 Ed making his famous muffins. Courtesy Mr. Garren. |
Her husband Ed was a skilled "Camp Chef", a talent fostered from cooking on camping trips, and backyard barbecues. His smoked Mullet (a delicately flavored vegetarian fish found in the brackish waters of the Florida West coast) was legendary. An invitation to come to the Garren home for smoked Mullet, cornbread and other delights was never passed up, with guests coming from as far away as 50 miles to partake. Always health conscious, Pappa Ed would experiment with lemonade with brown sugar, and corn bread with whole-wheat flour. Older son Gene moved to San Francisco in the 1970s, where he learned Asian lifestyles and cuisine. Gene's abilities with soybeans and squid, as well as his own renderings of smoked fish, are always a delight. At the pig roasts, he held court carving the pig with his hunting knife and a large spoon. And our own Ed Garren, took all of this, and embellished it with skills learned from the bayous of the northern Gulf Coast, Cuba, Jamaica, Puerto Rico and Haiti, all of which have made their way into the lexicon of the Florida chef. In Southern California, we tend to place so much emphasis on the latest fashion in food. All of it is good, but holidays, particularly like Thanksgiving, tend to be the days we revert to what are most familiar. There are few identified "southerners" in the region outside of African American neighborhoods. Most white southerners in the region tend to quickly shed those attributes that are overtly southern. Other than a few barbecue places, it is virtually impossible to find this cuisine in the region. So, in the spirit of "Sharing a good thing", Ed offers these recipes. They are some of the best examples of regional cuisine that he has found, and he hopes you enjoy them. The stuffing recipe and the sweet potato pie recipe have received particular multiple accolades from persons as diverse as Korean to African American, all of whom agree that they are outstanding.
And yes, you really CAN cook that turkey in the paper bag, and it will come out moist and tender and perfectly brown, with no basting or bother. And yes, there WILL be drippings for the gravy. That said, enjoy!!!
 Ms. Bushnell has received many awards and honors in her activist career. By Ryan Gierach. |
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These are all favorites of mine, all tried and tested in the Garren (and many other) kitchen(s). I’ve added a few new recipes to this compilation. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO SHARE THEM, but give credit to the cooks mentioned so that their legacy will live on. Happy Holidays and thanks, Ed
CORNBREAD ALMOND STUFFING (from the Gasparilla Cookbook)
3.5 cups chopped celery 8 cups white bread cubes
5 Tbs minced onion 4 cups whole wheat bread cubes
1.5 cups butter 4 cups corn bread cubes
1 Tbs poultry seasoning 2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tsps savor salt 1 cup slivered toasted almonds
1/2 tsps salt 4 chicken bouillon cubes
1/2 tsps black pepper 2 cups water (2 cups of chicken broth may be substituted for the water and bouillon cubes)
Saute celery and onion in butter. Sprinkle poultry dressing, savor salt, salt and pepper over bread cubes. To celery and onion mixture add eggs and almonds. Toss this mixture.
Dissolve bouillon cubes in water and pour over bread mixture, tossing lightly until blended. Stuff bird and put remaining stuffing in casserole and bake, covered, at 300 for 40 minutes. Remove cover and let brown. Stuffs 10 to 12 pound turkey plus extra casserole.
Paper Bag Turkey Roast
If you are roasting the turkey this year, do it in a paper bag (yes, it really works, no the bag does not catch on fire or even smolder). You can roast the turkey this way stuffed or not stuffed, it works every time. Get two "virgin" bags from the grocery store. Coat the bird (stuffed or unstuffed) with butter, margarine, oil, etc. then sprinkle it with paprika (lightly, this gives it a magnificent color), then put it in a bag (grocery store brown paper), flat side down, in a pan at
least three inches deep. Then cut the bottom 8" of the other bag to make a "cap" for the open end. Put this into the preheated oven, 350 f, and roast for however
many minutes per pound (instructions usually on the turkey). THAT'S IT!!!
No basting, no turning, no worrying, just pull it out (about 30 minutes before time to serve) cut off the bag and enjoy a marvelously roasted turkey with moist breast meat and a beautiful color. I have cooked about 45 turkeys this way and they have all come out perfect. (from Kay Jackson of Miami Beach)
COLD CRANBERRY RELISH (Ed Garren)
1 package cranberries 3/4 cup sugar
1 can crushed pineapple (juice pack) 1 (small) package lemon gelatin
3/4 cup water 1 cup walnuts
Grind cranberries; let sit overnight in sugar. Add nuts and pineapple.
Dissolve gelatin in hot water and mix in thoroughly. Refrigerate and allow eight hours to set.
WHOLE CRANBERRY SAUCE
Boil two bags of cranberries and one bag of chopped dried apricots in two quarts of canned apple juice, sweeten to taste with sugar. Let it cook “down”. You can add some Walnuts or Pecans to it after it is cooked and cooled.
 By Ryan Gierach. |
MAURY CALVERT’S BARBECUE SAUCE(from“Tampa Treasures” cookbook)
This is the finest “Mustard based” barbecue sauce I’ve ever tasted.
1 pound butter or margarine 1 (10 ounce) bottle Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons Tabasco 1 cup prepared mustard
1 pint vinegar 3 lemons (include juice and grated rind)
salt, black pepper to taste and cayenne or red pepper to taste.
Melt butter; add remaining ingredients; cook until blended thoroughly.
This Sauce is great if you are roasting pork or ham. You can slow roast the meat by covering it in this sauce, wrapping it tightly in foil and roasting it @ 275 for about double the usual time. Serve with rolls for mini sandwiches. Have extra sauce as a side to the meat on the table.
SWEET POTATO PIE
Makes 2 deep dish pies (from “A Taste of Georgia”)
This is absolutely the best sweet potato pie recipe ever, and I’ve tried many. Everyone who has made it agrees with me on this, try it, you will too.
1.5 cups sugar 1 stick butter, melted
3 eggs 1/2 cup milk
1.5 cups cooked sweet potatoes or canned yams mashed
1 tsps Vanilla extract* 2 regular 9” pie shell(s), unbaked
* Captain Morgan Spiced rum or bourbon may be substituted
Beat together sugar and eggs, add potatoes/yams, vanilla extract and
melted butter. Mix, then add milk. Pour into pie shell(s) and bake at
350 for about an hour. DO NOT USE ANY SPICES
VARIATION: Put pecans on top, plain, or sauted in butter and sugar.
GOLDEN BAKED MACARONI & CHEESE
(Morrison’s Cafeteria’s recipe, from the Gasparilla Cookbook)
1/2 pound macaroni 1 tablespoon butter
3 eggs, beaten 1 teaspoon dry mustard (or to taste)
1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon pepper (or to taste)
1 cup milk
3 cups grated cheese (Monterey Jack, Gouda, Sharp Cheddar or any combination of “hard” cheeses)
Preheat oven to 350 o F. Boil macaroni until tender; drain. Add butter to macaroni and stir to melt butter and coat macaroni. In separate bowl, mix mustard, salt, pepper, milk and eggs, add to macaroni/butter mixture. Add most of the cheese and mix well. Pour into lightly greased casserole dish, sprinkle with reserved cheese. Bake until the custard is set and crusty, about 45 minutes. 8 servings
**The “secret” of this recipe is the use of the mustard, which gives the “zip”. You can use prepared mustard if necessary, use to taste.
PUMPKIN PIE CAKE
My friend John Burnett got this recipe from a neighbor, Mary Ellen Reed of Sylmar California in 1969. It is stunningly delicious.
1 large can of Pumpkin pie mix 2 cups of chopped pecans
1 box of Duncan Heinz Butter Recipe cake mix
1 small Pkg of pecan halves 1 can of evaporated milk
1 stick of butter or margarine (melted)
Prepare Pumpkin Pie Mix according to directions on can using evaporated
milk. Grease or spray with Pam, a 9 X 11" Pyrex rectangular glass dish or
equivalent pan. Pour Pumpkin Mix into dish. Remove cake mix from box while
still in its plastic wrap. Before opening mash out all lumps in the mix.
Dribble cake mix (dry) over entire top of Pumpkin Mix. Spread evenly with a fork. Next dribble chopped pecans on top of cake mix.
Dribble melted butter over top. It will not cover every area -- Just dribble it over as much as possible. Reserve Pecan Halves and arrange them on top of the cake ten minutes before end of cooking time. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. This cake may also be done with sweet potato pie mix. Add spices if you prefer.
Miss Edna’s CORN PUDDING(side dish, NOT a dessert) (Edna Garren)
1 (16 ounce) can of cream style corn 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
2 Tablespoons butter, melted 2 Tablespoons sugar
1 Cup of whole milk 1/2 Teaspoon salt
3 eggs, beaten Dash of nutmeg
Preheat oven to 300 o F. Combine dry ingredients, add milk and beat together until completely dissolved. Add eggs, corn and butter. Mix well, pour into a 2 quart casserole and bake at 300 until the custard sets, about 45 - 60 minutes.
RICH EGG NOG (from the Gasparilla Cookbook)
1 pint heavy cream 3/4 cup whiskey
1.25 cups sugar 1/3 cup light rum
6 eggs, separated 1 quart milk
Whip cream until stiff, adding 1/4 cup sugar. Separate eggs, whip
whites very stiff, adding 1/2 cup sugar. Whip yolks until creamy,
adding 1/2 cup sugar; continue beating until all sugar is dissolved.
Add the liquors to the yolk-sugar mixture, mix well. Stir in the milk,
fold in the egg whites thoroughly, then the whipped cream. Makes 2 to 3 quarts
This recipe can be doubled, but it becomes unwieldy if you try to triple or more.
The ingredients can be mixed the day before and folded in together just
before serving. The taste is smoother if you let the liquor soak the
egg yolks for a while before adding the milk.
It can also be made without the liquor and/or sugar, just soak the eggs in vanilla extract, use about a half cup, and/or substitute Splenda for the sugar, sweeten to taste.
BLACK EYED PEAS (for New Years Day) (Ed Garren)
2 pounds of dried Black Eyed Peas (soak overnight) 1 pound of bacon
3 large yellow onions, peeled and diced 3 Green Peppers, ditto
Approximately a teaspoon each of Salt, Oregano, Basil, Rosemary
3-5 Bay leaves Cayenne Pepper or Tabasco to taste.
Take bacon, cut it into little squares, fry it in the pot.
Cut up onions and green peppers and fry them in the bacon grease.
Pour off the excess grease.
Put in the soaked or frozen or fresh or canned (if you're in a real hurry) black eyed peas.
Fill with water to cover peas (unless using canned peas).
Add, Oregano, Basil, Rosemary, Bay Leaf, Salt, a dash of Cayenne Pepper or Tabasco.
Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer, cover and cook until soft.
May be eaten solo or over Steamed Rice.
 A little self-promotion goes here. Marc Borzelleca did the graphics for the site; his firm’s ad appears on the front page. By Ryan Gierach. |
CORN WAFFLES (From Sunset Magazine, March 1929)
2 cups flour 1 cup whole milk
3 1/2 tsps baking powder 2 eggs, separate and beat the whites stiff
1/2 tsps salt 1 cup corn kernels
1/4 cup butter, melted
Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Stir in milk and egg yolks. Add corn and butter, fold in egg whites. Bake in in a hot waffle iron.
Makes about 4 large waffles.
Note: Thawed frozen corn, or canned corn without liquid such as “Nibblets” may be used.
Miss Edna’s Hermits (Edna Garren)
(those wonderful cookies that my mother has made for years, chewy and good)
2 Eggs
1 1/2 Cup Sugar
2/3 cup Oil
1 Tablespoon Syrup
2 Tablespoons Orange Marmalade
Cream the eggs, sugar and oil, add the syrup and Marmalade
3 Cups Flour
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Nutmeg
1/2 Teaspoon Allspice
1/2 Teaspoon Ginger
1 Cup seedless Raisins
1 Cup chopped nuts (Walnuts/Pecans, can be mixed)
Mix together the above DRY
Then fold in the eggs, etc from above, add
1 Teaspoon Baking SODA dissolved in 1 Tablespoon Water
Drop with a teaspoon onto greased cookie sheets and bake at 375 F until medium brown. Yield 5 doz.
Pecan Pralines (Krista Bryars) While visiting the Bryars in Mobile, Krista gave us this wonderful recipe for Pecan Pralines, and a bag full for the road. They were wonderful, hope you enjoy the recipe. It was a little tricky the first time, depending on the speed of your microwave. I’m sure it can be made on top of the stove as well.
3/4 Cup Buttermilk
2 Cups Sugar
2 Cups Pecan Halves
1/8 teaspoon Salt
2 tablespoons Butter
1 teaspoon (Baking) Soda
1 teaspoon Vanilla
In a large microwave safe bowl, stir together Buttermilk, Sugar, Pecans, Salt and Butter. Cook on high 10 1/2 minutes, stirring every 3 minutes.
Stir in Baking Soda until foamy. Cook 1 minute. Add Vanilla. Beat until tacky and drop on foil to cool.
“Marti” Kolker's Brisket & Bean Recipe
Martha Lynn Beirnbaum-Kolker (“Marti) was a wonderful friend in Miami. Her father was in the hotel business after WWII on Miami Beach, at one point owning more hotel rooms than Conrad Hilton. He made his fortune on Miami Beach, and received an award from the Miami Jewish Federation for “libertating” hotels (opening them up to Jewish guests) on Miami Beach. Her mother was from Macon Georgia, from a Jewish family in Georgia that came before the Revolutionary War (and helped finance it). Many have asked for this recipe, here it is.
1 small package of dried Baby Lima Beans
1 Brisket (up to 6 Pound)
2 onions, chopped
1 Pint Barbecue Sauce (best to use Marti & Amelia’s sauce recipe, which is next).
Soak the Lima Beans overnight until they swell up. Boil them about 15 minutes, until they start to get tender, but not soft (sort of "al dente"). Drain off excess water.
Place the Brisket in an enamel roasting pan (or similar that can be covered tightly). Pour the wet (but drained) beans on top. Add the chopped onion and the Barbecue Sauce.
Cover tightly and roast at 350 F for 30 minutes per pound of brisket. If the Brisket is larger than 6 pounds, pre roast it for 30 minutes per pound over 6. The beans cook in about 2 hours, so a 4 - 5 pound brisket works best.
You can also add a small can of baby carrots (drained) the last 45 minutes of cooking for both extra flavor and color.
Marti & Amelia's Barbecue Sauce
After years of experimentation, Marti and her mother came up with this recipe, which is perhaps the best “tomato” based barbecue sauce I’ve ever had.
2 large (barrel) bottles of Ketchup
2 large bottles of A-1 Sauce
1 Bottle of Wostershire Sauce
1 bottle of barbecue sauce, regular size, for spice blend.
1 jar of molasses
1/2 bottle of "Liquid Smoke"
1/2 bottle of sesame seed oil (optional)
1/2 bottle of vinegar
1 cup of Olive Oil
1/2 cup of Lemon Juice
4 onions, chopped
3 (or more) cloves of garlic, chopped
pepper to taste
hot sauce (or cayanne pepper) to taste.
Makes a large kettle of sauce. Simmer all day, with the top off so that it cooks down to proper consistency. May be thickened with an additional bottle of ketchup, or corn starch. Cook until thick, about 4 hours.
Editor’s note: Ed was instrumental in the conceptual development of WeHoNews.com and has been fully supportive of our efforts. We wish to celebrate his birthday (he doesn’t look a day over 4o-ish), November 21, and to give him a great big cyber thanks for his activism and his encouragement. We don’t always agree, but he has our deepest respect.