An American Celebration : Reviving Soul Food

“The only reason I’m inviting y’all,” Irene told me darkly as she whip-snapped a dampened pillow case across the ironing board, “is ‘cause your Mama’s such a fine Christian woman.”

Irene’s invitation to Mother, Daddy and me was to a special music service at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, where the Rev. Martin Luther King Sr. was then pastor. Years later, Ebenezer Baptist would become world-famous because of the Rev. King’s son and co-pastor, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. But in the time of which I speak, M.L., as Irene called Dr. King all his life, “was just a little old shirt-tail boy” a few years older than I.

Twice a year while I was growing up, our family attended Ebenezer’s special music services, always as Irene’s guests. Even as a child, I never failed to be exalted by the gospel music and by the refreshments served afterward in the church basement: dainty tea sandwiches, miniature cupcakes and bite-sized tarts, provided by “the Party Makers,” a loose coalition of church women who catered some of Atlanta’s nicest teas and dinner parties.

One night, instead of the usual finger foods and punch, the women served a dinner I remember fondly as the epitome of soul food: platters of mahogany fried chicken, clove-studded country hams, barbecued spareribs, pork chops smothered in rich brown gravy, black-eyed peas simmered long hours with ham hocks, turnip greens swimming in pot likker, potato salad yellow with mustard and hard-boiled eggs, candied yams, fried okra, candied tomatoes, corn fried in butter, coleslaw, corn bread and corn sticks and raised rolls, banana puddings, chocolate cakes and sweet potato pies.

Back then, no one had ever heard of “soul food.” When the term was coined in the ‘60s, dictionaries moved quickly to give it definition as “food traditionally eaten by southern American blacks.” This came as a distinct surprise to southern American whites such as myself, who grew up on the very same foods: highly seasoned, everyday ingredients cooked with love and slabs of fat bacon.

Irene’s definition was much better. “The only difference between black soul food and white soul food,” she told me, “is white folks gets more ham and chicken, and black folks gets more ham hocks and chittlins.”

Every Tuesday while I was growing up, Irene came to do the ironing, keep an eye on me and start a “soul food” supper for Mother to finish when she got home from visiting the sick and shut-ins among her women’s Sunday school class. For almost 10 years, the two maintained an uneasy symbiosis as employer and employee.

Raised to carry her own weight in the hardscrabble hills of north Georgia, Mother believed there was something faintly sulfurous about hiring someone else to do her work, while Irene, in the course of plying her trade as a freelance ironer, had developed what today would be called “an attitude” about most of her clients. But Mother she held in great esteem, because of Mother’s good works at Kirkwood Baptist, and because Irene knew very well that on Mondays, on her knees over our old clawfooted bathtub, Mother had washed the clothes that she, Irene, ironed on Tuesdays.

With the advent of drip-dry clothing, Irene was forced into early retirement and went to live with one of her sons. About the same time, Mother went back to work at the Southern Baptist Women’s Missionary Union. But the two kept in touch long after I graduated from college and headed north to seek my fortune.

Shortly after Rosa Parks was arrested in Montgomery for refusing to give up her seat in the front of a bus, Mother took to sitting in the back of Atlanta Transit buses on her way to and from work. She was itching for someone, anyone, to challenge her choice of seating, so she could make a stump speech about God being color-blind and hand out a few tracts. But no one ever told her to move to the front of the bus; something about my Mother had a calming effect on bullies and bigots.

In 1967, I found myself in New York City, despondent over a personal trauma. One evening when I got home, a letter from Irene was waiting. “Dear Friend,” she wrote in spidery script, “I am grieving to hear about all your troubles--your Mama told me last week. Seems like sometimes the Lord picks on all the wrong people, but trust in Him anyway, and He will see you through. Things will work out all right for you, because you are too much like your Mama to give up.” She signed it, “With Christian love.”

Of course, I called Irene as soon as I stopped crying to tell her how much her thoughts and words meant to me. And of course, as fellow Atlantans, we fell to discussing Dr. King’s latest accomplishment, winning the Nobel Peace prize. M.L., she grumbled, was spending too much time on the road and not enough at Ebenezer Baptist.

“But Irene,” I chided, “Dr. King’s work in civil rights is helping people all over this country.”

“I know,” she said, “but Daddy King’s gettin’ on and needs help with the preachin’.”

That was the last time I talked with Irene. She died not long after at age 57, of a stroke caused, the doctor said, by high blood pressure. Her family and friends were stunned. They couldn’t understand how a tiny little thing like Irene could have such a deadly case of hypertension and not even know she had it. Like so many people, they thought high blood pressure was only for the overweight and elderly.

Today, most of us know high blood pressure is a major cause of both heart disease and stroke. There is no way of predicting who will get it, though black Americans are far more likely candidates than white--38% of blacks are hypertensive, compared to 29% of whites. We also know a good diet, low in fat and reduced in salt, can delay or prevent the onset of hypertension in many people.

Like so many of America’s favorite foods, traditional soul food is loaded with fat and salt added both during cooking and at the table. I love soul food, and I’m not about to give it up. But I love life too. So over the years, I’ve worked out new ways for old favorite recipes, considerably lightened in both fat and salt, that preserve much (but not all) of that old-time flavor.

LEMON-PEPPER BARBECUED CHICKEN 8 bone-in chicken breast halves or legs with thighs Lemon-Pepper Barbecue Sauce

Remove skin and trim off fat from chicken. Coat each piece of chicken with about 2 tablespoons Lemon-Pepper Barbecue Sauce. Arrange pieces in single layer in large baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until juices run clear yellow when thickest part is pierced. Makes 8 servings.

Each white-meat serving contains about: 329 calories; 40 mg sodium; 146 mg cholesterol; 8 grams fat; 8 grams carbohydrate; 55 grams protein.

Each dark-meat serving contains about: 336 calories; 47 mg sodium; 138 mg cholesterol; 16 grams fat; 7 grams carbohydrate; 40 grams protein.

Use as basting sauce and/or marinade for chicken stripped of skin before cooking, and for lean pork roasts and chops.

Lemon-Pepper Barbecue Sauce 1 1/2 teaspoons canola oil 1/4 cup chopped onion 1 clove garlic, crushed 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce 1 tablespoon brown sugar 1 teaspoon crushed dried basil 1 teaspoon dry mustard 1/4 teaspoon paprika 1/4 teaspoon coarse-grind black pepper 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice Grated zest of 1 lemon 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 tablespoon cider vinegar

Heat oil in small heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and saute until tender. Stir in garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Stir in tomato sauce, brown sugar, basil, dry mustard, paprika, black and cayenne peppers, allspice, lemon zest, lemon juice and vinegar.

Bring to simmer over low heat and cook, covered, 15 minutes. Cool to room temperature. Makes 1 cup, enough for 8 chicken breasts or legs with thighs.

SOULFUL BLACK-EYED PEAS 1 pound dried black-eyed peas Water 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 cup chopped onion 2 cloves garlic, crushed 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon crushed dried thyme 2 bay leaves 1/4 teaspoon cracked red, or black pepper

Sort peas, then wash and drain. Soak 1 hour or longer in water to cover. Drain and set aside.

Heat olive oil in large heavy saucepan. Add onion and saute over medium heat until almost browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, then 4 cups water, salt, thyme, bay leaves and pepper. Bring to boil. Add drained peas and return to boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover and cook 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until peas are tender. Makes 8 servings.

Each serving contains about: 203 calories; 274 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 3 grams fat; 32 grams carbohydrate; 14 grams protein.

CANDIED TOMATOES 1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes 2 cups cubed white bread 2 tablespoons brown or granulated sugar 2 tablespoons cider vinegar 1 teaspoon crushed dried basil, optional Hot pepper sauce or black pepper 2 teaspoons butter or margarine

Cut whole tomatoes into pieces, then combine with bread cubes, sugar, vinegar, basil and hot pepper sauce to taste in 6-cup casserole. Dot with butter and bake at 400 degrees until bubbling hot throughout and lightly browned, 30 to 45 minutes.

(Or, combine all ingredients in saucepan and bring to simmer on stovetop. Cook, uncovered, on low heat until slightly thickened, about 20 minutes.) Makes 8 servings.

Each serving contains about: 80 calories; 246 mg sodium; 3 mg cholesterol; 2 grams fat; 15 grams carbohydrate; 2 grams protein.

NEW LIGHT TURNIP GREENS 2 pounds tender turnip or mustard greens 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 small onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, crushed 2 cups water 1/2 teaspoon salt Hot pepper vinegar

Pick over mustard greens and remove tough stems. Wash in cold water until no trace of sand remains. Set aside to drain.

Heat olive oil in large Dutch oven or stockpot. Add onion and saute until almost browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook another minute, then add water. Bring to boil.

Add greens and salt, cover and simmer over low heat 15 minutes to 2 hours, or until greens are of desired doneness. Add enough water during cooking as necessary to produce at least 1 cup cooking juices, known as pot likker. Serve with hot pepper vinegar on side, for sprinkling over greens. Makes 8 servings.

Each serving contains about: 38 calories; 160 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 2 grams fat; 5 grams carbohydrate; 1 gram protein.

COUNTRY-STYLE CUCUMBERS 2 large or 4 small cucumbers 1 small red onion 1/2 cup rice vinegar 1/2 cup water 1 tablespoon sugar 1 tablespoon snipped fresh dill or 1 teaspoon dried dill weed, optional Hot pepper sauce or freshly ground pepper, optional

Peel waxed cucumbers, cut in halves lengthwise, scoop out seeds and slice thinly. (Wash and thinly slice unwaxed cucumbers without peeling.) Peel and thinly slice red onion, then separate into rings. Combine onion slices and cucumbers in mixing bowl.

Bring rice vinegar, water and sugar to boil. Stir in dill and pour over cucumbers. Season to taste with hot pepper sauce. Toss well, cover and refrigerate several hours or overnight, to blend flavors. Serve as side salad or relish. Makes 8 servings.

Each serving contains about: 20 calories; 2 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 0 fat; 7 grams carbohydrate; 0 protein.

CORN STICKS OR CORN BREAD 1 tablespoon bacon drippings or vegetable shortening 2 cups finely ground white or yellow cornmeal 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 2 eggs, lightly beaten 1 1/2 cups low-fat buttermilk or 1% milk

Grease 2 corn stick pans or 10-inch cast-iron skillet with bacon drippings. For crisp crust, heat greased pans 5 to 10 minutes in 425-degree oven, or until batter sizzles when it hits pan.

Stir cornmeal, baking powder and baking soda in mixing bowl. Beat eggs with buttermilk, then stir into dry ingredients. Spoon batter into hot corn stick pans or skillet and bake at 425 degrees 15 to 20 minutes for corn sticks, 25 to 30 minutes for corn bread, or until browned and pulling from sides of pan. Serve immediately. Makes 14 corn sticks or 8 servings.

Each corn stick contains about: 105 calories; 87 mg sodium; 33 mg cholesterol; 2 grams fat; 17 grams carbohydrate; 3 grams protein.

CHOCOLATE-GLAZED BANANA CAKE 1 teaspoon vegetable shortening 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour 3 cups sifted cake flour 1 tablespoon baking powder 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon butter or 1/2 cup margarine, softened 1 1/4 cups sugar 3 large eggs 1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas 1/3 cup low-fat buttermilk Chocolate Glaze, optional

Lightly brush 2 (9-inch) layer cake pans or 13x9-inch baking pan with shortening, then dust with all-purpose flour. Sift cake flour with baking powder and set aside.

Cream butter with sugar in large mixer bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs on medium speed 5 minutes, scraping bowl down several times.

Reduce mixer speed to low, beat in bananas and buttermilk. Add dry ingredients all at once, mixing only to moisten dry ingredients. Spoon batter into prepared pans and bake on middle shelf of 350-degree oven 25 to 30 minutes, or until wood pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool 5 minutes in pans, then turn onto rack to finish cooling. For best results, wrap cooled layers in film and ripen overnight before serving. Frost with Chocolate Glaze or serve plain. Makes 12 servings.

Each serving, with glaze, contains about: 346 calories; 166 mg sodium; 70 mg cholesterol; 10 grams fat; 62 grams carbohydrate; 5 grams protein.

Variation:

For Banana-Nut Cake: Fold in 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts with flour.

Chocolate Glaze 1 cup unsifted powdered sugar 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 1/2 (1-ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate 1/4 cup boiling water

Sift powdered sugar with cocoa, set aside.

Melt chocolate in top of double boiler over simmering water, or in microwave oven on HIGH (100% power) 1 minute. Remove from heat, stir boiling water into melted chocolate to make smooth paste, then stir in sugar-cocoa mixture. Spread evenly while warm over cake layers.

MEETING HOUSE POTATO SALAD 1 1/2 pounds unpeeled waxy boiling potatoes, scrubbed Water 3 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons lemon juice 2 tablespoons white wine or apple juice 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 hard-cooked eggs, finely chopped 1 cup finely diced celery 1/4 cup finely chopped shallots or onion 1/4 cup finely chopped green or sweet red pepper 2 tablespoons sweet or dill pickle relish

Cook potatoes in water to cover until tender, about 30 minutes. Drain and cool thoroughly. Peel potatoes and cut into 1-inch cubes.

Place in mixing bowl. Whisk olive oil with lemon juice, white wine, mustard and salt. Pour over potatoes. Add chopped eggs, celery, shallots, green pepper and pickle relish. Mix thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate overnight to blend flavors. Makes 8 servings.

Each serving contains about: 155 calories; 245 mg sodium; 53 mg cholesterol; 7 grams fat; 20 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams protein.