Southern Cooking is not about measurements but about method. If you've ever tried to get a southern cook to give you a recipe, GOOD LUCK. She will invite you into the kitchen to show you how to make it and if you're not more confused after you come out you are good. The whole thing is how they go about getting the results that they do. I will try to duplicate the method and explain what to look for here.
Lets start with Fried Chicken with Cream gravy
True Southern fried Chicken doesn't have a lot of batter on it.
Start out with dry pieces of chicken, dredge in flour then in a light egg wash and back through the flour.
Drop into HOT Skillet with about 1/2 inch of hot fat and fry until well done.
Drain Chicken on paper towels till dry and not greasy.
Pour off most of fat. Sprinkle flour salt and pepper into fat until paste is made, cook loosening all pieces stuck to pan.
Use milk to thin to gravy.
Fried Corn
Do you get the idea that Southerners like their foods fried? You're right, so here goes another.
8 ears fresh corn
1/2 men onion chopped
4 slices of bacon cut in bits.
salt and pepper to taste
cut corn from cob by slicing through the kernels, scrape cobs to get the corn milk
in skillet, brown bacon add onions till limp then corn. Stir to keep from sticking. If begins to get too thick before corn is done add a little water. If too thin add a little flour.
And another
Okra and Tomatoes
Cut about a lb of okra into small pieces
chop 1 onion
1 can of tomatoes
in skillet heat a little bacon fat
brown okra and onion together
add tomatoes, salt & pepper and cook down till nearly dry
Next we have the one thing all southern meals have
Biscuits
This recipe is going to sound queer because it is backward of he way cookbooks teach you to cook but it is the way I have seen southern cooks make biscuits for all my life.
1/2 cup shortening add
1 1/2 milk
next add self rising flour a little at a time until you get a soft sticky dough. I can't begin to tell you how much because it will depend on the humidity and you need to give time for the flour to absorb the milk or you will end up with heavy biscuits. the softer the dough the lighter the biscuits will be.
Turn soft dough out onto floured board and kneed only two or three times. Pat out to 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick, cup with biscuit cutter and place on cookie sheet.
Cook 425oF for about 15 min until golden brown.
Sweet Potato Pie
This is my mothers recipe.
3 cups cooked, peeled mashed yams
1 egg
2 tablespoons butter melted
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup sugar
beat yams until smooth, add other ingredients and beat for at least 5 minutes.
pour into 9" pie shell and bake 40-45 min at 350oF.
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