It’s getting to be time for corn to be in season in most parts of the country, so I thought a tribute to corn was in order. Here are some interesting approaches to cooking with corn, the old fashioned way.

Southern Corn Pone

Mix with cold water into a soft dough one quart of southern corn meal (sifted), a teaspoon of salt, a tablespoon of butter or melted lard. Mold into oval cakes with the hands and bake in a very hot oven, in well greased pans. The crust should be brown. To be eaten hot.

Old fashioned Corn Bread

1 ½ c. buttermilk
1 ¼ tsp. soda
1 tsp. salt
1 egg
Corn meal

Combine buttermilk, soda, salt, and egg. Add enough corn meal to make the consistency of cake. Spoon mixture out in greased pan and it will come out in small sections when baked.

Corn Fritters

12 ears sweet corn
2 eggs, beaten separate
1 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
½ pt. milk
Salt and pepper

Grate the ears of corn and rub it through a sieve to rid it of hulls. Combine corn with eggs beaten separately, flour, baking powder, milk, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well and drop by spoonfuls in hot deep fat. Turn and brown on both sides, take out and drain.

Batter Breadwinner

1 qt. sweet milk
1 pt. white corn meal
3 eggs
1 Tbsp. melted butter
½ tsp. salt

Bring milk to a full boil, and stir in slowly the corn. Cool. Then add well beaten yolks of 3 eggs, melted butter, and salt; then add the stiffly beaten whites of the eggs. Bake in a moderate oven at 375 degrees until done.

Ozark Hotcake

2 c. corn meal
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking powder
1 Tbsp. melted fat

Combine 2 c. corn meal and ½ tsp. each of salt and baking powder. Add 1 Tbsp. melted fat and stir in water to make a soft dough. Make into small cakes about half an inch thick and bake on a hot griddle until brown, and then turn to brown on other side.

Mush Biscuits

1 qt. hot water
Corn meal
1 packet yeast
1 c. potato water
1 c. lard
1 c. sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
Flour

Take the hot water and make mush by adding enough cornmeal. Them dissolve yeast in warm water. Mix remaining ingredients together to make a sponge. Add salt and stir in enough flour to make a stiff dough. When double in bulk, roll out in biscuit form and bake in a moderate oven until brown.

Hush Puppies

2 c. corn meal
½ c. water
1 ½ c. milk
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 medium onion, diced

Mix all ingredients and drop by teaspoonfuls into very hot fat. Fry until deep brown.

Norwegian Meat Pie

4 eggs
½ c. milk
1 ½ c. bread cubes
¾ lb. ground beef
1 ½ tsp. Worcestershire sauce
½ tsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. chopped onion
1 tsp. salt
¼ lb. sliced bacon (about 5 strips)
¼ lb. sharp cheese
½ c. chopped celery
2 c. milk
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. celery salt
½ tsp. garlic salt

Beat 1 egg with milk; add bread cubes; let stand about 5 minutes. Add beef, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, onion and salt; mix well.

Line bottom and sides of 9” or 10” pie pan with mixture.

Fry bacon until crisp; crumble, and sprinkle over meat in pan.

Shred or cube cheese; sprinkle cheese and celery over top.

Beat remaining 3 eggs slightly; add milk and seasonings. Pour gently into meat shell.

Bake in hot oven (400 degrees) for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to moderate (350 degrees) and bake 30 minutes, or until custard tests done. Makes 6 servings.

Cottage Coleslaw

A salad men like; it’s a good-for-you, tasty dish.

½ c. cottage cheese
½ c. mayonnaise or salad dressing
3 Tbsp. vinegar or lemon juice
1 ½ tsp. onion juice
¾ tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
1 tsp. caraway seed (optional)
6 c. finely shredded cabbage
2 c. diced cored apples
½ c. chopped green pepper (optional)

Combine cottage cheese and mayonnaise. Add vinegar, onion juice, seasonings and caraway seed.

Combine dressing with cabbage, apples, and green pepper.

Place in large bowl lined with cabbage leaves. Garnish with cottage cheese and green pepper. Chill thoroughly. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Minted Walnuts

1 c. sugar
½ c. water
¼ c. light corn syrup
1/8 tsp. salt
6 marshmallows, cut up
3 drops oil of peppermint
2 ½ c. walnut halves

Combine sugar, water, syrup, and salt in saucepan. Bring to a boil; cook until mixture reaches 230 degrees, or just before the soft ball stage. Add marshmallows, stir to melt.

Add oil of peppermint, then walnuts. Stir until mixture starts to lose its glossiness and hardens slightly.

Quickly turn out on plain paper; separate into individual pieces. Cool. Makes 28 to 36 pieces.

Broccoli au Gratin

2 (10 oz.) pkgs. frozen cut broccoli
2 (10 ½ oz.) cans condensed cream of chicken soup
½ c. buttered toasted bread crumbs
½ c. grated sharp cheese

Cook broccoli as directed on package; drain. Bring soup to boil; add broccoli.

Place in casserole. Sprinkle with crumbs and cheese. Serve hot. Makes 6 servings.

Party Ham Loaf

5 c. ground cooked ham
2/3 c. minced onion
1 c. rolled oats
½ tsp. Pepper
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
¼ tsp. ground cloves
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/3 c. milk
¼ c. currant jelly
1 Tbsp. prepared horseradish

Combine ham, onion, oats, seasonings, eggs and milk; mix thoroughly. Shape like a ham in shallow baking pan; score top in diamond designs.

Bake in moderate oven (375 degrees) for 45 minutes. Remove; brush top with melted jelly and horseradish mixed. Trim with pineapple and maraschino cherries if desired. Makes 8 servings.

This is supposed to be an authentic Southern Pecan Pie recipe, and although I haven’t had the privilege of growing up eating a lot of pecan pies, the recipe appears to hold true to its promises. Let me know if it doesn’t! Serve with a dollop of whipped cream or ice cream and you’ll be in pie heaven!

Southern Pecan Pie

1 c. pecan halves
3 eggs
1 c. light corn syrup
1 Tbsp. melted butter or margarine
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 c. sugar
1 Tbsp. flour
1 (9″) unbaked pie shell

Arrange nuts in pie shell.

Beat eggs, add and blend corn syrup, butter and vanilla.

Combine sugar and flour. Blend with the egg mixture and pour over nuts in pie shell. Let stand until nuts rise, so they’ll get a nice glaze during baking.

Bake in moderate oven (350 degrees) for 45 minutes.

I want to try this one! It’s a spin off of the typical meatloaf, with ground pork giving it a little more zing. Plus, it uses ketchup, which is how my dad makes his meatloaf. Or does he use tomato paste? I’ll have to get his recipe! Yum!

Beef and Pork Loaf

2 lbs. ground beef
1 lb. ground pork
2 c. bread crumbs
½ c. chopped onion
1 Tbsp. salt
1 egg
1 c. milk
¼ tsp. pepper
¼ c. tomato catsup

Mix all ingredients thoroughly in large bowl. Put in loaf pan, cover with a mixture of ½ c. catsup and 2 Tbsp. brown sugar and bake in moderate oven (350 degrees) for one hour.

Oxtail soup is an old Southern recipe. It’s a dish that warms the bones on a cold day. The gelatin from the beef bones cooks into the soup to make a rich and savory broth. Try this basic recipe and feel free to add your favorite spices.

Oxtail Soup

1 large oxtail (about 2 1/2 lb.)
Flour
Fat or oil
3 qts. cold water
1 Tbsp. salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs parsley
1/2 c. chopped onion
1/2 c. diced turnips
1/2 c. chopped celery
1/2 c. diced carrots
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Have oxtail cut between joints. Singe to remove hairs; wash and dry. Dredge with flour and brown on all sides in hot fat in soup kettle. Add water, salt, pepper, bay leaf and parsley. Bring to boil and boil 10 minutes. Skim; cover and simmer 2 or 3 hours, or until meat is tender. Remove meat from bones and add meat to broth (or serve joints in soup if you are short of time).

Add vegetables and simmer until they are tender. Stir in Worcestershire sauce. Serve very hot. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Can also cook all day in the crockpot.

Because there are so many great meatloaf recipes out there, I will be posting the old family and heritage ones I come across. Here’s the first to start you off:

Meatloaf

2 lbs. ground beef
1 medium onion, sliced
2 eggs, unbeaten
1 1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. chili powder
1 1/2 c. stewed tomatoes
2 slices bread, broken into pieces
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
4 strips bacon

Combine all ingredients except bacon. Pack into 9×5x3″ loaf pan. Place bacon strips across the top. Bake in preheated moderate oven (350 degrees) for 1 1/2 hours. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

This recipe for Ozark Salt Risin’ Bread provides an interesting (and simple) approach to bread making. The recipe arose out of necessity, as yeast was not always readily available to early settlers. The initial batter stage uses ingredients that ferment together to produce wild yeasts that enable the dough to rise. Salt risin’ bread is so good that even after commercial yeast became available, the recipe was not altered. The bread is great toasted.

Ozark Salt Risin’ Bread

While getting breakfast in the morning, as soon as the teakettle has boiled, take a quart tin cup or an earthen quart milk pitcher, scald it, then fill 1/3 full of water about as warm as the finger could be held in. To this add a teaspoon of salt, a pinch of brown sugar, and coarse flour enough to make a batter of about the right consistency for griddle-cakes. Set the cup, with the spoon in it, in a closed vessel half-filled with water moderately hot, but not scalding. Keep the temperature as nearly even as possible and add a teaspoon of flour once or twice during the fermentation. The yeast ought to reach to the top of the bowl in about five hours. Sift your flour into a pan, make an opening in the center and pour in your yeast. Have ready a pitcher of warm milk, salted, or milk and water (not too hot, or you will scald the yeast germs), and stir rapidly into a pulpy mass with a spoon. Cover this sponge closely and keep warm for an hour, then knead into loaves adding flour to make the proper consistency. Place in warm, well-greased pans, cover closely and leave till it is light. Bake in a steady moderate oven, and when done let all the hot steam escape. Wrap closely in damp towels and keep in closed earthen jars until it is wanted.

I’m not a big proponent of corn syrup for various reasons (which is in this recipe), but I just had to post this black walnut pie recipe! Black walnuts are found all across the U.S., but the largest one is located right here in my own backyard–on Sauvie Island, just minutes from Portland! Here it is:

Enough about walnuts, on to the recipe!

Black Walnut Pie

1 c. dark corn syrup
1 tsp. flour
3 eggs, beaten
1/8 tsp. salt
Chopped black walnuts
1 tsp. vanilla
½ c. sugar
Egg white
Melted butter
Uncooked pie crust

Combine and mix well corn syrup, flour, three eggs beaten, salt, vanilla, sugar. Pour into uncooked pie shell. Brush pie crust with egg white. Put butter over pie and cover with chopped black walnuts. Bake about 40 minutes in a very low oven, about 250 degrees.

Sorghum Molasses Pie

2 c. molasses
1 c. sugar
3 eggs
1 Tbsp. melted butter
Juice of 1 lemon
Pinch of nutmeg
Pie crust

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and beat well. Pour into pastry and bake in moderate oven (350 degrees) until done.

Mince Meat

Boil and chop fine: 3 lbs. beef tongue or venison tongue. Add 4 lbs. suet, also chopped fine.

Then add:
4 lbs. brown sugar
4 lbs. raisins
3 lbs. currants
4 lbs. apples, chopped fine
1 lb. finely sliced citron
1 Tbsp. each of mace, cloves, and cinnamon
2 nutmegs (coarsely ground)

Mix with enough brandy to wet well. Keep moist and it will “keep” all winter.

This recipe for catfish soup dates back to at least the 1850s. We’ve modernized it, using olive oil for the vegetable saute and bulking up the veggies. Serve with homemade biscuits and you won’t be disappointed!

Catfish Soup

2 to 3 lbs. catfish, deboned
4-6 c. water
1 sliced onion
1 stalk celery, chopped
2-3 carrots, chopped
1 potato, chopped
Garlic
Bay leaf
Parsley
Thyme
1 c. milk or cream
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Saute onion, celery, and carrots, then add garlic and potatoes and cook for one minute. Add herbs, water, and catfish. Salt and pepper to taste. Bring to boil, the simmer until everything is tender. Stir in milk near end and serve warm.

Rhubarb is a vegetable that has been cultivated for centuries, but not many people continue to grow it in their home gardens. Surprisingly, there are many rhubarb recipes besides strawberry rhubarb pie–all it takes is looking in the right place! This rhubarb punch recipe makes a gorgeous drink that is great on its own, but you can also substitute sparkling water or add vodka for an adult version of the drink!

Rhubarb Punch

2 c. rhubarb juice
4 c. water
1 ¾ c. orange juice
1 ¼ c. grape juice
½ c. sugar

Serve cold. Makes 8 or 9 servings.

**If you don’t have a juicer, you can make rhubarb syrup the old fashioned way: cut rhubarb into 1″ pieces and put in soup pot. Cover with part of the water and sugar, bring to boil, then simmer until tender. Strain out the pulp.

Squash biscuits are an old southern recipe dating back to at least the 1800s and were made popular by the cooking teacher Fannie Farmer. This biscuit recipe comes from an old booklet of mountain recipes primarily focused on the Ozarks. It’s a wonderful way to incorporate more vegetables into your diet, and it’s a great way to use up any fall squash you may have left over from the harvest.

Squash Biscuits

1 pint cooked, sieved squash
1 packet yeast
1 small cup sugar
½ tsp. salt
Butter, the size of an egg
Flour

Dissolve yeast in a little water. Add to the squash one cup sugar and the softened butter. Beat well, then add yeast and beat once more. Add sifted flour and stir well. Add enough flour to make a stiff batter. Leave in a warm place overnight, then pour into greased pans and bake in a hot oven until golden brown.

Squirrels are much more than the critters that chuck acorns at you–they can be a protein source, too! They’ve become increasingly popular, according to this New York Times article. Eating squirrel also helps keep their rampant population growth under control.

This squirrel stew recipe is one of the many variations of the old Southern recipes that feature this meat. It might not be for everyone, but if you’re looking for something to stretch your budget and tickle your taste buds, try it out.

Squirrel Stew

2 squirrels, cleaned and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 Tbsp. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 onions, chopped
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. thyme
4-5 c. beef or chicken broth, or water
2 potatoes, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 cans tomatoes, diced, drain off liquid
1 c. corn
1 Tbsp. flour + 1/2 c. cooking liquid

Season meat with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in soup pot and brown the meat on all sides, then add onions and let cook 5-8 minutes, until starting to turn transparent. Add garlic and cook one minute more, then add the stock, bay leaf, thyme, and vegetables. Mix together 1 Tbsp. flour and 1/2 c. cooking liquid to form a slurry and stir into the soup. Bring to boil, then simmer until vegetables are tender and stew has thickened. Taste to adjust seasonings and serve.