Sauteed Dandelion Greens with Cabbage and Onion

Even though I grew up in the North, we ate Southern food. I grew up eating fried cabbage with bacon grease, salt, and pepper.  But as I grew older and didn't have a regular supply of bacon grease on hand, I searched for alternate healthier options to cook my favorite greens. 

A month or so ago a friend and I went to Dearborn, Michigan for the weekend.  While there I tried some Mediterranean food.  Dandelion greens were in the showcase for purchase. When we got back to the hotel I took my first bite.  They were delicious and surprisingly not bitter. I need to learn how to cook these greens!

When I got back home I tried to cook them and failed miserably. The dandelion greens were extremely bitter. Surely there is a secret? I asked a friend what her mother would do to eliminate some of the bitterness. I've had this dish three times in the last two weeks. I am going to share with you what I discovered.

I used  Victoria Taylor's Moroccan spice blend.  I use this in a lot of dishes, especially on baked chicken and vegetables or in fried coucous salad. But you can use whatever spices you prefer on your greens.  

Ingredients:

1\2 head of cabbage, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
2 TSP Victoria Moroccan Spice Blend or to taste, I am very generous with this 
salt\pepper to taste
1 Knorr bouillon chicken cube 
1\4 tsp sugar
2-3 TBS olive oil
2 TBS Ghee, clarified butter or regular, I like the taste of butter and oil together
2 bunches of dandelion greens, washed and cut into 1 inch pieces

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Place the dandelion greens in the water and boil until tender. About 7-10 minutes. Boiling the greens helps to take out the majority of the bitterness. I usually cook two bunches at a time. Once they are done cooking drain in a colander.  Squeeze out the excess water with a spoon by pressing the greens against the side of the colander. 

On medium heat add the oil and butter to a large non stick pan.  Once the oil is hot add the onion. Saute until translucent.  Then add the cabbage.  At this point add the salt, pepper,  Moroccan spice blend ,and bouillon cube.  Cook until tender.  

Move the cabbage and onion mixture to one side of the pan and add the dandelion greens to the other. 

Sprinkle with a little salt and the sugar. Saute for about 5 minutes and then mix everything together in the pan.

Serve immediately.  I like to eat this with beans and cornbread.  If you cannot find the Moroccan Spice blend that I used then use your favorite.  There is no right way or wrong way for this recipe.  You are the chef, experiment. 

Fried Cream Corn

This recipe is Southern to the core.  I think that my mother would have really liked it.  The corn is fried and then a bit of cream is added for extra flavor.  However, it is not like the creamed corn in a can, which can be a runny mess. Of course, anything with bacon in it has to be good.  I really liked this recipe.

Ingredients:

2 -16 oz bags of frozen corn or 10-12 fresh corn, cut off the cob.
1 tsp salt
1 TBS sugar
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream or half and half
6 TBS butter
2 TBS flour
6-8 slices of bacon, browned and crumpled

Brown the bacon in an iron skillet or heavy pan over medium to high heat; I used a large non-stick pan.  Drain on a paper towel and when cool crumple the bacon into small pieces then set aside. Leave the bacon drippings in the pan.  In a large mixing bowl, add the corn, salt, pepper, sugar, and flour. Mix well.

 
Add the butter to the pan along with the bacon drippings, once it is hot add the corn mixture.  Fry the corn mixture until the pieces that have flour begin to brown. Flip it occasionally so that it can brown as much as possible. This could take 15-20 minutes.

 Then add the cream and mix it through the corn mixture. 

Next add the crumpled bacon, mix well. Serve with chicken, beef or lamb, a green vegetable or salad and bread.  Enjoy!

Tennessee Cornbread Salad

I love cornbread, especially the way my mother made it.  It was somewhat thin and had the crispiest crust imagineble. When she would not be looking, I would break off a piece of the crust and quickly eat it, savoring every bite.  Some people put sugar in theirs, others put in cracklins, but I like mine just like Mom's. I have an electric oven and find it hard to duplicate the crust.  So, all I can do is remember how it is supposed to be. 

When I lived in Tennessee in 2001, I tasted the most delicious cornbread salad that one of my co-workers made.  I had never heard of making a salad with cornbread until then.  On a whim, I made it this evening.  I am in heaven.  I brought two of my neighbors a bowl and a co-worker will get a taste tomorrow.  I ate more than my fair share this evening.  No wonder I have a problem keeping my weight down. I make my own cornbread, so no box stuff for this recipe.

Ingredients for Cornbread:

1 cup self rising flour
1 cup self rising cornmeal mix
1/3 cup vegetable oil or shortening
1 egg
2/3 - 1 cup of milk

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.  In a large skillet,  melt the shortening over medium heat.  Mix the rest of the ingredients and then add the melted shortening.  Mix well.  I leave about 1-2 tbs of oil in the bottom of the skillet to help crisp up the crust.  Place in the oven and bake until the bread is brown on both the top and bottom, about 20-30 minutes.  Once done, set aside to cool.

Ingredients for Salad:

2-3 roma tomatoes or your favorite brand of tomato, chopped
1 green pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 large onion, chopped, about a cup
1 lb of bacon, I used turkey bacon instead
2-3 cups of mayonaise
2-3 heaping soup spoons of sweet pickle relish
1/4 cup of pickle juice or to taste
black pepper to taste.

In a large skillet cook the bacon over medium heat until crispy.  Drain on paper towels.  When cool, crumble the bacon into small pieces.

In a large bowl, add the tomatoes, pepper, onion, bacon and 3/4 of the cornbread.  Add the mayonaise, pickle relish and pickle juice.  Toss lightly.  I used about 2 cups of mayonaise, but if that is too dry for your taste add more.  Chill for a couple of hours and then serve.  If you are anything like me, I couldn't wait but ate it right away.  Enjoy!

Southern Sweet Potato Pie

With Thanksgiving coming up (24th) we start thinking about the meal that we are going to prepare.  Oh there will be turkey or ham, potatoes, corn, green beans, stuffing, egg nog, and a variety of all kinds of things.  With pumpkins being in season, a lot of cooks make pies with them.  Did you know that you can make a pie with sweet potatoes?  Yes you can and they taste very much like pumpkin pie.  It is all in the spices that you use.  I have to admit that I tried to make this three times.  The third time was the charm. 

Sweet Potato Pie

Ingredients:

3 small to medium sweet potatoes

3 eggs, lightly beaten

2 cups of granulated sugar

½ cup brown sugar

1 stick of butter, melted      

1 cup of evaporated milk or heavy cream

1 ½ TBS cinnamon

1 ½ TBS nutmeg

½ cup of orange juice

1 tsp vanilla

1 teaspoon white sugar for dusting

2 deep dish pie crusts

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Peel and cut the sweet potatoes into cubes.  Place in a large pot with enough water to cover and boil until tender.  Place potatoes in a bowl with eggs and butter.  Beat with a mixer for 2 minutes.  Add granulated sugar, brown sugar and milk while continuing to beat.  Then add the cinnamon, nutmeg, orange juice and vanilla.   Blend well.

Prick sides and bottom of pie crusts with a fork and sprinkle with 1 tsp of sugar.  Place in the oven for about 5 minutes until the crust is lightly browned or puffed a little.  Let cool.  Next, pour the mixture into pie crust and bake for 40-50 minutes or until done when a toothpick is inserted and comes out clean.  Cool for 30 minutes and then refrigerate.  Serve with whipped cream.  Enjoy!