Spicy Catfish with Vegetables and Basil Cream is a recipe developed by the Test Kitchens at Southern Living All-Time Favorites. The secret to this recipe is in the sautéing.  

Emily Meggett, a beautiful person who was beloved by her community as well as numerous followers in the cooking arena, was born and raised on Edisto Island, South Carolina, in 1932. She passed a couple of years ago, but her recipes and generous philosophy is still with us through her book, “Gullah Geechee Home Cooking.” Miz Emily says, “You can usually find good fresh broccoli year-round in this day and age, but frozen broccoli works as well.” My sister, Isabel, gave me this book from which I have enjoyed numerous recipes. 

I like to rerun “Rethinking Rice” every few years simply because it is such great information for this much loved staple in our lives. It comes from Southern Living’s 1996 Annual Recipes. We hope (and believe) you will find it to be an invaluable guide for your food preparation. In fact, you will probably want to cut it out and put it with your favorite recipes stash. 

Southern Living’s Basic Cornbread is very simple and quick. You use buttermilk self-rising white cornmeal mix. Be very careful when working with the hot cast iron skillet. Remember, if you’re desperate for cornbread and don’t have buttermilk on hand, you can make a substitute with a cup of milk to which you add one tablespoon of either lemon juice or vinegar. 

From Stew-Pot Favorites of Zellwood, we have Orange-Nut Cake from Mrs. Violet Osborn. While it’s baking, you make an orange juice mixture and dribble it over the warm-out-of-the-oven cake. I’ve never made this cake, but gosh, it looks good. 

SPICY CATFISH WITH  

VEGETABLES AND BASIL CREAM 

Recipe from  

Southern Living All-Time Favorites 

3 tablespoons butter, divided 

1 (16-oz) pkg frozen whole kernel corn, thawed 

1 medium onion, chopped 

1 medium-size green bell pepper, chopped 

1 medium-size red bell pepper, chopped 

3/4 teaspoon salt 

3/4 teaspoon pepper 

1/2 cup all-purpose flour 

1/4 cup yellow cornmeal 

1 tablespoon Creole seasoning 

4 (6- to 8-ounce) catfish fillets 

1/3 cup buttermilk 

1 tablespoon vegetable oil 

1/2 cup whipping cream 

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil 

Garnish: fresh basil sprigs 

1) Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add corn, onion, and peppers; saute 6 to 8 minutes or until tender. Stir in salt and pepper; spoon onto serving dish, and keep warm. 2) Combine flour, cornmeal, and Creole seasoning in a large shallow dish. Dip fillets in buttermilk and dredge in flour mixture. 3) Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter with oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Cook fillets, in batches, 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until golden. Remove and arrange over vegetables. 4) Add cream to skillet, stirring to loosen particles from bottom of skillet. Add chopped basil, and cook, stirring often, 1 to 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve sauce with fillets and vegetables. Garnish, if desired. Makes 4 servings. 

EMILY MEGGETT’S BROCCOLI WITH CHEESE SAUCE 

Recipe from Gullah Geechee  

Home Cooking by Emily Meggett 

3 stalks broccoli, or 1 pound frozen broccoli 

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter 

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 

1 cup milk, whole or 2-percent 

1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese, mild, medium or sharp 

Pinch of salt 

Paprika 

Wash the broccoli and cut into florets. In an 8-quart pot, bring 4 quarts water to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, add the broccoli, and cook for 3 minutes. Drain and set the broccoli aside. Make the cheese sauce in a 2-quart saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Be very careful not to burn the butter. Once the butter is melted, stir in the flour, then slowly pour in the milk. Stir the mixture constantly until it’s smooth and thickened. Add the cheese and salt and stir until melted and smooth. Pour the cheese sauce over the broccoli and garnish with paprika. Serve immediately.  

RETHINKING RICE 

Information from  

Southern Living’s 1996 

Annual Recipes 

WHAT’S IN STORE? 

• Store rice in the refrigerator up to seven days or in the freezer in a heavy-duty, zip-top plastic freezer bag up to six months. 

• When refrigerating rice, be sure to cover the rice tightly so the grains won’t dry out or absorb the flavors of other foods. 

• To reheat rice, add 2 tablespoons liquid for each cup of leftover rice. Cover and reheat over medium-low heat 4 to 5 minutes. Or microwave, covered, at HIGH about 1-1/2 minutes per cup. 

• Leftover rice is a great soup thickener. 

• Give leftover rice a polished look: Firmly pack it in a well-oiled mold, cover with plastic wrap, and weight it down. Chill about an hour before unmolding onto a serving plate. Serve chilled. 

CHEAP TRICKS! 

For full flavor enhancement, don’t just cook rice in water. Substitute one of the following for all or part of the cooking water: apple, orange, or pineapple juice; chicken, vegetable, or beef stock; wine; beer; sherry; cream; or milk. Label and freeze small bags of leftover rice, and reheat when needed (1-cup bags are great for solo diners). 

Boost the flavor and appearance of reheated rice by adding the following: 

• Chopped dates and toasted nuts 

• Sliced mushrooms, green onions, or shallots 

• Chopped asparagus, bell pepper, broccoli, carrots, celery, green beans, onion, or tomato 

• Chopped ham, bacon, pork, or seafood (nice for fried rice – just add an egg, a bit of oil and soy sauce, and scramble in a wok or large skillet) 

• Chopped cilantro, parsley, or other fresh herbs; minced fresh ginger or garlic 

• Crushed pineapple, sliced mandarin oranges, chopped red or green apples, or raisins 

• Sliced ripe or pimiento-stuffed olives 

• Grated Romano or Parmesan cheese, or crumbled feta cheese. 

BASIC CORNBREAD 

SOUTHERN LIVING’S  

ALL TIME FAVORITES, 2009 

2 cups buttermilk self-rising white cornmeal mix 

1/2 cup all-purpose flour 

1/4 cup butter, melted 

1 large egg, lightly beaten 

2 cups buttermilk 

1) Heat a well-greased ovenproof skillet at 450 degrees for 5 minutes. 2) Stir together all ingredients in a bowl. Pour batter into hot (cast iron) skillet. 3) Bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 6 servings, one 9-inch cornbread or about 5 cups crumbled. 

VIOLET OSBORN’S ORANGE-NUT CAKE 

Recipe from Stew-Pot  

Favorites of Zellwood 

Woman’s Society of Christian  

Service, Zellwood, Florida 

1 large orange 

1 cup raisins 

1/2 cup pecans 

1 cups sifted flour 

1 teaspoon soda 

1 teaspoon salt 

1 cup sugar 

1/2 cup shortening 

1 cup milk 

2 eggs 

Grind orange pulp and rind with raisins and pecans. Save orange juice for topping. Sift together the flour, soda, salt, and sugar. Add shortening and 3/4-cup milk. Beat two minutes with electric mixer at low speed. Add eggs and 1/4-cup of milk. Beat two minutes. Fold orange-raisin-nut mixture into the batter. Pour into well-greased and lightly floured 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan. Bake in 350-degree oven for 40 to 50 minutes. While cake is baking, combine 1/3-cup orange juice, 1/3-cup sugar, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Heat to completely dissolve sugar and cinnamon. Drip this mixture over the warm cake. Sprinkle with 1/2-cup chopped pecans.