I’ve got Bill Neal’s SOUTHERN COOKING…somewhere. Probably relegated to the “basement cookbooks.”
My filing categories are “cookbooks I can reach;” (subset) “cookbooks on the landing bookshelf at the head of the stairs;” “cookbooks behind the rows of DVDs on the living room bookshelf;” and “basement cookbooks.”
I have way too many southern cookbooks. I have way too many U.S. Regional cookbooks. I have way too many cookbooks.
Another southern cookbook I like and keep to hand is Ronni Lundy’s SHUCK BEANS, STACK CAKES, AND HONEST FRIED CHICKEN (1991), which contains fascinating reminiscences by bluegrass, country, and old-timey musicians, some of whom (Sam Bush, John Hartford, John Prine) I genuinely admire. I haven’t cooked from it much, but Ronni’s basic and classic “soup beans” are now a staple in my house.
Speaking of beans, tonight’s dinner was an Greekish Italianish old favorite, chicken and white beans with rosemary.
Soaked a cup of Maine soldier beans for eight hours, then simmered with a bay leaf and the onion ends for an hour.
Browned a couple of chicken drums and thighs with the rest of the onion, sliced, a crushed garlic clove, and two big rosemary sprigs from the garden. Deglazed the pot with a half-cup of dry vermouth. Added the cooked beans and enough of their liquid to just drown them, covered the pot and put it in a 300 oven for an hour.
Too much juice left over, so I transferred to a deep serving dish with a slotted spoon – saved the cup of chicken-bean-rosemary stock to make a light breakfast or lunch after adding a few egg noodles or a few spoonfuls of rice.
Excellent meal; the beans were particularly velvety and rich.
While true, “sloppy joes” are called “barbecues” or “barbecue sandwiches” in parts of the US. I’m not exactly sure what the borders are – I’ve always grown up calling them sloppy joes – but I think it’s in the upper Midwest. I’ve definitely seen some older Wisconsin cookbooks call them “barbecues.” Of course, they’re even known as “hot tamales” around Sheboygan, so things get all sort of weird around here.
Anyway, nothing fancy for dinner today. Just tuna mac & cheese casserole. Feeling lazy and comfort foody.
Dinner tonight was a homemade pizza on homemade pizza dough. Toppings included onions, mushrooms, peppers, deer pepperoni and fresh basil. A little green side salad was nice, also.
Mmm!