Innholdsfortegnelse for Summer 2007 i Taste of the South

For many of us in the South, planting a garden each year is tradition. My late father-in-law, J. D. Reeves, had a garden as long as his health permitted. And when the corn was ready to be harvested each summer, the entire family would be summoned to help. I still remember the enormous piles of corn that had to be shucked, silked, and “put up” whole or cut from the cob. But more than anything, I fondly remember all the stories and laughter we shared during this annual work day. I learned a lot about canning from my mother-in-law, Margaret. She got really good at it in all those years they had a garden and is still glad to give me advice when I need it from time-to-time. She made…

Summer is synonymous with blue skies, balmy weather, and a bountiful blessing of fruits and vegetables fresh from the farm. Holding on to the warm temperatures might be difficult, but preserving the taste of summer is easy. Capture the flavor of freshness by canning your favorite foods and savoring fresh-picked goodness all year long. Estelle’s Dill Pickles Roasted Tomatoes with Herbs Cinnamon Watermelon-Rind Pickles Spreadable Blueberries Plum-Orange Freezer Jam Fieldberry Feast Freezer Jam Estelle’s Dill Pickles Recipe courtesy of Estelle Keith Yield: 5 to 7 pints Preparation: 1 hour Cook: 13 minutes 30 to 36 small crisp cucumbers 14 cloves garlic, sliced and divided 7 teaspoons mustard seed, divided 14 sprigs fresh dill weed, divided 3 cups water 3 cups vinegar 5 tablespoons pickling or canning salt Wash cucumbers and…

IN THE AGE OF THE CELEBRITY CHEF, FOOD writer Fred Thompson has some radical ideas about cooking. A columnist for The News & Observer in Raleigh, North Carolina, Fred thinks you don’t have to be on the Food Network to be a great cook. “There are plenty of great cooks out there in kitchens and backyards across the country,” he says. To prove his point, he embarked on an 18- month search for the best barbecue recipes in America, created not by celebrity chefs, but by real people. He tagged along at backyard barbecues and crashed tailgating parties across the nation. He asked questions, and he listened. He experimented and tweaked. The result is Barbecue Nation, a collection of tried-and-true grilling recipes, perfected by everyday people at countless backyard barbecues,…

For years, it has sat alone on the pantry shelf—the humble little bottle of distilled white vinegar. Our grandmothers had a thousand uses for it, from soothing bee stings to making windows shine. In the Southern kitchen, it has been an essential ingredient in making pickles and condiments such as mustard and mayonnaise, and in adding a dash of flavor to a pot of greens. Now a new generation of cooks has added an array of vinegars to their pantry shelves. Mixed with seasonings and oil (usually two or three parts oil to one part vinegar), they make a quick-and-easy vinaigrette for salads. Vinegar also adds a pop of flavor to sauces such as Hollandaise and Béarnaise. Vinegar is basically a solution of water and acetic acid, produced by bacterial…

This season, I’ve got just the treat for hot summer days, Snickers Pie. This frozen pie is just so good and simple. Can you think of a better flavor combination than chocolate, caramel, and peanut butter? I can’t, and I’ve tried. I melt king-size Snickers candy bars and add a few other ingredients for the filling. While you can easily use a store-bought graham-cracker piecrust to save time, my sweet friend Aimee Bishop made up a chocolate crust that just increases the decadent flavors—you’ll want to make two of them, they’re so tasty. Just before serving, I drizzle the pie with chocolate syrup and chop an extra candy bar to sprinkle over the top. This one won’t stay in the refrigerator for long! Enjoy this cold pie after a summer…

Add the razzle-dazzle of red, white, and blue to your Independence Day meal with a menu that celebrates the holiday in star-spangled style. Barbecue-flavored burgers zing with zesty chipotle Cheddar cheese and crispy crowns of fried red onion rings. For sides that steal the show, serve tri-colored herbroasted potatoes and grilled summer-vegetable kabobs that are oh-so tasty, but a cinch to prepare. And for a spectacular firework finish, Star Tarts and Flag-Waving Cookies are guaranteed to produce wows of delight from patriots of all ages. All-Decked-Out Barbecue Burgers Yield: 4 burgers Preparation: 25 minutes Cook: 30 minutes 3⁄4 cup ketchup 1⁄4 cup light molasses 1⁄4 cup honey 2 tablespoons liquid smoke 1⁄4 teaspoon salt 1⁄4 teaspoon ground black pepper 11⁄2 pounds ground sirloin 4 slices chipotle Cheddar cheese 4 hamburger…

Grilled Portobello Caesar Salad Yield: 4 to 6 servings Preparation: 30 minutes Cook: 12 minutes 1 (6-ounce) package baby portobello mushroom caps, quartered 1⁄4 cup olive oil 1 head Romaine lettuce, chopped, hearts removed 2 avocados, peeled and diced 2 ounces thinly sliced country ham, cut into 1⁄4-inch strips 1⁄8 teaspoon salt 1⁄8 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 recipe Creamy Caesar Dressing (Recipe follows.) 1 recipe Parmesan Croutons (Recipe follows.) Garnish: grated Parmesan cheese Preheat grill to 400°. Lightly brush mushroom caps with olive oil to coat. Cook mushrooms on uncovered grill, turning often, for 6 to 8 minutes, or until tender. Drain on paper towels. In a large bowl, combine mushrooms, lettuce, avocados, ham, salt, and pepper. Drizzle with half of dressing to coat. Serve with Parmesan Croutons and…

“I still miss Southern food,” comments Victoria Myers of Chicago, Illinois. Originally hailing from Montgomery, Alabama, Victoria explains that she still misses the people and flavors of the South. “It’s really hard to find good Southern food outside the South, so I cook it,” says Victoria. “I love to cook, and I love changing recipes. I get my inspiration from various recipes, and then I do my own thing.” Victoria says that this talent for altering recipes began when she was a child. “My dad was the cook in our family, and he would let me make the salads. I’d change them up all the time. As I grew older, he’d let me cook more and more. When I was out of college and moved away from home, I started making…

Barbara Napier is an artist in the truest sense of the word, a person whose imagination changes the way we see the world. She doesn’t need canvas, paint, or brushes to realize her artistic vision. Instead, she has used salvaged building materials, hammers, and nails to create a masterpiece in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains—her bed-and-breakfast inn, Snug Hollow Farm. “I’m an artist, and this is my palette,” Barbara explains. “Snug Hollow Farm is my greatest creation.” The bed-and-breakfast inn is located in eastern Kentucky, “where the mountains kiss the bluegrass,” Barbara likes to say. As you drive down the crooked road that leads to her farm, you are transported back to a simpler time—before air conditioning and cell phones. The narrow gravel road dips and turns like a…

Southerners have a taste for spicy food. That’s obvious to anyone who has ever enjoyed a bowl of gumbo or sampled North-Carolina-style barbecue sauce. One of our favorite ways to spice up a recipe is also one of the oldest and, perhaps, one of the best. In the South, when we want to “add a little heat” to a dish, we automatically reach for the red-and-green Tabasco® Pepper Sauce bottle. Today, the Tabasco brand is recognized all over the world. Original Tabasco Pepper Sauce is sold in more than 160 countries, and its labels are printed in more than 22 languages and dialects. In the United States, the Tabasco name has become synonymous with pepper sauce. The familiar redand- green bottle can be found in almost every grocery store and…

Southerners jokingly refer to it as “the pâté of the South.” Renowned North Carolina novelist Reynolds Price called it the “peanut butter of my youth.” The “it” is pimento cheese, homemade, if you please. As far back as I can remember, a plate filled with pimento-cheese sandwiches, carefully sliced on an angle, has graced every family reunion, picnic, funeral buffet, and supper-on-the-grounds potluck. I thought I was in high cotton the first time I had crunchy celery stuffed with the yummy multi-textured cheese concoction. The greatest pimento cheese I ever ate was in Greensboro, North Carolina, at the home of Ivey and Ray Meadows. Their door was always open when a teenager needed a place to be, and Mrs. Meadows was never without her legendary pimento cheese and a loaf…

There’s nothing like the first bite of a ripe peach. Still warm from the sun, the delightfully fuzzy fruit beckons us to taste, and we are immediately rewarded with the sweetness of a thousand summer memories: picnics at the lake, gatherings on Grandmother’s front porch, dinner on the grounds at church. Someone always had a big bowl of fresh peaches, either picked from the backyard or purchased at a roadside stand. Who could resist? Never mind that the juice ran down our chins with every bite. Savoring each sweet tidbit seemed to allow us to hold onto summer. Peaches originated in China where they were thought to possess mystical qualities. Amulets, offering good luck and protection from harm, were carved from peach trees. We can thank the Persians for introducing…

4th of July Celebration Pages 10–15: Red platter from TJ Maxx®. Red bowl plates from Target®. Red, white, and blue tray from World Market®. With a Little Help From Her Friends Pages 16–24: Bread board from Timberware by Tom Boyd, shown and sold exclusively at Snug Hollow Farm. Pasta plate and soup bowl from Tater Knob Pottery. Preserving Summer’s Bounty Pages 26–31: Yellow bowl and place mat from Pier 1 Imports®. Brown and white place mat from Pottery Barn. Salad Days Pages 32–37: Green tray from Willams-Sonoma®; green flower vase from Target®; tea carafe from World Market®. Pink and white plate by Kate Spade (available at Macy’s). Green floral place mat and napkin from Williams-Sonoma®. Green and turquoise place mat from Home Goods; drinking glass from World Market®; white plate…