Branning recently cooked an early Lowcountry Thanksgiving dinner for friends, highlighting recipes from her cookbook:
The menu included:
Shrimp Bisque
Smoked Turkey with Gravy
Hands Down Favorite Cornbread Dressing
Lowcountry Red Rice
Greens with Envy
Sweet Potato Pone
Come Back Pumpkin Bread
Apple Pecan Bread
Apple Pie with Crumb Topping
Benne Seed cookies
Plum Good Haystack Cookies
Most of the recipes are found in “Shrimp, Collards and Grits.”
Here are a few:
Shrimp Bisque
2 sticks butter, divided
1 large carrot, sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 dash thyme
1 bay leaf
6 sprigs fresh parsley
1 dash brandy
1/2 C. dry white wine
2 C. chicken stock, divided
1 C. light cream
6 Tblsp. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2 pounds shrimp.
Saut vegetables with thyme, bay leaf and parsley in four tablespoons of butter until onions are transparent. Add white wine and one cup chicken broth. Cook until vegetables are soft. Remove bay leaf and blend mixture in blender until slightly smooth.
Prepare white sauce by melting six tablespoons of butter in a saucepan over medium heat, then adding salt and flour. Stir vigorously until well blended. Add light cream and one cup chicken stock, stirring until thickened.
Saut shrimp in six tablespoons butter until heated. Do not overcook. Blend half of the shrimp in blender with a small amount of chicken brother or cut into very fine pieces. Combine all ingredients and heat thoroughly.
Serves 4-5.
Greens With Envy
2 pounds collards or turnip greens, washed and tough stems removed
1/2 pound bacon strips
1/2 C. apple cider vinegar
3 Tblsp. water
1 small onion, chopped
2-3 Tblsp. sugar
1 tsp. nutmeg (optional)
Pepper sauce:3/4 C. cider vinegar
10 long fresh green chile peppers or banana peppers, washed and trimmed
Stack collard leaves on top of each other. Roll up the bundle of collards tightly and cut crosswise into 1/2 inch slices. Set aside.
Saut bacon in a six-quart Dutch oven until cooked and crispy. Pour grease off, leaving about two tablespoons in pan. Toss collards in pan and add vinegar, water, onion and sugar. Simmer uncovered for 15-30 minutes until tender and done. Stir often. Greens may be cooked longer if desired, adding water as needed. Add a little nutmeg if desired. Turnip greens may be cooked the same way.
Pepper sauce: Bring vinegar to a boil in a saucepan. Pack peppers tightly into a hot 12-ounce jar. Cover with boiling vinegar. Cover at once with a metal lid and crew on band. Store at room temperature up to two weeks. Yields 1 12-ounce jar.
Hands-Down Favorite Cornbread Dressing
6 C. cornbread crumbs
1/4 C. butter
2 C. onion, chopped
1 C. celery, chopped
1 can chicken broth
1 17-ounce can whole kernel corn, drained
4 Tblsp. chopped fresh parsley
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 C. chopped pecans, toasted.
Melt butter in a large Dutch oven; add the onion and celery and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until tender. Stir in the broth and next seven ingredients.
Add cornbread crumbs and pecans, tossing until moistened. Spoon into a greased 13-by-9- inch baking dish and cover with foil.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until thoroughly heated.
Makes 8-10 servings.
Lowcountry Red Rice
2 large (15-ounce) cans Italian-style stewed tomatoes, undrained
1 pound Polish sausage, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
4 green onions, sliced
1 large green bell pepper, diced
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1 Tblsp. vegetable oil
2 C. uncooked rice (white or brown)
1-2 Tblsp. Tabasco
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
Drain tomatoes, reserving liquid.
Add enough water to liquid to equal two cups.
Saute sausage, green onions bell pepper and garlic in hot oil until tender. Stir in tomatoes, two cups reserved liquid, salt and pepper. bring this to a boil, then simmer a few minutes.
Cover and cook rice according to the directions on the rice package. Add tomato mixture to the rice and stir together.
Serves 6-8. (Can be made with ham instead of sausage, if desired.)