News Taffy

Summer hasn’t officially started but Memorial Day does seem like the kick off for summer fun. It’s time to fire up those grills and try a different, lighter menu. Summer is a great time to start eating healthier. Soon the local farmers’ markets will be packed with good things to eat and you should take advantage of nature’s bounty. That doesn’t mean you have to spend more time in the kitchen; actually, you may spend even less time cooking.

Tender fresh vegetables need very little cooking time and some are great eaten raw. When you get your hands on some home grown tomatoes, there is no better dinner than BLTs. I love summer squash sliced and steamed only a few minutes with a dab of butter and a pinch of salt and pepper. Altogether, washing, slicing and steaming takes about 8 minutes. Same with new potatoes. Simply scrub those taters clean, put in a pot and just cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook till just tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Season with a pat of butter, salt, pepper and parsley. This weekend I’m headed to the ASU Farmers Market. I can’t wait to get my hands on some local melons, peaches and berries!

One of my favorite dinners in the summer is purple hull peas (with some good sweet pepper relish), fried okra, sliced tomatoes, squash, corn on the cob or potatoes. Cornbread is the perfect accompaniment for this Southern girl. After all, my Daddy raised me right. I simmer the purple hull peas in chicken broth till just tender, about 30 minutes. I don’t batter my okra however; that is an abomination. Simply wash and slice okra into a large skillet that has a good bit of olive or canola oil in it. Turn heat to medium high and sprinkle okra with cornmeal. There are no exact measurements for this recipe; this is just the way my parents cooked it. Don’t use too much cornmeal as you don’t want it gummy, just lightly coating the okra. Anyway, saute okra till crispy and lightly browned, or almost black depending on your tastes. Season with salt and pepper. I can almost taste it now and my kids LOVE okra cooked this way. Actually, they like okra most any way, even raw!

Finally, I am going to share my Daddy’s cornbread recipe - it’s the best. God forbid you should use a mix! You might as well not fix it. Daddy insisted the secret to good cornbread was to use a cast iron skillet, heated in the oven with a good bit of bacon grease in the pan. Then you sprinkle a bit of cornmeal over the bottom of the pan on the hot grease. Last, pour the batter in and bake. The only adjustment I’ve made is to use canola oil as I rarely cook bacon. I hope my father forgives me.

DADDY'S CORNBREAD
*Put 1 Tbsp. of canola oil in a cast iron skillet. Put pan in oven and heat to 450. Beat 1 egg with 1 tsp. salt.
*Add 1 1/2 cups of buttermilk, a scant 1/4 tsp. baking soda and 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder.
*Stir well. Add cornmeal a bit at a time until a spoon leaves a line for about 2 seconds when drawn through the batter. Add water if it is too thick.
*Remove skillet, sprinkle a bit of cornmeal over the pan and pour in the batter. Bake about 25 minutes or until lightly brown on top. Let cool a minute then invert onto a plate. The top should be dark brown and crisp.

As a disclaimer, let me say that I know cornbread is not the healthiest of choices and neither is the fried okra. Since they sure make life better, it is ok to have them once in awhile.

Until next time,
Lisa