Free America I AM Pass It Down Cookbook by Jeff Henderson Page A

Louisiana, about 50 miles west of New Orleans.
    Her mother was always looking to stretch a dime and a meal. Plentiful turnips or cabbage were filling and cheap, but Ms. Gillum and her six siblings didn’t care for them much. “To get us to eat them, she would add them to any type of beef, mostly beef neck bones and stew meat,” she says. “The goal of the recipe was to change the taste of the turnips and it worked.” Today, Ms. Gillum says she loves turnips, ranking them as one of her top comfort foods thanks to her mom, Rebecca, down in Thibodaux, Louisiana.
    ¼ cup canola oil
1 pound beef stew meat or beef neck bones
4 tablespoons flour
1 large onion, chopped
1/8 cup chopped bell pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups water or beef stock ( page 11 )
5 medium to large turnips, cut into quarters
1 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
    Heat the canola oil over medium-high heat in a deep, heavy pot.
    Add the beef and brown on all sides, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the pot.
    Pour canola in pot, brown beef, and remove from pot. Set aside.
    Add the flour to the same oil in which you browned the beef. Cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture (roux) becomes brown, about 3 minutes.
    Add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Cook for 2–3 minutes, always stirring, and return browned beef to the pot. Stir in the beef stock and simmer over low-medium heat for 40 minutes or until the beef is tender.
    Add the turnips to the pot along with garlic powder, salt, and pepper to taste. Simmer 15 minutes more or until turnips are tender. Serve over rice or with cornbread.

Chef Jeff’s Slow-Braised Oxtails with Steamed White Rice
    Las Vegas, Nevada
    SERVES 4 TO 6
    “Oxtails. I love them, love them, love them,” says Chef Jeff. “Slow cooked in beef broth with aromatic vegetables and fresh herbs, these tender pieces of meat on the bone will stand up against any cut of beef. I did not grow up eating oxtails. I was introduced to them some 20 years ago and I can tell you, they are best served with steamed white rice, braised cabbage, and sweet cornbread. Keep that natural broth, strain it, and let it cook down, then spoon it over oxtails and rice.”
    3½ pounds oxtails, cleaned and fat trimmed
1½ tablespoons fresh ground black pepper
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon fresh garlic, minced
½ cup yellow onions, small diced
½ cup green bell peppers, small diced
2 bay leaves
4 cups beef broth
    Rinse off oxtails, season with salt and pepper, set aside.
    In a medium stockpot, add vegetable oil over medium heat.
    When oil is hot but not smoking, add oxtails to pot and brown on all sides.
    Add garlic, onions, bell peppers, and bay leaf. Stir all ingredients for 2 minutes.
    Add beef broth, reduce heat to a very low simmer, and let cook for 4½ hours or until meat is tender and falling off the bone.

Spicy Steak & Mac
    Okolona, Mississippi
    SERVES 4 TO 6
    Despite cooking for a “long, long time,” Teresa Fields says that cooking remains a major source of enjoyment. She considers her ability to cook things folks love a gift from above. “I just give it to the good Lord above that he allowed me to have this gift,” says Ms. Fields. “It’s all about making food fun and bringing family and friends together.” This perfectly easy one-pot meal will bring folks quickly around the table to enjoy the tenderness of the steak and the comforting creaminess of the macaroni and cheese.
    2 pounds tender beef (such as tenderloin, London Broil, or other tender beef cut; or 2 pounds chicken breast, sliced)
3 tablespoons butter
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1¼ tablespoons cayenne pepper
2¼ tablespoons minced parsley
3 cups macaroni noodles
3 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese, or cheese of your choice
salt and pepper to taste
    Place the beef or chicken in a wide, deep skillet with 3 cups of water. Bring to a simmer and cover. Cook 15 minutes or until the meat is cooked