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buzz worthy bites
Cozy Up to Satisfying Fall Recipes WRITTEN BY LAZAR BROWN OGLESBY
T
he only thing that gets me through the dog days of summer in South Georgia is the promise of fall, my favorite season. I love the renewal and new growth of spring, the restful time spent snuggling under blankets in winter, and the golden skin and tan legs of summer, but fall in all of her autumnal glory makes my heart sing. I anxiously anticipate the slight change in the air. Is it a smell, a feeling, an instinct? I can’t put my finger on how I know, but the moment I feel the gentle shift in seasons I begin to think of my favorite fall dishes. Those dishes include hearty soups and stews, wild game harvested from our farm, fresh greens after a first frost, and desserts made from apples, pumpkins, brown sugar and spices. Any time my mother cooks a ham you can count on her to prepare any one of the following dishes with the ham bone and morsels of meat clinging to the bone: vegetable soup, ham and pea pasta with parmesan and linguine, ham and cheese quiche, and lastly, jambalaya. I think it is nearly impossible to prepare a small pot of jambalaya or any dish that contains rice as rice swells. It’s a wonder Jesus didn’t forgo the loaf of bread and feed the masses with fish and rice. It goes a long way. Each time Mother made jambalaya she carted Tupperware containers to friends near and far: a church member who had surgery, an under-the-weather friend, a luncheon of co-workers, and a couple with a new baby. Her kindness with the dish were always followed by requests for more, and she always obliged the next time she made a pot. Black-eyed peas and greens garner attention around the first of the year, but they make a lovely fall dish when combined. A dear friend, Ted Riner, shared the notion of taking two Southern staples and mixing them together. I never doubted this combo would be delicious. Ted has fed me enough food to fill up a pickup truck bed and I never tasted a bad meal at his home on Oglesby Pond. I give him all the credit for this delicious side dish. I often include this side in many of my fall and winter catering menus. People rave over the perfectly, Southern combo. You can also add tomatoes or extra protein to make this hearty dish into a soup. You can’t very well have jambalaya and greens without a hunk of cornbread. Finding the perfect cornbread recipe takes time. I fussed with ingredients until I found the perfect texture, fluffy but firm enough to “sop” the 50 statesboromagazine.com
September/October 2020
