Category: Southern Cooking

Simple Fresh Butterbeans

Culinary, Side Dishes, Southern Cooking

Alright I have a confession to make I love butterbeans and it’s not a healthy normal relationship I’m a bit obsessed.  Butterbeans are baby Lima beans – there I said it.  There is a world of difference between the two though.  I am a card carrying member of the Butterbeans cult.  A number of recipes for Butterbeans will pop up here from time to time with most of them using a pork product, but not today.  This is a simple and delicious recipe for fresh baby limas or shall I say fresh Butterbeans. Enjoy.

3 cups beans, fresh not frozen or canned
6 cups water
1-2 bay leaves
⅛ teaspoon black pepper or to taste
1 tablespoon salt or to taste

Rinse Butterbeans well under cool water. In a 4-quart saucepan combine the beans, water, bay leaves, and pepper. Bring it up to a boil and skim off the impurities  that rises to the top during the first 10 minutes.

Cover the pot and reduce the heat slightly. Let it cook for 15 to 20 minutes more, or until the beans are tender. Turn off the heat and add the salt. Let the beans sit in the cooking liquid for 20 minutes before serving.

If you’re serving them on their own as a side which I would highly recommend, I’d stir in a pat of butter serving.

Stewed Okra and Tomatoes

Culinary, Side Dishes, Southern Cooking

2 tablespoons bacon fat (substitute olive oil for a vegetarian option)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 cup diced onions
6 cups fresh okra, sliced ½ inch thick
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 cups seeded small-dice tomatoes
2 teaspoons fresh oregano, chopped
1½ teaspoons red pepper flakes
1½ teaspoons Tabasco hot sauce
1½ cups Dark Chicken Stock (substitute vegetable stock for vegetarian alternative)

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, heat the bacon fat and sauté the garlic and onion until transparent, about 3 minutes. Add the okra, season with half of the salt and black pepper, and sauté, stirring approximately 7 minutes. Decrease the heat to low, stir in the tomatoes, and continue stirring until the tomatoes begin to break down. Add the oregano, red pepper flakes, Tabasco, and chicken stock and simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the okra is completely tender, 20 to 25 minutes. If it begins to dry up, add water as needed to maintain a thick consistency while cooking. Serve immediately.

* For a nice vegetarian meal serve over white rice.

Bourbon Sweet Potato Casserole

Casserole, Culinary, Southern Cooking, Vegetarian

3–4 pounds sweet potatoes
6 tablespoons butter, divided
2 tablespoons heavy cream
4 tablespoons bourbon
1¼ cups packed light brown sugar, divided
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
⅓ cup all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped pecans (Optional, but please use)

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Scrub the sweet potatoes well. Place on a baking sheet and bake for about 1 hour, until very soft when you press the skins. Remove from the oven and let stand until cool enough to handle. Slice in half and scoop the flesh into a large mixing bowl, discarding the skins.

Beat the sweet potatoes with a wooden spoon to mash them well. Stir in 2 tablespoons butter, the cream, the bourbon, and ¼ cup brown sugar. Beat in the cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, and allspice. Spread in a 1½-quart baking dish.

In a small bowl, combine the remaining 1 cup brown sugar and flour. Cut in the remaining 4 tablespoons butter, using a fork to blend well. Stir in the chopped pecans, if using and you should. Sprinkle the topping over the sweet potatoes.

Bake for 30 minutes, until the topping is light brown and a little crisp and the casserole is bubbly.

Seasoning Your Cast Iron Pan

Cooking Tools, Culinary, Southern Cooking

“Both of my grandmothers, from either end of Tennessee—McNairy County on the Tennessee River and Sevier County in Appalachia—cooked every day in cast iron. Mind you, these women could not have been more different. The South is a big place, and there are hundreds of miles and hundreds of years of diverging histories between folks in the Mississippi Delta and those in the Smokies. Tennessee is long, but cast iron is one common denominator.”

“The only tried-and-true way to season a cast-iron skillet is with lard.”
~ John Martin Taylor, Southern-Food Historian

Buy a Lodge cast-iron Pan they make the best in the world. They come pre-seasoned nowadays, but if you have your Great-Gramma’s pan that has been neglected or you just need to know how to season your pan here is an easy guide:

  • Wash a new skillet with warm soapy water once to remove the thin coating of wax applied at the factory. That’s the last time you should ever wash it with soap.
  • Have the butcher grind enough fresh pork fat to nearly fill the skillet. Place a thin layer of water (about ⅛ inch) in the bottom, and then add the fat. Put the skillet in the oven set to 225 degrees or on top of the stove over very low heat.
  • Melt the fat slowly; it can take an hour or more. When the solid matter (called cracklings) turns brown and sinks to the bottom, strain the fat into a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid and wipe out the skillet. After the fat has cooled, cover it and store in the refrigerator. You now have rendered lard for biscuits and piecrusts—and a seasoned skillet.
  • After each use, rub the inside of the skillet with bacon grease and wipe out the excess. The salt in the bacon grease will help preserve the skillet and keep food from sticking to the surface. If you must wash it to remove any dust or bits of burned food, don’t even think about putting it in the dishwasher. Use only cold water and a natural-bristle brush, then dry it thoroughly and wipe down with bacon grease.

Source: “The Southener’s Handbook,” by Garden & Gun

Texas Style Beef Barbecue Sauce

Barbecue, Culinary, Southern Cooking, Stocks & Sauces

2 tablespoons bacon grease
½ cup minced onion
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ cup cider vinegar
1 cup beef stock
1 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon hot sauce
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper

Melt the bacon grease in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, cumin, and cayenne and continue to cook until the onion is softened, about 3 minutes. Add the vinegar and stock and increase the heat to high to bring to a boil. Stir in the ketchup and hot sauce, then reduce the heat to medium-low, add the salt and black pepper, and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.

Alabama White Style Barbecue Sauce

Barbecue, Culinary, Southern Cooking, Stocks & Sauces

1 15-ounce jar mayonnaise (about 1½ cups)
¼ cup distilled white vinegar
1 tablespoon apple juice
Juice of ½ lemon
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk well to combine, then serve over barbecue chicken.

Store any remaining sauce in an airtight container, refrigerated.  Stir before serving.

Memphis Style Tomato Barbecue Sauce

Barbecue, Culinary, Southern Cooking, Stocks & Sauces

1 cup ketchup
1 cup Heinz chili sauce
⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons of Frank’s Red Hot or Tabasco
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon dry mustard
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons finely grated onion with juice
2 tablespoons brown sugar
½ teaspoon liquid smoke

Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring often, then reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 20 minutes. Serve immediately.

Allow any remaining sauce to cool to room temperature and store in an airtight container, refrigerated.

South Carolina Mustard Style Barbecue Sauce

Barbecue, Culinary, Southern Cooking, Stocks & Sauces

1 teaspoon oil
1 tablespoon grated onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup yellow mustard
½ cup apple cider vinegar
¼ cup honey
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
½ teaspoon celery seeds
1 teaspoon hot sauce

Place a saucepan over medium heat and add the oil. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Whisk in the remaining ingredients, stirring well to combine. Cook over medium heat until bubbles break the surface. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

Any remaining sauce should be left to cool to room temperature, then store in an airtight container, refrigerated.