Rattray - The Everything Southern Cookbook: Includes Honey and Brown Sugar Glazed Ham, Fried Green Tomato Bruschetta, Crab and Shrimp Bisque, Spicy Shrimp and Grits, ... Brownies...and Hundreds More!

Dear Reader,

My own experience with Southern cooking began with a move from New Hampshire to Mississippi nearly twenty years ago. I was fascinated with the many differences in dishes and ingredients, and delighted with the wonderful new tastes. Ill never forget my first meal; it was a sampler of sorts, and included fried chicken, fried green tomatoes, freshly cooked black-eyed peas, fried okra slices, chicken and dumplings, biscuits, and cornbread. And, of course, dessert was peach cobbler! Though there are many wonderful New England dishes and interesting regional foods throughout the nation, there is truly nothing in the United States quite like Southern cuisine.

As I began tasting these foods and new versions of vintage recipes, I found that I wanted to learn to cook them myself, not only to please my husband, who is a native Southerner, but also to satisfy my own culinary curiosity. I passed a personal cooking milestone when my husband approved of my fried green tomatoes, and another one when he liked my fried chicken and homemade biscuits. But I think my greatest personal achievement in Southern cooking came when my mother-in-law approved of my cornbread.

With this cookbook, I hope to do my own small part to preserve our Southern food culture and bring you a taste of many of the best-loved foods and recipes from regions throughout the South, along with some of my personal favorites.

Diana Rattray

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PUBLISHER Karen Cooper

MANAGING EDITOR, EVERYTHING SERIES Lisa Laing

COPY CHIEF Casey Ebert

ASSISTANT PRODUCTION EDITOR Alex Guarco

ACQUISITIONS EDITOR Lisa Laing

ASSOCIATE DEVELOPMENT EDITOR Eileen Mullan

EVERYTHING SERIES COVER DESIGNER Erin Alexander

Visit the entire Everything series at www.everything.com

Avon, Massachusetts

This book is dedicated to my late grandfather, Edward Bernard, the baker and chef who introduced me to the world of cooking.

THOUGH THERE ARE MANY wonderful regional food specialties and dishes throughout the nation, there is nothing in the United States quite like Southern cuisine. Southern cuisine spans a large area and incorporates a variety of influences. The states with the richest history include Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Florida, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Youll also find Southern food traditions in parts of Texas and Oklahoma, Missouri, Virginia, West Virginia, and even Maryland.

African Americans have certainly had a big influence on Southern cuisine, but youll also find Spanish and Caribbean influences in Florida; French in Louisiana and South Carolina; English, Scots, and Irish throughout the South; Moravian in North Carolina; German in Kentucky and parts of Tennessee; and the list goes on. Of course, the Native American influence is as pervasive in the South as anywhere else in the Americas. Without their influence, there would be no corn or hominy or grits, and Southern food wouldnt use pumpkin, squash, tomatoes, potatoes, chili peppers, peanuts, sweet potatoes, many types of beans, or a long list of other foods

Through the years, the basics of Southern cuisine have changed little, though with the availability of more ingredients and population changes in many larger cities, there is now much more experimentation, something all Southern cooks dearly love. Drop in on a conversation between most Southern cooks and youll hear them talking about their chicken cordon bleu right along with their pinto beans and greens, and grilled tuna as well as catfish and hush puppies. Ask ten Southern cooks how they make their cornbread, and youll get ten slightly different answers, but no complete recipe. The one thing they all have in common is the claim that their own personal recipe is the best. Southern favorites, such as barbecue, vary widely according to which state you live in. In some cases, such as with North Carolina barbecue sauces and a regional Kentucky mutton barbecue, it can actually vary from one section of the state to another.

The Southern Foodways Alliance is one organization dedicated to preserving the heritage of this unique cuisine, and making sure through writings, events, chefs, and cooking demonstrations that it passes on from one generation to the next. Even as the years pass, traditional favorites will be remembered, and treasured recipes will hopefully change only slightly, depending on the region and the cook.

This cookbook will bring you a taste of many of the basics, some best-loved foods and popular recipes from regions throughout the South. Would you prefer creamy sausage gravy or muscadine jelly with your breakfast of hot buttered biscuits, pork sausage, eggs, and grits? A typical Southern Sunday dinner might include Fried Chicken Strips, Fried Green Tomatoes, freshly cooked Black-Eyed Peas with Ham, Crispy Fried Okra, Chicken and Dumplings, and more biscuits or Southern-Skillet Cornbread (with Southern-Style Ice Tea to wash it down, of course). The family next door might be eating Pulled-Pork Barbecue Sandwiches, Perfect Potato Salad, and Barbecue Baked Beans. Down the street someone might be dining on Fried Catfish, Hush Puppies, and Picnic Coleslaw. Or Country-Fried Steak, Savory Collard Greens, and Easy Fried Corn. Down on the coast, dinner might be Crispy Fried Oysters, Spicy Shrimp and Grits, or Cajun-Style Dirty Rice. Dessert might be Brown Sugar Pecan Pie, Peach Pie, Mississippi Mud Pie, or Pecan Praline Cookies. The options go on and on. In these pages youll learn to cook all these Southern staples and much more.