America I AM Pass It Down Cookbook (21 page)
Karilyn Parks’ World’s Best Salmon Patties
Decatur, Georgia
SERVES 4
Karilyn Parks grew up in the South hating most Southern dishes because, she says, her mom, who was not much of a cook, did not do them justice. “It wasn’t until I started cooking that I realized it wasn’t the food, but her lack of culinary skill,” she says. Her recipe for salmon patties came out of a desire to turn the not-so-great version of the dish she remembers from childhood into something terrific and a little more healthful than her mother’s deep-fried version.
1 15-ounce can of pink salmon
1/3 cup chopped celery
1/3 cup chopped scallions
2 eggs
1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 cup Italian breadcrumbs
¾ cup plain breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ cup corn or canola oil
In a medium-size bowl, remove the skin and bones from the salmon and set aside.
Using a small fry pan, sauté the celery and scallions in one teaspoon of the oil until soft. Remove from heat and set aside.
In a small bowl, combine the two eggs and the soy sauce. Pour the egg mixture into the medium-size bowl with the salmon. Stir until well blended.
Stir in the remaining ingredients, starting with the Italian and plain breadcrumbs, then the scallions and celery, and finishing with the cayenne pepper.
Form the salmon mixture into medium-size round patties about 3 inches wide. Using a large fry pan, heat the remaining cooking oil. When the oil reaches 350° F or a bit of breadcrumbs dropped into oil bubbles vigorously, fry the patties at a low to medium-low heat for 5 minutes on each side or until golden brown.
Drain on a wire rack set over a cookie sheet or on a paper towel-lined plate and serve.
Zina Purnell’s Spicy Seafood Pasta
Lithonia, Georgia
SERVES 4
“As a single working parent I had to come up with different ways to prepare food using whatever I had available in the kitchen with minimal cooking and prep time,” says Zina Purnell. “I have always loved cooking, but everyday meals can become rather boring, and my daughter was not a lover of leftovers. One day I just decided to try something different using only what I had available in my kitchen. I just started mixing ingredients together based on smell and taste, and ended up with this dish. Seafood and pasta are two of my weaknesses and putting them together just sounded right.”
2 tablespoons virgin olive oil
1½ each green, red, yellow bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and sliced thinly
1 serrano chili pepper, stemmed, seeded, and sliced
2 cloves of garlic, sliced thinly
1¼ white onion, sliced thinly
1 package beef hot links, cut into bite-size pieces
1 large bottle Worcestershire sauce
1½ cups water
1½ pounds medium tiger shrimp, peeled and deveined
½ box spaghetti
Heat olive oil in a large fry pan on medium heat and add the bell peppers, Serrano chili pepper, onions, and garlic. Sauté, stirring often, until the peppers are soft, about 2–3 minutes.
Stir in the bottle of Worcestershire sauce and water. Bring mixture to a boil.
Heat another fry pan over medium heat and add the beef hot links. Cook until brown, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Remove pieces with a slotted spoon and add them to the Worcestershire sauce mixture.
Add the shrimp and turn heat down to low-medium. Cover and simmer 15–20 minutes.
Cook spaghetti per box directions and drain.
Place the spaghetti in a large bowl and pour the shrimp sauce mixture on top of it.
Zenzele Tanya Bell’s Fried Fish
Albany, New York
SERVES 4
Tanya Bell, an IT consultant who lives in Albany, New York and is an avid knitter, skier, and photographer, grew up in Brooklyn, New York, where she says this fried fish was a staple of family gatherings. “My family has been frying fish this way since before I was born. My mom’s side of the family is from an area called Swan Quarter in Hyde County, North Carolina, considered the ‘inner banks,’ meaning somewhere near the Outer Banks, and very close to water. My dad’s side is from Atlantic City.”
“Someone would always bring fish,” Ms. Bell says. “The adults would stand over the sink, gutting fish on newspapers, while the kids would ooh and aah, or say something like ‘That’s nasty!’ in the background. I thought for certain that I would learn the skill when I grew up, but the prevalence of the fillet made scaling fish obsolete.”
1 pound white flaky fish fillet, such as tilapia or whiting
1 cup yellow cornmeal
½ teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 cup canola oil for frying
salt to taste
Heat the oil in a large, deep fry pan over medium heat.
While oil is heating, mix the cornmeal, Old Bay Seasoning, black pepper, and garlic powder in a wide, shallow dish.
Coat the fillets in the cornmeal mixture and fry on medium-high heat until lightly brown on both sides, turning only once, 3–5 minutes per side.
Serve hot with salad or your favorite sides.
“Clean living keeps me in shape. Righteous thoughts are my secret—and New Orleans home cooking.”
— Fats Domino
Collard Greens with Smoked Pecans and Leeks
Harlem, New York
SERVES 4
Because Imani Wilson uses Koinonia hickory-smoked pecans, which are salted and spiced, these greens require minimal seasoning. If you’re using other nuts, add salt and pepper to taste. This recipe works best with a 4-inch-deep sauté pan with a diameter of 10-inch or more.
6 bunches young collard greens
3 small leeks or 2 large leeks, to yield 1½ cups sliced
3 tablespoons olive oil
2/3 cup smoked pecans
3 cloves garlic, smashed
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 cloves garlic, sliced
sea salt (optional)
freshly ground black pepper (optional)
Wash each collard leaf carefully both front and back and trim the stems off at the base of the leaves. Set aside.
Wash leeks and slice as thinly as possible. Stack ten collard leaves at a time, roll them tightly like a cigar. Using a chef’s knife, slice fine ribbons from each cigar.
Heat pan over medium flame for a minute. Add the oil and pecans to the pan. Remove pecans with a slotted spoon when they’ve just begun to toast. Set pecans aside and add smashed garlic and leeks to pan.
When the aromatics have softened slightly, stir in the red pepper flakes. Stir well to incorporate. Add all the greens and cover for 10 minutes.
Remove cover, add garlic slices, and return the toasted pecans to the pan. Stir well. Cover and cook another 5 minutes. The greens should be bright green in color and retain a crisp texture. Season with sea salt and black pepper, to taste, and serve immediately. Yields 10–12 cups.
Ron Johnson’s Crunchy Collards
Virginia Beach, Virginia
SERVES 4
Ron Johnson, an IT systems analyst for a major healthcare firm in southeastern Virginia, struggled with his weight and high blood pressure. He realized the only way to health was to change the way he ate. “My wife and I revisited all of our recipes and simply said, ‘Don’t change them. Let’s just make them healthier!’” he says. A passionate home cook who dreams one day of opening a restaurant he plans to name after his late father, Mr. Johnson says he learned his cooking skills from always being in the kitchen as his parents cooked for him and his three younger sisters. His adaptations of family recipes include these crunchy collards, which he says are not your traditional collard greens. His new way of cooking has certainly paid off. “Since we started using healthier ingredients with our cooking along with other personal changes, I’ve lost 41 pounds and have never felt better!” he says.
1 1/3 pounds collard greens, cleaned well, with thick stems removed
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup minced, smoked turkey leg meat
¼ cup chopped garlic
3½ cups low-fat/low-sodium chicken broth
½ cup water
¼ cup vinegar
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
¼ cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper (optional)
Place several collard greens on top of each other in a stack and roll them up like a cigar. Slice the roll in 1-inch sections. Repeat with all the greens. Place the cigars in a big bowl, cover with paper towels, and set in the fridge until ready.
Place the turkey meat in a large bowl and add the garlic. Mix well.
Heat a medium-size fry pan on medium-high and add the olive oil. Add turkey and garlic mixture and fry over medium heat 6–8 minutes or until the turkey pieces start to brown.
In a large saucepan, add chicken broth, water, and vinegar, and heat on medium high heat. When the mixture just comes to a boil, add the turkey mixture. In a stockpot, add chicken broth, water, and vinegar. Stir in the salt and pepper. Allow the mixture to simmer 2–4 minutes and add collard greens. Stir well, cover, and cook 30 minutes.