Smack Bones

Here is a cooking tip from the Deep South.

Many grocery stores (Food Lion is one) sell 1-pound packets of RIB TIPS (riblets) for around $3. They look like spare ribs but the bones are only a half inch long, or so. They are the trimmings from shaping spare ribs and are prime, sweet, pork rib meat. My grandmother used to serve them as a snack or appetizer; she called them "Smack Bones" and I loved them. I finally figured out how to cook them -- one has to be patient. Cooked properly, most of the fat runs out and the toughish rib membrane nearly crystallizes.

Dose the riblets well with lots of salt...salt them until you think you ruined them. Garlic salt or plain salt. Then put them atop the grill of the roasting pan -- not IN a pan, they don't cook right sitting in their juices. Bake at 350 for a little over an hour. If you take them out early they won't be good. Cook them until you think they're about ruined. They shouldn't look burned, but damn nearly. Then cool a bit and nibble the good stuff off the bones and give the bones to the cockroaches. No sauce needed. M-m-m-m good!

You can thank me later.

-- DALTON HAMMOND

Dalton Hammond's Perfect Fried Chicken

Note: This recipe solves the age-old problem of how to batter the chicken for a flaky, crunchy crust -- D.H.

DALTON'S PERFECT FRIED CHICKEN DRUMETTES OR WINGS

Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 30 min

Serves: 2 servings (6 to 10 Wings)

Ingredients

* Oil, for deep frying
* 1/2 cup buttermilk
* 1 tablespoon Emeril's Essence
* 1/2 cup flour

* 1 tablespoon paprika
* 1 tablespoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
* 1 cup flour

* 1 pound chicken drumettes, wings, or wingettes

Directions

In a deep fryer or high-sided skillet heat oil to 360 degrees F.

In a mixing bowl combine buttermilk, 1 tablespoon Emril's Essence and 1/2 cup flour; mix well to make a paste. In another bowl season remaining flour with paprika, salt and pepper. Dip wingettes, one at a time, into batter, theb dredge in seasoned flour. Fry immediately in hot oil, 8 minutes. Drain on paper towels. You'll need to do this in batches.

Calorie-Cutting in Paradise

And here's another little trick from Paradise Found (Pinehurst, NC):

There is a well-known concoction around Pinehurst called the "Arnold Palmer", which is half iced tea and half lemonade.

Now try the "Dalton Hammond": Mix a packet of Crystal Lite Decaf Iced Tea mix (the regular, not with mangoes or peaches or whatever) with a packet of Crystal Lite Lemonade mix into a half-gallon (or a little more, since this comes out rather "sweet") of plain water. This tastes a lot better than you expect. Mmmm...and only about 10 calories per large serving!

You can drink this while watching TV 18 hours a day and never get fat.

Enjoy!

- Dalton Hammond

Recipe: Country style butter beans (Limas)

Fry two or three slices of bacon or streak-o'-lean in medium saucepan until crisp. Leave drippings, remove meat and munch.

Add 2 cups fresh-picked shelled butter beans and water to cover, plus an inch.

Add 1 teaspoon chicken base per cup of water (or in a pinch you could substitute chicken broth for the water), 1 teaspoon salt or to taste, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Bring to light boil then turn to low, simmer slowly, stirring occasionally until just BEFORE tender. Let cool, covered, and refrigerate overnight.

Next morning add water if necessary, simmer until just tender and eat for breakfast. Sop pot liquor with Arnold Oatnut bread.

Then thank The Good Lord.

-- Dalton Hammond

Secrets of Successful Southern Collards

Few vegetables contain more nutrients than collards. My momma grew up on a Southern farm during the Great Depression, and this is how they cooked them -- and talked -- back then. -- D.H.

Cut three or four quarter-inch slices of salt pork fatback (streak o' lean, streak o' fat) and cook like bacon in a big pot to generate enough drippings to coat the bottom well. When they are really browned take out one or two sample slices, munch like bacon and leave the rest in the pot. Yum!

Strip a mess of collard leaves from their stems and rinse as you put them in the pot with the fatback grease, er, flavoring. One stalk will fill a large pot. Add one teaspoon of salt, a quarter teaspoon of pepper, a dash of cayenne pepper (preferred) or dried crushed red pepper flakes (don't overdo it) and about a quarter cup of water, or better, chicken broth. (I use Better-Than-Bouillon Chicken Base which keeps for a long time in the fridge.)

Cook at a very slow boil, stirring and mixing often until collard leaves are wilted al dente, around 30 minutes, adding a little broth if needed to prevent burning. You don't want the collards floating in liquid, just sitting in it. The collards are cooked when you can smell them two farms away.

One mess of collards makes four average servings, twelve servings if the diners are Yankees, and only one-and-a-half if feeding a Southerner. Serve demi-tasses of pot liquor for dessert.

Note: If you're not used to Southern Cooking you could -- and probably should -- cut the salt, pepper and cayenne in half, depending on the size of the collards stalk.

I was kidding about the demi-tasses, but you'd certainly want to sop up the pot likker in your plate with a piece of corn pone.

Nutrition Facts (1/2 cup cooked collard greens)

Calories 56
Protein 1 gram
Dietary fiber 2.9 grams
Carbohydrates 2.5 mg
Dietary fiber 0.4 mg
Calcium 74 mg
Vitamin A 2,109 IU
Vitamin C 9 mg

-- 'Joi de la Cuisine' Dalton Hammond

A Good Chili Recipe

The chili came out just super, as always, and as promised, here's the recipe which I got from recipesource.com:

Title: Chili Con Carne
Categories: Soup/stew, Canning
Yield: 9 pints

3 c Dried pinto beans
-OR- red kidney beans
5 1/2 c Water
5 ts Salt (separated)
3 lb Ground beef
1 1/2 c Chopped onion
1 c Chopped peppers
-of your choice (optional)
1 ts Black pepper
3 tb -Chili powder, or up to...
6 tb Chili powder
2 qt Crushed or whole tomatoes

Yield: 9 pints

Procedure:Wash beans thoroughly and place them in a 2 qt saucepan. Add
cold water to a level of 2 to 3 inches above the beans and soak 12 to 18
hours. Drain and dischard water. Combine beans with 5-1/2 cups of fresh
water, and 2 teaspoons salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer 30
minutes. Drain and discard water. Brown ground beef, chopped onions,
and peppers, if desired, in a skillet. Drain off fat and add 3 teaspoons
salt, pepper, chili powder, tomatoes, and drained cooked beans. Simmer 5
minutes. Caution: Do not thicken.

Enjoy....

-- Dalton Hammond