From The Jones-Morris Family Treasury, Chicken ‘n Rice (quick ‘n easy) recipe is shared by Sandra Johansen.
Mark F. Sohn wrote Hearty Country Cooking, a James Beard Award Nominee. This book is full of wonderful recipes of Appalachian foods. And, while not Florida recipes, they are foods that many of us love using because the ingredients are easily obtainable and healthful that most of us enjoy and find valuable in our everyday living.
The introduction says, “The recipes and stories here are a synthesis of those loving, creative, and resourceful Appalachian cooks of the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s who would not let you leave the kitchen until you had eaten. They are the recipes of a gregarious people who have lived in, by, and under the tight mountains and narrow valleys that form the spine of this region. Now you can recreate authentic, home cooked mountain food.
The first recipe is for Summer Garden Vegetable Soup. “Once you have gathered the ingredients and chopped the vegetables, this ten-ingredient soup is a snap. I rate the recipe moderate in difficulty,” says Mark Sohn.
By mid-July, in most parts of the central and southern Appalachian mountains, you’ll find tomatoes, beans, corn, squash, and bell peppers ripe in our gardens. A good garden will produce for many months, and the rest of the year you’ll find these common vegetables in the market. During the winter, many country cooks have the tomatoes, beans, and corn stored in their can house, and they will use them to make Winter Vegetable Soup.
From Savannah Style, try the black bean soup. They instruct us to “use only a wooden spoon for stirring.” I don’t know why and have tried looking it up. Does anyone out there reading this know why they say to “use only a wooden spoon for stirring?”
Our friends in Georgia share Sybil Carter’s Grits and Egg Casserole in their wonderful publication, Plains Pot Pourri.
From Mrs. John Laurens, we have Custard Ice Cream, a cooked frozen goodie that you freeze in your refrigerator.
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.
MARK SOHN’S
SUMMER GARDEN
VEGETABLE SOUP
Hearty Country Cooking
2 cups elbow macaroni or small shells
2 pounds fresh tomatoes, cooked,
skin removed
1 cup water
2 cups fresh pole beans, cut in
1/2-inch pieces
2 cups fresh kernel corn
1 pound (3 cups) diced summer squash, yellow or zucchini
1 cup diced onion
1 cup green or red bell pepper
2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon pepper
1) Cook the macaroni according to the package directions. Drain, rinse, cover, and keep warm. Boil the tomatoes in the water for 10 minutes. Pull the skins off. 2) In a large pot over medium heat, bring the tomatoes and water to a boil. Add the beans, and simmer for 8 minutes. Add the corn, squash, and onion. Simmer another 8 minutes. Add the bell pepper, salt, and pepper. Stir well, remove from heat. 3) Serve hot or cold, and topped with the macaroni. We serve this soup with Skillet Corn Bread or saltine crackers and a slice of raw sweet onion.
Note: Healthy choice alternative: Except for the salt, which you can omit if you have to, this soup is just what the doctor ordered.
BLACK BEAN SOUP
Recipe from Savannah Style, a
Cookbook by The Junior League of Savannah, Inc.
1 pound black beans
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium ripe tomato
1 bay leaf
1/2 medium onion
1/2 medium green pepper
1 garlic clove, unpeeled and crushed
…
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 level teaspoon crushed oregano
1/4 teaspoon cumin
2 tablespoons wine vinegar
1 tablespoon salt
…
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
2 tablespoons dry sherry
1) Wash beans and discard imperfect ones. Place in a deep bowl and cover with water 2 inches above beans. Soak overnight. 2) Next day, pour beans into a 3 to 4 quart kettle with the same soaking water. If necessary, add more water so that beans will be covered one inch above. Add to the beans: 2 tablespoons olive oil, whole tomato, bay leaf, 1/2 onion, 1/2 green pepper, crushed garlic clove. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to moderate, cover and cook until beans are tender, about 1 hour. Use only a wooden spoon for stirring. Remove the bay leaf and what is left of the half onion, tomato, pepper and garlic. 3) In a skillet, heat 1/2 cup olive oil and sauté the chopped onion and green pepper until transparent. Add the garlic, crushed oregano, cumin, wine vinegar and salt. Stir to mix well and cook 2 minutes longer, then add to beans. Stir in hot sauce, cover and cook for a good half hour. Correct seasonings, and add sherry. Serve hot with cooked long grain white rice and raw chopped onions.
SYBIL CARTER’S
GRITS AND EGG CASSEROLE
Recipe from Food Favorites of Plains, Georgia Plains Pot Pourri
1 cup grits
4 cups water
2 egg yolks
2 egg whites, stiffly beaten
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup sharp cheese, grated
Salt and pepper to taste
Cook grits with dash of salt and let cool slightly. Add all remaining ingredients, blend well with grits and turn into baking dish. Bake 45 minutes at 325 degrees.
MRS. JOHN LAUREN’S
CUSTARD ICE CREAM
Recipe from Charleston Receipts, America’s Oldest Junior League
Cookbook in Print,
a Cookbook by The Junior League of Charleston, Inc.
1 cup milk
1 cup light cream
6 egg yolks
2 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
Scald 1 cup milk and 1 cup light cream. Add gradually to the slightly beaten egg yolks, mixed with the sugar and salt. Cook in double-boiler, stirring constantly, until the custard thickens and coats a spoon. Pour into a bowl and flavor with the vanilla. Cool. Beat the heavy cream until thick but not stiff. Fold into the custard. Pour into freezing tray, set the refrigerator to coldest point, and freeze until firm. Remove from refrigerator, beat and mash mixture in tray until smooth. Freeze again until firm. Remove and beat and mash again. Freeze until firm. Set control back to normal position. Serve with hot fudge sauce or fruit sauce. Serves 8 to 10.
