Found in her cookbook, Gullah Gee-chee Home Cooking, Mrs. Emily Meggett has a recipe for Pork Loin Roast that will serve 8 to 10 people. She said, “This pork loin roast creates its own gravy during the cooking process. The Kitchen Bouquet adds a bit more seasoning and gives color to the gravy, making it a deeper brown after it’s done cooking.”
Field to Feast has recipes from all over our peerless state of Florida. This one for Minorcan Black Beans comes from “Old St. Augustine.” In 2004, Craig and Barbie Raynor took over the reins of the company of the late Jerry Millen, a botanist by trade, and named it “Taste of Old St. Augustine.” It became a division of their specialty-foods business.
Said Barbie, “Our mission is to foster awareness of our great, ancient city through the creation of wonderful-tasting products.” Their datil-based products include two types of hot sauce, barbecue sauce, two marinades, a spice blend, and other seasonal products, which are made in small batches using locally raised ingredients.
Small yellow, and fiery hot datil peppers are deeply rooted in both St. Augustine culture and the culture of the local Minorcans, descendants of immigrants from the Spanish island of Minorca, who have been in St. Augustine since the 1700s. It’s believed that the peppers most likely came from the Caribbean, but they grow only in Florida today. Datils, which are in the same family as super-spicy habaneros but with a sweeter flavor, are heavily used in Minorcan cooking.
From New Vision Community Church’s Feeding the Flock, we have Nancy Payne’s Butternut Squash Casserole. These large squashes are wonderfully delicious and nutritious, as well as satisfying to us as we consume them. They are also thrifty considering their benefits, and easily prepared as they are quickly baked in the oven.
Old-timers could make mouth-watering dishes for their family with access only to scant ingredients. Maple Apples from The Original Country Cookbook has just three ingredients: apples, sugar, and water. Bake for an hour to an hour and a half. But since I do have cinnamon in my pantry, I just might be tempted to shake a little bit over the top before popping it into the oven. Yes, ma’am!
Joyce Lampp’s Cranberry Salad is a winner! It is sweet, tangy, and crunchy. It is very, very good, and it goes well with all kinds of meat including ham, and turkey, or chicken.
Lillian Cleghorn’s (delicious!) German Chocolate Pound Cake calls for a box cake and can of frosting. It’s super easy, and the icing is in the cake! This comes from Northside Baptist Church’s cookbook.
EMILY MEGGETT’S
PORK LOIN ROAST
Recipe from Gullah Geechee Home Cooking by Emily Meggett
6 to 8 pounds pork loan roast
Seasoning salt
Self-rising flour,
preferably White Lily
1 large onion, sliced
1/2 bell pepper, sliced
1 (0.7-ounce) package dry
Italian dressing mix
1 teaspoon Kitchen Bouquet (optional)
1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Rinse the pork loin and pat it dry with a paper towel. This will allow the seasoning to adhere. Sprinkle with seasoning salt to taste. Dust with flour. 2) Place the loin in a 10 by 14-inch roasting pan. Top with the onion and bell pepper. Sprinkle with the Italian dressing mix. Add 4 cups water and Kitchen Bouquet, if using, to the pan. Cover. 4) Bake for 2-1/2 hours. Add more water during the cooking time, if needed.
MINORCAN BLACK BEANS
Recipe from FIELD TO FEAST
1 pound dried black beans
1 ham hock
1/4 cup olive oil
3 red or green bell peppers, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 onions, diced
1/4 pound Spanish chorizo
sausage, sliced
1/4 cup sherry vinegar or
red-wine vinegar
4 bay leaves
1/2 fresh datil pepper, minced, or 1 teaspoon datil hot sauce
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Cooked white rice, for serving
Chopped raw onion, for garnish
Chopped fresh parsley,
for garnish
Datil hot sauce, for garnish
1) Soak beans in cold water to cover overnight. In the morning, drain beans and place in a large stockpot with ham hock and enough water to cover by 2 inches. Do not add salt (yet). 2) Simmer, partially covered, over low heat for 3 to 4 hours until beans are tender, adding water as necessary to keep beans submerged. 3) Meanwhile, heat oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add bell peppers, garlic, and onions and saute until softened, for 4 to 5 minutes. 4) When beans are tender, add cooked vegetables, chorizo, vinegar, bay leaves, and fresh datil or datil hot sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste. 5) Simmer, covered, for 1 hour to blend flavors. Add water, if necessary, so beans do not become too thick or dry. 6) Serve beans over cooked white rice and garnish with onion, parsley, and extra datil hot sauce on the side. This makes six servings.
NANCY PAYNE’S BUTTERNUT SQUASH CASSEROLE
Recipe from New Vision Community Church’s Feeding the Flock
2 cups butternut squash,
cooked and mashed
3 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup melted butter
1/2 cup milk
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon coconut flavoring
Combine all ingredients, blending well; spoon into lightly greased 1-1/2 quart casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour or until firm.
MAPLE APPLES
Recipe from
The Original Country Cookbook
Published by Paragon Products, Inc., Pompano Beach
8 tart apples
1 cup soft maple sugar
1-1/2 cups boiling water
Pare and core apples and place in a shallow baking dish. Fill the center of the apples with soft maple sugar allowing 2 tablespoons of sugar for each apple. Put water in bottom of dish and bake in moderate 325-degree oven for 60-90 minutes until apples are soft, basting frequently with syrup made by the melting sugar and water. Serve warm with thin cream poured over the top.
JOYCE LAMPP’S
CRANBERRY SALAD
Recipe from
Reader of The Apopka Chief
and The Planter newspapers
1 small package Cranberry Jell-O
2 small packages Lemon Jell-O
1 cup sugar
3 cups hot water
1 can whole cranberry sauce
1 cup crushed pineapple
(not drained)
1 cup pineapple juice
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup pecans, chopped
Dissolve Jell-o and sugar in three cups hot water. Add whole cranberry sauce; stir until all is dissolved. Add pineapple juice. Stir in crushed pineapple, chopped celery and nuts. Pour into dish or mold. Refrigerate until firm.
LILLIAN CLEGHORN’S
GERMAN CHOCOLATE POUND CAKE (ICING IN THE CAKE)
Recipe from Northside Baptist Church’s cookbook
1 package (18.25 ounces)
German Chocolate Cake Mix
1 (15-ounce) can Coconut-
Pecan frosting
4 eggs
1/2 cup oil
1 cup water
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 12-cup tube pan or Bundt pan. Mix all ingredients (including the icing), with mixer, medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 55 to 60 minutes. Remove from oven to wire rack and cool for 10 minutes. Invert onto serving plate and dust with powdered sugar.
NOTE: This makes a large cake. Be sure to use the large 12-cup pan. Everyone loves this moist and delicious cake.
