Fish stew, hush puppies: It's a Southern thang!

This week's flavors are decidedly Southern, which is always fine with me, but especially at this time of year when eating in the Lowcountry is so much fun. Everything is garden fresh, and fresh does make a difference. Even my dog knows that.

From time to time I tell a dog tale, but it's been awhile, so bear with me.

Jordan, our black Lab, is now 13 1/2 years old and still going pretty strong. Her muzzle looks like she "got milk" somewhere and her belly is all salt-and-pepper, but she still sneaks off for a swim in the pond every chance she gets. She's really good at "sneaky."

In the past few weeks, for example, she's been disappearing for periods of time instead of giving her usual bark to be let back into the house. Bad sign: This behavior coincides with the peak of the tomatoes.

The garden is surrounded with box wire to keep the deer at bay, but Jordan is by far the more formidable thief. She will gobble up any fruits that happen to hang through the fence.

OK, maybe that's fair game. But I've picked seemingly perfect tomatoes only to discover one side gnawed and ruined.

Observing from the kitchen window, I discover why: Jordan jams her nose as far as she can through the fence, bending it in until she barely reaches the nearest tomatoes inside. If she can't "pick" the whole thing, she'll chew off what she can.

Darn dog with a good palate!

And doggone it, she's been checking out the fig tree daily.

Now, let's move on to business ... Pat Perry of Johns Island says she had a fish stew last year made with Spicy V-8 Juice, potatoes and onions. She loved it, and asked if anyone had a recipe.

Oscar Vick III of Charleston came through. He wrote, "This is a classic fish stew from Charleston. Even in the heat of summer, it is great with a Johns Island or Big Edisto Island tomato sandwich. To say that it is a tomato-based soup would be an understatement. You can substitute shrimp, crab, scallops and oysters for the fish.

"I always, almost without exception, boil my potatoes to remove some of the starch and carbs. Even the instant mashed potatoes, which I buy from Doscher's, work well when you are pressed for time. A pound of okra is wonderful in this."

Spicy V-8 Fish Stew

6 strips bacon, diced

1 large onion, diced

4 ribs of celery, finely diced

1 large bell pepper, diced

1 cup parsley, finely diced

1 tablespoon flour

1 teaspoon each: curry powder, thyme, brown sugar and black pepper

1 quart low-sodium chicken broth

48 ounces Spicy V-8 Juice

1 cup ketchup

3 ounces tomato paste

1 can (13-14 ounces) tomato soup

1 can (14 1/2-ounce) stewed tomatoes

2 pounds potatoes, peeled, diced and boiled

4 boiled eggs, peeled and diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 bay leaf

1 tablespoon prepared mustard

1 teaspoon Worchestershire sauce

2 pounds boneless, skinless white fish, such as whiting, tilapia, black fish or sheepshead, cut into small chunks

Cooked rice for serving

In a soup kettle over medium heat, fry the bacon crisp. Remove and reserve bacon. In the bacon grease, brown the onion, celery, bell pepper and parsley. As these wilt, sprinkle over the flour and spices. When the onions are clear, blend in all of the other ingredients. Reduce to simmer. Cover and cook for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Serve in bowls with rice. Sprinkle with bacon.

Note: This is better the next day and can be cooked in a slow cooker.

I made this fish stew a couple of months ago and liked it very much. It doesn't call for Spicy V-8 juice or potatoes, but the recipe certainly could be adapted to include them. The recipe appeared in the Penzeys One magazine.

Mexican Fish Soup

6 firm fish fillets (about 2 1/2 pounds), cut into 1-inch pieces

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped or sliced into coins

1 rib celery, sliced

1 onion, peeled and diced

12 cups cold water or chicken stock

2 whole bay leaves

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 to 2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 cup tomato sauce

In a large kettle, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the carrot, celery and onion and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the water or stock, bay leaves, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper, garlic powder, oregano and tomato sauce. Stir and bring to a boil. Let boil for about 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, and once the stock has gone from a boil to a simmer, add the fish and simmer until the fish is cooked through, about 20 minutes.

Gone to the dogs, again

A colleague asked for recipes for hush puppies, fried cornmeal dumplings often served in the South with fish or seafood.

One popular explanation for the unusual name is that cooks would toss scraps of fried batter to the house dogs to keep them from begging for food, admonishing them to "Hush, puppy!"

Ann Penegar of Atlantic Beach, N.C., and Hollywood, S.C., e-mailed a response:

"This is probably the most famous hush puppy recipe in North Carolina. Has been published for quite a few years."

Editor's note: A lot of cooks would add minced onion to the batter.

Tar Heel Hush Puppies

(from The Sanitary Fish Market in Morehead City, N.C.)

Serves 6

1 pound cornmeal

1 teaspoon salt

Pinch of soda

1 egg

1 tablespoon sugar

1 cup buttermilk

Mix all ingredients, adding some water at the end to make a thick consistency. Drop by spoonfuls into hot oil (375 degrees). Cook until golden color.

Spam postscript

More Spam recipes arrived last week from Joan Miller of Goose Creek. All came from a cookbook, "Hawaii's Spam Cookbook," which seemed to confirm something I read on the Internet. Apparently, Spam is quite the thing in Hawaii, so much so that it is sometimes dubbed "The Hawaiian Steak."

Joan wrote, "My husband's job assignments took him to the islands many times and I tagged along. We made friends among the residents and were often introduced to local restaurants away from the tourist areas. There was frequently a Spam dish on the menu, and I quickly became fascinated and purchased a cookbook. Through the years, we and four children enjoyed the recipes."

Spam Quiche

1 (9-inch) pie shell, baked

1 cup broccoli, sliced and parboiled

1/2 cup Spam, cut into 1/2-inch strips

1/4 cup sliced onion

1 tablespoon butter or margarine

1 cup grated cheese (Swiss, cheddar or jack)

3 eggs

1 can (12-ounce) evaporated milk

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

Dash of Tabasco sauce

Grated Parmesan cheese

Parboil broccoli and drain. Saute Spam and onions in butter until onions are limp. Fill pie crust with Spam, onions, broccoli and grated cheese. Beat together eggs, evaporated milk, nutmeg, salt and Tabasco sauce. Pour egg mixture over the ingredients in pie crust. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake 20 minutes or until quiche is set and golden brown. Cool 10 minutes before slicing.

Oops, I overlooked a recipe from Jeanne Perlis of Beaufort when writing last Sunday's column. This version of Tres Leches Cake, which originally appeared in the "Desperation Dinners" column, uses a box cake mix:

Desperate Tres Leches Cake

Yield: 12 servings

1 (18.25-ounce) box plain yellow cake mix (see cook's note), prepared according to package directions

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk

1 cup whole milk

1 pint whipping cream

2 tablespoons powdered sugar

Fresh raspberries for optional garnish

Cook's note: For testing purposes, a Duncan Hines yellow cake mix was used, which calls for eggs, oil and water to mix. Any plain-style yellow cake mix will do.

Prepare the cake mix according to package directions, adding the ingredients specified on the box.

Prepare a 9-by-13-inch baking pan and bake the cake, again according to the package directions, until done, about 30 minutes.

When cake is done, remove it from the oven. While the cake is still warm, using a toothpick or wooden skewer, prick the cake all over (about every 1/2 inch).

In a large glass measure, stir together the condensed milk, evaporated milk and whole milk and slowly pour over the top of the cake, making sure to distribute it evenly. (The cake should absorb all of the milk if it is poured slowly.)

Allow the cake to sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes to cool.

Cover with plastic wrap or foil, and refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour or until well chilled.

Whip the cream, adding the powdered sugar slowly, until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes using an electric handheld mixer.

Spread the whipped cream over the entire cake and place back in the refrigerator for another hour to chill thoroughly or up to 12 hours before slicing and serving.

Garnish with fresh raspberries if desired.

Who's got the recipe

--We're still gathering fig recipes for Carole Brier of Summerville, who wants quick and easy ones to make good use of the figs soon to ripen on her tree.

--Wanda Crosby of Round O has a few different requests: for the cold potato and cucumber soup with lump crab meat, which she recently enjoyed in the dining room at the Culinary Institute of Charleston; a good red rice recipe; and lastly, for spinach and artichoke dip (in particular, she likes the one served at Outback Steakhouse).

--June Sageser of North Charleston writes, "I am hoping someone has a recipe that can closely duplicate a dessert I used to enjoy as a child growing up in the '50s and '60s. It was sold in grocery stores and was known as 'Spanish Bar Cake.' It was a very dark spice cake with raisins and had a confectioners' sugar icing."

If you have a recipe request or one to share, reach Food Editor Teresa Taylor at 937-4886, food@postandcourier.com or write The Post and Courier, 134 Columbus St., Charleston, SC 29403.