A Love Affair with Southern Cooking (44 page)

¹
/
₃
cup coarsely diced, well-drained bread and butter pickles or sweet pickles

• 1.
  Preheat the oven to 350° F.
  
• 2.
  Halve the corn bread horizontally, then break into 1-inch chunks. Spread on two ungreased large jelly-roll pans, slide into the oven, and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, stirring occasionally, until crisp and lightly browned.
  
• 3.
  Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large, heavy skillet over moderately high heat for about 10 minutes, stirring now and then, until all of the drippings render out and only crisp brown bits remain. Using a slotted spoon, scoop the bacon to paper toweling to drain.
  
• 4.
  Pour the drippings into a 1-quart measure, add enough additional bacon drippings to total
  ²
  /
  ₃
  cup, then add the corn oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Return all to the skillet and set over lowest heat.
  
• 5.
  Place the bell pepper, onion, tomatoes, and pickles in a large heatproof bowl. As soon as the corn bread is crisp and lightly browned, remove from the oven and dump on top of the vegetables in the bowl. This will wilt them slightly and mellow their flavor.
  
• 6.
  Now drizzle the hot skillet mixture evenly into the bowl and toss the salad well. Taste for salt, pepper, and vinegar, adjust as needed, and toss well again.
  
• 7.
  Serve as an accompaniment to fried chicken, roast pork, or chicken. Good, too, with pork chops, baked ham, and hot dogs.
  Note:
  If you make the salad ahead of time, let it come to room temperature before serving. Toss well and dish up.
  

SWEET-SOUR COLESLAW

MAKES
6
TO
8
SERVINGS

Down south there are three basic types of coleslaw: Sweet Slaw (shredded cabbage and sometimes carrots in a sweet and creamy mayonnaise dressing; at right), Barbecue Slaw (coarsely shredded or sliced cabbage in a peppery, reddish, oil-and-vinegar dressing;), and this distinctly Germanic oil-and-vinegar–dressed slaw containing onion and green bell pepper as well as cabbage. Was it introduced by German settlers funneling south from Pennsylvania and points north through the Shenandoah Valley? My research suggests so. This isn’t a fancy recipe and its flavor improves on standing in the refrigerator. Because it’s less likely to spoil than mayonnaise-dressed slaws, it’s a good choice for a picnic.

Coleslaw

8 cups (2 quarts) finely sliced cabbage (you’ll need a 2½-to 2¾-pound cabbage)

1 medium-size green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and finely chopped

1 medium-size sweet onion (Vidalia, Spanish, or Bermuda), finely chopped

Dressing

1 cup cider vinegar

¾ cup sugar

²
/
₃
cup corn oil or vegetable oil

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon celery seeds

• 1.
  For the coleslaw: Place the cabbage, bell pepper, and onion in a large nonreactive mixing bowl. Toss well and set aside.
  
• 2.
  For the dressing: Combine all ingredients in a small nonreactive pan and bring to a boil over moderate heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
  
• 3.
  Pour the hot dressing over the slaw and toss well. Cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
  

SWEET SLAW

MAKES
6
TO
8
SERVINGS

To most of the country, coleslaw is crisp and sharp, but down south it’s sometimes so soft and sweet it might be dessert. The best sweet slaw I ever ate is that served at Mama Dip’s Kitchen in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. It’s
not
overly sweet; in fact the balance of sweet and tart is exactly right. Mama Dip (Mildred Council), a six-foot-two African American well into her seventies, has written two best-selling cookbooks,
Mama’s Dip’s Kitchen
(1999) and
Mama Dip’s Family Cookbook
(2005). This coleslaw, which I double-order every time I eat at Dip’s, appears in her second cookbook—a last-minute addition after I raved on and on about it.

8 cups (2 quarts) moderately finely grated cabbage (you’ll need a 2½-to 2¾-pound cabbage)

¾ cup firmly packed mayonnaise

¼ cup cider vinegar

2 tablespoons sugar

½ teaspoon salt, or to taste

• 1.
  Place the cabbage in a large nonreactive bowl. Quickly whisk together all remaining ingredients, pour over the cabbage, and mix well. At first you may think that there isn’t enough dressing. There is because the cabbage will release a fair amount of liquid.
  
• 2.
  Let the slaw stand at room temperature for 30 minutes, mix well, then cover and refrigerate for several hours.
  
• 3.
  Stir the slaw well, taste for salt, and adjust as needed, then serve as an accompaniment to fried chicken, fish or shellfish, or any kind of barbecue.
  

BARBECUE SLAW

MAKES
6
TO
8
SERVINGS

I see this reddish slaw more and more often at barbecue joints across the South and occasionally order it instead of the classic—and more caloric—mayonnaise-based Sweet Slaw, which precedes. Like Sweet-Sour Coleslaw, Barbecue Slaw is a good choice for picnics and tailgate parties.

Coleslaw

8 cups (2 quarts) finely shredded cabbage (you’ll need a 2½-to 2¾-pound cabbage)

1 medium-size sweet onion (Vidalia, Spanish, or Bermuda), finely chopped

Dressing

1 cup cider vinegar

²
/
₃
cup corn or vegetable oil

½ cup sugar

2 tablespoons ketchup or barbecue sauce

1 teaspoon salt

½ dry teaspoon mustard

½ teaspoon sweet paprika

¼ to ½ teaspoon hot red pepper sauce, depending on how “hot” you like things

• 1.
  For the coleslaw: Place the cabbage and onion in a large nonreactive mixing bowl. Toss well and set aside.
  
• 2.
  For the dressing: Combine all ingredients in a small nonreactive pan and bring to a boil over moderate heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
  
• 3.
  Pour the hot dressing over the slaw and toss well. Cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
  

SMOTHERED LETTUCE

MAKES
6
TO
8
SERVINGS

My first job right out of college was with the North Carolina Agricultural Extension Service, first as an assistant home agent in Iredell County, then, nine months later, as Woman’s Editor in the Raleigh head office. In this newly created position, my job was to cover the activities of 4-H Club girls and Home Demonstration Club women for newspapers, radio, and television. I was forever on the road, sometimes driving as many as 500 miles a day. I loved it, especially the tips passed along by the state agents who’d been crisscrossing the state for years. “Whenever you’re in Morehead,” they’d tell me, “be sure to eat at the Sanitary Fish Market.” “If you’re near Hillsborough, lunch at The Colonial Inn.” “If you’re headed to the mountains and it’s not out of the way, by all means stop at the Nu-Wray Inn in Burnsville.” I did, time and again. Only thirty miles north of Asheville and now nearly 200 years old, the Nu-Wray offers a glimpse of early mountain life. It fronts the town common and still serves some of the no-non-sense country cooking that made it famous. Whenever I visited, I’d order the inn’s famous smothered lettuce (some Southerners call it “wilted” lettuce). What follows is my approximation of that salad and I think it comes pretty
close. I like it with almost any meat or fowl. Note:
Iceberg is the lettuce to use here because it adds welcome crunch. It should be coarsely chopped—easy enough if you use this method: Halve the head of lettuce from top to stem end. Lay each half cut-side down, then slice from top to bottom, spacing the cuts
½
inch apart but not separating the slices. Give each half a quarter turn and slice at right angles to the first cuts, again spacing them
½
inch apart. That’s all there is to it.

8 slices hickory-smoked bacon, cut crosswise into strips ½ inch wide

2½ tablespoons cider vinegar

2 teaspoons sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

8 cups (2 quarts) coarsely chopped iceberg lettuce (you’ll need about a 1½-pound head) (see Note above)

6 medium scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced (include some green tops)

• 1.
  Fry the bacon in a large, heavy nonreactive skillet over moderate heat for 10 to 12 minutes or until the drippings cook out and only crisp brown bits remain. Scoop the bacon to paper toweling and reserve.
  
• 2.
  Pour all drippings from the skillet and measure. You’ll need ¼ cup drippings and if insufficient, round out the measure with corn oil or other vegetable oil. Return the drippings to the skillet; add the vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper, and bring to a boil over moderate heat, stirring occasionally.
  
• 3.
  Quickly mound the lettuce and scallions in a large bowl, pour the hot dressing evenly over all, add the reserved bacon, and toss well.
  
• 4.
  Serve at once. This is a light, refreshing salad, so be generous with the portions.
  

MOLDED VEGETABLE SALAD

MAKES
8
SERVINGS

Does anyone love a gelatin salad more than a Southerner? I doubt it. Even my Yankee mother, who moved to Raleigh, North Carolina, after marrying my equally Yankee father, became quite southern in her adoration of “congealed salads,” although she took to few other things southern and in the forty years that she lived below the Mason-Dixon, always spoke with an Illinois twang. Never content to leave well enough alone, Mother was forever improvising with a molded salad recipe that she’d picked up from a neighbor, a friend, or a fellow club woman. Some, I have to say, were sweet enough to serve as dessert. My own favorites, however, were made with unflavored gelatin and contained plenty of fresh fruits or vegetables. This is one of the better molded salads that landed in my mother’s recipe file. Note:
This salad needs no dressing; the mayonnaise is built in.

2 envelopes unflavored gelatin

¼ cup cold water

1 cup boiling water

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons sugar

¾ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon hot red pepper sauce

1 cup mayonnaise (use “light,” if you like)

½ cup finely chopped yellow onion

½ cup coarsely chopped red bell pepper

½ cup coarsely chopped green bell pepper

½ cup finely diced celery

1 cup moderately coarsely shredded cabbage

1 cup moderately coarsely shredded carrots

• 1.
  Lightly coat a fluted, nonreactive 2½-quart mold with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
  
• 2.
  Soften the gelatin in the cold water in a large heatproof bowl for 5 minutes. Add ¾ cup of the boiling water, the lemon juice, sugar, salt, and hot pepper sauce. Stir until the gelatin dissolves completely.
  
• 3.
  Blend the mayonnaise with the onion and remaining ¼ cup boiling water, then mix into the gelatin mixture along with all remaining ingredients.
  
• 4.
  Pour all into the mold and cover loosely with wax paper. Set uncovered in the refrigerator and chill for several hours or overnight until firm.
  
• 5.
  To unmold, dip the mold quickly into hot water, then invert on a colorful round platter.
  Tip:
  If the platter is wet, you’ll find the unmolded salad easier to center.
  
• 6.
  Cut into wedges and serve as is, or if you prefer, serve on a bed of colorful mixed greens.