Well, we got the tomato sauce canned. (I know you’ve been waiting for that information with bated breath.) The electric roasters flipped the breakers in the kitchen only once, and then I realized I didn’t have all the parts to the electric vegetable strainer after all, so I strained all the tomatoes manually – all 230 pounds of them. Then I discovered I didn’t have enough jar lids, so off to the big-box store I went.
At 8:50 p.m., we were finally ready to fill and water bath the jars of sauce. Aaaaaaand that’s when we discovered we had not a drop, not a speck, not a molecule of propane – unfortunate, since we use a camp stove to water bath, and the camp stove uses propane.
Zack called Tractor Supply in a panic and made it there minutes before closing. They filled the tank, and he screeched back in to start boiling water while I filled jars. As predicted, we went to bed a little after midnight. I’m telling you: That had better be some dang good marinara.
But of course, the recipe I’m sharing with you today has nothing to do with marinara. Per usual. Instead, we’re taking a trip in the Wayback Machine to a recipe my mom taught me many years ago. Somehow I always forget it exists, but it fulfills the three principles required for induction into the hors d’oeuvres hall of fame: high in protein, fewer than five ingredients, and easy to eat with one hand – with bonus points for not requiring the oven.
I have a special affinity for church cookbooks, and while this recipe seems like it should be in all of them, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen it in print. Did Mama make it up? Maybe. She’s definitely got that kind of genius in her.
SOUTHERN SUSHI
Ingredients:
1–2 packages ham lunch meat (preferably square or rectangular)
One 8-ounce brick cream cheese
1–2 jars pickled okra (dill pickle spears may be substituted, but okra is better)
Instructions:
■ Place the cream cheese in a glass mixing bowl and microwave about 30 seconds, then stir. It should be about the consistency of cake icing; microwave another 30 seconds if needed. Remove several okra spears and place them on a paper towel–lined plate so they’re not too wet.
■ Place a slice of ham on a plate and use a butter knife or offset spatula to spread a layer of cream cheese across the entire slice. (If it doesn’t stick well, pat the ham dry first.) Lay whole okra spears across the short end of the ham, using two or more as needed, and roll the slice away from you as you would a cinnamon roll. Repeat until you’ve made the desired amount, run out of ingredients, or are interrupted by a hollering child.
■ Refrigerate the rolls for one to two hours to allow the cream cheese to firm up. When chilled, slice each roll crosswise about every half-inch. Place the pieces cut-side up so each bite looks like a pinwheel with okra in the center and ham on the outside.
Amelia Plair is a mom and high school teacher in Starkville. Email reaches her at [email protected].
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 30 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
