Barbecue Ribs and Sauce using Emily Meggett’s instructions comes from her book, Gullah Geechee Home Cooking.
From The Jones-Morris Family Treasury, Chicken ‘n Rice (quick ‘n easy) recipe comes from Sandra Johansen.
If you like peas, Emily Meggett has a recipe for you in her book, Gullah Geechee Home Cooking. Many people are familiar with black-eyed peas, but not crowder peas. While crowder peas come from the same family as black-eyed peas, crowder peas are slightly bigger, and they don’t have that notorious black eye. Crowder peas are Black folks’ food – they sustained enslaved people in the South, and they sustained us growing up. We learned how to bring out the best of their flavor – the saltiness of pork mixes well with the starchiness of the peas – and thankfully, those techniques can be applied to whichever peas you have available. Because crowder peas are hard to find outside of the Lowcountry, you can use black-eyed peas or cowpeas for this recipe. Whichever you choose, make sure to wash your peas thoroughly to remove dirt and stones, and purchase the best ham hocks you can, as they give a salty and meaty flavor that you just can’t resist.
Margaruite Nowell’s Broccoli Salad looks scrumptious! Make it the day before you want to serve it. We found this recipe in Northside Baptist Church’s book of recipes.
Also from the The Jones-Morris Family Treasury, we found Linda Insley’s Gingersnaps. I could sit and eat good, spicy, gingersnaps with coffee ‘til I’m ready to pop!
The first time I ever had fried pies was when I was a child and enjoyed them at a church bazaar in South Carolina. They were so hot, but so good. We thank the Apopka Citizen Police Alumni Association for sharing their recipe for Fried Pies in Sharing Our Finest Cookbook.
EMILY MEGGETT’S
BARBECUE RIBS AND SAUCE
Recipe from Gullah Geechee Home Cooking by Emily Meggett
2 slabs baby back ribs
1 cup celery, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 to 2 tablespoons seasoning salt, to taste
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 cup ketchup
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 lemon, sliced
1) Preheat oven to 350 deg F.
2) In large, heavy-bottomed pot, precook the ribs with the celery, onion, bell pepper, seasoning salt, and vinegar in 2 quarts of water for 35 to 45 minutes over medium heat, until the bones are just slightly peeking out, and the meat easily slides or peels off the bone. Remove the ribs from the stock and save 1-1/2 cups of the liquid. Save the chopped celery, onion, and bell pepper. Set aside.
3) Place the ribs in a 9- by 13-inch baking pan, uncovered. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and pour off the grease. (Leave the oven on.) With a fork, mash the celery, onion, and bell pepper.
4) In a medium saucepan, combine the ketchup, brown sugar, mashed vegetables, and reserved cooking liquid. Bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, pour over the cooked ribs. Place the lemon slices on top of the ribs. Cover. Return the ribs to the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.
SANDRA JOHANSEN’S
CHICKEN ‘N RICE (QUICK ‘N EASY)
Recipe from THE JONES-MORRIS FAMILY TREASURY
3 tablespoons oil
1-1/2 cups coarsely chopped celery (or substitute green pepper)
3/4 cup thinly sliced onions
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 cups chicken stock
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 cups cooked slivered white
chicken meat
3 ripe tomatoes cut into wedges
1-1/3 cups Minute Rice or
quick-cooking rice
Slivered blanched almonds
Cook onion and celery (or pepper) in oil over low heat until soft. Mix cornstarch with a little of the broth. Then add remaining stock and soy sauce. Add chicken to vegetables. Then add stock, stirring constantly but gently. Cook and stir until sauce is thickened and clear. Add tomatoes. Cook until heated through. Prepare rice according to package directions. Spoon chicken over rice. Sprinkle with almonds.
EMILY MEGGETT’S
CROWDER PEAS, BLACK-EYED PEAS, OR COWPEAS
Recipe from Gullah Geechee Home Cooking by Emily Meggett
2 14-ounce smoked ham hocks sliced into 1-inch pieces
1 quart fresh or dried crowder peas, black-eyed peas, or cowpeas
1-1/2 tablespoons salt, plus more if needed
1-1/2 teaspoons pepper, plus more if needed
1) In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, combine 3 quarts water and ham hock chunks. Cook over medium-low heat for about 45 minutes.
2) While the ham hocks are cooking, wash the peas thoroughly, removing any dirt or stones. About 30 minutes into cooking the ham hocks, add the peas to the pot, bring to a boil, and boil for about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and cover the pot. If using fresh peas cook for about 1-1/2 hours. If using dried peas, cook for 2 to 2-1/2 hours.
3) Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Notes: The liquid in the finished pot of peas should be a gravy consistency, not watery.
When working with peas/beans, canned peas/beans require the least amount of cooking time, about 15 minutes, followed by green or frozen peas/beans, which require 45 minutes. Fresh-from-the-garden peas need 1-1/2 hours.
Dried peas/beans require the longest cooking time, 2 to 2-1/2 hours. Bring them to a boil, then reduce to medium heat and simmer until done. Add water and cook longer as needed
MARGARUITE NOWELL’S
BROCCOLI SALAD
Recipe from Northside Baptist Church’s cookbook
1 large bunch broccoli florets
1 cup raisins
1 cup celery
2 cups grapes, cut in half
1 cup almonds, slivered
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 small red onion
3 or 4 slices bacon, cooked,
crumbled
Dressing for broccoli salad:
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
Mix all salad ingredients together. Put in crumbled bacon. Pour salad dressing in and toss. Refrigerate 24 hours.
LINDA INSLEY’S
GINGERSNAPS
Recipe from
THE JONES-MORRIS FAMILY TREASURY
3/4 cup shortening
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg
2-1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
Cream together first 4 ingredients until fluffy. Sift dry ingredients together. Stir into molasses mixture. Form into balls. Roll in granulated sugar. Place 2 inches apart on greased cookie sheet. Bake 375 degrees about 10 minutes.
FRIED PIES
(FROM OLD PENNSYLVANIA DUTCH COOKBOOK)
Recipe from Apopka Citizen Police Alumni Association,
Sharing Our Finest Cookbook
2 cups sifted flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening
1/3 cup cold water
Sweetened sieved fruit
(dried apricots, peaches, prunes or thick applesauce)
Sift the flour and salt together. Cut in shortening with pastry blender or two knives until pieces are size of small peas. Gradually sprinkle water over mixture, mixing lightly with a fork after each addition. Add only enough water to hold pastry together. Roll out dough on a floured surface about 1/8-inch thick. Cut out 4-inch rounds. Spoon 1 tablespoon sweetened fruit onto each round. Moisten edges with water. Fold into semi-circles and press edges together with fork. Fry in deep fat, heated to 365 degrees. Fry about 3 minutes or until light golden brown; turn pies during frying. Remove from fat; drain on absorbent paper. Makes 1 dozen pies.
