What's Cooking - Recipe

Some time back we put out WHAT'S COOKING? an anthology of recipes contributed by the authors at Write Words. You can receive a copy WHAT'S COOKING free for the next month, by e-mailing me at arline@mail.com and asking.


This RECIPE was sent in by Dorothy Bible Kawaguchi, who wrote HER NAME WAS MARY, about her mother's struggle to keep her family together during the Great Depression.

Mary Bible was Dorothy's mother and below is her recipe for Appalachian Green Beans.

Mary Bible’s Green Beans with Potatoes or Okra.

*Mary always believed in parboiling all green vegetables. She said if you didn't you could get sick from botulism.

4 cups of green beans broke or cut into small pieces about one inch. Parboiled for three minutes and rinsed in cold water.
3/4 teaspoon salt.
3 strips of bacon or a small piece of ham.

Put beans and meat into a large pot and cover with hot water. Stir salt in the beans and add bacon. While beans and meat are cooking, peel and quarter two medium size potatoes.

Cook the beans until water is almost gone. The last twenty minutes place the potatoes on top of beans and cook until the potatoes are done. You can cook okra on top of beans the same way. Good with cornbread.

Contributed by Dorothy Bible Kawaguchi, author of HER NAME WAS MARY...the story of a mountain woman’s struggle to raise her children alone, during the Great Depression.