Southern Cooking

The Admission days of both Kentucky (15th state, admitted 1792) and Tennessee (16th state admitted 1796) are this week; if that weren’t southern enough, Jefferson Davis’ birthday is June 2nd. It seemed like a good idea to give this area of the country a culinary look.

What is the south, really? For the purposes of dividing the country into culinary regions, the south means the nine states of the old Confederacy—Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee and Arkansas—along with southern Missouri, Kentucky, West Virginia, Maryland and Delaware, which are essentially Southern in their cooking. Texas and Louisiana are in their own separate worlds, as far as cooking styles. But there are culinary similarities that tie the whole region together:

Gumbo born and gumbo bred,
Tabasco follies fuzz my head.
South is my blood and South my bone
So haply formed on pork and pone.
Incan, African move in me.
You say: “South? Where can it be?”
Chewing my sugar cane, I repeat:
“Why, in all we like to cook and eat.”
(Southern folk song)


The Great River Road, which runs along the Mississippi on both sides and passes right through our own Red Wing, meanders through some of the best cookin’ country in America. New Orleans has been the subject of many food writers’ pens, but there is some pretty interesting food in the back country along the Mississippi in Tennessee and Kentucky. After the Civil War, the entire region decided to become set in their ways and to observe traditions that would define them and set them proudly apart—and no where more than at the table.

Alton Brown of Food Network fame, has recently published a book “Feasting on Asphalt” in which he chronicles his food adventures on the Great River Road, starting south of New Orleans and following the “Big Brown” all the way to Lake Itasca on a motorcycle (hence the “asphalt”). Here is some of what he found in Tennessee and Kentucky.

Of course, the entire South Lives and breathes barbecue. Woe to you if you don’t love it. And every restaurant and little BBQ Shack serves their own version along with their own version of slaw. Here are two recipes, basic and simple—and delicious!

Alton’s Amalgam Cole Slaw

1 1/3 cups mayonnaise (preferably homemade)
2 Tbsp sweet pickle relish
1 Tbsp. cider vinegar
1 tsp. kosher salt
¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 head green cabbage, grated
2 carrots, grated

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, relish, vinegar, salt and pepper. Add the cabbage and carrots and toss to combine. Cover, place in the refrigerator and let sit for at least 2 hours before serving.

Simple, Straightforward Sauce for Barbecue (makes a very large batch, but it keeps well in the refrigerator and it’s good on scrambled eggs.)

32 ounces tomato ketchup
48 ounces white vinegar
8 ounces light brown sugar
½ ounce ground cayenne
¼ ounce red pepper flakes

Combine all the ingredients in a large stainless-steel pot. Stir and place over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 1 hour. Let the sauce cool, then pour it into a clean container with a lid. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use. This yields about 3 quarts of sauce. (Prince Pit BBQ in Bardwell, Kentucky)

Melanie’s Soul Food in Memphis Tennessee inspired this great way to use your barbecue sauce

Memphis-Style Turkey Legs

4 smoked turkey legs (available in some supermarkets)
1 Tbsp. seasoned salt such as Lawry’s
1 cup hot barbecue sauce
1 Tbsp. dark brown sugar
1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place the legs in a 9”x13” metal baking pan and sprinkle with the seasoned salt. Pour 1 cup of water into the bottom of the pan and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 1 hour. After 1 hour, gently uncover the pan and turn the legs over. Continue to bake for another hour. Remove from the oven and drain off any remaining water. Combine the barbecue sauce, brown sugar and lemon juice in a medium saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and glaze the turkey legs with the sauce. Serve immediately. 4 servings.

Here is a recipe for scrambled eggs, good with or without that barbecue sauce:

Kentucky Scramble

6 slices lean bacon
1 Tbsp. butter
1 cup fresh corn kernels cut from 3 medium-sized ears of corn or substitute 1 cup canned or defrosted frozen corn kernels, thoroughly drained
½ cup finely chopped green pepper
1/ cup finely chopped pimiento
1 ½ tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
6 eggs

In heavy large ungreased skillet, fry the bacon over moderate heat. Turn the slices with tongs until they are crisp and brown, then transfer them to paper towels to drain. Pour off all but 3 tablespoons of the fat remaining in the skillet and in its place add the butter. Drop in the corn and stir over moderate heat for 1 or 2 minutes until the kernels glisten. Then add the green pepper, pimiento, salt and black pepper and cook uncovered, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft but not brown. Break the eggs into a bowl, beat them lightly with a table fork and pour them into the skillet. Stirring with the flat of the fork or a rubber spatula, cook over low heat until the eggs begin to form soft, creamy curds. Mound the eggs on a heated platter, arrange the bacon slices attractively on top and serve at once.