This recipe comes from the book titled Savannah Style. If you can find freshly-shucked oysters, they are the best. If not, look for shucked oysters packed in water in your grocery store’s seafood section. You can actually freeze oysters and they’ll keep for about six weeks. Make sure you get your fresh oysters in a month with an “R” in the month’s name. Be careful not to let the milk scorch on the bottom or even get to the boiling point, and do not overcook the oysters. You can cook your oyster stew in a double boiler if you have the patience.
Fried Catfish! Yumm. We have a recipe from Southern Living’s All-Time Favorites for one of our favorite dinners, fried catfish. You need to be sure and have all your other side dishes ready and steaming on the table when you get the catfish out of the cooking oil and drained for serving. There is nothing much to recommend cold fish!
Here is a recipe from Jane Bradley in Southern Style. Bradley says, “Stories abound as to how hush puppies got their name. The most often heard is the story of Georgia hunters who were enjoying the fish they had just caught. Their hounds were making such a fuss that the men made up a cornmeal batter and fried it in the skillets the fish had been fried in. They threw the bits of fried cornmeal to the hounds, saying, “Hush, puppies!” Hush puppies are traditionally served with fish and seafood.
In the cookbook put out by the Zellwood Community Center, we ran across Carol Ann Heath’s Bleack Beans and Rice. Southwestern Corn Bake is also in this treasure trove of recipes. This particular recipe was the 1st Prize Winner of NOCIA’s 1981 Zellwood Sweet Corn Festival. Both recipes look delicious.
Thanks to Northside Baptist Church for Doris Conduff’s Taco Dip. This dip combines ground beef, refried beans, and salsa with cheese on top. It seems to be quick and easy, served up hot, and just right for company or any other celebration. Maybe an evening’s treat for the family? (Where are my chips?)
OYSTER STEW
Recipe from Savannah Style, a Cookbook by The Junior League of Savannah, Inc.
1/2 cup water
1 small white onion, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1 pint stewing size oysters
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1 pint Half-and-Half
Pour 1/2 cup water into medium size saucepan. Add onions and celery and boil until slightly tender. Add oysters and cook until oysters curl. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Reduce heat and add butter. Pour in 1 pint of Half-and-Half.
FRIED CATFISH
Recipe from Southern Living’s All-Time Favorites
6 (4- to 6-ounce) catfish fillets
2 cups milk
2 cups yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon seasoned salt
2 teaspoons pepper
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
Vegetable oil
Garnish: lemon wedges
Place catfish fillets in a single layer in a shallow dish; cover with milk. Cover and chill 1 hour. Combine cornmeal and next four ingredients in a shallow dish. Remove catfish fillets from refrigerator and let stand at room temperature 10 minutes. Remove from milk, allowing excess to drip off. Sprinkle evenly with 1 teaspoon salt. Dredge catfish fillets in cornmeal mixture, shaking off excess. Pour oil to depth of 1-1/2 inches into a large skillet. Heat to 350 degrees. Fry fillets in batches about 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Drain on wire racks over paper towels. Garnish, if desired. Makes 6 servings.
HUSH PUPPIES
Recipe from Southern Style by Jane Bradley
1-1/2 cups fine white cornmeal
3 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons butter, lard, or shortening, melted
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup buttermilk (additional may be needed)
2 tablespoons finely minced onion
Oil or shortening for deep frying
1) In a medium bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Stir to blend. Add melted butter or lard or shortening; beaten eggs; buttermilk; minced onion, and stir to blend. Mixture must be moist but must also hold its shape on a spoon. 2) Heat oil to 375 degrees Fahrenheit in a deep-fat fryer or large saucepan. Oil needs to be about 2 to 2-1/2 inches deep. 3) Dip spoon into the oil or shortening, scoop up about a tablespoon of batter and push batter into the hot oil with another spoon. Don’t crowd the fryer or saucepan; the hush puppies will fry more evenly and will float and stop sizzling when cooked through. 4) Turn frequently until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. You can keep warm in a 250-degree oven until all the mixture has been cooked.
NOTE: If too much liquid is used, the hush puppies will not hold their shape and won’t cook through. If not enough liquid is used, the hush puppies will be irregularly and roughly shaped and will not be light and fluffy. Test your mixture by cooking one hush puppy and either add another tablespoon of cornmeal or another tablespoon of water or buttermilk, as needed. Serves: 6 to 8.
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.
DORIS CONDUFF’S TACO DIP
Recipe from Northside Baptist Church
1 package Taco seasoning mix
1 pound ground beef, browned and drained
1 15-ounce can refried beans
3/4 can salsa
1 8-ounce package shredded cheddar cheese
Layer meat and seasonings on bottom of baking dish. Layer beans and salsa next with cheese on top. Bake at 350 degrees until cheese is melted throughout. Serve warm with chips.
