Bill Neal’s Fried Grits, Ronni’s Fried Apples, Blackberry Dumplings

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It’s mighty hard top beat a good supper of fried eggs, grits, smoked sausage links, patties, or bacon, a pan of biscuits, and a couple fresh, sliced tomatoes, and some fried apples. You really want to eat high on the hog, you did a pan of sausage gravy. When Deb does that, the gravy goes over everything on my plate…bar none! I could eat a number one wash tub full of it, or bust a gut trying! I remember Mom the next morning taking the grits that were leftover and mixing egg with them, and frying them up in patties themselves. These too were good. I was reading the other night in the book, “Smokehouse Ham, Spoon Bread, and Scuppernong Wine,” about a fried grits recipe, and I got to thinking back about Mom’s. I’ve talked about this book several times, and once again, if you like to cook, and enjoy Deep South Cuisine, then you just might want to take a look at it. This first recipe is from the book with credit contributed to a Mr. Bill Neal, and his book, “Bill Neal’s Southern Cooking.” I hope you give this a try, and I hope you enjoy it. For all you people out there who’ve never tried grits…you don’t know what you’re missing. The last two recipes come from the book as well. Bill Neal’s Fried Grits:

• 1 pot of boiled grits (use regular grits recipe off box.)
• 1 egg, beaten well
• 5 tablespoons of butter
• 3-1/2 tablespoons bacon fat

While the pot of grits is still hot, place 4-1/2 tablespoons of butter into the mixture and beat well. Also add the beaten egg to the mixture. Get out a loaf pan and use the other ½ tablespoon of butter to grease the loaf pan. Pour the grits into the loaf pan and allow the mixture to cool at room temperature for just under an hour. At that point, grits can be turned out and sliced into half-inch slices. Heat the bacon fat in a skillet at fry at medium heat on each side for about 11 minutes or until golden brown. About 6 servings One other recipe from the book is attributed to Ronni Lundy, of Kentucky, and author of the book, “Shuck Beans, Stack Cakes, and Honest Fried Chicken.” She says before starting to cook this next recipe to be sure and taste a slice of the apple for sweetness. If it’s real sweet, use less sugar. If it tastes tart, add a little more sugar. Ronni’s Fried Apples

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/3 to ½ cup brown sugar
• 4 medium apples

Melt butter in skillet over low heat. Quarter and core apples. Cut each quarter into three slices lengthwise. Place sliced apples in butter, cover, and cook on medium-low heat for about 5 minutes, turning a couple times. Spread sugar over the apples and let it melt just a bit, then gently turn the apples so all the slices get coated with the sugar. Some of the apples will mush up a bit while others will stay in slices; that’s the desired effect. Cook over medium-low heat for another 10 minutes until the sugar begins to thicken just a bit into syrup, then serve hot. Blackberry Dumplings:

• 1 quart blackberries
• 1-1/4 cups of sugar
• 2 cups water

Dumpling Dough:

• 3-4 cups self-rising flour
• ½ cup milk
• ½ cup buttermilk
• 1 cup shortening

To make dumplings, fill a large mixing bowl almost full with sifted flour, and make a hole in the middle. Mix in buttermilk, milk, and shortening. Knead dough, then tear off pieces. Bring blackberries, sugar, and water to a boil. Drop in dumpling dough. Cover and simmer until dough is done. This recipe came from one offered by Bessie Mae Eldreth of Boone, North Carolina, as quoted in the “Smithsonian Folklife Cook Book.”

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