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Key Points
Reader Amanda Thomas-Henke shares her recipe for red beans and rice. She cooks her beans, unsoaked, even though it takes longer, because she believes they absorb more flavor from the other ingredients as they cook. If you are concerned about toxins in the beans, boiling presoaked kidney beans vigorously for at least 10 minutes destroys their natural lectin toxin. If using dried kidney beans, allow at least five hours for soaking first, then drain and use fresh water for cooking. She also includes a recipe for the Cajun seasoning used in this dish.
We have Marvin Woods’ rutabaga carrot mash from The New Low-Country Cooking. According to Healthline.com, “Rutabagas are a hearty vegetable packed with fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants.” To prepare a rutabaga, wash the dirt off, peel away the hard, waxy outer skin using a sharp paring knife, and cut or dice it into uniform 1/2-inch to 3/4-inch pieces. To make it easier to peel, you can take this optional step: Make a few small holes with a fork or the tip of a sharp knife, then heat the rutabaga in the microwave for two to three minutes.
A dish of Sis Pitman’s apple dumplings is delicious, and the recipe comes from one of our favorites: the Treasures and Pleasures cookbook, put out by the 1990 Presbyterian Women of First Presbyterian Church of Apopka. Try the baking powder that has no aluminum listed in the ingredients. It can help avoid a bitter taste. For the 6 tablespoons of cinnamon sugar, mix 1/2 cup of sugar with 2 tablespoons of quality ground cinnamon. This will make more than you need for this recipe. If you don’t like a strong cinnamon taste, simply cut the cinnamon in half.
Bonnie Milliken shares her pizza dough recipe through Northside Baptist Church’s book of recipes. This is another basic recipe you can use to exercise your “exploratory” gene and have some fun in the kitchen, especially if the kids are involved. She directs you to use “warm” water (not hot) for a reason: Water that is too hot can kill your yeast.
AMANDA THOMAS-HENKE’S RED BEANS AND RICE
Recipe from a reader of The Apopka Chief newspaper
INGREDIENTS:
1 (1-pound) package red beans or kidney beans
6 to 10 cups chicken stock (or water)
2 tablespoons bacon grease or olive oil
1 pound smoked sausage, sliced
1 ham hock or 1/2 to 1 pound of smoked ham
1 large onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/4 stick of butter
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning (see below to make your own seasoning)
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon dried sage
Salt and pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS:
1) Sort your red beans (or kidney beans) and rinse them well. You can also soak your beans if you prefer to use that method. If using dried kidney beans, soak for at least five hours, discard the soaking water, and use fresh water for cooking. 2) In a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat, add bacon grease or oil and cook sliced sausage for 3 to 4 minutes. 3) Add the ham hock or smoked ham, chopped onion, bell pepper and celery, stirring frequently until everything is nicely browned (5 minutes or so). 4) Add 1/4 stick of butter, garlic, herbs and seasonings, stirring frequently for 3 to 5 minutes (this lets the flavors bloom). 5) Add 6 cups of stock (or water) and 1 pound of rinsed beans. 6) Bring to a rolling boil and boil for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. 7) Reduce heat and simmer for 1 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until beans reach your desired tenderness. 8) Add broth as needed throughout cooking, 1 cup at a time. 9) Adjust cooking time for soaked versus unsoaked beans. 10) Serve over white rice with hot sauce.
INGREDIENTS FOR CAJUN SEASONING:
2 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon white pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon cayenne
1/2 tablespoon dried thyme
RUTABAGA CARROT MASH
The New Low-Country Cooking
By Marvin Woods
INGREDIENTS:
3 to 4 rutabagas, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 Vidalia onion, cut in half
Salt to taste
4 carrots, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS:
1) Place the peeled and chopped rutabagas and one of the onion halves in a large saucepan. 2) Add water to cover; salt the water. 3) Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat. 4) Reduce the heat and simmer until the rutabagas are tender when pierced with the point of a sharp knife, about 35 minutes. 5) Drain. 6) Meanwhile, place the carrots and remaining onion half in another large saucepan. 7) Add water to cover and salt the water. 8) Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat. 9) Reduce the heat and simmer until the carrots are tender when pierced with the point of a sharp knife, about 20 minutes. 10) Drain. 11) Place the cooked rutabagas, carrots and onions in a food processor fitted with the metal chopping blade or in a blender. 12) Process just until the mixture is smooth. 13) Add the butter and process to combine. 14) Taste and check the seasoning, adding salt and pepper if needed. Serve hot.
SIS PITMAN’S APPLE DUMPLINGS
Recipe from First Presbyterian Church of Apopka,
Treasures and Pleasures
INGREDIENTS:
6 baking apples, peeled and cored
2 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup shortening
2/3 cup milk
6 tablespoons cinnamon sugar
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups water
1/2 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
DIRECTIONS:
1) Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. 2) Cut in the shortening. 3) Add the milk; mix together. 4) Roll out and cut into six squares. 5) Slice one apple onto each square. Fold the dough around the apples and seal the edges. Place the dumplings in a baking pan. 6) Mix 1 1/2 cups sugar with water, butter and vanilla. 7) Boil the mixture for 5 minutes and pour over the dumplings. 8) Sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar. 9) Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. 10) The dumplings may be frozen after baking.
BONNIE MILLIKEN’S PIZZA DOUGH
Recipe from Northside Baptist Church cookbook
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup warm water
1 package yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons oil
2 cups flour, plus approximately 1 1/2 cups additional flour
DIRECTIONS:
1) Sprinkle yeast into warm (not hot) water and let it dissolve. 2) Add sugar, salt and oil. 3) Add 2 cups flour, no more than 1/2 cup at a time. It will be a very stiff dough. 4) Turn out onto a floured, flat surface and knead in the remaining 1 1/2 cups flour until dough is smooth and elastic. 5) Place dough into a greased bowl. 6) Brush or pat the top with oil. 7) Cover and let rise in a warm place (85 degrees). 8) In the rising process, keep in a place that is free from drafts until dough is double in bulk. It will take about 45 minutes (30 minutes or less if you use rapid-rise yeast). 9) Punch down the dough and divide it in half. 10) Knead slightly and press each ball of dough into a pizza pan. 11) Top with “whatever”: 1 cup tomato or pizza sauce, 1/2 pound mozzarella cheese, cooked Italian sausage, cooked hamburger, slivers of onion, green pepper, olives, pepperoni, etc. 12) Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 to 25 minutes in a preheated oven. 13) Dough can be refrigerated or frozen before rising. 14) Defrost or let dough come to room temperature before the first step in rising. 15) It can be refrigerated or frozen after adding the toppings or after slightly baking (10 to 15 minutes).