The following “CHEW THIS!” column originally appeared in “The Courier-Times” and / or “The Shelbyville News” as well as other publications. Check their websites for further information or write to me for more details as to where this can be viewed.

A Home Grown Indiana Meal 

Blaise Doubman

Recently, I was invited over to Larry Coon and Diane Groce’s house for a lesson in how to fix and prepare a Home Grown Indiana Meal. Let me tell you, it was absolutely delicious and one of the best meals I have had in awhile. It evoked memories of my Grandma Barbra because of the smell of greens cooking on the stove top, the use of lard in just about everything in the kitchen and the cast iron skillets used to make the cornbread. I, personally, never did like beans and cornbread when I was younger and whenever it was fixed, I would pass and only eat a piece of the cornbread with some butter. Ok, mainly I would eat butter with a piece of cornbread. But, over the years, I have come to grow and appreciate the beans and cornbread meal. I find it interesting in how it is mainly a meal served in the Midwest and just about everyone fixes it the same, with only minor tweaks. Adding baking soda to the beans helps release the gases into the air, therefore not into the stomach. Preheating cast iron with butter in the stove before adding in the cornbread mixture so that the interior will be soft and moist, while the outside becomes golden brown and crunchy. Using mustard greens instead of collard greens because not only are they less bitter, they are just simply more flavorful and reheat better. These are just a handful of the things that Larry and Diane taught me when it came to them showing me a good beans and cornbread meal.

Larry and Diane just retired from working at The Park restaurant in New Castle after many years and both really know their way around the kitchen. I was introduced to Larry and Diane by my friend Kevin Vickery, who you know from “The Cousin Brothers” and “Make Some Noise” column here in this very newspaper fame. Larry is his Mother Terry’s twin brother. Larry is well known in the Kennard area for his stint working and owning Jeff’s Pizza. I was really excited to get the call from my friend Kevin about how he had set up my “kitchen meeting” with Larry and Diane and it went just fantastic. By the time I had made my notes, taken my pictures and learned quite a bit, Kevin had joined us for dinner along with Larry and Diane’s friend and neighbor, Phyllis Boze, Mert Edward, Dewey Sutton and Aunt Jo Smith. It was a really good time had by all with not only a delicious home grown Indiana meal but delicious desserts too. The evening reminded me about what the Holidays really are about. Togetherness, laughs, love and of course, delicious food.  

Beans, Cornbread, Fried Potatoes and Mustard Greens

For the beans…

Place 1 1/2 pounds each of Great Northern Beans and Pinto Beans into a large stock pot and fill with water. Add in about a tablespoon of baking soda. Bring to a boil over high heat and allow to boil for about 5 minutes. Remove the beans and rinse. Put the beans back on, cover with water and bring to a boil again. Add in 2 pounds of Kentucky Legend ham that has been diced. Bring to a rolling boil, lower the heat and simmer for 1 1/2 – 2 hours. The beans will be ready at this point. Reheat as needed. The beans can be salted as needed after serving. 

For the cornbread…

Take 2 large iron skillets and place a stick of butter into each skillet. Place into the oven and start preheating the oven to 425 degrees F. While the oven is preheating, make the cornbread. In this particular recipe, a skillet will be made with 2 boxes of Jiffy Cornbread mix, while the other skillet will contain cornbread made with Pearl Milling. Follow the boxed directions on whichever cornbread mix you prefer. Once the oven has preheated, carefully remove the cast iron skillets. Pour the batter into the skillets while the skillets are piping hot. Immediately place back into the oven for about 20-25 minutes until the tops are golden brown and crunchy. This ensures a cornbread that is moist in the middle, golden brown on top and crunchy on the sides and the bottom. This is the perfect way to make cornbread. 

For the fried potatoes…

Peel and slice 10 pounds of potatoes. Put about 1 1/4 cups of lard into each of 2 deep skillets and place on medium high heat. Once the lard has melted and starts to have “waves” throughout, this means the oil is ready for frying. Carefully add in the potatoes, divided equally, into each of the 2 skillets. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Cover each skillet with a lid. Still have the heat on high for awhile to help brown the potatoes. You want these brown and crispy. Frequently remove the lids and carefully stir the potatoes, being careful not to break up the potato slices. Keep an eye on these and if needed turn the heat down slightly. You want nice and brown, crisp potatoes, nothing black or burnt. 

For the mustard greens…

In a large pot over high heat, add 3 large cans of mustard greens, undrained. Add in about 1/2 cup of lard and a liberal amount of salt and pepper. Cook on high, stirring occasionally, until boiling. Once boiling, turn the heat down to about medium high and continue cooking and sitting occasionally until the liquid is reduced by about half. After the liquid is reduced, they are ready to serve. These will then be ready to reheat as needed. 

Ask and Answer: I would like to send a special shoutout to one of my dear readers, Phyllis Boze. She is a loyal reader and dedicated follower. She recently celebrated her 90th Birthday. She said that my chocolate cake with caramel icing is the exact same recipe that her mother would use. Recently, I tried some of the cake and I have to say that it was better than mine and was really delicious. She also had me try a dessert she made with Golden Oreo cookies layered with a combination of vanilla pudding and Cool Whip and it was fabulous as well. Thank you Phyllis for the dedication and support! You are an inspiration to so many.