From What’s Cookin’?, we have Shrimp or Chicken Curry. This recipe was contributed by Mrs. Myrtle Womble who suggests serving it over hot, steamy rice. Keep in mind that when you use shrimp, plan your time carefully because shrimp gets tough with overcooking.

            From the book titled Gullah Geechee Home Cooking, Recipes from the Matriarch of Edisto Island, (South Carolina), Emily Meggett’s baked garlic grits are terrific. You can have them for breakfast, as I like, or for supper. They are really good. You need leftover grits for this recipe.

We have Fried Okra from Mark F. Sohn’s book Hearty Country Cooking. This vegetable, according to Sohn, is a late summer vegetable and a large tall plant that is related to cotton and hibiscus. The pointed, finger-shaped fruit is hairy and a bit slimy. Three- to four-inch yellow flowers with red centers make a showy ornament, and the pods, which develop to ten inches in length, make beautiful additions to dried flower arrangements.

            Neat and Sweet Farms in Lakeland shares their Peach Ice Cream recipe with Field to Feast, and we take full advantage! Your family will LOVE you when you surprise them with this hard to beat goody.

            We found Linda Insley’s Gingersnaps in The Jones-Morris Family Treasury. I love gingersnaps with coffee. Gingersnaps are wonderful any time, any season!

MARINATED CHICKEN ON THE GRILL

Recipe from Savannah Style, a Cookbook by The Junior League of Savannah, Inc.

12 chicken pieces

1-1/2 cups oil

3/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons dry mustard

2-1/2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon pepper

1/2 cup wine vinegar

1-1/2 teaspoons parsley flakes

1/2 cup lemon juice

2 tablespoons sugar

            Combine all ingredients and stir well. Pour over chicken pieces. Let stand in refrigerator overnight. Cook chicken on the grill in a pan for about 30 minutes, basting and turning frequently. Remove from pan and place chicken directly on grill for about 10 minutes.

MRS. MYRTLE WOMBLE’S

SHRIMP OR CHICKEN CURRY

Recipe from What’s Cookin’?

Published by The Apopka Woman’s Club

3 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup minced onion

1/2 teaspoon curry powder

3 tablespoons flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

1 cup chicken broth (or 1 chicken bouillon cube dissolved in 1 cup hot water)

1 cup milk

2 cups cooked, cleaned shrimp or 2 cups cut-up cooked chicken

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

            Melt butter over low heat in heavy saucepan. Saute onion and curry powder in melted butter. Blend in flour and seasonings. Cook over low heat until mixture is smooth and bubbly. Remove from heat. Stir in chicken broth and milk. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil 1 minute. Add shrimp or chicken and the lemon juice. Serve over rice. Makes 4 servings.

EMILY MEGGETT’S BAKED GARLIC GRITS OR LEFTOVER GRITS

Gullah Geechee Home Cooking,

Recipes from the Matriarch of Edisto Island

At least 6 cups leftover grits

3 garlic cloves, crushed; or 1 cup grated cheddar cheese

2 large eggs, beaten

Salt and pepper

1/4 cup breadcrumbs, or 1/4 cup grated cheese

Paprika

            1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9- by 13-inch baking dish. 2) In a large bowl, combine the grits with the garlic or 1 cup cheese, the eggs, and salt and pepper to taste. Pour into the prepared baking dish. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. 3) Sprinkle the top of the casserole with the breadcrumbs or cheese. 4) Preheat your oven’s broiler to 500 degrees Fahrenheit, or its highest setting. Once heated, place the grits under the broiler and cook until golden. Garnish with paprika.

MARK SOHN’S FRIED OKRA

Hearty Country Cooking

1/2 pound fresh or a pint of okra

4 ounces bacon

2 tablespoons self-rising cornmeal mix

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

            1) Slice the okra into 1/4-inch slices. In a large,  heavy skillet, fry the bacon until it is crisp. Remove the bacon and drain it on paper towels. Lower the heat. 2) Combine 1 tablespoon of the cornmeal with the salt and pepper. Sprinkle this over the okra, and stir. Add as much of the remaining cornmeal as will stick to the okra. 3) Add the okra to the bacon grease, and fry it over medium heat for about 20 minutes, or until the okra starts to brown on both sides. While you might cook this from beginning to end at low-medium, I use medium or high-medium heat first, and then when the okra starts to brown, I reduce the heat – okra burns easily. Add more oil, if necessary. 4) The goal is to cook the okra until it is brown, crunchy to the center, and about half its original size. 5) If the grease has not been absorbed, drain the okra on paper towels, and serve with the bacon, either crumbled or in strips.

Note: Healthy choice alternative: Replace the bacon with canola oil. Serve as a snack or vegetable.

Note 2: I learned something new about okra with Sohn’s information that it can be grown to use in decorative arrangements.

NEAT AND SWEET FARMS, LAKELAND, PEACH ICE CREAM

Recipe from Field to Feast

2-1/2 pounds fresh peaches, peeled, pitted, and chopped

1 cup sugar

1 pint half-and-half

14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk

12-ounce can evaporated milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups whole milk, or as needed

            Working in batches, puree peaches with sugar and half-and-half in a blender or food processor. Combine peach mixture, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and vanilla extract in a large bowl. Pour into a 1-gallon ice cream maker, then add enough whole milk to reach the fill line, about 2 cups. Freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze until firm.

LINDA INSLEY’S GINGERSNAPS

THE JONES-MORRIS FAMILY TREASURY

3/4 cup shortening

1 cup dark brown sugar

1/4 cup molasses

1 egg

2-1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ginger

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

Cream together first 4 ingredients until fluffy. Sift dry ingredients together. Stir into molasses mixture. Form into balls. Roll in granulated sugar. Place 2 inches apart on greased cookie sheet. Bake 375 degrees about 10 minutes.