Fourth of July is just around the corner, so we’ve collected a few Southern recipes to help make your holiday celebration extra tasty–most which can be made ahead of time to save you time (and sanity!). Which ones will you whip up next month?
Southern Living’s Succotash Salad
These bright red tomatoes with pops of yellow and green make for a colorful presentation that will look good on any table.
Salad:
- 1 (16-ounce) bag frozen baby lima beans
- 3 cups fresh corn kernels
- 1 cup chopped red bell pepper
- 3/4 cup chopped green onion
- 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
Dressing:
- 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
To prepare salad, cook beans in boiling water for 12 minutes. Drain; rinse with cold water. Drain. Combine beans, corn, and next 5 ingredients (corn through oregano).
To prepare dressing, combine lemon juice and remaining ingredients, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle over salad, and toss to coat.
Soul Food and Southern Cooking’s Brunswick Stew
In the South, Brunswick Stew is one of those dishes that everyone makes a little differently, requiring that you sample as many versions as possible when you visit Savannah.
Recipe Ingredients:
- 3 to 3-1/2 pounds stewing chicken (cut into 8-10 pieces)
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons bacon fat
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 2 green onions, diced
- 3 cups small potatoes, diced
- 3 large tomatoes, peeled and diced
- 1-1/2 cups Lima or butter beans, fresh or frozen
- 1 cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen
- 1/2 cup okra, diced
- 1/2 cup sherry
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons butter
Recipe Instructions:
This stew recipe calls for chicken but you could easily substitute beef or pork if you desire to do so.
- Cut chicken into serving portions and clean chicken by removing fat then rinsing under cold running water. Pat chicken pieces dry with paper towels.
- Place prepared and cleaned chicken in large boiling pot. Cover chicken with water, add salt and pepper and then stir. Bring water to boil, cover with lid, reduce heat to simmer and cook until chicken is tender about 2 hours. Throughout cooking remove any foam that develops. Drain, reserving chicken broth. Remove skin and de-bone chicken when it has cooled enough to touch. Finely chop chicken into small pieces and set aside.
- Clean out your pot then brown your yellow and green onions in bacon fat. Return the chopped chicken and broth to the pot.
- Next add the remaining ingredients consisting of potatoes, tomatoes, lima beans, corn, okra, sherry and Worcestershire sauce to the pot. Cover pot with lid and simmer over low heat, stirring frequently for about an hour. Finally, add butter, stir and serve hot.
Allrecipe’s Southern Pimento Cheese
Ahh, pimento cheese. Also known as the Caviar of the South, this tasty Southern staple is great with crackers, celery, or on sandwiches, making it a versatile treat for your 4th of July celebration.
Ingredients
- 2 cups shredded extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
- 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced (optional)
- 1 (4 ounce) jar diced pimento, drained
- salt and black pepper to taste
Directions
- Place the Cheddar cheese, cream cheese, mayonnaise, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, onion powder, minced jalapeno, and pimento into the large bowl of a mixer. Beat at medium speed, with paddle if possible, until thoroughly combined. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
Savannah Cookbook’s Chatham Artillery Punch
No bartending duties for you if you make a big patch of this potent punch so your guests can imbibe at their leisure.
Ingredients
- 2 ounces of green tea leaves
- 4 large lemons
- 1/2 pound turbinado or light brown sugar
- 1 quart dark rum
- 1 quart brandy
- 1 quart rye or bourbon whiskey
- 3 bottles of champagne
Preparation
- Soak the tea leaves 8 hours or overnight in a quart of cold water. Strain the liquid from the leaves into a large container that will hold all the spirits (use wooden, porcelain, or glass; do not use plastic or metal). Juice 3 lemons through a strainer into the tea and add the sugar, stirring until it is dissolved.
- Stir in the rum, brandy, and whiskey, cover, and let stand at room temperature for at least 8 hours or for up to a week. It’s pretty well indestructible at this point.
- When ready to serve the punch, thinly slice 1 lemon. To serve the punch, allow 6 cups of the base for every bottle of champagne. First pour the brew over an ice ring or large block of ice in a punch bowl. Add the sliced lemon and swirl in the champagne, being careful not to disturb its effervescence. Serve with caution.
Food Network’s Southern-Style Bread Pudding
There are all kinds of classic Southern desserts, but this bread pudding’s raspberries and strawberries add a festive flair for the holiday. Add blueberries too if you want to make it a red, white, and blue masterpiece!
Ingredients
Sauce
For the bread pudding: Butter a 13-by-9-inch baking dish with 1 tablespoon butter. Put the bread cubes in the dish.
Whisk together the half-and-half, 3/4 cup of the sugar, vanilla, 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon, salt and eggs in a large bowl. Pour this mixture over the bread. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Melt the remaining 3 tablespoons butter in a microwave or on the stove and drizzle over the top of the bread pudding. Combine the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and sprinkle over the top.
Place on the center rack in the oven. Bake until the edges start to rise, a knife inserted into the center comes out mostly clean and the pudding jiggles when shaken, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool on a rack 35 to 40 minutes before serving.
For the sauce: Puree the berries in food processor. Press through a fine-mesh strainer. Stir in the honey and lime juice. Taste and adjust with more honey if it’s not sweet enough for you.
Serve the bread pudding with a drizzle of sauce. Garnish with additional berries and a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
We hope you have an excellent 4th of July!
