The Best I Ever Had: Tales from the Kitchen

Tales from the Kitchen

Shot Fried Chicken

Farm supply travelling salesmen often timed their arrival on The Place at about dinnertime (the mid-day meal). Shot was the reason. She was the household overseer and administrative courier for the farm operation. She famously prepared the mid-day meal and Shot Fried Chicken is the best I ever had.

Virginia “Shot” Sharperson prepared and cooked the chicken in the fashion of her forebears, who had made their home on The Place for three generations. The frying size guest of honor had likely been dining on insects and worms in the yard that morning, when it was scooped up, flopped down, and beheaded.

Cutting up the chicken in the old-fashioned way is integral and crucial to the success of this recipe. The process really should be provided to the reader in a video – perhaps another time. The yard bird used by Shot would have weighed about 2.5 – 3.0 lbs when dressed. The pieces to be fried would have been smaller and more uniform in size than is customary today, and would have consisted of:

• 2 wings, tips included
• 2 drumsticks
• 2 thighs
• 1 “pully bone”, cut from the forward part of the breast, shaped like a perfect heart and containing the wish-bone
• 2 “side pieces” cut from each side of the breast, containing the ribs
• 1 breast containing the breast bone, and the remainder of the white breast meat of the chicken
• 2 pieces of the back-bone structure including the neck and parson’s nose.

Each of these preceding pieces would be cut to include at least a small piece of skin, and would be sized so that each piece was not diminished much in comparison with other pieces on the serving platter. For instance, the large amount of white breast meat would be shared among the pulley bone, the side pieces, the breast, and to some extent the wings. The liver and gizzard would be served on the dinner platter, although I believe that the liver was reserved for Libba and the gizzard for Thomas. The feet did not make it to the platter.

            It fell to Thomas to referee whose turn it was to get which favorite piece of chicken. The wisdom of Solomon would have come in handy. Thomas seemed to really prefer the back pieces, and Libba was characteristically selfless and ended up with the breast, so that somewhat removed adult self-interest from the equation and simplified the process. It is told that little Jody once asked “Please Daddy may I have the pully bone?” The story goes that Thomas answered “Of course Jody” and served him a thigh. Everyone was happy but Libba. I suspect that it did not happen again.

Start with a 2.5 – 3.0 lb. chicken cut the old-fashioned way. Salt and pepper thoroughly on both sides and then dredge in flour (Shot used a brown paper grocery bag with a cup or so of plain flour in it, shaking several pieces of chicken in it at a time). Fill a large lidded cast iron frying pan with 1.0 – 1.5 inches of oil, preferably real lard, or Crisco. Bring to a temp of 350 degrees Fahrenheit. When hot put all the pieces in the pan and cover with the lid for 10 minutes. Remove the lid and turn each piece of chicken. Cook for another 10 minutes uncovered, and then the smallest pieces should be golden brown and ready to come out. The meatier pieces could take another 5 minutes to cook. Put the hot chicken onto a brown paper bag to absorb grease and then transfer it to a platter to serve.

Sprinkle some of the remaining flour into the raw chicken essence left on the preparation tray and stir and smush it up into crumby tidbits and sprinkle them into the hot grease until brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and put some on the serving platter for children to fight over, and reserve some to go into the pan gravy made with water and chicken bouillon.

As with any recipe, you’re going to have to do it more than once to figure out what works. Talk to your butcher about having a whole chicken cut up into consistently sized pieces and don’t forget 3 lbs. is the maximum size!

The rest of the meal consisted of:

• White rice cooked in a South Carolina low country rice steamer, and
• Petite lima beans simmered with bacon drippings, black pepper, salt and a pinch of sugar, and
• Our own corn, cut off of the cob, fresh (picked that morning) or frozen, simmered with butter, black pepper and salt. To be clear, this was field corn picked young and tender and cut with a particular knife that had been in our kitchens for generations. We didn’t know about Sweet Corn and margarine until we discovered city folk.
• Sometime there was okra, simmered or fried, and sometime Nanny’s macaroni made with vermicelli, sharp cheddar, eggs and whole milk. Recipe follows.
• And in addition to the pan gravy, the special sauce for the rice and beans was Creamed Tomatoes, served at room temperature. Recipe follows.
• All of this was always served at Dinner – Supper for Thomas was likely to be raisin bran and milk.

Creamed Tomato Sauce

            The grandchildren referred to this as “Tomato Gravy.” Jim remembers that it contained “copious” black pepper.

• One 28 oz. can of premium quality whole tomatoes, or fully ripe tomatoes from your kitchen garden or local farmer’s market.
• ½ t Kosher salt
• 1 ¼ cup whole milk
• ½ t fresh ground black pepper (or more, to taste)
• 3 T sugar

Shred the tomatoes with your hands or a potato smasher. This yields a better result than diced tomatoes. Simmer all ingredients uncovered until most of the liquid is evaporated. Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature. Add milk until desired color and taste are achieved. Serve at room temperature over rice.

 

-Compiled and tested by Oliver, supervised by "Libba" and “Shot.” Photo by Oliver

Nanny’s Macaroni Pie

• 9” pie plate or quiche plate
• 3 eggs
• 6-7 oz. Sharp or New York State sharp cheddar, grated fresh
• 2 oz. vermicelli
• 1 and 1/4 cups whole milk
• Salt & pepper

Heat oven to 350. Grate your cheese. Cook vermicelli in salted water per directions, making sure not to overcook. Beat the 3 eggs and the milk together with the salt and pepper to taste. Pour the warm vermicelli into the pie plate and mix most of the cheese in with it, reserving a little for the top. Pour the milk & egg mixture over all, using a fork to make sure all is evenly distributed. Top with the last bit of cheese and cook for 30 minutes exactly.

When served, this macaroni is soft but holds together. It is moist with the texture of a fine soufflé. If it is firm or rubbery or cheesy like “mac and cheese”, then you need more milk and less cooking.

-Compiled and tested by Susannah, supervised by “Shot.”

            The kitchen and dining area were bright with two double windows, and cozy in winter with a “barefoot” heated brick floor. Meals were prepared by “Shot” and self-served in six place settings about a round pine table with a “Lazy Susan” in the south end of the kitchen by the old brick fireplace. Two more places could be accommodated at a counter between this dining nook and the central kitchen food preparation area to the north. “Shot” attended the meal – and the conversation – unless she was needed to dash into town to pick up tractor parts or make a bank deposit, or get cash to “pay off” a field crew. 

            Thank you to Shot, Susannah, Oliver and Jim for providing and/or approving the stories above. Shot is 83 years old and still working.

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