Country as Cornbread

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Living in the Appalachians, a hot pone of corn bread coming fresh out of the oven with its own savory aroma is as common as the rolling mountains on the horizon. No matter who you ask, almost everybody fixin’ corn bread for supper can recite their own recipe straight from the heart. And for every recipe, there is an invigorating way corn bread can be prepared and enjoyed!

Native Americans were well-known for their “dish ask cakes” over 2,500 years before the first Europeans encroached on their land. Dish ash cakes as referred to by Colonists, or the Native American’s recipe for corn bread; a mixture of cornmeal and water wrapped in either oak leaves or corn husks were placed on hot ashes on the fire.

Once Europeans established settlements in the Appalachian Mountains, so did the popularity of corn bread. “Hoecakes” were a common delectable prepared as an early version of corn bread. As folklore explains, the bread was a simply flattened fritter baked by workers on the metal piece on their hoes or scooped off hearths by flattened hoe blades. Throughout the years, corn bread grew to menu favorites for ordinary workers, as well as infamous individuals such as Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin.

There are several secret ingredients to making authentic country-style corn bread. One is to use whole grain and unsifted cornmeal. Another ingredient some argue which adds authenticity to the recipe is white corn. Old-timers living in the mountain and foothills, the real experts on fine-tuning the recipe, don’t use sugar or flour in their corn bread batter. And, of course, you will need a cast iron skillet, pre-heated with bacon grease to add a nice golden-brown crust to your pone.Whether it’s a recipe for spoon bread, fritters, cracklin bread, corn muffins, or a simple skillet of corn bread, every connoisseur follows his or her own recipe and includes various ingredients to suit their taste.

One of my favorite corn bread recipes is what I refer to as “corny corn bread.” I blend the ingredients together for corn bread, and simply drain and add a full can of whole kernel corn to my batter. You may also use half a can of corn kernels. However you serve up a hot pone of corn bread, with a spread of butter, it’s sure to melt in your mouth!

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Easy Tips for Cooking Fish

Americans tend to eat twice as many fish dinners at restaurants as they do at home largely because they are unsure how to properly prepare fish. Here are some easy and common sense tips about cooking fish at home.

Fish should be purchased either frozen or very fresh at the market. Since fish is delicate, fresh fish should not be refrigerated for more than one or two days. Frozen fish should be well thawed before it is cooked and both frozen and fresh fish should be well dried before cooking.

One of the most popular methods of cooking fish is to pan fry it in a shallow amount of oil. White fish should be coated before it is pan fried in order to protect the delicate flesh from the heat. A coating of seasoned white or wholemeal flour or a mixture of flour, beaten egg and fine bread crumbs is sufficient. Olive oil or a combination of oil and butter will give the fish a tasty crispness. The oil should be shallow, about 1/8 inch, and should be preheated in a cast iron or heavy skillet over medium heat to about 365 degrees F. This is hot enough to make a small cube of bread sizzle loudly and brown up in about 45 seconds. Place a few pieces of coated fish into the skillet without crowding and cook them for about 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Thicker pieces should cook for 5 to 6 minutes on the first side and for about 4 minutes on the other side.

Avoid overcooking the fish because overcooking will cause it to taste dry and tough. White fish will change from a translucent color to an opaque color when cooked and will begin to flake when it is done. Fish that flakes too easily is an indication that it may be dry and overcooked.

Grilling is a great way to cook sturdier fish such as grouper, salmon, tuna, and swordfish. Just be sure that the grill is preheated and is cleaned and lightly oiled so that the fish will not stick to it. The sturdier fish may be cooked with a light coating or without any coating. More delicate fillets should be coated and grilled in a grill basket or grilled on a heavy duty sheet of foil.

One of the easiest ways to cook fish is to bake it. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F and place the seasoned, coated fish onto a lightly oiled baking sheet or shallow baking pan. Bake the fish for about 10 minutes per inch of thickness. As with pan frying, the white fish is properly cooked when its color turns opaque and it begins to flake when a fork is inserted into the center.

Oven broiling is another great way to produce delicious cooked fish. Season and coat the fish well ahead of time. Preheat the broiler and place the fish 5 to 6 inches beneath the broiler. Watch the fish carefully to avoid overcooking. Thicker fillets should be turned halfway through cooking.

The microwave oven can be used to cook a delicious fish dish. Use your favorite recipe for coating and seasoning and try to make the fillets even thickness for best results. Thinner sections of the fish can be folded under each other to help make the fillet an even thickness. Rotate the fish halfway through the cooking time if the microwave oven does not have a turntable. Let the fish stand for a few minutes to finish cooking. Use the color and flake tests to check for final doneness.

Lastly, fish can be steamed or poached with excellent results. To steam the fish, place it in a metal or bamboo steamer. Place the steamer into a saucepan that has water or stock that has been seasoned with lemon, ginger, or any seasonings from your favorite recipe. It is important that the liquid reaches a simmering temperature but not a boiling temperature. Similarly, the fish can be poached by lowering it into a liquid that is simmering but not boiling. A boiling liquid will cook the fish too quickly and cause the outside of the fish to overcook. The poaching liquid can contain any aromatic herb or vegetable that you enjoy. Cooking times are only a few minutes and depend on the thickness of the fish. As always, test the fish for doneness with the color and flake tests.

These easy and common sense tips should give confidence to the preparation of fish dinners at home. Fish is a delicious source of protein and should be included regularly in a healthy diet.

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Rachael Ray Cast Iron Double Burner Griddle – Green

In fewer than five years, Rachael Ray has radically changed the way America cooks dinner. Her perky-girl-next-door swagger, her catchphrases for techniques, and her dinner ideology of simpler, less expensive and just in time have sold billions of books and placed her at the top of the talent heap of food television personalities.This versatile grill/griddle combo fits over two stove burners giving you plenty of room for family cooking. Use the smooth griddle side to make enough pancakes and eggs for everyone. Flip it over, and use the grill for everything from seared salmon and veggie kabobs to traditional burgers and dogs. Cast Iron Construction provides even heating and superior heat retention. Oven safe to 500??F. The colorful enamel surface means no pre-seasoning is required. Multiple uses - Reversible - it's a grill on one side and a griddle on the other!Please note this item is not recommended for glass/ceramic stovetops

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