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Here in South Texas… where I was born and raised … we've a wonderful heritage of southern recipes.
These tried and true recipes were originated by the settlers from early America.
Most of what our ancestors had to cook with came from their own gardens, or barns.
So while the ingredients were simple and few, the recipes show the true genius of the typical southern housewife.
I hope you enjoy this small collection of old southern recipes as much as we have.
FOR A GOOD SELECTION OF RECIPES, VISIT ONE OF THE FOLLOWING:
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal 1/2 teaspoon of salt 3 tablespoons melted lard (butter) 1 cup boiling water 1 cup fresh milk 2 eggs, well beaten 1 teaspoon baking powder
Mix things together in the order given.
Pour batter into a greased 10 inch casserole dish, and bake in a 350 degree oven for 40 minutes,
or until the bread pulls away from the edges of the pan, and the center is firm. Johnnycake -
1 cup cornmeal 1/2 teaspoon of salt 1 teaspoon of sugar 1 tablespoon of lard (butter) 1 1/2 cups of boiling water cream (or whole milk) 1 tablespoon of lard for greasing griddle butter, field honey
Put the first 4 ingredients in a bowl, add the water, and mix well.
Put it in a saucepan and place it on low heat.
For the next 15 to 20 minutes, stir constantly and keep adding enough cream
to keep it about the same consistency as mashed potatoes.
When its done, use a large serving spoon to drop spoon sized lumps on a hot griddle,
which has been greased, using the oil.
Cook it until they are golden brown on each side. Serve them hot, with butter and field honey. Maple Sugar on Snow -
lard (or butter) 2 cups maple syrup snow
Rub the lard around the rim of a very large heavy iron pot.
Bring the maple syrup to a boil, then lower the heat. Keep stirring it with a long handled wooden spoon.
Simmer until the syrup becomes soft and waxy when its dropped on snow.
(about 5 to 10 minutes)
Ladle it out in strips over packed snow. Shoofly Pie -
pie pastry, one crust, in a 9 inch pie pan FOR FILLING: 3/4 cup molasses 3/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon a pinch of ground ginger a pinch of gorund nutmeg 3/4 cup boiling water FOR CRUMB MIXTURE: 1/2 cup lard (soft butter) 1 cup brown sugar 2 cups sifted white flour 1/4 teaspoon of salt
Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
Make the pie filling by mixing the molasses, baking soda, and spices in a bowl.
Add the boiling water, and stir.
To make the crumb mixture, in a seperate bowl,
cream the lard with the brown sugar, flour, and salt.
Put two thirds of this crumb mixture into the empty pie shell.
Pour the filling on top, then sprinkle on the remaining crumbs.
Bake it until the filling is firm when poked with a wooden spoon in the middle. (about 20 to 30 minutes) Fried Apple Rings -
lard (butter, or oil) tart, firm, field apples, cored and cut into 1 inch thick slices brown sugar
Put enough lard in a frying pan to cover the bottom.
Cook the sliced apple rings in the hot fat, until they are tender.
Sprinkle both sides with brown sugar, and eat. Gingerbread -
1/2 cup butter 1/2 cup strong hot coffee 2 eggs 1/2 cup white sugar 1/2 cup light molasses 1 1/2 cups white flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon of ground ginger 1/4 teaspoon each of ground cloves, and allspice
Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
Melt the butter in the hot coffee.
In another bowl, beat together the eggs, sugar, and molasses. Combine this with the butter-coffee mixture.
Stir in the flour, baking powder, and the spices.
Spread the soft batter in a greased and floured 8 inch square pan.
Bake til a toothpick poked in the middle comes out clean. (about 25 minutes) Corn Custard -
3 eggs 2 cups corn off the cob, cooked the night before. (canned is fine...just drain it well) 2 tablespoons melted butter 1 cup milk 1 teaspoon white sugar soda cracker crumbs
Heat up the oven to 300 degrees.
In a bowl, beat the eggs well, then add the corn.
Mix in the butter and milk in and stir it well.
Add the sugar, and pour into a big baking dish (2 quart). Sprinkle with the cracker crumbs. Bake it til its lightly browned on top (30 minutes) Green Beans and New Potatoes -
6 cups snapped fresh green beans 4 cups baby red potatoes (or cut up larger ones) 1 large onion, cut into thick chunks 4 to 6 grated garlic cloves 1 lb. salt pork cut into chunks (or 8 slices bacon, cut into 1 inch strips) salt, pepper, and pepper sauce (tabasco) to taste
Put beans in a large pot, with salt pork and garlic.
Cook on high heat, and let beans gloss over.
Add water til it covers beans, then keep adding for about 2 more inches.
When water is rolling, wait a minute, then drop in your
potatoes and onions.
Season with salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Allow to boil until potatoes are tender.
six ears of fresh corn on the cob, husks and all 1-2 TBSP Pepper Sauce (Tabasco) 1 stick butter, softened
Leave husk on corn!
Soak ears in salt water for aprox. 1 hour.
Peel the husk down and remove the silk, but leave the husk
connected.
Combine butter and hot sauce. Brush corn with mixture.
Fold husks back and tear off one leaf.
Use the leaf to tie the corn at the top so the sauce won't run out.
Grill over medium fire turning often for aprox. 30 minutes. Red Beans and Rice -
1 pound dried red beans water ham bone 1 onion, chopped 1 stalk of celery, chopped 1 bay leaf salt, pepper and pepper sauce to taste
Sort and wash beans. Place beans in a large dutch oven and cover with water.
Add the ham bone, onion, celery, and bay leaf. Cover it and bring it to a boil.
Reduce the heat and simmer for about 2 hours or until the beans are tender.
Add the salt, pepper and pepper sauce. Serve it over hot cooked rice. Hogshead Cheese -
1 hog's head 4 hog's feet 3 pounds of lean pork 2 cups of finely chopped onion 1/2 cup green bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped water salt and pepper to taste 1 envelope unflavored gelatin 1/4 cup water 1/2 cup chopped green onion tops 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
Cut hog's head into 4 pieces; remove brains, ears, eyes and tissue.
Combine head pieces, hog's feet, pork, 2 cups onion, and pepper in a large dutch oven.
Add enough water to cover all the ingredients.
Bring it to a boil; reduce the heat and simmer it
until the meat falls off the bones and is tender.
Remove meat from pot and chop or grind as desired.
Cook remaining broth down to about 2 quarts or less. Strain the broth and set it aside.
Combine gelatin and 1/4 cup of water. Let it stand for 5 minutes to soften.
Combine the meat, reserved broth, gelatin mixture, and seasonings to taste in a
dutch oven, and cook it over medium heat for 15 minutes.
Add the remaining ingredients and remove it from heat.
Pour the mixture into the hog skull to mold.
(some people prefer using the hog's bladdar to
mold it in, as it gives a much nicer shape.) Put it in the refrigerator until the cheese is set. Deep Fried Frog Legs -
Find a pond with bull frogs in it. Wait til night. Take a frog gig
and flashlight and walk along bank of pond til you spot a
bullfrog. Shine light on him to freeze him, then gig him. Bring
him into kitchen and detach hind legs. Skin them and roll them
in cornmeal and flour with salt and pepper. Deep fat fry them in hot lard.
Pull them out and serve hot.
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