Mess of Greens

full bellies | warm welcomes

side dish

Cous Cous with Peaches, Sweet Corn and Bacon

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This week at the store I had a little freak out. I looked around and noticed that watermelons, peaches, and corn were on sale. BIG time sale. For Labor Day.

Know what that means? Summer is ending, officially. No more seersucker. No more white dresses. No more white shoes (do people even wear white shoes?) I know everyone is getting excited about the advent of pumpkin-spice deodorant and pumpkin-flavored cheeseburgers and what not, (Before you get offended, know that I’m VERY excited about this, too) but still, I can’t help but feel like my toddler when I just told him that no, he can’t eat the entire bag of cheetos by himself (he’s started hanging his head, poking his lip out, and mumbling sadly). I HATE summertime hot weather, but I LOVE summertime produce.

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Bacon & Corn Pie

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I was flipping through a cookbook the other day and found a recipe for a sweet corn pie (as a dessert.) I wasn’t really feelin that, BUT it struck me that a savory (sweet) corn pie wouldn’t be a bad way to leverage all this gorgeous summer’s bounty that I picked up at a farmer’s market the other day.

THEN, like it was fate or something, my cousins went flea market shopping with me and found me a copy of their favorite-of-all-time quiche and souffle cookbook… it recommended bacon and corn as one of those flavor combos that once you’ve had you just can’t stop thinking about, so, I went with it. And y’all, it is just simply GOOD. This is the PERFECT side for a big pile of fresh summer tomatoes, or skirt steak, or even a tomato sandwich. Considering how hot kitchens get in the summer, and how little I want to cook on the evenings when we’ve all been out swimming at the neighbors or drinking beers on the deck, this easy, pretty speedy, can-be-made-in-advance recipe is basically my Godsend. Plus it’s just the right about of sweet, savory, and creamy to make you want to eat the whole thing by yourself with a fork (this almost happened, but i stopped with 2 slices left in the pie plate. eek).

Cook it in a rectangular or square dish and cut into squares and serve as an appetizer if you’re feeling fancy. 😉

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These Deviled Eggs are so good they should be called “Angeled”

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Have you planned your Easter menu yet? We planned ours like a zillion weeks ago because I LOVE thinking about what I’m going to eatnext, even if “next” is a zillion weeks away… plus I had wanted Ham and Deviled Eggs and oh, um, what if we had grits and grillades, too? Or Quail with tomato gravy??   IMG_2262

But now it turns out we’re heading to the beach for my favorite religious holiday because my mama snagged a condo for us, so all the menus I had in my mind got thrown out the window. We’ll be having fresh gulf shrimp something-or-other (which will be oh-so-fine) instead of our traditional dishes. Since we won’t be around next weekend, I insisted that we have our favorite Easter foods this past weekend instead. Ham, asparagus, and deviled eggs…y’all! It was divine! (no Easter pun intended.)

According to my cousin Virginia, my mama makes THE. BEST. DEVILED. EGGS. IN. THE. WORLD. As Virginia travels all over the country nearly every day of the week for her job and fun, and eats at all the best highbrow AND the lowbrow places, I’m pretty sure she knows what she’s talking about.

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Greens with Spicy Pot Likkor and Cornmeal Dumplings

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 It’s the time of year when greens are ubiquitous down here. It’s winter, the farms and gardens are full of them, and y’all, I just can’t resist them. The leafy beauty and the promise of steamy pot likker and spicy flavor just beckons me. I had a big bunch and started thinking about my grandmother and leafed through the cookbook my cousin Amy made with all her recipes, and settled on trying out her turnip greens with cornmeal dumplings. I’d never made them before, but the idea of greens with some version of cornmeal as dumplings made my mouth water. What followed was a three week crusade to figure out how to create dumplings that didn’t melt into nothingness but instead were chewy, comforting and wonderful. What ended was a series of phone calls to my aunt and cousins about our lovely grandmother and her recipe, lots of sort-of-ok dumplings,  and then finally, a darn good recipe that DEINITELY was worth sharing with all of you lovely folks.
BUT, before I get to that, I wanted to live up to my New Year’s blog resolution to “give credit where credit is due.” I’ll spare you the sermon, but I can’t cook greens and pot likker without remembering that SO MUCH of the south’s incredible culinary heritage came from former enslaved Americans, and this dish almost certainly originated when black cooks, trying to feed their families, reserved the deliciousness and nutrient-rich broth after cooking the greens for their masters. This is just the tip of the iceberg, but I do want to, as an Atlantic writer wrote in an article, raise “a shot glass of [pot likker] in a respectful toast to the slave cooks who did the unglamorous work. They developed the roots of African-American eating the rest of us get to enjoy today.” If you want to know more, DEFINITELY check out Michael Twiddy’s blog about southern food and it’s roots Afroculinaria. It’s full of history, and food, and connections that are important and sometimes hard to hear. His work is so integral to our southern culture, he should be a Macarthur Genius Fellow, in my humble opinion.

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Kale Greens & Toasted Pecan Pesto

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How do you feel about pesto?
Me? I can mostly take it or leave it. UNLESS it’s on a pizza. but then I pretty much always take ANYTHING and EVERYTHING if it’s on a pizza, so that’s not really a fair thing to say. I think it’s something to do with the pine nuts and all that basil.
Anyway, a friend of mine, some other of my favorite mamas, and I were talking about getting kiddos to eat veggies (so far the sweet potato & spinach mac ‘n cheese and veggie puree’ squeeze pouches have been my only success stories) and my sweet friend said that kale pesto was THE way to go. On sweet potatoes, on pasta, whatever. It was GREEN and her little lady ate it up.

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Genius plan: Sweet potato & Spinach mac & cheese

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As the mom of a toddler who hates (HATES! DESPISES! DETESTS!) all green vegetables that aren’t either roasted, pureed, or fried, I’ve had to get creative about how to serve them to my little guy. What he doesn’t hate, though, is cheese. and what does he LOVE? well, mac ‘n cheese, of course. like everyone in all the land. My plan? combine what he hates with what he loves…. *diabolical laugh*

I’ve had some die-hard mac-n-cheese fans turn up their noses when I’ve mentioned adding vegetables to their most favorite food, but (and I can say this from actual experience and from the perspective of someone who REALLY loves Mac’n cheese,) it’s deeeeee-licious. Want to test it out on your own picky eater? (…or yourself. No judgement. I eat this off my little guy’s high chair tray BEFORE he can. it’s that good. I’m not ashamed about it. 😉 Here’s the recipe!

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Tradition to Adopt: Stewed Okra and Tomatoes as a Thanksgiving side

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Its about time for me to share this recipe… although I made it back in early September with a HUGE, gigantic sack of okra a friend brought to us and the last of our garden’s tomatoes, it really would be a DELICIOUS Thanksgiving side dish. Also, most recipes I found call for frozen okra and canned tomatoes, so you really can make this year-round.

I’ve always thought of Thanksgiving as an important holiday for Americans to celebrate our “meltingpot” cultural heritage, and okra is an amazing food that does just that. Originating in modern-day Ethiopia, okra was most likely brought to our country by enslaved Africans (like most delicious southern food). It’s also called “gumbo” although it’s more likely that you’ve heard this word in context of soups thickened with okra rather than references to the vegetable itself. Aggie Horticulture writes of the name, “Both of these names are of African origin. ‘Gumbo’ is believed to be a corruption of a Portuguese corruption, quingombo, of the word quillobo, native name for the plant in the Congo and Angola area of Africa.” This dish definitely has its roots in the Cajun and Creole traditions of the south… plus, a version of stewed okra and tomatoes recipe found in Indian cuisine as well. What’s more meltingpot than a vegetable and recipe that immigrated to the US from multiple parts of the world? Definitely a contender for a new Thanksgiving side dish tradition.
Confession: Okra’s hairy-sliminess isn’t always palatable to me… but this recipe breaks down the okra and makes it a smooth texture, plus the flavor of it and the tomatoes comes out beautifully. My grandmother used to make this and for a long time it was the ONLY way I’d eat this vegetable.

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Summer Squash Souffle’ from the OK Cafe

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One of my all time favorite (and diet-busting) things to do with summer squash is to make a souffle’. The OK Cafe in Atlanta (and I’ve learned, so does Connie’s Kitchen in Leland, MS) both make to-die for versions. The first one I ever had was in Atlanta, so I’d searched around for the OK Cafe’s recipe for awhile, and came across the one they actually use every day for their customers. I mean, 66 pounds of squash and 2 quarts of green onions is a little bit more than I usually buy at the farmer’s market, so I (I mean, boone) did a little math and worked out the proportions for our family. I’ve made this so many times now and I’ve tested it out with a little less mayo or a little more cheese and this is the version that tastes THE MOST like what I remember from the ATL. It’s best served with creamed corn, speckled lima beans, fresh tomatoes, or turnip greens… or really, whatever your favorite combination for your vegetable plate!

Summer Squash Souffle’ from the OK Cafe
Serves 4-6

What you need:
2-3 lbs of squash, cut into half rounds about 1/2″ thick
1 1/2 cup of grated cheddar cheese
1 cup hellman’s mayonnaise (y’all  know I don’t mess around with other kinds of mayo. also, the recipe actually calls for 2 cups, but I think this is WAY too much)
1/4 cup green onions
1 stick of butter
salt and pepper
1 egg
1 cup Crushed ritz crackers or bread crumbs for topping

What to do: 
First, steam the squash until it’s soft and then mash with a potato masher so that you don’t have chunks of squash. Cut the onions and made your breadcrumbs or crush the ritz crackers while you wait to maximize your time.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Melt the butter and sautee’ the green onions in the butter until limp. use a fork or whisk to whip up the raw egg. Once the squash is steamed and mashed and has cooled entirely (the fridge speeds up the process!), mix in the onions with the butter, the egg, the mayonnaise, the cheese and then salt and pepper it to taste.

Pour into a 9″x11″ pyrex dish, top with the bread crumbs or ritz crackers, and bake for about 30-45 minutes or until bubbly. Serve it with your favorite other vegetable sides and savor!

I may or may not have eaten this for 3 meals in the span of 5 days… so, so, so good…but better eaten as a special summer treat once or twice a year for staying on my swimsuit diet!

pimiento cheeseburger in paradise

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i did a bad thing, y’all. this summer (if you haven’t been able to tell by the recent recipes) i fell off the weight watchers wagon…not just fell, but plummeted.
 the fact that i cooked this for dinner tonight really says it all: pimiento cheeseburgers. YOLO, right? 😉

by itself, pimiento cheese is a delicious, classic southern staple…boone goes crazy for it and eats it on crackers, on sandwiches, and cheese toast. my grandmother LOVED it..and there are not one, but two different recipes in my favorite southern cookbook, Come On In. i can usually take it or leave it, but when i read about the pimiento cheese hotdog and the pimiento cheese burger in the new Garden&Gun, i started to salivate…weight watchers, what? and trust me, it was worth it.

Spicy Pimiento Cheese (burgers)
recipe adapted from Garden&Gun and Come on In
Serves 4

What you need for the Pimiento Cheese:
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup pimientos (about one small jar)
3 green onions, chopped
1/2 mayonnaise (again, helmann’s…i know Carolinians use Dukes, but seriously, people..use dukes.)
salt (no more than 1/2 tsp)
black pepper (1 tsp)
cayenne pepper (1/4 tsp)

And the Burger:
1 lb lean ground beef
salt
pepper
garlic powder
red onion
4 sesame buns
ketchup

What to do:
Mix the cheese, pimientos, green onions, mayo, and seasonings together and refrigerate until you’re ready to serve.

 

mix the seasonings in with the ground beef and make 4 balls. Flatten the balls into patties, and press your thumb into the center (this helps distribute heat evenly, i guess.) cook the burgers on the grill or in a skillet until medium rare or medium.

Turn on the broiler and spread the pimiento cheese onto the top half of the hamburger buns. Put both sides of the buns into the oven for about 1-3 minutes, or until the cheese is melty. make your burger the way you like it, and enjoy.

 

 

Catfish tacos with purple cabbage slaw.

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Catfish Tacos with Purple Cabbage Slaw
Serves 2.5, Weight watchers points: 4 per taco + 1 for the slaw

You haven’t heard from me in weeks…first of all, things have been craaaa–zeeee since about mid-march, and secondly, because I joined weight watchers and needed an adjustment period to figure out what was friendly to weight loss and what…isn’t. turns out that most southern food is on the no-nos list…but together we’ll sort things out and figure our delicious ways to eat the foods we love with fewer calories, less fat, and just as much flavor!

Which brings me to tonight’s post…Catfish tacos. I’ve heard from lots of people who didn’t grow up eating catfish (read: folks not from MS) that the slightly earthy taste isn’t super appealing to them…but honestly, if you like trout, then farm raised catfish should be right up your alley. no..you don’t get to take exotic mountain vacations to go fishing for catfish, BUT it’s a southern-raised, eco-friendly fish option that when cooked well has an incredible freshness and firm but flaky texture. as a mississippi girl, catfish is my go-to freshwater fish.

If you’re still not sold, then this recipe is the PERFECT way to experiment. Wrapping up the fish in a tortillia with avacado, tomatoes, and cilantro means that you get some of the lovely earthy fish flavor, but it will be balanced out by the extras. 😉

What you Need: 
For the Tacos:
4 catfish fillets
2 tablespoons of cajun seasoning (tony chachere’s is my personal favorite)
1 tsp cumin
6 small flour tortillas
1/2 bunch of cilantro
10 cherry tomatoes
1 ripe avocado

For the slaw:
1/2 purple cabbage
3 tablespoons greek yogurt
1 red onion
juice of 1 lime
table salt
1 tsp chili powder
1 jalepeno

 What to do:
For the slaw:
Start with the slaw since this takes a few minutes to sit and soak up flavor. shred the cabbage, slice your onion into thin, thin rings, and chop the jalepeno into tiny pieces. Combine that into a bowl and salt it so it begins to wilt. In another bowl, stir the greek yogurt, lime juice, and chili powder, and pour it over the cabbage mixture. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

 

For the tacos:

 

at this point, it’s time for the catfish..it cooks quickly so this should be last! make sure you ahve Mississippi farm raised catfish. Put it in a dish and dust it with the cajun seasoning and the cumin and let sit for a few minutes.

coat a skillet with cooking spray and put the fish in the pan. Let it cook for 4 minutes on each side (or until the fish is firm and no longer sticks to the pan). Once that’s done, set the fish aside.

 

 

either before or as the catfish is cooking, chop your taco toppings… of course you can use other ingredients than these, but these are fresh and light.
 
once the fish is ready, make your tacos! you can use the slaw as a topping or as a side… either way, it’s delicious and so pretty.
If you’re a catfish lover, then you can forgo the tortillas altogether and just serve this with the slaw and all the fixins’. I hope you love this spring recipe as much as I do!