Today I was in the mood for some southern-style cooking. I was born in the Midwest, grew up in the Midwest and Southwest, and lived among southerners and the descendants of Southerners. My thinking about food is influenced by the deliciousness of southern cooking, that is, the cooking done by black women in their hot kitchens in Texas, Oklahoma, Alabama, and Louisiana and by ex-pats in California, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Florida, and New Mexico. While some people call it soul food, and others call it southern food, I think of what I do as what many black women do in their kitchens.
So today I plan to cook collard greens, cornbread, smothered steak, and maybe some mashed potatoes. Let’s see how much energy I have, and how hungry I am. Remember, I am in quarantine, so I don’t have my complete kitchen or kitchen tools to work with. I am also working with what can be bought in my local store when the shelves are amazingly empty.
First, collard greens. I found a frozen smoked turkey wing in the freezer – yea! I covered it with water and put it on a slow simmer. It’s been cooking for quite a while now and should be tender. Then I added some chopped onion and some frozen chopped collard greens (remember, COVID 19 store shelves). That’s been simmering for a while, also. Finally, I added some chili paste, because I don’t have any dried peppers. The lid is on, the pot is simmering, and I am getting ready for my cornbread.
The store was out of my regular stone-ground cornmeal so I got what was available in the Hispanic foods aisle. This cornmeal is fine, almost like cornflour, so I know the texture won’t be like my usual cornbread. I don’t have my favorite cast iron skillet which makes the absolute best cornbread, so I’m going to use a pan I found in the cabinet. I melt 1/2 stick of butter in the oven which is set for 350F.
Now I mix 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup cornmeal, 1 heaping tablespoon of buttermilk powder, 1/4 cup white sugar, and a pinch of baking soda in a bowl. A pinch is just that, a tiny bit. You need the baking soda for the buttermilk, but you don’t want that baking soda taste if you get too much. I am using powdered buttermilk because it is easy to keep in the refrigerator, and lasts a long time. Once you open it, it must be refrigerated.
In a cup, I mix 2 eggs, which I beat with a fork, some water – not too much – about 1/4 cup, and a few drops of vanilla. You can always add more water if it is too dry, but it is harder to fix watery batter. I want the batter to be thick like a good waffle batter but not so think you have to scrape it out of the bowl. It should pour slowly and then you can use your spoon to get the rest.
I add the warm but not hot melted butter to the wet ingredients, mix the wet ingredients into the dry and stir. I don’t want to make to too smooth, because that much stirring develops the gluten in the wheat flour, and this is a quick bread. If I had my cast iron skillet, I would just pour the hot butter into the batter, then pour it into the hot skillet and slide it into the oven. Since I have this substitute aluminum pan, I pour the batter into the skillet and make sure it is covering the entire pan. Swirl it a bit by moving your wrist, you shouldn’t need to use a spoon or anything.
Now that the cornbread is in the oven, I start cooking my smothered steak. I take 2 cube steaks and cover them with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and flour. I use half as much pepper and garlic as I do salt. I cover the seasoned meat with flour and rub it in. I use about 1/2 cup flour for 2 small steaks. I cook them on medium heat in a little cooking oil until they are brown on both sides. I remove them and set them aside on a plate, then brown the leftover flour in the oil and make a roux. Roux is essential and if you don’t do it right, you might as well throw it away and start over.
To make a roux, you brown flour in hot oil, CONSTANTLY stirring as it browns, until it is a little lighter than you want your gravy to be. I use the leftover flour that I used to coat the steaks. The roux should have about equal amounts of oil and flour. I have a huge glass of water or broth standing by before I start stirring. When the roux reaches the color you want, pour in the liquid, a little at a time while you are stirring, to turn the roux into gravy. Add more liquid in dribs and drabs until you get the consistency you want. Keep stirring or you will end up with lumpy gravy. If you have a whisk, use that. I don’t have one here, so I am using a wooden spoon – that requires that you really pay attention.
Now I’m lazy so I’ll use instant mashed potatoes. They aren’t as good as potatoes boiled and then mashed but they will do. I use milk and water instead of just water, and add garlic powder and pepper to the water along with a small chunk of butter (maybe 2 tablespoons). Let the liquid get really hot, and the butter melt, then remove from heat and stir in mashed potato flakes. Let stand for a minute or two while someone sets the table, and dinner is served!
Dessert? Roasted pineapple. I found fresh pineapple in the store and it was a good price. I brought it home, took off the crown, trimmed away the outside, sliced it in half lengthwise, and cored it. Then I cut it up into a plastic bag, put some raw sugar on it, and let it sit overnight. Today I poured everything that was in the bag into a small casserole dish, put it in the oven, and let it bake for about 15 minutes at 350F. Yummy. I have some good vanilla ice cream to serve with it.
You can make decent meals during a stay at home order. Just stock your pantry whenever you have the chance, and you’ll eat far better than you probably need to..