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Bringing Your Summer Garden Indoors

25 May

One of the best things about cooking in the summertime (aside from the amazing evening sunlight) is bringing your garden inside to make your table look better and dishes more tasty! Not only does it make your home and heart more alive – it also saves your wallet! Here are a couple tips from my Dining for Friends lunch this past weekend.

  • Holy Hydrangea! Cut them for centerpieces and use their leaves to display food. Hydrangea leaves also make an amazing backdrop for food display – like deviled eggs or cheese plates! You can also use fig leaves!
  • Add baby vegetables to your cheese plate! I used baby squash, radishes and cucumbers to my pimento cheese tray for a color kick – and fresh bite. I also used tender baby vegetables in a pasta salad with lettuce and lemon vinaigrette!
  • Plant an herb garden and share your wealth with neighbors. Between the houses on my block, we have about every herb you’d need including about six varieties of mint. Everyone is open to sharing – what’s what neighbors are for, right?

What are your favorite ways to bring the garden indoors?

 

Massey Creek BBQ Pork with Lucky 32 Voodoo Sauce

23 May

I heard someone say recently, “you can do anything, but not everything.” I tend to agree. Keeping that at heart this weekend, I had to pass up an opportunity to spend Sunday in Hillsborough at the annual Farm to Form Picnic with my friends from Massey Creek Farm and Lucky 32. But, I hear they had a great time without me – and represented Greensboro well. Hopefully next year I can make it – and other Greensboro farms and restaurants can add to our crew.

In lieu of my day with friends, I put together some sliders using their signature ingredients for my Dining for Friends Lunch. I used the same recipe as my Cuban Pork Loin but replaced the red wine vinegar for apple cider vinegar and added red pepper flakes instead of black peppercorn. It worked perfectly (thanks for the advice Mom!) and was really simple. I made this the day before and heated the pork right before assembling.

Pick up these local treats and enjoy them this Memorial Day weekend!

BBQ Pork Sliders with Lucky 32 Voodoo Sauce

  • Massey Creek Pork Roast
  • 2 tablespoons, olive oil
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 cup, apple cider vinegar
  • 2 big pinches, red pepper flakes
  • Lucky 32 Voodoo Sauce
  • Loaf Rolls – or Anna Mae Rolls
  • your favorite coleslaw

Using a dutch oven, heat olive oil. Season pork generously with salt and pepper. Sear on all sides in olive oil until brown. Add an inch of apple cider vinegar and red pepper flakes (don’t inhale when you do this!). Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for about an hour – or more until falling apart. Add voodoo sauce to taste. Serve on rolls with your favorite coleslaw recipe.

 

 

Grilled Spicy and Smoky My Three Sons Pimento Cheese Nachos (N&R 5.16.12)

16 May

Walking up the path to Cheryl Barnett’s home in the Kirkwood neighborhood feels like magically traveling over four state lines where railroad crossings are for Whistle Stop Cafes and mayonnaise is more a ‘way of life’ than a sandwich spread. Cheryl Barnett is an Alabama raised ‘momtrepreneur,’ with big Southern dreams and a healthy obsession of pimento cheese. And she is the force by the suddenly popular MyThreeSons Gourmet.

I got to know Cheryl while sitting in her traditional living room, walled with oil paintings of her three sons, as she took me back to the place where her pimento cheese obsession began many years ago, in Tallassee, Alabama. It was there that she met her best friend on the first day of fourth grade and was welcomed into the Emfinger home as an extended family member. She frequented their home throughout grade school for many reasons – friendship, family – and Mrs. E’s pimento cheese – the so-called condiment that would turn out to be her destiny.

Mrs. E made everything look easy and Cheryl grew up with the domestic dream of being just like her. After finishing her undergraduate degree at the University of Alabama, Cheryl moved to North Carolina to attend dental school and Mrs. E sent her “recipe” north. Throughout the next 10 years Cheryl followed Mrs.E’s recipe – she became an orthodontist, started a family and a practice, created a home in Greensboro – and made pimento cheese in her kitchen for her three sons.

But just as in cooking, Cheryl ran into challenges. Ten years ago she was forced to retire due to chronic back injury. Determined to set an example for her sons, she started the pimento cheese factory she always dreamed of. She recognized an teachable moment – when faced with challenges she decided to pursue her lifelong passion. MyThreesSons Gourmet Pimento Cheese was born.

MyThreeSons Pimento Cheese tastes like home – like the good summer days of running through rainstorms barefoot and homemade bagged lunches packed for school. It is made just like your mother’s with sharp cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, pimentos and special spices just up the street in the Nussbaum Center for Entrepreneurship.

MyThreeSons’ growth has been tremendously fast – from a few local Fresh Market stores to covering the state (and most of the South) in four major grocers. You can find Cheryl’s Pimento Cheese in Whole Foods, Fresh Market, Harris Teeter and Lowe’s Foods Grocery Stores.

In celebrating mother’s day this past weekend, I was taken by Cheryl’s story – that the recipe for being the perfect mother isn’t only about making the best pimento cheese - it’s about being a dreamer and a doer. I’m sure Mrs. E would agree.

After a dinner discussion with many pimento cheese experts – I found that everyone is a pimento cheese expert! “There are as many varieties of pimento cheese as the people who make it,” says my new friend Emily. From traditionalists to those who brave new twists, there are few that don’t find memory on this Southern treat.

With summer in mind, I created a different version of nachos on the grill using MyThreeSon’s newest pimento cheese – Spicy White Cheddar. While Martha Pearl
in “My Mother’s Southern Kitchen” might call my grilled pimento cheese nachos a sacrilege – I’m a risk taker and think this recipe is delicious twist on an Alabama turned Greensboro treat.

Grilled Spicy and Smoky Pimento Cheese Nachos

  • 16 ounces blue corn chips
  • 2 ears fresh corn, husked
  • 1 sweet onion, cut into large slices
  • 1 red pepper, cut into large pieces
  • 1 container, My Three Sons Spicy White Cheddar Pimento Cheese
  • 3 scallions, chopped
  • 3 radishes, julianned
  • 1 small tomato, chopped
  • 1 avocado, chopped
  • olive oil
  • salt and pepper
  • hot sauce or pickled jalapeno, to taste

Preheat your grill to medium heat. Husk corn and cut onion and red pepper into large slices. Toss corn cobs, onion and red pepper in olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill vegetable trio until charred. Allow to cool to touch, chop onions and pepper, and remove corn kernels from the corn cobs.

Create a tray for the nachos by overlapping two sheets of aluminum foil. You can use cookie sheet as a mold if you need a guide. Place the aluminum foil tray directly on the grill and top with a layer of corn chips. Add a third of the Spicy White Cheddar Pimento Cheese on top of the chips, then the grilled vegetables and top with the remaining Pimento Cheese. Close the grill and allow the cheese to melt and warm the nachos.

Once the cheese is melted, carefully pick up the tray and transfer the nachos to a large platter. Top the nachos with scallions, tomato, radishes, avocado and hot sauce. Feel free to add any other toppings you may enjoy – local chorizo, bacon or seasoned grilled beef would make an excellent addition!

Mini Pizzas with Broccoletti and Kumatos

30 Apr

This weekend I joined in celebrating the 5th Birthday of my very sweet friend, Isabel! I was lucky enough to be included – with other youngins and a pack of dogs – in her butterfly themed birthday party. I ate my weight in potato chips while the rest of the crew ran around the yard and enjoyed some particularly cold Spring weather.

When planning what to bring, I thought an adult version of a 5-year-old favorite would be fun and fitting. I risked my popularity by bringing mini pizzas with baby broccoli and grape tomatoes. The risk paid off and everyone seemed to enjoy them. I used two varieties of broccoli and tomato that are grown to be sweeter (local innovation at its sweetest?… food for thought). Check out broccoletti and kumatos next time you’re at the super market. Or, pick up the traditional variety at the Farmers Market – tomatoes will be in season soon and nothing is sweeter than a locally grown tomato!

These mini pizzas were as sweet as our budding kindergartener.

Mini Pizzas with Broccoletti and Kumatos 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large skillet, saute broccoli and garlic on medium until tender. Season with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to your liking.

Roll out pizza dough fairly thin and cut with a biscuit-cutter to make small rounds. Place small pizza rounds on a cookie sheet and top with a teaspoon of gruyere cheese. Then top with broccoli and half of a grape tomato. Add a sprinkling of salt, pepper, additional cheese and olive oil. Bake for about 20 minutes or until dough and cheese are browned!

Spring into Florentine Rolls

13 Mar
(Whining starts here…) Am I the only one having a hard time adjusting to the time change? I know – it’s a good thing – everything from after dinner walks to the natural light making my food photography so much easier. But, I’m struggling with the transition and the season killing my sinuses (as I type with tissue in one hand). (Whining stops here…)
Spring has sprung in North Carolina. My tulips are starting to bloom and I’m loving 70 degree weather and longer days. I’m also enjoying all the new treats at the market – spring greens, onions and garlic. This recipe from On My Plate for Florentine Rolls puts spring produce at the forefront. I made my own pizza dough using my favorite Tyler Florence recipe and added a touch of lemon zest (which I’m not sure made a difference). I also made muffin papers using parchment that made the rolls super fun when delivering rolls to friends. These made great surprise Spring gifts for friends in the neighborhood - and also ensured that I wouldn’t eat them all myself! This recipe is surprisingly easy considering how amazing they look when they’re complete!
Make these for your next casual dinner party or brunch! I know they will be a big hit!
Florentine Rolls from On My Plate
  • 6 green onions, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 12 ounces fresh baby spinach, chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/2 recipe of my favorite easy pizza dough
  • 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
  • 2-4 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • 1 tablespoon butter, melted
  • 1/4 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Spray twelve muffin cups with non-stick cooking spray. Cut 5 x 5 inch squares of parchment paper and tuck them into the muffin cups – making creases in the paper to form a paper cup. This doesnt have to be exact as the weight of the roll will help form the paper.

In a large skillet cook green onions and garlic in 1 tablespoon of the oil until tender. Add spinach; cook and stir over medium heat just until wilted.
Season with salt and pepper. Drain off excess liquid using a colander. Set aside to cool.

On a well-floured surface, unroll pizza dough and shape into a 12×8-inch rectangle. Spread spinach mixture to within 1 inch of the edges of dough. Sprinkle with feta cheese and pine nuts. Dust with lemon zest.  Starting with one of the long sides, roll dough into a spiral. Slice roll into 12 pieces.

Place cut side up in prepared muffin cups. Brush with butter and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand in muffin cups for 2 minutes.

Purple Sweet Potato Chips with Urfa Red Pepper Dip

9 Feb

Are ya’ll over root vegetables yet? Between root veggies and greens, that’s all we’ve got at the local market these days. I see no light at the end of the tunnel ( light = summer veggie season) so I’m looking for diverse ways to incorporate them into the everyday diets. I know, “diet” and “deep fried chips” aren’t really a pair – but it was the Super Bowl! With a excess of purple sweet potatoes in my house from a Saturday field trip (more to come), I fried them up into chips for the Super (Puppy) Bowl. Making chips is really easy if you are open to home deep frying – which can be intimidating at first but very simple. Just slice any potato or root vegetable into 1/4 inch slices and fried them in batches in 350 degree vegetable oil. Remove when crisp and salt right away.

I made up a simple dip of equal parts Greek Yogurt and Mayo, added about 3 ounces of goat cheese, a couple scallions (diced), a small cherry red pepper (diced) and a tablespoon of Crushed Urfa Red Pepper. Don’t forget to season with salt and pepper. Dips are like salad dressing, just throw things in until they taste good. I can see my measurement loving friends rolling their eyes now! Loosen up and let go of your measuring spoons!

 I got the urfa at our new Savory Spice Shop in Friendly Center.  Here is what they have to say about the spice: Also known as Isot pepper, this wonderful crushed chile from the Turkish town of Urfa is similar to Aleppo crushed red pepper. Though Urfa chiles are called “red” pepper they actually are purplish black in appearance. These premium peppers are picked and cut, dried in the sun by day, then wrapped and sweated at night for more than a week. This sweating process gives the chile a rich, earthy flavor and smoky aroma. I liked the color and smokey flavor it gave to the dip.

Super Puppy Bowl Cheesey Pull Apart Bread

8 Feb

 

While I’m much more into the Puppy Bowl on Animal Planet, I can appreciate a holiday that centers around good food. I spent Super Bowl Sunday on Rolling Road with friends – eating lots of dip, turkey chili and this cheesey pull apart bread I made from a recipe highlighted on Apartment Therapy. I made mine with a sourdough round of bread from Loaf at the Greensboro Farmer’s Curb Market. You could also pick one up at their store downtown on the 200 block of Elm Street in Greensboro. It’s worth a trip – even if you just want to eat it as toast! I also cut back on the butter in this recipe – I don’t think you need it. If I made it again, I’d look for another cheese with more of a kick – but with the same melting factor. Maybe a swiss? Play around with this – it’s a fun recipe. Cheesey Mushroom Pull Apart Bread from Beantown Baker 

Moonshine stokes brain with ideas for Christmas cocktails (N&R 12.21.11)

21 Dec

‘Tis the season for family traditions and—well let’s be honest— sometimes family transgressions! I’m referring to the family traditions that are much more controversial than sipping Brandy Alexanders with grandfather in the piano room on Christmas morning. We’re talking, hushed whispers about a cousin’s run in with and subsequent flight from the law, controversial. As the folks at the Piedmont Distillers say, “few family recipes carry a jail sentence.” We all have our secrets.

Several weeks ago, my friend Stephanie and I took a road trip 25 miles north of Downtown Greensboro to visit the quaint and quiet center of Madison, North Carolina. At the end of the main thruway, near Bob’s Restaurant and a variety of antique stores, the folks at Piedmont Distillers have been quietly churning up Catdaddy Carolina Moonshine, Midnight Moon and a variety of colorful, fruity moonshines for the past nine years. And this time, it’s legal.

We spent our afternoon with Joe Michalek, Founder and President of Piedmont Distillers, touring the facility, talking science and the South, and (twisting our arms) tasting a bit of ‘shine.

You’ll be surprised to know that Joe isn’t a Southerner. He grew up in Manhattan and left a 300 dollar-a-month rent-controlled apartment in Lenox Hill to head South for the “other” wicked Southern industry of tobacco. It was then that Joe started running into ‘shine and wondered why no one had tried to sell such a mysterious product to the masses. After years of research, compliance with the government and serendipitously finding the only legal distillery in the state, he opened Piedmont Distillers.

Joe’s an ad guy, a city boy turned “Southern by the grace of god,” with a unique sense for niche industries. In just the last year, profits at Piedmont Distillers have increased 200%. You could say it has to do with the overwhelming trendiness of the Southern food scene or just plain hard work – either way, Joe’s making it happen. And after sampling all seven varieties of the triple-distilled corn liquor, we know he’s living the dream of every bootleg Southerner.

I returned home from Madison with an urge to make a Catdaddy Corn Liquor Cocktail for Christmas. ‘Tis the season, right? Catdaddy Carolina Moonshine smells like pure vanilla extract and tastes likeChristmas, with hints of nutmeg and cinnamon. In the spirit of keeping things close to home, I cheated and purchased Homeland Creamery’s Eggnog, spiked it with Catdaddy Moonshine and dusted it with fresh nutmeg. For all you with an affection toward Tennessee bourbon, it’s time to try something in our neck of the woods. This blubbery concoction, with nine grams of fat and 80 proof alcohol, must be paired with something similarly decedent yet savory.

My Candied Bacon & Cheddar Shortbread is just that—a variation on the traditional southern cheese straw with the hint of modern candied bacon. This combination is full of tradition, yet appeals to those brave enough to risk a little harmless transgression—kind of like Joe’s ‘shine!

Candied Bacon & Cheddar Shortbread

  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, plus extra for garnish
  • 3 tablespoons butter, cold and cut into small cubes
  • 1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
  • 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon milk
  • 4 pieces thick cut bacon
  • 4 tablespoons brown sugar

Heat the oven to 350. Arrange bacon slices on top tin foil and sprinkle with one tablespoon brown sugar per slice. Bake until the bacon is cooked and the sugar has caramelized. Watch this closely as it can burn quickly. Allow bacon to cool.

In a food processor, mince candied bacon. Add flour salt, pepper and rosemary – pulse together. Gradually add in the butter until the mixture becomes a coarse meal. Add the cheese and pulse. Slowly add the milk until the dough comes together. Put the dough on a floured surface and shape it into a 2 inch log. Wrap in plastic and chill overnight. When ready to bake, slice the log into 1/4 inch crackers – or roll out and cut with your favorite holiday cutter. Bake at 325 degrees until golden and firm.

Triple-Distilled, Double Local Piedmont Moonshine Egg Nog

  • Catdaddy Carolina Moonshine
  • Homeland Creamery Egg Nog
  • Fresh Nutmeg

You choose the proportions – just respect the ‘shine!

Bar Chicks

28 Oct

I’m sort of fascinated by all the dried vegetables you can buy in markets these days. Lately, I’ve caught myself spending way too much time in Fresh Marketing thinking about how a dried okra could taste any different from a dried green bean. I never buy any to find out. I did steal some dried okra leftover from a party in my office and thought about it for the rest of the day. I really love okra in any fashion. This is what happens to a mind that only thinks about food.

Dried foods also remind me of the summer my Grandparents purchased a food dehydrator from a Ron Popeil infomercial (looks like you can still get one – and they have gone down on price). We spent the entire summer with my grandfather thinking about what ELSE we could dehydrate. There was no lack of fiber that summer on the Withlachoochee River.

 

I don’t have a food dehydrator, nor do I want one, but I did test a recipe for roasted chickpeas a couple of weekends ago. You basically dry – or roast – canned chickpeas in the oven and season them any way that meets your fancy. They reminded me of corn nuts . I seasoned mine with several spices from the pantry and didn’t use much of a recipe. Apartment Therapy gave me plenty of ideas on their post here. Check it out and give them a try. You can make a big batch of these and they will last through the week. They have to be healthier than an average potato chip and certainly less cash than dried veggies from the market – or a Ronco Food Dehydrator.

Endive with Pear, Goat Cheese and Candied Pecans

26 Oct

You have no idea how happy I was to have a no-cook, cold item on my Elmwood Garden Club menu! It was a serious relief when trying to put everything together in a time crunch. I made these candied pecans several days before (and tried not to eat the entire bag before the event) and had them ready. I cut pears that morning and set them aside in lemon juice to prevent browning. Right before the event, my wonderful helper Mindy, assembled the goat cheese, pecan and pear inside endive leaves.

I think it is always nice to have something fresh and crunchy to contrast with the heavier items on the menu- especially when you are serving cast iron skillets with bubbling cheese. This was a nice way to highlight pears in season and a welcomed relief for the cook in the kitchen.

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