Jessie’s Crab Louis

Ingredients:
Fresh lump crabmeat (about 1 pound)
1 cup Hellman's mayonnaise
4 teaspoons chili sauce
1 tablespoon finely chopped green bell pepper
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 scallions, finely chopped
Worcestershire sauce, to taste
Tobasco sauce, to taste
Freshly ground pepper
1 hard-boiled egg
4 to 8 Bibb lettuce leaves, washed and dried
4 thick slices beefsteak tomatoes
1 ripe avocado, seeded, peeled, and quartered lengthwise

Pick through the crab and discard any bits of shell or hard cartilage. Try to leave the lumps as intact as possible. Put the meat in a large bowl.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, chili sauce, bell pepper, lemon juice, 1/2-teaspoon salt, scallion, a couple dashes Worcestershire, and hot sauce. Season the dressing with pepper to taste.

Put the hard-boiled egg in a fine sieve set over a bowl. Using the back of a spoon, rub the egg through mesh to make a fine textured garnish. Set aside.

Divide the lettuce leaves among 4 plates. Top each with a tomato slice, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Place an avocado quarter across each tomato slice and top with 1/4 of the crab mixture. Spoon some of the dressing over the crab and sprinkle each salad with some of the egg. Serve and pass the remaining dressing at the table.

Brunhilda’s Fried Green Tomatoes

Ingredients:
1 cup stone-ground cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon garlic powder
Pinch cayenne
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 large unripe tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices, ends removed
1/2 cup vegetable oil


In a large bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, garlic powder, and cayenne together.
Pour the buttermilk into a separate bowl and season with salt and pepper.
Dip the tomatoes in the buttermilk and then dredge them in the cornmeal mixture, coating both sides well.
Fry in a cast iron skillet until golden brown. Season with salt and pepper.

Jimbo’s Pine Bark Stew

This is a spicy 18th century stew known through Georgia and the Carolinas.

Ingredients:

5 slices bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 cups diced potatoes
1 ½ cup chopped onion
4 cups hot water
4 pounds whole fresh water fish (such as bass, perch, bream) pan dressed or 2 pounds fish fillets
Salt and Pepper
1 pound chopped fresh or 16 ounces of canned tomatoes
1 ½ Tablespoons Tabasco sauce (or less)
1 Tablespoons fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried.


In a large heavy pot, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp.  Add potatoes and onion and cook 5 min until onion is tender. Add Water and bring to a boil. Season fish with salt and pepper and place in pot.  Reduce heat to simmer for 10 minutes. Add remaining ingredients, simmer for an additional 5 or 10 minutes until fish is flakes easily.

Serves 6

Day's Tamater Pie

Mr. Charles Day, the barber on Hopewell, asked if I had ever had a Tamater pie. In Southern, that means Tomato Pie. (My Milton Cowboy friend taught me that, honestly I didn't know until he did.)

First make a pie crust. Or you can buy the "giggling dough boy" kind of butter biscuits (do not use the flaky kind) and use about 5 of them and press into a 9-10 inch pie pan.

Then take some homegrown tomatoes and peel the skin,  slice and distribute them evenly over the crust. Over that, add some sliced onion and then green bell pepper (also fresh from the garden). There are no exact measurements, you just eyeball it. But leave enough space for the cheese topping.

Mr. Day's favorite topping is Sharp Cheddar. But you can grate about one cup of whatever cheese you like best and mix with 1/2 cup of mayonnaise. Spread cheese mixture over the top of the pie.

A nice touch is sprinkled bacon bits on the top. Or olives. Mr. Day told says that whatever you like on pizza, you can put in this pie.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until bubbly.

Heirloom Tomatoes with Goat Cheese

No salad screams “summer” louder than this one. The combination of tomatoes with freshly chopped herbs is a testament to a philosophy of simple recipes executed with the best possible ingredients. Heirloom tomatoes are grown from non-hybrid, open-pollinated seeds, and are the varieties that have been passed down through the generations by farmers and gardeners around the world. They are far superior to the red-colored tennis balls available in most grocery stores. If you cannot find heirloom tomatoes, use a ripe tomato from your garden, a good produce market, or a farmers’ market. Be sure to look for a regional goat cheese and support your local farmer. Other cheeses to consider for this recipe include briny cubes of feta or mild, creamy fresh mozzarella.

Ingredients:
11/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons canola oil
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds mixed heirloom tomatoes, cored and cut into 1/2-inch wedges
1/4 cup chopped mixed fresh herbs such as basil, parsley, and chives
4 to 6 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup microgreens, such as basil, arugula, or beet (optional)

Directions:
To make the dressing, whisk the vinegar and mustard together in a large bowl. Add the oils in a low steady stream, whisking constantly, until the dressing is creamy and emulsified. Season with salt and pepper. Add the tomato wedges and gently toss to coat. Add the herbs and goat cheese and toss to coat. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper. Divide among chilled serving plates. Top with the greens. Serve immediately. Serves 4-6

Virginia Willis of Virginia Willis Culinary Productions

As Printed by Georgia Organics