by Fran Rizer
You can eat deep-fried, breaded okra, but it won’t touch Maum’s okra. She’d sprinkle a little salt on the cooked okra just before she served it.
RIZZIE’S FRESH TOMATO GULLAH PIE
Ingredients
1 unbaked pie shell (homemade, frozen, or refrigerated roll-out)
2 tablespoons evaporated milk
4 cups firm ripe tomatoes, sliced (peeling is optional)
1½ teaspoons salt
⅛ teaspoon pepper
¼ to ½ teaspoon dried tarragon
⅓ cup mayonnaise*
⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Directions
Preheat the oven to 450° F. Line the pie plate with the shell unless the shell is already in a tin-foil pie dish. Crimp the edges and brush the pastry with evaporated milk. Bake the shell for 5 minutes at 450° and remove from oven. Reduce oven temperature to 350°. Lay the sliced tomatoes in the pie shell, sprinkling each layer with salt, pepper, and tarragon. Stir the cheese and mayonnaise together and spoon the mixture over the tomatoes, spreading it out as much as possible. Bake 35 to 45 minutes at 350° or until the tomatoes are cooked and the top is light brown.
*After several phone calls and e-mails, I am giving in and stating officially that the mayonnaise should be Duke’s even though I’m not being paid for the promotion. Many Southerners don’t consider anything but Duke’s as “real” mayonnaise, while northerners praise Hellman’s, and those of us on budgets buy whatever is on sale that weekend.
At a McCormick, SC, Friends of the Library book-signing, they served refreshments made from recipes on the website. They made tiny tomato pies in miniature tart pans creating a tasty as well as beautiful appetizer.
OLA BELLE’S SWEET POTATO PONE
Pone is a cross between bread and pudding. It’s a Gullah dish, but Rizzie got this version from a lady named Ola Belle who had nine children who loved Potato Pone.
Ingredients
3 cups peeled, grated raw sweet potatoes
2 cups granulated sugar
½ cup soft margarine or butter
2 eggs
¼ cup cream or evaporated milk
3 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Cream the butter and sugar together. Add the eggs, vanilla, and cream or milk. Beat lightly. Add the sweet potatoes and flour. Do not beat, just blend. Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking oil. Spoon the mixture into the baking dish and bake at 350° until lightly browned on top and not squiggly in the middle (about an hour). It’s done when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.) Cool before cutting into squares.
The McCormick Friends of the Library served Sweet Potato Pone as finger food by cutting it into 1-inch squares.
RIZZIE’S GULLAH SQUASH
Ingredients
3 slices bacon
1 medium onion, sliced
1 bell pepper, julienned
4 medium yellow squash or 2 medium yellow squash and 2 medium zucchini, sliced
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon dried rosemary
Directions
Fry bacon in a non-stick skillet or cast-iron skillet. Remove the bacon and set aside to drain on paper towel. Sauté the onion and bell pepper in the bacon drippings. Put squash in medium saucepan. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and rosemary. Pour onion, bell pepper, and bacon drippings over squash. Stir. Cover and cook on medium low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. At Christmas, Rizzie uses half a green bell pepper and half a red bell pepper in this dish. Crumble the reserved cooked bacon on top of the squash in the serving bowl.
RIZZIE’S SHRIMP SLIDERS
Ingredients
1 pound raw shrimp, medium or large
¾ cup fine cornmeal
¾ cup flour, plain or self-rising
1 tablespoon Gullah or Cajun seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, beaten
Peanut oil for frying
Remoulade sauce
½ head of iceberg or Romaine lettuce, shredded
2 - 3 tomatoes, peeled and sliced ¼ inch thick
1 medium onion, sliced as thin as possible
8 dinner rolls (Hawaiian rolls are great!)
Ingredients for Remoulade
¼ cup mustard, preferably Creole
1¼ cups mayonnaise
1 teaspoon pickle juice
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
1 large clove of garlic, minced and smashed
1 teaspoon Gullah or Cajun seasoning
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish sauce
Directions for Remoulade
You may buy ready-made remoulade or make your own by mixing all the ingredients together in a bowl and setting it aside for flavors to blend while preparing the shrimp.
Directions for Shrimp
Peel and devein the shrimp. Remove their heads and tails. Wash and set aside. Mix cornmeal, flour, salt, and seasoning in a bowl. Pour peanut oil up to ½ inch in a large skillet. Set the pan over medium high heat until a small amount of flour dropped into the oil sizzles immediately. Dredge each shrimp into egg and then cornmeal mixture. Shake off excess and fry until golden brown on both sides. Set the fried shrimp aside on paper towels.
Directions for Assembling the Sliders
Slice the dinner rolls in half almost all the way through. Spread remoulade on both the top and bottom. Spread a layer of lettuce shreds on bottom. Arrange shrimp on lettuce and top with a slice of tomato and then a slice of onion. Press the top of the bread on top of the onion. Serve immediately.
This isn’t a traditional Gullah recipe, but it’s Gullah in two ways. The ingredients reflect Gullah influence, and it was created by Rizzie, a true Gullah lady who grew up on Surcie Island off the coast of South Carolina.
RECIPES FOR DISHES FROM
CALLIE’S PREVIOUS BOOKS
I had so much fun putting together some of my favorite recipes from Pa and Rizzie that I decided to add some dishes from Callie’s earlier mysteries.
Mother Hubbard Has A CORPSE IN THE CUPBOARD
CATFISH STEW
Pa’s Uncle Pee Wee died before we kids were old enough to get to know him, but he was one of Pa’s favorite relatives. Pa says, “Uncle Pee Wee was a man who always had a cigar in his mouth and a guitar in his hands. He made the best catfish stew around these parts.” I’ve been lots of places and tasted lots of stews. Some have tomatoes and are redder, and some are chunkier with cubed potatoes, but Pa’s is best, and his is made like his Uncle Pee Wee taught him.
UNCLE PEE WEE’S CATFISH STEW
The way Pa makes it from the recipe Uncle Pee Wee wrote on a brown paper sack for him.
Ingredients
6 slices fatback (can substitute bacon if necessary)
12 pounds whole catfish, skinned and gutted
5 pounds raw potatoes
5 pounds onions
2 jars ketchup, 28 ounce size
1 small can tomato paste
1 small bottle Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce
Salt, pepper, and hot sauce to taste
Directions
Boil the catfish in enough water to cover them. Cool and debone the fish. Peel and grate the potatoes. Peel and finely chop onions. Fry fatback or bacon. Eat fatback or bacon. Pour grease from fatback or bacon into the water the catfish were boiled in. Add onions and potatoes to fish stock and return deboned fish to pot. Add other ingredients except salt and pepper. Simmer covered for several hours or all day, stirring often. Add salt and pepper to taste. Finished stew should be more orange than red and because of long, slow cooking will have fantastic flavor. If stew seems too watery, remove the lid for part of the cooking time. Pa cooks this in a 30-gallon pot, preferably over a gas burner in the yard but it can be done on the kitchen stove.
If you want to try an easier version that makes about enough for 6 to 8
people, try mine:
LAZY MAN’S CATFISH STEW
Ingredients
2 pounds catfish fillets
1½ quarts water
1 20-ounce refrigerated bag grated potatoes*
1 10-ounce bag frozen chopped onions
1 8-ounce cup ketchup
2 tablespoons tomato paste
¼ cup Worcestershire Sauce**
1½ tablespoons salt
¾ tablespoon pepper
¾ tablespoon hot sauce
Directions
Place catfish fillets in water in big soup pot or Dutch oven and put a lid on it. Bring the fillets to a low boil, then reduce heat and let the water simmer until the fish flakes easily. Add the potatoes and onions. Simmer another 30 minutes. Add all other ingredients. Cover and cook on low heat for several hours. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Simmer until dinnertime.
*I use Simply Potatoes Shredded Hash Browns from the refrigerated section of the grocery store.
**Pa uses Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce since Uncle Pee Wee insisted on that brand. I use whatever brand I have on hand.
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, THERE’S A BODY IN THE CAR
Here’s Jane’s recipe for lemon bars. She was given this recipe by a wonderful lady in Columbia, South Carolina—Mrs. Nina Long.
JANE’S LUSCIOUS LEMON SQUARES
Ingredients
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups plain flour
½ cup confectioners’ sugar
4 eggs
2 cups granulated sugar
6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon. plain flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
Directions
Preheat the oven to 325° F. Mix butter, 2 cups flour and ½ cup confectioners’ sugar and press into 13x9-inch lightly greased or sprayed baking pan. Bake at 325° for 15 minutes—no longer. The pastry will be pale in color. Beat eggs, add granulated sugar, lemon juice, 1 tablespoon flour and baking powder. Mix well. Pour over the baked pastry. Return to the oven and bake at 325° for 40 to 50 minutes. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar as it cools. Allow to cool completely before cutting into squares. Yields 24 to 36 depending upon size of squares.
CALLIE’S LEMON BAR RECIPES
Ingredients and Directions
1. Go to grocery store. Buy Betty Crocker or other brand box of Lemon Bar Mix. Follow directions.
2. Go to bakery. Buy lemon squares. Take them home. Remove lemon squares from bakery box and arrange attractively on your best cake platter. Throw away the bakery box. A sprinkle of confectioners’ sugar makes them look more homemade.
PIMIENTO CHICKEN
There are many recipes on the Internet for Pimento Chicken. Note that some of them spell pimiento with the second “i” and some don’t. I do because that’s how I want to do it. Most include cheese and some kind of canned soup. The recipe that Jane uses has neither, but it’s much older, yet simple, easy, and delicious. She got this recipe from Maum, who got it from Ms. Linda Derrick, who got it from Mrs. Jessie Grooms Jones.
JANE’S PIMIENTO CHICKEN
Ingredients
6 tablespoons butter or margarine
6 tablespoons flour (plain or self-rising)
1½ cups chicken broth
1 cup half and half (or low fat milk for lighter sauce)
1 cup diced cooked chicken
½ cup (4-ounce jar) diced pimiento
Salt and pepper
Directions
Melt the butter and brown the flour in it. Cook the flour and butter over low heat till it bubbles. Stir in the chicken broth and milk or cream and increase heat to medium. Boil gently for 1 minute stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low. Add the diced chicken and pimiento. Stir and heat throughout. Taste and add salt and pepper as you like. Be sure to taste before adding salt because chicken broth may have salt in it, especially if you make the broth from bouillon. Serve over toast. To fancy it up, cut the toast into triangles. Pimiento Chicken may also be served in small pastry cups.
CALLIE’S PIMIENTO CHICKEN POT PIE
Ingredients
1 recipe of Jane’s Pimiento Chicken (Use recipe above or get Jane to cook it for you.)
1 frozen pie shell or refrigerated rolled crust and pie dish
2 cups mixed vegetables (drained if canned, pre-cooked by directions on bag and drained if frozen)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400° F. Set frozen or rolled piecrust out to come to room temperature. Warm Jane’s Pimiento Chicken on medium heat to slow bubble and then turn off the heat. If using a frozen piecrust, empty it from the aluminum pie dish onto a plate. If using refrigerated rolled crust, nothing is needed at this time. Stir the drained vegetables into Jane’s Pimiento Chicken and pour the mixture into a pie dish. Spread your pie shell over the top of the Pimiento Chicken, crinkling the crust at the edges. With a fork or knife, pierce crust in several places. Bake at 400° about twenty minutes until the crust is light brown.
Winning Cookie Recipes from
Rub, a Dub, Dub, DEAD MAN IN A TUB
(Previously published as CASKET CASE)
PHYLLIS COUNTS’S WEDDING COOKIES
She borrowed this recipe from Mrs. Hillis Lundin.
Ingredients
1 cup butter
½ cup white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons water
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped pecans
½ cup confectioners’ sugar
Directions
Preheat the oven to 325° F. Cream the butter and non-confectioners’ sugar together. Stir in the vanilla and water. Mix in the flour and nuts until they’re well blended. Cover and chill for 3 hours or more. Shape dough into balls about ¾-inch in diameter (about the size of an ordinary strawberry). Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 15 to 20 minutes. Place cookies on wire rack to cool. Roll in confectioners’ sugar and store in an airtight container at room temperature with an extra helping of confectioners’ sugar, which some cooks claim extends their longevity though these cookies are too good to stay in the container very long!
BENNE WAFERS
Benne is the Bantu word for sesame and was brought to America from East Africa in the seventeenth century during the slave trade era. The herb was planted throughout the South, and benne wafers are still sold in the Low Country. There are many slight variations to this recipe, but this is the one Jane entered in the cookie contest.
JANE BAKER’S BENNE WAFERS
Ingredients
1 cup benne (sesame) seeds
¾ cup softened butter
1½ cups brown sugar (packed firmly)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1½ cup all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking powder
Directions
Preheat the oven to 325° F. Spread benne (sesame) seeds on ungreased baking sheet and toast 12 minutes until light brown. (You may also buy toasted sesame seeds in some Asian food stores.) Mix all ingredients until combined in a large bowl. Cream brown sugar and butter. Add all other ingredients in the order listed and mix well. Drop dough by ½ teaspoonfuls about 1½ inches apart on lightly greased baking sheet. Bake 7 to 10 minutes until light brown. Remove from oven and let cookies cool 2 or 3 minutes before placing on wire racks to cool completely. Store in airtight container.
Hey, Diddle, Diddle THE CORPSE AND THE FIDDLE
Surprise recipes from Callie of all people!
As everyone knows, Callie is not a great cook like Jane and Rizzie, so she looks for easy, foolproof recipes. This one has been around for ages and goes by different names, but this is the only pie Callie makes, and she calls it:
MY PIE
Ingredients
3 egg whites at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar or Splenda
20 Ritz crackers
½ cup pecans or walnuts, chopped coarsely
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½ teaspoon vanilla
1 pint Cool Whip or real whipped cream*
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Spray an 8-inch pie plate very lightly with Pam or similar spray. Put Ritz crackers in a plastic zippered bag and mash with a rolling pin until finely crushed. Beat the egg whites in a medium size bowl until they peak. Gently fold the crushed crackers, chopped nuts, and vanilla into the stiff egg whites. Spread the mixture in the pie pan and bake 25 to 30 minutes. Let the pie cool in the pan. Refrigerate, preferably overnight. Spread with Cool Whip or whipped cream before slicing and serving.
Note: Callie sometimes doubles this recipe and bakes it in a 9x13-inch pan.
*Callie likes the whipped cream that comes in a can because she likes to squirt it onto the pie in concentric circles. At times, she puts chopped nuts and/or cherries on top of the whipped cream.
BETTER MOONPIES
Just when you think something can’t get any better, you find out it can!!! Sheriff Harmon says he loves MoonPies just as much as Callie does. He suggests that barely warming the MoonPie makes it even more delish. He recommends 8 seconds in the microwave for one regular sized MoonPie. Callie likes minis and 5 to 6 seconds makes a MiniMoon Pie a perfect delight! (They both remove the plastic and wrap their MoonPies loosely in paper towels before putting them in the microwave.)
EVEN BETTER MOONPIES
