Recipes From The Old South

Tucked on the back of a shelf, I found Martha L. Meade’s Recipes From The Old South. It is a dated little book from the 1970’s with a straightforward look at some old Southern recipes, just as the title says. There are no pictures and simplistic recipes of familiar Southern dishes. Every so often, however, there is a recipe that just stands out. Carrot Balls comes to mind.

I have watched the Food Network show Chopped, one of those battling chef type shows. On Chopped the chefs get a basket with disparate ingredients inside and they must use them all to create a dish. Carrot Balls could be a dish from that show. You open your basket and find corn flakes, carrots, Tabasco and cheddar cheese – what do you make? Carrot Balls!

Carrot Balls

2 cups cooked carrots, sieved
1 1/2 cups bread crumbs
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 egg white
Salt and pepper to taste
Dash of Tabasco
Corn flakes

Combine carrots, bread crumbs, and cheese. Fold in stiffly beaten egg white. Add seasonings. Form into 10 balls and roll in finely crushed corn flakes. Place on a greased baking sheet or in a shallow biscuit pan. Bake in 375 –degree oven about 30 minutes or until brown.

I have spent a lot of time in the South both old and new and this is a new one for me. So I looked it up on the web and evidently, EVERYONE makes Carrot Balls. Who knew? Never once has anyone made them for me.