The friendship between Celia Foote and her maid Minny was one of the most memorable parts of the story, for me. Celia grew up in Sugar Ditch, a poor area of low-country Mississippi, and had married into money. Minny was hired by Miss Foote to clean her mansion and provide some sorely needed cooking lessons. Celia's skills upon Minny's arrival were zero; except of course for a simple corn pone.
"Must be something you know. What your mama teach you growing up?" She looks down at the webby feet of her stockings, says, "I can cook corn pone." I can't help but laugh. "What else you know how to do sides corn pone?"Corn Pone is a very simple, flourless and eggless pan bread made with white cornmeal and water and is baked in a cast iron skillet coated in hot oil.
I used this recipe:
2 cups white corn meal
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups of cold water
4 tablespoons oil (I used coconut oil)
Heat the oil in the cast iron skillet in the oven while the temperature reaches 475 degrees. Mix the white corn meal, salt and water until you have a mushy, pancake batter consistency. Pour the batter into the heated pan and bake for about 15-20 minutes or until it starts to brown just a bit on top.
I think I should have used a more fine, white corn meal for this recipe, or perhaps prepared the pone like pancakes instead of pouring all the batter into the bottom of the cast iron skillet. This is not a dish I would make again but we drizzled some honey on the finished product and the taste improved greatly!
After Celia discloses her non-existent cooking skills, Minny's first cooking lesson commences: fried chicken.
"Chicken's been soaking in the buttermilk," I say. "Now mix up the dry." I pour flour, salt, more salt, pepper, paprika and a pinch of cayenne into a doubled paper sack. "Now. Put the chicken parts in the bag and shake it." Miss Celia puts a raw chicken thigh in, bumps the bag around. "Like this? Just like Shake 'n Bake commercials on the tee-vee?" Real careful I lay the dark meat in the pan. It bubbles up like a song and we watch the thighs and legs turn brown. I look over and Miss Celia's smiling at me."What? Somethin' on my face?" "No," she says, tears coming up in her eyes. She touches my arm. "I'm just real grateful you're here."
I have never made fried chicken, either. I followed Minny's recipe for the most part; minus the cayenne and with the addition of a teaspoon of garlic powder. I used coconut oil to fry the chicken (Minny used Crisco), it turned out well and my taste-testers complimented me on the finished product. I recommend salting the chicken once it's almost done frying to give the crispy outer edges more flavor. It was lacking in the salt department, for my tastes.
I apologize for putting this post up a little later than expected, my oven broke earlier this week :( and I had to take my smackdown recipe on the road.Can't wait to be AMAZED at what everyone contributes to April's culinary smackdown!