A Love Affair With Southern Cooking_ Recipes and Recollections - Jean Anderson [69]
7. Transfer the grillades to a heated platter, cover loosely, and keep warm. Simmer the sauce uncovered for about 5 minutes or until the consistency of gravy. Remove and discard the bay leaves, then taste the sauce for salt and cayenne and adjust as needed.
8. Stir the parsley into the sauce, return the grillades to the skillet, and heat for no more than 30 seconds.
9. Ladle all over the grits, sprinkle with the 3 tablespoons reserved chopped scallions, and serve.
BEEF AND MIRLITON CASSEROLE
MAKES 6 SERVINGS
Wherever mirlitons grow (principally in Louisiana and Florida), these pear-shaped, white-fleshed, pale green vegetables (kin both to cucumbers and summer squash) are also called vegetable pears, christophenes, custard marrows, and chayotes. As far back as the sixteenth century, Spanish explorer Francisco Hernandez found them growing in Mexico (they’re believed to be native to Guatemala) and entered this observation in his journal: “This Aztec chayoti is like a hedgehog…The fruit is eaten cooked and is sold in markets everywhere.” In the Deep South, cooks prepare mirlitons in countless ways and among the best, I think, is this casserole. Note: Mirlitons (often marketed as “chayotes”) are becoming more widely available beyond the South; many specialty groceries and some supermarkets now stock them. Look for them in late fall and winter.
1½ tablespoons bacon drippings or vegetable oil
2 medium-large mirlitons (about 1½ pounds), quartered lengthwise, peeled, pitted, and cut into ½-inch dice
1 pound ground beef chuck
1 large yellow onion, coarsely chopped
1 small green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and finely diced
1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
One 4.5-ounce can chopped green chilies, well drained
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 cups coarsely crumbled stale, firm-textured white bread (about 4 slices)
2 cups coarsely shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1. Lightly spritz a shallow 2-quart casserole with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
2. Heat the bacon drippings in a large, heavy skillet over moderately high heat for 1 minute. Add the mirlitons and stir-fry for about 2 minutes or until golden. Reduce the heat to low, cover the skillet, and cook the mirlitons, stirring now and then, for about 25 minutes or until nearly tender. Toward the end of cooking, preheat the oven to 350° F. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the mirlitons to a large plate and reserve.
3. Raise the heat underneath the skillet to moderately high, add the ground beef, and cook, breaking up the clumps, for 3 to 4 minutes or until no traces of pink linger. Mix in the onion, bell pepper, and garlic and cook, stirring often, for about 10 minutes or until limp. Mix in the chilies, salt, and black pepper and cook and stir for about 1 minute. Return the mirlitons and any accumulated juices to the skillet and stir well to mix.
4. Set the skillet off the heat and mix in the crumbled bread, then the shredded cheese. Scoop all into the casserole, spreading to the edge.
5. Slide onto the middle oven shelf and bake uncovered for 25 to 30 minutes or until bubbling and tipped with brown.
6. Serve at once as the main dish of a casual lunch or supper. Sliced red-ripe tomatoes are the perfect accompaniment and all you need to round out the meal.
ROASTED RACK OF LAMB WITH FIELD PEA RELISH
MAKES 4 SERVINGS
No one in the Raleigh neighborhood of my childhood would eat lamb, and my friends were startled to learn that my mother often broiled lamb chops or roasted a leg of lamb. One night a school chum who had come home with me after school stayed for dinner. Enjoying the meal, she turned to compliment my mother: “Miz Anderson, that was the best steak I ever ate.” Mother smiled, then added, “I’m glad you liked those little steaks, Bettie Lou. But actually they were lamb chops!” My friend gagged. “But we never eat lamb! We hate lamb!” That was the first time lamb had passed Bettie Lou’s lips and I suspect that it was the last. Old habits die hard down