This recipe was first published in Fine Cooking magazine.
Meat
Local Republic’s Shrimp and “Grits”
Let me share the simplest, best way to fix cornmeal polenta, courtesy of Scott Simon chef at Local Republic in Lawrenceville. He uses cooked cornmeal as a substitute for grits in what is otherwise a pretty traditional shrimp and grits recipe. I’ve used this idea now a half dozen times as a bed for fresh fish (while at the beach), sautéed vegetables, you name it. Love it.
After you try this, if you like the texture of the cooked cornmeal, remember the proportion of 4 cups liquid to 1 1/4 cups cornmeal. And of course, if you want yours thicker or thinner, just adjust the amount of liquid. Now you can make this any time you need a quick carb. Really – a side dish in 3 minutes? What’s not to love?
Okra Pilaf
Teri Watson shares this Southern comfort food recipe, a favorite at her house.
Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeño Poppers
Have you saved up enough jalapenos to try this recipe? Easy enough to cut it down to fit the number of jalapenos you do have. Thoroughly decadent. Thoroughly delicious and a great way to eat up a bunch of jalapenos. The original recipe was printed in Saveur magazine.
Chicken Fricassee with Garlic
Here’s a variation on the chicken-and-garlic theme, this one using an onion and some white wine. It was published in the New York Times.
40 Cloves and a Chicken
More onions, more garlic. I have to confess I’m puzzled when I hear that folks can’t figure out what to do with all the alliums that have been coming our way. They’re so essential to most everything I cook that I’m just pleased to see them in the box. But apparently that’s not the case for everybody. So here are a few more ideas for them, and a couple of other things.
This is one quick way to use up a lot of garlic, and it’s absolutely delicious. This particular version is adapted from a recipe in “Good Eats: The Early Years” by Alton Brown.
Grilled Chicken and Summer Squash Salad
I’m sorry to say I have no idea where this recipe originally came from, but it’s the kind of thing I make all year around. A great marinade for chicken or shrimp and vegetables. You can marinate the protein and vegetables up to 2 hours ahead.
Redeye Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Black-Eyed Peas
And finally – a fabulous recipe from Linton Hopkins of Restaurant Eugene. It ran in Bon Appetit back in February 2012. You could just do the peas and tenderloin if making the gravy seems like too much, but for a meal when you want to impress someone with fabulous Southern flavors, this would be a beautiful thing to make. It’s complicated, but so representative of the kind of cooking that’s made Hopkins an Atlanta treasure.
Grilled Chicken and Potatoes with Tomato and Cucumber Salad
This recipe comes from the March 2013 edition of Fine Cooking magazine. The combination of olive oil, lemon, anchovy and garlic is one of my favorite marinades for any kind of grilling. If you have a little time, you can use the vinaigrette to marinate the chicken for up to 4 hours before grilling. Delicious.
Hoisin Pork with Napa Cabbage
I’m sorry not to remember where this recipe came from, but it’s a delicious and pretty traditional use for that head of Napa cabbage.