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Southern Cooking/Soul Food

What's your favorite dish?

This thread was inspired by the Shrimp and Grits I had for dinner last night.

by Anonymousreply 143October 23, 2022 4:17 PM

If I had to choose I would have to say smothered porkchops. Also blackberry cobbler.

by Anonymousreply 1June 19, 2022 2:30 PM

pear salad with shredded cheese and mayonnaise

not a favorite but definitely southern!

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by Anonymousreply 2June 19, 2022 2:49 PM

Tomato Pie.

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by Anonymousreply 3June 19, 2022 3:05 PM

Chicken livers!

by Anonymousreply 4June 19, 2022 3:08 PM

Holy fuck, that tomato pie looks amazing.

by Anonymousreply 5June 19, 2022 3:10 PM

Sweet potato biscuits. Fried okra.

by Anonymousreply 6June 19, 2022 3:26 PM

I enjoy guilt on toast.

by Anonymousreply 7June 19, 2022 3:55 PM

R3 & R5, my favorite tomato pie recipe is at the link, from a real (and cute) Southern boy's blog.

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by Anonymousreply 8June 19, 2022 4:08 PM

There is no way I could make tomato pie. I wonder if I can buy one from somewhere. That looks good.

by Anonymousreply 9June 20, 2022 1:54 AM

R9, it's not hard to make. The most difficult part is the pie crust and I used a store-bought one, which worked fine. The rest is just grating cheese and slicing tomatoes. It's well worth whatever effort it takes, you should try it.

by Anonymousreply 10June 20, 2022 1:58 AM

Fried okra.

by Anonymousreply 11June 20, 2022 1:58 AM

Corn pudding is an old favorite and rarely seen nowadays. It’s so sweet, I haven’t made it in years. A true pudding, almost a sweet, crustless quiche.

by Anonymousreply 12June 20, 2022 2:06 AM

Soul-food mac and cheese

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by Anonymousreply 13June 20, 2022 2:06 AM

fried chicken.

by Anonymousreply 14June 20, 2022 2:07 AM

Chitterlings

by Anonymousreply 15June 20, 2022 2:09 AM

Sweet Potato Pie

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by Anonymousreply 16June 20, 2022 2:14 AM

Potato salad with mashed potatoes and yellow mustard mixed with the mayonnaise (or maybe instead of mayonnaise).

by Anonymousreply 17June 20, 2022 2:18 AM

Sweet potato pie 🥧 slaps 🔥

by Anonymousreply 18June 20, 2022 2:26 AM

Anything with crawfish. Crawfish poboys, crawfish etouffe, crawfish pie...

by Anonymousreply 19June 20, 2022 2:27 AM

Tomato gravy and biscuits

by Anonymousreply 20June 20, 2022 2:29 AM

Pickled eggs

by Anonymousreply 21June 20, 2022 2:31 AM

Fried chicken and gumbo

by Anonymousreply 22June 20, 2022 2:35 AM

For the big pie holes here.

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by Anonymousreply 23June 20, 2022 2:36 AM

on a hot and humid day, you just break off a chunk of the cow's salt licks or suckle the sweet nectar of a youthful flower that's finally come of age off the vine.

on a cold day, you'd just warm your hands on the slow roasted, steamed or smoked, trad was those families that would smoke them beneath a pile of autumn leaves, sweet potato and carry them in your pocket on your way to school to keep your hands warm and rush to eat it before you went thru the door.

the harder to find is the authentic southern take on a german chocolate cake - which the secret was using almond paste liberally applied between layers and lightly beneath the upper frosting.

of staples, rice and beans. . . but that frequently takes us into the debate of south to southwest,, and most would place Louisana's influences in it's own categories... just as many I find I would recommend would fall into their own ethnic categories despite centuries of presence and influence in the U.S. or simply displaced by the trends of 1960s convenience cookbooks nationwide featuring jello molds, marshmallows and spray cheese in everything than it truly being southern dishes... or to this age where many seem to believe any of the 80s cancerous microwave cookbooks are southern.. and by southern, what they mean is trailer trash or ghetto. . . which this John Waters esque style of cusine is deemed southern but alas, watch the exaggerated moans and cries, the outrage and shame, when we get to the now fine dining meals of squirrel and squab.

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by Anonymousreply 24June 20, 2022 3:47 AM

If anyone else likes chicken livers, I get them at the store for $1.50-$2 a carton. You can't eat that many in one sitting, I don't care how big you are.

You want to wash them off in the sink really well, in a strainer, under cool water. Put them on paper towels in a single layer and pat dry. From here on out, I use the Neelys' recipe for chicken tenders to prepare my livers (needs more salt than the recipe calls for-- like 50-100% more).

My mom still uses crushed saltines, and she doesn't flour her livers before dipping it in egg. I'm not talking smack on my mom but the breading doesn't stick to her livers real well because she skips this critical step. You must dredge them in flour before dipping in the egg; the flour on the surface of the liver gives the egg something to stick to. If the egg doesn't stick, the breading won't stick either. If you're going to do all that work anyway, just do it right and flour them. And the panko breadcrumbs as called for in the recipe are superior to saltines or regular breadcrumbs.

I use peanut oil to fry them since it isn't an everyday occasion, any neutral oil will do but I like peanut oil for fried chicken. I use a cast iron skillet but you don't have to. I do recommend a thermometer to make sure the oil is the right temperature (360°) before you drop them and keep it ~350 while they're cooking. Cooler and theyll soak up too much oil, hotter and they won't be done in the middle. Don't turn them more than once so the breading stays on.

This recipe makes good tenders too, of course. I don't make the sauce if I'm making livers, but I do for tenders.

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by Anonymousreply 25June 20, 2022 4:19 AM

I fried my own chicken livers exactly ONE TIME.

No one told me that chicken livers repeatedly pop and spatter grease all over the kitchen while they are frying.

Huge mess. Never again.

by Anonymousreply 26June 20, 2022 6:49 AM

Collard greens

by Anonymousreply 27June 20, 2022 6:58 AM

r26 It's the water.

by Anonymousreply 28June 20, 2022 7:08 AM

[quote] "Chicken livers!"

My mother loved to eat these floured & fried, accomoanied by deep-fried potato wedges, rescue-chick @R14. I always preferred gizzards, because the texture is more palatable to me. I don't think I'd eat either one now. But I do still love some lightly salted, crispy potato wedges with a side of cool, sweet and creamy Amish macaroni salad (which is not Southern Soul Food, I know).

I love all of that Creole & some Cajun food, with my all-time favorite soul food dish being fried chicken.

by Anonymousreply 29June 20, 2022 7:17 AM

Collard greens, mustard greens, turnip greens, cheese grits, biscuits, fried chicken, fried catfish. Red-eye gravy (made with coffee), ambrosia, congealed salad. (jello with diced vegetables floating all up in there). Fish you can't get in the north (Grouper, mullet). Black eyed peas cooked with onions and bacon or fat back or side pork. Chitterlings - I just can't ........ Lots of desserts and cakes made with colas and the like.

A friend basically "stole" my White Trash Cookbook and I've never been able to wrest it back from his library. I wasn't raised in the South, but I had so many dishes at pot lucks and so forth when I lived down there that resembled his recipes, I've got to believe that most of his recipes were authentic. The author was taken from us during the AIDS era, but it was a classic both for the recipes and the photographs. Ernest Matthew Mickler. I see it's still available for sale on Amazon and Thriftbook.

by Anonymousreply 30June 20, 2022 7:23 AM

squash casserole, red beans and rice, most any kind of beans and rice (but lima beans are evil), leftover cornbread for breakfast, biscuits and cream gravy

by Anonymousreply 31June 20, 2022 7:51 AM

Yams.

by Anonymousreply 32June 20, 2022 8:06 AM

Pork chops, rice and tomato gravy, pole beans, mustard (or turnip) greens, and cornbread--that was always the first meal Mama made when I came to visit.

by Anonymousreply 33June 20, 2022 8:38 AM

Another vote for yams, red beans & rice, cornbread, and will add chicken fried steak. My absolute favorite, though, is smothered pork chops (served over rice and with string beans and applesauce as sides).

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by Anonymousreply 34June 20, 2022 8:44 AM

Peach cobbler

by Anonymousreply 35June 20, 2022 10:26 AM

^ thanks for the chicken liver recipe above.

by Anonymousreply 36June 20, 2022 10:28 AM

R12 -- Search "Memphis Corn Pudding."

by Anonymousreply 37June 20, 2022 10:29 AM

One of the best meal I've ever had was seared red snapper in mustard sauce with greens and polenta. Not a traditional southern meal, but I don't care. Another take on a not traditional southern meal, but related is deep fried lobster tail, mashed potatoes, fried onion strings, and salad or fresh green beans.

by Anonymousreply 38June 20, 2022 10:36 AM

I still remember a stellar Crawfish Maque Choux I was served at Commander's Palace in New Orleans years ago.

by Anonymousreply 39June 20, 2022 10:42 AM

He published a second cookbook that also has great photos, R30. You should repurchase the first and get a copy of the second. Great books.

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by Anonymousreply 40June 20, 2022 12:06 PM

R26, R28 is right, it was the water. You have to put them on paper towels in a single layer and pat dry before beginning the breading process. It takes 30 seconds. Water in oil that hot makes a big mess.

Don't die, dry before you fry. Give it one more try.

I used to just go to Grandy's for livers myself--they sold them cheaper than I could make them at home ($2.80/8pc), but they closed down and only Henderson Chicken 30 minutes away sells them now, but they're not great. These are outstanding.

by Anonymousreply 41June 20, 2022 1:13 PM

Everyone of these foods is delicious, haven't even mentioned gumbos. Can't pick just one!

by Anonymousreply 42June 20, 2022 1:17 PM

How is there anyone down south over the age of 50?

by Anonymousreply 43June 20, 2022 1:28 PM

Country Captain…anyone know what that is? A classic in Charleston.

by Anonymousreply 44June 20, 2022 2:04 PM

Livermush (not scrapple) sandwich on white toast with grits.

by Anonymousreply 45June 20, 2022 2:26 PM

Sweet tea

by Anonymousreply 46June 20, 2022 2:44 PM

Bojangles

by Anonymousreply 47June 20, 2022 2:44 PM

Is frybread eaten in the South outside of Native communities and groups?

by Anonymousreply 48June 20, 2022 2:48 PM

Cornbread

by Anonymousreply 49June 20, 2022 3:02 PM

Pound cake

by Anonymousreply 50June 20, 2022 3:02 PM

R48, not that I'm aware of. I live in Texas. It used to be something you'd see on the fairgrounds, etc., but I think the people for whom it was a traditional food (and lots of it) have largely gone extinct.

by Anonymousreply 51June 20, 2022 4:53 PM

Oh, darlin! Soul food is my favorite culinary escape. I love it all! But especially: bbq ribs, collard greens, corn-on-the-cob, rice and peas, potato salad, macaroni salad, cornbread and banana pudding. Of course, don't forget the moonshine! Ha!

by Anonymousreply 52June 20, 2022 5:01 PM

Collard greens as well.

by Anonymousreply 53June 20, 2022 5:11 PM

Crawfish pie...fantastic! I hate to say this, I'll sound like a fat whore, but Popeye's has the best red beans and rice IMO. I've had other people's homemade but Popeye's is almost creamy.

I'm in Texas and I make black-eyed peas and cornbread every New Year's day. Lots of onion and garlic and a piece of fatback for flavor.

by Anonymousreply 54June 20, 2022 5:18 PM

Croaker fish

by Anonymousreply 55June 20, 2022 8:25 PM

Catfish!

by Anonymousreply 56June 20, 2022 8:36 PM

Extra coarse grits with butter and salt.

Cheese grits are for Yankees

Unsweetened cornbread.

by Anonymousreply 57June 20, 2022 8:40 PM

To get the best corn bread you must grease the pan with bacon drippings preferably in a cast iron skillet. Get the skillet super hot then pour batter in.

by Anonymousreply 58June 20, 2022 8:50 PM

r40 that was an outstanding article about Mickler. Thanks for linking it!

by Anonymousreply 59June 21, 2022 6:46 AM

I have to add that I never ever had a decent bowl of grits in a diner in the south, although they will plop one down in front of you with every order of eggs. (I'm talking about places like Waffle House). In my opinion, grits are hard to mess up, and yet they succeeded in ruining them every time - mainly undercooked. In some books, (notably Mrs. Whaley Entertains) one can read that proper grits should be steamed/cooked in a double boiler, for an hour, but I think that is gilding the lily. I find that I have good success pouring the grits into cold water with some salt, stirring infrequently until the water begins boiling, then stirring like a crazy person until the grits begin to thicken and spew splatters of hot grits (like molten lava) into the air. Then it's time to cover them tightly and turn off the heat, but allow them to sit and cook in the steam for about another 10 minutes or so. Still, the entire process is going to take 20 minutes minimum, and probably closer to 30 until the right texture is achieved. I don't understand why many southern recipe writers insist that you have to pour the grits into boiling water. You have much less control over the process that way.

by Anonymousreply 60June 21, 2022 7:08 AM

Why are you expecting to get decent grits at the Waffle House of all places?

by Anonymousreply 61June 21, 2022 12:40 PM

Soul Food is a minor category within Southern Cooking. It's not x/y thing.

by Anonymousreply 62June 21, 2022 12:52 PM

Minor?

by Anonymousreply 63June 21, 2022 1:02 PM

Some people would say that they are two names for more or less the same thing. Who do you think cooked Southern Cooking?

by Anonymousreply 64June 21, 2022 1:02 PM

I just saw this recipe for a tomato tart that resembles the tomato pies above -- not southern but sounds good. If you want to skip the writer's long chatty preamble, hit "JUMP TO RECIPE" under the title, right next to the date. Somewhere in there, she says that you could use a store-bought crust instead of making a tart shell from scratch, which I'll definitely do whenever I get around to trying this.

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by Anonymousreply 65June 21, 2022 1:41 PM

This will seem a rather pedestrian choice, but there's something sublime about fried chicken made by a real country cook. Same with biscuits and gravy. Of course you know it would be superior to fast food, but even the finest restaurants can't compare to what a Southerner makes in their home kitchen. If you ever get the invite to a country cook's home, jump on it.

by Anonymousreply 66June 21, 2022 5:02 PM

banana pudding must have meringue and be baked!

by Anonymousreply 67June 21, 2022 5:13 PM

Home-friend chicken is not deep fried. It is fried in oil about halfway up, and covered, turning a few times. The skin is not like KFC, but softer and less crispy. It takes at least 25 minutes and is seldom seen in restaurants.

by Anonymousreply 68June 21, 2022 6:52 PM

Tony is correct. I could never get it and the blood probably helped turn me vegetarian 30 years ago.

Jane's chicken and biscuits.

I did learn other things.

by Anonymousreply 69June 21, 2022 6:59 PM

Buttermilk biscuits

by Anonymousreply 70June 22, 2022 11:26 AM

I highly recommend the books of the late Eugene Walter, if you don't know them. He was from Mobile, went to live in New York and then Italy (where he worked for Fellini and Antonioni, among others). He was known primarily as a food writer and is fascinating on the subject of Southern food. The tone is somewhat like that of Capote or Tn. Williams, knowledgeable and humorous. From Wikipedia: "Hints & Pinches (1991) is an encyclopedic coverage of more than 150 herbs, spices, chutneys and relishes." He wrote the volume on Southern Cooking for the Time-Life series on American Cooking, and it's worth reading (most libraries have this series of books). His autobiography, called "Milking the Moon", is really worth reading too: about what Mobile was like early in the XXth Century, and Europe after WWI: spotting Stravinsky walking casually through Paris, etc., and living in Roma during the years of "La Dolce Vita." He was also a co-founder of The Paris Review and Botteghe Oscure. The first 4 or 5 pages of Milking the Moon seem kind of twee and "over the top," but once he gets to narrating his story, it is really hard to put down. I've learned A LOT about food from these books.

by Anonymousreply 71June 22, 2022 2:25 PM

Fried pork chops. I suck the bones 🦴

by Anonymousreply 72June 22, 2022 2:25 PM

I always thought Mr. Neely was hot.

by Anonymousreply 73June 22, 2022 2:48 PM

For you chicken liver fans who want a fancier dish, Google "Squash Eudora."

by Anonymousreply 74June 22, 2022 2:53 PM

Yes, Eugene Walter is good. Bill Neal is worth checking out as well.

by Anonymousreply 75June 22, 2022 3:04 PM

R73, you know what, he split from his wife!

by Anonymousreply 76June 23, 2022 1:28 PM

I think my favorites are Southern pies and biscuits. Most of what's mentioned here in the way of entrees sounds a bit rich except for the tomato tart and gumbo.

by Anonymousreply 77June 23, 2022 2:14 PM

Yeah, it's mostly all the kind of food you'd serve the preacher during his annual visit, but Paula Deen and whoever started shoveling it at us every single day.

by Anonymousreply 78June 23, 2022 2:23 PM

I eat it once or twice every couple months. I just got my labs back on Monday and everything was excellent. Or within normal limits, at least.

by Anonymousreply 79June 23, 2022 6:52 PM

And it's poetic justice that Paula Deen all but destroyed her health promoting/normalizing that very over the top food to the masses-- donut bread pudding, etc.

That's not southern food, that's just a gross caricature.

by Anonymousreply 80June 23, 2022 6:55 PM

Fried Catfish

by Anonymousreply 81June 23, 2022 6:57 PM

Can you make a tomato pie the day before serving or will it get watery?

by Anonymousreply 82June 23, 2022 6:58 PM

Eastern NC barbecue.

by Anonymousreply 83June 23, 2022 6:59 PM

Boudin sausage

Dirty rice

Shrimp etouffee

Muffalettas

Peach cobbler

Sour cream grape salad

Mustard or collard greens with fatback

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by Anonymousreply 84June 23, 2022 6:59 PM

R82, the tomato pies I've made from the recipe linked at R8 were served warm the day of baking, but the leftovers were stored covered in the refrigerator overnight and served at room temperature the next day without being watery.

by Anonymousreply 85June 23, 2022 7:12 PM

I've tried different cheeses on my tomato pies. Feta or goat cheese works great.

by Anonymousreply 86June 23, 2022 7:18 PM

R85 thanks. I know what I’m making for Fourth of July.

by Anonymousreply 87June 23, 2022 8:37 PM

R87, if you can find red, white, and blue (or purple) heirloom tomatoes, that would look good for Independence Day.

by Anonymousreply 88June 24, 2022 1:47 AM

Fried catfish with hush puppies.

by Anonymousreply 89June 26, 2022 4:13 AM

I love hush puppies

by Anonymousreply 90June 26, 2022 2:14 PM

Do hipsters call them "hush puppers?"

by Anonymousreply 91June 26, 2022 2:16 PM

silent rescue dogs

by Anonymousreply 92June 26, 2022 2:18 PM

Eggplant Casserole with Shrimp, Asparagus Casserole, Watermelon Salad, butter peas, okra fritters, jalapeño cornbread, Catfish Briars, Cajun boiled peanuts, panneed veal, grits and grillades, fat salty oysters on the half shell with lemony cocktail sauce.

by Anonymousreply 93June 26, 2022 5:26 PM

eggplant? barf.

by Anonymousreply 94June 26, 2022 5:30 PM

unless your east indian or med.

by Anonymousreply 95June 26, 2022 5:31 PM

I would kill for a peach pie right now.

by Anonymousreply 96June 26, 2022 5:37 PM

White beans and rice are better than red beans and rice, but I like them both.

So many good choices on this thread. I'll throw in grilled cheese and gumbo. Best with plain American cheese, but if you're not having it with gumbo I'd make a pimiento cheese griller.

by Anonymousreply 97June 26, 2022 6:16 PM

Butterbeans and corn bread (sugar is FORBIDDEN!)

by Anonymousreply 98June 28, 2022 2:46 PM

Cornsticks. My Eastern NC brethren will agree.

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by Anonymousreply 99June 28, 2022 3:51 PM

Sometimes I wish I was born poor so that I could have eaten soul food as a child. I suppose I could still try it but I’m worried that it might be a shock to the system, and where would one even go to find things like chicken livers?

by Anonymousreply 100June 29, 2022 5:02 AM

R100, the butcher's dept of every supermarket I've ever been to carries chicken livers. I live in Calif but surely we're not unique in this?

by Anonymousreply 101June 29, 2022 12:40 PM

Fried turkey

by Anonymousreply 102June 29, 2022 1:45 PM

Chicken livers are fantastic, a rich delicacy. Fry them like you'd fry chicken, put them in a tomato sauce with mushrooms and madeira, serve with buttered noodles. Food fit for a King.

by Anonymousreply 103June 29, 2022 2:36 PM

No chicken livers. I don't eat offal.

by Anonymousreply 104June 29, 2022 2:59 PM

More for the rest of us, R104.

by Anonymousreply 105July 3, 2022 2:48 AM

My own crab and sausage gumbo.

Field greens, ramps, black-eyed peas and smoked hocks.

A good snoot sandwich.

Fried (good) buffalo fish steak or fried (good) catfish with fried potatoes, peppery salty slaw and hot sauce.

Carolina pulled pork on white buns, stewed tomato and okra,

Boiled crawdads, fresh corn, rolls.

Fried chicken (and cut those pieces down to size), mashed potatoes, green beans and piccalilli.

A good rabbit stew, Brunswick style.

by Anonymousreply 106July 3, 2022 3:28 AM

What are you, bizarro Greg? I don't really eat animals much, but that all sounds pretty tasty.

by Anonymousreply 107July 3, 2022 10:54 AM

I just up snoot sandwich and almost puked. 🤮

by Anonymousreply 108July 3, 2022 4:50 PM

^^^looked up

by Anonymousreply 109July 3, 2022 4:51 PM

R108, your childishness while being perfectly willing to get fat on McDonald's burgers is telling.

Did you know that one burger can have bits of meat from over 1,000 different animals, as it's all dumped, minced, slurried and plopped out of the system?

At least when you eat a snoot sandwich it's from only one pig.

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by Anonymousreply 110July 3, 2022 5:02 PM

Sorry R110 but I am not eating a whole pigs nose squashed between two slices of bread. The pic you posted is not the one I saw either.

How do you know what I eat or that I eat McDonald's?

by Anonymousreply 111July 3, 2022 5:11 PM

[quote] Home-friend chicken is not deep fried. It is fried in oil about halfway up, and covered, turning a few times. The skin is not like KFC, but softer and less crispy. It takes at least 25 minutes and is seldom seen in restaurants.

That's how my mom made fried chicken. The skin was pretty darn crispy.

by Anonymousreply 112July 3, 2022 5:11 PM

Fried pig brains and pickled pigs' feet.

by Anonymousreply 113July 3, 2022 11:15 PM

[quote] Is frybread eaten in the South outside of Native communities and groups?

We have 'hoe cakes' and 'hush puppies'. And no, hoe cakes don't get their name because they were once made by prostitutes. They get the name from the fact that they were cooked out in the fields by the field hands who would build a fire, put oil in a shovel kept especially for the purposes and fry them on the open fire. The lacey type of hoe cakes are the most wonderful things to eat with soup. And hush puppies (if they're made well) are a food of the gods.

by Anonymousreply 114July 3, 2022 11:28 PM

r108 I looked it up too, because I just didn't want to believe it. I thought it was a joke, like Seal Flipper Pie in the film "The Shipping News." Merely something to humiliate out-of-towners. My mind is blown that these two foods actually exist. I'll pass on both, y'all can have my share.

r60 If you want to improve the texture of your grits combine the water and grits(and salt if using), stir well, in the pot you'll cook them in. Let this slurry sit for an hour before putting them on the stove, the grits will swell a little bit and no chance of lumps. My grandmother did this whenever she made polenta, and hers was the creamiest around.

I'm a catfish fan. Enjoyed it when my husband and I would go visit his folks in Indiana(many moons ago), we'd stop at one restaurant(can't remember the name , it was due west of Indianapolis) that was known far and wide for the best fried catfish AND hush puppies. The only restaurant around here that had fried catfish(served as fingers) on the menu was Famous Dave's(unfortunately they closed the one near me)

by Anonymousreply 115July 4, 2022 12:25 PM

I need some peach cobbler now

by Anonymousreply 116July 5, 2022 12:51 AM

blueberry, yum... mom never really made cobbler...

by Anonymousreply 117July 5, 2022 12:53 AM

Here's a little tip for you cobbler makers. This is for a single or double crust cobbler, not one of those cobblers where you just spread a dry mixture over the top of the fruit. Before you put the top crust on take some of the rolled out dough & cut it into 2" pieces. Put the pieces down in with the fruit so that it's covered by the liquid. Once baked you'll end up with the most delicious fruit flavored dumplings inside your cobbler. They're heavenly.

by Anonymousreply 118July 5, 2022 11:42 AM

ohhh, mom did make like blueberry dumplings.

by Anonymousreply 119July 5, 2022 11:44 AM

The problem with most non southern made cobblers and pies is that they lack the rich flakiness of true southern cobblers

by Anonymousreply 120July 5, 2022 12:42 PM

I discovered chess pie when I lived in Tennessee (briefly). Really delicious especially if you’re a custard dessert fan.

A wonderful and witty southern cookbook is: “Being Dead Is No Excuse”

Lots of southern funeral fare plus a fun read.

by Anonymousreply 121July 5, 2022 2:58 PM

[quote]Lots of southern funeral fare plus a fun read.

If it comes in a casserole dish with aluminum foil on top, you know it's gonna be good.

by Anonymousreply 122July 5, 2022 2:59 PM

Make sure it's in the "Freezes Beautifully" section.

by Anonymousreply 123July 5, 2022 3:02 PM

I’d encourage everyone to look for a copy of La Bouche Creole by Leon Soniant. The recipient are fantastic. It is my go to for gumbo. And hush puppies.

by Anonymousreply 124July 5, 2022 3:06 PM

Neck bones

by Anonymousreply 125July 5, 2022 5:29 PM

^And feet.

by Anonymousreply 126July 5, 2022 5:36 PM

This is relevant

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by Anonymousreply 127July 5, 2022 8:45 PM

Another cobbler hint - (I'm talking about cobble with biscuit dough on top, not other versions, which are usually properly called crisps, crumbles, betties, or pandowdies) - make sure your fruit is boiling in its syrup before you drop the biscuit dough into it. Then whisk that cobbler into the preheated oven immediately. That will help the biscuit dough rise properly and the topping won't be tough or gluey. When I'm making cobbler, I use extra melted butter in the dough and add sugar to the dough as well. (Why hold back? There's no use pretending that this is health food)

by Anonymousreply 128July 6, 2022 7:47 AM

I don't know if corn pudding/"corn casserole" is southern, but it seems like this is the thread to ask-- is it any good?

My mom's coming to visit and I am going to make chicken livers, served with a green vegetable and something else. My mind keeps going to cornbread but I need something with more texture.

Corn pudding or corn casserole sound kind of good, but I've never had it. Maybe it would be too heavy with the livers.

by Anonymousreply 129October 23, 2022 5:31 AM

Biscuit dough for a cobbler? Not the Type of flaky Cobbler crust I am used to and love

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by Anonymousreply 130October 23, 2022 5:36 AM

Fried Chicken, deep fried shrimp, mac & cheese, butter biscuits, sweet potato pie.

by Anonymousreply 131October 23, 2022 5:43 AM

r130 - traditionally, cobbler is made with some sort of biscuit dough topping. Other toppings make it something else. What you are describing sounds like a slab pie, for instance.

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by Anonymousreply 132October 23, 2022 7:31 AM

It’s “macaroni and cheese,” not “mac and cheese.”

The latter is unbearably tacky.

by Anonymousreply 133October 23, 2022 7:42 AM
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by Anonymousreply 134October 23, 2022 7:56 AM

r127 The secret’s in the sauce

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by Anonymousreply 135October 23, 2022 8:11 AM

Dill Pickle Chips

yield: 4 servings

prep: 20 mins

cook: 20 mins

ingredients: high-quality oil for frying

1 large egg

2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

1 cup finely crushed pork rinds (or substitute chicken rinds, salmon rinds, almond flour, coconut flour, flax meal, finely ground nuts such as pecan, or commit ritual sacrifice with panko)

1/2 cup grated parmesean cheese

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon cayanne pepper

1 (16-ounce) jar dill pickle rounds, drained

instructions:

attach a candy thermometer to a dutch oven or other large heavy pot, then pour in 2 inches of oil and to medium-high heat. heat the oil to 375 (F)

in a shallow dish, whisk together the egg and cream. in another shallow dish, use fork to combine the pork rinds, parmesan cheese, garlic powder, paprika and cayanne

in small batches, dip the pickles in the egg wash and then in pork rind (or substitution) mixture, making sure to press the crumbs onto all sides of the pickles

working in batches, carefully place the pickles in the hot oil and fry until golden brown. 1 to 2 minutes per side. use a mesh skimmer or slotted spoon to remove the pickles from the oil and place on a paper towel-lined plate to drain. serve immediately with a dipping sauce of your choice. the pickle chips are best eaten the day they are made.

by Anonymousreply 136October 23, 2022 11:22 AM

R132, that’s not how black southerners do it. Flaky crust is our way

by Anonymousreply 137October 23, 2022 12:28 PM

Collard greens are an art. The best greens to me are always homemade. Restaurants and work cafeterias make the worst. Recently I have made mine in my slow cooker with smoked turkey, butter, chicken broth, onions, peppers and garlic.

by Anonymousreply 138October 23, 2022 12:34 PM

[quote] The best greens to me are always homemade.

r138 The same with pickling.

But much of that is becoming a lost art. Recipes are great for record but so, much is left ou... especially in generational family recipes. Like methods and just general knowledge from shopping to preparation to cooking. . . albeit, that stuff doesn't always mesh with modern contraints. Something of an irony, I suppose, how many of our conveniences, sometimes, limits us. It's not all just food, it's again we often take for granted our appliances and gadgets. . . sometimes trying to get that nostalgic taste of home requires knowing about different gases, woods, firing techniques or how they used to store and preserve food.

many family recipes are by oral tradition and the cooks were a bit more intuitive rather than specific, and the few that were written.. sometimes misinterpreted or outright altered (there was one writer, I'd find out omitted an ingredient because of their view on alcohol and spirits), or again, less than specific measurements.. My mum was cooking-challenged to begin with and so, she was utterly lost at measurements like a pinch, a smidge, a dash, a sprinkle a dollop or for what to keep and throw away; I was lucky my great auntie lived long enough that I could learn from her directly for what she would have called "common" sense.

by Anonymousreply 139October 23, 2022 1:16 PM

Cheese grits (with with lots of black pepper and hot sauce), especially when they're finished in the oven. Fried chicken, preferably left over and cold from the fridge. Milk gravy. Buttermilk biscuits. Buttermilk pancakes. Buttermilk pie. Chess pie. Meringue pie (chocolate, lemon, coconut). Rhubarb pie. Pecan pie. Red velvet cake, but only my grandmother's recipe. Bread pudding (of the non-Claire variety). Peach cobbler and blueberry cobbler.

Fried okra, dredged in cornmeal. Cornbread prepared with little to no flour. Hush puppies. Fried fish. Mustard greens and sometimes collards. Green beans with onions and potatoes. Hobo potatoes. Mashed potatoes, often with buttermilk. Potato salad with yellow mustard. Barbecued ribs, both beef and pork. Chicken and dumplings, where the dumplings are strips of biscuit dough, not round or dropped. Tomato and onion salad. Cucumber salad. Vinegar slaw. Cabbage.

So many things I loved that I can't even think of right now.

I grew up in Northern Missouri, surrounded by Midwestern "cuisine," but both my parents came from a small town in the Mid-South. They ate a lot of stuff I didn't care for, like ham and beans, navy beans, black-eyed peas, green peas. The only bean I've ever liked was green beans, period. I also drink my tea unsweetened, as did my mother's family, but the default down there is still quite sweet. Not Georgia- or Mississippi-sweet, but still pretty sweet. I like my sugar in my desserts, thank you. Not in my tea. My maternal grandmother's cooking changed as she grew older, largely to avoid heart disease. My dad's mom, however, cooked with bacon grease until they put her in the home.

by Anonymousreply 140October 23, 2022 3:36 PM

There is nothing more comforting than some fried chicken, mac n cheese, greens, sweet potatoes and cornbread especially after you haven't had in a while.

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by Anonymousreply 141October 23, 2022 3:54 PM

R127, I've never seen that one. Hilarious. I forgot how wildly genius they were.

by Anonymousreply 142October 23, 2022 4:01 PM

granny would scrub the tub and fill it with cucumbers in order to make sweet pickles. she added lye maybe? gross when i saw it but none of her youngins' families ran out of pickles for a year. they were great.

flour and dough all over the table to make chicken and dumplings or chicken pastry, depending on whom you asked. i use fake chicken and premade pastry and it is pretty close.

i also like my veggies cooked soft. meh to al dente.

by Anonymousreply 143October 23, 2022 4:17 PM
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