Long Term Care: The Novel
Hoe Cake
Hoe Cake
Field workers could make this simple batter, pour it onto a heated hoe, and cook it out in the field.
1 Cup plain stone ground corn meal
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking soda
¾ Cup water
1½ - 2 Tbsp. bacon fat
Mix the dry ingredients. Add water and bacon fat and mix well.
Spread about ¾ inches thick in a well oiled (Bacon fat is best) hot skillet.
Turn the heat down to medium. Cook 7 minutes on the first side, and then turn it out onto a flat pot lid or a dinner plate. Put more bacon fat into the skillet and slide the Hoe Cake back into the skillet, uncooked side down. Cook another 7 minutes.
Remove to plate and cut into wedges.
Serves 4.
1 Cup plain stone ground corn meal
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking soda
¾ Cup water
1½ - 2 Tbsp. bacon fat
Mix the dry ingredients. Add water and bacon fat and mix well.
Spread about ¾ inches thick in a well oiled (Bacon fat is best) hot skillet.
Turn the heat down to medium. Cook 7 minutes on the first side, and then turn it out onto a flat pot lid or a dinner plate. Put more bacon fat into the skillet and slide the Hoe Cake back into the skillet, uncooked side down. Cook another 7 minutes.
Remove to plate and cut into wedges.
Serves 4.
Family Sweet Potato Pie
From Grandma
Peel, wash and slice about 5 # sweet potatoes. Cook in boiling, salted water until tender but not mushy. (About 20 minutes.)
Spray or oil 9x13 pan. Arrange about ½ of cooked potatoes on bottom of pan. Sprinkle with 1 c sugar.
Pour over them ½ c sweet potato water and ½ of the 5 oz. can evaporated milk plus 1 tsp. vanilla.
Put generous ¾ cup of butter cut into pats on top.
Roll out ½ dough (Recipe below) and place over potatoes. Allow the edges of crust to go up sides of pan. Prick with fork.
Add remainder of potatoes. Sprinkle with ¾ c sugar, another generous ¾ c. butter pats and another 1 tsp. vanilla. Pour the remainer of the milk over the potatoes. Cover with top crust.
Cook at 325 for 1 hour. Eat warm.
Crust
2 ¼ cups flour
1 tsp. salt
½ cup Crisco
¼ cup plus 2 Tbsp. Ice cold water.
Sift together flour and salt. Cut in shortening until mixture looks mealy. Gradually add ice water mixing with hand until mixture sticks together and leaves the side of the bowl. You may have to use a little less or more water.
Divide dough in half.
Roll out each piece into rectangles a little bigger than pan. Prick dough.
12 – 15 servings.
From Grandma
Peel, wash and slice about 5 # sweet potatoes. Cook in boiling, salted water until tender but not mushy. (About 20 minutes.)
Spray or oil 9x13 pan. Arrange about ½ of cooked potatoes on bottom of pan. Sprinkle with 1 c sugar.
Pour over them ½ c sweet potato water and ½ of the 5 oz. can evaporated milk plus 1 tsp. vanilla.
Put generous ¾ cup of butter cut into pats on top.
Roll out ½ dough (Recipe below) and place over potatoes. Allow the edges of crust to go up sides of pan. Prick with fork.
Add remainder of potatoes. Sprinkle with ¾ c sugar, another generous ¾ c. butter pats and another 1 tsp. vanilla. Pour the remainer of the milk over the potatoes. Cover with top crust.
Cook at 325 for 1 hour. Eat warm.
Crust
2 ¼ cups flour
1 tsp. salt
½ cup Crisco
¼ cup plus 2 Tbsp. Ice cold water.
Sift together flour and salt. Cut in shortening until mixture looks mealy. Gradually add ice water mixing with hand until mixture sticks together and leaves the side of the bowl. You may have to use a little less or more water.
Divide dough in half.
Roll out each piece into rectangles a little bigger than pan. Prick dough.
12 – 15 servings.
CUSH
From Grandma
1½ Cups self-rising corn meal
1½ Cups milk
1 egg
1 tablespoon Oil
Mix all the ingredients together and pour into an 8 to 10 inch square pan which has been oiled with about a tablespoon of canola oil. Bake in preheated 400 degrees oven for 23 to 25 minutes or until very lightly browned.
Heat 4 tablespoons of canola oil in a skillet. Lightly sauté 1 finely chopped medium sized onion. Crumble the corn cake unto the skillet. Sprinkle with a scant ¾ teaspoon of ground black pepper and about ¼ teaspoon of salt. Stir and chop together with a spatula. Add 3 cups of water. Cook over medium-low heat for ten minutes while stirring frequently.
You may substitute left-over corn bread in place of the fresh made corn cake.
Serves 6.
Syllabub
Mix the following together and keep cold:
½ cup sweet dessert sherry (very cold)
4 Tbsp. lemon juice (very cold)
¼ cup powdered sugar
Whip 1 cup heavy cream. Fold the stiffly whipped cream
into the cold sherry/ lemon juice / sugar mixture.
Spoon the syllabub into individual dessert dishes. Keep cold.
Sprinkle grated chocolate over each dish just before serving.
Serves four.
Benne Wafers
¾ Cup Plain Flour
¼ tsp. Baking Powder
¼ tsp. Salt
Stir the dry ingredients together until well mixed. Set aside.
¾ Cup Butter, melted
1 ½ Cups Light Brown Sugar
1 Egg
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
* 1 Cup lightly browned Benne Seed
Melt the Butter in the microwave oven (About 40 seconds) add the Light Brown Sugar and cream well. Mix in the Egg, Vanilla Flavoring, Beene Seed & Flour Mixture.
This will make what appears to be a heavy batter. Drop onto silicone or parchment-paper lined cookie sheets in about teaspoon-sized clumps. There should be about 1 ½ inch spaces between cookies. These spread into very thin wafers.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for five to six minutes until they are brown and there is no more puffiness in the middle of the wafers. Cool for five to ten minutes before removing from pans.
Cool thoroughly before storing.
*Sesame Seed is another name for Beene Seed
WARNING!! Do not even try to make these wafers unless you have silicone pan liners or parchment paper (Not waxed paper!).
This recipe was adapted from Mrs. L. L. Oliveros’s recipe for Very Thin Benne Cookies as found in Charleston Receipts, Copyrighted in 1950 by The Junior League of Charleston, Inc. & printed by Walker, Evans & Cogswell, Co. in Charleston SC.
I love this book and know you will, too.
¼ tsp. Baking Powder
¼ tsp. Salt
Stir the dry ingredients together until well mixed. Set aside.
¾ Cup Butter, melted
1 ½ Cups Light Brown Sugar
1 Egg
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
* 1 Cup lightly browned Benne Seed
Melt the Butter in the microwave oven (About 40 seconds) add the Light Brown Sugar and cream well. Mix in the Egg, Vanilla Flavoring, Beene Seed & Flour Mixture.
This will make what appears to be a heavy batter. Drop onto silicone or parchment-paper lined cookie sheets in about teaspoon-sized clumps. There should be about 1 ½ inch spaces between cookies. These spread into very thin wafers.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for five to six minutes until they are brown and there is no more puffiness in the middle of the wafers. Cool for five to ten minutes before removing from pans.
Cool thoroughly before storing.
*Sesame Seed is another name for Beene Seed
WARNING!! Do not even try to make these wafers unless you have silicone pan liners or parchment paper (Not waxed paper!).
This recipe was adapted from Mrs. L. L. Oliveros’s recipe for Very Thin Benne Cookies as found in Charleston Receipts, Copyrighted in 1950 by The Junior League of Charleston, Inc. & printed by Walker, Evans & Cogswell, Co. in Charleston SC.
I love this book and know you will, too.
Unbaked Benne Wafers on Parchment
