Smoked Turkey = Main Ingredient

Ingredients

2 - 8 smoked turkey wings/legs (This is the main ingredient, so buy enough for the meat portion of the meal) + one for seasoning

1 small whole onion  

3 roasted garlic cloves

2 bay leaves

Green tops of celery

½ cup chopped parsley
fresh sprigs thyme, sage and oregano    

Directions 

1.     Put turkey parts, ingredients and enough water to cover into a large tall pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, for 1 hour.
2.       Remove enough water and one turkey wing for greens. Cover remaining turkey and continue to boil until cooked. Should separate from bone with ease.

Fresh Greens

Ingredients

1 medium onion chopped

1 garlic clove chopped

3-4 lbs. fresh greens, remove stems and   chopped into 1" pieces (There are prepared greens packaged for quick use)

2 tbsp. sugar optional

2 hot chili peppers seeded and chopped

½ tsp. Italian seasoning

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 tbsp. cider vinegar

Directions

1.       Sauté onion and garlic in olive oil until soft
2.       Add turkey, fresh washed greens, chili peppers, vinegar, onion and garlic to seasoned water.  Stir well.
3.       Return to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, covered, until greens are tender. Simmer, covered 40-50 minutes until greens are tender.  Don’t overcook. 
4.       Add salt and pepper to taste.
5.       Remove turkey wings from pot, pull meat and skin from bones, and chop into small pieces (discard bones). Return meat and skin to the pot of greens and season with vinegar, and hot pepper sauce to taste.

Serve with greens, Bajan Peas and Rice, corn bread or Jalapeno Hush Puppies. 

Low Country Boil a/k/a Frogmore Stew

The low country includes the coastal regions of South Carolina and Georgia.

4 pounds small red or yellow potatoes
5 quarts water

2 (Old Bay or Zararain's) bag of crab boil seasoning
4 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning
2 pounds hot or mild smoked beef sausage, cut into 1½-inch pieces
6 ears of corn, halved
4 pounds large fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined or shell on size 26/30
Quarter onions, preferably Vidalia sweet onions local to the Lowcountry.
6 lbs. of crab or crab legs
Cocktail sauce

DIRECTIONS:

Bring Water to boil in Eight Quart stock pot
Add crab boil seasoning:  boil bags (one spicy Zatarain’s and one plain), a few healthy dashes of hot sauce, 4 sliced up lemons, and dumped a few light beers in there for good measure.  The secret to the success of  Low Country Boils is to be aggressive with the seasoning,
Remove & set aside two cups of seasoned water
Add Corn & Potatoes
After 10 min add sausage & cook an additional 20 min
Remove corn, potatoes, sausage - Keep warm
Add  back two cups of seasoned water
Boil Crabs 4 minutes (Place in warm container)
Add Shrimp - Cook 1 minute (Stir every 20 sec)
Remove shrimp, add to corn, potatoes, crab and sausage
Serves 12.

Optional:  

Try different ingredients each time you make a boil to keep your boils interesting.
Add couple of king crab legs and a 5-6oz lobster tail or two.
5 lbs of Snow Crab, 3 lbs of large shrimp, 3lbs of crawfish, 3 lbs of andouille sausage and 8 ears of corn. - no potatoes
This one pot meal could even be done in a crock pot or
Large pot (a turkey fryer works well for a large group)
How to Cook and Clean Live Crab

(Adapted from Southern Living, August 2002 and Real Simple, August 2001)

Jalapeño Hush Puppies

hush puppies and fish  (public domain)

“Why are terms of endearment always food? Honey, cookie, sugar, pumpkin. It's not like caring about someone is enough to actually sustain you.” ― Jodi Picoult

Ingredients

2 cups yellow cornmeal
1 cup flour
¾ tsp seasoned salt
½ tsp cayenne
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ cup chopped scallions
1 or 2 jalapeño peppers
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
2 Tbs turkey bacon grease or olive oil
1 (15-ounce) can creamed corn
Peanut oil for frying

Mix cornmeal, flour, seasoned salt, cayenne, baking powder and baking soda in large bowl. Add scallions and peppers. Stir in eggs, buttermilk and bacon grease until blended. Add remaining ingredients. Allow to stand 5 minutes. Heat enough oil to cover in a deep pot to 350°F, drop in dough by the tablespoon until brown on all sides, 5 to 7 minutes.

Broccoli Slaw

1 green onion, chopped
½ large carrot, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 bag broccoli slaw

1/4 cup low-fat or nonfat plain yogurt
1/4 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise

½ tsp celery salt
¼ tsp coarsely ground black pepper
4 Tbs sugar
1 Tbs white vinegar

Using a food processor, gently process the onion, carrot and parsley, being careful not to overprocess.  Mix the broccoli slaw with the processed vegetables. Mix the remaining ingredients and allow to stand for a few minutes. Combine the mayonnaise mixture with the vegetables and toss. Chill for one hour or more.

Optional Add-in:
pineapple
apple
raisins
chopped celery
1/2 cup finely diced red onion, (1/2 medium)

1/2 cup thinly sliced almonds, toasted
1/3 cup dried cranberries

Bar-B-Q Brisket of Beef

Brisket is a cut of meat from the breast or lower chest of cow.
The following recipe for pulled beef takes about 20 minutes of prep time:
5 - 6 lbs beef brisket, trimmed of fat

3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon chili powder
2 bay leaves

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon liquid smoke

1 large onion chopped
1 3/4 cup barbecue sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

Preparation:

Combine all ingredients, coating the brisket well. Marinate overnight. Place brisket and marinade in a crock-pot on low for 9 to 10 hours. Slice into thin strips, across the grain and serve on rolls or buns with liquid from the slow cooker, or the barbecue sauce of your choice.



Rub dry mustard, salt and red pepper evenly over beef. Melt 2 Tbs of butter in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add beef; brown on all sides for 10 minutes.

Place beef, onion in 5-quart slow cooker and add sauce and marinade. Cover and cook at high for seven hours.
Serves 6-8

Shrimp and Mushroom Scampi

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4

1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
8 oz Portabello mushrooms, trimmed and quartered
8 cloves roasted garlic, minced
1/4 c dry vermouth
1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
6 oz fire-roasted tomatoes, coarsely chopped (3/4 c)
one each - red, yellow, orange, green medium sweet peppers cut in strips
1 medium Vidalia onion cut in strips
4 Tbsp chopped chives
Sea salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat butter and oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, onions and cook, stirring, until golden brown, about 6 minutes.

2. Stir in garlic and cook 1 minute. Add vermouth, shrimp, peppers, tomatoes and 2 Tbsp of the chives. Simmer, stirring, until shrimp are cooked through, about 3 minutes.

3. Spoon scampi into bowls and top with remaining 2 Tbsp chives.

Fish Fact: Shrimp are an excellent source of selenium, an antioxidant that protects against cancer.