What is a 'real' soul food meal?

Question

Hello. My friend is Puerto Rican and he wants me to make him some soul food. I am black and so I know what soul food is. But I don't know what to make him. I don't want to scare him and make like chitterlings or something, but I do want him to get a real taste of what the south is all about. Can anyone send me any suggestions for a soul food meal. Thanks.

Answer 1

mixed greens, cooked down with some hog jowl or salt pork, corn bread , fried chicken ,or fried pork chops and fried potatoes served with a side of sliced onions, cucumbers and tomatoes, cant be beat, god i just made myself hungry thats the best eating in the world. amen

Answer 2

Fried Chicken, Collard Greens and Biscuits
Sweet Potato Pie for dessert :)

Answer 3

Shrimp and Grits

Make a basic brown sauce Boil one quart beef or veal stock (ideally homemade) for 15 to 20 minutes to reduce by approximately one-third. Combine 2-1/2 tablespoons arrowroot (or cornstarch, or other thickener) with 1/2 cup water, and slowly whisk into the boiling stock. Continue to boil the sauce until it is thickened, then strain it to remove any large clumps. Or, prepare a thickening roux until a deep golden brown; add beef or veal stock and a little bit of water. Keep warm or refrigerate for later use.

Mert's Famous Shrimp and Grits
1-1/4 lb. raw shrimp
1 cup corn grits, dry
4 tablespoons chopped scallions
1 cup basic brown sauce
1/2 cup good-quality olive oil
1/4 cup chopped ripe tomatoes

Cook enough grits for four (approximately one cup of dry grits), according to package directions. For richer grits, cook with chicken stock instead of water and season to taste. Add a little butter at the end, if desired. In the meantime, saute the shrimp over medium-high heat until almost firm, then add the brown sauce, tomatoes and scallions. Season to taste. Serve over warm grits. Serves 4.

Basic Greens
Greens are an essential ingredient in any soul-food meal, and recipes vary with almost every cook. Whether it's collards, turnip greens or mustard greens that make your mouth water, this recipe allows for a lot of personal interpretation. Feel free to mix and match different greens, and even different vinegars, to suit your taste.

And since this recipe is basic, feel free to add anything you have to the pot. Remember, the original pots of greens varied with what was on hand. Here are some ideas for things to add: jalapeño peppers, red peppers, carrots, smoked ham or turkey, ham hocks, sausage, cayenne pepper, peppered bacon.

Mert's Fresh Greens
6 bunches greens—mix and match collards, mustard and other greens
1 onion
1/4 cup garlic
1/2 cup oil (substitute chicken or vegetable stock for part of the oil, if desired)
1 cup vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Cut and wash greens thoroughly to remove any grit and dirt. Add all ingredients to a large pot and cook, without a lid, for 1 to 2 hours. Serves 15.

Cobbler
"It's automatic, y'all." Most will recognize this phrase as the title of an REM album, but long before those words were spoken by teens at the record store, Weaver D was preachin' his gospel over a pot of greens. Seems Stipe and the rest of REM borrowed the phrase, and the rest is history.

"If you need a smile or have a problem we can work out, that's automatic," he wrote in his recent biography and cookbook, "Automatic Y'all—Weaver D's Guide to the Soul" (Hill Street Press). And from a small, hole-in-the-wall restaurant to the Athens, Ga., catering business that now thrives, Weaver D's positive attitude and infectious humor have kept the tables full and the eaters happy. After all, he's been cookin' up his version of Georgia soul food for years. It's automatic.

Weaver D's Blackberry Cobbler
You can use just about any fruit for this cobbler. Use a medley of berries, sour cherries or your grandmama's canned peaches.

6 cups fresh or frozen fruit
7 Tbsp unsalted butter or margarine
1-1/2 cup milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Juice of half a lemon, strained

Preheat oven to 350F. Melt butter or margarine in a 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Combine milk, flour and sugar. Mix thoroughly. Pour milk and flour mixture over melted butter or margarine. Add vanilla extract and lemon juice to berries or peaches. Pour fruit into middle of milk and flour mixture. Do not stir. Bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown.

Answer 4

Fried catfish, corn muffins and greens.

Would that be too scary for him?

Answer 5

Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, sweet rolls or biscuits, macaroni & cheese