Table Of ContentThis is a Time Inc. Ventures Custom Publishing Book.
Recipes and food photography
©1994 Oxmoor House, Inc.
Box 2463, Birmingham, AL 35201
FORREST GUMP script and photography
©1994 Paramount Pictures, All Rights Reserved.
Oxmoor House Authorized User.
Foreword ©1994 Winston Groom
All rights reserved. No part of this book may
be reproduced in any form or by any means
without the prior written permission of the
publisher, excepting brief quotes in connection
with reviews written specifically for inclusion
in a magazine or newspaper.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 94-68590
ISBN: 0-8487-1479-2
Printed in the U.S.A.
Sixth Printing 2004
Cover inset photo: Jenny's Southwestern Shrimp, page 31
To order additional publications, call 1-800-765-6400.
For more books to enrich your life, visit oxmoorhouse.com
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Contents
7 foreword
11 you can
bake it
27 you can
barbecue it
33 you can
boil it
69 you can
fry it
79 you can
saute it
101 goes real
good with
Dedicated to the memory of
Benjamin Buford "Bubba" Blue
Bubba and me were partners for life.
6
Dear Cooks,
As most of you know, I've done a lot of stuff in my
time — and some of it waddun so easy. But I'm havin' a
real good time now, 'cause me and Li'l Forrest, we're
buddies. Bein' a daddy comes real natural to me. Sorta
like a duck in water, whatever that means.
What me and Li'l Forrest like to do best is cook in
the kitchen. And cookin' shrimp is the best. All kinds of
shrimp: brown shrimp, white shrimp, red shrimp, gray
bay shrimp. And I'm writin' down all the recipes so's Li'l
Forrest will have 'em for the whole rest of his life.
My mama used to always say that the best place to
get your shrimp recipes is from Southern Livin' magazine.
And that's what she did, so I'm sharin' some of her
favorite ones with you. Mama would've liked that.
You don't have to be rich, famous, or even smart to
cook shrimp. I'm livin' proof of that.
Guess we like cookin' shrimp best 'cause of Ol'
Bubba. I sure miss Bubba. We was friends for life.
Bubba taught me everything there is in the
shrimpin' business. Everything about catchin' 'em, cookin'
'em, and eatin' 'em — even used to tell me about pickin'
up shrimps when he was a boy and ticklin' their feelers to
make 'em wiggle. When me and Bubba were in the army,
'most everything he talked about eventually got back to
shrimp. I'd say, "Bubba, will you help me shine my
shoes?" He'd say, "Heck Forrest, I can put a shine on
them shoes like the shine on a Royal Red Shrimp." Stuff
7
like that. Anyway, Bubba got himself killed in Vietnam.
And that's all I got to say about that.
The shrimpin' business was real kind to me and
Bubba. I just wanted to catch enough shrimp to make a
livin' and have a few left over for ourselves. But me and
Lieutenant Dan... well, we got pretty lucky. And even tho'
Ol' Bubba's gone now, since we was partners for life, I
gave Bubba's mama his share. She's livin' real good now.
Anyways, Mama Blue taught me the best way to
make shrimp there ever was. Mama Blue had good and
simple ways of doing things. And simple is something I
can understand. Anyhow, I want to tell you this recipe of
hers now, so's you can do it yourself.
Mama Blue's Steamed Shrimp
First, get a big old iron pot with a lid on it. (Mama
Blue called hers a "scaldron.")
Next, get about two or three pounds of them real big
shrimp — them they call "jumbos." They're about
10 to 12 of 'em to the pound, and they'll serve six to
eight people (unless it's me!). Almost look like lob-
sters! (Heads on or off, it don't matter.)
Next, cut off three or four onion tops and the green
tops off a celery stalk.
Then open a can of cheap beer. Drink half the beer.
(Mama Blue liked this part.)
8
Get the scaldron going real hot on the stove. Then
throw in the onions and celery tops till they start to
wilt. When the stuff begins to make a funny hissin'
sound, pour in half the beer you ain't drank yet.
When the beer begins to steam and bubble up good,
throw in the shrimp. Put the lid on the pot good and
tight, and wait about four minutes.
Open the lid. Shrimp ought to be turnin' a little pink.
Stir 'em once or twice, then pour in the rest of the
beer and close the lid. Wait about two or three min-
utes, then open the pot lid again. Shrimp ought to
be good and pink. If they're not, stir 'em once more
and cook 'em another minute or two to make sure
all the shrimp are pink.
Right now — take it all out with a big spoon with
holes in it, and serve it up on a big plate with some
lemon wedges and corn on the cob. Watch how that
steam comes off the dish!
Looks good, don't it? Now put the plate on your
table with a little bowl of melted lemon butter 'side
each plate.
Fact is, people ought to be able to figger out what to
do next. But in case they can't, tell 'em to peel the
shrimp and dip 'em in the lemon butter bowl with
their fingers and eat 'em (the shrimp, that is).
9
