lunaticsinge.com - Southern Cuisine Sides

Country Cabbage with Smoked Bacon - (Serves 4)

Ingredients:

4 bacon slices

1/2 small head cabbage, cored, sliced thin, rinsed, & drained

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons butter

1. Fry the bacon in a large cast-iron skillet until crisp. Remove the slices to a paper towels to drain. Don't pour off the bacon grease.

2. Add the cabbage down uncovered, stirring occasionally, until it's completely soft and cooked through, about 10 minutes.

3. Stir in the salt and cook for another 5 minutes. Crumble in the bacon. Stir in the butter and taste. Adjust seasoning as needed until it's just right. Serve hot.

Coleslaw - (Serves 4 to 6)

Ingredients:

1 (1 lb.) package shredded cabbage, angel hair cut

2 tablespoons carrots, finely shredded

1/2 tablespoon parsley, chopped

1/3 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon onion, finely chopped

1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish

1/2 to 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar, or to taste

1/2 teaspoon salt, or more to taste

1/2 teaspoon yellow mustard

1/2 cup raisins, or 3/4 cup chopped red seedless grapes (optional)

1. In a large bowl, mix the cabbage, carrot, and parsley.

2. In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, onion, relish, 1/2 teaspoon sugar, if you like, the salt and mustard, then mix well.

3. Mix the dressing into the cabbage, stirring well to combine. Cover and refrigerate the coleslaw for at least 4 hours, or overnight, to season.

4. If you're adding the raisins or grapes, stir them in when you're ready to serve. Stir well, taste, and correct the seasonings before serving slightly chilled.

Lima Bean Stew with Okra - (Serves 8 to 10)

Ingredients:

4 1/2 quarts water

1/2 lb. smoked turkey wings, ham hocks, or kielbasa

1 tablespoon Lawry's Seasoned Salt, or more to taste

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, or more to taste

3 (1 1/2 inch-thick) pieces fatback

2 (1 lb.) bags frozen baby lima beans

1 stick (8 tablespoon) butter

1 lb. fresh okra pods, trimmed, or frozen okra, defrosted

Rice, for serving

1. In an 8-quart stockpot, bring the water, turkey wings, fatback, seasoned salt, and pepper to a boil over medium-high heat. Turn the heat down to a simmer and let the stock bubble away, uncovered, for 1 1/2 hours. After 45 minutes, add the fatback.

2. Add the lima beans and butter and cook for 15 minutes. Add the okra and cook until tender, about 15 minutes more. Check for seasoning.

3. Ladle the stew into warm bowls of rice.

Skillet Okra with Onions - (Serves 6)

Ingredients:

5 bacon slices

6 cups (one 28 oz. package) frozen okra rings (don't defrost)

Salt and ground black pepper

1/2 cup onion, chopped

3 tablespoons butter

Rice for serving (optional)

1. Fry the bacon in a large skillet. When it's crisp, remove it to paper towels to drain. Don't pour off the bacon grease.

2. Add the okra rings to the bacon grease in the skillet and season with a little salt and pepper. Cook, uncovered, over medium-low heat for 20 minutes, stirring almost constantly for the first 6 to 7 minutes, then frequently. Add the onion and butter, then crumble the bacon on top of the okra. Stir well, cover, and simmer over medium-low heat for 1/2 hour, giving the okra a stir every 10 minutes or so.

3. Serve hot, over rice if you like.

Cheater Pickles - (Serves 6 to 8)

Ingredients:

2 English cucumbers (the long ones)

2 tablespoons sugar

Handful of ice cubes

1/4 cup rice, champagne, apple cider, or distilled white vinegar

Several pinches of flaky salt, such as Maldon

Several grinds of black pepper (optional)

2 tablespoons snipped fresh dill, mint, & chives, or a mixture (optional)

1/2 Vidalia onion, sliced into half-moons (optional)

1. Cut off the ends of the cucumbers and use the tines of a fork to draw long stripes down their lengths. Slice the cucumbers like bread-and-butter pickles, about 1/8 inch thick, and pile them into a large shallow bowl. Sprinkle sugar over the cucumbers and stir it in well. Scatter the ice cubes over the cucumbers and cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap. Chill in the freezer for 1/2 hour.

2. Drain the cucumbers in a colander and pat dry with a clean kitchen towel. Put the cucumbers in a bowl, sprinkle the vinegar evenly over them, and stir well. Add the salt and pepper, if using, and stir well to combine. Toss in the herbs, if using, and the onions, if using. Refrigerate until ready to serve. They'll still be good the next day, though not quite as crisp.

Creamed Potatoes Casserole - (Serves 4 to 6)

Ingredients:
2 lbs. russet potatoes, peeled
6 cups water
4 chicken bouillon cubes
1 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
1/3 cup half-and-half, warmed
1 tablespoon butter, softened
Ground black pepper, to taste

1. If the potatoes are medium or large, cut them lengthwise in half and then in thirds, so you have 6 chunks each. If they're small, cut each in half and then in half again, so you have 4 chunks each.

2. Bring the water to a boil in a large pot and when it boils, add the bouillon cubes and salt, stirring well. Drop in the potato chunks and gently boil, uncovered, until tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

3. Drain the potatoes in a colander in the sink and dump them into a large bowl. Add the half-and-half and butter, then mash with a potato masher, scooping them up often with a mixing spoon. You can mash them very well or a bit coarsely, however you like the. Season to taste with more salt and pepper, if needed, and serve immediately.

Sweet Potato Casserole - (Serves 6 to 8)

Sweet Potato Ingredients:

5 large sweet potatoes, roasted & chilled

1/4 cup white sugar

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons grated nutmeg

1 (13.5 oz.) can coconut milk, stirred well, or 1 stick softened butter

1/2 teaspoon pure orange extract, or 1 teaspoon grated orange zest

The Crumble Ingredients:

1 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons butter, softened

1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

1. Set the oven to350 degrees F. Butter a 1 1/2 quart baking dish.

2. Cut the sweet potatoes lengthwise in half and gently scoop out the flesh. Mash them in a large bowl. Add the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, coconut milk or butter, and orange extract or zest, and mix well. Once the mixture is smooth, dump the sweet potatoes into the buttered baking dish and spread evenly.

3. To Make the Crumble: Put all the ingredients in a medium bowl and blend them with your fingers. It's ready when you've worked it enough so that a fistful of the crumble dropped from 8 inches above the falls in a big lump without cracking. Distribute the crumble evenly over the top of the casserole, about half and inch thick.

4. Slide the dish into the oven and bake until the sweet potatoes are heated through and the crumble has crisped a bit, about 25 minutes. Serve hot.