lunaticsinge.com - Southern Cuisine Stews

Catfish Stew - (Serves 4 to 6)

Ingredients:

5 whole medium dressed catfish (1/2 lb. each)

3 tablespoons salt

1 tablespoon ground black pepper

vegetable oil, plus bacon grease if you have it, for frying

4 canned peeled plum tomatoes, drained (save the juice) & cut into quarters

1 tablespoon garlic, minced

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

6 cups plus 2 tablespoons water

5 medium russet potatoes, peeled, cut lengthwise in half then crosswise into thirds

8 carrots, cut into 1-inch chunks

1 medium onion, cut into 6 wedges

4 celery ribs, cut on an angle into 1-inch chunks

1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) butter

Rice or grits, for serving

1. Up to a day ahead, sprinkle the catfish evenly inside and out with 2 tablespoons of the salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons of the pepper. Put the catfish on a platter and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.

2. Pat the catfish dry. Heat about an inch of oil, with the bacon grease if you have it, in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Once it's hot, fry the catfish in batches until golden brown on both sides, 8 to 10 minutes total. Remove the catfish to a platter and set aside.

3. Pour off all but 1/4 cup of the oil from the pan and stir in the tomatoes (not the juice), garlic, the remaining 1 tablespoon salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper, and the sugar. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring from time to time.

4. Scrape the contents of the skillet into a Dutch oven. Add 6 cups water and some of the tomato juice, about 1/2 cup...Bring to a boil over medium heat and add the potatoes. Return to a boil and boil for 5 minutes, then add the carrots, onion, and celery.

5. Meantime, in a small bowl or teacup, mix the flour and remaining 2 tablespoon water with a fork until smooth. Thicken the cooking liquid by add a little of the flour mixture in several places, whisking it in immediately so it doesn't get lumpy. If the liquid seems to thin, repeat with more of the flour mixture.

6. Stir in the butter and add the catfish to the pot. Cover and let it all simmer down over medium heat for 20 to 25 minutes, until all the vegetables are tender. Serve over hot rice or grits, with all the gravy spooned on top.

Chicken Brunswick Stew - (Serves 4 to 6)

Ingredients:

2 whole bone-in chicken breasts or breast halves, rinsed

8 cups water

1 tablespoon Dora's Savannah Seasoning (recipe on Basics page)

4 chicken bouillon cubes

1/2 cup onion, coarsely chopped

1 cup bell pepper, coarsely chopped

1 (14.75 oz.) can whole kernel corn

1 (32 oz.) can diced tomatoes

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

1/3 cup BBQ sauce, of your choice

1 teaspoon Texas Pete hot sauce or Tabasco, or more to taste

2 tablespoons butter

Rice or grits, for serving

1. Put the chicken , water, and Savannah seasoning in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the bouillon cubes and stir to mix in the seasoning. Put the lid on and once it comes to a boil, turn the heat down to a simmer and cook for about an hour, or until the meat is falling off the bone.

2. Remove he chicken. when the chicken is cool enough, pull the meat from the bones and shred it, using tongs and your fingers. Throw out the skin and bones.

3. Bring the broth back to a simmer, return the shredded chicken to the pot, and add all the remaining ingredients (except the rice or grits). Let it simmer, uncovered, for another half hour.

4. Taste for seasoning, it could need more pepper or salt or more hot sauce. Serve in individual bowls or over warm rice or grits.

Oxtail Stew - (Serves 6)

Ingredients:

5 lbs. oxtail (with no yellow fat), rinsed

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Dora's Savannah Seasoning (recipe on Basics page)

2 teaspoons Accent (optional)

4 beef bouillon cubes

1 medium onion, sliced thin

1/2 large bell pepper, sliced thin

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons butter, melted

2 to 3 cups water, plus 1 tablespoon

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Rice, for serving

1. You have a choice here: You can cook the oxtails for 2 1/2 to 3 hours at 350 degrees F, or you can cook them all day or overnight at 200 degrees F. Set the oven according to your plan.

2. Put the oxtails in a large bowl. Sprinkle them with the Savannah seasoning and Accent if using, and work the seasoning in evenly using your hands.

3. Put the bouillon cubes in a 3 quart casserole dish with a lid and add a layer of the onion and bell pepper. Arrange the seasoned oxtails evenly on top. Drizzle the Worcestershire sauce and melted butter on top and add 3 cups water if you're cooking at 350 degrees, or 2 cups if cooking at 200 degrees. Cover the casserole and put it in the oven.

4. If you're coking at the higher temperature, check to see if the oxtails are tender after 2 1/2 hours, they should be falling off the bones, which may take another half hour. If you're cooking at 200 degrees, test after 8 to 10 hours. (If there's time, chill the stew once it's cooked and then remove the fat on top before reheating.)

5. To make the gravy, spoon off any extra fat from the stew and transfer the oxtails and vegetables to a platter, Pour the broth from the casserole into a small saucepan and set over medium-high heat, you want it to be bubbling hot.

6. Meantime, in a small bowl, mix well the flour with the remaining 1 tablespoon water to make slurry. When the broth is bubbling, whisk in the slurry and continue whisking until the gravy is thick and the flour taste is cooked out.

7. Serve the oxtails and vegetables over rice, with the gravy passed at the table.

Pot Roast with Potatoes - (Serves 8 to 10)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 (3 lb.) boneless chuck roast, at room temperature

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

4 medium russet potatoes, peeled & quartered

1 medium green bell pepper, sliced thin

1 medium onion, cut in half & sliced thin

4 cups water

3 beef bouillon cubes

1. Set he oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Mix together 1/4 cup of the flour, the salt, and pepper. Rub the seasoned flour all over the roast.

3. Heat the Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add the oil. When it's shimmering, brown the roast, turning it as it cooks to brown on all sides.

4. Scatter the potatoes, green pepper, and onion around the roast. Pour 3 cups of water around the roast and drop in the bouillon cubes. Cover the pot, transfer to the oven, and bake until the meat is fully tender, 3 to 2 1/2 hours.

5. Remove the roast from the oven and move the roast and vegetables to a platter. Cover with foil to keep warm and let rest for 15 to 20 minutes.

6. While the meat is resting, pour off the broth from the Dutch oven into a saucepan. Put the saucepan over medium-high heat and bring the liquid to a boil.

7. Meantime, pour the remaining 1 cup water into a small bowl and whisk in the remaining 3 tablespoons flour to make a smooth slurry. Add the slurry to the boiling liquid slowly, whisking, and continue to whisk until the gravy is smooth and thickened and the flour taste is cooked out, 5 to 8 minutes.

8. Remove the mea to a carving board and slice. Return the slices to the platter, surround with the potatoes and vegetables, and pour the gravy over everything.

Pigs' Feet in Barbecue Sauce - (Serves 4 to 6)

Ingredients:

2 lbs. pigs' feet, ask butcher to cut them crosswise in half

1/4 cup distilled white vinegar

5 cups hot water

1 tablespoon Dora's Savannah Seasoning (recipe on Basics page)

1 teaspoon Accent (optional)

1/2 medium green bell pepper, sliced thin

1/2 medium onion, sliced thin

2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

BBQ Sauce Ingredients:

5 cups light brown sugar

4 cups ketchup

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon yellow mustard

1 lemon, juiced

1 1/2 teaspoons Dora's Savannah Seasoning (recipe on Basics page)

1 teaspoon honey

2 teaspoons ground black pepper

2 teaspoons Texas Pete or other hot sauce

1. Put the pigs feet in a large pot and cover with cold water. Add the vinegar and set the pot to boil over high heat.

2. When the pot boils, some scum will form on the top of the water. Put a colander in the sink and pour the water off the pigs' feet. Rinse the pigs' feet and the Pot very well in hot water.

3. Put the feet back in the pot with the 5 cups hot water and the Savannah seasoning and Accent, if using. Stir the seasoning in and bring the water to a rapid boil. Turn the heat down to a low simmer, so that just a few bubbles are coming up. Add the vegetables and Worcestershire sauce and stir well.

4. Now the little feet are bound for glory. Let them simmer slowly until very tender, almost falling off the bone, which can take anywhere from 1 to 2 hours.

5. Meantime, make the barbecue sauce: cook all the ingredients down in a heavy, medium pot uncovered over low heat, stirring often, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Don't let the sauce get so hot it starts to pop - it should be a gentle heat that will slowly concentrate the sauce a bit. Once it's hot, taste it (it won't taste right until it's very hot and cooked down, so be careful) and see if you need a little more of something.

6. A little before the pigs' feet are done, set the oven to 350 degrees F.

7. When the feet are down, scoop them out with a slotted spoon, along with the vegetables, into a casserole dish. Spoon 2 cups of the barbecue sauce evenly on top to glaze the pigs; feet and bake, uncovered, until the casserole is bubbly on the sides, 10 to 15 minutes.

8. Serve right away.