As a child, I can remember watching my Papaw sneak into the kitchen. So he could "check" to see how things were coming along. Lifting a saucepan lid, inhaling deeply and mumbling under his breath that it needed more salt, or a tad bit more pepper. Grandma would flick him with the dish towel and demand he leave the cooking to her. As soon as he was out of the kitchen, She'd add whatever it was he declared the dish needed. This was their ritual for as far back as I can remember. Papaw never cooked, that was after all "women's work." But on a rare occasion, when he'd convince Grandma to cook one of his favorite "native" dishes. He'd be right alongside her telling her to add this much of this and that much of that. I'm not sure whether it was the ingredients that made those dishes taste so good, or the love. But I'm inclined to believe it was the latter.
Bean Balls
2 cups Dry Pinto Beans
4 cups Cornmeal
1/2 cup Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
Boil beans in plain water until tender.
In a mixing bowl combine cornmeal, flour and soda.
Mix well. Add boiling beans and a little of the bean
juice to the cornmeal mixture to form a stiff dough.
Roll in quarter size balls. Drop in pot of boiling hot water.
Cook for 30 minutes at slow boil.
CHEROKEE CORN PONES
2 cups Cornmeal
1/4 tsp. Baking soda
1 tsp. Salt
1/2 cup Shortening
3/4 cup Buttermilk
3/4 cup Milk
In a mixing bowl combine cornmeal, baking soda, and salt.
Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add
buttermilk and milk, stirring just until dry ingreients are
moist. Form batter into eight 1/2 inch thick cakes. Place on
a hot greased griddle heated to 400 degrees for 15 minutes.
Turn and bake an additional 15 minutes.
Indian Fry Bread
3 cups Flour
Cooking oil for pan
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 1/4 tsps. Baking Powder
1 1/3 cups Warm water
In a mixing bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt.
Add warm water and knead until dough is soft, not sticky.
Stretch and pat dough until thin. Tear off one piece at a
time; poke a hole in the center with a fork.
Drop into skillet of hot cooking oil. Brown on both sides.
Fry Bread is best served hot drizzled with honey, dusted
with powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar.
Corn Soup
1 Large Onion, finely minced
1 bunch Green Onions, finely chopped
1 clove of Garlic, minced
4 cups Potatoes, peeled and diced
1-16 oz bag of frozen Corn
1 can clear Chicken broth
2 tsps. Pepper
1 tsp. salt
2 cups milk
1/4 cup Margarine
In a large skillet saute Onions and Garlic in margarine
until transparent. Add Potatoes and lightly browned. Add the
Chicken broth and cook over low heat until potatoes are tender.
Add frozen Corn, Milk, Salt and Pepper. Simmer until Corn is tender.
Yam Cakes
1 cup Yams or Sweet Potatoes, mashed.
2 cups Flour
1 1/2 tsps. Sugar
1 1/2 tsps. Salt
2 1/2 tsps. Baking Powder
1/2 cup Oil
1/2 cup Milk
In a large mixing bowl sift Flour, Baking Soda, Sugar and Salt
together. In a seperate bowl. Add Yams, Oil and Milk. Blend well.
Combine with the Flour mixture and mix lightly with fork until
mixture holds together. Turn dough out onto a floured surface
and knead gently until smooth. Roll dough about 1/4" thick and
cut with a floured biscuit cutter. Place on a lightly oiled baking
sheet. Bake at 425º for 10-20 minutes.
Succotash
2 cups Pumpkin, peeled and cut into small pieces
4 cups Fresh Corn, cut off the cob
2 cups Dry Pinto Beans
1 1/4 cups Margarine
1 tsp. Salt
2 tsps. Pepper
In a large skillet simmer the Pumpkin in 1 cup Margarine until
it is tender. Over low heat simmer Punpkin, Corn and Beans until
tender and done. Add Salt, Pepper and 1/4 cup Margarine.
PECAN SOUP
3 1/2 pounds Chicken
2 quarts Water
1 Large Onion, chopped
1 cup Pecans, chopped
1 cup Carrots, diced
2 tsps. Salt
2 tsps. Pepper
In a large stock pot, combine Chicken, Water, Carrots and Onion.
Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 3 to 4 hours.
Remove Chicken from pot. When cool enough to handle, shred meat
Discarding skin and bones. Return meat to pot. Stir in Pecans and
simmer, uncovered, for 5 to 10 minutes longer. Add Salt and Pepper.
Cherokee Pepper Pot Soup
1 pound Beef Short Ribs
2 quarts Water
2 large Onions, diced
2 ripe Tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 large Green Pepper, seeded and diced
1 cup fresh or frozen Okra
1/2 cup Carrots, diced
1/2 cup Potatoes, diced
1/2 cup fresh or frozen Corn
1/4 cup Celery, chopped
1 tsp. Salt
2 tsps. White Pepper
1/4 cup Catsup
In a large sauce pan add Ribs, Water and Onions. Cover and
bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer
stirring occassionally for 3-4 hours. Remove Ribs and when cool
enough to touch debone and return it to the pot. Stir in remaining
vegetables and simmer, partially covered, for 1 1/2 hours.
Add Salt, Pepper and Catsup just before serving.
