Okay, a friend reminded me that Thanksgiving is coming up in a few weeks, so the idea here is to take traditional Thanksgiving fare and prepare it in a non- traditional way. Everybody seems to like sweet potatos so let's start with that.
To make the Gnocchi:
You can either bake 2 pounds of sweet potato in the oven at 425 deg. for 40 to 50 minutes, or you can use your microwave and have them fully cooked and tender in about 8 to 11 minutes, using far less energy. But either way, once they’re done, cut them in half and scoop the sweet potato into a large bowl. Mash it thoroughly and measure out two cups. Return that to the bowl and feed the rest to your dog.
If he won’t eat it, send it to my house, mine will.
Add 2/3 cup whole milk Ricotta cheese, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon and 1/8 teaspoon of ground black pepper. Mix this thoroughly.
Add 1 ¼ cups of all-purpose flour, blending this 1/2 cup at a time, until it forms a soft dough.
Now sprinkle some flour on a flat work surface and place the dough in a ball on the work surface. Divide the dough into 6 equal balls. Roll out each ball into a 1-inch thick rope. Cut each rope into 1-inch long pieces. Roll the gnocchi over the tines of a fork to score the surface. Transfer the formed gnocchi onto a large baking sheet.
Now, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the gnocchi in 3batches and cook until tender but still firm when you bite into it. Stir the Gnocchi occasionally, for about 5 to 6 minutes. Drain the gnocchi with a slotted spoon, moving it back onto the baking sheet. Build a tent with foil to keep it warm, while you finish the remaining gnocci.
For the Brown Butter sauce:
While the gnocchi are cooking, melt ½ cup of butter (yeah this is another low calorie recipe, but hey, its for the holidays, so suffer through it)in a large saute pan over medium heat. When the butter has melted, add two dozen fresh sage leaves. Let this cook, stirring occasionally, until the foam subsides and the milk solids begin to brown. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in a teaspoon of cinnamon, 2 tablespoons of maple syrup, a teaspoon of salt, and ½ teaspoon of pepper. Stir this gently to keep it from bubbling up. When bubbles are gone, toss the cooked gnocchi in the brown butter. Transfer the gnocchi to a serving dish and serve it right away.
September 30, 2009
September 23, 2009
Sweet butternut squash tossed with pasta
As I said in the previous trout recipe, this is a nice adjunct to the fish. Read through the recipe and you will find your list of ingredients.
One good reason it works well with the fish is that you can do it in the same 450 oven that you are using to roast the trout (fish - whatever). The biggest pain here is the peeling, seeding and chunking of the squash, but its worth it, believe me. So preheat a cookie sheet for the squash as well.
Then, prior to starting the fish, peel (a vegetable peeler works really well here - Grandma could do it with a paring knife, but she had real skills), seed and chunk your squash and then toss it with a medium to large sweet onion, cut into 1-inch chunks, 2 big handfuls of spring mix, 1/3 packed cup of torn up fresh basil leaves, and about a dozen fresh sage leaves (also torn up), enough minced garlic to approximate 5 cloves, 1/3 cup good-tasting extra-virgin olive oil, a packed tablespoon of brown sugar (light or dark), and salt and fresh-ground black pepper (to taste). Some people add red pepper flakes (or not depending upon your own preference).
Pull out the oven rack holding the cookie sheet (carefully - remember its hot) and pour the vegetable mix onto the hot sheet and spread it out. This is going to bake for about 25 minutes, or until the squash is tender, turning the vegetables two or three times during roasting.
As the squash becomes tender, cook your bow tie pasta until its tender, but not mushy. Then drain it and set it aside.
Now here is the tricky part. Once the squash is tender, you will need to turn on the broiler to caramelize it. But you have to watch this closely. No cell phones, no kids in the kitchen, no mixing a martini. Its gonna take about five minutes. You can't focus for five minutes?? Your mother could do this in her sleep and she learned it from your grandmother. You need to turn the pieces often. Anticipate about 5 minutes under the broiler. You want crusty brown edges on the squash and wilted, almost crisp greens. But if a friend calls to talk about life, you're gonna mess this up and burn it, so be advised.
Okay, if you made it through this step without screwing it up, you have potential. Scrape everything into a big serving bowl. Add 1/2 cup of half-and-half, the hot pasta, and 1 cup of shredded Asiago cheese. Toss it to blend everything up, taste it to see if you want to add more salt and pepper, or you can add more of the cheese if you feel so moved. Serve this hot with the fish, or whatever dish you wish.
One good reason it works well with the fish is that you can do it in the same 450 oven that you are using to roast the trout (fish - whatever). The biggest pain here is the peeling, seeding and chunking of the squash, but its worth it, believe me. So preheat a cookie sheet for the squash as well.
Then, prior to starting the fish, peel (a vegetable peeler works really well here - Grandma could do it with a paring knife, but she had real skills), seed and chunk your squash and then toss it with a medium to large sweet onion, cut into 1-inch chunks, 2 big handfuls of spring mix, 1/3 packed cup of torn up fresh basil leaves, and about a dozen fresh sage leaves (also torn up), enough minced garlic to approximate 5 cloves, 1/3 cup good-tasting extra-virgin olive oil, a packed tablespoon of brown sugar (light or dark), and salt and fresh-ground black pepper (to taste). Some people add red pepper flakes (or not depending upon your own preference).
Pull out the oven rack holding the cookie sheet (carefully - remember its hot) and pour the vegetable mix onto the hot sheet and spread it out. This is going to bake for about 25 minutes, or until the squash is tender, turning the vegetables two or three times during roasting.
As the squash becomes tender, cook your bow tie pasta until its tender, but not mushy. Then drain it and set it aside.
Now here is the tricky part. Once the squash is tender, you will need to turn on the broiler to caramelize it. But you have to watch this closely. No cell phones, no kids in the kitchen, no mixing a martini. Its gonna take about five minutes. You can't focus for five minutes?? Your mother could do this in her sleep and she learned it from your grandmother. You need to turn the pieces often. Anticipate about 5 minutes under the broiler. You want crusty brown edges on the squash and wilted, almost crisp greens. But if a friend calls to talk about life, you're gonna mess this up and burn it, so be advised.
Okay, if you made it through this step without screwing it up, you have potential. Scrape everything into a big serving bowl. Add 1/2 cup of half-and-half, the hot pasta, and 1 cup of shredded Asiago cheese. Toss it to blend everything up, taste it to see if you want to add more salt and pepper, or you can add more of the cheese if you feel so moved. Serve this hot with the fish, or whatever dish you wish.
September 22, 2009
Roasted trout nested in green herbs
This dish does not absolutely require trout, you can do it as well with other freshwater fish, but it does not work at all well with fillets. As you will see, you want the whole fish, skin on to do it right.
But, isshhh (Minnesotan for "OOOOh icky!") you've never had fish with the skin still on? Well, relax, you don't eat the skin. Okay, some people do, but they're uncouth savages, mostly from Nebraska and Texas, so what can I say?
Some purists (read prissy little yuppies) insist that the trout simply MUST be "organic". If you catch it from a stream, you can relax, it doesn't get any more organic than that. Course, its been eating bugs, but hey, you eat fish, so no pointing of fingers.
Preheat the oven to 450 with a cookie sheet to keep it company. While the oven and the sheet are heating up, wash your fish and pat it dry. Score the sides with a sharp knife down to, but not through the bones (3 or 4 cuts along each side should do the trick). Rub the fish inside and out with a good extra virgin olive oil, making sure you work the oil down into the slashes in the flesh. Then line the cavity moderately with some fresh minced garlic. Rub some of the garlic down into the slashes as well with some salt and pepper. Okay, if you absolutely must, use organic sea salt. I have no idea how that changes anything, but it might make you feel better about yourself.
For green herbs use thyme, parsley, oregano, lavendar, basil, sage and just a couple of sprigs of rosemary. Wash them and pat them dry. Pour some olive oil on the cookie sheet (remember, its hot, so be careful not to burn yourself moving it in and out of the oven)and build your bed of green herbs in the oil. This will impart wonderful scents and flavors to the fish (and the house for that matter) and will also keep it from sticking to the cookie sheet while it cooks.
Place the fish on the bed of herbs and then into the oven for 8 to 12 minutes or slightly more if you feel you need to. The fish is done when the flesh is white clear through. Don't overcook it. You want it to be moist and full of flavor when you serve it (or why else would you go to this much trouble?!!).
When its done, lift the fish, bed of herbs and all onto your serving plate. This goes really well with some sweet roasted butternut squash over greens and bow tie pasta. I'll bring that one on board next.
Serve the trout, as you would with any freshwater fish, with a nice Chablis or Sauvignon Blanc. Or a Budweiser, but if you do, I'll never speak to you again, so its up to you.
But, isshhh (Minnesotan for "OOOOh icky!") you've never had fish with the skin still on? Well, relax, you don't eat the skin. Okay, some people do, but they're uncouth savages, mostly from Nebraska and Texas, so what can I say?
Some purists (read prissy little yuppies) insist that the trout simply MUST be "organic". If you catch it from a stream, you can relax, it doesn't get any more organic than that. Course, its been eating bugs, but hey, you eat fish, so no pointing of fingers.
Preheat the oven to 450 with a cookie sheet to keep it company. While the oven and the sheet are heating up, wash your fish and pat it dry. Score the sides with a sharp knife down to, but not through the bones (3 or 4 cuts along each side should do the trick). Rub the fish inside and out with a good extra virgin olive oil, making sure you work the oil down into the slashes in the flesh. Then line the cavity moderately with some fresh minced garlic. Rub some of the garlic down into the slashes as well with some salt and pepper. Okay, if you absolutely must, use organic sea salt. I have no idea how that changes anything, but it might make you feel better about yourself.
For green herbs use thyme, parsley, oregano, lavendar, basil, sage and just a couple of sprigs of rosemary. Wash them and pat them dry. Pour some olive oil on the cookie sheet (remember, its hot, so be careful not to burn yourself moving it in and out of the oven)and build your bed of green herbs in the oil. This will impart wonderful scents and flavors to the fish (and the house for that matter) and will also keep it from sticking to the cookie sheet while it cooks.
Place the fish on the bed of herbs and then into the oven for 8 to 12 minutes or slightly more if you feel you need to. The fish is done when the flesh is white clear through. Don't overcook it. You want it to be moist and full of flavor when you serve it (or why else would you go to this much trouble?!!).
When its done, lift the fish, bed of herbs and all onto your serving plate. This goes really well with some sweet roasted butternut squash over greens and bow tie pasta. I'll bring that one on board next.
Serve the trout, as you would with any freshwater fish, with a nice Chablis or Sauvignon Blanc. Or a Budweiser, but if you do, I'll never speak to you again, so its up to you.
August 22, 2009
Seedless blackberry jam
This is pretty easy stuff, but it turns out great jam. Very fruity and flavorful and best of all, no seeds to get stuck in your teeth.
Use 6 half pint cartons of blackberries (or more - just adjust your proportions)
You have to watch these like a hawk. They develop mold very quickly. Don't use moldy fruit.
I boil them in 2 cups of water. Keep a lid on the pot, you don''t want a reduction sauce here. You can start your water bath now, getting the water temperature up to boiling gradually. Wash any jelly jars, vacuum lids and tops you intend to use to store your jam.
Stir the berries and crush until they are soft and break up easily. Once you have a sort of mushy consistency, pour into your food strainer so that you can work the fruit pulp and juice through the strainer, trapping the seeds behind.
Measure your strained product. You want 3 3/4 cups of juice and pulp. Add water to make up any difference. Now set to boil, on medium heat, adding one package of powdered fruit pectin such as Sure Jell, keeping 4 cups of sugar close by.
Stir slowly until it reaches a rolling boil you can't stir down. During this time, the color of the product has been almost a cloudy wine red. Add all the sugar and stir constantly. You will see the color turn to a dark black and the liquid will seem to clear up. Once it returns to a boil, boil for exactly one minute. Stirring reduces foaming so you should not have an issue with foam. If you do, take it off the heat after one minute and skim the foam before jarring.
Make sure your jars are hot. Pouring hot liquid jam into cold jars is an experiment in the cataclysmic expansive properties of glass. In other words they break.
Pour the liquid within a quarter inch of the top, lid and screw on the top. Once all your jars are filled and sealed, move to the water bath for 15 minutes. Remove and set out to cool. You should hear the lids seat within a few minutes.
You've got jam!!
Use 6 half pint cartons of blackberries (or more - just adjust your proportions)
You have to watch these like a hawk. They develop mold very quickly. Don't use moldy fruit.
I boil them in 2 cups of water. Keep a lid on the pot, you don''t want a reduction sauce here. You can start your water bath now, getting the water temperature up to boiling gradually. Wash any jelly jars, vacuum lids and tops you intend to use to store your jam.
Stir the berries and crush until they are soft and break up easily. Once you have a sort of mushy consistency, pour into your food strainer so that you can work the fruit pulp and juice through the strainer, trapping the seeds behind.
Measure your strained product. You want 3 3/4 cups of juice and pulp. Add water to make up any difference. Now set to boil, on medium heat, adding one package of powdered fruit pectin such as Sure Jell, keeping 4 cups of sugar close by.
Stir slowly until it reaches a rolling boil you can't stir down. During this time, the color of the product has been almost a cloudy wine red. Add all the sugar and stir constantly. You will see the color turn to a dark black and the liquid will seem to clear up. Once it returns to a boil, boil for exactly one minute. Stirring reduces foaming so you should not have an issue with foam. If you do, take it off the heat after one minute and skim the foam before jarring.
Make sure your jars are hot. Pouring hot liquid jam into cold jars is an experiment in the cataclysmic expansive properties of glass. In other words they break.
Pour the liquid within a quarter inch of the top, lid and screw on the top. Once all your jars are filled and sealed, move to the water bath for 15 minutes. Remove and set out to cool. You should hear the lids seat within a few minutes.
You've got jam!!
June 22, 2009
Bread Bowls for fun and profit
Have you ever sat there, in the trendy cafe, slurping yummy soup from a nice warm, tasty bread bowl, and while munching on the tasty bowl, wondered how the hell they made that thing? Me too (okay, so maybe it has never even occurred to you and I'm just weird - - bite me, okay?). Today, it did. So, I spent some time figuring this out and here is the result. I tried it, it works, and its not hard at all.
Here is what you need:
2 tablespoons yeast
2 cups warm water
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
5 cups flour
separated and beaten whites of 4 eggs
Dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Add sugar, salt, and 3 cups flour. Beat mixture for 3 minutes. Then add the rest of the flour. Knead the dough on a floured surface till its smooth and elastic. Put it in a greased bowl and cover it so it will rise. Punch it back down when its double in in size. Then divide it into 8 pieces and roll into balls. Cover the balls on a tray sprinkled in corn meal. Let this rise until they double in size again. Brush the balls with egg white (it'll glaze them and give them the rich color). Bake in a 375 degree oven for 25 minutes.
Cut off the tops, scoop out the bowl and fill with the yummy soup. The soup? That's another story . . . . .
Here is what you need:
2 tablespoons yeast
2 cups warm water
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
5 cups flour
separated and beaten whites of 4 eggs
Dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Add sugar, salt, and 3 cups flour. Beat mixture for 3 minutes. Then add the rest of the flour. Knead the dough on a floured surface till its smooth and elastic. Put it in a greased bowl and cover it so it will rise. Punch it back down when its double in in size. Then divide it into 8 pieces and roll into balls. Cover the balls on a tray sprinkled in corn meal. Let this rise until they double in size again. Brush the balls with egg white (it'll glaze them and give them the rich color). Bake in a 375 degree oven for 25 minutes.
Cut off the tops, scoop out the bowl and fill with the yummy soup. The soup? That's another story . . . . .
June 19, 2009
Lasagna con l'agnello, la melanzana ed i peperoni dolci
Okay carnivores and non-carnivores. Here is a little Northern Italian dish you can whip up without much effort and really create an impression on friends and family. Its on http://foodandstuffbyjim.blogspot.com/ too so if you like it, you know where to find it.
It comes from the area around Trento in Northern Italy, and is called lasagna con l'agnello, la melanzana ed i peperoni dolci, which translates roughly into lasagna with lamb (or not, if you make a vegetarian version), eggplant and sweet peppers. Yes, I know, some of you are from Minnesota ( as in "eggplant??!! Oh, iscchhh . . .I couldn't eat eggplant its the . . . . texture, the color, the shape") But you gotta get a grip on this dysfunction at some point. Seriously now, Italians ( and lots of other people) have been eating eggplant for centuries. When was the last time you read about "Italians die from ingesting poisonous eggplant?"
So here is what you do. Set water on to boil for your lasagna pasta. It would be best if you made homemade pasta. You either know how or you don't. If you don't, that's another issue, but for now you can buy some at the store. No, its no where nearly as good, but it will do. When the water is boiling, salt it and toss the pasta in for about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside. How much? Enough to provide at least two layers of pasta with goodies packed between them. This will hold true for all the other ingredients. How much should you use? Depends on how much you are planning on making. its up to you. I'm not your mother . . . . . .
In the meantime, take your spud peeler and peel the skin off the eggplant. It's white and firm underneath. Slice that in half inch slices and then cut the slices up into what ever bite size morsels float your boat. Have one half of a Vidalia onion chopped medium finely also. Sauté the eggplant in olive oil over medium heat. When it starts turning sort of a golden color (I said "starts turning" - pay attention!!) toss in the onion. Stir it around. When the eggplant has completed the color change, pull it off the heat into a bowl and set aside (saving whatever oil is left in the skillet. ("Set aside means you may now take a drink from the adult beverage you poured yourself before starting this project . . . You didn't pour one?? What are you, a beginner?!!)
Now you are going to brown the lamb, which should be in ground form (you can substitute beef, pork, buffalo, venison, anything but turkey - turkey will pull the flavor out of this dish like lightening - I suppose even tofu - although personally I'd just as soon shoot myself in the head, but hey, that's just me . . .). At the same time, slice the sweet peppers lengthwise into four or five pieces. Sauté them in the skillet used for the eggplant. While all this is happening, finely chop up a bunch of Kalamata olives. Enough to provide some for each layer of your lasagna. You are also going to want to slice up some goat's milk cheese that you put into the freezer to harden (not freeze) it. It does not have to be uniform, its going to melt in any case.
So now, with all this done, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Then line the bottom of your baking dish with pasta. Cover it with eggplant and onion, then with meat (or not), then some of the cheese and the olives and the peppers and then finally with your favorite pasta sauce. Another layer of pasta and repeat the process. I do this for two in a small baking dish and only use two layers. You know who you are feeding, make your own decision. When you have added the sauce on top of the last layer, you can sprinkle on some Romano if you wish, but you will not need it, trust me. Cover the dish loosely with foil and bake for anywhere from 45 to 60 minutes. Its gonna start smelling really good in the house in about 20 minutes.
When done, this is a meal. Serve it with a soft medium wine and some fresh garlic bread.
It comes from the area around Trento in Northern Italy, and is called lasagna con l'agnello, la melanzana ed i peperoni dolci, which translates roughly into lasagna with lamb (or not, if you make a vegetarian version), eggplant and sweet peppers. Yes, I know, some of you are from Minnesota ( as in "eggplant??!! Oh, iscchhh . . .I couldn't eat eggplant its the . . . . texture, the color, the shape") But you gotta get a grip on this dysfunction at some point. Seriously now, Italians ( and lots of other people) have been eating eggplant for centuries. When was the last time you read about "Italians die from ingesting poisonous eggplant?"
So here is what you do. Set water on to boil for your lasagna pasta. It would be best if you made homemade pasta. You either know how or you don't. If you don't, that's another issue, but for now you can buy some at the store. No, its no where nearly as good, but it will do. When the water is boiling, salt it and toss the pasta in for about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside. How much? Enough to provide at least two layers of pasta with goodies packed between them. This will hold true for all the other ingredients. How much should you use? Depends on how much you are planning on making. its up to you. I'm not your mother . . . . . .
In the meantime, take your spud peeler and peel the skin off the eggplant. It's white and firm underneath. Slice that in half inch slices and then cut the slices up into what ever bite size morsels float your boat. Have one half of a Vidalia onion chopped medium finely also. Sauté the eggplant in olive oil over medium heat. When it starts turning sort of a golden color (I said "starts turning" - pay attention!!) toss in the onion. Stir it around. When the eggplant has completed the color change, pull it off the heat into a bowl and set aside (saving whatever oil is left in the skillet. ("Set aside means you may now take a drink from the adult beverage you poured yourself before starting this project . . . You didn't pour one?? What are you, a beginner?!!)
Now you are going to brown the lamb, which should be in ground form (you can substitute beef, pork, buffalo, venison, anything but turkey - turkey will pull the flavor out of this dish like lightening - I suppose even tofu - although personally I'd just as soon shoot myself in the head, but hey, that's just me . . .). At the same time, slice the sweet peppers lengthwise into four or five pieces. Sauté them in the skillet used for the eggplant. While all this is happening, finely chop up a bunch of Kalamata olives. Enough to provide some for each layer of your lasagna. You are also going to want to slice up some goat's milk cheese that you put into the freezer to harden (not freeze) it. It does not have to be uniform, its going to melt in any case.
So now, with all this done, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Then line the bottom of your baking dish with pasta. Cover it with eggplant and onion, then with meat (or not), then some of the cheese and the olives and the peppers and then finally with your favorite pasta sauce. Another layer of pasta and repeat the process. I do this for two in a small baking dish and only use two layers. You know who you are feeding, make your own decision. When you have added the sauce on top of the last layer, you can sprinkle on some Romano if you wish, but you will not need it, trust me. Cover the dish loosely with foil and bake for anywhere from 45 to 60 minutes. Its gonna start smelling really good in the house in about 20 minutes.
When done, this is a meal. Serve it with a soft medium wine and some fresh garlic bread.
June 7, 2009
Catshead Biscuits
This recipe comes from the South, some say Missippi (Delta Catshead Biscuits), and some say Kentucky (Mountain Catshead Biscuits) either way, its an old, old biscuit that has been handed down many, many times and Grandma always did it by touch and feel. But then, Grandma was a lot smarter than we are, so we're gonna use a recipe.
2 cups self rising flour
1 cup buttermilk (okay, so a 2:1 ratio - got it?)
use a lump of shortening about 1/8 of a cup in size. You can use real butter, margarine, lard or solid vegetable shortening. It must be at room temperature to blend smoothly into the dough. If you try to use some soft dairy spread because all your neighbors have sworn off butter, 'cuz "its bad", this won't work. They all contain so much water that they won't work for any baking purposes.
Pour the flour into a large mixing bowl. Most flours today do not need to be sifted, but it doesn't hurt either. Push the flour to the sides of the bowl to form a depression in the center. Place the shortening and a little of the liquid buttermilk (you can get it in powdered form and it stores like forever)in the center and start stirring with a big spoon. When the shortening is blended, add the rest of the buttermilk, mixing just until blended and the dough forms a ball. The dough should be a little on the moist side.
Place wax paper on a flat surface and sprinkle flour on it. Roll the dough out on the wax paper. Don't knead the dough. Handling the dough excessively will make the biscuits tough. The less you handle it and the more moist the dough, the better your biscuits will be. Just pat the dough down gently until it's about an inch and a half thick.
Then cut out the biscuits and place them in a greased cast iron skillet. If you don't have one (how in the hell do you make cornbread without a cast iron skillet!!??) you can use a metal or glass pan, but it won't be right and the spirits of Grandmas from all over the South will come and sit on the foot of your bed and chant "dumb ass, dumb ass" over and over and keep you up all night. Its your call. Whatever you use, be sure it is small enough so that the biscuits are all close together, touching - Remember, you want the biscuits to rise up, not out to the side. Another reason for this is that when the biscuits bake with their sides touching, you can pull them apart easily, but those sides will be very soft and tender, not hard and brown. This is a very important part of making good biscuits.
Bake in a 400 degree oven just until the biscuits are light brown.
You can brush melted butter on the tops of the biscuits when they are done, or before you place them in the oven. They do not rise as much as buttermilk biscuits.
You should eat them hot from the oven, with butter, honey, home made strawberry jam or go really deep South and try molasses. Gwan, I double dog dare ya . . .
2 cups self rising flour
1 cup buttermilk (okay, so a 2:1 ratio - got it?)
use a lump of shortening about 1/8 of a cup in size. You can use real butter, margarine, lard or solid vegetable shortening. It must be at room temperature to blend smoothly into the dough. If you try to use some soft dairy spread because all your neighbors have sworn off butter, 'cuz "its bad", this won't work. They all contain so much water that they won't work for any baking purposes.
Pour the flour into a large mixing bowl. Most flours today do not need to be sifted, but it doesn't hurt either. Push the flour to the sides of the bowl to form a depression in the center. Place the shortening and a little of the liquid buttermilk (you can get it in powdered form and it stores like forever)in the center and start stirring with a big spoon. When the shortening is blended, add the rest of the buttermilk, mixing just until blended and the dough forms a ball. The dough should be a little on the moist side.
Place wax paper on a flat surface and sprinkle flour on it. Roll the dough out on the wax paper. Don't knead the dough. Handling the dough excessively will make the biscuits tough. The less you handle it and the more moist the dough, the better your biscuits will be. Just pat the dough down gently until it's about an inch and a half thick.
Then cut out the biscuits and place them in a greased cast iron skillet. If you don't have one (how in the hell do you make cornbread without a cast iron skillet!!??) you can use a metal or glass pan, but it won't be right and the spirits of Grandmas from all over the South will come and sit on the foot of your bed and chant "dumb ass, dumb ass" over and over and keep you up all night. Its your call. Whatever you use, be sure it is small enough so that the biscuits are all close together, touching - Remember, you want the biscuits to rise up, not out to the side. Another reason for this is that when the biscuits bake with their sides touching, you can pull them apart easily, but those sides will be very soft and tender, not hard and brown. This is a very important part of making good biscuits.
Bake in a 400 degree oven just until the biscuits are light brown.
You can brush melted butter on the tops of the biscuits when they are done, or before you place them in the oven. They do not rise as much as buttermilk biscuits.
You should eat them hot from the oven, with butter, honey, home made strawberry jam or go really deep South and try molasses. Gwan, I double dog dare ya . . .
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