Bellamy Mansion

The Bellamy Mansion in Wilmington, North Carolina hosted an ‘Antiquity Dinner’ the end of February. Now this was a fundraiser and I usually do not do fundraisers but this one sounded interesting. The event featured a five-course dinner themed on local ingredients and historic recipes from the museum archives.

The Bellamy Mansion was built in 1859 by Dr. John Dillard Bellamy, a physician with extensive landholdings and slaves and also a director of the bank and the railroad. The house has been a Wilmington landmark ever since. It is a two story frame building set on a raised basement and topped by a cupula and surrounded by a porch on three sides with colossal Corinthian columns. It flaunts itself on the northeast corner of Market Street and Fifth Avenue, where a large fountain sets at the intersection of these two major streets in downtown Wilmington. As the grandest house in Wilmington it became headquarters for the federal forces after Wilmington fell in 1865, the last remaining port of the Confederacy.

In the 1870’s and 1880’s the house was frequently visited by Tommy Wilson (the future President Woodrow Wilson who lived in the Presbyterian manse a few blocks away). Tommy Wilson was a good friend of John Bellamy, Jr. who later became a US Congressman.

The family remained in residence until the mid-20^th century and later the house was turned over to Preservation North Carolina which maintains it today as a museum.

The idea behind the Antiquity Dinner, according to Gareth Evans, the director, was to use archived recipes and period foodways to create a new take on historic foods. By definition the foods are local, sustainable and fresh because that is what would have gone into the majority of the historic recipes.

Events such as this give an insight into how a household like this operated. The enslaved people had to prepare food for 20 people repeatedly during any given day. It was very hard work, of course. The foods made then: cornbread, collards, Hoppin’ John, pinto beans, grits and all the rest of classic Southern recipes often came from this period and remain with us still. Because the food at the Bellamy site was prepared by enslaved people for a wealthy, white family, Evans said the meals often varied in content and style of preparation. There were likely African influences and undoubtedly an abundance of local produce, fish, poultry and meats. There might also have been hard-to-find foods that came in via the port, which only a wealthy family could afford.

The chefs selected to prepare the dinner were Dean Neff and Lydia Clopton of Pin Point restaurant in Wilmington. Dean Neff is perhaps the most innovative chef in Wilmington at the moment and his restaurant is not to be missed. Lydia Clopton is the pastry chef and her dessert was wonderful.

Highlights of the menu were: Pre-dinner vintage cocktails and hors d’oeuvres: Baked Masonboro (the local sound) oysters with shrimp and palm oil (This was delicious.), seared yellowfin tuna with radish, citrus, and benne seeds.

First course: Peanut Soup with whipped coconut and harissa (Peanut soup had been used early in America but the adding of coconut and harissa is a modern take.).

Second Course: Local lettuces with poached pears, marinated fresh farm cheese, toasted pecans, and honey-apple-sumac vinaigrette (This was very good.).

Third course: Berkshire pork belly, Anson Mills 20^th century stewed oats, apple, and toasted peanut milk (so you see the use of pork here with oats instead of perhaps grits). I found the taste of the oats a little strange and would have chosen grits over the oats.

Fourth course: Duck breast with seared turnips, salted fatback, green onion, and charred turnip top middlins risotto. Middlins or brokens are the 30% of rice that is broken during processing. They can be purchased from Anson Mills as rice grits. They say they now purposely break rice to keep up with the demand from chefs for the middlins.

Fifth course: Dessert was Coconut cake with Pawpaw Syllabub (delicious).

All of these courses were served with a small glass of wine to match the course. Thirty people were served but it was an intimate and wonderful evening.

I did not get the recipes for this dinner but found some that would be very close to the food served. Since I liked the soup very much I am giving the recipe for it.

 

North African Peanut Soup

Serves 10

2 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. peanut oil, divided

1 Tbsp. Madras Curry

2 medium onions, sliced (about 4 cups)

2 tsp. minced garlic

2 large sweet potatoes or yams (about 2 pounds), peeled and cut into chunks

2 cups chicken broth

1 can (28 oz.) low-sodium whole tomatoes, drained and quartered

1 pound ground turkey

Sea salt to taste

Black pepper to taste

¼-1/2 tsp. harissa or to taste

1 cup chunky peanut butter

1 cup coconut milk

Heat 2 Tbsp. of peanut oil in a pot. Over medium-high heat, add the curry and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add onion and minced garlic, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes.

Stir in sweet potatoes, chicken broth, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes.

Heat remaining teaspoon of peanut oil and add turkey and cook, stirring to break up clumps, until cooked through. Season with salt and pepper. Drain excess fat.

Add harissa, peanut butter and coconut milk. Stir, and simmer and additional 20 minutes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Malaysia

We arrived in KL (Kuala Lumpur) from Singapore in the afternoon and hailed a taxi to take us to the Majestic, another old hotel on our tour of places that were THE places to stay in the 20^th century. Hotel Majestic is not as famous as the others but the guide book says it’s KL’s equivalent of the Raffles. It opened in 1932 and has an orchid filled dining room and a Charles Rennie Mackintosh-inspired décor in its spa. We love this Scottish architect/designer from early 20^th century Glasgow. The hotel is just across the street from the old KL train station. The station, a 1910 Indo-Saracenic style building was listed in 2014 by ‘Architectural Digest’ as one of the 26 most beautiful train stations in the world. As we left the next day by train we passed through.

The Majestic is not the Raffles but it was nice. KL was only a stop-over on our way to Penang. We did have the best mulligatawny soup (with curry leaves) we have ever had, in their dining room that night.

The Malaysian train system is quite modern and we enjoyed about a four hour trip from KL to Butterworth where we disembarked for the ferry to Georgetown on Penang Island. Our hotel in Penang was another Sarkie creation, the Eastern and Oriental (1884). We stayed in the multistory Annex in which our room on the 12^th floor had a balcony overlooking the Andaman Sea. Our favorite place to have drinks was the 6^th floor terrace overlooking the infinity pool and the sea---and oh! the breeze to soothe the tropical heat.

 

 

Penang is an island off the northwestern coast of Malaysia, founded in 1786 by the British East India Company. It has an ethnic Chinese majority and a booming economy. The city has more of an old feel with its many shop houses along the narrow lanes with not the many skyscrapers of Singapore. “Combine three distinct and ancient cultures, indigenous and colonial architecture, shake for a few centuries, garnish with a burgeoning tourism scene, and you’ve got the tasty urban cocktail that is George Town.” And the guide book adds, “George Town is Malaysia’s, if not Southeast Asia’s food capital.” The word for the food is ‘syiok’ which is a Malay word meaning ‘extreme pleasure.’

Breakfast every morning was on the terrace overlooking the sea and the selection was huge (but not the champagne and oysters we had in South Africa). My husband especially liked the nasi lamak---coconut rice, served with hot chile sauce, fried anchovies, fried peanuts, sliced cucumber, tomatoes, sliced hard boiled eggs. We also enjoyed the fresh fruit and the orange juice. I read a newspaper article which was predicting an increased price of oranges in Malaysia, noting Trump’s crackdown on illegals in the US, who pick most of the oranges in Florida, which is the major source for Malaysia’s oranges. Why don’t they have local ones??

We went up Penang Hill one day. The funicular is packed and not as exciting as the gondola ride up Table Mountain but the view from the top did remind me of Cape Town. There is not much else up top. We went to find the places where the Masterpiece Theater’s ‘Indian Summers’ was filmed. No luck. The locals didn’t really know. Not too many of us are ‘Indian Summers’ fans, I guess. I did find out later that the film series used the old sister hotel to the E & O, the Crag (1895) where guests used to be carried up the mountain (about 2000 ft.) in sedan chairs! It was a Sarkies hotel also.

Another day we wondered the city. Checked out the old Protestant Cemetery and found the grave of Thomas Leonowens, the young officer who married Anna—the schoolmistress to the King of Siam, made famous by ‘The King and I.’

 

We toured some old Chinese homes (a large percentage of the people are Straits Chinese who immigrated in the 18^th and 19^th century and became wealthy). One of interest was the shop house where Sun Yat Sen lived as he raised money to foment rebellion in China. (Our old home of Wilmington NC was home to Charlie Jones Sung, the father of the wife of both Sun Yat Sen and Chiang Kai Shek.) Along the way we encountered Hameediyah, dating from 1907, allegedly the oldest nasi kandar (a restaurant serving rice and curry) in Malaysia. We had their famous murtabak, a roti prata stuffed with minced mutton, chicken or vegetables, egg and spices. They were making it in the front door. We ordered and were sent three shops down the street where they had tables and they brought our meal to us at communal tables and we had one of our favorites to drink---a salty lassi. For a rest in the afternoon, the infinity pool on the 6^th floor of the hotel is a great place to chill out.

 

 

 

Murtabak

3 cups plain white flour

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp ghee

1 cup lukewarm water

½ cup oil

Filling:

500 gms minced meat (grilled chicken or mutton—or beef)

2 tsps ghee

1 large red onion, sliced fine

2 cloves garlic, crushed

½ tsp fresh ginger, grated

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp garam masala

1 ½ tsps Salt

2 tbsps fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped

1 red chilli powder (1-2 red bird’s eye chillies, finely chopped)

2 eggs, beaten

1 onion, finely chopped

Salt and pepper

3 cups cabbage, shredded (You can skip this ingredient.)

For roti: Add flour and salt in a large bowl rubbed in ghee. Add water, knead for 10 min. Divide into equal sized balls and place in a small bowl containing the oil, leave 1 hr.

For filling: Heat the ghee and fry the onion, add garlic, ginger, turmeric and fry until the onion is golden. Put in the meat, chili powder and cabbage and continue to fry until the cabbage wilts.

Cook the murtabak: Season eggs with salt and pepper. On a smooth surface spread the oil and flatten the doughballs with a rolling pin. Spread dough out until almost as thin as a strudel with your fingers. Heat the griddle, grease with ghee, put on roti, add beaten egg over middle and sprinkle the meat, etc. just before folding the roti 4 ways like an envelope. Turn and cook the other side until crisp and golden brown on both sides. Serve on its on, or with a bowl of curry gravy or dhal.

 

 

Perhaps the most beautiful restaurant we ate in on the whole trip was in an old shop house. It was called Kebaya, named after the fanciful blouse worn by locals over a sarong. I wanted to buy one as they were so pretty, but was not successful that day searching the markets. The waitress gave us a source but unfortunately we had to leave early the next day.

To more quickly get back to Singapore we flew. Our new hotel was another old one---the Goodwood Park dating back to 1900. It is a short walk to all the upscale shopping on Orchard Road. We had dinner that night at their Chinese restaurant, Jin Tian, located in an old Black and White house. These are the famous European/tropical homes dating from the turn of the 20^th century---English timber framed in black and white surrounded by tropical verandas shaded by chics---Western houses for the tropical Eastern city. I just had to have their Peking duck, one of my favorite things.

Just as we were leaving for the restaurant we got an email about our flight home being cancelled!! We were rebooked on another flight but had to get up at 3 am to get to the airport. This flight went to Hong Kong where we transferred to a flight to Chicago. There we spent all day waiting for our flight to New Orleans which was even later than scheduled. So much for my careful selection of flights three months earlier. But all in all a wonderful trip with many new adventures for us!

Singapore

Just read in Condé Nast Traveler that Singapore is the #1 country in the world for expats to live. There is stability----and the food. This is a Muslim majority region but Buddhist, Hindu and Christians all share space without problems it seems.

We recently went to Singapore, the trip we missed last year when my husband was injured and on crutches. A long flight but the schedule was good. We spent two nights at the Raffles, one of the grand dames of the Orient. One author noted, “Once upon a time, well before World War II, there was such a thing as a ‘Grand Tour’ of Asia, a chain of exotic encounters and experiences linked together by some of the finest hostelries the world has ever seen.” On this list are a few that I have visited before: the Taj in Bombay, the Oriental in Bangkok, the Peninsula in Hong Kong. These are places that are a destination in themselves, not just a place to spend the night. The Armenian Sarkies brothers created three of these great hotels, the Strand (1901) in Rangoon, the Eastern and Oriental (1889) in Penang and the Raffles (1887) in Singapore.

 

We have stayed at the Raffles before and remember the drive from the airport being as pleasant as driving through a public park. This time we decided to take the subway, a cheap, easy travel experience that let us off just in front of the hotel but no garden views along the way.

After checking into our suite—high ceilings, fans, shutters, all refurbished old style, no new wing----we went to have a drink at the Long Bar.  We elected Tiger beers instead of the famous ‘Singapore Sling’ created there in 1915 by bartender, Ngium Tong Boom. We nibbled on peanuts and threw the shells on the floor---the only place in Singapore where one can legally litter. The original recipe given in the Long Bar menu was pink for the ladies and was big on pineapple juice (too sweet for me):

30 ml gin

15 ml Heering Cherry Liqueur

7.5 ml Don Benedictine

7.5 ml Cointreau

120 ml pineapple juice

15 ml lime juice

10 ml Grenadine syrup

Dash Angostura bitters

Garnish with pineapple and cherry

 

But this recipe from our room’s ‘Raffles Magazine’ has a new twist which they call the Raffles 1915 Gin Sling----not so much sweet juice.

50 ml Sipsmith Raffles 1915 Gin (We thought about buying their gin but thought it too expensive.)

15 ml Heering Cherry Liqueur

15 ml Fresh Lime Juice

15 ml Dom Benedictine

Angostura Bitters

Soda Water

Combine all the ingredients (except soda water) in a mixing glass filled with ice, shake well. Strain into a long cocktail glass together with some ice. Top the mix with soda water and garnish with lime peel. I think I might like this one better.

 

Next we walked their famous polished teak verandas to the shops. I still needed a wedding dress for my daughter’s wedding now only a month away. I had found something I liked in New Orleans while waiting for my flight but this chic Chinese shop at the Raffles had a lot to choose from. I opted for a red silk suit with the skirt being ankle length. (My Vietnamese hairdresser told me Chinese mothers wear red for happiness, and my daughter does speak fluent Mandarin.) The jacket belt ties into a rose which my husband videoed the shop owner doing so he can repeat it for the wedding. I had my dress; now I could go home! Not yet.

My favorite place to eat at the Raffles is the Tiffin Room---a buffet of Indian dishes. Tiffin is a light midday meal but not light at this place. Enjoying a curry on Sunday was an essential aspect of colonial life in early 20^th century Malaya. Raffles has been serving tiffin since 1899. Chinese are a large segment of the population and the Indians are not far behind. We also had breakfast in the Tiffin Room---a huge buffet with everything, but my husband favors the Asian flavored dishes. He usually had rice with a fried egg accompanied by peanuts, fried anchovies, sliced cucumbers, and maybe other sides, and of course Sambal Oelek.

 

 

Sambal Oelek is a Malaysian stable chili sauce. It can be bought in stores in the US and you can substitute Siracha or make your own.

1 lb. red chile

5 ½ ounces garlic, peeled and chopped

5 ½ ounces tender young ginger, peeled and chopped

2 stalks lemongrass, thinly sliced (white part only) (I do have this in my herb garden. It is hardy here.)

6 fluid ounces vinegar

8 ounces sugar

Salt, to taste

1 tablespoon lime zest, chopped

Blend the chillies, garlic, ginger and lemon grass in a food processor, gradually add the vinegar. Place in a saucepan and bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 3 minutes. Add sugar and stir, add the salt and lime zest. Remove from heat, cool and bottle.

 

We again visited the Singapore Botanical Gardens, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which was an easy journey by subway. It was hot but not as hot as I remembered from the past. The gardens were established in 1860 and are free. In 1928 the National Orchid Garden was started and is now the largest showcase of tropical orchids on earth---home to over 1000 species and 2000 hybrids! It cost a Singapore $ ($.70 US).

Our journey continued from Singapore to Malaysia. We had thought about the Eastern and Oriental Express but elected to try the train by ourselves as far as Penang. My husband found online booking to be difficult getting from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur---too many train changes, getting off twice for passport control, odd times, etc. But there was Mr. Roslee to help. In an interview in the Raffles magazine Sir Alan Cockshaw (a British engineer) said that he returned to Singapore over and over and noted that “Roslee, the senior concierge, at Raffles is particularly wonderful.” We were lucky enough to run into him on arrival and he asked about our plans and suggested a bus to KL. He arranged tickets and gave helpful information about navigating the trip. A definite 1^st class experience with drinks and meals served on board.

Curry with Friends

Every winter for years I did this chicken dish for my best friends in Wilmington. After moving away I have gotten out of the habit but decided I would try and have a dinner party and serve this chicken curry for old time’s sake. It is my favorite recipe and probably 35 years old, but it is not curried chicken, but chicken curry since there is no use of curry powder but about 12 different spices. I bought the book in Charlottesville, Virginia when I lived there back in the 70’s. It was at a store called International Foods; the book was priced in pounds, but the owner did not know the difference and sold it to me for $1.50, so I got a bargain and have used it so many years later.

My advice on this chicken curry is to buy a good chicken (like from Whole Foods) it makes for a juicier chicken and more flavorful. I serve it with naan (you can make your own or buy some at the store) and about 10 condiments such as: boiled eggs (smashed), green peppers, tomatoes, onions, nuts, coconut, apples, raisins, chutney, and whatever else strikes your fancy. I also serve it with a carrot salad which is just some oil and mustard seeds with salt and lemon juice (a recipe I got from Israel Merchant).

This was a wonderful meal by the fire on a cold winter night!

 

 

From Step by Step Guide to Indian Cooking by Khalid Aziz, published in 1974.

Don’t be put off by the number of ingredients. It comes together easily.

Chicken Curry

1 4-lb. chicken

1 cup ghee (could use oil or butter but ghee can be found easily these days; you can even make your own)

1 ½ lb. onions

1 cup chopped fresh ginger

1 head garlic, about 7-8 cloves

2 ½ cups water

2 teaspoons turmeric

2 teaspoons garam masala (in spice section)

3 teaspoons salt

3 teaspoons cumin powder

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon chili powder

10 cardamoms

10 cloves

4 bay leaves

5 sticks cinnamon

1 ¼ cups yogurt

Cut your chicken up into 8 pieces.

Take a heavy, 4-pint saucepan and melt the ghee, adding half the sliced onions.

While they are frying on a gentle heat, liquidize the ginger, garlic and the rest of the onions with the water. When the onions are golden brown add the liquidized mixture and stir on a low heat for 10 minutes.

Now add the turmeric, garam masala, salt, cumin powder, pepper, chili powder, cardamoms, cloves, bay leaves, and cinnamon and stir for a further 10 minutes.

Then add the chicken pieces and the yogurt. Cover the pan and cook on a low heat for 2 hours. You will  have beautifully cooked chicken in which the spice has permeated the meat to the bone, and the flesh will fall away at a touch when properly done.

I always take the chicken off the bone and take out the spices (stick cinnamon, bay leaves, cardamom). Biting into a cardamom seed can be a taste surprise to the unwary. Serve with rice.

 

 

 

 

Braising

Braising is a technique that makes for tender meat. Thanks to low, slow cooking in a flavorful liquid, the meat becomes crazy tender and full of flavor.

For Valentine’s Day I think the perfect dinner would be a perfectly braised piece of beef that can be done ahead and just prepare your vegetables quickly before eating. I read about a backward way of braising in my new issue of ‘Fine Cooking’ magazine which I tied and it really worked. Typically one sears the meat at the beginning of cooking for flavor and color; this technique cooks the meat with the aromatics and then browns it at the end of cooking.

This has many advantages since you do not have to sear the meat on the stovetop and therefore less mess. This also creates a nice broth in the pot and you do not have to add stock. Also, you can cook the meat days ahead and only have to reheat and brown in the same pot.

The best meats for braising are pork shoulder roast and beef chuck because both are deeply flavored, and the bone-in are the least expensive. This recipe uses a dry rub a day ahead and could be left on longer if you wish. This adds a lot of flavor. With a recipe this easy your Valentine’s Day will have great meat to give you time for the dessert of your choice!

 

From ‘Fine Cooking’ February/March 2017.

Chili-Rubbed Braised Beef

Serves 4-6

For the spice rub:

¼ cup chili powder

4 ½ tsp. kosher salt

2 Tbs. light brown sugar

2 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. dried oregano

¼ tsp. ground allspice

1  3 ½ -to 4 ½ -lb. beef chuck roast, preferably bone-in

For the braise:

1 28-oz. can diced tomatoes

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

6 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced

Kosher salt

Season the beef:

Combine the chili powder, salt, sugar, cumin, oregano, and allspice in a small bowl.

Using a paring knife, trace the fat seams of the roast and around the bone, if there is one, to make a series of deep incisions on both sides, without completely separating the muscles. Coat the meat all over with the rub, massaging it between the muscles and on all sides of the roast.

Put the meat in a Dutch oven or high-sided skillet that fits it snugly. Cover and refrigerate for at least 12 hours and up to 3 days.

Braise the beef:

Remove the meat from the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for 1 to 1 ½ hours before cooking.

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 300°F. Uncover the beef, and add the tomatoes, onion, garlic, and ½ cup water. Cover tightly and cook until the meat is fork-tender, 3 to 3 ½ hours.

Leaving the liquid and vegetables in the pot, transfer the meat to a rimmed baking sheet to cool slightly. Separate the meat into large chunks, and remove and discard any fat.

Skim the fat from the broth. Return the meat to the pot and arrange the pieces in a single layer. (The dish can be prepared up to this point and refrigerated for 1 to2 days. Reheat the meat at 300°F, covered, for 30 minutes before proceeding with the recipe.)

Raise the oven temperature to 425°F. Cook the beef, uncovered, until the exposed surface is deeply browned, flipping once, about 40 minutes. Serve with the vegetables and sauce, and season to taste with salt.

 

Sweet Potatoes

 

I received two of the same cookbooks for Christmas, one from my daughter and one from my husband and this was the cookbook Deep Run Roots from Vivian Howard, the eastern North Carolina chef with the award winning cooking show, “The Chef and the Farmer.” I like her show but never seem to find when it is on, so I have missed a lot of her shows. Her cookbook is thick and has a lots of stories and a lot of recipes and some are involved and some pretty easy. Her chapters are divided into the produce available in eastern North Carolina and one of her favorite vegetables is the sweet potato.

Much of the rural south survived on ground corn and pork products, but the sweet potato seems unusual until you look around and see that more sweet potatoes are grown in Eastern Carolina than anywhere else in the country. Over 50 percent of the nation’s supply come from this region. Sweet potatoes, like tobacco, love the long, hot, humid summer as well as the sandy soil.

As I was driving recently I listened to the food program on Mississippi Public Radio on the sweet potato. Vardaman, Mississippi considers itself the sweet potato capital of the world. Most of their recipes dealt with ‘sweet’ recipes. But I did get a couple ideas to try: raw, used like carrots with a dip or in a salad and use the greens for salads or stir fry’s.

Sweet potatoes are naturally high in vitamin K, which is a fat-soluble vitamin. They also have zero fat. To absorb everything the root has in store for you, eat it with a little butter or oil. Sweet potatoes have much less starch than white potatoes. There’s no need to worry about throwing roasted sweet potato flesh in the food processor. You can blend it all day and it will not become gluey.

Vivian says you can eat the skin. For some reason it always seemed off limits, but coated with a little oil, seasoned, and roasted, sweet potatoes with the skin left on are a new trend in her kitchen.

Perhaps most of us know how to roast a sweet potato, but I am going to give a quick version for you. There is really nothing better that a hot roasted sweet potato with a pat of butter right out of the oven. It is good for you, so you do not have to feel guilty.

From Deep Run Roots by Vivian Howard.

Preheat your oven to 400°F. To make cleanup easier. Line a baking dish with a paper bag or foil. Select sweet potatoes that are similar in size. You want them to be done about the same time, and this will help make this happen.

Place your potatoes on the baking sheet, and make sure they are not touching. Roast them on the middle rack on your oven. Once you start to smell them, probably after about 45 minutes, give the potatoes a look. Look for a little juice that has leached out and caramelized. When the potatoes are done, their skins should have separated slightly from their flesh and they should pierce easily with a knife or fork.

The next recipe is from Vivian’s Grandma Hill. You can assemble this recipe ahead of time and bake the sweet potatoes just before you serve them. I thought this recipe was terrific. The sweet potatoes were not so sweet and would be great for the Thanksgiving dinner or a side for any meat dish. Vivian said that  her grandmother’s yams were the first thing to go at family gatherings. (Note technically yams are different; sweet potatoes are what we grow in the United States although you may find them labeled as yams.)

Grandma Hill’s Candied Yams

Serves 6

2 pounds roasted sweet potatoes (about 3 medium potatoes)

½ cup dark brown sugar

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg

4 tablespoons cold butter, cut into cubes (1 cube per round of potato)

Zest of one orange

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Slip the skins off the roasted sweet potatoes and slice into 1 ½-inch-thick rounds. Lay the rounds flat on the bottom of a baking dish just large enough to hold them in a single layer with about half an inch separating each round.

In a small bowl stir together the sugar, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg. Sprinkle each round with equal parts of the sugar mixture and dot the top of each round with cold butter. Gate the orange zest right over the sweet potatoes. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 10 minutes so things caramelize a little.

Vivian likes these at room temperature but she says common sense would make you realize they are probably better hot!

 

 

 

I received two of the same cookbooks for Christmas, one from my daughter and one from my husband and this was the cookbook Deep Run Roots from Vivian Howard, the eastern North Carolina chef with the award winning cooking show, “The Chef and the Farmer.” I like her show but never seem to find when it is on, so I have missed a lot of her shows. Her cookbook is thick and has a lots of stories and a lot of recipes and some are involved and some pretty easy. Her chapters are divided into the produce available in eastern North Carolina and one of her favorite vegetables is the sweet potato.

Much of the rural south survived on ground corn and pork products, but the sweet potato seems unusual until you look around and see that more sweet potatoes are grown in Eastern Carolina than anywhere else in the country. Over 50 percent of the nation’s supply come from this region. Sweet potatoes, like tobacco, love the long, hot, humid summer as well as the sandy soil.

As I was driving recently I listened to the food program on Mississippi Public Radio on the sweet potato. Vardaman, Mississippi considers itself the sweet potato capital of the world. Most of their recipes dealt with ‘sweet’ recipes. But I did get a couple ideas to try: raw, used like carrots with a dip or in a salad and use the greens for salads or stir fry’s.

Sweet potatoes are naturally high in vitamin K, which is a fat-soluble vitamin. They also have zero fat. To absorb everything the root has in store for you, eat it with a little butter or oil. Sweet potatoes have much less starch than white potatoes. There’s no need to worry about throwing roasted sweet potato flesh in the food processor. You can blend it all day and it will not become gluey.

Vivian says you can eat the skin. For some reason it always seemed off limits, but coated with a little oil, seasoned, and roasted, sweet potatoes with the skin left on are a new trend in her kitchen.

Perhaps most of us know how to roast a sweet potato, but I am going to give a quick version for you. There is really nothing better that a hot roasted sweet potato with a pat of butter right out of the oven. It is good for you, so you do not have to feel guilty.

From Deep Run Roots by Vivian Howard.

Preheat your oven to 400°F. To make cleanup easier. Line a baking dish with a paper bag or foil. Select sweet potatoes that are similar in size. You want them to be done about the same time, and this will help make this happen.

Place your potatoes on the baking sheet, and make sure they are not touching. Roast them on the middle rack on your oven. Once you start to smell them, probably after about 45 minutes, give the potatoes a look. Look for a little juice that has leached out and caramelized. When the potatoes are done, their skins should have separated slightly from their flesh and they should pierce easily with a knife or fork.

The next recipe is from Vivian’s Grandma Hill. You can assemble this recipe ahead of time and bake the sweet potatoes just before you serve them. I thought this recipe was terrific. The sweet potatoes were not so sweet and would be great for the Thanksgiving dinner or a side for any meat dish. Vivian said that  her grandmother’s yams were the first thing to go at family gatherings. (Note technically yams are different; sweet potatoes are what we grow in the United States although you may find them labeled as yams.)

Grandma Hill’s Candied Yams

Serves 6

2 pounds roasted sweet potatoes (about 3 medium potatoes)

½ cup dark brown sugar

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg

4 tablespoons cold butter, cut into cubes (1 cube per round of potato)

Zest of one orange

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Slip the skins off the roasted sweet potatoes and slice into 1 ½-inch-thick rounds. Lay the rounds flat on the bottom of a baking dish just large enough to hold them in a single layer with about half an inch separating each round.

In a small bowl stir together the sugar, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg. Sprinkle each round with equal parts of the sugar mixture and dot the top of each round with cold butter. Gate the orange zest right over the sweet potatoes. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 10 minutes so things caramelize a little.

Vivian likes these at room temperature but she says common sense would make you realize they are probably better hot!

 

 

 

Nachos

Nachos are pretty much a favorite of everyone, whether served at a Super Bowl game or a post-skiing snack. I am a fan and do indulge in a nacho fix every now and then. There is a huge gap between mediocre nachos and great ones. The best nachos, however; have a perfect cheese-to-chip ratio so that every bite is a delicious balance of crisp crunch and pure ooey-gooey joy. The best nachos also have fresh garnishes to balance the richness of the cheese; and they keep the salsa on the side to prevent the chips from getting soggy. Here are some tips to make your nachos supreme.

The best nachos are made with homemade tortilla chips. Simply cut corn tortillas into wedge-shaped pieces, and then deep-fry them in vegetable oil heat to 350°F until lightly colored, about a minute or so. Turn them occasionally as they cook, then transfer the chips to a baking sheet lined with paper towels. Season lightly with kosher or sea salt.

If you do not make your own chips, buy ones that are sturdy but not too salty. For supermarket brands, Santita is recommended. I bought these and they were very good and not so salty.

Stick to a single layer of chips on a heatproof platter or baking sheet with no overlap. Sprinkle a little less than half of your cheese over the chips. Cover any gaps in the chip layer with more cheese. Top with meat or beans, if using, and then the rest of the cheese.

An easy cheese-to-chip ratio is to have twice as much cheese by weight as chips. That means for a large sheet pan (or similar-size platter), figure on 8 oz. (about 12 cups) of chips to 16 oz. of cheese. If adding meat or beans, use 2 to 2 ½ cups total for a large sheet pan; scale down is making less.

As far as cheese goes, try mixing coarsely grated Cheddar for flavor and Monterey Jack for meltability. One could even add some American, Muenster, or mozzarella to the mix.

Bake in a hot, but not too hot. Too hot and the cheese will separate into an oily mess. A moderate oven (350°F) for about 8 minutes melts the cheese nicely.

Finish with fresh garnishes such as sliced scallions, chopped cilantro, shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes which add color and maybe some pickled jalapeños to add a bit of heat.

On the side you can have some sour cream, salsa, and guacamole. Do not plop them on the top of the nachos.

Keep the nachos on the hot platter of the baking sheet to retain the heat but they will probably be gobbled up before they cook.

 

Here is a recipe to quickly add the Tex-Mex flavor to the nachos.

From ‘Fine Cooking Magazine’ January/ February 2017.

Cheater’s Chili

Makes 2 ½ cups

2 tsp. vegetable oil

½ cup chopped onion

1 Tbs. chopped jalapeño

1 tsp. finely chopped garlic

1 Tbs. chili powder

 ½ tsp. ground cumin

½ tsp. kosher salt

2 ½ cooked shredded chicken or cooked ground beef

2 cups drained canned beans

1 Tbs. chopped fresh cilantro

½ cup water or beer

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add the onion, chopped jalapeño, and the garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender but not browned. Add the chili powder, cumin, and kosher salt. Cook briefly, stirring to combine. Add the chicken or beef and the canned beans and cook until heated through. Stir in the cilantro and add water or beer if pan is dry.