A Southern Delacacy as Old as Time

Fried Chicken seems as quintessentially American as apple pie, Mom and the 4^th of July and is a Southern delicacy.   Of course, we know that Southern Fried chicken is “finger licking good” and should come with a biscuit.  In today’s fast paced world, it isn’t something we often make at home, but it should be. 

  Pan fried chicken like I am going to show you in this iteration of Southern Home Cooking conjures up many fond memories of Grandma’s kitchen.  I learned by watching and eventually helping her make chicken for Sunday dinner when all my aunts, uncles and cousins would flock to her tiny yellow house after church.  There, two electric skillets and several skillets on the stove, were all laden with lard, heated to just the right temperature and then filled with piece after piece of that dipped and floured fowl.

   Trust me when I tell you, Grandma Miriam didn’t invent the dish, but she sure perfected it!  No, this dish is almost as old as time.  People have been frying yard bird since the middle ages.  It came to the Americas with Irish immigrants, was perfected by slaves a hundred years later, who added spices to the mix, and is something that continues to evolve.   And, isn’t that what great cooks do?  They tweak it here, add something there and put their signature on it making it uniquely their own. 

To begin with, you need chicken.  It can be precut or my preference, whole.  I always buy the whole bird.  It is cheaper.  Grandma taught me how to cut it up, which doesn’t take much time and isn’t difficult.  If that isn’t something you can stomach, I understand.  But, if it is and you just don’t know how, it’s worth the time to look it up and learn. I want meat from a single bird, not several, so I still do mine the old-fashioned way.   

   We need oil, flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, eggs and buttermilk and the afore mentioned chicken.

   Put your oil in whatever pan you plan to fry your chick in.  I recommend a large skillet or electric skillet.  You will fill it with about an inch of oil and bring it up to around 350 degrees.   I have taken to using peanut oil instead of lard.  Peanut oil doesn’t burn, which can be a hazard of lard or vegetable oil.

  While you have that going on, get your egg wash ready.  Crack you eggs (2-3) in a large enough bowl to accommodate your chicken, add buttermilk and mix.   Then put flour in a container and season it with the spices.  I generally recommend a paper bag for this part.  I will mix my flour and spices in a bowl and then put it in a large paper bag.   

  Once that is done, check your oil.  Then, put your chicken in the egg wash and drop it all into the bag.  Close the bag at the top (like roll it down a few times) and then shake it vigorously.  This coats all your chicken evenly and you can cook all that will fit into your pan or pans at the same time.   Let your chicken rest after shaking.   Then, do it again.  WE DO NOT WANT WET CHICKEN!!  Wet chicken makes your oil pop and makes a mess at best; at worse, it can and will burn you.  When that is done, start cooking your chicken.

  Cook your chicken, turning it occasionally until it is golden brown and crisp on the outside and reaches an internal temperature of about 165 degrees.   

  It wouldn’t be a chicken dinner without mashed potatoes and gravy!  For that, boil potatoes until tender, add butter and a bit of milk, then smash-em up.   I mix mine up with a hand mixer to get them nice and smooth.

 For the gravy…. we’ll look at that next time when we cook up some Southern Chicken Fried Steak

           

Peanut oil            2-3 cups
Flour                      2-3 Cups
Salt                         1 tsp
Pepper                 1tsp
Garlic powder   1tsp
Onion powder   1tsp
Paprika                 1tsp
eggs                       2-3
buttermilk           1 cup

For a spicy version, add about a tsp of cayenne pepper to your flour

An Autumn Classic

This edition of Southern Home Cooking we are going to make a Southern Beef Stew.  Beef stew is autumn classic and pairs well with the corn bread we made before, although without the cheese and peppers. 

   

As with most southern dishes, there a literally hundreds of ways to fix this dish, it all depends on what you like or don’t like.  For instance, this recipe calls for a whole sliced onion and I can’t stand cooked onion (it’s a consistency thing) so I used onion powder to taste instead.  There are many more recipes that call for things like bay leaves, crushed or minced garlic, celery and other vegetables and herbs.   I wanted to keep it simple, so I used just a basic recipe.  Of course, some of the measurements may be off a bit.  It is hard to gauge when Momma says a dash of this and pinch of that then taste it to see what else you need.

  

Just as with any beef stew, we are going to start with a basic cut of meat.  Some use a chopped-up roast or cut steaks.  Since beef can be expensive, I generally get the stew meat and then trim most of the fat before browning it in the pan. 

  

You’ll need a deep pot of some type.  For most recipes, I use a porcelain coated cast iron Dutch oven, the cast iron cooks very evenly but any soup pot will work.  

  

Heat your pot on medium heat, throw in the butter and let it melt.  While your pot is heating up, go ahead and get your flower and meat and dredge your meat in the flower until it is coated.  When your pot is hot enough, throw in the butter and the meat and brown up your meat.  Be careful not to overload your pot with meat as that can end up steaming your meat instead of frying it, which is what we want to do.  (It wouldn’t really be southern if something wasn’t fried!)  If needed, do several batches of the meat until all of it is cooked up.  Once done, add your water and spices plus the cut up onion, but hold off on the tomato paste and beef bouillon; those will go in after the meat is tender.  Bring the whole thing up to a boil and then turn down the heat and simmer for about an hour. 

  

While your meat and spices simmer, go ahead and cut up your potatoes and carrots.  I use the red potatoes but peeled russets work fine, too.    Baby carrots are my favorite for this but whole regular one a just as good.  I always like to rinse my vegetables and potatoes.  You never know what’s on them, especially when you use fresh vegetables. 

  

Once your meat is done and tender, add in your tomato paste and mix well.  Then, throw in your vegetables and beef bouillon, stir it around and then turn the heat up and bring it back to a boil.   Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until your vegetables are fork tender. 

  

I like to pair this with cornbread and sometimes with rice.  It’s a good rule of thumb that if you are going to do that, go ahead and mix up your cornbread and/or start the rice while your vegetables

     are cooking.  They generally will all be done about the same time. 

 

Of note:  This is generally a much thicker stew than most are accustomed too.  Keep in mind that we fried our meat with flour, which will act as a thickening agent.  Tomato paste can also be a thickening agent so you shouldn’t end up with a “soup” type of consistency.  It will be somewhat thick. 

Ingredients:

2- lbs. of Stew Beef

4 cups of water

4 teaspoons of beef bouillon granules

1 medium onion, sliced

3-4 carrots, sliced

6-8 red potatoes (or russet)

2-3 tablespoons of butter

1/3 cup of tomato paste

1-2 teaspoons of Worcestershire Sauce

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

½ teaspoon Paprika

Black Pepper to taste

Garlic (powder or minced fresh) to taste

Flour (used to dredge meat before frying)

  

The whole process usually takes a couple of hours, so it isn’t a “quick” meal.  I like to make this on the weekends when the air gets crisp.  It’s belly warming comfort food that warms the heart as well as the belly. 

  If you are interested in a few other variations:

   http://www.deepsouthdish.com/2008/12/marys-homemade-beef-stew.html#axzz4si1WUMLG

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/69377/southern-style-beef-stew/

Not My Mama's Cornbread!

   This week in Southern Home Cooking, we are going to look at a southern staple; cornbread.   Why cornbread?  Well, because it goes with most anything, is easy to make and makes a great addition to an ordinary meal.   Plus, you can dress it up a ton of different ways, like we are going to do this week, or you can leave it plain and it’s still fantastic. 

   In the southern tradition, cornbread can be made numerous different ways and was often prepared using what was available.  Some recipes call for buttermilk, some for milk, some with two eggs, some with only one and many with and without the use of wheat flour.  Those without wheat flour are generally referred to as corn pone.

   Baking is as varied as the recipes.  Sometimes the bread or pone is done in a cast iron skillet by heating lard (rendered pig fat) in the pan and pouring the mixture into the hot oil and then baking on an open fire.  Sometimes it’s done by placing it a loaf pan, sometimes a baking pan and others in muffin pans. 

   I prefer muffin method with a bit of wheat flour mixed in with the corn meal.  It doesn’t seem to crumble as much and it is easier to get the butter and honey or molasses on a muffin.  When you prepare it, try a few different methods to see which you like best. 

   Cornbread did not originate with European settlers to the South.  They got if from the Native Americans.  As you may well know, corn was a staple food for Native Americans and they had hundreds of ways to prepare it.  From those humble beginnings, the methods were adapted to what was more familiar in the European culture and cornbread became a staple of the South.  Cornbread even has its own book, The Cornbread Gospels by Crescent Dragonwagon.

   I promised to show one of my favorite embellished cornbread’s so here goes…. this week I made mine with jalapenos and cheese!  This type would generally be considered a southwest embellishment and is popular in Texas and Oklahoma. I have found this in Louisiana as well and it pairs well with Cajun foods, chili and things that generally have a tomato base.  That region is known for tomatoes and peppers, so it makes sense that the cornbread would include and pair well with things that contain them.

   Other embellishments are creamed corn, red peppers and Mexican style cheese, cream cheese, chili powder, chunked hot dogs, blueberries or blackberries and even breakfast sausage… the list can go on and on and is only limited by the imagination.

   To start, make your cornbread in accordance with the recipe below then add about ¾ cup of shredded cheese, I prefer cheddar, and chopped jalapeno peppers to taste.  I find that the pickled sliced “nacho slices” work best, but fresh work too.  I used about one pepper’s worth (1/4 cup) in my recipe and chopped them in small bits so they mix in well.  Canned diced peppers also work well.

   Once your “embellishments” are added, bake like you normally would at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. 

Below is the recipe I like to use and is the one I got from my Mom, who got it from her Mom and so on.

1 cup of cornmeal

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/3 cup white sugar

½ teaspoon salt

1 egg

¼ cup oil (or melted butter) *

1 cup of milk (or buttermilk) *

Add them all together and mix until all the liquid is absorbed

*(the butter and buttermilk will give your cornbread a much more cake-like consistency)

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees, then spoon your batter into either greased muffin tins or tins with paper shells and then bake for 15-20 minutes. 

Let them cool a bit and then ENJOY!

Welcome to my Southern Home Kitchen...

Hi.  I am Phillip Witzke.  I hail from a small town in rural Oklahoma and grew up eating a lot of southern home cooking.  My mother's family was from eastern Oklahoma where she learned to cook southern style cuisine and by proxy, then so did I.

  Additionally, through my career in the military, I was exposed to a lot of other southern dishes and adopted some of them.  I spent a good deal of time in Arkansas, Louisiana and other places and learned to cook a lot of the local fair.  I like to cook and LOVE to eat and by picking up some of the local recipes, I can revisit some of my favorite places any time I want.

  When we think of southern dishes, we can't just think one region.  Southern cooking comes from all over the South and there is a great variance in the regional varieties.   In Oklahoma, there is a lot of German influence.  In Louisiana, a lot of French and Cajon influence. In the Carolinas, the use of sea food is huge; especially in Charleston!  

  What I hope to do with this blog is gather up some of my favorites from the different regions, show you how to prepare them in your own home through videos and recipes and perhaps even share a bit of the history associated with them.  We'll learn to make some staple items that, when put together can provide you with a southern feast!