A Love Affair with Southern Cooking (75 page)

Sweet milk: Fresh milk as opposed to buttermilk (or sour milk).

Sweet sorghum: See
sorghum molasses.

Sweet tea: The presweetened iced tea both southern home cooks and restaurants serve. Today some restaurants also offer the option of “unsweet tea.” In country or small-town restaurants, glasses are continually refilled at no extra charge.

Swimpy: Colloquial for “shrimp,” especially along the Gulf Coast and in the Georgia–South Carolina Lowcountry.

Syllabub: A frothy milk punch spiked with bourbon or rum introduced to the South by the English gentry who settled there. In the old days, cows were milked directly into the mix and that created the froth.

Tasso: Cold-smoked, cured, pickled pork or beef. Richly spiced, often peppery, and traditionally used to season gumbos, jambalayas, and other Cajun and Creole dishes, tasso has found new favor among innovative chefs elsewhere about the South who slip it into everything from “nouvelle Hoppin’ John” to Brunswick stews their grandmothers would never recognize.

Tassies: Bite-size tarts served mainly at teas, open houses, and receptions. Most popular flavors? Pecan (as in pecan pie) and lemon (as in lemon chess pie).

Tupelo honey: A rare honey made from the nectar of tupelo gum blossoms. These trees grow mainly in Florida and along the Gulf Coast. (See Sources, backmatter.)

Vegetable pear: Another name for
mirliton
.

Virginia ambrosia: Brunswick Stew. (See recipe, Chapter 3.)

Water-ground meal: See
stone-ground meal.

White lightning: Bootlegged whiskey. Also called
moonshine
(or
shine
) and
mountain dew
.

Winter cress: See
creecy greens.

Zephyrinas (“Zeffies”): I must confess that in all my years of living in the South, I’ve yet to meet a zephyrina, let alone taste one. Fortunately, when I was researching the subject, two fellow Southerners, good friends and colleagues, were there to enlighten me: James Villas, who grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Damon Lee Fowler of Savannah. Jim tells me that zephyrinas are wispy-thin crackers made of biscuit (usually beaten biscuit) dough, a Charleston specialty. “I remember as a child eating them there spread with pimento cheese at the wonderful old Henry’s restaurant…I think Mother and Daddy used to love them at Henry’s also with she-crab soup.” He adds that his grandmother would make “extra biscuit dough just to pound it out thin with a rolling pin for zephyrinas—or zeffies.” Jim includes a recipe for them in his engaging cookbook,
Biscuit Bliss
(2003), giving credit where credit is due. “Bill Neal writes about [zephyrinas] in his book,
Biscuits, Spoonbread, and Sweet Potato Pie,”
Jim says. “I include the recipe in my biscuit book with an acknowledgment to Bill.” Damon Lee Fowler tells me that zephyrinas, or rather crisp, flat wafers much like them, were a Savannah specialty as well. They differ, he explains, “only in detail and were traditionally served with turtle soup.” While on the zephyrinas hunt, Damon turned up a recipe for them in Sarah Rutledge’s
Carolina Housewife
(1847). And there they are in the “Breads, Cakes, Etc.” chapter of this predominately Lowcountry collection of receipts, calling for a pint of flour, “a small spoonful of butter,” and “sufficient water to make a dough that may be kneaded, and some salt.” Rutledge directs the reader to roll the dough “not thicker, if possible, than a sheet of paper,” to cut into rounds with a saucer, to prick with a fork, and to bake “in an oven moderately warm. They are baked instantaneously.” I should think so.

For Most Things Southern

boiledpeanuts.com. Everything from boiled peanuts and benne wafers to MoonPies, sorghum molasses, cane syrup, and stone-ground grits plus canned Brunswick stew, creecy greens, poke sallet, and she-crab soup.

southernseason.com. Grits and grains, parchment-thin Moravian cookies (ginger, sugar, lemon, black walnut), cheese straws hot and mild, wild honeys, barbecue sauces, pickles, and relishes (including the beloved Jerusalem artichoke pickle relish).

thevirginiacompany.com. Peanuts every which way, cheeses, cheese biscuits, crab cakes, Smithfield hams (even ham biscuits), smoked bacon and sausage links, fruit butters and spiced peaches, cookies and candies as well as some of the Old Dominion’s best wines.

Heat-And-Eat Barbecue, Brunswick Stew, and Other Savory Classics

barbarajeans.com. Crab cakes large, medium, and mini—all lump crabmeat, no fillers.
Southern Living
magazine calls them “the best.” Also she-crab soup.

carolinacurlytailbbq.com. Smoky, sweet-sour, hand-picked Eastern North Carolina barbecue by the pound and homemade Carolina Brunswick stew by the quart.

chesapeakebaygourmet.com. Maryland-style crab cakes, crab imperial, crab-stuffed mushrooms or shrimp, tomato-based Maryland crab soup, and more.

virginiatraditions.com. Barbecued ribs, breaded oysters, crab cakes, Virginia Brunswick stew, and so forth.

Bakeware

bakerscatalogue.com. Pan shapes and sizes not often available in retail stores.

cooksdream.com. Hard to find 7-and 8-inch tube (angel food cake) pans plus a variety of decorative pans both large and small.

Cakes and Pies, Cookies, and Candies

byrdcookiecompany.com. Headquarters for benne wafers, butter thins, Key lime coolers, peach cookies, and more. A Savannah tradition since 1924.

cajunpecanhouse.com. Mardi Gras king cakes, Cajun fruitcakes, pecan pies, and butter-roasted pecans plus sugared, cinnamon, or praliné pecans.

cakesbyjane.com. Moist, feathery, from-scratch pound cakes baked in some half dozen flavors (almond, Key lime, lemon, orange, pumpkin [November only], vanilla).

fudgeman.com. The world’s only saltwater fudge: smooth, creamy, addictive.

gethsemanifarms.org. Kentucky bourbon fruitcake and fudges (chocolate bourbon and butter-walnut bourbon).

hanescookies.com. Making gingery, super-thin Moravian cookies for more than 75 years, the Hanes family still hand-rolls, hand-cuts, and hand-packs each and every one.

mscheesestraws.com. Cheese straws sweet and savory, also Mississippi Mud Puppies® (oatmeal-pecan cookies chock-full of chocolate chips).

oldsalem.org. Paper-thin Moravian cookies (ginger, sugar, lemon, black walnut) plus Winkler Bakery mixes for Moravian Love Feast buns, sugar cake, gingerbread, and sweet potato muffins. Located on Old Salem’s Main Street, the 200-year-old Winkler Bakery still bakes its breads and cookies in wood-fired brick ovens.

sosupreme.com. Long on nuts and short on candied fruits, these Scott family fruitcakes win scores of “best I ever ates” and are shipped all over the world. Also, homemade peanut brittle, butter pecan crunch, chocolate-covered pecans, and more.

sunnylandfarms.com. Nut barks, brittles, clusters, and pralines.

thebestcake.com. Now available by mail, the perfect pound cake made with pure butter, eggs, sugar, and flour. This cake won “best in show” at the North Carolina State Fair.

Canning and Pickling Supplies

bakerscatalogue.com. A source for the powdered ascorbic acid and citric acid (sour salt) used to keep apples, peaches, pears, and other foods from darkening when canned or frozen.

canningpantry.com. Headquarters for pressure canners, water-bath canners, meat grinders, juicers, dehydrators, and a variety of other food conservation essentials.

goodmans.net. A large inventory of canning equipment and accessories.

homecanningsupply.com. Everything for the home canner: apple peelers, bean slicers, jelly jars, pickling crocks, pressure canners, and steam canners.

polsteins.com. Jars large and small, jar lifters, wide-mouth canning funnels, liquid and powdered pectin, even electric tomato squeezers.

mrswages.com. Pickling lime, pickling salt, and an anti-browning agent plus a variety of pectins and pickling mixes.

Cheeses

bedfordcheese.com. Aged, additive-free Cheddars.

gethsemanifarms.org. Making cheese since the 1940s, these Kentucky monks offer three different Trappist cheeses: mild, aged, and hickory-smoked.

Coffees

martinezfinecoffees.com. Outstanding estate coffees from Central and South America, Kenya, Hawaii, Jamaica (where the Martinez family has roots), and elsewhere. Personally selected beans, “the pick of the crop” roasted on the day of purchase or shipment.

Condiments, Sauces, and Seasonings

thencstore.com. Bone Suckin’ barbecue sauces hot and mild (voted “America’s best” by
Food & Wine
magazine) plus Bone Suckin’ mustard, salsa, rib rub, and hot pepper sauce.

tonychachere.com. Gumbo filé, Cajun and Creole seasoning blends, marinades, gravy and batter mixes.

Fish and Shellfish

Blue crabs:

ilovecrabs.com. Hard-and soft-shell blue crabs, also jumbo Gulf Coast shrimp.

lintonsseafood.com. One-of-a-kind Maryland blue crabs from Crisfield on Chesapeake Bay. Also soft-shells in season, lump crabmeat, crab balls, crab soups, and chowders. A good source, too, for Chesapeake oysters and clams.

virginiatraditions.com. Jumbo soft-shell crabs.

Stone crabs:

Stone crabs are prized for their large claws and the sweet, firm-but-tender meat they contain. The season for fresh stone crabs? Mid-October through mid-May.

beststonecrabs.com. Colossal stone crab claws packed and shipped.

freshchoiceseafood.com. Stone crab claws in four sizes: medium, large, jumbo, and colossal.

freshfloridastonecrab.com. Cooked stone crab claws as well as fresh in a variety of sizes.

ozonacrabco.com. A group of independent fishermen who concentrate on the Gulf’s prize catch: stone crabs. Founded nearly 100 years ago, the company is based near Tarpon Springs where, it’s said, stone crab claws are the biggest and best.

twinmarketplace.com. Right-off-the-boat stone crab claws overnighted to you plus a well-worth-ordering mustard-based stone crab sauce.

Catfish:

Kajun
Catfish.
No website. Purveyor of wild, freshly caught catfish. Phone: (504) 758-7454.

Des
Allemands Out Law Katfish.
No website. Another source for wild catfish. Phone: (985) 758-7454.

Crawfish:

lacrawfish.com. This family-owned business in Natchitoches, Louisiana, guarantees that the crawfish shipped to your door will arrive live and kicking. They also pack and ship jumbo Gulf shrimp.

cajuncrawfish.com. Shrimp, live crawfish, and a variety of other Cajun foods.

Flour, Cornmeal, Grits, and Other Grains

ansonmills.com. Organic, stone-ground cornmeal and grits milled in small batches; they’re praised for their fresh corn flavor. Also headquarters for the precious Carolina Gold rice.

hoppinjohns.com. Stone-ground grits (the coarsest grind), cornmeal, and corn flour.

J. T. Pollard Milling Co. No website; phone: 1-334-588-3391. Edna Lewis and Scott Peacock consider its stone-ground cornmeal the South’s best.

Logan
Turnpike Mills.
No website; phone: 1-800-844-7487.
Atlanta Cuisine
calls its water-ground grits “the best in the nation.” Logan also grinds cornmeal and flour.

marthawhite.com. An old Tennessee company relocated to Minnesota, Martha White still mills the soft-wheat flours southern bakers prize. Many southern supermarkets still stock Martha White flours, cornmeals, and mixes but if unavailable, they can be ordered online.

oldmillofguilford.com. From an eighteenth-century water-powered mill: yellow or white cornmeal and grits, unbleached plain or self-rising flour, high-gluten flour, rye flour, buckwheat flour, and more.

whitelily.com. Miller of the South’s beloved soft (low-gluten) flours (all-purpose and self-rising), essential for feathery cakes, flaky biscuits, and pastries. Other products: unbleached bread and self-rising flours; biscuit, brownie, cornmeal, muffin, and pancake mixes.

Fruits and Vegetables

Creecy greens (wild cress of the mustard family):

Available in 14.5-ounce cans from InTown General Mercantile in Aberdeen, North Carolina.
www.eintown.com/ourstore.

Key limes:

Some high-end southern groceries carry fresh Key limes in season (fall and early winter) as does the Whole Foods chain of stores.

Key lime juice:

floridajuice.com. Key lime juice by the case in small (1-pint), medium (1-quart), and large (1-gallon) bottles.

keylimejuice.com. What began as a Key West cottage industry more than thirty years ago (backyard Key limes
squeezed into beer bottles) has become the wholly professional Nellie & Joe’s Famous Lime Juice. For home cooks there are 16-ounce (1-pint) bottles; for food service industries there are 55-gallon drums.

williams-sonoma.com. Key lime juice in handy 12-ounce bottles.

Vidalia onions:

byronplantation.com. Spring and fall harvest Vidalias, baby Vidalias, plus Vidalia relishes, vinaigrettes, and other products.

manningfarms.com. Fresh Vidalias as well as cookbooks and assorted products.

vidaliasfinest.com. Jumbo Vidalias from the L. G. Herndon, Jr., Farms shipped in 10-or 40-pound boxes from May through September.

[email protected]. Two sizes of Vidalias—3-inch-or-larger Jumbos and 1¾-to 2¾-inch Mediums—shipped in season.

vidaliaarea.com/pdfs/OnionGrowersList. For a complete list of Vidalia Onion growers and handlers.

Ramps (wild leeks):

earthy.com. Fresh ramps, available only from late March through June.

Wild Persimmon Purée:

dillmanfarm.com. Just what you need for persimmon bread and pudding.

Hams, Bacon, Sausages, and Other Meats

Benton’s
Smoky Mountain Country Hams.
No website; phone: 1-423-442-5003. Sugar-cured or hickory-smoked hams and bacons, also American prosciutto.

cajunspecialtymeats.com. Purveyors of a variety of Cajun products, among them the classic tasso, andouille, and boudin as well as heat-and-eat turducken (duck-and-chicken-stuffed turkey) and crawfish étouffée–stuffed chicken.

comeaux.com. An excellent source for tasso; recommended by Slow Food USA.

ncsmokehouse.com. Headquarters for tasso, andouille, boudin, and other Cajun sausages.

newsomscountryham.com. Fine-fleshed hams aged from a 200-year-old curing process. Also available: smoked bacon and sausages, aged prosciutto hams.

smithfieldcollection.com. The famous Smithfield hams as well as Virginia country hams.

smithfield-companies.com. Smithfield hams, honey-cured hams, roasted ham, smoked ham, Virginia country ham, even ring-necked pheasant.

smithfieldhams.com. Smithfield hams featured in
The New York Times,
also ham and turkey combos and bacon and cheese biscuits.

[email protected]. Nitrite-free country hams made the same way for nearly 100 years. Ingredients: Ham, salt, brown sugar, fresh mountain air, and time.

thevirginiacompany.com. Honey-glazed Edwards hams and Smithfield hams plus smokehouse samplers from Smithfield.

virginiatraditions.com. The famous hickory-smoked Edwards Virginia hams (cooked or uncooked, bone-in or -out, whole, halves, or slices); bacons (sugar-cured, hickory-smoked, or nitrite-free), and sausages (smoked or fresh, links or patties).

Jams and Jellies, Pickles and Preserves

bedfordcheese.com. Wine jellies, hot pepper-pecan jelly, lemon curd.

sosupreme.com. Everything from blackberry jelly to peach marmalade to hot red pepper jelly. Wonderful mustards, too, plus a stellar tomato relish.

Soft Drinks

Cheerwine. Cherry-flavored soda from Salisbury, North Carolina. Available from
boiledpeanuts.com.

Royal
Crown Cola.
Southerners suffering withdrawal symptoms because they can’t find their favorite southern cola can order it from
boiledpeanuts.com.

Sun
Drop.
Another popular southern soda available from
boiledpeanuts.com.

Farm and Orchard Nuts

ab-nc.com. Home-style southern peanuts: blister-roasted, raw redskins, raw blanched peanuts, chocolate-dipped, and spicy, smoky Wingnuts®.

auntrubyspeanuts.com. Peanuts (the plump, sweet Virginias): salted in-the-shell, honey-roasted, raw shelled (even shelled and blanched), country-style, chocolate clusters.

byronplantation.com. Mammoth pecans in the shell or out plus pecan candies.

natchitochespecans.com. Pecans sugared, pecans spiced from a 400-acre Louisiana orchard.

thencstore.com. Toasted, wine-marinated peanuts (chardonnay or merlot), also mocha nuts, a margarita mix, and Fire Dancer jalapeño peanuts.