Monday, December 19, 2005

Bavarian Roast Turkey

Clean and season a fat turkey. Stuff with 3 raw potatoes, 2 apples and 1 onion grated. Mix with a lump of butter and 1 cup of bread-crumbs; add 1 egg. Season with sage, thyme, salt and pepper; then put in a dripping-pan. Pour in 1 cup of water and dredge with flour. Let bake in a hot oven until done.

Wednesday, December 14, 2005

Mary Lou's Easy and Tasty Fried Chicken


Each of us has his own way of cooking chicken. My method is one I learned from my mother when I grew up in south Mississippi.

My sister Ruth and I often had the job of slaughtering a chicken from the yard. The chicken and the sisters suffered great pain. Usually I didn't want to eat the chicken by the time it made it to the table.

Here's my method:Buy a chicken. That way you can be noble like Brutus and have someone else commit the poultry murder. Buy it previously cut up or cut your own chicken.

My mother always cut the chicken so that she had a large piece containing the wishbone--we called it the pulley bone. My brother Buddy and I would have a negotiation over that piece. I usually won.

If you cut the chicken, use a sharp knife. Cut it into halves, then cut it into fourths, and finally cut the pieces fourths into eighths. Cutting a chicken is not, as we thought when we were children, rocket science. I'll let you decide whether you want to remove the skin.

Be sure to trim the globs of fat off the chicken pieces.Wash the chicken, everything that touches the chicken, and your hands with care.

Marinate the chicken covered and stored in the refrigerator in buttermilk overnight.The next day wash the chicken and drain it on paper towels.Dredge it in a mix of self-rising flour that has been seasoned liberally with your favorite seasonings, such as seasoning salt, black pepper, ground red pepper, paprika, garlic powder, oregano, rosemary, and salt. Or you may prefer a spicy south Louisiana blend.

Pour enough oil to halfway fill a heavy Dutch oven or very deep iron skillet. You want the oil to cover the chicken. Heat the oil until it is really hot.

Place the chicken in the oil one layer at a time. You will want to place the pretty sides down.

Fry it until no blood oozes out if you stick it or until it is 180 degrees inside the biggest pieces.Drain it on a rack.

Serve it with some garlic mashed potatoes or some rice and homemade gravy.

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South Louisiana Collard Greens, Stir Fried with Sweet and Sour Sauce

Stir-Fried Greens
2 bunches greens, collards if possible
¼ pound bacon,
diced1 red onion, sliced thin
Rice wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
1. Remove stems, then cut greens into thin strips.
2. Wash thoroughly.
3. Render bacon until crisp, add onion and cook onion until onion is done.
4. Add greens and toss in pan.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste, then add vinegar and toss in pan.
6. Remove from heat and keep warm.
7. Serve with Sweet and Sour Sauce (recipe below).

Note: Words are inadequate to tell you how good this sauce is. There is extra sauce, which I use on everything from carrots to Brussels sprouts. These recipes are for restaurant amounts and are quoted exactly as the chefs wrote them.
Sweet and Sour Sauce
6 cups sugar4 cups red wine vinegar3 cups teriyaki sauceChopped garlicChopped gingerChopped cilantro3 cups ketchupCornstarch
Mix sugar, vinegar, teriyaki, garlic, and ginger in a pot and bring to a boil.Add cilantro and ketchup and return to a boil.Thicken with a little cornstarch mixed with water. Serve warm. Armand’s, a deliciously decorated new restaurant in deep French country, is housed within Chris’s Flowers & Gifts located at 313 Main Street, Gramercy, LA 70052. Behind the main dining room sits a New Orleans style courtyard, where on special occasions there is enjoyable live music— not too loud.Call Jim Rooker, Armand’s executive chef, at 225-869-8440 to reserve space for a party or have him cater something extra special for you.When I asked him to give me his favorite recipe, he gave me two that he received from John Martin Terranova, deceased, the former executive chef of the Castle, an exquisite restaurant located in the old stables of historic Dunleith Plantation, Natchez, Mississippi.Grilled Pork Tenderloin and Stir-Fried Collards are featured with Creamed Sweet Potatoes on the Castle’s dinner menu. Jim shared his treasured recipes with me, and I’m giving them to you.Jim’s intimate restaurant will rank among the best in the New Orleans area when the connoisseurs of fine cuisine find it. You can beat the city crowd there and avoid the New Orleans traffic for an unforgettable dining experience.
http://www.fwlcookbook.com/Armands.html

Monday, December 12, 2005

RECIPES: My Favorite Christmas Recipes

HOW TO COOK AN OLD-FASHIONED CHRISTMAS DINNER WITHOUT RUINING YOUR CHRISTMAS DAY

Imagine the way Christmas was when you were growing up--when a mixture of unforgettable aromas wafted from the kitchen.

My favorite recipes to create the old-fashioned aromas of Christmas are the ones I'm sharing in the e-book, MY FAVORITE CHRISTMAS RECIPES. This collection of recipes would fill too much space if I published them as a group here on the Collard Patch blog, but I'd love to share them with you. For that reason, I have placed them in an e-book that I want to give you.

These recipes will help you have an extra special Christmas dinner. You can prepare many of the dishes ahead of time. The secret is to plan ahead.

Even though you may not have an opportunity to cook all these recipes, you will experience the joy of an old-fashioned Christmas as you read my electronic Christmas gift to you.

Please share these recipes with your friends. All I ask is that you include your name and e-mail address so people will know where the recipes came from.

Write me at admin@fwlcookbook.com, and I'll send you a free e-book of Christmas recipes you are sure to enjoy.

Merry Christmas,
Mary

Sunday, December 11, 2005

RECIPE: Weese's Nut Cake

David from the low country requested a recipe for nut cake, and I'm sending him my mother-in-law's mother's recipe. Mom says this cake is wonderful.

Does anyone else have a nut cake recipe you'd like to share?



Weese's Nut Cake

1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon cloves
1 cup bourbon
1 pound raisins
2 pounds pecans
4 cups cake flour
½ pound butter
6 eggs separated
2 cups sugar
½ teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons baking powder


1.Soak spices in whiskey overnight.
2.Coat raisins and pecans in a small amount of flour.
3.Cream together butter, egg yolks, and sugar.
4.Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt; add to creamed mixture.
5.Add raisins and pecans.
6.Next add whiskey and spices.
7.Fold in egg whites, stiffly beaten.
8.Bake at 250°F for 3 hours in tube pan.


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