Deep South Staples: or How to Survive in a Southern Kitchen Without a Can of Cream of Mushroom Soup

By Robert St. John

Book Overview

A lively cookbook for Southerners who wish to recapture the tastes, smells, and memories of their youth--and for fans of Southern cooking everywhere Food in the South is a religion. Yet the problem with a lot of Southern cooking is the ever-present can of cream of mushroom soup. In this lively, humorous cookbook, Robert St. John shows Southerners (and all fans of the cuisine) how to indulge in the ideas and tastes that inspired Southern cooking, without resorting to ingredients like that canned soup in the recipe. The classic dishes are all here; they just taste better Sections include cocktail party fare, funeral food, breakfasts, salads and soups, summer suppers, cakes, vegetables, chitlins, desserts, sides, and much more. Recipes include Buttermilk Chicken, Pecan Crusted Redfish, Fried Catfish, Cajun Popcorn, Corn Fritters, and lots of other Southern classics.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1401308384
• ISBN13: 9781401308384
• Release Date: May 2006
• Publisher: Balance
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 2.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 7.6" x 9.5"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Highly recommend

Robert St. John is an excellent chef, and his recipes in this book reveal that. His ingredients are easy to obtain. I have fancy cookbooks with great recipes, but they call for ingredients that I can't find. Good home cooking is what this cookbook is all about: the basics with flare. Everytime I cook something from this book, people go on and on about how good it is. I'd love to take the credit, but it all really belongs to Robert St. John.

Great, highly readable and edible!

This fellow has it all- the ability to cook, and cook well- and the ability to truly tell a story. The book itself, even outside of the recipes, is a pleasure to read. The author is able to paint some really lovely pictures with his words- I got a very real sense of what it was like to grow up Southern, in slightly more genteel time than the present. The recipes are fabulous, as well- I have tried several, and every single one has been a hit with my family. Fantastic book!

Excellent, fun choice

I found this gem while wandering thru my library. I thought I'd try a few recipes and if I liked it, would go ahead and buy it. Well, I've had it about a week. I've made the meatloaf twice (once for a carry-in at work), the beef vegetable soup and today I am trying my hand at the Chicken tetrazzini. I am also buying a copy for me and another for a friend!

A Great Choice

I received this book for Christmas last year and have used many of the recipes in it on a weekly basis. Although some of them require quite a few more ingredients than I normally use, I love them so much that I'll take the extra time to prepare or buy those ingredients. My family particularly enjoys the maccaroni & cheese, scalloped potatoes and meatloaf recipes - but our all time favorite has to be the redfish recipe...it is amazing! Having grown up in Mississippi, I would highly recommend this to anyone who is looking for a true taste of the South. You will not be disappointed!

Southern Fun

I have "Deep South Parties,"and just had to have this one too. They share a few of the same staple recipes, but the stories and histories that are in it are well worth it.