Southern Slaw

As a child I hated cole slaw. If it was put on my plate I viewed it as a form of punishment. You couldn’t pay me to eat it. Growing up with a Mom who was always experimenting with some recipe or another, I learned to appreciate certain dishes she prepared. As I began to delve into the culinary world I took a different approach to some dishes. I want to ALWAYS stay true to my southern roots. 

My Grandmother Annie Mae took pride in being “GEECHIE”. One who is from the South Carolina Coast. I loved her stories about her childhood & the foods she ate. My Grandmother made certain dishes so frequently that I vowed to never eat them again. EVER. 

Like Black Eyed Peas. She usually infused these with some kind of smoked pork. I despised them until I made a salad with them to include Tomatoes, Garlic, Red Onion, Jalapeños & Cilantro. AMAZING 

Getting back to my Southern Slaw…..

I decided to change it up…Instead of just Green Cabbage I added Purple Cabbage, Collard Greens & I spiralized Sweet Potatoes. I wanted as much color as possible yet breaking away from the traditional ingredients 

Summa Salsa

Last year I came across a salsa recipe. I looked over the recipe and its ingredients I decided to incorporate other ingredients. As I stated in a previous post I don’t measure when I am creating SOME dishes. This is one of them

After researching many recipes I devided to just GO WITH THE FLOW.I wanted this to cpntain all the things I love to eat alone, with Tortilla Chips or on Tacos

I added 

• Red Onion
• Jalapeños
• Red Pepper
• Yellow Pepper
• Tomatoes 
• Cucumber
• Mango
• Avocado 
• Lime Juice
• Cilantro

I made Shrimp Tacos and added sour cream and a my SUMMA SALSA. This season I will sell my salsas at different markets……

Blame It On The Pot Likker

As a young girl I first heard this term used by my Grandmother Annie Mae. I thought it was liquor heated in a pot. She would sneak me some making me think she was doing something forbidden and I was thinking I was the recipient of both something special & taboo. 

Pot Likker is the juice that remains after boiling Collard Greens, Mustard Greens, Kale or Turnip Greens. Most Southerners add smoked pork or smoked turkey and cook the greens until tender. The juice left behind is consumed with the greens or drank as a soup known as Pot Likker. 

As a Chef I love drinking Pot Likker. Its flavorful & contains nutrients lost while cooking. So I decided to make a Collard Green Rissoto…I had to ponder on the taste and make sure that all the ingredients married well together

Rissoto is made with an Arbio Grain and boiled in a stock. It can be a vegetable or chicken stock. I used the POT LIKKER…Why not? It was super flavorful & nutritious. The collard greens contained onions & vegetable stock. 

After the Arbio is cooked until firm. I get a pan add butter & sauteed shallots. I then add the Arbio, Parmesan Cheese & more Pot Likker. Cook for 3-5minutes then add the collard greens….

I grilled Salmon & Shrimp with a Spicy Pineapple Glaze