“Shrimp Rice is a very simple dish to make,” says Mrs. Emily Meggett, in her book titled, Gullah Geechee Home Cooking, “but it packs the flavor. When you cut your bacon, the slices should be no bigger than a fingertip, and you want your onions chopped fine.”
Carol Ann Heath has a recipe for Black Beans and Rice that she shares with us in Pot-Pourri of Zellwood put out by the Zellwood Community Center. It calls for one package of beans which will probably contain 1 pound (about 2 cups) of dry beans. Two cups will produce about 6 cups of cooked beans, drained. There are no instructions for cooking the beans, but normally you would soak the beans overnight and then cook them in 3 parts water to 1 part soaked beans. So, for 2 cups beans, you may need about 6 cups of water. Don’t let the beans dry out while cooking; keep an eye on the pot.
Southwestern Corn Bake is also in this treasure trove of recipes. This particular recipe was the 1st Prize Winner of NOCIA’s 1981 Zellwood Sweet Corn Festival. Both recipes look delicious.
How about making fresh peach cobbler? It is so good. We have a recipe from Allrecipes.com for Fresh Southern Peach Cobbler for you. This recipe is by aeposey, who said, “This peach cobbler recipe is something I’ve perfected over the years. It’s loved by all. Use fresh Georgia peaches, of course!” It takes 20 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook. Not too bad for a wonderful dessert!
Sis Pitman’s Granny’s Relish is a wonderful condiment that you can make up in your own kitchen, and the main ingredient can be found in your garden or at the local farmer’s markets. It is one of the great ‘treasures’ in Treasures and Pleasures cookbook.
EMILY MEGGETT’S SHRIMP RICE
Recipe from Gullah Geechee Home Cooking by Emily Meggett
2 pounds small shrimp
6 slices bacon
1 large onion, diced
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 tablespoon seasoning salt,
preferably Gold Medal
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
3 cups long-grain white rice, rinsed
1) Peel, devein, and wash the shrimp. Remove the tails. Set aside. 2) In a large skillet, cook the bacon for about 5 minutes, or until crisp, and chop it into small pieces. Add the onion and cook it with the bacon for 3 to 5 minutes, allowing the onion to become coated with bacon fat. 3) In a separate pan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and cook until pink, 2 to 3 minutes. 4) Remove the cooked shrimp from the butter and add it to the skillet with the bacon and onion. 5) Add 4-1/2 cups tepid water along with seasoning salt and crushed red pepper. 6) Bring the water to a boil, then add the uncooked rice. 7) Cook over low heat stirring frequently until the rice has absorbed almost all of the water, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir with a fork to ensure the rice is fluffy and done.
CAROL ANN HEATH’S
BLACK BEANS AND RICE
Recipe from
POT-POURRI OF ZELLWOOD,
published by The
Zellwood Community Center
1 package black beans
2 tablespoons olive oil
(no substitutions)
1 whole tomato
1 bay leaf
1 small onion
1/2 green pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup onion
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
Hot cooked rice
Mix beans and the next six ingredients. Bring to a boil. Cook with water for 3 to 3-1/2 hours until beans are tender. Discard what is left of the tomato, pepper, onion (and bay leaf). Saute the onion, pepper, oregano, cumin and salt in olive oil. Add wine vinegar and hot sauce. Stir all into beans. Cook for five minutes. Serve over hot cooked rice.
NOTE: General instructions for cooking dry beans:
A pound of dry beans measures out to two cups. Pick over beans to remove stones, shriveled beans or other debris. Put in large pot to rinse, run clean water over beans, discarding rinse water.
Presoaking will make your beans more edible and digestible. Easiest presoak method is to soak overnight by placing in a large pot and covering with an inch of water over the top of the beans. Alternatively, if you don’t have the luxury for overnight soaking, cover with water and bring quickly to full boil. Let beans sit for an hour on the stove in the hot water to soften prior to cooking.
When cooking, place beans in a large pot on the stove, pressure cooker or multi-cooker (refer to manufacturer’s instructions for pressure cooker or slow cooker). Add enough water to cover beans. Check from time to time, adding water if it has gotten too low; being too dry results in mealy beans. You can freeze leftover beans within four days after cooking. It takes between an hour and two hours for most dry beans.
SOUTHWESTERN CORN BAKE
Recipe from
POT-POURRI OF ZELLWOOD,
published by The
Zellwood Community Center
1 dozen ears corn, cut cream style (cut and scraped)
2 eggs beaten
3/4 cups yellow corn meal
1 teaspoon garlic salt
6 tablespoons salad oil
1 4-ounce can green chili peppers, finely cut
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
Mix together all ingredients except chili peppers and cheese. Divide mixture in half. Place one half in a greased 8 x 8 x 2-inch baking dish. Mix together chili peppers and cheese; lay on top of corn mixture in the dish. Cover with the remaining corn mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes.
AEPOSEY’S FRESH
SOUTHERN PEACH COBBLER
Recipe from allrecipes.com
8 fresh peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced into thin wedges
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
1/4 cup boiling water
3 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1) Gather all ingredients. 2) Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. 3) Combine peaches, 1/4 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, and cornstarch in a large bowl; toss to coat evenly and pour into a 2-quart baking dish. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. 4) Meanwhile, combine flour, 1/4 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Blend in butter with your fingertips or a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in water until just combined. 5) Remove peaches from oven, and drop spoonfuls of topping over them. 6) Mix 3 tablespoons white sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon together in a small bowl; sprinkle over entire cobbler. 7) Bake in the preheated oven until topping is golden, about 30 minutes.
SIS PITMAN’S GRANNY’S RELISH
Recipe from First Presbyterian
Church of Apopka,
Treasures and Pleasures
11 cups ground green tomatoes
4 cups ground green peppers
2 cups ground onions
4 tablespoons salt
3 cups vinegar
6 cups of sugar
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon celery seed
Mix tomatoes, peppers, onions and salt together and let stand one hour. Drain and transfer to a large kettle. Add vinegar, sugar, mustard, and celery seed. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer, uncovered for 20 minutes. Seal in sterile jars.
