Tips & Tricks: Southern Cooking
Martha White helps you measure up in the kitchen so your family and friends think you're a pro.
Baking Classic Southern Biscuits
Of course, first of all you need a sack of good Martha White® Self-Rising Flour. Then, cut shortening into the flour with a pastry blender or two knives. These little bits of shortening make the biscuits tender and flakey. Biscuits may also be made with butter or lard. Add milk or buttermilk and stir just until dough forms a ball. The dough should be soft, so add a little more milk, if necessary. Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Knead 10 to 12 times. Handle the dough gently - overworking dough will make biscuits tough. Roll out dough with a rolling pin to about 1/2-inch thick. Biscuits will double in height as they bake. Roll dough thinner for thin, crisp biscuits, or roll thicker for big tall biscuits. Bake on a shiny, lightly greased baking sheet. Dark pans absorb heat and make biscuits brown more on bottom than top.
Batter vs. Breading
Batters are liquid mixtures of flour, eggs and milk or water. Breadings are dry ingredients used to coat fish such as cracker crumbs, bread crumbs, flour or corn meal. Usually the fish is dipped into an egg mixture and then into the dry mixture. Batters tend to result in a thicker, breadier coating after the fish is fried. Corn meal breading is the favorite way to prepare Southern favorites like catfish and crappie.
Buttermilk Substitute
To substitute for buttermilk, use 2 1/2 teaspoons vinegar or lemon juice plus milk to make 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons.
back to top
Buttermilk vs. Sweet Milk
Sweet milk is simply fresh milk (not buttermilk). It's an old-fashioned Southern term commonly used to distinguish between the two in the days when cooks churned their own butter and always had buttermilk on hand. Today's buttermilk is a cultured product usually made from low-fat milk. Buttermilk gives baked goods a moist texture and tangy flavor, while those made with sweet milk are milder in flavor.
Caramelizing Onions
Caramelize onions by cooking them until they are deep golden brown in color and have a sweet, nutty flavor. You need to cook the sugar that is present in the onion until it turns brown, or "caramelizes." The object isn't to burn them, but to brown them slowly. To do this, cook the onions in butter or oil over low heat for at least 15 minutes. The sweet onions will add new depth and style to many recipes, even traditional southern cornbread.
Cooking with Apples
- Store apples in a crisper in the refrigerator to retain quality.
- About 3 medium apples equals 1 pound.
- One pound of apples, when diced, will yield about 3 cups.
- About 2 pounds of apples are needed for one 9-inch pie.
- To prevent the cut surface of an apple from browning, dip it in lemon or orange juice.
back to top
Cooking with Lemons
- Lemons warmed just to the touch, give up juice more easily. Warm in a microwave for 30 to 40 seconds depending on microwave wattage and size of lemon. Then press and roll around on tabletop a couple of times.
- For grated zest or peel, grate only the yellow peel - the white part is unpleasantly bitter. A fairly new kitchen gadget, the micro plane grater which looks like a rasp, is very sharp and makes grating a snap. If your recipe calls for peel or zest and juice, don't forget to grate the peel first. It's much easier.
- If you have too many lemons on hand, freeze measured amounts, 1 to 2 tablespoons, in an ice cube tray. Store cubes in a plastic bag.
- To prevent browning, rub lemon juice on the surface of bananas, apples, pears or avocados, or add to the cooking water of vegetables like potatoes or cauliflower.
- One medium lemon will yield about 3 tablespoons of juice and about 1 tablespoon of grated peel.
Cooking with Peaches
Best quality peaches are bright, velvety and fresh in appearance. The red blush does not mean the peach is ripe. Rather, the blush varies with the variety of peach. To peel peaches easily, dip them in boiling water for about 15 seconds, then run under cold water; pull off skins. To prevent browning of peeled or cut peaches that won't be used right away, sprinkle with lemon juice.
Frying Fish
The trick is to keep the oil hot enough to seal the outside of the fish and lock in moisture and flavor. Fillets will only take a few minutes to cook depending on the thickness.
back to top
Grits
Grits are related to corn meal, since both are made from dried corn. Grits are just more coarsely ground than corn meal. White grits made from white corn are the most familiar; however, yellow grits made from yellow corn also are available. Whole ground grits are made by grinding the whole corn kernel, including the bran, germ and hard starchy endosperm. Quick and regular grits, the two most popular types, cook much more quickly. They're made by tempering dried corn, removing the brand and germ, then grinding the hard starchy endosperm. Instant grits are cooked and dehydrated before packaging and are prepared by adding hot water.
Perfect Cream Gravy
Good cream gravy always starts with drippings from pan-frying sausage, bacon, chicken or pork chops. Your gravy will always turn out just right if you use equal parts drippings and flour. The basic proportions are 1/4 cup drippings to 1/4 cup flour to 2 cups milk.
Perfect Pancakes and Waffles
As you start creating delicious pancakes and waffles for your family and friends, here are a few cooking tips to help insure your success: Stir pancake and waffle batters just until you see no dry flour - the batter will still be lumpy. Overmixing will make them tough. Cook pancakes on medium-high heat. If you don't have an electric griddle or skillet, test by dropping a few drops of water on the hot surface. When water sizzles and disappears almost immediately, you're ready to cook. Turn pancakes only once. Pour batter onto griddle and cook until pancakes begin to dry around the edge - you can peek to see if the first side is brown. Turn and cook on other side.
back to top
Polenta or Mush?
Polenta is nothing more than the Italian equivalent of Southern corn meal mush. In Italy, polenta is served as a side dish with meaty stews and sausages. In the South, corn meal mush is traditionally served for breakfast. Whether you call it polenta or mush, the best way to prepare it is to chill, slice and fry it in a skillet. Serve the crisp slices Italian-style as a supper side dish or Southern-style with a hearty country breakfast.
Roasting Bell Peppers
To roast red bell peppers, remove stem and seeds; cut into quarters. Place, skin side up, on foil-covered cookie sheet or broiler pan. Brush lightly with oil. Broil 4 to 6 inches from heat until pepper skin is blistered and blackened. Place peppers in plastic bag; seal tightly. Place in freezer for about 15 minutes. Remove from freezer. With fingers or small knife, gently peel skin off peppers.
Stuffing vs. Dressing
The words "stuffing" and "dressing" mean essentially the same thing, but regional differences often range along the Mason-Dixon line. Most Southerners don't stuff, they dress. Traditional dressing includes cornbread and is usually baked in a separate pan. In the South, cornbread dressing is not reserved for the holidays, but is enjoyed year 'round with roast chicken.
back to top
Toasting Almonds
To toast almonds, spread on cookie sheet. Bake at 350° F. for 5 to 7 minutes or until golden brown, stirring occasionally. Or spread almonds in thin layer in microwave-safe pie pan. Microwave on HIGH for 4 to 7 minutes or until golden brown, stirring frequently.
Toasting Benne Seeds
To toast benne seed, spread in shallow baking pan. Bake at 350°F. for 6 to 8 minutes or until golden brown, stirring occasionally. Or place seed in small skillet; cook and stir over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes or until light golden brown.
Toasting Pecans
To toast pecans, melt 1 tablespoon butter on baking pan. Add 1 cup chopped pecans; stir. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned.
back to top