From Charleston Receipts, we have Crab with Curried Rice, contributed by Mrs. Jack W. Simmons. Depending on your taste preferences, be thoughtful as you adjust the level of spice. Some cooks like to add onions and garlic to their curried rice or even vegetables such as carrots, and peas, or bell pepper. For our younger or less-experienced cooks who are not yet in the habit of cooking on autopilot, I have added directions for basic white sauce at the bottom.
We found Best Beets from Mrs. Henry Staats (Juliette Wiles) in Charleston Receipts. Besides being high in fiber and low in calories, beets are loaded with antioxidants and nutrients such as manganese and folate and are known to lower blood pressure. And, something we are all interested in, they even support your brain health!
Mrs. Ethel Brown shared her recipe for Apple Pudding with Stew-Pot Favorites of Zellwood, of which we are the very fortunate recipients, from Claire Ellington. Summer, or not, puddings are always on our menu.
If you watch any TV, especially dramas, you probably notice that, almost as commonplace as breathing air or drinking water, the characters imbibe a lot of alcoholic drinks. I believe that this habit is not nearly as habitual in our everyday lives as they would have us believe. We have a couple of very simple beverages in this week’s column that are probably much healthier and much less deleterious for our bodies.
From Mark Sohn’s book, “Hearty Country Cooking,” he tells us how to prepare a treat: Old-Fashioned Lemonade. He says, “I make this drink one glass at a time, and I “serve” it to myself. Perhaps this joy is egocentric, but sometimes that’s the way with food. Food can be private.”
Spiced Iced Tea for any season or any celebration is not terribly time-consuming these days. Boil some water, open a couple cans of frozen citrus concentrate, and you have it ready for the chilling. This comes from Southern Living’s Annual Recipes from 1997. It’s delicious, and Grandpa and even the kids will love it.
MRS. JACK SIMMONS’ CRAB WITH CURRIED RICE
Recipe from Charleston Receipts, America’s Oldest Junior League Cookbook in Print,
a Cookbook by The Junior League of Charleston, Inc.
2 pounds crab meat
1 quart thick white sauce
1/2 cup finely cut bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped pimentos
1 cup finely cut celery
1-1/2 cups sharp cheese, coarsely grated
2 tablespoons Worcestershire
2 tablespoons sherry
Paprika, salt and pepper
Season the sauce with salt, pepper, Worcestershire and sherry. Combine all ingredients or arrange in layers in casserole dish, keeping back 1/2 cup cheese for top of dish. Sprinkle paprika over top and bake for one hour in moderate oven (around 350-375 degrees Fahrenheit). Serves 8-10. Serve with rice curry, prepared as follows.
MRS. JACK SIMMONS’ CURRIED RICE
Recipe from Charleston Receipts, America’s Oldest Junior League Cookbook in Print,
a Cookbook by The Junior League of Charleston, Inc.
2 cups rice
2 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon curry powder
Salt
Steam for one hour.
BASIC WHITE SAUCE
Make a roux of:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
Dash of white pepper
1 cup 2-percent milk
In small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour, salt, and pepper and stir until smooth. Gradually whisk in the milk. If you add it too quickly, it will result in lumps. If you find you are getting lumps, stop adding milk and stir constantly until they smooth out. You may need to turn up the heat a little bit. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook and stir until thickened, a couple of minutes until bubbling thoroughly.
For a whole quart of white sauce, you will have to multiply the above measurements by four, resulting in:
Eight tablespoons (1/2 cup) butter
8 tablespoons (1/2 cup) flour
About 1/2 teaspoon salt
Good shake of pepper
1 quart 2-percent milk
For extra thick white sauce, you will need to add a little more flour. Remember to cook the white sauce, don’t just mix the flour and liquid together.
MRS. HENRY P. STAATS’ BEST BEETS
Recipe from Charleston Receipts
2 cups fresh beets
3/4 tablespoon flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons butter
Cook whole beets until tender. If baby beets, leave whole, otherwise slice. Then cover with the following sauce: Mix flour with sugar and salt. Pour on vinegar and stir until dissolved. Let come to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook for 5 minutes and add butter. Pour sauce over beets and serve hot. Serves 4.
MRS. ETHEL BROWN’S APPLE PUDDING
Recipe from Stew-Pot Favorites of Zellwood
1/4 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 beaten egg
5 tart apples, finely chopped
1 cup sifted flour
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon soda
Cream the butter and sugar. Add beaten egg and blend well. Sift flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, and soda together and add to butter and sugar mixture. Then add chopped apples. Mix all together. Bake in shallow pan at 350 degrees until done. Serve with lemon sauce.
Lemon Sauce:
3 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1-1/2 tablespoons lemon juice and a little of the rind grated
Melt butter, add flour and stir until blended. Add other ingredients and allow to cook a few minutes over low heat. If too thick, add small amount of water. Serve over apple pudding.
OLD-FASHIONED LEMONADE
Hearty Country Cooking
By Mark F. Sohn
1 medium lemon or 1/4 cup lemon juice
An equal volume of sugar, or 1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
6 ice cubes
Yield: 1 serving.
SOUTHERN LIVING’S SPICED ICED TEA
Recipe from SOUTHERN LIVING’S 1997 ANNUAL RECIPES
2 quarts water
2 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks
1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 family-size tea bags
1/2 cup sugar
1 (6-ounce) can frozen orange juice concentrate, undiluted
1 (6-ounce) can frozen lemonade concentrate, undiluted
Bring first 4 ingredients to a boil in a large Dutch oven. Remove mixture from heat, and add teabags; cover and steep- 5 minutes. Using a slotted Spoon, remove and discard tea bags, cinnamon, and cloves. Stir in sugar until dissolved; stir in concentrates. Chill; serve over ice. Yield: 2 quarts.
