Murder Hooks a Mermaid (30 page)
1
⁄
4
teaspoon garlic powder
1
⁄
4
teaspoon smoked paprika
1
⁄
4
teaspoon onion powder
1 4-ounce jar diced pimento, drained
salt and black pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients except salt and pepper in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly with a hand mixer or wooden spoon. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve this creamy spread with your favorite crackers, as a vegetable dip, stuffed in celery, or made into sandwiches.
Making fried cornbread is easy and quick. Just be patient letting the dough cool, and watch carefully while it’s frying.
FRIED CORNBREAD
1
1
⁄
2
cups self-rising cornmeal
1
⁄
2
teaspoon salt
2 cups boiling water
Mix cornmeal and salt in a large bowl. Stir well and pour boiling water over dry ingredients. Stir to mix well. Dough will be slightly runny, but will thicken as it cools. When dough is cool enough to handle, shape into balls about the size of a golf ball. Wetting your hands will help to prevent sticking as you shape. Flatten the balls with your fingers to about
1
⁄
2
inch thick.
Place the shaped pieces on plastic wrap or waxed paper until all pieces are shaped.
Heat about
1
⁄
2
inch of oil or shortening in a large frying pan. When the oil is hot, place a few pieces of cornbread in the hot oil. Cook until the bottoms are golden and the edges begin to brown. Turn and continue frying until the second sides are also golden.
Drain on paper towels and serve with your favorite southern main dish!
Dirty rice gets its name from the chicken livers and ground meat that colors the rice. Cooked with meat, herbs, and spices, dirty rice can be as mild or spicy as you like.
DIRTY RICE
1
⁄
4
pound chicken gizzards, finely chopped
1
⁄
2
pound chicken livers, finely chopped
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups uncooked white rice
4 cups chicken broth
salt to taste
1
⁄
2
teaspoon ground black pepper
1
⁄
4
teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup thinly sliced green onions, for garnish
Heat oil in large saucepan, over medium heat. Sauté gizzards and onion. When meat begins to brown, about 5 minutes, add liver and garlic. Continue cooking, stirring constantly, until brown.
Add rice, stir well, and add broth and seasonings. Cover and simmer until liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with green onions before serving.
Okra is a staple among southern vegetables. A standard ingredient in soups, stews, and gumbos, it also makes a great fried side dish.
FRIED OKRA
1 pound fresh okra
1 cup buttermilk
1 large egg
2 cups cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt
Vegetable oil for frying
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
Mix cornmeal and 1 teaspoon salt in a bowl and set aside. In another bowl, mix 1 tablespoon paprika and 1 tablespoon salt and set aside.
Trim stems and tips from okra and cut into
1
⁄
2
-inch slices. In a bowl, mix egg and buttermilk. Marinate okra slices in buttermilk mixture at room temperature for 15 minutes.
In a medium frying pan, heat
1
⁄
2
inch of oil to 375 degrees on frying thermometer. Remove okra from buttermilk marinade, let excess liquid drip off, then dredge in cornmeal mixture. Fry in small batches in hot oil, 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Drain on paper towels, sprinkle with paprika mixture, and serve.
Tomatoes show up in lots of southern dishes. They can be baked, broiled, fried, sliced, diced, made into sauce—or stewed. This basic recipe can be enhanced with herbs or spices such as garlic or pepper flakes, depending on your personal preferences.
STEWED TOMATOES
4 large tomatoes
1
⁄
4
cup chopped onion
1
⁄
4
cup chopped green pepper
1
⁄
4
cup chopped celery
2 cups water
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
Peel tomatoes by plunging them in boiling water for about 1 minute, then cooling enough to handle. Pierce skin with a sharp knife, and remove skin.
Cut tomatoes into large pieces, put in a saucepan with water, chopped vegetables, sugar, salt, and pepper. Simmer for about 15 minutes, until tomatoes are tender.
Ham
. The word evokes the smoky, salty goodness of seasoned and aged pork. Ham hocks flavor beans; fried ham slices accompany eggs; and thin, cold slices make an excellent sandwich. But nothing compares to the pleasure of a perfectly baked and glazed ham, hot from the oven.
BAKED HAM
1 tablespoon spice rub
*
1 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1
⁄
4
cup chopped pecans
1 5-pound high-quality fully cooked ham
Combine spice rub, brown sugar, butter, and chopped pecans, mixing until crumbly. Pat the mixture over the surface of the ham, using it all.
Place the ham in a heavy roasting pan, add 1 cup of water, and roast at 350 degrees for 1
1
⁄
2
to 2 hours, until internal temperature reaches 140 degrees. Check occasionally and add more water if needed. Let ham rest a few minutes before slicing, and serve with pan juices. If the juices are not thick enough for your taste, pour them into a saucepan and reduce over medium-high heat until thickened.
*
To make spice rub, combine equal parts of the following spices:
Anise seed
Fennel seed
Whole cloves
Whole peppercorns
Ground cinnamon
In a spice grinder, blend until ingredients become a fine powder.
Alternatively, use equal parts ground spices, plus an additional
1
⁄
2
teaspoon cinnamon.
Bananas Foster is more than a dessert—it’s performance art you can eat. While the traditional service (from Brennan’s in New Orleans) is over ice cream, bananas Foster can also be served over waffles or crepes. And if you believe that more is always better, you can garnish the dish with sweetened whipped cream.
BANANAS FOSTER
1
⁄
4
cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1
⁄
2
teaspoon cinnamon
1
⁄
4
cup banana liqueur
4 bananas, cut in half lengthwise, then halved
1
⁄
4
cup dark rum
1
⁄
2
teaspoon orange zest
4 scoops vanilla ice cream
In a sauté pan or heavy frying pan, melt the butter over low heat. Add cinnamon and sugar, stirring until sugar dissolves, then stir in banana liqueur.
Place cut bananas in hot syrup and simmer, spooning sauce over bananas. When the bananas begin to brown, carefully add the rum. If the sauce is very hot, the rum will flame on its own. If not,
carefully
ignite the rum
with a stick lighter. Cook until the flame subsides, 1 or 2 minutes.
Remove bananas and place four pieces over each scoop of ice cream.
Add orange zest to syrup, stir, spoon generously over each plate of bananas and ice cream, and serve immediately.
Bonus!
Quick and Easy
Hamburger Soup
This soup is not a traditional southern recipe, but it is one that makes good use of staples that are easily found in most kitchens. Easy to make, ready to eat in 30 minutes, and the recipe scales up if you find yourself feeding a crowd. With a plate of biscuits and some butter, it’s a hearty meal.
1 pound ground beef
1 cup frozen diced potatoes
2-3 cups frozen vegetables of your choice
1 46-ounce can vegetable juice cocktail
1 tablespoon dried minced onion or
1
⁄
4
cup frozen chopped onion
1
⁄
2
teaspoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon parsley flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
In a large stockpot, brown ground beef. Drain off excess fat and add vegetable juice cocktail, plus 2-3 cups water. Bring
broth to a boil, add frozen potatoes and vegetables along with herbs and spices.
Simmer over medium heat for 20-30 minutes, until vegetables are heated through.
This soup can lend itself to endless variations. Add a can of kidney beans or black beans; use different varieties of frozen vegetables; make it with leftover roast beef, chicken, or ham—you get the idea. Use your imagination—and your family’s favorite foods—to create a quick, one-pot meal.
