Dry rubbed ribs from Palmetto Creek Farms comes from the book titled From Field to Feast. This is simple to prepare and absolutely delicious. The ribs are oven baked in heavy-duty foil packets you make and seal around the ribs, great for folks who don’t want to fool around with a grill or smoker. I saw the temperature, “250 degrees” and thought I must have made a mistake. But no, the book really says “250 degrees for 2- to 2-1/2 hours.”
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.
Emily Meggett’s Fried Zucchini serves 6 to 8 and looks wonderful. She says, “I think of Fried Zucchini as vegetable chips. I slice my zucchini thin (but not TOO thin, as you’ll want to taste the vegetables, not just the breading), and season them with some salt before dipping them in a light batter and dropping them into the frying oil. You should fry these until they’re golden brown and serve them immediately. When you are going to fry anything, the oil must be hot enough so that whatever you put in there does not absorb the oil, but no so hot that it smokes.”
Sunshine Pie comes from Stew-Pot Favorites of Zellwood. Claire Ellington has gifted us with this lovely treasure.
PALMETTO CREEK FARMS,
AVON PARK,
DRY-RUBBED BABY BACK RIBS
Recipe from Field to Feast
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup paprika
1/4 cup ancho chili powder (dark Mexican chili powder)
4 teaspoons coarse salt
4 teaspoons smoked paprika
4 teaspoons cumin
4 teaspoons cayenne
4 (2-pound) slabs loin back ribs, membrane removed (ask your butcher to do this for you)
For the rub:
Mix brown sugar, paprika, ancho chili powder, salt, smoked paprika, cumin, and cayenne in a small bowl, making sure to break up chunks of brown sugar.
Put ribs bone side up on sheet pan. Season each slab with rub on both sides. Refrigerate at least 1 hour, loosely covered.
Heat oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut four (12- by 12-inch) square sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Put a slab of ribs, meat side up, on a sheet of foil. Fold ends to make loose packet around each slab; seal. Put packets on sheet pan. Bake 2- to 2-1/2 hours. Check ribs for doneness by gently pulling on bones. When they begin to pull away from meat, they are ready to serve.
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.
EMILY MEGGETT’S
FRIED ZUCCHINI
Recipe from Gullah Geechee Home Cooking by Emily Meggett
3 medium zucchini, sliced into rounds about 1/8-inch thick
1 tablespoon salt
1 large egg
1/3 cup milk, whole or 2-percent
1/2 cup self-rising flour
2-1/2 cups vegetable oil
1) Sprinkle the salt evenly onto the zucchini (use more salt if you like veggies a bit more salty). Set the salted zucchini aside. 2) In a large mixing bowl, combine the egg and milk. Add the zucchini slices, and make sure that every slice is coated in liquid. 3) Place the flour in a large paper bag (a grocery bag will do). Remove the zucchini slices from the wet mixture and add them to the bag with flour. Close the top of the bag and shake, shake, shake! Toss the ingredients back and forth, enough to where all of the zucchini slices are coated in the flour. 4) In a 12-inch cast-iron skillet, heat the cooking oil to a high temperature. Drop each zucchini slice carefully into the hot oil, make sure there is enough oil so the zucchini slices will float; cook in batches. Brown the zucchini on both sides until crisp. This should take no more than 5 minutes total. 5) Line a plate with two paper towels, and place the zucchini on the paper towels to allow the oil to drain. Serve immediately.
GLADYS RICE’S SUNSHINE PIE
Recipe from Stew-Pot Favorites
of Zellwood
1 can (6 oz) frozen orange juice or (fresh juice)
1 can (6 oz) water
1/3 cup pineapple juice
1/3 cup apricot juice
1 lb marshmallows
1-2/3 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup flaked coconut
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
Whipped cream, if desired
Combine orange juice, pineapple juice, and apricot nectar in a large pan and add marshmallows; heat gently until marshmallows are almost dissolved, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and stir until completely dissolved. Place pan in sink filled with ice water to chill quickly, cool to room temperature. Meanwhile, combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter; press into pan. Chill crust and add filling. Add walnuts and coconut after mixture has cooled. Refrigerate overnight if possible.
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