Spoon Bread from Savoring the South

My husband handed me a piece of paper and said, "Spoon bread. Is that the same as grits?"

Well, no. It's like the stepchild of grits and cornbread. It's softer and moister than cornbread, but not as oozy as grits.

I happen to love grits, and I love cornbread, too, so I was all geared up to try the spoon bread from Savoring the South by Angela Mulloy. The taglinc for the book is Memories of Edna Lewis the Grande Dame of Southern Cooking with Recipes. I think that pretty much sums up what you get.

The recipes in the book are written in an old-fashioned way, where the cookbook author assumes the reader knows basic terms and techniques. It makes the recipe directions shorter, that's for sure.

Whether on purpose or by accident, the spoon bread recipe I tried omitted a step. Egg yolks were beaten, other ingredients were added, and the next step involved egg whites, while the yolks were never spoken of again. Perhaps it was assumed that the cook would know what to do with the yolks without being specifically instructed.

I cut the recipe in half because it's best when fresh and I knew we'd never finish even half the recipe. The full recipe would be good for a large family or a gathering, but a small family would probably be fine with the half-recipe (which is what I have below).

Besides recipes, the book has a lot of narrative, so if you're the type who wants a story with your recipes, I think you'll enjoy this. As a midwesterner, I'd say that the recipes all do seem to have a southern heritage rather than a southern twist or a new southern whatever. It's like a classic old book without the musty smell.

Spoon Bread
Adapted from Savoring the South by Angela Mullow

1 1/4 cups milk
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 tablespoon butter
2 eggs separated
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Heat the oven to 375 degrees and grease a 1-quart baking dish. I used a metal chef's pan.

Heat the milk to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Sprinkle the cornmeal in slowly, stirring or whisking constantly so the cornmeal doesn't clump. Cook over low heat, stirring, until the cornmeal is the consistency of soft oatmeal. Mine got a little too stiff, so I added an extra splash of milk and whisked it in.

Turn off the heat and add the butter.

Whip the egg whites to peaks, then beat the yolks. If you beat the yolks first, you'll need to thoroughly clean your beaters, or the whites won't whip. Add the baking powder, sugar and salt to the yolks.

Add the yolks to the cornmeal mixture and stir to combine.

Fold in the whites gently. It's easiest to stir in about 1/3 of the whites to loosen the cornmeal, then fold in the rest. But do it however works for you.

Transfer the batter to your prepared pan and bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes or until the spoon bread is puffed and the top is lightly browned.

Serve quickly.

I received this book from NetBooks for the purpose of a review.

Asparagus Risotto for #HolidayHosting with Anolon

Risotto is sort of magical. I mean, it's just rice. But then it makes its own creamy sauce that doesn't have any cream in it.

It seems difficult, particularly if you watch cooking shows. But it's not difficult at all. It's ... contemplative. Relaxing. Zen-like.

Making risotto isn't difficult, but it's not like throwing something in a machine, pressing buttons, and walking away. Oh, no. You have to hang around with the risotto and gently stir. You can't leave it alone for long. But you don't have to measure or think too hard about it. You add liquid as it is absorbed, and you stir. And you add more liquid and you stir.

It gives you time to think. You can ponder what to put on the grocery list or you can plot a novel, or you can try to think of a vegetable for every letter of the alphabet. Or you can hum pop songs.

So for my fourth post for the Anolon promotion with the theme of "formal dinner," I decided to make an asparagus risotto with a hint of saffron.

Risotto can be a first course, or a meal. It can be a light lunch, or part of a multi-course meal. It's fancy enough to work for an elegant dinner party, but it's also simple enough to be part of family dinner.

And the leftovers are pretty good, too.

Have I intrigued you? You'll find the entire recipe over on Anolon's website. It's waiting for you RIGHT HERE.

Oh, but that's not all! I have a MEGA-GIVEAWAY for you.

Over the course of six weeks, I'm developing six different recipes specifically for the Anolon products. This is the fourth, with two more to go.

And I have ALL SIX Anolon items to give away. The same ones I got. And I'm giving all six to ONE PERSON. Isn't that AWESOME???

I'm pretty excited about this, because I LOVE Anolon products - I've already got some of their cookware, and I use it all the time, and I'm super-excited about the new stoneware and cast iron items.

And Anolon is having their own giveaways, so be sure to stalk them during this 6-week promotion!

The six items I am giving away are:

Anolon Advanced Pie Pan
I used this for the pie recipe, here.

Anolon Vesta Stoneware 9x13” Baker in Paprika Red
I used this for my bread pudding stuffing, here.

Anolon Nouvelle Copper Hard Anodized 10” Covered Skillet 
I used this for my stuffed mushroom recipe, here.

Anolon Nouvelle Copper Stainless Steel 3Qt Covered Sauté 
This is what I used to make my risotto.

Anolon Advanced Umber 3.5Qt Covered Chef’s Pan
You'll see a recipe using this pot on December 12.

Anolon Vesta Cast Iron 4Qt Oval Covered Casserole in Paprika Red 
This will be used for my last recipe in the series, on December 19.

Yes, ALL of that great Anolon cookware and bakeware to ONE LUCKY WINNER!

The giveaway starts when this post goes live and will end on December 26 at midnight, mountain time. US winners only. The giveaway widget will post with each week's recipe, and I will add NEW ways to enter each week related to the week's new post, like new tweets and new pins. So make sure you come back every week and see what I've made, and ENTER TO WIN!

Want more Anolon in your life?

Like Anolon on Facebook

Follow Anolon on Twitter at @Anolon

Follow Anolon on Pinterest.

Follow Anolon on Instagram.

This post is sponsored by Anolon. They supplied products for my use as well as compensation for recipe creation. They are also providing the prizes for the contest winner. Although I was paid to create a recipe, all words and ideas are my own.

Vegetarian Taco Salad #MezzettaMemories

Here's the salad and the four types of peppers I used.

I used to love taco salads. Have you ever had one? They've gone out of style, it seems, but the ones I loved best were a spicy chili on top of sturdy lettuce, and topped with cheese and assorted garnishes.

That's the very first thing I thought of when Mezzetta offered to sponsor a post, because they happen to sell a whole lot of different peppers, and peppers are essential for a taco salad..

While taco salad might not seem like a holiday recipe, it was one of my favorite things to order when I was out holiday shopping when I was in my teens. It was filling enough to keep me going, but not so heavy that I felt like I needed a nap afterwards.

Best of all, it was a quick meal out of the restaurant kitchen, so I could get back to important shopping.

There's the whole array of Mezzetta items I used for this post.

While I loved the old-style taco salads, recently I started wondering why they always included meat.

When I think of salad, I think about vegetables, mostly. Okay, there's tuna salad and chicken salad. Even steak salad, I guess. But I thought that taco salad deserved a meat-free makeover.

It's not that I'm a vegetarian. Far from it. But I adore vegetables. And salads. So sometimes I just want to celebrate them all by themselves.

I might have gotten carried away with the peppers in this salad. But that's okay. They're all different, in color and in flavor.

If you have everything prepped in advance, you can have this assembled in no time. Even better, let everyone assemble their own salads with the ingredients they like the best.

Vegetarian Taco Salad

For the bean "chili":
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 15-ounce can navy beans (or other bean that you like), drained
1 14.5-ounce can petite diced tomatoes
1/4 cup Mezzetta tamed jalapeno slices, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 tablespoons Mezzetta sundried tomatoes, diced
Salt, as needed

For the salad;
Shredded lettuce (use a sturdy lettuce like romaine or iceberg)
Bean chili
Sour cream
Shredded cheese (jack, mozzarella, colby, cheddar, or a Mexican blend would be good)
Diced or sliced avocado (or guacamole)
Mezzetta peppers (I used Roasted Bell Peppers, Deli Sliced Mild Pepper Rings, and Deli Sliced Golden Greek Peperoncini)

To make the chili:

You couldn't see the chili well in the salad. Here it is.

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and add the onion. Cook, stirring, until the onions begin to soften. Add the beans, tomatoes, jalapenos, chili powder, and sundried tomatoes.

Cook, stirring as needed, until the tomatoes cook down and the mixture thickens so you have beans in hearty sauce that isn't too runny. Taste and add salt, as needed. If you like it spicier, you can add more chili powder or jalapenos, but keep in mind that peppers will be a garnish for the salad.

To assemble the salad:
Pile the shredded lettuce on a plate, then add a scoop of the hot chili. Add a dollop of sour cream in the center, then sprinkle with cheese overall - as much as you like. Add the avocado, then garnish with peppers, as desired.

You'll note that the garnish peppers I added aren't super-hot, but they have entirely different flavors that add a lot to the salad. The bell peppers I bought were all red, but the red-and-yellow ones are nice, too, for more color. I've bought those red-and-yellow peppers several times, and I like them as much as the all-red.

The deli-sliced peppers that I bought are a time-saver, but you can also buy whole peppers and slice them any way you like.

If you want more heat, add the same jalapenos that you used in the bean chili. The ones I used were "tamed," so they're not killer hot, but still have some spice. Or choose another pepper that packs more heat, like the Mezzetta hot chili peppers.

If you want to add other things to your salad, feel free. I was tempted to add cucumbers, hard-boiled eggs, halved cherry tomatoes, and some thinly sliced scallions, but I thought those were taking me too far from my taco ideal. Of course, feel free to add whatever you like!

A final gently sprinkle of snow ... uh, I mean more cheese .... just because it's pretty, and you're all done.

If you're still wondering if this is really a holiday recipe, take another look. It's all red and green and gold and white - traditional Christmas colors.

Okay can I tell you something funny? I was working on this post and trying to decide if I liked the 4-jar or the 5-jar photo better. Turns out I had space for both, so I didn't have to decide. But while I was looking at them, and trying to decide ... four jars ... five jars ... I kept hearing Patrick Stewart's voice saying "There. Are. Four. Jars."

If you're laughing, that's great. If not, search Google for "Piccard four lights" and you'll get it.

Giveaway is OVER

Every day in December, one happy winner will receive:

100% Italian Estate Grown Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Golden Greek Peperoncini
Garlic Stuffed Olives
Castelvetrano Olives
Pitted Greek Kalamata Olives
Roasted Marinated Red & Yellow Sweet Bell Peppers
Cocktail Onions
1 Apron (from House Party contents)
1 Metal Olive Spoon (from House Party contents)
1 Tote Bag (from House Party contents)
1 Ceramic Bowl

This post is sponsored by Mezzetta.