A new cookbook compiled by friends, alumni and employees of Trinity Episcopal Day School fills a niche in the school’s fund-raising goals, Head of School Dr. Delecia Seay Carey said.

Furthermore, &uot;The Flavor of Natchez&uot; is simply an excellent product, filled with recipes people will use again and again, Carey said.

&uot;It’s been a long time since Trinity has had a cookbook, and we’re always looking for something new as a fund raiser,&uot; she said. &uot;We wanted to do something people would like. We believe they will like this. This is a carefully made cookbook.&uot;

The hard-cover, spiral-bound book contains 299 pages of recipes, illustrations and index plus extra pages in the back of the book with cooking tips, descriptions of herbs and spices, bread-making tips, napkin-folding instructions and more.

Best-selling author Greg Iles of Natchez, a Trinity graduate, wrote a short essay, &uot;The Flavor of the Deep South,&uot; to introduce the book.

The book now is available at Turning Pages Books and More, River Boat Gift Shop and at the school and will be placed in other shops.

Betsy Mosby, development director for Trinity School, was chairman of the committee overseeing the collection of recipes and production of the book.

&uot;We started collecting recipes a long time ago,&uot; she said. &uot;It took almost a year. We tried to incorporate everyone into the book.&uot;

Working with her were Eugenie Cates, Stephanie Daly, Ellen Mosby, Bobbie Pearson, Linda Rodriguez, Sandy Scudiero and Liz Walker.

The design of the book, with recipe categories divided by drawings of famous Natchez houses, is meant to appeal to tourists as well as local buyers, Betsy Mosby said.

For each house illustration, there is a description of the history, architecture and family ownership of the property written by Mimi Miller of the Historic Natchez Foundation.

&uot;We hope tourists will want to take these home with them,&uot; Mosby said. &uot;We decided to market it as a Natchez cookbook.&uot;

Carey said the quality of the recipes is part of a carefully plotted course, that included calling specific people known to be good cooks.

&uot;We knew we had to have recipes from special people like Bub Mullins,&uot; Carey said. &uot;And we had to have Cissy Pressgrove’s broccoli cornbread. She always makes that when we have potluck. We kept telling her, ‘Cissy, you’ve got to write this down so we’ll always have it.’&uot;

Now that recipe is in &uot;The Flavor of Natchez&uot; as &uot;Ms. P’s Broccoli Bread&uot; on page 279.

And on page 129 is Bub Mullins’ recipe for stuffed bell peppers and on page 149, his recipe for pork ribs.

Other well-known good cooks include some who have owned restaurants or cooked professionally, such as Liza Sharp Plauche, Anna Watts Ernst, Florence Turpin, Eugenie Cates, Peter Trossclair, Regina Charboneau and others.

A sampling of recipes:

Really Good Chili

2 pounds beef chuck roast

2 cups chopped onion

4 tablespoons chili powder

2 tablespoons cumin

2 serrano peppers

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 tablespoons garlic

1 pound carrots, grated

2 1/2 cups crushed tomatoes

4 tablespoons tomato paste

2 teaspoons oregano

1 cup canned red kidney beans

1 tablespoon masa harina mixed with 2 tablespoons water

1/2 ounce unsweetened chocolate

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

Coat meat with peanut oil, then season with salt and pepper and 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin. Sear until crusty, put in Dutch oven and add 5 cups water. Cook, covered, for an hour and a half. Remove and cool. Shred meat, reserving juices. Toast chili powder, oregano and cumin until fragrant; don’t burn. Saute onions in oil and cook 10 minutes. Add spices, tomato, leftover broth and simmer for an hour and a half. Add garlic, beans and chocolate. Cook for 5 more minutes.

Liza Sharp Plauche

Chicken Fajitas

Marinate 2 chicken breasts in Italian dressing for 30 minutes; slice into strips. Make a salad of chopped tomatoes, shredded lettuce, cliced black olives and grated Jack cheese. Wrap 6 flour tortillas in foil; hold until chicken is almost done then heat in 350-degree oven for 5 minutes or until heated. Grill 2 slices white onions and 1 sliced red or green pepper in a cast-iron skillet until onions begin to brown. Remove onions and peppers and return to skillet. Throw in the chicken strips. If they stick to the bottom of skillet, use chicken sock, 1 tablespoon at a time, to loosen. Cook until chicken is browned. Add onions and sliced jalapeno if you are brave. Finish with the juice of one lime, poured over the skillet of onions, peppers and chicken. Serve sizzling with salad and tortillas.

Anna Watts Ernst

Eggplant Souffle

1 large eggplant, cooked and mashed and excess liquid squeezed out.

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

3/4 cup grated white cheddar cheese

2 eggs, separated

Make cream sauce. Stir in eggplant and all remaining ingredients except egg whites. Beat egg whites until they are stiff and hold a peak. Fold into eggplant mixture. Pour into a buttered souffl dish. St in a pan of water (1 inch). Bake until firm in the middle, about 1 hour at 325 degrees. A bag of fresh spinach or two boxes of frozen artichokes, cooked, mashed and excess liquid squeezed out, may be substituted. Enjoy.

Jeanie Peabody

John-Martin’s Balsamic Vinaigrette

1/2 cup shallots, chopped

1/2 cup red pepper, chopped

1 teaspoon garlic, chopped

1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped

1/2 cup fresh oregano, chopped

2 cups balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper, to taste

Mix in food processor on high for 20 to 30 seconds.

Nichole Lefebvre Terranova

Chocolate on Chocolate Cake

2 cups sugar

2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon soda

3 eggs

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 stick oleo

1/2 cup oil

1 cup water

3 tablespoons cocoa (rounded)

1 1/2 tablespoons vinegar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Sift sugar, flour, salt and soda into large bowl. Bring to boil the oleo, oil, water and cocoa. Add hot liquid, buttermilk and eggs to dry ingredients. Beat well by hand. Add vanilla and vinegar; beat well. Bake in a 9-by-12-inch pan or two 8-by-8-inch pans (greased). Cook about 45 minutes or until it is done. It’s done when firm in the middle. Ice this cake while it’s still hot, in the pan.

Chocolate Icing

(I use an electric mixer for this.)

2/3 box confectioners sugar (approximately)

Melt together 1/3 stick oleo and 1 1-ounce bar unsweetened chocolate. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add milk to consistency to spread.

Carolyn Parker Winters