Community Cookbook Cornbread

Sift three-fourths cup cornmeal, three-fourths cup flour, two and one-half teaspoonfuls baking powder, three-fourths teaspoonful salt, one tablespoonful sugar. Work in tablespoonful butter, then add three-fourths cup sweet milk, into which one or two eggs have been beaten. Pour into greased pans and bake in a moderate oven. If sour milk is used, take one and one-half teaspoonful baking powder and one-fourth teaspoonful soda.

From "The Community Cook Book" from the Class of Willing Workers of the Winter St. Baptist Church, Haverhill, MA. "A practical cook book, representative of the best cookery to be found in any of the more intelligent and progressive American communities."

Corn Pudding

Slit lengthwise the grains in eight large ears of corn, scrape out the pulp carefully, saving all milk that runs. The corn should be full, but not the least hard—if it has reached the dough state, the grains will keep shape. Beat three eggs very light, with half a teaspoonful salt, a tablespoonful sugar, plenty of black pepper, and paprika, half a cup of very soft butter, and half a cup sweet cream. Add the corn pulp and milk, stir well together—if too thick, thin with a little milk. Pour into a pudding dish, cover and bake ten minutes, then uncover, and bake until done.

From "Dishes and Beverages of the Old South", Martha McCulloch Williams, 1913

Plain Corn Bread

Sift sound fresh white cornmeal, wet with cold water to a fairly soft dough, shape it by tossing from hand to hand into small pones, and lay them as made into a hot pan well sprinkled with dry meal. The pan should be hot enough to brown the meal without burning it. Make the pones about an inch thick, four inches long, and two and a half broad. Bake quickly, taking care not to scorch, until there is a brown crust top and bottom. For hoe-cakes make the dough a trifle softer, lay it by handfuls upon a hot-meal-sprinkled griddle, taking care the handfuls do not touch. Flatten to half an inch, let brown underneath, then turn, press down and brown the upper side. Do not let yourself be seduced into adding salt—the delight of plain corn-bread is its affinity for fresh butter. It should be eaten drenched with butter of its own melting—the butter laid in the heart of it after splitting pone or hoe-cake.

Salt destroys this fine affinity. It however savors somewhat bread to be eaten butterless. Therefore Mammy always said: "Salt in corn-bread hit does taste so po' white-folks'y." She had little patience with those neighbors of ours who perforce had no butter to their bread.

From "Dishes and Beverages of the Old South", 1913.

Soul Food Recipes: New Orleans Red Beans

1 lb dry red beans
2 quarts water
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
4 bay leaves
1 cup chopped sweet green pepper
3 tablespoons chopped garlic
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 teaspoons dried thyme, crushed
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Pick through beans to remove bad beans; rinse thoroughly. In a 5-quart pot, combine beans, water, onion, celery, and bay leaves. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and cook over low heat for about 1 1/2 hours or until beans are tender. Stir and mash some of the beans against side of the pan to thicken the mixture.

Add green pepper, garlic, parsley, thyme, salt, and black pepper. Cook, uncovered, over low heat until creamy, about 30 minutes. Remove bay leaves.

Serve over hot, cooked brown rice, if desired.

Mixed Greens

2 bunches mustard greens or kale
2 bunches turnip greens
pepper to taste (optional)
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste (optional)

Rinse greens well, removing stems. In a large pot of boiling water, cook greens rapidly, covered, over medium heat for about 25 minutes or until tender.

Serve with some of the pot liquor (liquid from the cooked greens). If desired, cut greens in pan with a sharp knife and kitchen fork before serving.

Succotash

10-ounce baby lima beans (frozen)
2 tablespoons margarine
10-ounce whole kernel corn (frozen)
10-ounce cut okra
15-ounce canned tomatoes (undrained)
1/2 cup chopped onions
Tabasco sauce to taste
Salt and black pepper to taste

Combine lima beans, margarine, corn, tomatoes, onions, Tabasco sauce, salt, and pepper in a pan.Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes. Add okra and cook for 10 more minutes.

Soul Food Recipes: Mock Southern Sweet Potato Pie

Crust:
1 1/4 cups flour
1/4 tsp sugar
1/3 cup skim milk
2 Tbsps vegetable oil

Filling:
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3 large eggs, beaten
1/4 cup evaporated skim milk, canned
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups sweet potatoes (cooked and mashed)

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.

Crust:
2. Combine the flour and sugar in a bowl.
3. Add milk and oil to the flour mixture.
4. Stir with fork until well mixed and then form pastry into a smooth ball with your hands.
5. Roll the ball between two 12-inch squares of waxed paper using short, brisk strokes until pastry reaches edge of paper.

Filling:
7. Combine sugars, salt, spices, and eggs.
8. Add milk and vanilla. Stir.
9. Add sweet potatoes and mix well.
10. Pour mixture into pie shell.
11. Bake for 60 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Cool and cut into 16 slices.

Baked Pork Chops

6 lean center-cut pork chops, 1/2-inch thick
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup green pepper
1/2 cup red pepper
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 375° F.
2. Trim fat from pork chops. Place chops in a 13 by 9-inch baking pan.
3. Spread onion and peppers on top of chops. Sprinkle with pepper and salt. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
4. Cover pan and bake 30 minutes. Uncover, turn chops, and continue baking for an additional 15 minutes or until no pink remains. Garnish with fresh parsley.

Oven Fried Fish

2 lbs fish fillets
1 Tbsp lemon juice, fresh
1/4 cup skim milk or 1% buttermilk
2 drops hot pepper sauce
1 tsp garlic, fresh, minced
1/4 tsp white pepper, ground
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/2 cup cornflakes, crumbled or regular bread crumbs
1 Tbsp vegetable oil (for greasing baking dish)
1 lemon, fresh, cut in wedges

1. Preheat oven to 475° F.
2. Wipe fillets with lemon juice and pat dry.
3. Combine milk, hot pepper sauce, and garlic.
4. Combine pepper, salt, and onion powder with cornflake crumbs and place on a plate.
5. Let fillets sit in milk briefly. Remove and coat fillets on both sides with seasoned crumbs. Let stand briefly until coating sticks to each side of fish.
6. Arrange on lightly oiled shallow baking dish.
7. Bake 20 minutes on middle rack without turning.
8. Cut into 6 pieces. Serve with fresh lemon.

Southern Barbecue Chicken

5 Tbsps tomato paste (3 ozs)
1 tsp ketchup
2 tsps honey
1 tsp molasses
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
4 tsps vinegar, white
3/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp onion powder
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 tsp ginger, grated
1 1/2 lbs chicken, skinless (breasts, drumsticks)

1. Combine all ingredients except chicken in a saucepan.
2. Simmer for 15 minutes.
3. Wash chicken and pat dry.
4. Place chicken on a large platter.
5. Brush chicken with 1/2 of sauce mixture.
6. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate in refrigerator for 1 hour.
7. Place chicken on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and broil for 10 minutes on each side to seal in juices.
8. Turn oven down to 350° F, and add the remaining sauce to the chicken.
9. Cover the chicken with aluminum foil and continue baking for 30 minutes.