Country@Heart Dinner Diaries
Tasso: America’s Great Unknown Secret Ingredient
By Tim H. Martin
So, what is tasso? I believe it’s the best-kept secret ingredient in all of American food culture. Unless you’re from the Cajun Country of southern Louisiana, you’ve probably never heard of it — even my spell-checker... READ MORE
Old South Tomato Pie
By Tim H. Martin
Recipe Courtesy of Walters’ Gas & Grill • Society Hill, Alabama. I was beginning to think tomato pie was extinct. The dish seems to have vanished from the Deep South like cotton mills, moonshine stills and Ivory-Billed Woodpe... READ MORE
Buckmasters Big Red Chili
By Tim H. Martin
Winner of 2010 Buckmasters Cook-off has layers of sausage, beef, spices and one not-so-secret ingredient. Ingredients: • 2 lbs. ground pork sausage (I use 1 lb. Jimmy Dean Sage & 1 lb. Jimmy Dean Hot) • 1 1/2 lbs. beef stew m... READ MORE
Winter-Buster Beef Soup
By Tim H. Martin
Bayou and bay flavors amp up this beefy-vegetable classic. Ingredients: • 2 to 2 1/2 lbs. ground beef or venison • 3 cups beef broth • 2 28 oz. cans diced tomatoes • 10 oz. can Ro*Tel tomatoes and diced green chili... READ MORE
Cajun-fried Largemouth Bass
By Tim H. Martin
Catch and Release, Into Hot Grease! Ingredients and Directions: In a lidded container, combine 1/4 cup hot sauce with 1 cup buttermilk. Soak up to a dozen hand-sized bass fillets in the liquid for a minimum of two hours, preferably overnigh... READ MORE