Peanut pie This pie is as American as pumpkin or pecan. Peanuts (which are actually legumes, not truly nuts) originated in South America over 7,600 years ago. African-American trail-blazing scientist George Washington Carver is credited with popularizing them in the U.S. Completely cool peanut pie before cutting and serving. • 3 beaten eggs• 1 1/2 […]
Julianne Glatz
Pate Brisee
Pate Brisee(aka pie pastry) For 2 crusts: • 2 1/2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour• 1 tsp. salt• 1 T. sugar• 1/2 c. EACH unsalted butter and unhydrogenated lard, preferred, or 1 c. unsalted butter• 1/3-1/2 c. ice water All ingredients and utensils MUST be cold or cool. To make pastry in a food processor: Cut […]
Southern Foodways Symposium
My eyes were riveted on my laptop screen like a prepubescent adolescent’s anxiously awaiting Justin Bieber concert tickets to go on sale. The last few minutes went by with excruciating slowness, my hands poised over the keyboard. Suddenly the registration link activated. One click and it filled the screen. Hurriedly typing in my personal and […]
Chicken purloo
Chicken purloo • 1 approximately 4-pound chicken, cut into serving pieces• Kosher salt• 3 T. bacon fat or peanut or other vegetable oil, divided• 2 c. diced yellow onions, NOT supersweet• 1 c. diced celery• 2 T. minced garlic• 1/2 c. diced green or red bell pepper• 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes or to […]
Spooky eyes
Spooky eyes • Hard-boiled eggs, shelled• Black food coloring• Mayonnaise• Turmeric, optional• Dijon mustard• Cider vinegar• Kosher or sea salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste• Extra large pimento-stuffed green olives (or smaller ones if your eggs are small) The day before you plan to serve the “eyes,” fill a large jar or deep […]
Not so sweet Halloween treats
Halloween is traditionally all about the sweet stuff, at least from a culinary standpoint. But you can get into the Halloween “spirit” without the sugar. Here are a couple of recipes that do just that. I have called this riff on deviled eggs by various names over the years: Devil’s Eyes, Evil Eyes, Devilish Eggs, […]
Bloody good gravy
Bloody good gravyto be served with roast beast Sure, you can serve spaghetti with tomato sauce and give it a creepy name, maybe Guts and Gore. But let’s face it: everybody will know it’s just, well, spaghetti and tomato sauce. The dark red/purple beets do a much better job of imitating actual blood. In fact, […]
Snake in the ceiling
If there had not been that snake in the ceiling, we might never have done it. My husband, Peter, and I knew when we bought the Spaulding Orchard farmhouse that we would eventually want to do some remodeling. But initially we only made minor changes, partly because of financial reasons, and because we wanted to […]
Ratatouille
• 8 c. peeled, seeded and chopped tomatoes• 6 c. eggplant (remove any largely seeded areas), cut into 1-inch cubes• 6 c. onions, NOT super-sweet, cut into 1- inch cubes• 1/3 c. thinly sliced garlic• 6 c. zucchini (remove any largely seeded areas), cut into 1-inch cubes• 6 c. bell peppers – red, green or […]
Old mother in a barrel: vinegar
Every fall I remember what it was like to come as a child to this place that’s been my home for almost 30 years: the venerable Spaulding Orchard farmhouse. It’s the first home my husband and I bought, and probably our last. It wasn’t our first choice, but after being entwined in this place for […]
Nona’s chicken tetrazzini
I love this dish, which combines Italian ingredients with a truly American retro topping: crushed potato chips. As a child that topping was my favorite part of my mom’s tuna noodle casserole. Nona’s seasoning:• 2 1/2 tsp. paprika• 2 T. salt• 2 T. garlic powder• 1 T. (freshly ground) black pepper• 1 T. onion powder• 1 […]
Dining with the King’s Daughters
“Hi, honey,” my grandmother said. “Do you want to come with me out to King’s Daughters this afternoon?” “Sure!” I replied. “When are we going?” It was an exchange we had countless times throughout my childhood. Though it might seem strange that a young child would be so enthusiastic about a trip to a retirement […]
