Recipes by Johnny Cash: Fudge Cake; "Old Iron Pot" Family-Style Chili; Pan-Fried Okra

Johnny Cash's Fudge Cake

1/2 cup margarine
1 cup water
1/2 cup shortening
4 tablespoons cocoa
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Bring to a boil the margarine, water, shortening and cocoa; set aside to cool.

In another bowl, combine flour and sugar.

When chocolate mixture has cooled, add the eggs, baking soda, cinnamon, buttermilk and vanilla.

Bake in greased and floured pan in 350 degrees F. oven until done (try 15 minutes).

Johnny Cash's "Old Iron Pot" Family-Style Chili

5 pounds sirloin steak
3 packages McCormick, Lawry's, Schilling or any good chili seasoning mix
Mexene chili powder
Spice Island's chili con carne seasoning
Cumin
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Thyme
Sage leaves
Chopped raw onions
Chopped chile peppers
3 or 4 cans red kidney beans
3 or 4 cans whole tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
Garlic and onion powder
Salt to taste

Chop steak and cook until medium with a little shortening. Add packages of chili seasoning mix and cook 5 minutes. Add chili powder, chili con carne seasoning, cumin, sugar, thyme, sage leaves, onions, chile peppers, beans, and tomatoes. Taste. If too hot for children or ladies, add 1 or 2 cans of tomatoes. Add tomato paste. If it gets too thick, add water. Simmer over low heat for 20 minutes. Serve with soda crackers or oyster crackers. Yields 36 servings.

Johnny Cash's Pan-Fried Okra

2 pounds okra
1 large yellow onion
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Bacon drippings or vegetable oil for frying

Wash and dry okra. Cut off stems. If pods are small, leave them whole; otherwise, cut into 1-inch pieces. Peel and chop onion. Place cornmeal, flour, salt and pepper in brown paper bag. Shake to blend ingredients. Heat bacon drippings or vegetable oil in heavy skillet. Put okra and onion in the paper bag with the seasoned cornmeal mixture; shake vigorously until vegetables are well coated. Fry vegetables in hot fat for several minutes until slightly brown, stirring to brown evenly. Do not overcook. Serves 4.

Recipes by Rosalynn Carter: Cheese Ring; Chicken Supreme

Rosalynn Carter's Cheese Ring

1 pound sharp Cheddar cheese, finely grated
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
6 twists freshly-ground black pepper
Dash of cayenne pepper
1 (12 ounce) jar strawberry preserves
Whole-grain crackers or Melba toast

Combine cheese with mayonnaise, chopped nuts and onions. Mix in black pepper and cayenne, and blend thoroughly. Press into 3-cup ring mold. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

To serve, dip mold into a pan of hot water for 15 to 20 seconds before turning out onto a serving platter. Fill center with strawberry preserves and serve at once with whole-grain crackers or Melba toast. Serves 6 to 8.

Rosalynn Carter's Chicken Supreme

1 egg
1/4 cup milk
3/4 cup dry bread crumbs
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
8 large half chicken breasts, boned, or 1 whole chicken, cut up
6 tablespoons butter or margarine
3 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup brandy
1/2 cup red wine
1 (4 ounce) jar sliced mushrooms

Beat egg with milk in a dish. Mix bread crumbs and seasonings in another dish. Dip chicken pieces into egg mixture, then into bread crumbs. Coat generously. Brown slowly in melted butter, one part at a time, in a large skillet. Place browned pieces in a large baking dish or casserole dish.

Stir flour into drippings in the pan in which chicken was browned, then stir in chicken broth. Cook, stirring constantly until mixture thickens and boils (about one minute). Stir in brandy and wine. Add mushrooms. Pour over chicken. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes or until chicken is tender.

Jack Carter's Garbage Omelet

Jack Carter's Garbage Omelet

4 slices bacon, cut in 1-inch pieces
1 medium-sized yellow onion, chopped
1/2 green pepper, diced
1 small tomato
6 eggs
1/2 teaspoon water
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon sweet butter

1. Brown bacon, onion and green pepper in skillet. Drain off most of the bacon fat. Add skinned, peeled tomato cut into small bits. Cook to soften tomato over low heat. Set aside.

2. Whip eggs until streaky, adding water. Add the seasonings (salt and pepper to taste). Heat butter in a separate 11 or 12-inch skillet until the butter begins to pop, but is not burned.

3. Add beaten eggs to skillet, reduce heat, cook until eggs just begin to set. Add the bacon mixture, shaking the pan. Begin tucking in the edges with a spatula to flatten omelet. Turn the omelet over by flipping it in the pan. Cook until crisp outside and soft inside. If desired, run under a broiler to set the top. Serve immediately. Serves two to three.

Johnny Carson's Whitefish with Angel Hair Pasta

Johnny Carson's Whitefish with Angel Hair Pasta

1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 carrot, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1/4 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 pounds whitefish fillets
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4-1/2 teaspoon filé powder
Cayenne pepper to taste
1 pound angel hair pasta
1 ripe tomato, peeled, seeded and diced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the zucchini until tender, about 1 minute. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the carrots and cook in the still-boiling water until tender, 2-3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Finally add the green beans and cook until tender, 2-3 minutes and remove. Keep the water at a full boil until ready to cook the pasta.

Preheat the broiler and broiling pan. Season the fish with salt, black pepper, filé powder and cayenne pepper to taste. Broil inches away from heat until the fish is lightly browned, firm to the touch, and opaque, 7-10
minutes. Transfer to a platter, remove the skin and keep warm.

Add the pasta to the pot of boiling water and cook until al dente. Drain well. Return the drained pasta to the pot, set over moderately high heat. Add the cooked vegetables, chopped tomato, olive oil and basil. Toss until blended and heated through. Transfer to a large serving platter. Place fish on top and serve at once. Serves 6.

Joanne Carson's Beef Stroganoff

Joanne Carson's Beef Stroganoff

1 1/2 lbs. beef tenderloin, fat and gristle removed, cut in cubes, then cut in 1/4 inch slices
Seasoned flour
3 tbsps. butter
1 tbsp. minced white onion
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms (Caps preferably)
1/2 cup beef broth
3 tbsps. dry white wine
1 cup sour cream
Hot cooked noodles or rice
Handful minced fresh parsley

Place beef slivers in paper bag with seasoned flour. Twist bag to close. Shake well, place meat pieces on platter until ready to use. Melt 1 tbsp. butter in heavy skillet; stir in onion and mushrooms. Cook onion and mushrooms until golden; pour in beef broth and wine. Cook onion-beef broth over low heat, stirring until reduced in volume. Meanwhile, brown floured beef in remaining 2 tbsps. butter in a separate skillet. Add beef and pan drippings to onion-beef broth. Taste to correct seasonings. Add sour cream and heat, stirring over very low heat, only until mixture has heated through. Do not boil or sauce will curdle. Serve at once over hot cooked noodles or rice garnished with parsley. Serves 4.

Nancy Carroll's French Coffee

Nancy Carroll's French Coffee

The instructions call for a brown china coffee biggin in place of the usual percolator. The formula also requires three generous tablespoons of pulverized coffee for four breakfast-sized cupfuls of boiling water. The biggin is, of course, a drip system and coffee made in this manner is served as soon as the brew is finished.

Recipes by Diahann Carroll: Broiled Steak with Mustard Sauce; Coffee Steak Sauce; Grilled Steak with Herbed Sauce; Steak Diahann; Sweet Potato Pie

Diahann Carroll's Broiled Steak with Mustard Sauce

For the steak:

2 lbs. top sirloin, cut 1 1/2 to 2 inches thick
Salt and cracked black pepper

1. Preheat broiler; place steak generously seasoned on both sides with salt and cracked black pepper on broiler rack 3-inches below heat. Broil 5-6 minutes for rare, 8 minutes for medium, and 8-10 minutes for well-done. Turn and broil 4-8 minutes longer. Place steak on heated platter (or wooden steak plank). Garnish with border of parsley, radish roses and butter-browned mushrooms. Serve with warm mustard sauce spooned over steak. Serves 6-8.

For the mustard sauce:
3 egg yolks
1/3 cup prepared yellow mustard
1/2 tsp. seasoning salt
Dash of cayenne pepper
6 tbsps. butter at room temperature

1. Beat egg yolks in saucepan with rotary beater until thick and lemon-colored. Add mustard, blend well. Warm mixture over very low heat (or in top of double boiler), stirring constantly. When mixture begins to thicken, add butter in three portions, beating well after each addition with rotary beater. Blend in seasoning salt and cayenne. Keep warm, uncovered, over hot water. (If sauce begins to separate, add a tsp. of cold water and beat with a fork until smooth.)

Diahann Carroll's Coffee Steak Sauce

1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup strong black coffee
2 tbsps. prepared yellow mustard
2 tsps. garlic salt
Dash of cayenne

1. Measure ingredients into jar as listed. Tightly cover and shake to mix. Pour 3/4 of sauce over steak. Let stand 1 hour in refrigerator. Baste steak with rest of sauce as it broils. Makes 1 1/4 cups.

Diahann Carroll's Grilled Steak with Herbed Sauce

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup vinegar
2 tbsps. instant minced onion
2 tbsps. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. thyme
1 1/2 tsps. salt
1/2 tsp. ground pepper
1 cup tomato juice
1/2 cup catsup
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

1. Combine vegetable oil, vinegar, instant onion, Worcestershire sauce, oregano and thyme; pour over steak (top sirloin or round).  Refrigerate several hours (or overnight). Drain and save liquid,

*** This recipe is from 1970. Do not save liquid. It's contaminated. Instead, remix vegetable oil, vinegar, instant onion, Worcestershire sauce, oregano and thyme. Use this new mixture like you would the saved liquid. ***

Grill steak about 15-20 minutes, turning frequently. Meanwhile, combine remaining liquid (the new mixture you made) with salt, pepper, tomato juice, catsup and cayenne pepper. Simmer 15 minutes, stirring often. Spoon sauce over steak.

Diahann Carroll's Steak Diahann

1. On the morning of the day you plan to serve this delicious dish for dinner, season your favorite cut of beef (sirloin, porterhouse, club, shell etc., cut to thickness and size to suit your family) generously with:

Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Hint of garlic powder and-or onion powder
Good bottled Italian salad dressing

Rub seasonings well into both sides of the steak and wrap in aluminum foil. Refrigerate until ready to cook.

2. Saute sliced fresh mushrooms and onions in butter in a heavy skillet; remove them and keep them warm. Now put steak in the pan over a rather high flame. When it is ready to turn (it should be well-browned on the outside, red on the inside) pour 1 jigger Cointreau over it and complete cooking to individual taste: rare, medium or well-done. Serve with green salad and its a rare treat!

Diahann Carroll's Sweet Potato Pie

Sweet potatoes, peeled (4 or 5 medium-sized potatoes to make 1 1/2 cups mashed)
Boiling salted water to cover potatoes
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 stick sweet butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup dark rum (or 1 tsp. rum extract)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
One 8-inch pie shell (unbaked)

1. Put peeled sweet potatoes into saucepan with enough boiling salted water to cover them. Cook until potatoes are tender and water has almost cooked away. Partially cool in pan.

2. Put sweet potatoes in mixing bowl. Beat until soft and fluffy. Add about 1 cup milk and beat until fluffy. Add butter, sugar and eggs; blend well. Add rum (or rum extract), vanilla extract and nutmeg. Add remaining milk to make a fluffy mixture. Taste to correct seasonings.

3. Pile lightly into pie shell. Bake in preheated 350 degrees F. oven until lightly browned (about 1 hour or until a knife inserted in center of filling comes out clean). Serve warm as dessert with strong coffee. Serves
6-8.

Thoughts: Be sure sweet potato mixture is not too dry. Add more milk to make it softer textured. The natural sweetness of the potato will dictate the amount of sugar to add. More butter can be added as individual tastes dictate.