I have been accused of making recipe posts that were too complicated and that is probably true. Here is one that is country boy simple and straight forward. Its tasty too.
Liking country cooking is a southern thing. It certainly was at my grandmother's house, and most of the "Meat and Three" places where I have dined during my many years. In an effort to show how simple life can be and still keep me happy, here is a "Meat and One" meal, using frozen vegetables from my favorite local grocery store. For those who object to frozen greens, I will post my "made from the garden greens" meal later. It uses fresh greens and is lots more difficult than cutting these freezer bags open and dumping the contents into a pot. Sometimes life is nice when it is simple, and this one is.
Greens and Pork Loin Chops:
You will need Greens. I like my greens mixed, so I use both frozen chopped turnips and frozen chopped mustard greens, with maybe twice the volume of turnip greens as mustard greens.
I also use a spoon of Better Than Bouillon Ham Base, Salt, Black Pepper and some Diced Party Ham.
Directions:
The chopped turnips go into the pot.
Next, we add the Mustard Greens. I like the flavor combination of mixed turnip greens and mustard greens. Some folks add collard greens too, and that is fine with me. Using all three will make a big pot of greens, and if company is coming, or if you are cooking for a dinner on the grounds dinner at church, it is nice to have a big pot, so folks like Uncle Luther or the preacher won't feel too self-conscious for getting a big serving or coming back for seconds.
I always like to add some ham to my greens for extra flavor. If I have leftover ham from Easter in the freezer, I will use that. If not, diced up party ham works fine. It doesn't take a lot. I add it for tradition as much as anything.
Next, a teaspoon of salt, a teaspoon of sugar and a Tablespoon of vegetable oil, lard, or bacon fat.
Add enough water to be able to see it just below the top of your greens and bring to a boil. You can add more water later if you like a lot of pot liquor, or cook it off, if you like less.
My meat side for this simple meal was boneless Pork Loin, sliced about 1 inch thick. I seasoned it with black pepper, garlic salt and a little salt. Season both sides and let the pork sit with a cover while the greens are cooking (Maybe an hour or maybe two hours).
As the greens are coming to a boil, add the Better Than Bouillon Ham base. It adds flavor and a touch of smokiness. I guess I failed to mention, you can cook your greens with a ham hock if you like to get that burst of flavor the smoked hock adds. Fat back or a pack of country ham from the meat case works, too. Bacon would be my last choice, but if your mom did it that way, I would eat them. I had a vet friend who purchased those packages of smoked porkchops they used to sell at Piggly Wiggly cut up and added to his pot of greens and they were fancy schmancy good.
Here they are, cooking away. I cook mine at least an hour at a low boil. Two hours is better since this is the south and we cook our stuff longer down here.
I like to cook my greens with a lid to keep them from boiling away all of the water I added. Lots of water makes lots of pot liquor, and I have been guilty of drinking a coffee cup of straight pot liquor when my greens have cooked, and everyone has taken their serving out of the pot. If you use a slotted spoon, you can serve your portion fairly dry, even if the pot has lots of liquor.
Maybe I forgot to say, I like some black pepper in my greens. I like the touch of spiciness the black pepper adds. If you do, too, add a half teaspoon when the greens begin their slow boil.
It doesn't take a lot of black pepper to get the seasoning level I like in my greens.
These are very close to being ready to eat.
Time to cook/braise the pork. If I am thinking classic country southern cooking, Greens and pork comes very close to the perfect meal.
Here they are in a hot skillet with a touch of oil. I also cook my pork as beaded, bone in pork chops or loin slices, just like granny did, but this way is a nod to healthier cooking with no breading and a lot less oil. So much for healthy cooking. Still tastes good to me.
I like my cork loin a tiny bit toward pink in the center. You can do that with modern pork, since the pork producers eliminated most of the threat of Brucellosis contamination long ago. Cook the loin chops until they have a bit of crispiness on one side.
Then turn after maybe 3-4 minutes and do the other side.
Serve the greens and pork up for one of my favorite meals.
Oh Jeepers! I forgot the cornbread to soak up the pot liquor. Wouldn't be southern cooking without cornbread, would it?
Thanks for looking at my post. If you don't want to cook this simple southern meal, there is likely a meat and three place somewhere close by that will satisfy your Jones for Greens, Pork, and Cornbread.
God Bless You.
23 comments:
Brother, you done flung a craving on me!
Now this is a recipe I can appreciate!
Ever used chicken broth instead of water for the greens, or would he flavors not work?
That looks fantastic!
that looks wonderful!
Hot sweet potatoes and cracklin’ bread,
Mulligan stew to turn a rich man’s head.
Backbone and turnip greens,
Lord knows there’s nothin’ finer,
Than sittin’ down eatin’ at the Dixie Diner….
Polybear, your post made me think of this. IYKYK.
Your posts are one of my favorite here on the JJ.
Fine.
Cornbread recipe?
I enjoy your posts and wanted to mention a dish I discovered. I made a duck a l'orange and captured two cups of the duck drippings sweetened by oranges and used it in cornbread dressing in place of boiled chicken and stock. Some folks had missed the holiday dressing and i was just substituting something to make it a quick prep and it turned into a bases loaded homerun pan of dressing. I cook in the moment so maybe you can experiment with this idea. One thing i do differently is I do not mix eggs in before baking my dressing, I manage the moisture so that it goes in the baking pan and sets consistency that way. That's the only deviation from standard practice i make/made on either the duck or normal chicken cornbread dressing. The texture was completely different. Every person who ever cooked a meal dreams of the accolades i got , the kids had it all over the inside of the refrigerator clamoring for more. Also used a very fat store bought duck.
You have great post. Thank you. Dont forget the homemade hot pepper sauce for the greens.
Hush, yo mouth.
Hey 8:54 my grandfather taught me to make it with some chicken broth and it was always good. He’d do that when a ham bone wasn’t available. I like them both ways. Good recipe chef!
10:44am
Was there really a time when some women carried hot sauce in their purse to have it handy for greens?
@10:04AM
it looks like the Martha White recipe thats on the Martha White bag. Same recipe my family has made for generations.
If you go back about a year (2/26/2023), I posted a photo recipe for what we call Depression Era Cornbread. Here is the recipe minus the photos. Mr Kingfish might have a link to the actual post. There have been too many for me
Depression Era Cornbread
This is the old family recipe straight from the Great Depression by way of Granny Cooksey of Isola, Mississippi. It has no eggs and no sugar, since those pantry items were better used for other things during hard times.
This is all that has been made in my family for as long as my memories go back. It is all that my mother and her seven sisters made, and each of their children who can cook, and all that is made in my house too.
Ingredients:
With AP flour:
1 cup Martha White Corn Meal
1 1/4 cup Martha White AP flour, 1/2 tsp Baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt
With Self Rising flour
1 cup Martha White Corn Meal
1 1/4 cup Martha White Self Rising Flour with 1/2 tsp salt
For either recipe
1 1/2 cup Buttermilk
Sufficient additional water to make mix slightly thicker than pancake batter
You also need a good seasoned cast iron skillet
This recipe uses an 8 inch. For the 12 inch skillet, double the recipe. For the 6 inch skillet, cut recipe by 1/3.
You also need a 400 degree F preheated oven.
I stick the skillet in the oven as it preheats. You don't need the skillet until the oven gets to temperature anyway. And the skillet must be hot when the batter goes in. The preheating oven is a good place to get it hot, but not too hot.
Mix the ingredients, Flour and Cornmeal with butter milk to make a thick batter and add it to the hot skillet with a tablespoon of vegetable or bacon oil added before the batter. It should sizzle when the batter is placed in the skillet.
Place the skillet in the center of the oven and bake for 30-45 minutes. Cooking times will vary, and you will learn what your oven does. My grandmother baked hers in a wood stove for years. The cornbread from Granny's wood stove was pretty good. Thank goodness an electric or gas oven works just as well.
The top should be somewhat browned when the pone is ready to come out of the oven. The skillet side will be crunchy magic if a couple of teaspoons of oil are used! And if your skillet is properly seasoned, the pone falls right out.
Turn the pone out onto a plate, with a table knife under one side of the pone (between it and the plate), to keep condensation from wetting the top of the pone. In my opinion, a perfect wedge will be tender, slightly moist and you should see individual grains of bread. Serve as cut wedges, sliced open with butter between the halves
Pan Fried Cornbread
Right or wrong, we call these Hoe Cakes, or just skillet fried. They look like cornbread pancakes and taste great. I think they are quicker than baking the pone and you get a nice oiled skillet crunch on both sides! The taste seems a little different too. Not better or worse, just different.
For skillet fried, make the batter slightly thinner than if baking in the oven. I usually do oven thick batter, then thin it a little with water to pancake consistency.
Heat the skillet on the burner eye and drizzle in a little oil, almost covering the bottom of the skillet. Spoon the batter on the hot oil like a pancake. You can make then 3-6 inches wide, or like silver dollars – your decision. It should sizzle. The edge will be browned slightly when it is time to flip the bread.
IMO there is nothing better than corn bread in a bowl with purple hull peas, chopped onion and the juice, or butter beans the same way, or in a glass with cold milk and maybe some chopped onion. If you've never tried this, you have my pity.
Eureka!
I did a search for Cornbread on the page (up above - top right) and there is was, right in the middle of a lot of other posts I have made that had my cornbread in them.
Here is a link that will take you to the post with all of the photos.
https://kingfish1935.blogspot.com/2023/03/cornbread-cookin.html
More inforrmation. You can highlight the link, right hand click and you will see an option to open the link. Takes you right to the Feb 2023 post.
This computer stuff may catch on yet. Thanks Al Gore for inventing the interwebs.
https://kingfish1935.blogspot.com/2023/03/cornbread-cookin.html
That looks delicious, as always. I mix collards, turnip and mustard greens together, just like Mama did. I add a 15 oz can of chicken stock to the water. Personally, I like to add a smoked turkey neck or ham hock stock, some cut up onion, a little diced garlic, a couple of dried whole cayenne peppers, a heaping tablespoon of dark brown sugar and an equal amount of plain white vinegar and lots of black pepper. I like a sweet and sour vibe in my greens.
I grow all kinds of greens in my garden every winter, cook huge pots of them and freeze them in meal-sized containers. It freezes really well.
Chef Bear - have you posted a meatloaf recipe? Meatloaf, mashed potatoes and green bean casserole are manna from heaven.
Sounds like we have a Larry Rasberry fan.
9:36
I have not posted a meatloaf recipe. I know - 59 posts so far and no meatloaf! Mine is much simpler than most, but it's my mom's and we really like it. I don't mix three meats (ground beef, pork and veal) like some do (wink wink Martha Stewart). I use oatmeal and not breadcrumbs or other fillers. It makes the world's best cold meatloaf sandwich the next day for anyone who cares.
I have already set up next week's post for our exalted King of all Fishes to activate next Friday. It is a really strange one. I will try to do meatloaf the following week, if my memory lasts that long. What were we talking about?
I would love a good meatloaf recipe. I've got my mom's but I can't keep the darn thing together. It cooks and tastes good, but there is no "loaf" shape. haha
Love your recipes -
they are rarely complicated, but this is a fun one,too,
4:34 If it falls apart, add another egg and maybe not quite as much bread filler.
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