Savannah, Georgia

Cucumber Sandwiches with Strawberries and Watercress

8 large strawberries

4 ounces (8 tablespoons) Neufchâtel, softened

1 tablespoon chopped mint

1 teaspoon lemon zest

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 seedless cucumber, thinly sliced

1 bunch watercress, long stems trimmed

8 slices whole wheat sandwich bread

Serves 4

When summer fruits are at their sweetest, peaches make a worthy substitution for the strawberries in this recipe.

Chop 4 of the strawberries and slice the remaining 4. In a large bowl, mash chopped strawberries with a fork. Add Neufchâtel, mint, zest, salt and pepper and mix until well combined.

Spread strawberry mixture evenly between slices of bread then arrange cucumbers, sliced berries and watercress over half of the slices. Top with remaining slices to form sandwiches then halve each and serve. Enjoy!

Low Country Boil

4 quarts water

2 whole cloves garlic

2 bay leaves

4 whole black peppercorns

1 tsp hot red pepper flakes

1/3 cup Old Bay seasoning mix

8 small red bliss potatoes, cut in half

2 lbs. Smoked sausage (kielbasa or andouille)

8 ears fresh corn, halved

4 lbs. Fresh shrimp, large or jumbo

In an 8 quart pot, bring the first six ingredients to a boil. Add the potatoes and cook at a slow boil for about 5 min., or until beginning to get tender.

Add sausage and continue to cook for 5 minutes. Add corn and continue another 7 minutes.

Add shrimp in their shells and continue for 3 to 4 minutes, until just pink.

Serve in a big bowl or simply mound on a paper-covered table. This is finger food, designed for casual eating and lots of camaraderie. Serves 8 hungry people.

Shrimp and Grits - A Savannah Tradition

No dish says “Savannah!” more clearly than Shrimp and Grits. Chef Robert Stehling offers his Shrimp and Grits with Asparagus (see recipe below) as an easy and traditional Savannah meal. "This is a very traditional Low Country dish," says Chef Stehling. "At its simplest, it's just plain pan-fried shrimp with grits, but it's pretty flexible."

Savannah Shrimp and Grits with Asparagus

3 slices bacon, chopped

Peanut oil (optional)

1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 tablespoons flour

1-1/4 cups sliced mushrooms

1 bunch fresh asparagus, snapped and sliced on the bias into 2-inch-long pieces

1 large clove garlic, minced

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon Tabasco

1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions

In a medium skillet over medium high heat, cook the bacon, stirring occasionally, until crisp, approximately 5 6 minutes. Drain the bacon on paper towels, reserve the bacon fat in pan and add peanut oil, if needed, to give you approximately 1 1/2 tablespoons.

Toss the shrimp with the flour until they are lightly coated, removing any excess flour. Over medium high heat cook the shrimp on one side, flip them and add mushrooms, bacon and asparagus. Cook until shrimp is just done, about 2-4 minutes. (Take care not to overcook the shrimp.) Add the garlic, stirring constantly so as not to brown the garlic. Remove from heat and add the lemon juice, Tabasco and green onions. Spoon over cheese grits.

Cheese Grits

4-1/2 cups water

1 cup stone ground grits

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

1/4 cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese

3 tablespoons Unsalted Cultured Butter

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon Tabasco

Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Whisk in the grits and salt, reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the grits are thickened, approximately 35 40 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the cheeses, butter, pepper and Tabasco, adding more to adjust seasoning as desired. Serves 2-4

Bluffton Oyster Pie

2 pints Bluffton oysters

1 tbsp. Canola or Vegetable oil

3 tbsp. butter

2 sleeves of Ritz crackers, crushed

1 ½ tsp. Kosher salt

1 tsp.white pepper

2 cups heavy cream

1 tbsp.Worcestershire sauce

dash of Tabasco

1 tbsp. Butter

Glass baking dish

Directions: Melt butter in frying pan. Add saltines and toss 5 minutes. Drain oysters and reserve liquid. Salt and pepper oysters. Mix half and half or whipping cream, Worcestershire sauce, and reserved liquid. Beginning and ending with buttered crackers, layer crackers and oysters. Pour cream mixture over top and dot with the tablespoon of butter. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Granny Jackie’s Savannah Peach Cobbler

Ingredients:

6-8 Georgia Peaches

¼ cup water

¼ to 1/3 cup sugar

1 cup self-rising flour

2 tablespoons Crisco

2 tablespoons Butter

¼ teaspoon vanilla (optional)

¾ to 1 cup milk

dash of cinnamon

dash of nutmeg (optional)

Peel and slice peaches. Put into 8x8 or 6x9 pan. Add water. Sprinkle with sugar. Dot with butter. Add vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Topping: Cut Crisco into flour. Add milk. Stir. (This mixture should be thin enough to drizzle over peaches.) Pour over peaches. Bake at 350° for 40-50 minutes until peaches are bubbly and topping is browned

Grandmama’s Chicken & Dumplings

Ingredients:

2-3 Chicken Breasts (add more if you like)

Cream of Chicken Soup

Salt & Pepper

Frozen Dumplings (trust me, Grandmama wouldn’t use them if they didn’t taste the same as hers!)

Boil the chicken breasts in a large pot for about ½ an hour. Test to make sure they are done. Remove the chicken from the pot and pour cream of chicken soup into the water. Next add your dumplings (as many as you like) and allow to cook for 15 or 20 minutes. Finally, chop the chicken breast into smaller pieces and add to the pot. Let it cook together for a while and season to taste with salt and pepper. Voila! Chicken and Dumplings has never been this easy to make!