From Gullah Geechee Home Cooking, recipes from the Matriarch of Edisto Island, Emily Meggett, we have Fried Turkey. Miz Emily says, “Nothing gets me excited around Thanksgiving quite like my fried turkey. The size of the turkey is up to you, but it is what you do with just four ingredients that matters. A turkey fryer is essential for this dish, and you want to make sure you pay attention to the oil temperature. This dish takes a little work and a little patience, but once you make it, you will never want to eat a baked turkey again!”
We also have Oyster Stew from Emily Meggett’s Gullah Geechee Home Cooking, that will serve 10 to 12 people. You can use frozen oysters if you don’t have access to fresh.
Country Baked Maple Ham from The Original Country Cookbook will become a favorite with your crowd. It is simple to prepare and will be delicious. Below this recipe are instructions for four different ham glazes. And below that are instructions for you adventurous folk who wish to try your hand at ham curing!
Loraine Wright has shared her Rio Grande Pork Roast with us through Pot-Pourri of Zellwood, a publication put out by the Zellwood Community Center.
Old-timers could make mouth-watering dishes for their family with scant ingredients. Maple Apples from The Original Country Cookbook has just three ingredients.
Check below for Cranberry Sauce from Carol Ann Heath.
EMILY MEGGETT’S
FRIED TURKEY
Recipe from Gullah Geechee Home Cooking by Emily Meggett
1 16-pound whole turkey
Seasoning salt, preferably
Gold Medal Nature’s Seasons, to taste
3 gallons peanut oil
1) Wash the turkey thoroughly, cleaning out the cavity, and pat dry with paper towels. 2) Rub the outside of the turkey with seasoning salt and Nature’s Seasons. 3) Place the turkey in a baking dish. Cover with aluminum foil and place in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours, allowing it to absorb the flavors. 4) When ready to fry, go outdoors – for safety – and prepare the turkey fryer with the peanut oil according to the directions. Be sure to use a stable surface to prepare the fryer. 5) Heat the oil to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. The oil should be tested for correct temperature to the turkey will not absorb the oil. 6) With great care, place the turkey on the rack and lower it into the oil. 7) Fry the turkey at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 1 hour, or until golden brown, adjusting the heat as needed. Carefully lift it from the oil, transfer to a carving board, and serve.
Serves 8 to 10 people.
EMILY MEGGETT’S
OYSTER STEW
Recipe from Gullah Geechee Home Cooking by Emily Meggett
1/4 cup unsalted butter
plus set aside 2 tablespoons
unsalted butter
1-1/2 cups diced celery
1/2 onion, diced
3 cups whole or 2% milk
1 cup half-and-half
Seasoning salt, to taste
1 quart shucked oysters
Worcestershire sauce to taste
Oyster crackers or saltines, for serving
1) In a large skillet, melt the 1/4 cup butter over medium heat. Add the celery and onion and sauté until tender. 2) Pour the sautéed vegetables into the top of a double boiler. Add the milk and half-and-half, and bring water in the bottom of the double boiler to a boil. 3) Add seasoning salt to taste. Cook for 3 minutes. 4) Drain the oysters and place in a saucepan with the remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Cook the oysters over medium heat until curled. 5) Transfer the oysters to the top of the double boiler with the milk mixture. Gently stir together. Serve with Worcestershire sauce and crackers.
COUNTRY BAKED MAPLE HAM
Recipe from
The Original Country Cookbook
Published by Paragon Products, Inc., Pompano Beach
8-pound ham
3 quarts sweet apple cider
2 cups raisins
2 cups maple sugar
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup water
Simmer ham in cider for 2 hours. Drain, skin ham and cover it with paste made from maple sugar, mustard, cloves, and water. Place in a baking pan, pour cider over it, add raisins, and bake 2-1/2 hours at 325 degrees. Baste frequently. Make thickened gravy from cider raisin drippings. Serves 16 people.
BAKED HAM GLAZES
Recipe from
The Original Country Cookbook
Published by Paragon Products, Inc., Pompano Beach
Orange-Honey.
Combine 1/2 cup honey with 1/2 cup orange juice and 1 cup light brown sugar. Mix well.
Currant Jelly.
Blend together 1 cup currant jelly, 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard, and 2 tablespoons prepared horse radish.
Cranberry.
Fork whip 1 cup canned cranberry jelly with 1/2 cup light corn syrup.
Mustard.
Combine 1 cup light brown sugar, 1/4 cup prepared yellow mustard, and 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves.
HAM CURING
Recipe from
The Original Country Cookbook
Published by Paragon Products, Inc., Pompano Beach
This recipe is enough to cure 8 hams. Rub each ham well with a mixture of 8 quarts of salt, 16 tablespoons of black pepper, and 16 tablespoons of white sugar. Put some mixture into the shank bone. Wrap in brown paper and place in cloth bag. Hang with shank down. (16 tablespoons equals 1 cup!)
LORAINE WRIGHT’S
RIO GRANDE PORK ROAST
Recipe from
POT-POURRI OF ZELLWOOD
THE ZELLWOOD COMMUNITY CENTER
4-5 pound boneless rolled
pork loin roast
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon chili powder – twice
1/2 cup apple jelly
1/2 cup catsup
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 cup crushed corn chips
1) Place pork, fat side up, on rack in shallow roasting pan. 2) Combine the salt, garlic salt and the first 1/2 teaspoon chili powder, and rub into roast. 3) Roast in 325-degree oven for 2 to 2-1/2 hours or if you use a meat thermometer, until it registers 165 degrees. 4) In small saucepan, combine jelly, catsup, vinegar, and the remaining chili powder. 5) Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 2-3 minutes. 6) Brush roast with glaze. 7) Sprinkle top with crushed corn chips. 8) Continue roasting for 15 minutes more or until thermometer registers 170 degrees. 9) Remove roast from oven. Let stand 10 minutes. 10) Measure pan drippings, including any chips. Add water to make 1 cup. 11) Heat to boiling and pass around with meat.
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 melting sugar and the water. Serve warm with thin cream poured over the top.
CAROL ANN HEATH’S
CRANBERRY SAUCE
Recipe from
POT-POURRI OF ZELLWOOD
THE ZELLWOOD COMMUNITY CENTER
4 cups cranberries, fresh or frozen
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
Besides tasting great, one package of cranberries makes too much for one family, so divide into thirds or fourths, pour into jelly jars, and a few days before Thanksgiving, go and say “Happy Thanksgiving” to a friend with a jar of home-made cranberry sauce!
Along with Carol Ann’s instructions, I will add that I do just that: get a bag of cranberries, wash them, and boil in water with sugar as instructed on the bag. But I always add a fresh orange sliced into rounds and cut into quarters. Of course, remove seeds if needed. And I personally like chopped pecans added into the mixture. I get hooked on cranberry sauce at this time of year, but find no cranberries in the stores after Christmas. But, I just love it, so I usually buy a few extra bags for the freezer so I can feed my “addiction.”
(Add cranberries to boiling sugar water, return to boil and then turn down to simmer for about 10 minutes or until cranberries burst.)
