Recipes from Tom Taylor's "low country" dinner

Recipes from Tom Taylor's "low country" dinner

PICKLED SHRIMP

From "Cooking in the Lowcountry From the Old Post Office Restaurant," by Jane and Michael Stern

Serves 4

40 fresh large shrimp, boiled and chilled

1 large onion, thinly sliced

1 red pepper, thinly sliced

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

8 bay leaves

12 whole allspice

1 tsp. mustard seeds, cooked in oil, drained, and cooled

2 tsp. celery seeds

1 c. olive oil

¼ c. red wine vinegar

Juice of 1 lemon

Peel and de-vein the shrimp, leaving the tails on. Put the shrimp in a container or jar with the onion, pepper, garlic, bay leaves, allspice, mustard seeds, celery seeds, olive oil, vinegar and lemon juice. Stir gently and refrigerate. Served after a minimum 12-hour chill.

CANDIED SWEET POTATOES

From "The Glory of Southern Cooking" by James Villas

Serves 4-6

4 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds)

1 c. firmly packed light brown sugar, divided

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

¼ tsp. ground cloves

¼ c. water

4 tbsp. butter, cut into pieces

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place the sweet potatoes in a large saucepan with enough water to cover, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until potatoes are barely tender, about 20 minutes. Drain. When cool enough to handle, peel the potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch rounds, and arrange the slices overlapping in a shallow 1 1/2-quart buttered dish.

In a saucepan, combine ¾ cup of the brown sugar, the cinnamon, cloves, water and butter, bring to a simmer, stirring, and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the vanilla and stir till the syrup is well blended.

Pour the syrup evenly over the potatoes, sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup of brown sugar over the top, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and bake for about 20 minutes. Uncover and continue baking till the potatoes are tender and nicely glazed, about 10 minutes, basting once with syrup.

Serve the potatoes hot, directly from the baking dish.

PIMIENTO CHEESE

From "Hoppin' John's Lowcountry Cooking" by John Martin Taylor

1/2 lb. sharp cheddar cheese, grated

1/2 c. mayonnaise

¼ c. sliced pimientos with their juice (1 small jar)

1/2 small onion, grated

Cayenne pepper to taste

Mix together all the ingredients except the cayenne. Season to taste with cayenne.

HOPPIN' JOHN BLACK-EYED PEAS WITH RICE

(A traditional New Year's dish for good luck)

From Tom Taylor

Serves 6

1 lb. black-eyed peas, picked over, and rinsed

1 onion, chopped

1 to 2 stalks celery, chopped

1 jalapeño or serrano chile, chopped, membranes and seeds removed if desired

1 dried red chile

2 bay leaves

2 to 4 garlic cloves, minced

1 quart or more of water or vegetable broth, as needed

Salt and pepper to taste

¼ c. parsley, chopped

1/2 c. scallions, chopped

Combine the peas, onion, celery, jalapeño or serrano, dried red chile, bay leaves, garlic, water or broth. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Turn the heat down to low and simmer 1 to 2 hours until peas are tender. Salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the parsley and scallions, cook for about 2 minutes longer. Serve over spiced rice (see below).

SPICED RICE

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 large white onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 tbsp. minced, seeded, serrano or jalapeño chiles

2 c. rice

3 ¼ c. vegetable broth or water

¾ tsp. salt

Chopped parsley or cilantro for garnish

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, serrano or jalapeño; sauté until onion is translucent, about 8 to 10 minutes. Mix in rice; stir 2 minutes. Add broth or water and salt; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and cook until rice is just tender and the liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Let stand, covered, 5 minutes. Add chopped parsley or cilantro.

DEVILED EGGS

From "The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook" by Matt and Ted Lee

Serves 6

12 large eggs

¼ c. plus 2 tbsp. mayonnaise

2 tsp. pepper vinegar or hot sauce

2 tsp. Dijon mustard

1/2 tsp. curry powder

For garnish, as desired: bacon bits, thinly sliced scallions, minced flat-leaf parsley, smoked paprika, freshly ground black pepper

Pour water to a depth of 2 inches in a pan 10 inches wide or larger. (You want the eggs to cook in one layer.) Bring to a boil over high heat, then turn the heat to very low and gently lower the eggs, one by one, into the water with a spoon or ladle. Maintain as gentle a simmer as possible to avoid cracking, for exactly 14 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the eggs to a strainer and run cold water over them for a few minutes. Let cool, about 20 minutes.

Crack and peel each hard-boiled egg. With a sharp knife, cut the eggs in half lengthwise. Scoop out the yolks into a medium bowl and reserve the empty egg-white halves on a large serving platter. When all the eggs have been yolked, transfer to the refrigerator until they are ready to fill.

Add the mayonnaise, pepper vinegar, mustard and curry powder to the bowl of yolks and mix thoroughly with a fork or a whisk until smooth.

Fill each egg white with 1 teaspoon of the yolk mixture, shaping it with the inside of a spoon.

To serve, garnish the eggs with bacon, scallions, parsley, or smoked paprika, or simply sprinkle them with black pepper.

SLOW COOKED PORK SHOULDER

From about.com: Southern Food

Serves 6-8

2 large onions, halved, sliced

1 boneless pork shoulder roast

Salt and pepper

1 (12-ounce) jar apple jelly

1/2 c. chicken broth or water

2 tbsp. grainy mustard

Arrange onion slices in the bottom of a large slow cooker. Wash the roast and pat dry; leave it in its netting and place on onions. Combine remaining ingredients in a cup; pour over the roast. Cover and cook on high 2 hours. Turn to low and cook for 6 to 8 hours longer.

CHOWCHOW

Adapted from "The Gift of Southern Cooking" by Edna Lewis and Scott Peacock

12 large green tomatoes, cored

4 green bell peppers, seeded

1 red bell pepper, seeded

4 large yellow onions, peeled

1 tbsp. plus 2 tsp. yellow mustard seeds

1 tbsp. celery seeds

2 c. cider vinegar

2 c. granulated sugar

1 tbsp. plus 2 tsp. kosher salt

Chop the tomatoes, green and red peppers and onions very finely, by hand or through a meat grinder, which is the traditional method.

Put the chopped or ground vegetables into a large, heavy-bottomed nonreactive pot, and add the mustard seeds, celery seeds, vinegar, sugar and salt. Stir well, and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook, stirring often and skimming as needed, until the chowchow cooks down and thickens into a relish, about 2 hours. Turn into hot sterilized jars and seal.

COCONUT-CREAM CHEESE POUND CAKE

From Southern Living, "30 Years of Our Best Recipes"

Yield: 1 10-inch cake

1/2 c. butter or margarine, softened

1/2 c. shortening

1 (8-ounce) pkg. cream cheese, softened

3 c. sugar

6 large eggs

3 c. all-purpose flour

¼ tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp. salt

6 ounces flaked or grated coconut

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. coconut flavoring

Beat butter, shortening, and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer 2 minutes or until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating 5 to 7 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition just until yellow disappears.

Combine flour, baking soda, and salt; add to butter mixture, beating at low speed just until blended. Stir in coconut, vanilla and coconut flavoring.

Pour batter into a greased and floured 10-inch tube pan. Bake a 325 degrees for 1 hour and 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 to 15 minutes; remove from pan, and cool completely on wire rack.