Purple Peas, Peachy Cobbler and Southern Hospitality

When this is what you wake up to every morning and where you spend your days and evenings....it sure does make it hard to go home and get back to work. I just got back from spending 10 wonderful days at mom and dads in the good ole hot sticky humid south. And I loved every minute of it.

Mosquito bites and all.

95% of my family lives in Alabama. Where it's always green, the food comforts the soul, and hospitality is a way of life. And my daighters and I enjoyed it all while Sir Sportsalot stayed home and held down the fort. (hmmm...I wonder who had more fun....us girls or a temporarily bachelored (is that a word???) sports nut?)

Before I give you a taste of some of the food we chowed on, let me show you some of the ways we experienced true southern living.....

A little live entertainment at a local club called Boondocks. Where the parking lot disappears into the lake, margaritas are served in plastic disposable cups, a bartender breaks horses by day, and my brother serenades a lively crowd

Where else can you be greeted like a friend and treated like a family member (nope, I'm not talking about the old man in suspenders talkin to dad....I'm talking about the 2 dogs .....carryin' on)

A trip to 'Bama wouldn't be the same without the wildlife. There's something comforting about sitting on the porch, listening to a forest filled with the song of the cicada

And how can you fully experience the south without a pageant? My little niece (shown in the middle) participated in her second pageant. It wasn't one of those big time, full fledge pageants. It was a fund raiser for a local high school band. She did wonderfully. All the girls did, whether they won anything or not.

And last but not least....the food! I looooove me some southern cooking! My baby sister, Nicki made us a full fledged southern meal, complete with cornbread, coleslaw, and fried okra.

She had gone to the farmers market that morning and bought a couple pounds of Purple Peas

I think this is the most beautiful bag of peas I've ever seen. So the two of us sat on the back porch with our tall glasses of sweet tea, in true southern fashion and shelled this bag of peas

They shelled easily enough so it didn't take us all that long. Thank God cuz maaaaaan, was it hot outside! But in no time at all we had ourselves a good amount of peas shelled and ready to wash and cook.

Look at how perty them peas are! I think of them as a girlie version of black eyed peas. My sister cooked them the same way she cooks black eyed peas...in a pot of water with a ham hock. The flavor was fabulous! More mild....not as earthy tasting as black eyed peas. I think out of the two kinds, I prefer the purple ones. I can't wait to hit the farmers market in Hollywood to see if I can find me a few pounds. How would you cook yours?

And for dessert, we were treated with a Peachy Peach Cobbler. Well....that's what it was suppose to be according to the directions....only a little adjustment was made. Instead of just peaches, Nicki added some raspberries.

Peachy Peach Raspberry Cobbler
Printable Version

Crust:
1 1/2 cups sifted all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup well chilled vegetable shortening, cut into small bits
3 tablespoons well chilled unsalted butter, cut into small bits
3 tablespoons ice water (or more if necessary...it usually takes my sister 5 tablespoons)

Sift flour, salt and baking powder together into a large bowl

Add the shortening and butter and toss to coat the pieces of fat with flour. With a pastry blender, cut the fats into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse meal.

Sprinkle water over crumbs and toss with a fork. Do not mash! Gradually the crumbs will form into clumps. With floured hands, form dough into a mass by pressing the mixture against the side of the bowl. All of the crumbs should adhere to the dough and clean the bowl. If not, add a few more drops of water. Form the dough into a flat rectangle if you are using an oblong dish or shape into a flat disk. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

Cobbler:
8 - 9 cups fresh peaches (or 2 lbs of peaches, or a combo of peaches with cherries, raspberries or blueberries)
3/4 cup plus 1 tsp sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Preheat oven to 425' F. Butter your dish. (it doesn't say what size....I think something around 11x7?)

Cut the peaches into 1 inch slices. In a large bowl, combine the peaches (and raspberries if desired), 3/4 cup sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon.

Toss to coat. Empty mixture into prepared dish and spread evenly. Sprinkle fruit with lemon juice and dot with butter.

On a floured surface, roll out the pastry about an inch or 2 larger than your dish

Place it loosely over your fruit. Press edges against the side of the dish with a fork or fingers. Prick the top in several places with a knife or fork to make steam vents. Sprinkle the top with the remaining 1 tsp sugar. Nicki likes to brush the top with an egg wash first.....I recommend doing the same. She knows what she's talking about.

Bake the cobbler for 40 - 45 minutes, until the juices begin to bubble and the top is golden brown. You might want to place the dish in a foil lined cookie sheet or drip pan to prevent a sticky mess in your oven.

Serve warm with ice cream.

Let me tell you...as full as I was after eating dinner, I found room for this fabulous dessert. DISLISH!!!

This is my entry into entry into this weeks Two For Tuesday Blog Hop Carnival. Check out Heather's place over at Girlichef.blogspot.com to see what that's all about