---

Answers: My friends and I want to keep the majority of the food "Soul Food" or as my best friend and I lovingly call "Black folk
s food"
I have cooked dishes for Thanksgiving in the past but we really want to go all out. We already have plans for baked macaroni, greens (of course) different pies, ect. But we want some more ideas to help us start planning.

I appreciate any ideas but links to specific recipes would be great!! Thanks!

---

AKARA (Soul Food)

2 c. black-eyed peas
1 med. red onion
1/2 tsp. red pepper, to taste
1/2 tsp. salt
Peanut oil (Preferred) or other vegetable oil for frying

Soak peas overnight. Drain and pound with masher to loosen skins, floating them off in running water or spread on a board and use rolling pin to rub skins loose. Soak further, if necessary, until peas can be crushed. Grind puree in blender, adding water as needed to a smooth consistency (like pancake batter). Grind very finely onion and peppers, if fresh, and add to beans in blender.
Heat oil to 35-375 in deep fryer. Drop mixture by teaspoonful into hot oil and fry until deep brown. Drain on paper towel. Many Africans sprinkle the fried beans with additional red pepper. Eat them warm. Use as warm snacks or as a bread substitute. Makes 3 dozen.

CHITLINS WITH A DIFFERENCE

Chitterlings
Beaten egg
Flour
Black pepper
Cayenne or cracker meal

After the chitterlings are cooked, remove, drain and slice in 2 inch pieces. Dip pieces in beaten egg, roll in flour mixed with black pepper and a pinch of cayenne or cracker meal and deep fry. Drain on paper towel.

SOUL FOOD CASSEROLE

1/4 lb. slab bacon
2 c. chopped onions
1 can tomatoes
1 c. barbecue sauce
2 ham hocks, split
1 c. chopped green peppers
1 c. ketchup

Cut bacon in pieces and render out fat. Saute onions and peppers. Add ketchup, barbecue sauce, tomatoes and ham hocks. Add water sufficient to cover ham hocks. Simmer together for 1-2 hours until meat comes off ham bones.
Lift out ham hocks, take off meat and discard bones. (You can stop at this point and put the sauce away until you are ready to make the rest of the casserole.)


1 pkg. black eyed peas (frozen)
1 pkg. lima beans (frozen)
1 lb. can butter beans
1 lb. can white beans

If the sauce has been refrigerated, you should be able to lift off the fat which will have congealed. If it is still hot, skim off as much as possible. Stir the vegetables into the sauce along with 2 tablespoons maple syrup; sprinkle top with brown sugar. Bake in 300 degree oven for 2 hours, uncovered. Best made 24 hours ahead. Serve with cornbread.

---

cornbread, hush puppies, collard greens, Hoppin’ John, scalloped sweet potatoes, mac ‘n’ cheese, cranberry sauce and sweet potato pie. Oh yeah, deep fry a turkey: a key part of a soul food Thanksgiving.




Sweet potato pie

1lb sweet potatoes

1 ? cup plain yogurt

? cup brown sugar

? tsp cinnamon

? tsp nutmeg

5 egg yolks

salt

9-inch, deep-dish pie crust

1 cup toasted pecans, chopped

maple syrup



Black Eyed Peas (Hoppin John)

Black eyed peas

smoked turkey necks

salt

pepper

garlic





Hush puppies

2 cups cornmeal

2 cup flower

1 tsp salt

1tsp sugar

4 green onions, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

buttermilk – varies, just use

enough to make a thick consistency





Mac ‘n’ cheese

? lb elbow noodles

3 ? lb blocks of cheese — pick your

flavors of choice, mostly cheddar

2 eggs

1 can evaporated milk

tomatoes

salt & pepper




Cornbread

2 cups cornmeal

1 tsp kosher salt

1tbsp sugar

2 tsp baking powder

? tsp baking soda

1 cup butter milk

2 eggs

1 cup creamed corn

2 tbsp canola oil




Deep-fried turkey

10-12lb turkey

4-5 gallons peanut oil

1lb kosher salt

1lb brown sugar

5 lbs ice





Scalloped sweet potatoes

3 medium sweet potatoes

1 cup heavy cream

1 tbsp chipotle puree

salt & pepper to taste




Collard greens

2 lbs collard greens

smoked turkey necks

salt, pepper, garlic





Cranberry sauce

1lb cranberries

2 cups orange juice

3 cups ginger ale

2 tbsp maple syrup

2 tbsp brown sugar

? tsp kosher salt

zest of 1 orange

---

FRIED CHICKEN, of course.
Potato Salad
Fried Turkey
Stuffing
Okra Soup
Potato Pie
Candied Yams

---

black eyed peas with smoked neck bones, smoked ham, smothered turkey wings, ocra, candied yams

---

ok, you have to have:

corn bread
fried chicken or fried turkey
maybe grits and gravy (it's great!)
cobbler instead of regular pie
yams or sweet potatoes
pecan pie

---

Smoked turkey, sausage, ribs. Corn bread dressing with crawfish tails, or shrimp. Cauliflower with cheese sauce.

---

Baked ham
Turkey
Red Velvet cake
Peach cobbler
Cornbread
Stuffing
Sweet potatoes

---

Go here and click onto the categories on the left hand side of the screen for recipes:
http://www.soulfoodcookbook.com/

---

Sweet Potato Pie

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes
3/8 cup heavy cream
6 tablespoons maple syrup
3 tablespoons raw sugar
4 tablespoons melted browned butter
1/4 cupBaileys Irish Cream liquor
3 large eggs
1 egg yolk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon Five Spice Powder 1/8 teaspoon finely ground white pepper
1 pre-baked pie crust made using my lard-butter crust recipe*

Method:

Wash sweet potatoes, pierce several times with a fork and bake in a 400 degree oven for one hour or until completely soft. Remove from oven, allow to cool, peel and mash into a stiff puree. use a potato masher and do this by hand–but you can use an immersion blender if you want it to be completely smooth. Turn oven down to 325 degrees.

Wisk together sweet potatoes with all other ingredients, and pour into the pie shell.

Put it into the oven, cover the edge of the crust with your pie chakram or some strips of aluminum foil, and bake for 45-50 minutes.

Allow to cool completely on a rack, before covering.
Serve with unsweetened freshly whipped cream.
*How to make a pre-baked pie crust.

Make crust following the instructions for the lard butter crust. Freeze half the dough, and use the other half to line a pie plate. Trim edges so they overhang the pie plate by about 1/2 inch. Tuck edge under itself to make it slightly thicker and press dough together to hold it. Flute edge by whatever means use the thumb and fingers method.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Get a piece of aluminum foil big enough to cover the bottom of the pie crust and then stick up by a few inches. Make a cup out of the foil and lay it in the bottom of the pie crust, and then weight it down with some beans or pie weights or something.

Bake it for fifteen minutes. Take out the foil and the weights, turn the oven down to 375, and bake it another fifteen minutes.

includes a fried turkey, a very special turducken stuffed with an oyster dressing sweet potato balls and a special apple-butter pumpkin pie.

Southern-Style Collard Greens

INGREDIENTS:
2 pounds of collard greens
1 ham hock or 6 slices of cooked bacon
1 medium onion, sliced or chopped
1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper
2 to 3 teaspoons Kosher salt

PREPARATION:
Clean and wash greens well; remove tough stems and ribs. Cut them up and place in a deep pot; add onion. Wash off ham hock and add to the pot. Add red pepper and salt. Add enough water to cover greens and cook until tender, about 1 hour.

Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve with sliced tomato and corn bread.
Serves 4 to 6.

hope this helps. enjoy.

---

---

---