Global Grilling

Grilling is all the rage in the summer months, and it is fun to eat good food off the grill. Perhaps you could take the grilling a little farther afield by using spices from other countries. Middle Eastern food is just one of my favorite (almost as much as Indian) but grilling can be a global venture if you use the right spices.

There was an article in the latest ‘bon appétit’ about grilling in Lebanon. Grilling there is the most widely shared culinary technique throughout the region. Cooked close to the flames, the meat takes on a crisp char and a succulent texture. My greatest treat while living in Dubai in the early 70’s was grilled goat kebabs. They are my fondest memory of really good food from that time. People from that area of the world set up their mangal (a low rectangular grill) and grill chunks of lamb or chicken threaded onto skewers with pieces of tail fat in between. Yum! 

This Moroccan chicken recipe has cumin, paprika, and parsley which gives it a great taste. The garlic sauce on top of the chicken inside the pita adds a zing. This would be a great summer grill instead of the usual hamburger or steak. Add some hummus and tabbouleh and you have a party!

 

Chicken Brochettes

8 servings

Dark-meat chicken is the best for grilling; since it will not dry out because of more fat.

Garlic Sauce

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

Kosher salt

½ cup olive oil

3 Tbsp. plain yogurt

Chicken

2 lb. skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 2” pieces

2 garlic cloves, chopped

½ cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

2 tsp. ground cumin

2 tsp. paprika

¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

Kosher salt

Vegetable oil for grilling

Warm pita bread

Strained yogurt, chopped tomatoes and fresh mint leaves (for serving)

Special Equipment: Sixteen 8” bamboo or metal skewers

Garlic Sauce: Place garlic in a mortar; season with salt and pound to a very fine paste. (Alternatively, place garlic on a cutting board, season with salt, and mash with the side of a chef’s knife.) Transfer  garlic paste to a small bowl and gradually whisk in oil.

Very gradually whisk yogurt into garlic mixture until emulsified. (Add too fast and sauce will break. If it does break, gradually whisk in 1 tsp. water just before serving.) Garlic sauce can be made 6 hours ahead. Cover and chill.

Chicken: Toss chicken, garlic, parsley, cumin, paprika and red pepper flakes in a medium bowl; season with salt. Cover and chill at least 2 hours.

Prepare grill for medium-high heat, and oil the grate. Thread chicken onto skewers. Grill, turning occasionally, until cooked through, 8-12 minutes. Serve with garlic sauce, pita bread, yogurt, tomatoes, and mint. Chicken can be marinated 12 hours ahead. Keep chilled.

 

Tomato and Cabbage Tabbouleh

8 servings

A proper tabbouleh will be mainly vegetables and herbs, with just a small smattering of bulgur. This recipe is different because of the cabbage.

1 cup bulgur (not quick-cooking)

½ medium head green cabbage, cut into 1”-thick wedges, then very thinly sliced crosswise (about 4 cups)

1 small sweet onion (such as Vidalia, finely chopped)

4 cups assorted small tomatoes, halved, quartered if large

3 cups coarsely chopped fresh mint

¾ cup olive oil

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

1 tsp. Aleppo pepper, or ½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

Kosher salt

Place bulgur in a large bowl and add 1 ½ cups boiling water. Let soak until softened and water is absorbed, 40-45 minutes.

Toss bulgur, onion, tomatoes, mint, oil, lemon juice, and Aleppo pepper in a large bowl to combine; season with salt.

Do Ahead: Tabbouleh (without oil and lemon juice) can be made 4 hours ahead. Toss with oil and lemon just before serving.

 

 

 

Okra 2014

Our okra is finally coming in and I have waited a long time but everything is late this summer. Okra is really a quirky and misunderstood vegetable. Brought here from its native Africa on slave ships, okra is thoroughly at home in the intense heat, inconsistent rainfall, and humidity of the South.

We were in Wilmington this past week and had a treat to visit a new restaurant at the beach called Pembroke. (The name comes from Pembroke Jones whose Wilmington home was in the area. He was the wealthy turn–of-the-century gentleman who inspired the phrase ‘keeping up with the Joneses.’) The restaurant had an interesting appetizer of fried okra served with a remoulade sauce. This was good enough to repeat.  On returning home I did a take off of this recipe and found some more interesting recipes for okra. No matter how okra is cooked it should be cooked until just done and bright green or a tad beyond, which is good for getting the most from its flavor and texture. Cook it too long and it will be too soft. Whether treated gently with steam to coax out its delicate flavors, or manhandled with high heat and assertive flavors, okra is a worldly addition to the Southern table.

Fried Okra with Remoulade

1 lb. okra

Oil for frying

Small okra is better but split the okra down the middle. Before frying you can put the okra in a small bowl of flour and then into a bowl of egg and milk and then back in the flour before frying. I do a tempura fry by adding the okra to a bowl of flour mixed with part of a beer. This makes the okra a little lighter. Fry in hot oil for a few minutes. (3-4)

Remoulade Sauce

4 tablespoons lemon juice

4 tablespoons vinegar

4 tablespoons prepared mustard

4 tablespoons prepared horseradish

2 teaspoons salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

2 teaspoons paprika

Dash cayenne

2 tablespoons catsup (optional)

1 cup salad oil

½ cup celery, chopped fine

½ cup green onions, minced

Combine lemon juice, vinegar, (tarragon, if you have it) and seasonings. Gradually add oil. Stir with fork or rotary beater to blend well. Add celery and onion. Makes 2 cups.

 

Indian-Spiced Okra with Chickpeas

4-6 servings

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons mustard seeds

1 tablespoon cumin seeds

4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 ½ pounds okra, any tough stem ends trimmed off and discarded

3 tablespoons tomato paste

1 ½ cups chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1 cup water, or less as needed

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds and cumin seeds, and cover as the mustard seeds will start to pop. Shake the pan 1 to 2 minutes, or until the popping subsides. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds. Add the okra and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Add the tomato paste (which may spatter, so be careful) and stir to coat the okra and to toast the tomato paste on the bottom of the pan, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the chickpeas and enough water to coat the bottom of the pan; season lightly with salt and pepper, and cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, 3 to 5 minutes, or until the okra is bright green. Uncover the skillet and cook, stirring frequently, another 2 to 4 minutes, or until the sauce thickens and the okra is tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

 

Roasted Okra with Olive oil, Lemon and Sea Salt

4-8 servings

2 pounds okra, and tough stem ends trimmed away and discarded

3 tablespoons olive oil

Sea salt

Lemon wedges

Preheat the oven to 450°F. In a bowl, toss the okra with the olive oil to coat. Arrange the okra in a single layer on a large sheet pan. Roast 8 to 10 minutes, or until bright green, barely tender, and brown in spots. Serve immediately with the sea salt and lemon wedges.

 

 

 

Tucson

We look forward to our visit out west every summer. Our daughter is in her third year of a general surgery residency so perhaps we have at least two more years to visit. She was off for the entire week we were there so she had some good restaurants lined up for us. Last year she was only off one night to be with us.

We left Kerrville, Texas, Tuesday morning and aimed to make Las Cruces by lunch for our annual stop at Andelé for posole, a soup made with hominy. And then on to Tucson. Our daughter came over to our favorite hotel in Tucson for drinks and dinner---the Arizona Inn dating from 1930. It was built by Isabella Greenway who had been a bridesmaid of Eleanor Roosevelt and later was the first US Representative from Arizona. The inn is still run by her descendants.

We skipped the Desert Museum this year and went to the local botanic garden. It is amazing how much grows in this desert climate. We paid our usual visit to the Native Seeds store and bought more Tepary beans. We also bought some Runner Beans. We had heard about these large dried beans from Lynn Rosetta Casper recently on her radio show. They are said to taste more like butter beans and I like butter beans. We also bought some seed and have planted them. Gardens are planted in July in Tucson as this is the time of the monsoon rains. We have been having rain here in Mississippi but I may have to supplement a little later.

We had our usual fill of Mexican food---burritos filled with potatoes, eggs and sausage for breakfast at a local 4^th Street café, a more formal breakfast at the Arizona Inn of Eggs Benedict, southwestern style. We visited our find of last year---Tucson Tamales with all kinds of fillings at this sit down/take out hole-in-the-wall. We went again this year to a restaurant that specializes in local and fresh but not necessarily southwestern cuisine. They had a good peas in cream sauce side, but the find was what the chef said was his wife’s favorite---puréed cauliflower and feta with Kalamata olives over sautéed kale. I have repeated this a couple times since coming home. It is a keeper.

We made a day trip to Tombstone. The town has been preserved and lives on its history. The ‘Shootout at the OK Corral’ is a bit like a high school play but not to be missed. The losers of this battle can be found at Boot Hill, the infamous cemetery that has also been restored. The world’s largest rose bush/tree is in the Rose Tree Inn in Tombstone---a white Lady Banks that was planted in 1885 and covers 8,600 square feet. No great food finds here but we did enjoy a Tombstone Sarsaparilla, ‘the root beer of the west.’

 

Cauliflower Puree with Feta and Olives over Sautéed Kale

Serves 4

I head cauliflower

8 oz. feta

½ cup dry cured black olives (chopped)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 bunch kale (curly is fine)

Cook the cauliflower in a pot of boiling water about 8 minutes. Separate the florets and purée in the food processor until smooth and silky.

Add the feta and purée for a few seconds more. Add the chopped olives to the cauliflower and feta mixture.

Heat the oil and the butter and add the chopped kale with some water to cover and cook for about 10 minutes until the kale is soft.

Put the kale on a plate and add the cauliflower mixture on top of the kale. This is a great side dish with any meat or just good on its own for lunch or supper.

San Antonio 2014

We just returned from our third annual trip to Tucson to visit our daughter. San Antonio is nearly half way. This year we planned an early dinner in San Antonio and then drive about an hour more to Kerrville where we spent the night.

A recent ‘Garden and Gun’ article on San Antonio gave us several possibilities for dinner. Our choice was La Gloria and it was a good one. The River Walk has been an attraction for a long time in San Antonio. It’s what tourists do in the evening after a visit to the Alamo.  Work on development of the San Antonio River began in the 1940’s. Over the years it has been expanded; in 1961 a plan was created and two miles of river walkways were created. When the San Antonio river Improvements project is complete it will link up 2020 acres of public land with a river running through it, larger than the three most popular US parks: Central Park in NYC, the Golden Gate Park in San Francisco and the Chicago Lakeside.  La Gloria, open just a couple of years, is located on the upper reaches of the river; the boats do not go that far. The waiter told us it was about a two mile walk to the area near the Alamo in the central downtown. The restaurant serves Mexican street food. The bar is outside along with most of the tables overlooking the tiny river. Ducks roam between the tables. There is a mist blowing to cool. I might have preferred the inside but my husband had the hostess show us to a table nearest the river.

We started with one of their special tequila drinks. We chose one with mint and basil and cucumbers. It was still too sweet. I should have had a traditional margarita. My husband says next year he will have a cerveza.

We tried a sampling of several things on the menu to share. The shrimp ceviche was one of the best things. We had fish tacos and a more traditional assado taco. The interesting dish was one we had never heard of, the tlayudas, or Mexican pizza. It’s more like a huge taco than a pizza. Black beans and melted cheese on a large pizza sized tortilla, piled high with lettuce, tomatoes, and avocados. The tlayuda originated in Oaxaca.

On our way back home we again stopped in San Antonio on a Sunday morning because we had heard the farmer’s market was nice. This was also recommended by ‘Garden and Gun.’ Well, this was not worth the stop. There was not much to buy and it all seemed very expensive to me. Eggs were $6.00 a dozen, and kale was $4.00 for a bunch. I did buy some good cheese and tomatoes, but this is not worth a stop the next time.

There are many recipes for Mexican pizza and really you can create what you like on any kind of shell. I tried one on flour tortillas and it was really great. You could put toppings on just crisp tostadas and that would make a quick easy pizza. The recipe I used has lots of cheese, beans, salsa, chilies and sausage. How can you go wrong?

 

Mexican Bean Pizza

Serves 4

1 ¼ cups shredded Cheddar cheese

¼ cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

2 tablespoons olive oil

8 (6-inch) flour tortillas (I like the smaller tortillas as they are easier to eat than the large ‘pizza-sized’ ones.)

1 small onion, chopped

1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained

½ cup salsa, mild or spicy

2 ounces canned, chopped green chilies (Our jalapeños are in so I used fresh.)

2 ounces pulled pork or chorizo (casing removed) I used chorizo and it gave the pizza a spicier taste)

Heat oven to 350°F. Mix half the Cheddar cheese with the Monterey Jack cheese in a bowl; set aside.

Brush a baking sheet with 1 tablespoon of the oil and arrange tortillas in a single layer. Puncture each tortilla a few times with a fork. Sprinkle remaining Cheddar cheese evenly over 4 of the tortillas, then cover each with a remaining tortilla. Bake 5-6 minutes or until browned slightly.

While tortillas bake, heat remaining oil in a skillet and cook onions until browned. Add beans and partially mash with a potato masher or the back of a fork.

Remove tortilla pizzas from the oven and top each with the bean mixture, spreading evenly. Top with salsa, green chilies, pulled pork or chorizo and cheese mixture.

Return to oven. Bake until cheese melts, about 10-12 minutes.

Blueberries '14

Blueberries are native to North America. They once grew so profusely that there was no need to cultivate them, and they were not domesticated until the early twentieth century. Most southern blueberries are now harvested from carefully tended wild strands or from cultivated varieties descended from the original wild ones.

Plentiful berries were sustenance food for the Native Americans and the earliest explorers and colonists. Native Americans knew how to dry blueberries in the sun and used them in pemmican. Pemmican (for those of us that do not know the term) is a food made chiefly from beef, dried fruit, and suet, used in emergency rations. Later, they sold dried fruit to English settlers, who used them in place of currants in their recipes. For decades blueberries as well as huckleberries retained their association with wildness, exploration, and pioneering. In fact, some people think that’s why Mark Twain gave the name of Huckleberry to his spirited, adventure seeking character. I guess it does sound better than Blueberry!

Our blueberries are plentiful (more than plentiful, actually) and I do enjoy eating them, primarily fresh from a bowl. Knowing how good they are for you also helps me enjoy them more. ‘Southern Living’ had a whole section on blueberry recipes and I could not help but try the one with blueberry-peach salsa over a grilled pork chop. Blueberries are being used in salads more and more and there is a recipe pairing it with kale in this issue also. So while blueberries are at their peak, use them in this recipe. It was delicious. You will not be disappointed.

 

Taken from July 2014, ‘Southern Living’ Magazine.

Grilled Pork Chops with Blueberry-Peach Salsa

Serves 4

4 (1 ½-inch-thick) bone-in pork chops (about 3 ¼ lb.)

All-Purpose Pork Brine (recipe below)

1 Tbsp. olive oil

Blueberry-Peach Salsa (recipe below)

Place pork and brine in a large zip-top plastic freezer bag; seal. Place bag in a shallow baking dish, and chill 8 hours.

Remove pork chops from brine; discard brine. Let pork stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Light one side of grill, heating to 350° to 400° (medium-high) heat; leave other side unlit. Brush pork with 1 Tbsp. olive oil, and sprinkle with desired amount of salt and pepper.

Place pork over lit side, and grill, covered with grill lid, 4 minutes on each side. Transfer pork to unlit side, and grill, covered with grill lid, 8 to 10 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer inserted into thickest portion registers 150°. Let stand 5 minutes. Arrange pork on a serving platter, and top  with Blueberry-Peach Salsa. (We grill on a simple grill with hardwood charcoal with no lighter fluid, etc. used to start. We build a fire to get the charcoal started. Not fancy.)

 

All-Purpose Pork Brine

1 ½ qt. water

3 Tbsp. kosher salt

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh thyme

2 Tbsp. brown sugar

2 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper

4 garlic cloves, crushed

2 bay leaves

½ large lemon, sliced

Stir together all ingredients in a large stockpot until salt and sugar dissolve. Let stand 1 hour.

 

Blueberry-Peach Salsa

1 ½ cups blueberries

Zest and juice one 1 lime

1 large peach, peeled and finely diced

1 small shallot, finely chopped

3 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil

3 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives

2 Tbsp. hot pepper jelly

1 Tbsp. olive oil

Coarsely chop half of blueberries. Toss chopped blueberries with whole blueberries and remaining ingredients. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately, or cover and chill up to 24 hours. Makes 3 cups.

Papa Hemmingway's Burger

We are all trying to cook the perfect hamburger; at least I try a new recipe every now and then. In my latest issue of ‘Saveur’ magazine it seemed that Ernest Hemingway was interested in a powerful burger also. I was intrigued with his ingredients of carrots, tomato, cheddar cheese, apple, capers, Indian relish and other spices. I had to try this one.

Truthfully, Hemingway’s hamburger only surfaced recently, one of 2,500 pieces of ephemera digitized in 2014 by the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston. The type written page is a testament to the meticulousness with which Hemingway approached food. Titled “Papa’s Favorite Wild West Hamburger” and covered in handwritten marginalia, it is a literary work in its own right. “Let the meat sit, quietly marinating,” he writes. “Now make four fat, juicy patties with your hands.” The list of ingredients are fascinating, and the burger is juicy and vibrant. But perhaps the burger is like the man himself, masterful.

I had a problem finding the Indian relish in the recipe and there is a story about the origin also .Where did this come from? This condiment was actually the invention of H. J. Heinz in 1889. The original secret recipe, loosely based on traditional Indian relishes, featured a sugared and vinegared mix of pickled cucumbers, green tomatoes, cauliflower, white onions, red bell peppers, celery, and mustard seeds, plus cinnamon and allspice. The FDA didn’t appreciate its inspired name and it took Heinz to court in 1910 for misbranding a product that was not, in actuality, from India. They seized five cases of Indian relish, but the legal case was dismissed when the court ruled that the name was being used generically. For decades the relish, made by a number of brands, including B&G, with a shorter list of ingredients, has added zip to cookout foods like macaroni salads and hot dogs. You can find this is many grocery stores.

Here is the recipe. We thought this burger was wonderful. I did cook it in a skillet (as Papa suggested) since it was so juicy I was afraid it would fall through the grill. It could be a real winner for your 4^th of July cookout. Be careful if you plan to grill it; maybe use a fish basket like you would grill a fish.

Taken from the June/July issue of ‘Saveur’ Magazine, 2014.

Papa’s Favorite Wild West Hamburger

Serves 4

1 lb. lean ground beef (I, of course, used grass fed)

2 oz. sliced ham, minced

¼ cup dry red wine or white wine

¼ cup cheddar cheese

2 tbsp. capers, drained

2 tbsp. grated tart apple

1 tbsp. minced parsley

1 tbsp. soy sauce

1 ½ tsp. ground sage

1 ½ tsp. India relish

½ tsp. Beau Monde seasoning

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 small scallions, minced

1 egg, beaten

1 plum tomato, cored, peeled, and grated

½ small carrot, grated

½ small yellow onion, grated

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 tbsp. canola oil

Hamburger buns, lettuce, sliced tomato and onion, ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise, for serving

Mix ingredients, except for oil, buns, and condiments, in a bowl; form into four  6-oz. patties. I made 6 patties and they were still big. Heat oil in a 12” skillet over medium-high heat. Cook patties, flipping once, until cooked to desired doneness, 8-10 minutes for medium rare. Serve on buns with lettuce, tomato, onion, ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise.

Happy 4^th!

 

Coffee

“The wine of Islam,” the moderator called it. Last week I went to a symposium on coffee at the Historic New Orleans Collection. Learned a lot and drank a lot of coffee. A roaster from Key West, Baby’s Coffee, changed roasts all day long and brewed us more coffee for every break.

Coffee grows wild in Ethiopia. The myth is that goat herders noticed the dancing goats and ultimately learned to roast and brew coffee from the trees the goats were eating. The drink traveled to Arabia and Turkey where it was enjoyed in qahveh khanehs, coffee houses, which were centers for the exchange of information, ‘’schools of the wise.’ And from there to Holland and to England and France in the 1600’s. As elsewhere coffee houses were centers of social activity and communication, ‘penny universities,’ where for the price of one penny one could have a cup of coffee and stimulating conversation. The best coffee beans are Arabica. Robusta, which originated elsewhere in Africa, is more bitter with more caffeine. Coffee can be grown from the Tropic of Cancer to the Tropic of Capricorn at 3-6,000 feet elevation. The Dutch began growing coffee in Java in the 1700’s. In 1790, before the revolution, Haiti produced 50% of the world’s coffee.

Drinking of tea is more ancient. It is said to have been given by Buddha. It was always more refined. The English today are tea drinkers. The French drink coffee and Americans average 2-3 cups of coffee per day. In New Orleans they average 4 cups. Folgers is the largest US coffee supplier.

In 1785 chicory was first added to American coffee as an adulterant but then it was promoted as enhancing the flavor of coffee. The Café du Monde began serving coffee in New Orleans in 1862 and continues today with its famous coffee and chicory au lait and beignets.

In a letter Judah P. Benjamin (US senator from Louisiana and later Confederate Secretary of War and Secretary of State) wrote a friend in New York in April 1855, “For a small family, say four persons, take Mocha and Java grains (considered to be the world’s oldest coffee blend. Mocha is from Yemen and is the world’s oldest commercial coffee. Java, from the Pacific, is still considered a classic.) in the proportion of about 1/3 of former to 2/3 of latter---Roast them brown, not black, for in the latter case you would obtain a decoction of charcoal only---then put into your biggin (The biggin pot supposedly dates to the 1780’s. With alterations it is now called the French drip pot.) say, from ½ pint to 3 gills of the ground coffee---pour on the coffee from three to four tea cups full of boiling water-stop a moment—Before pouring on the water, press down your coffee pretty firmly, or the water will run through without extracting the aroma---let your water run through the coffee without disturbance: it will take 10 or 15 minutes---There may not be space enough in your biggn to pour on all the boiling water at once, if not furnish it by installments as the brokers term it, till you have poured on the whole quantity---about two thirds of the water will remain in the coffee; one-third will run through: this third will be nectar: two or three table spoons full will suffice in the bottom of a coffee cup which is then to be filled with boiling milk.”

One need not go to so much trouble. To brew a good cup of coffee, the secret is freshness. Airtight and cool is key; avoid excessive air, moisture, heat and light in that order. It is wise to purchase coffee in amounts proportionate to how quick it will be used. Purchase freshly roasted coffee frequently and buy only what you will use in the next 1-2 weeks. Brewed coffee loses its optimal taste moments after it is brewed.

In the late afternoon two old New Orleans waiters demonstrated the making of café brûlot. This we shared as we learned more. Only about three of the old restaurants still serve café brûlot: Commander’s Palace, Antoine’s and Arnaud’s.

So if you wish to serve a special treat at the end of your next dinner party:

 

Arnaud’s Café Brûlot

Serves 4

As much as a ceremony as a drink, Café Brûlot (say brew-low) has put the flaming touch on many New Orleans dinners. Legend has it that the famous buccaneer Jean Lafitte originated this spectacular after-dinner drink; in French, Brûlot translates as “brunt brandy.” At Arnaud’s, a special Brûlot ladle that strains out the spices is used to pour the drink into the traditional tall, narrow Brûlot cups.

Two-inch stick of cinnamon

6 whole cloves

3 tablespoons slivered or grated lemon peel

¼ cup slivered or grated lemon peel

3 sugar cubes

½ cup brandy

2 tablespoons Curaçoa, Grand Marnier or Cointreau

3 cups hot, strong black coffee

1 long, fireplace match

In a copper Brûlot bowl or chafing dish, combine the cinnamon, cloves, citrus peel and sugar cubes. Place over medium heat and crush together, using the back of a large ladle. Add the brandy and Curaçao to the ladle, light with a long match, then pour the flaming liqueur into the pan. Stir thoroughly and simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar. As the flames begin to die out, gradually add the black coffee. Ladle into Brûlot or demitasse cups, leaving the spices and citrus peels behind and serve at once.

 

 

Charleston 2014

We just spent a wonderful three days in Charleston, South Carolina for their Spoleto festival. We try to go every year but this year was a food fest since we had some relatives to join us and they wanted to eat some good food. Well, we ate at some wonderful restaurants and had 6 very different but good meals.

As for performances, we saw a wonderful play called My Cousin Rachel, written by Daphne Du Maurier. It was a very suspenseful play and well done by all actors. Something different this year was a conversation between an Indian son and his mother about his refusing to agree to an arranged marriage. The play was called a Brimful of Asha, Asha being the mother’s name. It was fun to meet the mother and son on stage and they had an Indian appetizer for everyone in the audience. A nice touch even though I was not hungry. We went to one of our favorite venues, the Westminster choir. They always sing the best songs and it is so beautiful. We spent one day viewing eight Charleston gardens, only the second year for this tour. Some of these gardens were outstanding. Much love and attention had gone into these gardens.

As for food, where do I begin? I had booked five restaurants, some old and some new to us. Our arrival was late at night so we went to a restaurant we had visited 25 years ago called Poogan’s Porch. It had some typical Charleston fare but the best thing we had there was fried pimento cheese fritters. They were very cheesy and really too filling for an appetizer but of course I ate all four of them. Pimento cheese is still on a lot of menus, but who doesn’t love it? Our lunch the next day was at 82 Queen. This restaurant was in its prime 30 years ago, but the best thing on their menu was fried green tomatoes and a crab cake. Unfortunately I did not order that! Things do get better as time goes on! The evening was spent at The Ordinary, which Mike Lata has made popular in an old bank. The food here is fresh and really, really good. We had fresh oysters, pickled shrimp, crab on toast, butter fish with spices and tempura shrimp. This is well worth a repeat. Mike Lata also has the restaurant FIG (food is good) but I could not get a reservation. The next day we were on the garden tour and I asked for a place to eat in Mt. Pleasant, right over the bridge from Charleston. The lady I asked said you must go to Graze. They had an award winning Mac&Cheese which of course we had to have so we ordered three. The waitress said we only needed 2 at the most. She was wrong; we needed only one. I have never eaten such a filling dish. It had pulled pork, collards, and three smoked cheeses in the dish. Everything on the menu looked good and I would repeat this one also. I had a smoked beet salad and it was excellent. Dinner came so early; I was still full of Mac&Cheese, but the Charleston Grill was a great venue for seared foie gras and a salad. We ate at both of Sean Brock’s restaurants on Sunday, Husk for brunch and McCrady’s for dinner. Sean Brock is just a genius for creating new dishes. Husk featured pimento on crostini for an appetizer and this I had gotten last year and repeated it. McCrady’s has a set menu of four courses for $65.00 and it was probably the best meal overall for the three days. Every dish was small, fresh, and delicious and the highlight was a dessert made with grits! Heavenly!

Back to reality and home cooked food. I did buy two new cookbooks and the recipes below are from one of them. If you get a chance go to Charleston. It is a marvelous city any time of year!

From The Grand Traditions of Charleston Cuisine by Douglas W.Bostick, 2013.

Pimento Cheese

½ cup pimentos, diced

3 garlic cloves, finely diced

12 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated

Dash of lemon juice

3 tablespoons mayonnaise

Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

½ teaspoon hot pepper sauce

Dash of Worcestershire

Mix the pimentos and garlic into the grated cheese. Mix a dash of lemon juice in with the mayonnaise and fold in the cheese mixture. Add the salt, pepper, hot pepper sauce, and Worcestershire. Refrigerate well before use.

 

Pickled Shrimp

1 tablespoon sea salt

½ cup olive oil

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

1 cup cider vinegar

1 2-ounce bottle capers, drained and chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon celery seeds

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 pounds medium shrimp

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

4 bay leaves, crushed

Combine the first eight ingredients in a mixing bowl to make the marinade. Boil the shrimp in salted water until pink. Cool and peel the shrimp. Some prefer to leave the tails intact. If you plan to serve the shrimp on a cracker or grits cake, remove the tails. Place the shrimp, onion, and bay leaves in layers in a one-quart Mason jar. Pour the prepared marinade over the shrimp, cover tightly, and refrigerate for at least 24 hours. The pickled shrimp will keep for up to 2 weeks, though once you savor the taste, they will never last that long.