Tag Archives: southern cooking

CreoleFood.com is a new solution for your hot sauce needs

Posted on April 6, 2021 by Burnt My Fingers

My last bottle of Cajun Chef Sport Peppers fell, jumped or was pushed off the counter and broke its dispenser cap so it would no longer seal in the precious spicy vinegar. No pepper sauce* of any variety is available … Continue reading →

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Recipe: Improved Fried Okra

Posted on September 15, 2020 by Burnt My Fingers

For such a versatile vegetable, fried okra generates a lot of controversy. Soak in buttermilk for tenderness, or coat with beaten egg so batter will stick? Dredge in flour for a uniform crust, or cornmeal for a pleasing crunch? How … Continue reading →

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Food for Thought: Jubilee: Recipes from Two Centuries of African American Cooking

Posted on November 19, 2019 by Burnt My Fingers

Jubilee: Recipes from Two Centuries of African American Cooking: A Cookbook is delightful in multiple ways. Toni Tipton-Martin is a fine descriptive writer who documented her 300 African American cookbooks in The Jemima Code, which won a James Beard Award. Now, … Continue reading →

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Recipe: Crispy Cornmeal Pork Chops

Posted on February 28, 2019 by Burnt My Fingers

Crispy Cornmeal Pork Chops is our simplification of a recipe in Sean Brock’s Heritage cookbook. The acid and bacteria in the buttermilk help to tenderize the pork and its fat binds the cornmeal coating to the meat. Use a good … Continue reading →

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Recipe: Fried Oyster Po’ Boys

Posted on November 17, 2016 by Burnt My Fingers

Thanksgiving is a good time to make fried oyster po’ boys because jarred oysters are often on sale. I experimented with both a buttermilk soak and an egg soak and found that buttermilk has more flavor but eggs make for … Continue reading →

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Recipe: Boiled Okra

Posted on August 18, 2015 by Burnt My Fingers

This is the basic way we cook okra down south, and it’s pretty hard core. It produces the notorious sliminess which is loved by southerners and reviled by anyone north of the Mason-Dixon line. Try to buy younger, smaller pieces … Continue reading →

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Recipe: Grandma Eggplant

Posted on June 9, 2015 by Burnt My Fingers

Another Southern classic from my friend Judy Cromwell, who writes: My grandmother would cook her dinner in the morning and set it on the top shelf of the stove until it was time for the evening meal. She would make … Continue reading →

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Battle Mandram: A family history

Posted on June 6, 2015 by Burnt My Fingers

Judy Cromwell is a longtime friend who frequently comments on my recipes. She agreed to share her Mandram recipe and contributed this bonus description of her family’s tussles with this dish through the decades. Chef Otis’ interest in recreating southern … Continue reading →

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Recipe: Mandram (Chopped Vegetable Salad)

Posted on June 6, 2015 by Burnt My Fingers

Mandram is a chopped vegetable salad that may have originated in the West Indies, according to Mandrang or Mandram | The Vintage Cookbook Trials. I learned about it from my friend Judy Cromwell, who provides her own history with the … Continue reading →

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Recipe: Fried Okra

Posted on September 4, 2012 by Burnt My Fingers

If you’re going to fry chicken or fish, might as well fry okra while you’re at it. My fried okra ends up a bit deconstructed because the cornmeal doesn’t stick to the okra about half the time. But the green tidbits … Continue reading →

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