Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Give us this day our daily...cornbread!

Today's diatribe is about turnip greens...


Ha! Admit it, you for at least one tiny nanosecond I got you to second guess yourself. No? Hmph! Fine! I still think I did, and you're just too chicken to admit it. Anyway, today we are going to discuss the fine southern delicacy of cornbread!


Cornbread is one of those great dichotomies of life. (I don't really know if that is the correct usage of the word "dichotomy", but durn it sure sounds good in that sentence.) While it is yet another gift to the rest of the world from the South, cornbread has gained more and more popularity throughout the entire US over the past few decades.

Yet...As loved a food item as it is across these great United States, it can also be the source of some of the most contentious bickering ever witnessed by man. I am here to set some things straight. What makes me the authority on cornbread? Quite simply, it's my blog. So Nanny-nanny-boo-boo!

There are two main bones of contention when it comes to cornbread. Should cornbread be sweet? And, what do you cook cornbread in? We'll briefly tackle both subjects in this blog.

Should cornbread be sweet?
No! No! No! Quite simply, southern cornbread should never be sweet. When you get a blueberry muffin or a piece of banana bread, do you add jelly to it? No! These items are already sweet, so you slap something savory, like a pound of butter on them. Cornbread is made for jelly, or apple butter. Since those toppings are sweet, you don't want the carrier to be sweet. Thus, cornbread should not be sweet. The interesting twist to this is that you can have savory with savory. Therefore, a nice, hot, steamy, slab of cornbread, soaked in rich, creamy butter (sorry if I just got those salivary glands pumping) is perfectly acceptable in today's society. Another combination that is quite acceptable...indeed encouraged, is pouring a ladle of hot white beans cooked all day with hog jowl over a slice of cornbread. All of the air pockets in the cornbread act as sponges, drawing the bean juices up, and creating a true gift from God. Just imagine how nasty that would taste if your cornbread was full of sugar. For Shame!

How should cornbread be cooked?
This is another very easy answer. Cornbread should only be baked in a well seasoned cast iron skillet. Any other method borders on blasphemy. It is actually a little known fact that there were eleven commandments handed down by God to Moses. In verse 17b of the twentieth chapter of Exodus, God tells Moses, "If you ever so much as pour cornbread batter in any thing but a well-seasoned cast iron skillet...so help me, Me...I will haul your butt behind the woodshed faster than you can say rubber baby buggy bumpers, and wear you out!" to which Moses replied, "What's cornbread?" The eleventh commandment was quickly stricken from the tablets, and verse 17b ceased to exist.

I happen to have a 12" cast iron skillet that has been used for nearly twenty years of marriage for no other purpose than to turn out the perfect cornbread. If you are worried about corn bread sticking there are two tricks. Firstly, as has already been mentioned multiple times, your skillet should be well seasoned. That means it will be solid black. Not gray. Not rust colored. The seasoned oil that has gotten deep within the pores of the iron will keep just about anything from sticking to the pan. The other trick is to place the skillet in the preheating oven. Then, when ready, pull the skillet out of the oven, pour in a little vegetable oil, and finally the batter. The hot pan will quickly heat the oil, and fry the very outside surface of the the batter, keeping it from sticking to the pan.

Now that I have cleared up the two main bones of contention between cornbread lovers, I wish everyone a huge slab of cornbread soaking in a bowl of hot white beans, and world peace. (Can you tell what I just had for lunch?)

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Kiss My Grits!

I guess the title says it all. That's right, folks. This blog entry is all about what many of us true southerners just about consider manna from heaven. Grits! When I mention the word Grits, what comes to mind? Two things come to my mind.












Anyone my age or older will recognize those pearly whites!

However, the second image that comes to mind is what really gets me excited.










Oooh, Baby! Nothing starts the morning off right, like a hot bowl of steamy grits...unless, of course, it is accompanied by three strips of thick chewy bacon (Yeah, I know! Chewy or crispy bacon is a whole other story!), two eggs over easy, and biscuits with white gravy.
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...Sorry! My mind was temporarily enjoying breakfast. Anyway, I believe the subject was grits. Let's get one important fact straight. I don't care what Wikipedia says. No true southerner would EVER use the word grits in the singular form, or even imagine that there could be a singular form of the word. Got that, all you yanks! There is no such thing as "a grit", and "grits is..." ain't proper English.

Now, it is important that we have a little history lesson. Grits are one of those truly American food items. Before the discovery of the New World, porridge was made using such things as wheat. Let me state, right here and now that Cream of Wheat and Cream of Rice will never be eaten in my household, as long as I have the power to stop it! Thank the good Lord above we did discover America. Grits are one of the many heavenly products we get from corn. That is why the period before the discovery of America was called the dark ages. Those poor people in Europe didn't have any corn! Historians might try to convince you differently, but I truly believe that corn (and possibly butter beans cooked in a pound of butter) are what started the renaissance.

Grits comes in two colors, white and yellow. White grits, the most common variety in America, use hulled corn. Yellow grits, also called pollenta in other parts of the world, use the whole kernel. While I will happily eat a bowl of white grits, and thoroughly enjoy it, I actually much prefer the yellow grits. I could be wrong, but I think it has a richer flavor.

You might be asking yourself, "Self! How do I prepare grits?" In many cases, Self might tell you to mix 1 part grits with 3 parts water. However, I beg to differ. I personally believe milk must be used to create a truly creamy bowl of grits. In Charleston, SC, it is quite common to use only milk. My personal preference is to use half chicken broth, and half milk. Whether you use white or yellow grits, using the chicken broth and milk together produces a bowl of grits full of rich flavor and velvety creaminess. Trust me. You won't want to ever go back to water. The last tip is very important. Do NOT overcook your grits. Nothing is as unappetizing as a bowl of mortar, which is exactly what you will get if you don't pay attention. My suggestion is to pull the grits off the burner just when you think they are still a might bit too runny. They will thicken quickly. If you do let your grits cool before you are able to eat them, simply add a little milk and zap in the microwave for a minute. They will cream right back up.

So, please! I beg of you. Don't spend your next morning eating those little miniature bales of hay. Have a bowl of grits and celebrate the discovery of America!

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Can We Talk Turkey?

I would love to have a little conversation with you concerning turkey. So many people only associate turkey with two times of year, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Folks! I am here to tell you that turkey can be our friend all year long. I highly encourage you to take advantage of Thanksgiving sales this year and stock up with three or four, or five, turkeys. If you don't have a deep freeze, find someone who does and rent some space. Turkeys aren't just for the holidays. All throughout the year, my family loves for me to smoke a turkey. Let's get something straight. Smoking turkey's and smoking cigarettes is NOT the same thing. Are we all on the same page now?
One of my scrumpdilyicious smoked turkies...done in the middle of summer!
 I know! I know! It takes more than simply smoking a turkey to make it our year round friend. But, consider this. You've just finished eating all of that delicious turkey up, and you have a carcass left over that looks like it was a victim of Cujo. Do you just throw it away? Heck, NO! You throw that sucker into the largest stock pot you have, throw in some carrots, onion, celery, and garlic, and boil the stew out of it. There's flavor in them there bones, folks! Oh! By the way. This is the perfect time to go rooting through the crisper drawers in your fridge, and pull out all of those limp vegetables you wouldn't feed your dogs. (Come on, people. You know you have 'em.) There is a big difference between limp and lifeless, and a full fledged science experiment. Limp veggies may not be appealing to serve, but they still have oodles of flavor in them. Once your done boiling everything, your going to throw them out anyway.

What you have left, after boiling the turkey carcass and veggies is a big batch of turkey stock that can be frozen in pint and quart containers. This stuff will add more flavor and goodness to your recipes than any store bought chicken broth. Guaranteed! This works, whether you smoke, roast, or deep fry your turkey. With smoking you get the added benefit of a slight smokiness in your stock. It is amazing how much of a difference that subtle flavor can make in any recipe.

So, come on, folks. This year, make those supermarket meat department managers quake in fear. Let's go on a turkey buying spree, and show that turkey is our friend ALL year long!

Chicken and Dumplings! Thank the Lord it's Fall!

 I absolutely love the fall. I think some of the best foods that scream comfort are introduced in the fall. One of those foods is chicken and dumplings. If there is any food that demands that you hold it in a big bowl while sitting in front of a crackling fireplace, it is chicken and dumplings. I have super fond memories of one particular chicken and dumpling recipe. There was a lady at our church in Ellendale, TN, named Inez Mayo. Each Wednesday we would have a potluck meal and prayer service at church. I absolutely loved her chicken and dumplings. It had huge pieces of shredded (not cut!) chicken, and these velvety smooth dumplings. Fortunately for me, her husband, Mr. Fred, loved my mother's spaghetti. Of course, I became the beneficiary of Mr. Fred's passion. My mom would make him spaghetti, and in return, Mrs. Mayo would make me chicken and dumplings. I don't really know if that is how it went, but that's what I remember, and I'm sticking to it.

Unfortunately, I have never been able to find a recipe for chicken and dumplings like Mrs. Mayo's. I have found many good ones, but none that evoked the same memories. Well...yesterday I got a hankering for some chicken and dumplings. But, how could I get a good recipe that would knock my socks off? when in doubt head on over to the Food Network website. With a little effort, I found a recipe from Emeril Lagasse. There was also one by Paula Deen. It had four stars. But! Emeril got five stars. Now, if his recipe can get more stars than one from the queen of southern comfort food, it had to be good! I was not disappointed. Oh my stars! Mrs. Mayo, I do humbly apologize, but you are now in second place! (When I get to heaven she is going to be waiting for me, and there is certainly going to be H-E-double-hockey-sticks to pay.) The link to the recipe is below. I think the secret to such luscious goodness is frying the chicken first, instead of just boiling it. This certainly brings out all of the hidden goodness that is in the chicken. The only changes I made were out of convenience. I had two bags of mirepoix (celery, onions, and carrots) that I used instead of cutting up veggies like he did. I also did not have any bay leaves or thyme. I used Italian herbs and celery leaf for the seasoning. I also forgot the peas at the end. Still! This chicken and dumplings will be made again...and again...and again. I also guarantee there will be a fire in the fireplace. Now, where is that number for the chimney sweep? I feel a hankering for some more chicken and dumplings coming on already.

Chicken and Dumplings on the Food Network

Welcome to The Great Food Junkie!

I'd like to start off by saying that I am not a junkie in the worst sense of the word. That is certainly not the case. I am not hopelessly addicted to food (well...maybe pizza). Another definition for junkie is an enthusiastic follower or devotee. Doesn't that sound much better? I can certainly think of myself as an enthusiastic devotee of food. I love to eat food. My family will attest to how much I love to cook food (sometimes to their great delight, other times, well...we won't go there). Some of my favorite reading involves cookbooks. But, it's not just food itself. It's everything that comes with food. Food is the one thing that brings people together, no matter where they live or what their culture. In all cultures there seems to be no greater force for bringing friends and enemies alike together than food.

So, join me as I journey through the fascinating world of food. This blog will, hopefully, take us on a wild ride full of food thoughts, recipes, pictures, and who knows what else. I hope you will have as much fun reading this blog as I intend to have writing it.

Okay! Okay! Enough of this philosophical blather! Do you know how hard it is to come up with a catchy title and URL in the blog world today? The real reason behind the title of this blog is because that was the word combination I finally came up with that nobody else had. There! Satisfied!?!

Speaking of recipes, here is a very simple one. My son, Joseph, and I absolutely crave garlic (more on that later). My Aunt and Uncle, up in Trout Run, PA, seem to be even more passionate about this member of the amaryllis family. They grow bunches of garlic in their garden every year. Fortunately, Joseph and I are the lucky recipients of some of that bounty. Yesterday, we planted some garlic and had about three cloves left over. Needless to say, we were really hungry, and wanted to use that garlic. I decided to make some grilled cheese sandwiches, but I just couldn't do them the way they are always done. I took about two tablespoons of mayonnaise, one tablespoon of Greek yoghurt, the three cloves of garlic, a pinch of salt, and fresh ground black pepper. I mixed all the ingredients together into a spread that I placed on both pieces of bread before building the sandwiches. Wow! Those grilled cheese sandwiches went from yummy to scrumptious with that little addition. Try it sometime.