Appalachian Mountain Seasoning Recipes

MEATLESS MOUNTAIN GREEN BEANS WITH POTATOES

Steps:

• Place beans in a large pot or Dutch oven. Pour in enough water to just barely cover the beans. Add oil, paprika and salt; gently stir to combine. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a lively simmer, cover and cook until the beans are tender, about 1 hour. (Check the pot occasionally and add water a little bit at a time if the beans are in danger of cooking dry.) Taste the bean broth and stir in additional paprika, if desired, for a "meatier" taste, but do so in small increments; too much can impart a bitter taste.
• Place potatoes on top of the beans and push down into the broth. Return to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until the potatoes are very tender, 20 to 30 minutes more.

APPALACHIAN MOUNTAIN SEASONING

Steps:

• Grind the ingredients until it becomes a greyish-white powder.
• Store in a closed container.
• When used as a "dredge" add 1 teaspoonful to each cup of flour. As a spice, just sprinkle it on to the raw chicken or pork before cooking/baking/frying. For smoking, just rub it on the meat.

APPALACHIAN MOUNTAIN CHICKEN

Steps:

• Make up a batch of Appalachian Mountain Seasoning (my own recipe), Recipe #152980 -- the quick recipe is: 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar; 1 tablespoon dried oregano; 1 teaspoon ground roasted red chilies, without seeds (or plain ground red pepper); 1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds, freshly ground; 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt, and; 1/4 teaspoon file (pronounced FEE-lay) seasoning, OR, ground anise.
• Wipe the chicken dry with paper towels. Using a large brown paper bag, pour in 1 cup of the flour and "dust" the chicken parts, one or two at a time. Lay them out on a sheet of wax paper for about 1/2 an hour.
• Preheat your oven to 375-degrees F.
• In a large skillet, heat the Crisco to at least 375-degrees F. (A couple drops of water will "spackle" pretty hard at this temperature but the oil does not smoke.) DO NOT cut short on the amount of Crisco or your chicken will be greasy and dry! It must fry on the sides as it cooks in order to seal in the juices.
• Make up your "drench" in a low sided bowl by mixing the eggs, the buttermilk, and the water.
• Make up your "dredge" on a large plate by blending the Appalachian mountain seasoning, 2 cups of flour, and the salt.
• Drench each piece of chicken, shake off excess liquid, then dredge it in the flour blend. Lay it into the hot Crisco (It should begin frying immediately -- if not, your oil isn't hot enough).
• Drench and dredge only one piece of chicken at a time as you'll need to fry it up in two batches to maintain high oil temperature, and to not "crowd" the chicken in the skillet.
• Fry the chicken until it is golden brown on the bottom and then turn it (only once!), using tongs and not a fork. This should take about 8-10 minutes total, per batch. When it is golden brown on each side, lay it out on a baking pan (use one with sides). Cover the first batch with foil until the second batch is finished frying.
• When all the chicken has been fried, bake it on the lower-middle rack, UNCOVERED, for 40 minutes (375-degree F.).
• Allow the chicken to "rest" for 10 minutes prior to serving.