My first firm rule of cooking is: clean as you go. I mean; while the lentils are stewing, you can wash up all the used and dirty utensils. (More about lentils later.)
Rachael Ray has her "trash bowl" where she throws all things superfluous. At the end of her show, she (or ~ more likely ~ her paid assistants) throw it away in one fell-swoop. (That's probably much more sanitary than what I do, which is stand over the garbage pail or compost while peeling potatoes or whatnot.) Think about it. You always see pristine and shiny spigots and stoves on Food Channel shows ~ except Chopped or Iron Chef. But whattaya expect? They're being timed with no supposition of retakes. (This supposition was busted by the show Unwrapped, but that's another story for another day.)
I can't work in a messy kitchen. It must be tidy or my O.C.D. kicks in and I get nervous. Sure ~ my first rule should be "use fresh ingredients" or "don't serve shite." (Are my priorities skewed?) I don't normally serve shite; but if I ever did, my presentation would be crisp and aesthetically pleasing.
I'd wanted to write this blog about Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities. I still have my copy from tenth grade literature class. But there were problems: First, it's been over 30 years since I'd read it, so I couldn't remember if there was mention of food in it. Second problem: I've moved four times in three years, so I can't find the damn thing.
The only things I remember about the book are:
- I rather enjoyed it, despite how confusing it was;
- Madam Defarge was constantly knitting something with names. As a 15-year-old, the symbolism of this was completely lost on me.
- And ~ I was the only tenth grader in my class who actually read the book and not just the Cliffs Notes.
The book begins with that famous phrase: "It was the best of times. It was the worst of times."
I guess I'll just have to save that classic for later.
I decided to go ~ instead ~ with Nell Harper Lee's Pulitzer winning novel, To Kill Mockingbird. This book is about hardship, struggle and those pesky and ridiculous (not to mention: brainless) prejudices of the Southern US last century.
So ~ not so far removed from Dickens' tale, after all.
This book is genius. I've also seen the movie dozens of times. The one with Gregory Peek and (introducing) Robert Duvall as Boo Radley. The movie leaves a lot out, but remains true to the main plot.
The book is refreshingly Southern. Jean Louise (a.k.a. Scout, played by Mary Badham) is a very young, motherless child ~ daughter of Atticus Finch, Esq. (Peck) ~ sister to the four year older Jem (played by Phillip Alford, also known as "Boy" from Shenandoah.) This is Scout's story, told in her graphic narrative. (I don't mean "graphic" as in "pornographic." I mean, it's very detailed.) The first mention of anything remotely food-ish is the fact that their sometimes-neighbor (supposedly based on the real Truman Capote who grew up with Harper) was no taller than a collard.
I grew up Southern and Irish. We ate "greens" ~ all types ~ over cornbread soaked in pot liquor. To clarify, that's simply the liquid the collards have cooked in. (On one episode of Cosby, Clair swore "pot liquor" was a great remedy for what ails you.)
I had a friend in the seventh grade . . . Janet was from Connecticut ~ replaced (displaced?) in Georgia. The first time my mother served her "greens," Janet laughed and asked, "You eat this stuff?!? Up North, they put tables outside the grocer's piled high with collards and other greens. They're free for the taking ~ to feed your hamsters and bunnies." She was incredulous.
So were we.
My mother was (is) an excellent cook; but I have developed my own styles. My own likes and dislikes. My own recipes. That's what happened to the cornbread and collards: they evolved . . . into my own babies (er, recipes).
I used to try to duplicate my mother's cornbread, but I was seriously deficient. I couldn't quite figure it out. I'd mix milk, oil, cornmeal ~ bake ~ end up with a pan of sand. As a vegetarian, I was aware that ~ in order to create a complete protein ~ I had to mix grains with my legumes. Something had to give. I was up to the challenge. I experimented ~ and failed miserably ~ for a couple of years.
How hard could this be? It's just cornbread! My mother kept telling me my batter was too dry. (Obvious!) But I could never quite get the mixture just right. So ~ I persevered ~ and eventually became legendary for my cornbread. Well, legendary among my female friends, lovers and kids. (Friend Warren ~ amazing cook himself ~ says to always use slightly more liquid than you think you need. Good advice!)
I've found the whole key is to use equal measures of buttermilk and cornmeal. I also advocate using an iron pan. Don't use glass or aluminum. Please don't. My iron pan is almost 30 years old. My first ex-mother-in-law bought it for me and my first ex-husband. It's about 12" in diameter (and used to have a top and handle).
I coat the pan with a thin-ish layer of canola oil. I put it on the eye of my stove and preheat the oven to 450°. As I mix the batter, I let the oil heat thoroughly. If it starts to smoke, it's too hot and needs to take a chill-pill. But ~ also ~ you need to heat it enough to fry the bottom and sides of the cornmeal mixture.
Meanwhile, back on the range . . . I use my large 8 cup mixing bowl. I measure 1 ½ cups of buttermilk and mix with one egg. No soy milk. It doesn't bake up properly. And no plain milk. For the proper texture and taste, it must be buttermilk. Don't worry about low fat, either. We're basing this blog on a Southern novel steeped in chaos ~ with survival serving as a primary need. They ate what they had ~ regardless. It was "kill or be kiIIed" ~ "eat or go hungry."
Once the egg is integrated into the buttermilk, I add 1 ½ cups of self-rising cornmeal. (I used to make my own cornmeal. Then I lost the mill to my divorce.) I vigorously whisk with a fork, then pour the batter into the pan of hot oil.
It will sizzle nicely ~ creating the crunchy crust. I immediately move it to the preheated oven. Bake for approximately 20+ minutes. I always eyeball it and lightly touch the top to make sure it is springy.
Voila! The perfect cornbread!
I used to cook collards on the stove all day with just water and salt. Since I work ~ and am my only means of support ~ I have resorted to using my large crockpot. When my kids were young, I was in a food co-op. There were five of us families who went in together monthly buying fresh, wholesale produce. For $25-$35 a month, each family had more than enough produce. (And we all had big families!) Anytime we'd purchase collards, I'd cut them up appropriately, then clean them in my washing machine. Now I buy the bagged pre-cut collards.
No ~ they didn't have that option back in the Mockingbird days. But neither did they have central A/C. It's fine to modernize a classic, after all. (Am I waffling?)
I place the collards into my crock pot with salt. I add water and some hot peppers (to be removed ~ or eaten once they're done ~ if you're like me!) Here's where I succumb to old wive's tales: I add one in-shell pecan, which is supposed to keep the unappetizing fart smell at bay. I'm not so sure it works, but it's habit by now.
In a crockpot, I fix it in the evening for next day's lunch. If I'm going to serve it for supper, I put it on in the a.m.
Now ~ you have two dishes that marry gorgeously and that ~ without a doubt ~ would have been eaten by Jean Louise. (After all, Mr. Cunningham paid for part of Finch's legal work with collards.) Your cornbread should be about 2-3" thick and springy. Because of the texture of collards, they remain firm even after cooking for several hours. (Unlike mustard or turnip greens.)
Place a wedge of cornbread in a shallow bowl. Don't forget to pour about two TBS of juice (pot liquor) into the bowl so the cornbread soaks it up.
You can serve this with sweet potato wedges baked with soy sauce and roasted sesame seeds. Or you can just pop some black-eyed peas into another crockpot as you prepare your collards. Just salt and, perhaps, serve with a little (or a lot) Texas Pete Hot Sauce.
Or just eat the cornbread and collards. Afterwards ~ if you have any leftover cornbread ~ you can eat a wedge saturated in buttermilk. When I was young, this is what we called "dessert." Better than pecan pie!
RECOMMENDED PURCHASES
To Kill A Mockingbird by Nell Harper Lee ~ There's a reason this book is a classic; there is a reason it won a Pulitzer! It is riveting, well-written and . . . well, it makes my Little-Inner-Anarchist want to rise up against injustice! I also recommend the 1962 black and white film of the same name. (I think it's cool that a man with the last name Peck starred in a movie with "bird" in the title.)
Mockingbird (A Portrait of Harper Lee) by Charles J. Shields ~ Harper Lee is very reclusive and has never authorized a biography about herself. This one, however, was well-researched and a very good read!
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens ~ In Dickens' time, it is said, writers were paid by the word . . . so Dickens (being the savvy man he was) used A LOT of superfluous words. It's a bit sticky to meander through (like the home of some hoarder) but it's a beautiful story line: Steeped in the French Revolution, one man gives his life for another. Very touching!
Giant Steps by The Boo Radleys ~ I found this CD for a buck at a pawn shop. Figured it was worth a hundred pennies ~ and it was. They were a British alternative rock band that was supposedly best known for "shoegazing and Britpop." (What?!?) I don't believe they are still recording, but their CDs can be found on the internet.
I'm at work today; I drove down the road and bought a piece of cornbread served with home-grown turnip greens. I was in heaven for a mere 15 minutes. This cornbread is not the sweet, fluffy cake crap you make from a Jiffy mix. This is Southern cornbread as it's SUPPOSED to be cooked! So ~ the award for Best Cornbread in the Tri-County area? Jerry's Bait and Tackle Quik Stop on Lake Oconee!
RECIPES
Southern Collards
2# collards, washed and cut into manageable pieces
Water, enough to cover
Several bouillon cubes (I use 3-4)
Seaweed, cut into small strips (As I mentioned in my blog "Hairball-Wall" ~ posted on October 26th, 2011 ~ seaweed doesn't really add much in the way of taste, but it's a wonderful antioxidant.)
1-3 hot red peppers (or equivalent amount of crushed red pepper)
1 pecan, in-shell
Salt, to taste
Add all ingredients together in a crockpot. Cook on high for at least 4-6 hours.
Sesame-Soy Sweet Potatoes
¼ cup sesame seeds, roasted
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into home-fry sized bits
½ cup soy sauce
cooking spray
Place sweet potato on a sprayed cookie sheet, then cover with soy sauce. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake around 350° until potatoes are soft enough to pierce with a toothpick. These are so yummy! Sweet and savory marry beautifully in this dish!
Lentil Stew
2 # lentils, cooked
1 gallon water
3 bouillon cubes, ham preferred (though I use veggie stock)
½ # onions, diced
½ cup celery, diced
½ cup carrots, cut into disks
The Perfect Cornbread
1 ½ cups buttermilk
1 egg
1 ½ cups self-rising cornmeal
the reason brad pits IRISH character hadn't had cornbeef and cabbage is because its not an Irish dish. Its and American adaptation. Irish Americans ate it but that is what was available here. its actually a Jewish based dish. yep true.
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