Merigold Tomatoes: A Unique Delta Dish

It was a recipe hunt. I found myself craving a dish that Deltans typically call “Merigold Tomatoes,” a simple tomato dressing with cheddar cheese. Alas, no recipe. Or so I thought.

The dish was originally served at the McCarty family's Gallery Restaurant in Merigold. I asked the Google Machine if it had a recipe, and I could not find one from anyone claiming to have the original recipe sourced to the McCarty family, as the McCartys and their progeny, as far as we know, have never shared publicly the exact recipe with anyone.

I did find a recipe from Chef and Restauranteur Robert St. John. It looks like Mr. St. John has three versions, one of them published in the Desoto Times back in 2003.

I made Mr. St. John’s public version of the recipe a couple of Sundays ago, and we enjoyed it immensely, but the balsamic vinegar and extra sugar did not result in the food memory that Buddy and I have of the dish. And, unfortunately, I don’t have Mr. St. John’s cookbook available to see the other two versions that he has come up with.

Then, I remembered: Buddy’s old recipe box. Buddy had a recipe collection back in 1994 when we first met. Hand-written recipes on notecards, many from his mother. And there it was.

Buddy’s recipe was a copycat version that came from the late 80’s or early 90’s and would have been sourced out of Sunflower or Leflore Counties, so there’s a good chance it’s close to the original recipe that many Deltans are familiar with. And there’s a good chance that the recipe that we have came from Trish Berry, as when I called her, she confirmed that it “sounds about right.”

I will note that I added the herb profile and the chicken broth and broke down the steps beyond Buddy's "stir together and cook until bubbly." But, that's what I do? Yeah, that's a question.

So, whether the food memory is from the dish at the restaurant or from the recipe that we have had for decades, I don’t know. Sweetened or added vinegar? Not sure. But this dish is delicious. Enjoy …

MERIGOLD TOMATOES

1 medium sweet onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
2-4 garlic cloves, minced
2 TB butter
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 package cornbread, cooked to directions (or a small skillet from scratch)
28 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained (good quality like Red Gold)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 TB basil
1 tsp Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

Cook the cornbread and let it cool. If you are making it from scratch, you want a small skillet amount. Once cooled, crumble cornbread in a large mixing bowl.

Melt butter in skillet and add onion and bell pepper. Cook about 7 minutes until both start to soften. Add garlic and cook a couple of minutes making sure the garlic doesn’t brown too much. Add chicken broth, basil, Italian seasoning, and pepper and cook until broth is reduced by about half. Salt the mixture to taste. Dump mixture in mixing bowl with cornbread and stir.

Stir in undrained diced tomatoes and cheddar cheese. Add more salt, if needed. Transfer to a casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees until bubbly – about 30 – 35 minutes.