Recipes

April Recipe

Coca Cola Glazed Ham

Ingredients

• 1 10–12-pound bone-in, cured ham
• 1 extra-large oven bag
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup Dijon mustard
• 1 large orange, washed and cut into 6 wedges
• 1 can Coca-Cola

Instructions

Trim any excess skin and/or fat from the ham. Using a sharp knife, score the ham in a diamond pattern making 1/4-inch-deep slices.  Don’t fret over getting this perfect.

Place the ham (on its side – not face down) in the oven bag set in a large roasting pan. Roll the sides of the bag down so that the bag is open wide, and you can get your hands around the ham easily.

Combine brown sugar and Dijon mustard in a small bowl and stir until thoroughly combined. Rub sugar mixture all over ham.

Place orange wedges in the bottom of the bag around the ham. Pour the coke into the bag. Don’t pour the coke over the ham or it will wash the sugar mixture off – just pour it in near the bottom of the ham.

“Puff up” the bag a little so that the bag isn’t touching the ham. Making sure to keep a “loose fit” around the ham, close the bag tightly with the provided tie. You should end up with what looks something like a two-day old mylar balloon with a ham inside it.

Using a small, sharp knife, make three small slits in the top of the bag for ventilation. Don’t skip this step or the bag will burst wide open, and the ham won’t be able to self-baste.

Move your oven rack just low enough that the bag won’t touch the upper elements in your oven then bake at 350 degrees for 2-2.5 hours (2.5-3 hours if using a 13–15-pound ham) or until nicely browned and caramelized.

Remove ham from oven and rest, inside the bag, for 30 minutes before serving.

*Do not use a spiral sliced ham with this recipe.

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March Recipe

Ruben Egg Rolls

By Lyuba Brooke

March is here, and we will be celebrating St. Patrick’s Day.  St. Patrick is the patron Saint of Ireland and its National Apostle.  St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated every year on March 17^th, on the anniversary of his death.  The Irish have observed the holiday for over 1000 years, and since it falls during the season of Lent, families would attend church in the morning and celebrate in the afternoon. 

To help you celebrate this St. Patrick’s Day, we have a unique spin on some traditional Irish food, Reuben Egg Rolls.  These delicious morsels are made with corned beef, cheese, and sauerkraut and then fried to a golden-brown deliciousness with Thousand Island dipping sauce on the side for that added touch.   

Serves 10-12

Cook time 30 minutes

Prep time 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 12 egg roll wrappers
• ½ lb deli-sliced corned beef
• 5 slices of Swiss cheese
• ½ cup sauerkraut drained and squeezed
• 1 egg white
• About 5 cups of oil for frying
• Thousand Island dressing to dip

Instructions

• Preheat oil to 350 degrees.
• Gently whisk the egg white in a small bowl and set it close to you.
• Dice corned beef and Swiss cheese and add them to the mixing bowl.  Add sauerkraut and mix everything until it’s evenly incorporated throughout.
• To roll the egg rolls: place egg roll wrapper on a diamond.  Spread about 2 tablespoons of Reuben filling in a line, leaving about an inch on each side.  Gently and carefully, fold the corner that’s closest to you over the filling mixture, and tuck under the filling.  Fold both side corners toward the wrapper’s center. It will start to look like an open envelope.  Dip your fingers in egg white and run along the edges of the wrapper to seal better.  Carefully roll up the egg roll.
• Fry egg rolls in batches until golden brown, turning once the bottom side turns golden. 
• Serve with Thousand Island dressing for dipping. 

February Recipe

Some of the best things about living on the Emerald Coast are the great restaurants and the fresh seafood straight from the Gulf.  One restaurant in Seaside has taken these two things and made for an experience that screams 30A.

Photo Credit Susan Benton

The Great Southern Cafe in downtown Seaside serves up some of the finest food around by Executive Chef Innocent Utomi.  One such dish is their famous Shrimp & Grits A Ya Ya.  This fan-favorite has been satisfying the palate and hunger pains of visitors and locals alike, but if you can not get down to the restaurant, you, fortunately, have a way to make it at home. 

Ingredients

Grits

• 4 cups chicken stock
• 2 cups grits, such as Dixie Lily
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 4 ounces unsalted butter
• One 14- to 16-ounce can of creamed corn
• 1 cup shredded smoked Gouda cheese

 The Shrimp Ya Ya

• 8 strips applewood smoked bacon, diced
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon minced shallots
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• White wine
• 1 pound peeled and deveined jumbo shrimp
• 2 cups chopped fresh spinach
• 1/4 cup diced scallions
• 1 portobello mushroom caps, sliced
• 2 cups heavy cream
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Hot sauce

Directions

For the grits: Pour the chicken stock into a heavy-bottomed saucepan and turn on high until it boils. Mix in the grits and stir like crazy. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add a little cream if you need more liquid. Then, tumble in the butter, add the creamed corn, drizzle in the rest of the cream and stir until it’s mixed well.

Shake in the shredded cheese and stir very well until it’s nice and smooth.

For the shrimp: While your grits cook, bring a large saucepan to medium heat. Add the bacon and cook for about 3 minutes, then add the garlic and shallots and sauté. Add the butter and a splash of white wine and cook until the butter is half melted, then add the shrimp. Cook until the downsides of the shrimp become white, then flip them and add the spinach, scallions, and mushrooms and sauté for 2 minutes.

Remove the shrimp. Pour in the heavy cream and let simmer, stirring until reduced by one-third. Add salt, pepper, and hot sauce to taste. Return the shrimp and stir to combine.

To plate, spoon the sauce onto heaping mounds of cheese grits. Place the shrimp around the edges of the grits. Serve with French bread.

Note: You can finely slice or grate the sweet potato and deep fry to make the Sweet Potato Hay for the top of this dish. It adds a nice element of texture.

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January Recipe

What better way to start the New Year than with a nice hot bowl of Hoppin’ John. This traditional southern dish is found in most southern states, but especially in the Carolinas.  There are many variations, but traditionally they will have black-eyed peas, rice, and pork served with a side of collard greens and golden cornbread. 

Each item on the plate has a symbolic meaning for the New Year.  The black-eyed Peas “coins,” the collard greens “greenbacks,” and the cornbread “gold.”  If you add tomatoes, those represent “health.”  This delightful dish should be eaten first thing on New Year’s Day and is assured to bring the one eating it luck, health, and money.

Recipe courtesy of A Chef’s Life
Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 cup dried black-­‐eyed peas, cowpeas or, red peas
• 1 teaspoon cooking oil of choice
• 1⁄2 cup chopped Spanish onion
• 1/3 cup diced double-smoked slab bacon
• 1 boneless ham hock, diced (1⁄4 lb. yield)
• 1 fresh chili pepper, slit down one side
• 1 Sprig of fresh thyme
• 6 cups water or stock
• 1 cup Long-­‐Grain unconverted white rice
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Sort and wash the peas, picking out stones. Reserve.
2. Heat a 4-­‐quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the oil, then the bacon. Cook, stirring the bacon without browning. Add the onion and cooking until soft and translucent.
3. Add the reserved cleaned peas to the pot, along with the ham hock, hot pepper, thyme, and water. Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook for approximately 45 minutes until the beans are three-quarters tender; and not mushy.

Measure the liquid remaining in the pot. At this point, you should have 2 cups of liquid in the pot; adjust as needed. Add the rice to the pot along with 1⁄2 teaspoon of salt and black pepper to taste. Return the pot to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook covered for 15-­‐20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let the carry-­‐over cooking finish the Hoppin’ John until the rice is tender. Serve hot or at room temperature.