A while back I was perusing the library’s cookbook section and found “How to Cook without a Book” by Pam Anderson. There are many things I can cook without a recipe, or that have such a simple recipe that I’ve memorized them, but I was curious if I could learn a few more from Pam. From the introduction I learned that the author is a Southern girl herself. But, sadly, the recipes in her book are not Southern. I can see how the book would be a great help to someone just starting out cooking, because it teaches the very basic methods; how to cook certain meats, how to make sauces, etc. But the “recipes” or food combinations in the book are just not the foods that I like eating, and not the traditions I hold dear. But it did give me an idea- why not write about how we cook without a book in the Ozarks? Surely someone would value such information. So below you will find a few of the methods and simple recipes (easy to memorize) for some classic dishes.
*A note about seasoning with salt and pepper: I used to just sprinkle these seasonings on, and it never came out right. When I started to actually measure these out, I found that 1 teaspoon of salt seems to almost always be the perfect amount when making something to serve 4 to 6 people. The same goes for the pepper, but ¼ teaspoon.
Perfect Mashed Potatoes
It may seem overly simple to include a method for making mashed potatoes, but they are the basis for so many Ozark meals. Here is my method: I peel, rinse, and chop into big chunks enough potatoes for the amount of people eating, plus a few more so I will have leftovers for making potato salad, potato cakes, or cottage pie later in the week. Figure on two medium potatoes for each person. (I usually end up putting in about 7 potatoes.) Boil 20 minutes in a large pot. They are done when tender enough that a fork pierces one easily. I drain the potatoes in a colander in the sink. Meanwhile, in the same cooking pot that’s still hot, I start melting a stick of butter. I pour the potatoes back in, add salt and white pepper, and either a small can of condensed milk or about ½ to ¾ cup whole milk. I mash this up, then use an electric mixer to blend it smooth.
Southern Potato Salad
Southern potato salad is made with mashed potatoes. Don’t let anyone tell you any different. You can use leftover mashed potatoes, just make sure you have enough. This is one of the first recipes I ever learned and I do not use exact measurements for anything but the seasonings. To your mashed potatoes add mayonnaise and mustard. There should be more mayo than mustard and just enough of these to give flavor. To this add some chopped hard-boiled eggs (leave some of them sliced, and reserve for garnish), chopped onions, and some chopped pickles (you can use relish instead, but pickles are better). Mix this all together, season with salt and pepper. You can add a splash of pickle juice or vinegar if the mixture seems really thick. Smooth over the top and cover the edge with sliced hard-boiled eggs. Sprinkle top with paprika.
Biscuits
Start by mixing your three dry ingredients: 2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 tablespoon baking powder. Cut in ½ cup (that’s 1 stick) of cold butter with a pastry blender until the mixture looks like coarse sand. [Or you could freeze the butter in advance and grate it into the flour with a cheese grater.] Stir in ¾ cup of milk until just combined. Fold over a couple of times, roll out on a floured surface, and cut into rounds with a turned over drinking glass or into squares with a knife. Bake 12 to 15 minutes in a 450 degree oven.
*If you don’t want to mess with all that rolling out, you can make “drop biscuits” by using 1 cup of milk instead of ¾ cup and drop blobs of the dough onto a baking sheet like cookie dough. (Add shredded cheddar cheese, garlic, and parsley to the dough for cheddar biscuits similar to what they serve at Red Lobster.)
Gravy (Cream Sauce)
It took a few horrible gravy batches for me to realize that this is another thing where I need to measure the ingredients. In a skillet on low heat, add 2 tablespoons of flour to 2 tablespoons of melted meat grease or butter. Stir this up into a paste (I usually add the salt and pepper at this stage) and slowly add 1 cup of milk or broth, stirring so that it doesn’t lump up. Milk will make a cream gravy and broth will make a brown gravy. Cream sauce is the same as gravy, but made with butter instead of meat fat. There are so many dishes you can make with the knowledge of how to make this. Add mushrooms to a brown gravy and you have mushroom gravy.
For a stroganoff-like dish, make mushroom gravy in a skillet of browned ground beef and serve over noodles, rice, or mashed potatoes, with sour cream at the table.
To make a cheese sauce for macaroni, just add a couple of cups (or more) of shredded sharp cheddar cheese to a cream sauce. Stir to melt. You’ll want to add a teaspoon of dry mustard powder to bring out the flavor of this.
Deviled Eggs
Boil eggs 10 minutes. Drain and let cool. Peel and slice eggs long-ways. Scoop out the yellow part and mash with a fork along with a little mayonnaise and mustard (enough to make the mixture creamy), salt and pepper. Scoop filling back into the hollowed out eggs and sprinkle top with paprika. This is another one of the dishes I learned to make at a young age and never use measurements for.
Coleslaw
Combine ½ cup mayo, ½ cup sour cream, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon white pepper, and 1 tablespoon sugar in a large bowl. To this add *½ a large cabbage, chopped up small and 2 tablespoons minced onion, and a shredded carrot. Stir and chill.
(*Later in the week, fry up the rest of the cabbage in butter or bacon grease. At my house, we mix fried cabbage into mashed potatoes and call it “Ozarks Calcannon”.)
Brown Beans (Pintos) -I actually wrote an article on this alone; to see, click here.
Oven Fried Anything
The basic breading I use that seems to work for chicken or pork chops is the combination of ½ cup flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon paprika, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. First I dip the chicken or pork chops in an egg wash; a beaten egg with perhaps a little (¼ cup) milk or buttermilk.
I melt ½ a stick of butter in the (9 x 13 inch) baking dish before adding the breaded chicken or pork chops. Then bake 20 to 25 minutes on each side in a 450 degree oven.
This recipe works for skillet frying too, but oven frying is less work and I’m more confident that the meat has gotten cooked all the way through.
You could probably use this breading for fish or chicken-fried steak too; adjust cooking times as necessary. (Fish is done when it flakes easily with a fork.)
Chicken and Dumplings
I learned this one by watching my dad cook. Boil a whole or cut up chicken in a large pot with enough seasoned water or broth to cover. Simmer until chicken is done and tender. Take chicken out, reserving broth, and remove bones and skin. Chop chicken and return to broth in the pot. You can add onions, celery, and carrots, if desired, and cook until vegetables are tender. For the dumplings, you have the choice between “fluffy” and “slick”.
For fluffy dumplings, just drop mounds of soft biscuit dough (like for “drop” biscuits) in the broth and simmer 20 minutes. For slick dumplings, make a batch of thick biscuit dough (like for regular biscuits) but without the baking powder. Roll out, slice into squares, and cook in the broth 20 minutes.
Cottage Pie (Shepherd’s Pie)
In a cast iron skillet, brown a pound of ground beef or other ground meat along with chopped onions and a mixture of whatever vegetables you have on hand. ( I have heard that cottage pie is made with ground beef, and that shepherd’s pie is the same thing, but made with ground lamb.) Make a brown gravy in the skillet. You can do this without removing the meat and vegetables. If you don’t have broth, you can use a teaspoon of bouillon and a cup of water. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and whatever other seasonings you like. Spread mixture evenly in pan. Add a layer of mashed potatoes and top with some shredded cheese. Place in a warm (350 degree) oven until everything is heated and cheese is melted and top is golden.
