A Love Affair with Southern Cooking (33 page)

RICK’S CRISPY FRIED OYSTERS

MAKES
4
SERVINGS

There used to be a classy little Chapel Hill restaurant called Mondo Bistro, but chef Rick Robinson closed the doors, abandoned the stove, and became a realtor. Luckily, I got Rick’s recipe for fried oysters when I profiled him for
Food & Wine
back in the 1990s. Mondo Bistro bedded the oysters on a tart tarragon-scented arugula salad and added a wreath of leek-pancetta ragout—a tad fussy for home cooks. I serve Rick’s oysters solo—to raves, I might add. Note:
To give the oysters extra crunch, use high-gluten bread flour for dredging.

Vegetable oil for deep-fat frying

1½ cups unsifted bread flour or unbleached all-purpose flour (see Note on Chapter 3)

½ cup unsifted yellow cornmeal

½ teaspoon salt, or to taste

¼ teaspoon black pepper, or to taste

¹
/
₈
teaspoon ground hot red pepper (cayenne), or to taste

24 medium oysters, shucked and drained well

• 1.
  Pour the oil into a large, deep skillet to a depth of ½ inch and set over moderate heat.
  
• 2.
  Meanwhile, combine the flour, cornmeal, salt, black pepper, and cayenne in a large pie pan. Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed; the mixture should be piquant.
  
• 3.
  As the oil in the skillet approaches 360° F. on a deep-fat thermometer, dredge the oysters in the flour mixture and let stand until the oil reaches 375° F.
  
• 4.
  Fry the oysters in three or four batches, allowing about 1 minute per side for them to crisp and brown; transfer to paper toweling to drain.
  
• 5.
  Serve hot and resist the temptation to put out tartar sauce. Rick’s oysters don’t need it. No cocktail sauce, either.
  

I love to dip my oysters in a bath of hot butter, but other Lowcountry people…eat their oysters as God made them, savoring that giddy, briny essence of the Lowcountry as it comes from its shell.

—
PAT CONROY
,
OYSTER ROASTS, GOURMET

TIDEWATER SCALLOPED OYSTERS

MAKES
4
TO
6
SERVINGS

Thanks to the abundance of fish and shellfish in Virginia’s rivers, inlets, and bays, the colonists at Jamestown, America’s first permanent English settlement (1607), managed to survive. Noting the marine bounty, Captain John Smith wrote that his boats could scarcely navigate the lower reaches of the Chesapeake because the fish “were lying so thicke with their heads above the water.” Shellfish, too, were plentiful. Early on oysters were simply eaten raw or roasted over campfires, but later, when women were imported to the young colony, cooking began in earnest. The dishes they prepared were English and none more so than scalloped oysters. This modern version, as elegant as it is easy, depends upon absolutely fresh oysters—preferably the Chincoteagues of Virginia.

1 quart freshly shucked oysters, drained

¾ cup oyster liquor

½ cup (1 stick) butter, cut into pats

2 tablespoons finely minced yellow onion

2 tablespoons finely minced green bell pepper

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

¹
/
₈
teaspoon ground hot red pepper (cayenne)

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1¼ cups fine soda cracker crumbs

• 1.
  Preheat the oven to 375° F. Butter a 1½-quart casserole well and set aside.
  
• 2.
  Pick over the oysters carefully to remove any bits of shell, then place in a heavy, medium-size nonreactive saucepan along with the oyster liquor. Set over low heat and warm 3 to 4 minutes or just until the oysters ruffle.
  
• 3.
  Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small skillet over moderate heat, add the onion and bell pepper, and sauté for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring often, until limp. Blend in the flour, salt, black pepper, cayenne, lemon juice, and 1 cup of the cracker crumbs, then stir in the oysters and their liquor.
  
• 4.
  Turn all into the casserole and scatter the remaining ¼ cup cracker crumbs on top. Slide onto the middle oven shelf and bake uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbling and lightly browned.
  
• 5.
  Serve at once. Good with roasted red-skin potatoes, buttered broccoli, asparagus, green peas, or beans.
  

BLACK-EYED PEA CAKES WITH TOMATO SALSA

MAKES
4
SERVINGS

On a swing through Charleston in the late 1980s, my mission was to check out the new restaurants for
Food & Wine
as part of a Lowcountry feature I’d been assigned to write. At the time, the hot new restaurant was Carolina’s (it’s still there and still popular). I ordered these black-eyed pea cakes, one of the signature appetizers. They were rich enough to serve as the main course of a light lunch or supper and that’s how I prefer them today. Note:
You can prepare the recipe here—my adaptation of the original—through Step 3 as much as a day ahead of time.

1 cup dried black-eyed peas, washed and sorted but not soaked

One ½-pound smoked ham hock

5 cups chicken broth

1 tablespoon butter

¼ cup minced red onion

2 large garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons minced red bell pepper

1 medium jalapeño pepper, stemmed, seeded, and minced

1 large egg yolk

½ cup soft white bread crumbs (about)

½ teaspoon hot red pepper sauce

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh coriander

½ teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon black pepper

½ cup yellow cornmeal (for dredging)

¼ cup vegetable oil (for frying)

Tomato Salsa (recipe follows)

• 1.
  Cook the black-eyed peas and ham hock in the chicken broth in a covered large, heavy saucepan over moderately low heat for 1 to 1¼ hours or until the peas are soft. Drain into a large fine sieve, reserving the ham hock and broth for soup another day. Transfer the peas
  to a large mixing bowl and cool to room temperature.
  
• 2.
  Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small, heavy skillet over moderately low heat; add the onion, garlic, bell pepper, and jalapeño, and stir-fry for 4 to 5 minutes or until limp. Add to the peas and cool.
  
• 3.
  Mix in the egg yolk along with the bread crumbs, hot pepper sauce, coriander, cumin, and black pepper, then mash with a potato masher. If too soft to shape, mix in a few more bread crumbs. Set uncovered in the refrigerator and let stand for at least 1 hour.
  
• 4.
  When ready to proceed, shape the mixture into 12 small patties measuring about 2½ inches in diameter and ½ inch thick. Dredge in the cornmeal, shaking off any excess.
  
• 5.
  Heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet over high heat for 1½ to 2 minutes or until ripples appear on the skillet bottom. Add half of the patties and brown 1 to 1½ minutes on each side; drain on paper toweling. Brown and drain the remaining patties the same way.
  
• 6.
  To serve, ladle a little of the Tomato Salsa on each of four luncheon plates, then arrange the black-eyed pea cakes artfully on top.
  

My mother or grandma would prepare a big pot of red beans and rice every Monday (laundry day), along with ham hocks, smoked sausages, garlic, onions and bell peppers.

—
DONNA L. BRAZILE
,
COOKING

WITH GREASE: STIRRING THE POTS IN AMERICAN POLITICS

He likes Chevrolets and black-eyed peas, but he’s sure complex inside.

—
MRS. ERSKINE CALDWELL
ON HER SOUTHERN NOVELIST HUSBAND

TOMATO SALSA

MAKES ABOUT
2½
CUPS

This good all-purpose salsa is my adaptation of one served at Carolina’s Restaurant in Charleston, which appeared in an article I wrote some years ago for
Food & Wine
.
Use it to sauce Black-Eyed Pea Cakes (recipe precedes) or in any recipe that calls for salsa. Note:
Prepare the recipe a day ahead of time, if you like. Scoop the salsa into a nonreactive container, cover with plastic food wrap, and store in the refrigerator.

1 pound firm-ripe tomatoes (about 3 medium), peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped

¼ cup finely diced red onion

2 medium scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced (include some green tops)

1 medium garlic clove, finely minced

1 small jalapeño pepper, stemmed, seeded, and minced

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh coriander

¾ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon cider or red wine vinegar

• 1.
  Combine all ingredients in a large nonreactive bowl. Cover and refrigerate.
  
• 2.
  When ready to serve, pour off all liquid, then let stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
  

RED BEANS AND RICE

MAKES
6
TO
8
SERVINGS

In Louisiana, Mardi Gras means nonstop revelry that begins the weekend before Ash Wednesday and climaxes on Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) itself. As one Cajun told me some years ago when I was on assignment in St. Martinville, “You don’t have time to cook on Mardi Gras—you’re having too much fun. But at the same time,” she added, “you need something substantial to eat. That’s why red beans and rice are a Mardi Gras tradition. The beans can be cooked ahead of time.” Tip:
I’ve discovered that the rice can also be prepared in advance: Cook it in an uncovered pan for about 20 minutes or until all the water is absorbed; the rice will be al dente. Fluff gently with a fork and cool uncovered for one hour. Spoon the rice into a plastic zipper bag and store in the refrigerator or freezer. To reheat, scoop the rice into a large fine sieve, fork lightly to separate the grains, and set over a large saucepan containing
about two inches of boiling water. Tent the rice with foil and steam for 3 to 5 minutes or just until hot. Fork again lightly and serve.

1 pound dried red kidney beans, washed and sorted

8 cups (2 quarts) cold water

2 large yellow onions, coarsely chopped

1 large green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and coarsely chopped

2 large celery ribs, trimmed and finely diced (include a few leaves)

4 ounces tasso (spicy cold-smoked pork) or good country ham, finely diced

2 teaspoons salt, or to taste

¼ teaspoon ground hot red pepper (cayenne), or to taste

¼ teaspoon black pepper, or to taste

Tops of 3 large scallions, thinly sliced (green part only)

¼ cup coarsely chopped Italian parsley

2½ cups rice, cooked by package directions (see Tip on Chapter 3)

• 1.
  Soak the beans in the water overnight in a large, heavy kettle.
  
• 2.
  The next day, add the onions, bell pepper, celery, tasso, salt, cayenne, and black pepper to the undrained beans and bring to a boil over high heat. Adjust the heat so that the water bubbles gently, cover, and simmer for 1 hour. Uncover, reduce the heat to its lowest point, and continue simmering for 2½ to 3 hours, stirring occasionally, until the beans are soft and the mixture is as thick as chili.
  Note:
  The recipe can be prepared up to this point several days ahead of time; cover and refrigerate. About 20 minutes before serving, reheat slowly, stirring frequently, then proceed as the recipe directs.
  
• 3.
  Mix in the scallion tops and parsley and simmer uncovered 10 to 15 minutes more or until the flavors mellow. Taste for salt, cayenne, and black pepper and adjust as needed.
  
• 4.
  To serve, scoop the red beans and rice into separate heated bowls and let everyone help himself, first to the rice, then to the red beans: They should be ladled on top of the rice.
  

I was a great cook so I would cook for people’s parties and I’d earn $50 here and there by making platters, gumbo, beans and rice.