Hot Little Suppers — Appetizers and Side Dishes

Ingredients

- 1 Pound Okra, ends trimmed, chopped - 1/2 Cup Diced White Onion - 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or more to taste - 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt - 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper - 1 to 2 tablespoons butter - 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil - Fully Cooked Rice - 1 Additional White Onion, diced

Instructions

1. Mix together okra, 1/2 cup diced white onion, cayenne, salt, and pepper in a bowl and let sit for a few minutes for flavors to marry. 1. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter into 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a cast-iron skillet on medium to high heat. Add the okra-onion mixture and spread in a single layer; do not overcrowd. (You may need to cook in 2 batches). Let the okra cook undisturbed for about 10 minutes. 1. Turn the okra to brown the other side, about 10 minutes more. (The key to fried okra is to not stir or fuss with it, so it gets crispy.) Once the Okra is brown and crisp, remove to a paper bag to remove excess grease. 1. While okra is draining, chop an additional white onion and sautee in the cast-iron skillet. 1. Assemble by adding onion and okra to fully cooked rice. Place back into your cast iron. 1. Add 1 tablespoon of butter and additional pepper to taste. Let simmer until butter melts and serve!

You'll Need:

- ½ head of purple or green cabbage (or a mixture of both) very thinly sliced - ½ cup flat leaf parsley - ½ cup cilantro - ½ jalapeno, very thinly sliced - 4 radishes, very thinly sliced into matchsticks - ¼ cup red onion, diced - 1 seedless cucumber, quartered and chopped - 1 red bell pepper, chopped - 1 ½ tablespoon Dijon mustard - ½ tablespoon shallot, minced - Zest of ½ lemon - ¼ cup red wine vinegar - ¾ cup olive oil - Salt and Pepper to taste

How To:

1. In a large bowl toss together the cabbage, flat leaf parsley, cilantro, jalapeno, radishes, red onion, cucumber, and red bell pepper. 1. For the dressing, in a small bowl whisk together the Dijon, shallot, lemon zest, red wine vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. 1. Add the dressing to the cabbage mixture and toss to combine. Please note: you may not use all of the dressing, it depends on how saturated you want the slaw to be. 1. Serve immediately or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to eat. Enjoy

Cornbread Dressing:

- 6 tablespoons butter - 3 cups large onions, diced - 2 cups celery stalks, diced - 7 cups day-old cast-iron buttermilk cornbread, broken into 1-inch cubes (see recipe below) - 2 tablespoons fresh sage, minced - 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth - Salt and pepper to taste

How To:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. 1. Heat one tablespoon butter in a 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, celery, salt and pepper to taste. Cook until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. 1. Transfer to a large bowl. Add the cornbread and sage mixing well to combine. 1. In the same skillet over medium heat, melt 3 tablespoons butter. Add the cornbread mixture. Add broth and stir to moisten. Dot with remaining butter and season with salt and pepper to taste. 1. Bake until brown and crispy on top, about 40-50 minutes. 1. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Cast Iron Buttermilk Cornbread:

- 3 slices Bacon - 1 ¼ cups cake flour or all-purpose flour - 2 teaspoons cake flour or all-purpose flour - ¾ cup yellow cornmeal - ¼ cup of sugar - 2 teaspoons baking powder - 1 teaspoon kosher salt - ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper - 1 cup buttermilk - 1/3 cup heavy cream - 1 large egg, beaten

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. 1. Meanwhile cook the bacon in a cast-iron skillet remove and drain keeping drippings crumble place batter before baking or save it sprinkle on your next salad make blt for lunch 1. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt, and pepper. Combine buttermilk, cream, and egg, and add to the dry ingredients. Mix well. 1. Return the skillet with the bacon grease to high heat until very hot, but not smoking. Pour in batter, and sprinkle with bacon crumbles if desired. 1. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Let cool, cover, and set aside for one day before proceeding with Cornbread Dressing recipe.

You'll Need

- 3 tomatoes, peeled and chopped - 2 avocados, peeled, diced - 1 bunch cilantro, chopped - ½ red onion, chopped - Juice of ½ lime - ½ jalapeño pepper, seeds removed and minced - 3 tablespoons olive oil - Salt and pepper to taste

How To

1. In a bowl, mix together the tomatoes, cilantro, onion, lime juice, jalapeno, olive oil, salt and pepper. Gently fold in the avocados just before serving.

You'll Need:

- 1 pound mushrooms, cleaned and chopped (stems removed and reserved for stock) - 2 tablespoons olive oil - 4 tablespoons butter - 4 tablespoons flour - 1 onion, diced - 2 cloves garlic, minced - 2 tablespoons fresh thyme - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley - ½ cup crème fraiche - Salt and pepper to taste

Mushroom Stock:

- Reserved mushroom stems - 1 bundle fresh thyme - 1 bundle fresh parsley - Skins of garlic cloves and onion - 4 cups water

How To Make the Stock:

1. To make the mushroom stock; add the mushroom stems, thyme, parsley, garlic and onion skins and water to a saucepan. Simmer on low for 1 hour. 1. Set a strainer over a large bowl and pour the stock into the strainer and discard the solids. You should end up with two cups of stock. Set stock aside.

How To Make the Mushroom Gravy

1. Add the olive oil to a sauté pan and heat to medium. Sauté the garlic and onions until tender, about 5 minutes. 1. Add the butter to the pan and stir until melted. 1. Add the flour and stir until everything is evenly coated. Slowly add in the mushroom stock, stirring constantly until the mixture is smooth and velvety. Add the mushrooms, fresh herbs salt and pepper to taste. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes. Stirring frequently. 1. After 45 minutes add the crème fraiche and stir to combine. Let simmer on low for another 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. 1. Serve immediately over Callie’s Buttermilk Biscuits and Enjoy!