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

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.

Robert St. John has been Executive Chef/Owner of the Purple Parrot Café and Mahogany Bar in Hattiesburg and Meridian, Mississippi. He writes a syndicated food column for several newspapers and hosts a monthly television cooking show. He lives in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.