 |
| Silver Dollar City’s Famous Ozark Mountain Succotash Credit: Silver Dollar City |
Here's a word from the team at Mindy Bianca Public Relations!
They’re a virtual agency, so the group mastered the concepts of working from home and being separated from each other a long time ago. (They work in multiple states, countries and time zones.)
It’s hard to know when the time is right to share news from its client destinations, resorts and attractions. And honestly, there’s not a lot to say right now. In a nutshell: They’re closed for the time being and they encourage you to continue taking good care of yourself. We all look forward to better, healthier times ahead.
The team at MBPR loves a good food story, and in these strange days – when you’re rummaging through the depths of your freezer as you try to plan for dinner – they thought you might appreciate a down-home, comfort-food recipe. This one comes from Silver Dollar City, an award-winning theme park in Branson, Missouri, that knows a thing or two about cuisine. Fun fact: They’re the only theme park in the United States with its own culinary school!
What follows is a recipe for the park’s succotash, which is Silver Dollar City’s most iconic and popular food item. The recipe was introduced nearly 30 years ago by park host Shirley Tolar, who grew up making this meal with her large family and who still works at Silver Dollar City after all these years.
In the Ozarks, some people call this dish “Family Feud.” Mindy's agency would like to suggest, however, that it could be just what you need to help your family come together – at safe distance, of course – during these challenging times.
At Silver Dollar City, they use corn, squash, fried okra, peppers, onions and chicken in their succotash. If you’re missing one of those ingredients in your pantry, fridge or freezer, don’t worry ... improvise! (Silver Dollar City serves more than 30,000 pounds of breaded okra each year, which is more than anyone else in the entire country. But in case you don’t have a bag in your freezer, substitute something else that sounds delicious to you.)
Over the years the culinary team at Silver Dollar City has invented a whole list of incredible “skillet meals.” For their 60th Anniversary Diamond Jubilee, which will kick off when the park opens this year, they’re bringing back a fan favorite, the “Harvest Skillet” that combines Ozark ingredients for a sensational flavor combination.
By the way, the iron skillets they use at the park are HUGE; they measure six feet in diameter. They were crafted by the park’s on-site blacksmith shop. Because, yes, this theme park is also the Home of American Craftsmanship, welcoming 100 demonstrating craftsmen in-season.
Don’t worry, though ... you don’t need a six-foot skillet. The park serves 125,000 pounds of its succotash each year, but years ago they modified their “serves hundreds” recipe to share with guests because they get so many requests for it. What follows makes just four servings.
Enjoy this meal in good health!
Silver Dollar City’s Famous Ozark Mountain Succotash
INGREDIENTS:
¼ cup olive oil, divided
½ cup white onion (julienne sliced)
1 cup green bell pepper (julienne sliced)
1 cup whole kernel corn (Fresh or Frozen)
1 cup sliced yellow squash
½ pound chicken breast (cut fajita-style)
1 – 16-ounce package frozen breaded okra
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
DIRECTIONS:
In a large skillet sauté onions and peppers in 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Remove from skillet.
Add corn and squash to skillet, cooking until soft. Remove from skillet into a separate bowl.
Add 1 teaspoon oil and chicken to skillet. Cook on medium heat until browned and cooked through. Remove from skillet and reserve until later.
Add remaining oil to pan with okra. Fry until golden brown, then add the salt, pepper and garlic.
When okra is finished cooking, return all other vegetables and chicken to skillet, heating everything through.
SERVES 4
