Comfort Cooking--Soul Food, Part 2

The book I blogged about a few days back (The Best Cook in the World by Rick Bragg,) turned my mind to the food of my youth and last night we had fried pork tenderloin (in my grandmother's iron frying pan,) greens (in a wok from Iowa City, 1969.) The greens are kale, stir-fried with onions and garlic and a bit of hog jowl. My grandmother would have used collards or turnip greens and would have boiled them into submission.

Also the traditional baked sweet potato with butter and a side salad of spinach, tomatoes, and homemade ranch dressing (Homemade mayo, yoghurt, dill weed, and lots of garlic. My grandmother would have preferred some iceberg lettuce, a slice or two of tomato and mayo or homemade Thousand Island dressing.)

There should have been corn pone-- one of my favorite things from my grandmother's table. But it needs really fresh white cornmeal, preferably water ground, and I don't have any.

There were, however, black-eyed peas, swimming in their pot likker. They were on my grandmother's table four or five times a week till I had had enough. But I made a special effort with these--more hog jowl, onion, garlic, hot pepper, and a bay leaf. Yep, that works!

Keeping our spirits up as we wait. . .