding of international influences over generations that converge in one spot, the kitchen. The unique thing about the South, I believe, is that over the hundreds of years the eclectic mix of people that have been settling below the Mason-Dixon line, all kind of blend together. Their cultures and customs, anyway. (Mardi Gras!) Our Southern cities and towns don't seem to have the international specific neighborhoods as other American cities do. Everyone just becomes Southern. And I think this is most evident in our cuisine.
Mr. and I were in Clarksdale, MS recently for a "wedding". Read A Secret Wedding to explain the quotes! On Saturday we ate some of the best BBQ ever at Abe's. This joint is an institution not only in Clarksdale and Mississippi, but around the South. If you ever go, try their BBQ sauce on the potato chips- like magic. I will have to say that my favorite chopped pork sandwich with cole slaw on top is from The Barbecue House in Auburn, AL. Hands down a winner. As for ribs, the best ones come from a well-used Weber grill perched right outside the screen door of an old Russell cabin at Lake Martin. My cousins would cook those ribs all day, and boy were they good. Excuse the BBQ ramble, now back to Abe's. At the bottom of their menu was an interesting "to-go" item, 16 frozen grape leaves. I of course inquired of the natives what the grape leaves were used for, thinking it was some secret Delta treat I needed to know about. The general answer, "hmm, I don't know". I know grape leaves are essential in Mediterranean cooking, so maybe there is a thriving community in Clarksdale that is in demand of grape leaves. Or maybe it's a nod to Abe's heritage.
As I have mentioned before, I have several of my grandmother's cookbooks. Most are of the Junior League sort, definitely Southern, and published around the '50's and '60's. Keep in mind this is a time before Food Network, before international shipping of produce, before the common use of Olive Oil and Feta. One popular international dish that is prevalent in all of these loved cookbooks is the curry dish. You'll find chicken curry and shrimp curry the most popular. This is a chicken curry recipe from 150 Alabama First Lady's Cookbook, compiled by then First Lady Mrs. Albert Brewer in 1969.
Chicken Curry by Mrs. Eugene M. McLain
1/3 cup butter
3 pounds chicken, cut for fricassee
2 sliced onions
1 tablespoon curry powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon vinegar
Flour
Melt butter in hot frying pan. Add chicken. Cook 10 minutes. Add onion, curry, salt and vinegar. Add boiling water to cover. Simmer until chicken is tender. Remove chicken. Measure liquid. For each cup add 1 tablespoon flour, mixed with enough cold water to pour easily. Cook and stir five minutes and pour over chicken. Makes four servings.
Serve with fluffy rice, cooked until dry, and at least three of the following condiments:
Sauteed bananas in one inch pieces
Chopped hard cooked eggs
Green pepper, cut finely
Chopped toasted almonds
Coconut
Hot chutney
A version of this chicken curry, served with crepes, was served at a graduation lunch for me, hosted by my aunt.
The French have influenced Southern cooking the most, especially in seafood dishes, thanks to our port cities located on the Gulf. Two long standing recipes in my town are from the famous Blue Moon Cookbook, a must have for any Montgomery girl.
Crabmeat Au Gratin
1 lb fresh lump crabmeat 1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup light cream 2 Tbsp. finely diced celery
1 cup milk 1 Tbsp. grated onion
4 Tbsp. butter 1 Tbsp. chopped pimento
4 Tbsp. flour 3/4 grated, sharp cheddar cheese
1 tsp. Worcestershire
1/2 tsp salt
Make a medium sauce of butter, flour, milk and cream. Remove from heat and add seasonings, celery, onion and pimento. Cool. Stir in 1/2 cup cheese and crabmeat. Place in individual scallop shells or casseroles. Top with 1/4 cup cheese. Bake at 325 for about 15 minutes or until cheese is lightly browned.
Trout Amandine
4 fillets of trout 1/2 tsp pepper
2 eggs, beaten 1/2 tsp almond flavoring
2 Tbsp milk 1 cup crushed saltine crumbs
1/2 tsp paprika 1 cup sliced almonds
Wash and dry fish thoroughly. Salt and pepper lightly. Mix eggs, milk, paprika, pepper and almond flavoring. Strain. Combine crumbs and almonds. Dip fish in egg mixture. Roll in cracker mixture. Fry in deep fat at 375 degrees until browned. Drain on absorbent paper.
Last but not least, is the elegant dinner party standard, Beef Burgundy. Or, as The Barefoot Contessa calls it, Beef Bourguignonne. The recipe below is from my grandmother's most used cookbook, A Taste of Georgia published by the Newnan Junior League in 1977. Her best friend Lala lived in Newnan and we spent many a weekend in her beautiful antebellum home. We also would frequent Sprayberry's for some fabulous Brunswick Stew. Notice the Southern spin on this French classic; cream of mushroom soup!
Beef Burgundy I, from Mrs. George Busbee (Mary Beth), Governor's Mansion, Atlanta, Geo.
Oven: 325 for 2 hours 20 minutes Yield: 6 servings
1 1/2 pounds lean beef, cubed 1/2 cup Burgundy or red wine
2 tsp salt 1 clove garlic, minced
Freshly ground black pepper 1/4 tsp each, thyme, marjoram, basil
2 Tbsp fat 1 (10 3/4 oz) can cream of mushroom soup
1 onion, chopped
1 cup sour cream
1 cup American cheese, grated
Cut beef in 1- inch cubes; season with salt and pepper. Brown on all sides in hot fat. Add onion near end of browning time and cook until soft. Transfer to large casserole or Dutch oven and add sour cream, cheese, wine, garlic and herbs. Cover and bake at 325 for two hours or until meat is almost tender. Add undiluted soup. Mix well and bake for 20 minutes longer. Add a little water if necessary during cooking time. Serve over rice.
I could go on and on listing internationally influenced Southern recipes, and for some reason good BBQ spots. The great thing about these trans-Atlantic flavored dishes, is that they are, too, decidedly Southern. And that's the great thing about the South, it truly can be called the melting pot of our country. Because everything good always starts in the kitchen.
Mr. and I were in Clarksdale, MS recently for a "wedding". Read A Secret Wedding to explain the quotes! On Saturday we ate some of the best BBQ ever at Abe's. This joint is an institution not only in Clarksdale and Mississippi, but around the South. If you ever go, try their BBQ sauce on the potato chips- like magic. I will have to say that my favorite chopped pork sandwich with cole slaw on top is from The Barbecue House in Auburn, AL. Hands down a winner. As for ribs, the best ones come from a well-used Weber grill perched right outside the screen door of an old Russell cabin at Lake Martin. My cousins would cook those ribs all day, and boy were they good. Excuse the BBQ ramble, now back to Abe's. At the bottom of their menu was an interesting "to-go" item, 16 frozen grape leaves. I of course inquired of the natives what the grape leaves were used for, thinking it was some secret Delta treat I needed to know about. The general answer, "hmm, I don't know". I know grape leaves are essential in Mediterranean cooking, so maybe there is a thriving community in Clarksdale that is in demand of grape leaves. Or maybe it's a nod to Abe's heritage.
As I have mentioned before, I have several of my grandmother's cookbooks. Most are of the Junior League sort, definitely Southern, and published around the '50's and '60's. Keep in mind this is a time before Food Network, before international shipping of produce, before the common use of Olive Oil and Feta. One popular international dish that is prevalent in all of these loved cookbooks is the curry dish. You'll find chicken curry and shrimp curry the most popular. This is a chicken curry recipe from 150 Alabama First Lady's Cookbook, compiled by then First Lady Mrs. Albert Brewer in 1969.
Chicken Curry by Mrs. Eugene M. McLain
1/3 cup butter
3 pounds chicken, cut for fricassee
2 sliced onions
1 tablespoon curry powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon vinegar
Flour
Melt butter in hot frying pan. Add chicken. Cook 10 minutes. Add onion, curry, salt and vinegar. Add boiling water to cover. Simmer until chicken is tender. Remove chicken. Measure liquid. For each cup add 1 tablespoon flour, mixed with enough cold water to pour easily. Cook and stir five minutes and pour over chicken. Makes four servings.
Serve with fluffy rice, cooked until dry, and at least three of the following condiments:
Sauteed bananas in one inch pieces
Chopped hard cooked eggs
Green pepper, cut finely
Chopped toasted almonds
Coconut
Hot chutney
A version of this chicken curry, served with crepes, was served at a graduation lunch for me, hosted by my aunt.
The French have influenced Southern cooking the most, especially in seafood dishes, thanks to our port cities located on the Gulf. Two long standing recipes in my town are from the famous Blue Moon Cookbook, a must have for any Montgomery girl.
Crabmeat Au Gratin
1 lb fresh lump crabmeat 1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup light cream 2 Tbsp. finely diced celery
1 cup milk 1 Tbsp. grated onion
4 Tbsp. butter 1 Tbsp. chopped pimento
4 Tbsp. flour 3/4 grated, sharp cheddar cheese
1 tsp. Worcestershire
1/2 tsp salt
Make a medium sauce of butter, flour, milk and cream. Remove from heat and add seasonings, celery, onion and pimento. Cool. Stir in 1/2 cup cheese and crabmeat. Place in individual scallop shells or casseroles. Top with 1/4 cup cheese. Bake at 325 for about 15 minutes or until cheese is lightly browned.
Trout Amandine
4 fillets of trout 1/2 tsp pepper
2 eggs, beaten 1/2 tsp almond flavoring
2 Tbsp milk 1 cup crushed saltine crumbs
1/2 tsp paprika 1 cup sliced almonds
Wash and dry fish thoroughly. Salt and pepper lightly. Mix eggs, milk, paprika, pepper and almond flavoring. Strain. Combine crumbs and almonds. Dip fish in egg mixture. Roll in cracker mixture. Fry in deep fat at 375 degrees until browned. Drain on absorbent paper.
Last but not least, is the elegant dinner party standard, Beef Burgundy. Or, as The Barefoot Contessa calls it, Beef Bourguignonne. The recipe below is from my grandmother's most used cookbook, A Taste of Georgia published by the Newnan Junior League in 1977. Her best friend Lala lived in Newnan and we spent many a weekend in her beautiful antebellum home. We also would frequent Sprayberry's for some fabulous Brunswick Stew. Notice the Southern spin on this French classic; cream of mushroom soup!
Beef Burgundy I, from Mrs. George Busbee (Mary Beth), Governor's Mansion, Atlanta, Geo.
Oven: 325 for 2 hours 20 minutes Yield: 6 servings
1 1/2 pounds lean beef, cubed 1/2 cup Burgundy or red wine
2 tsp salt 1 clove garlic, minced
Freshly ground black pepper 1/4 tsp each, thyme, marjoram, basil
2 Tbsp fat 1 (10 3/4 oz) can cream of mushroom soup
1 onion, chopped
1 cup sour cream
1 cup American cheese, grated
Cut beef in 1- inch cubes; season with salt and pepper. Brown on all sides in hot fat. Add onion near end of browning time and cook until soft. Transfer to large casserole or Dutch oven and add sour cream, cheese, wine, garlic and herbs. Cover and bake at 325 for two hours or until meat is almost tender. Add undiluted soup. Mix well and bake for 20 minutes longer. Add a little water if necessary during cooking time. Serve over rice.
I could go on and on listing internationally influenced Southern recipes, and for some reason good BBQ spots. The great thing about these trans-Atlantic flavored dishes, is that they are, too, decidedly Southern. And that's the great thing about the South, it truly can be called the melting pot of our country. Because everything good always starts in the kitchen.
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