Innholdsfortegnelse for October - November 2008 i Taste of the South

CHANCES ARE, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT SWEET potatoes, the first thing that pops into your mind is an image of the casserole that appears on your family’s Thanksgiving or Christmas menu. Perhaps it is crowned with golden mounds of toasted marshmallows or topped with a crunchy, brown sugar streusel—either way, it wouldn’t seem right to celebrate the holidays without that signature sweet-potato dish. So when Taste of the South teamed up with the North Carolina SweetPotato Commission to sponsor the “Get Fresh with Sweet Potatoes” Recipe Contest, we knew we would get casserole recipes, but we never dreamed we would get such an overwhelming response and such a variety of dishes. Entries came from across the nation, with a whopping 2,271 recipes submitted over four categories: soups, salads, sides, and…

holiday spinach salad Yield: 8 servings Preparation: approximately 1 hour 10 minutes Bake: 10 minutes 3 cups diced butternut squash 11⁄4 teaspoons kosher salt, divided 1⁄8 teaspoon ground black pepper 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 2 cups cooked cranberry beans 1 teaspoon sugar 1 recipe Apple-Cider Vinaigrette (Recipe follows.) 1 (6-ounce) bag fresh spinach 1 small red onion, sliced into 1⁄8-inch rings Garnish: pomegranate seeds PREHEAT oven to 400°. IN A LARGE RESEALABLE PLASTIC BAG, combine squash, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Add oil. Seal bag and shake to coat with oil. Pour squash into a roasting pan. BAKE for 10 to 12 minutes; remove from oven and set aside to cool. IN A MEDIUM BOWL, toss together squash, beans, sugar, and remaining 1⁄4 teaspoon salt with 1⁄4 cup Apple- Cider…

Granny had the best macaroni and cheese in the world,” Jerry recalls. The secret? “Lots of real butter and Cheddar cheese. MY SISTER, JERRY GOBER, TELLS ME THAT I PROBABLY inherited my love for macaroni and cheese from our grandmother. Holiday dinner at Granny Davidson’s was like a Norman Rockwell painting from the ’40s and ’50s. The smell of yeast rolls hit your nose at the front door. The big dining room table was draped with a crisp white tablecloth, topped with dishes of turkey and dressing, mashed potatoes, green beans, and macaroni and cheese. There was always iced tea and a cake for dessert. Years later, my sister took over as host for what has grown into a series of noontime holiday events, including Thanksgiving and Christmas every year,…

BRADLEY WEAVER OF DAWSON COUNTY, GEORGIA, IS LIKE any other farmer in these foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. Twelve years of farming have taught him that there are always chores to do. There are acres of hay to cut and grass to mow. He worries about irrigating his crops, and he’s grateful when the good Lord steps in and does it for him. He tries to be a good steward of the land. But first, he has to finish his homework. Brad is 17 years old, and each fall since he was 5, he has managed his own pumpkin patch just outside Dawsonville. The whole idea started years ago when Brad was just 4. The youngest child of Karen and Tony Weaver, Brad overheard his parents talking about how they…

We know you look forward to receiving your Taste of the South magazine every other month, but did you know that you could find similar material—including recipes, Q&A’s, feature stories, and how-tos—on our Web site? Check out the following list of Web-exclusive material available to you at www.tasteofthesouthmagazine.com right now! WEB EXCLUSIVES: One Sweet Tour Get an inside look at the bed-and-breakfasts along the trail of this tasty holiday tour, as well as bonus recipes and how-tos! Ushering in a New Season With fall right around the corner, the time has come to use what the season has to offer to create fabulous dishes. Take our lead with delicious recipes and menus. Sweet-Potato Recipe Contest Go behind the scenes of the contest judging and get a look at all 12 finalists’ recipes. Editor’s…

Give a little shout-out to the harvest season by topping a scrumptious green salad with roasted pumpkin seeds. roasted pumpkinseed salad Yield: 6 to 8 servings Preparation: 15 minutes Cook: 10 minutes 1 cup raw pumpkin seeds 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1 teaspoon kosher salt 7 cups chopped and washed romaine lettuce 11⁄2 cups sliced red bell pepper 1 cup sliced red onion 2 avocados, pitted and sliced 1 recipe Creamy Garlic Dressing (Recipe follows.) IN A MEDIUM SKILLET, combine pumpkin seeds and olive oil. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes, or until lightly golden. Remove from heat and toss with kosher salt. Set aside to cool. IN A LARGE BOWL, combine lettuce, bell pepper, onion, and avocados. Sprinkle with pumpkin seeds. Serve with Creamy Garlic…

TASTEMAKERS ARE THOSE WHO DETERMINE or strongly influence current trends or styles, as in fashion, food, or the arts. Atlanta, Georgia, is home to some of the best restaurants in the country —tastemakers, if you will. Chefs in Atlanta are championing local, artisanal, and seasonal products and vegetables for their clientele, and the food scene is vibrant with shops and stores that cater to these newly inspired diners. The hotels are on par with those of any major city, from boutique to Five Star Diamond. Here are some absolute essentials for visiting. From haute cuisine to down-home cooking, Atlanta has it all. WHERE TO EAT Ann’s Snack Bar 1615 Memorial Drive, 404-687-9207 I first tried the Ghetto Burger at Ann’s Snack Bar several years before The Wall Street Journal rated…

TAKE A QUAINT VICTORIAN TOWN nestled in the Ozark Mountains of northwestern Arkansas. Add an association of bed-and-breakfast owners who love to decorate their inns for the Christmas season. Mix in a good measure of curiosity from out-of-town guests and local people alike. And garnish with an array of holiday treats and recipes to share. The result is the Sweet Treats Tour, sponsored by the Alliance of Better Bed & Breakfasts in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. This once-a-year event gives people a chance to peek inside these Victorian painted ladies and pick up decorating tips and holiday recipes from the innkeepers. The first Sweet Treats Tour was held in December 2007. The weekend after Thanksgiving and the first weekend in December, says event chairman Cheri Rojek, are very busy times for…

Chef Anne Quatrano and her husband, Chef Clifford Harrison, have made an indelible mark on the food scene of Atlanta, Georgia. They co-own Bacchanalia, Quinones at Bacchanalia, and Floataway Café, as well as Star Provisions, a culinary store. Their first restaurant, Bacchanalia, is consistently ranked one of the best in the city, and that’s where we caught up with Anne. What brought you to the South? My mom is originally from Cartersville, Georgia, and we came down to revamp her 60-acre family property into a working farm and to open a restaurant. The property we live on, as well as the farm, has been in the Stiles Family since the 1800s. What has kept you in the South? After living in Connecticut, Vermont, Massachusetts, New York, and California, we arrived…

Giving Thanks Pages 14–21: Turkey napkin rings from Weir’s Furniture Village, 888-889-3477, www.weirsfurniture.com; Bordallo Pinheiro dinnerware available at T.J. Maxx, 800- 285-6299, www.tjmaxx.com; feather place mats from Z Gallerie, 800-908-6748, www.zgallerie.com; turkey platter from Tuesday Morning, www.tuesdaymorning.com. Easy Does It Pages 22–26: Dinnerware by Denby, www.denbyusa.com; Calvin Klein napkins available at HomeGoods, 800-614-4663, www.homegoods.com; runner fabric from King Cotton Fabrics, 205-322-5878, www.kingcottonfabrics.com. Location courtesy of Mary and Greg Baugh. Getting Fresh with Sweet Potatoes Pages 28–32: Yellow soup bowls by Emile Henry, 888-346-8853, www.emilehenryusa.com; Terra Rose salad bowl available at HomeGoods, 800-614-4663, homewww.goods.com. A Spirited Tradition of Hospitality Pages 34–40: Orange bowl from Home- Goods, 800-614-4663, www.homegoods.com; “Heirloom” dessert plate by Vietri 866- 327-1279, www.vietri.com. Tastemakers: Atlanta Pages 43–53: Tablecraft red plastic basket from Linens ’n Things, 888-568-7378, www.lnt.com; cake…

I just received my first issue of Taste of the South, and I am blown away! I am going to order a lot of the back issues, that’s for sure. Everything about this magazine is excellent—photography, people highlights, recipes. I really, really like this magazine and have already started calling my friends here in New York City to tell them to rush out and buy a copy! —Anna V. Carroll New York, New York And the Winner Is . . . I am interested in entering your recipe contests. How do you announce these? Online? In the magazine? By e-newsletter? Please let me know. Thanks so much. —Cynthia Bowser by e-mail EDITOR’S NOTE:We have just wrapped up a recipe contest in conjunction with the North Carolina SweetPotato Commission and are…

WHO CAN IMAGINE THANKSGIVING WITHOUT a sweet-potato casserole or a creamy sweet-potato pie? With sweet potatoes available virtually year-round, they’re not just reserved for the holidays anymore. And that’s why the North Carolina SweetPotato Commission and Taste of the South magazine joined to sponsor a recipe contest for these delicious tubers. Contest rules stated that recipes had to include at least 11⁄2 cups of mashed sweet potato or 1 medium fresh sweet potato. Additionally, recipes could use no more than eight ingredients, not including herbs and spices. Entries for soups, salads, side dishes, and sweets came from every state in the union except North Dakota and totaled 2,271. The commission consulted newspaper food editors, cookbook authors, and other culinary professionals to help narrow the field to 12 finalists, three in…

LONG BEFORE THE FIRST EUROPEANS SET FOOT on the shores of North America, pumpkins were a staple of the American diet. American Indians have been cultivating these members of the genus Cucurbita for more than 9,000 years. Planted in hillocks along with corn and beans, pumpkins served as living mulch, keeping their cornfields free of weeds as the beans climbed up the stalks and discouraging raccoons from eating the corn. American Indians ate pumpkins roasted, boiled, and stewed. When the Pilgrims arrived in Massachusetts in 1620, local tribes taught them how to dry pumpkin meat and preserve it for year-round use. Pumpkin provided food for the colonists, as well as feed for their livestock in the form of roasted pumpkin seeds. It’s no wonder pumpkin pie has become a tradition…

baked carrots Recipe courtesy of Diane Hixon Yield: 8 servings Preparation: 20 minutes Cook: 15 minutes Bake: 25 minutes 2 pounds carrots, cut into ¼-inch slices, divided 6 slices Swiss cheese, divided 4 tablespoons butter 1 cup minced onion 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon chili powder 2 cups milk 1 cup fresh bread crumbs 5 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled 2 tablespoons butter, melted PREHEAT oven to 350°. BRING a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add carrots and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, or until carrots are crisp-tender. Plunge into ice water to stop cooking. LAYER half of carrots in a 2-quart baking dish. Cover with 3 slices Swiss cheese. Repeat with remaining carrots and cheese slices. IN A MEDIUM SAUCEPAN, melt butter…