Dirty South - March 28
The guestlist:
+ Matt
Cecily + Liz + Trevor
Marisa + David
Eric + Daniel
The menu:
shrimp ‘n’ grits poppers
pickled okra (two kinds, including rick’s pick’s smokra)
black-eyed pea salad
biscuits and cornbread
sauteed kale
braised pork shoulder
cracklin’
buttermilk pie
The wines:
Crap, I forgot to write these down before the bottles got tossed. Anyone remember any of them? I know there was a Riesling.
Shrimp ‘n’ Grits Poppers
Adapted from Bill Neal’s Southern Cooking
4 cups cooked grits
5 tbsp butter
2 eggs, well beaten
12 shrimp, halved lengthwise
Vegetable oil for frying
2 cups seasoned flour for dredging
Heat oil. (It’s ready when a piece of bread or a test popper turns deep brown after 30 seconds of frying.) While grits are still hot (but not hot enough to scramble the eggs), beat in butter and eggs. When cool enough to handle, shape into balls around shrimp halves. Dredge in seasoned flour and fry until golden brown. Transfer to paper towels to drain.
Black-eyed Pea Salad
Adapted from Saveur, June/July 2006
6 cups cooked black-eyed peas
4 chopped scallions
1 finely diced seeded red bell pepper
1 diced cored tomato
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
3 tbsp mustard
1/4 cup sherry vinegar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 cup olive oil
Combine first five ingredients. Emulsify last four and pour on bean mixture.
Bay-studded Pork Shoulder
Adapted from Edna Lewis and Scott Peacock’s The Gift of Southern Cooking
1 bone-in pork shoulder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
12 whole bay leaves
2 large onions, peeled and thickly sliced
1 bottle of red wine
Preheat oven to 275°F.
Rinse pork shoulder and pat dry. Cut 12 slits in skin side of pork, about 1 inch wide and 1-1/2 inches deep. Sprinkle salt and pepper all over pork, making sure they get in the slits. Insert 1 garlic sliver and bay leaf in each slit. Scatter sliced onions over bottom of roasting pan. Place pork shoulder on top of onions and pour wine into bottom of pan. Lay a piece of parchment directly on top of pork shoulder. Wrap pan tightly with foil and cover with lid. Cook in oven for 6 hours.
For cracklin’: separate skin from pork and remove in 1 piece. Place on a baking sheet and crisp in 425°F oven until deep golden brown, 15-20 minutes.
Before:
After:
Yogurt Biscuits
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
5 tbsp cold butter
7/8 cup plain yogurt
Preheat oven to 450°F.
Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl. Rub pieces of butter with mixture to thoroughly blend. Stir in yogurt until mixture forms a ball. Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface and knead 10 times. Press into 3/4-inch-thick rectangle and cut into 20 squares. Bake on an ungreased baking sheet until golden brown, about 15-20 minutes. Serve warm.
Buttermilk Pie
Adapted from Food & Wine
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs, separated
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups buttermilk
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 butter pie pastry shell
Preheat the oven to 350°.
In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the butter with the sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks and flour, then beat in the buttermilk, lemon juice and nutmeg. In a medium bowl, using clean beaters, beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry. Fold the beaten whites into the buttermilk mixture until no white streaks remain. Pour the custard into the baked Flaky Pie Shell and bake in the center of the oven for 45 minutes, until the custard is golden and risen, or a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool and serve.
Butter Pie Pastry
Adapted from Edna Lewis’s In Pursuit of Flavor
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
12 tbsp frozen butter
1/4 cup ice water
Combine flour, salt, and butter. Blend well until mixture is the texture of cornmeal. Add ice water, mix quickly and shape dough into a ball. Dust lightly with flour and flatten into a disc. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and rest for 1 hour in refrigerator or overnight.
Preheat oven to 425°F.
Roll out dough and press into pie dish. Prick surface with fork to prevent from puffing in oven. Cook until lightly browned.
Cecily covered all the action too, both before and after.
April 21, 2008 at 12:04 am
[...] Benton’s country ham steak, eggs (fried in ham drippings, naturally), and Bittman’s yogurt biscuits. That’s what I’m talkin’ [...]