I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with everyone or no one you wanted to be with. It was just the two of us this year, and I cooked a turkey breast and dressing for the sole purpose of having my favorite sandwich: turkey, mayo, cranberry sauce and dressing on white bread. I cooked the breast using a technique from the charming lifestyle blog, “Adeline Alley.” The blog is written by the granddaughters of one of my favorite people, Anne Hardy. They have inherited her wit and wisdom, and I love seeing Anne through their words.
So, the turkey gets dried and sprinkled with salt and pepper. Then you smear it all over with mayonnaise (how Southern!). Slice one lemon and one onion and lay the turkey, breast side up, on the lemon and onion. Cook for 45 minutes in a 425 oven. They specified a 4-pound bone-in breast. Mine was 6-plus pounds. I started it at 425 and then lowered to 400, finishing it at 350 so I could heat the spinach casserole at the same time. Terry declared it perfect!
For me, this time of year shouts out that it is time to eat oysters. Terry is extremely particular about when he eats them and also where they come from — most especially for prepacked oysters in the grocery store. We love Apalachicola oysters, having spent a fun trip there with the Southern Foodways Alliance five or six years ago. The highlight for me was meeting the oystermen and hearing their story. I came home with a huge appreciation for their dedication to an industry that makes for a hard living in the best of times, and almost impossible during the worst. And, let me tell you, to eat oysters straight out of the water is an experience that makes an imprint in the food sensation part of your brain. I’ve done it one other time on the western shore of Maryland. Although the memory of the company I was with fades, the taste of that oyster is fresh.
So, we were shopping at Winn-Dixie in Jasper, Alabama, last week and I noticed containers of oysters with a discount ticket on them. I commented that that caused me a little anxiety on oysters and the clerk quickly came around and showed me that the expiration date was five or six days away. They simply had over-purchased. The container specified that these were “wild-caught” and gave the origin. Terry grimaced. I ignored him and bought them. They shall become scalloped oysters tonight. This is a dish that flashes me back to family Christmas. The only person at the table who ate it was my mother, and she didn’t give a hoot. She made it every year. Finally, I came around and tasted it and have never looked back. I think I may have told you, but it bears repeating. The next meal (usually a late supper on Christmas Day) would have us rummaging through leftovers, usually ending up with a ham sandwich. Momma took the oyster casserole out of the refrigerator and heated it up in a pot with half and half to make an impromptu oyster stew. Pure bliss!
Below I have a recipe for scalloped oysters. Momma never used one, and I don’t either. Once you get the hang of it, it’s easy to throw together. I am also including one for oyster stew. I don’t know the source, but it was in her recipe box, and she had written “good” by it. That’s high praise coming from her. Reading it, I see that it is a good recipe to adapt to shrimp and corn chowder. Yep, I’ve got shrimp heads in my freezer waiting to be turned into shrimp stock. I think there is “chowdah” in my future.
SCALLOPED OYSTERS
4 servings
1 pint oysters with their juice (liquor)
2 cups coarse cracker crumbs (saltines are the best)
1/2 cup melted butter
Pepper (be generous)
3/4 cup half and half
1/4 cup oyster liquor
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
(Source: Seafood Sorcery, The Junior League of Wilmington, North Carolina)
OYSTER STEW
8 servings
1 onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 rib of celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 carrot, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons bacon fat
1 stick unsalted butter
2 cups chicken stock or canned chicken broth
3 large boiling potatoes, peeled and cut into ¾ ” cubes
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
1 pint oysters with their liquor
3 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 3 tablespoons cold water
4 cups half-and-half, room temperature
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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