Southern Cuisine - June

I write about and like the combination of Southern Cuisine and Mexican Cuisine. It is a fusion of flavors that can delight the

palate and satisfy the appetite. Southern Cuisine is known for its comfort food, such as fried chicken, cornbread, collard greens,

and macaroni and cheese. Mexican Cuisine is famous for its spicy dishes, such as tacos, enchiladas, burritos, and salsa. By combining elements from

both cuisines, one can create dishes that are unique and delicious.

Quick, Delicious Food for Celebrations!

We were going to prepare some finger-food for a graduation party and after much discussion and searching for a dish that a teenager would like and for us, easy to make, we found this slider recipe.

SLIDERS

Ingredients:

(1) 16-oz package dinner rolls

1 Tbsp. Vegetable oil

½ yellow onion, peeled and chopped

1¼ lb. Ground sirloin (90/10)

1½ Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

½ tsp. kosher salt

½ tsp. ground black pepper

¼ c. mayonnaise

2 Tbsp. ketchup

1 Tbsp. mustard

(1) 8-oz bag shredded cheddar- jack cheese

½ c. Dill pickle slices

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 Tbsp. everything bagel seasoning

T tablespoons unsalted butter

Method:

1. Preheat the broiler. Remove the rolls from the packaging in one piece. With a serrated knife cut crosswise through the all of the rolls at once, to divide the top half from the bottom (keeping the sides of the rolls intact). Place both halves cutside up on a sheet tray and broil for 2 minutes until lightly toasted. (If using slider rolls, separate the tops from the bottoms and place cut side up on the sheet tray, sides touching; broil as instructed). Set aside.

2. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 3 minutes until just slightly softened. Add the ground sirloin and cook, breaking up into small pieces with a wooden spoon. Increase the heat to mediumhigh. Add the Worcestershire sauce, salt, and black pepper, and stir well to combine. Cook until the beef is no longer pink and the liquid from the pan has almost fully evaporated, about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat.

3. Preheat the oven to 375°. In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, ketchup, and mustard.

4. Spread the cut sides of the rolls with the mayonnaise mixture, and then sprinkle with half of the cheese in an even layer. Layer the meat mixture over the cheese, then top with the remaining cheese and the pickles. Cover with the top half of the rolls.

5. Brush the tops of the rolls all over with olive oil and sprinkle with every thing bagel seasoning. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the tops of the rolls are golden and toasted. Pull sliders apart and serve warm.

6. If you don't have everything bagel seasoning, use sesame seeds instead or mix 1/2 teaspoon of garlic salt into the olive oil before brushing on the rolls.

7. Best served warm.

JALAPENO CHEESE BREAD

Ingredients:

1 cup ketchup

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup molasses

1/4 cup honey

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Salt and black pepper to taste

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to325 degrees F

2. Combine the butter, mayonnaise, jalapenos, Cheddar, pepper Jack, olives, green chilies and green onions in a mixing bowl.

3. Stir together until thoroughly combined.

4. Spread the mixture onto the French bread and put the bread on a baking sheet.

5. Bake until the cheese is melted and browning, 20 to 25 minutes.

SUMMER SQUASH & SHRIMP FRICASSEE

Ingredients:

Serves a bunch

2 (5 ounce bundles of scallions

2 tablespoons olive oil

6 medium garlic cloves thinly sliced (about 2 tablespoons)

2 bay leaves

1 ½ cups corn kernels

1 pound peeled and deveined raw large Alabama caught shrimp

½ cup fish stock

1 small fresh habanero, seeded and minced amount per your taste

1 pound summer squash, chopped ¼ inch

1 medium tomato finely chopped

½ dry white wine

3 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

Method:

1 Thinly slice scallions, dividing the white and green parts from the dark green parts. Set the dark green parts aside.

2. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high. Add wine and light green scallion parts, garlic, and bay leaves; cook stirring occasionally until scallions soften, about 2 minutes. Add corn; cook, stirring constantly about one minute. Add shrimp, fish stock and habanero; cook stirring constantly until shrimp just turn opaque but not cooked through, about 45 seconds. Add squash, tomato, wine, parsley, thyme, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper. Cook stirring constantly until shrimp are cooked through. Add butter stir until it makes a creamy sauce.

3. Remove from heat stir in dark green scallion parts.

Serve immediately.

At our house, a bread of some sort like rolls or crusty loaf bread is always served with the meal. If the main dish is a dish like a stew or a fricassee, crusty bread that can absorb some of the liquid in the dish is best. Also adding some spice to the bread, helps accent the flavors of the main dish. A crusty French loaf topped with peppers, cheese and onions will do the trick.