Sean Brock and Charleston

A visit to Charleston would not be complete without a visit to at least one of Sean Brock’s restaurants. He has a new one called Minero. A little different than Husk or McCrady’s but a winner I believe. Minero is located on 155 E. Bay, so an easy find. The restaurant Minero is named after the Spanish word for “miner.” Minero represents the storied history of the taco, which supposes that Mexican silver miners named the dish in the 18^th century. The word “taco” referred to the dynamite that miners used to excavate the ore in the mines, which was made of pieces of paper wrapped around gunpowder and inserted into the holes carved in the rock face.

The Minero team tasted over 40 varieties of corn before choosing their three different producers: Masienda, Geechie Boy Mill, and Anson Mills. Using a traditional nixtamalization process to make fresh masa every day, Minero grinds the corn in-house which results in a truly authentic corn tortilla.

The tacos were wonderful and inexpensive, only $3.00 to $4.00 per taco. Not your local Taco Bell, let me assure you! The choices were items like charcoaled chicken taco, green Chorizo taco with potatoes and grilled onions, grilled steak taco, pork carnitas taco, taco al pastor, and fried catfish taco. We tried three and all were just great.  There is a drawer that pulls out from each side of the table and in it you will find your silverware and napkins—interesting, different. No reservations are needed and I would say it would be the place for lunch on your next visit to Charleston.

We visited Husk for brunch on Sunday, which we had done last year. The menu was somewhat limited and a lot of items had an egg added, but it is brunch, I suppose. I chose the Husk cheeseburger, since I had heard that it was so good and it was. I will give the recipe near the Fourth of July, but the secret is the pork belly added to the beef. Yum! My husband chose a Tennessee country fried steak with heirloom kale, roasted peppers and courgettes, sweet onion marmalade, and a fried egg. You could have fried chicken with a wedge of cornbread, shrimp and grits, or an omelet with charred ramps. Perhaps the best thing we ordered was a wood fired scone with ramps and Benton’s bacon, and black pepper gravy. This was shared as an appetizer, but it was creative and tasty. The waiter said the scone was like a Red Lobster biscuit. Well, it was better than that.

Our last restaurant was The Ordinary, a restaurant we have been to twice before. Mike Lata is the chef here and he is known for FIG. I finally got to have my soft-shell crabs and they were lightly sautéed and excellent. My husband had a wreck fish which is very popular and only lives in the low country waters. It was excellent also.

The recipe worth giving is the scone dressed with white pepper gravy with Benton’s bacon crumbled on top. We do not have ramps to add to this recipe. It is in the onion family so you could sauté leeks or green onions.  You could do any scone recipe or a biscuit recipe of your choice.  The important element will be the black pepper gravy.

Black Pepper Gravy Recipe

2 tablespoons butter or bacon fat

2 tablespoons flour, all-purpose

2 cups milk

2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

1 teaspoon salt

¾ teaspoon black peppercorns or more if you like, freshly cracked

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the butter/bacon fat.

Whisk in the flour.

Sauté the flour until lightly browned. Remove pan from the heat.

Pour the milk into the pan in a steady stream, whisking constantly.

Return pan to the heat.

Whisk until the gravy thickens. Whisk in the cream, salt, and pepper.

Keep warm until needed.

To assemble: Place the scone or biscuit into a small bowl and pour two or three tablespoons of the gravy over the scone. Sprinkle crisp Benton’s bacon over and decorate with the green parts of scallions. I love bacon and have tried many but I do believe Benton’s is the tastiest. You can order it. The problem with that is the shipping cost is almost as much as the bacon.

 

 

 

 

 

Charleston---Pickled Shrimp

We have just returned from a wonderful three days in Charleston, South Carolina enjoying the Spoleto Festival. We try to go every year and try new venues and new restaurants. We did some different things for shows this year. Our first treat was the Globe Theatre performance of Romeo and Juliet. They had a little different take on this play and we did notice all the players had tattoos! Lots of tattoos. Now I guess that is not the thing to notice but all in all it was entertaining.

We then went to see the Scottish Ballet perform “A Streetcar Named Desire.” Now, you wonder how a ballet could interpret this play. Just let your imagination  go wild and you can figure this out! It was very well done actually.  The only dialogue was the one work---Stella!

On a milder note we spent Saturday visiting eight gardens in downtown Charleston and they were beautiful and well-groomed. It was a cooler day than usual so a treat to be walking in the Holy City and visiting these gardens.

We spent Sunday afternoon listening to the Westminster Choir from New Jersey. We do this venue every year but really did not like the music they had chosen this year, but the choir was still a joy to listen to.

Now the restaurants were the most fun of all for me. We did two old and two new and the two new were the real treat. We revisited the Charleston Grill at Charleston Place and they had been nominated for best service for the James Beard Award. It was a wonderful meal and the service was perfect. We had seared foie gras (you can rarely find it on menus) served with a small apple turnover and some sautéed apples, which made the dish a little too sweet. For our main course we had a black sea bass served with a small pasta (cannot remember the name of the pasta) in a red wine reduction. We were served a side dish of roasted cauliflower with a sauce of butter and Meyer lemon and capers. A delicious dish! We had a very nice drink called “The Bitter End,” which was much like a Negroni. Signature cocktails are all the fashion these days and some are really delicious with their various concoctions.

Our great find was Edmund’s Oast. I had read about this restaurant and all reviews were good. It is about 2 miles from downtown, but well worth the drive. The name came from Edmund Egan, who was an English-born brewer who came to Charleston in the 1760s and started producing beer soon after. He had great success and donated large amounts of money to the American Revolution, earning him the name “The Rebel Brewer”. Oast is an old European term for a kiln used in drying of hops. Together the two make the name Edmund’s Oast. The restaurant is known for its craft beers but the food is outstanding. We got to sit at the chef’s table up front where all the cooking was done so this was delightful for us. Our waitress told us that the kitchen was always quiet and no shouting between chefs, and we never saw anyone get upset but just a smooth moving machine of cooking and serving.

Despite this being a micro-brewery they have their crafted cocktails also. I had a Tchoupitoulas (a bit like a Sazarac) and my husband had an ‘earthy’ gin concoction called a Forrest Floor.

For our first course we chose a Surryano ham, creamy feta, favas, squash, and herb dish. The squash was very tiny but raw. What was also nice; the menu had the source of all the food. Our ham came from Edward’s Virginia ham. We chose three small dishes for our main course. One was braised lamb meatballs, with dried fruit, Argus cider, and mint. Another dish had fresh ricotta, charred broccoli, Meyer lemon served on EVO Bakery semolina bread. Our favorite dish was pickled shrimp served with aïoli on EVO Bakery rye bread. I decided I could duplicate this one.

Pickled Shrimp

Serves 10-12 as an appetizer

3 pounds shrimp small to medium cooked and peeled

2 medium onions, quartered and very thinly sliced

1 teaspoon celery seeds

1 cup chopped celery, thinly sliced

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

4 dried hot chili peppers

1 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

¼ cup white wine vinegar

½ cup fresh lemon juice

Dill for garnish

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and toss thoroughly. Pack everything into a large glass bowl, cover, and refrigerate overnight to allow the flavors to come together.

Aïoli

Makes 2 cups

You can use this like you would mayonnaise

2 large garlic cloves

Pinch of Kosher salt

2 large egg yolks

1 ½ cups extra virgin olive oil

1-2 tablespoons tepid water

Juice of ½ lemon, to taste

Small pinch of cayenne pepper

In a mortar, using a pestle, grind the garlic with the salt to a paste. Add the egg yolks and stir with a wooden spoon until blended. Transfer to a larger bowl if necessary and whisk in ¼ olive oil drop by drop. Add the remaining in a slow steady stream, whisking constantly. Season with the lemon juice and cayenne and taste to adjust the seasoning. This will keep for 5 days, covered and refrigerated.

To assemble: Toast the rye bread, top with the aïoli and then cover with the pickled shrimp and garnish with several sprigs of dill.

The e-mail for Edmund’s Oast is Edmondsoast.com or phone # is 843-727-1145. I would definitely recommend it if you find yourself in Charleston.

 

On the Road---Moules

We’ve been on the road again. Last week we drove to Nashville, Tennessee to celebrate my husband’s sister’s 90^th birthday. She wanted the celebration on the day and we made plans for that but somewhere along the way the children changed the big celebration at the country club to Sunday night and we missed that, but we joined her two children and their spouses for the actual day, May 20, at 360, a neighborhood place that was very casual. KaKa is Landon’s only sibling and 23 years separate them---perhaps unique. He has never found such a wide separation with nothing in between. We stayed with the son and his wife who has found a great breakfast treat that she knows we like. She buys ham biscuits with brie which we heat for breakfast in the microwave. They are quite tasty!

We go through Birmingham and I can’t resist eating at one of Frank Stitt’s places. Highlands, his signature restaurant, is not open for lunch but neighboring Chez Fon Fon is a nice alternative. On a Wednesday they were full for lunch but it was a nice day and we took a table on the sidewalk; nice for people watching, although the church across the street is doing a building program which was a bit noisy. We started with sazaracs. I usually do not order this drink outside New Orleans. But Fon Fon has put it on the menu and they do a good job with it. We had a beet salad on greens with blue cheese and nuts. Then I had moules. I like them and have been doing them for years at home as well as often ordering them when eating out. I once had a bed and breakfast and had a guest named Mell Pell who was in town selling farmed mussels from Maine. He was the only game on the block back then when mussels were just beginning to be eaten in the US.

Fon Fon’s mussels were in a seasonal broth of tomatoes and basil with new potatoes. So I thought I would share with you.

Moules served in a Spicy Tomato Sauce (My version)

4 lb. mussels

3 tablespoons butter

1 large onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 cup white wine

1 28 oz. can chopped tomatoes

1 bay leaf

½ cup fresh basil leaves

¾ cup heavy cream

1 lb. red potatoes chopped in small cubes

Scrub the mussels and remove their beards. Discard any that are already open and don’t close when tapped on the work surface.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan and cook the onion and garlic stirring occasionally over a moderate heat until the onion is softened but not browned. Add the wine, tomatoes, potatoes, and bay leaf and cook for 5 minutes more. Add the mussels. Cover the saucepan lightly and simmer over low heat for 2-3 minutes, shaking the can occasionally. Use tongs to remove the mussels as they open, putting them into a warm dish.

Add the cream and basil to the tomato and potatoes and cook for 2-3 minutes more. Return the mussels to the mixture and serve immediately with bread or frites.

The French usually serve the frites with the moules either over them or in a separate dish.

Soft Shell Crabs

I will order a soft-shell crab every time I see it on a menu. At Galatoire’s in New Orleans they come out huge, crispy, and melt in your mouth delicious. They give you two on a plate but one is really enough, but I seem to eat both of them.

Soft-shell crabs aren’t a unique species of crab, but rather blue crabs that have shed their shells when they’re outgrown them. Until their soft new shells harden, the crabs are almost completely edible---shell and all. They come into season along the East Coast when the water temperature rises to about 50°F, which usually happens  in April or May, The farther down the coast you travel, the longer the season lasts, ending along the Gulf Coast as late as October in some years.

It is best to buy live crabs since that will insure they are fresh, healthy, and tasty. But some of us cannot get our hands on fresh ones (I recently tried on the East Coast and the Gulf!), but you can find them frozen and if you cannot use your live ones within a day, you should clean them and wrap them individually in plastic. They will freeze and be fine for up to three months.

Why do people love soft-shell crabs? Blue crabs are a pain to eat, thanks to the vigorous digging getting the meat out of the shells. I don’t have the patience for it. But with soft-shell crabs, you get to enjoy the sweet, fresh crab with no muss or fuss because you can eat the whole thing .While most people enjoy soft-shell crabs sautéed or deep-fried, there are other ways to cook them. They can be grilled and wrapped in warm tortillas to make tacos. In the recipe below the soft-shell crab is cooked slow to be used in spaghetti. The slow cooking enables the crabs to release their delicious juices, creating a briny-sweet sauce for the cooked pasta.

Perhaps the name says it all. The Atlantic blue crab’s scientific name is Callinectes sapidus. Callinectes means “beautiful swimmer,” and sapidus means tasty or savory.

 From ‘Fine Cooking Magazine’ June/July 2015 Issue.

Soft-Shell Crab Spaghetti with Spinach and Peas

Serves 4

Kosher salt

3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil, more for serving

1 Tbs. unsalted butter

3 medium cloves garlic, very thinly sliced

¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

4 jumbo soft-shell crabs

12 oz. dried spaghetti

4 oz. (about 4 cups) baby spinach

½ cups shelled fresh or thawed fresh peas

2 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Freshly ground black pepper

2 Tbs. thinly sliced chives

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Meanwhile, heat the oil, butter, garlic, red pepper flakes, and a pinch of salt in a deep 12-inch skillet over low heat, stirring once or twice, until the garlic begins to gently sizzle, about 3 minutes. Cook occasionally, until the garlic is soft (you don’t want it to color), 3-4 minutes.

Add the crabs belly side down, cover, and slowly cook, shaking the pan occasionally so the crabs don’t stick, until they are red and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center reads about 145°F, about 10 minutes.

When the crabs go into the skillet, begin cooking the spaghetti until just shy of al dente. During the last minute of cooking, add the spinach and peas to the pasta water to heat through and wilt. Reserve ¾ cup of the cooking water; drain the pasta and vegetables.

When the crabs are done, turn the heat off, hold each crab above the skillet with tongs and cut it into bite-size pieces with poultry shears, letting the pieces fall back into the skillet.

Add the pasta and vegetables to the skillet along with the parsley, and gently toss over medium heat until the spaghetti is al dente and well coated with the sauce. Add some of the reserved water if it looks dry. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with the chives.

 

Simply Sautéed Soft-Shell Crabs

Serves 2-4

3 Tbs. all-purpose flour

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 jumbo soft-shell crabs

2 Tbs. canola oil or vegetable oil

1 Tbs. unsalted butter

Lemon wedges (optional)

In a wide, shallow bowl, combine the flour with ½ tsp. salt and ¼ tsp. pepper. Dredge the crabs to coat on both sides.

Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium-high heat until shimmering hot. Add the butter and swirl the skillet to melt it. Add the crabs top side down and cook, shaking the pan once or twice to keep the crabs from sticking, until browned, about 3 minutes. The crabs may pop and splatter, so stand back or use a spatter guard. With tongs, flip the crabs and cook until red and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center reads about 145°F, 2 to 3 minutes more. Transfer the crabs to a large paper towel lined plate to drain briefly, then serve with the lemon wedges.