An Excerpt from Clay Stephens' Upcoming Fine Cuisine Cookbook
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Southern Summers on my Mind
Freshly caught trout, fried
The best ever hushpuppies and homemade coleslaw
Clear cool water in lime sinks; bottomless (our parents said so!)
A flurry of Dogwood blooms and Red birds darting
Wild Azaleas in full display
Riverside mussel shells with pearlescence inside
Magic fireflies in the balmy dusk and
Mayflies, briefly
Family and friends reveling
Enchanting!
These are some of my memories of summers spent in a very rustic cabin on the shores of the Flint Fiver in Georgia with my parents, aunts, uncles and cousins.
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Recipes
Fried fish
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You can use any fresh white fish you prefer, of course we always caught our own Trout, Bream or Perch
which we kids cleaned and then Mom and my aunts would dredge them in cornmeal, salt and pepper and fry them in hot oil till brown.
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Next the hushpuppies were fried in the same oil the fish were cooked in.
Mom’s Hushpuppies
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2 cups cornmeal
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1 tbls a.p. flour
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1 tsp soda
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1 tsp baking powder
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1 tbls salt
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1 egg
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Chopped onion, finely
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1 ½ to 2 cups buttermilk
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Mix dry ingredients and chopped
onion
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Add milk and egg
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Stir till well blended, do not
over mix
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Drop by the spoonful into hot
oil and cook till brown
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Drain on paper towels
The Family Coleslaw
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1 head of cabbage – grated/shredded
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2 tbls sugar, or to taste, you
want just a touch of sweetness
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Cider vinegar, about 4 tablespoons
or to taste
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½ cup good quality mayonnaise,
homemade if you are up to it!
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Black pepper to taste , I like
a lot!
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Sweet pickle relish, about ¼
cup, or more if needed
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Chopped pimento, mostly for
color
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1 tbls prepared yellow mustard,
the old fashioned kind, not the fancy stuff!
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Make at least one hour ahead
so the flavors can meld
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You can also add some chopped
onion if you like, raw onion and I don’t get along so I leave it out!
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This recipe is about a balance
of sweet and sour , so adjust the vinegar and sugar to your liking.
Rosann’s Tomatoes
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Slice home grown or farmer’s
market red tomatoes into ½ inch thick slices
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Mix mayo and prepared yellow
mustard in equal parts
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Top each tomato with the mixture
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Broil in oven till lightly browned
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This is so simple but has an
amazing flavor, do not use fancy mustard, old fashioned yellow is best!
Cheese grits
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Cook regular grits in a double
boiler for at least one hour, stirring regularly, till thick and creamy,
you can use milk instead of water if you want them to be richer. Salt to
taste. I don’t use a lot of salt but you will need some in the grits and
add it to the water or milk , not after they’re cooked!
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Just before serving, add thickly
cubed cheddar cheese and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Sometimes
I like to take frozen whole kernel corn and fry it in a little oil till
brown to garnish the grits. It’s good to look at and it enhances the corn
flavor of the grits!
I hope you enjoy this taste
of Southern summer!
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