AT H O M E W I T H N A N C Y W E L C H THE SOUTH THE PLACE WHERE Tea is sweet and accents are sweeter. Summer starts in April. Macaroni & Cheese is a vegetable. Front porches are wide and words are long. Pecan pie is a staple. Y all is the only proper noun. Chicken is fried and biscuits come with gravy. Everything is Darlin. Someone s heart is always being blessed. I saw this sign in Augusta and was reminded of what we do in the South during our preparations for the holidays. Oh, the holidays! Time for laughter, families, fun, porch swings, iced tea, and oh yes, cooking! What s for dinner? That s really all lunches and dinners from Thanksgiving through Christmas. Seems like when the calendar flips to November, we flip into high-gear cooking. You could even begin by making your menu selections from this clever sign. You would begin with fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, biscuits and gravy, sweet tea, and end with pecan pie. Sounds like a plan to me! However, I want you to break out of this ordinary Southern mold for at least one meal during the holiday season. So I want to provide you with recipes that will bring extraordinary compliments for all of your work. Never fear, I am here! Let me begin by offering a pork tenderloin recipe that will make your guests call you Darlin. You can assemble this recipe a couple of days ahead of time and bake it just before your company arrives. Don t let the long recipe throw you. It is quite easy to prepare. written by NANCY WELCH & photographed by JARRAD LISTER GreerNow NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2009 57
Stuffed Pork Tenderloin with Cranberry Sauce 2 (1 pound) pork tenderloins 2 tablespoons minced garlic 2 teaspoons ginger 8 oz. can tidbit pineapple, drained, reserving juice 3 teaspoons soy sauce 1 teaspoon cinnamon 4 thin slices prosciutto 1/2 cup dried cranberries 2 tablespoons oil All purpose flour With a sharp knife, cut each tenderloin lengthwise almost through. Lay each tenderloin flat between waxed paper and pound until ½ inch thick. Arrange the tenderloins in one layer in a baking dish. Place half the garlic and half the ginger on top of each tenderloin using all of both ingredients. Combine the reserve pineapple juice, soy sauce, and cinnamon and pour over the meat. Refrigerate the tenderloins for several hours or overnight. Place 2 slices of prosciutto lengthwise on each pork tenderloin. Spoon half the diced pineapple and half the dried cranberries down the middle of each tenderloin. Roll the meat and fasten with kitchen string. Heat the oil in a large skillet. Sprinkle the tenderloins with flour and brown on all sides. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the tenderloins in a roasting pan with the seam side down and roast until a meat thermometer inserted into the center of the pork registers 150 degrees, up to 30 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes before cutting. Remove the twine and slice into ½ inch thick pieces. Sauce 20 oz. can pineapple slices, drained, reserving the juice 16 oz. can whole cranberry sauce 2 tablespoon soy sauce 3 tablespoons wine vinegar 1 teaspoon cinnamon Red pepper flakes, to taste In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the reserved pineapple juice, cranberry sauce, soy sauce, vinegar, cinnamon, and red pepper flakes. Simmer the sauce for 10 minutes. Spoon the sauce over the pork and garnish with grilled pineapple slices. To go with this tenderloin, try the Potato & Onion Casserole or the Spinach Parmesan. For the Potato & Onion Casserole, you will need to make up a little mixture of Paula Deen s house seasoning. Her recipe is equal parts of garlic powder and salt and pepper. From time to time she refers to this recipe when she is cooking. So far as I know, this is not her potato recipe but it does call for that mixture for seasoning. Of course, you can use another kind of seasoning salt, but it will just have a little different flavor. 58 GreerNow NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2009
Potato and Onion Casserole Serves 12 (easy to half this recipe) 2 pounds of red new potatoes, about 6 cups, sliced 2 pounds of sweet onions (like Vidalia), about 6 cups, sliced 1 stick butter, cut into small pieces (maybe it is a Paula Deen recipe!) Seasoning salt mixture (or whatever kind of seasoning salt you prefer) 2 cups shredded Swiss cheese Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a greased 3-quart casserole, layer half of the potatoes, half of the onions, and dot with half the butter. Sprinkle with seasoning salt. Repeat the layers. Top with Swiss cheese. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 30 more minutes. Test the center of the casserole for doneness. Spinach Parmesan Casserole 3 tablespoons butter 1 cup chopped onion, like a Vidalia 10 ounces baby spinach, coarsely chopped 1 tablespoon water 2 large beaten eggs 1 cup milk 1 ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt the butter in a large skillet and sauté onions until tender. Add spinach and water and cook until wilted. Drain well, being sure to remove all water. In a bowl whisk together the eggs, milk and ¾ cup of the cheese. Add seasonings. Stir into the spinach mixture. Pour into a greased 1 ½-quart casserole. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. Can be served hot or at room temperature. GreerNow NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2009 59
The fresh pear salad is similar to one I have had in restaurants and is one of my favorite combinations of flavors. I hope you will add this one to your collection of great dishes and will serve it over and over again. Fresh Pear Salad Dressing 1 teaspoon dry mustard ½ teaspoon salt Pepper to taste 2 tablespoons honey 3 tablespoons cider vinegar 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil 3 ripe pears, thinly sliced 1 avocado, thinly sliced ½ cup orange juice 6 cups baby lettuce 5 oz. -7 oz. Bleu cheese ½ cup chopped green onions 1 cup caramelized pecans In a bowl, toss the pears and avocado with the orange juice. Place the lettuce in a bowl and top with the pears and avocado mixture, cheese, onions and pecans. Toss with the dressing just before serving. Salads can also be arranged on individual plates. Combine all ingredients in a bowl except olive oil. Wisk the oil to blend. Now, having given you these great recipes, I would not serve all of them at the same meal! The reason is that they all have onions in them and they all have cheese! What if your guests don t like onions or cheese? They will starve or will eat all of the meat and cake. Not good! So, take these recipes and lace them through the other dishes you will be preparing for the holidays and perhaps with the potato casserole serve green beans and when you serve the spinach, serve rice! The pear salad would be wonderful with a leftover turkey sandwich after Thanksgiving or Christmas. 60 GreerNow NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2009
Now we are ready to move to the showstopper. The Black Russian Cake will please the most discriminating chocolate lover in your group. The cake is heavy, dense chocolate, and the glaze gives it just the right touch that begs for a cup of coffee at the end of a fabulous meal. Black Russian Cake Serves 16 Cake 1 package chocolate cake mix (2 layers) ½ cup sugar 1 cup sour cream 2/3 cup vegetable oil 4 eggs 4 teaspoons espresso granules 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 cup (6 oz.) milk chocolate chips 1 cup (6 oz.) mini chocolate chips Glaze ¼ cup Kahlua or coffee liqueur ¼ cup Vodka 1 ½ cups powdered sugar For the cake, combine the cake mix, sugar, sour cream, and oil in a mixing bowl. Beat until well blended. Add the eggs and beat for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the espresso granules and vanilla and mix well. Fold in the milk chocolate chips and the mini chocolate chips. Pour into a greased and floured bundt pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the cake begins to pull away from the side of the pan. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Invert onto a serving plate. For the glaze, combine the Kahlua, vodka, and powdered sugar in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Pour the glaze over the warm cake. Cake can be made several days in advance and chilled or frozen for several months We look forward to the holidays because we come together as family and share great food and great memories. As William Butler Yeats, (1865-1939) said, We must laugh and we must sing. We are blest by everything. Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas! GreerNow NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2009 61