Innholdsfortegnelse for July/August 2020 i Taste of the South

FLAVORED SALTS Hot Salt MAKES 1 CUP (photo on page 82) 1 cup kosher salt1½ tablespoons hot sauce1 tablespoon chili powder1 teaspoon paprika 1. Preheat oven to 350°. 2. On a small rimmed baking sheet, toss together salt and hot sauce. Bake until dry, about 5 minutes. Let cool completely. Using a spatula, press to break up clumps. Stir in chili powder and paprika. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Citrus Salt MAKES 1 CUP (photo on page 82) 1 cup fine ground sea salt1½ tablespoons orange zest1½ tablespoons lime zest 1. In a small bowl, combine salt and zests. Using your fingers, work zests into salt. 2. On a small rimmed baking sheet, spread mixture evenly. Let stand at room temperature until zest is dry,…

Every year around this time, Chef Kevin Johnson knows that his menu at The Grocery is about to get an extra dose of fresh garden flavor. Bright, ripe summer vegetables are in season all across the South, and his restaurant, smack dab in the center of Charleston, is gearing up to find new, delightful ways to maximize them on the menu. Kevin and his team in the kitchen have been exploring all the ways to access the full potential of produce like okra, eggplant, and tomatoes since opening the doors to their cozy eatery in 2011. We talked to him about that journey, and this is what he had to say. Do you have any favorite veggies you’re cooking with this summer? Tomatoes. Tomatoes. Tomatoes. We look forward to them…

WHEN THE PRODUCE MARKETS ARE FULL of the sweet scent of ripe peaches and you eat one out of your hand as the sweet juices run down your arm, it’s a sign that summer is in full swing in the South. Peaches are treasured here, not only for their delicious taste but for the immense effort that goes into farming them. While we enjoy the fruits of farmers’ labor, peach trees are temperamental to grow. They are easily affected by weather, pests, and disease, and their delicate fruits must be picked by hand. States like Georgia and South Carolina are known for their production of these stone fruits even thought it’s a smaller part of their agricultural economy. And that’s what makes Southerners so appreciative of this short but sweet…

Long famed as the birthplace of Elvis Presley, Tupelo, Mississippi, is a city built on unabashed Southern charm. But make no mistake—this isn’t your average old sleepy town. Boasting a dynamic art scene, soulful eats, and plenty of hospitality to boot, this small city is home to a new wave of creatives focused on one thing: making Tupelo the best it can be. Tupelo abounds with artistic tributes worth experiencing. Elvis may have been the king of rock and roll, but in Tupelo, Connie’s Fried Chicken is the king of breakfast. This well-loved restaurant has been feeding hungry patrons sinfully good, down-home Southern food for about four decades. For breakfast that means juicy, golden fried chicken sandwiched in a fluffy house-made biscuit; and if that’s not enough, ask for the…

Skillet Tomato Pies MAKES 4 For these tomato pies, you’ll want to wait for the ripest, most flavorful tomatoes of summer—preferably heirloom. 1¼ cups all-purpose flour4 teaspoons plain stone-ground yellow cornmeal, divided2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed6 tablespoons whole buttermilk, chilled4 (¼-inch-thick) green tomato slices4 (¼-inch-thick) red tomato slices4 large red or yellow campari tomatoes, cut into ¼-inch-thick slices¾ cup mayonnaise¾ cup shredded sharp white Cheddar cheese, divided2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil2 teaspoons grated yellow onion¼ teaspoon ground black pepperGarnish: torn fresh basil, ground black pepper 1. In the work bowl of a food processor, pulse together flour, 3 teaspoons cornmeal, and 1 teaspoon salt. Add cold butter, and pulse until mixture is crumbly. With processor running, add buttermilk in a slow, steady stream just until…

I’VE OFTEN SAID that I unapologetically love soul food, and I do. But the soul food I grew up eating wasn’t all smothered pork chops, fried chicken, and candied yams. Those were celebration dishes, and while I loved those, too, the soul food I knew was greens and beans and grains and the way my grandmothers cooked—with lots of vegetables. Soul food hasn’t always been deep-fried and smothered in butter. It stems from West Africa, where the people’s diets were plant-based and nutritious. They grew and ate things like okra, sweet potatoes, and black-eyed peas. These foods arrived in the American South with the transatlantic slave trade. Slaves in the Carolinas grew these foods just like they had in Africa, and they became a part of the Southern palate. Meat…

BREADS & DOUGHS Classic Pie Dough 78 Farmstand Cornbread 66 Peach-Jalapeño Cornbread 20 DESSERTS Any-Fruit Pie 78 Fresh Peach Pound Cake 17 Grilled Pound Cake with Bourbon-Soaked Peaches 22 Key Lime Bundt Cake 33 Key Lime Crinkle Cookies 34 Key Lime-Filled Doughnuts 32 Key Lime Icebox Cake 34 Key Lime Meltaway Cookies 27 Key Lime Pie 33 Lime Buttermilk Tart 27 Peaches and Cream Pie 20 Salted Caramel Marble Cake 86 Tomato Soup Cake 76 Upside-Down Peach Pie with Ginger and Thyme 21 DRINKS Salty Mangonada 85 FROSTINGS & GLAZES Coconut Lime Glaze 27 Easy Caramel Frosting 86 Sweet Buttermilk Glaze 33 MAINS Arkansas Cheese Dip Dog 49 Barbecue Pork Chops Sheet Pan Supper 18 Columbian-Style Hot Dog 49 Dry-Brined Skillet Steaks 85 Memphis Dog 50 Muffuletta 56 Pickled Shrimp…

FLORIDA Columbian-Style Hot Dog recipe on page 49 Columbian hot dog shops can be found throughout Miami. They are known for their wide variety of toppings ranging from crispy potatoes and ham slices to fresh fruit and whipped topping. But, what can’t be missed is the sweet and spicy Special Sauce. TENNESSEE Memphis Hot Dog recipe on page 50 The birthplace of the blues also brings us this hot dog masterpiece—a frank wrapped in bacon and topped with Memphis-style sweet and tangy barbecue sauce, thinly shredded Cheddar, and a sprinkle of green onion. TEXAS Texas Hot Dog recipe on page 49 Piled high with toppings, these hot dogs are an ode to what Texans do best—barbecue. Grilled franks get topped with Texas-style barbecue sauce, smothered in a homemade coleslaw, and…

Most disasters come unexpectedly, like a downpour on a sun-drenched summer afternoon that sneaks up suddenly. And when they do, life can change forever. But as history proves, it’s during times of trouble when people band together most. We’ve seen it during natural disasters—hurricanes, tornadoes, raging floods, diseases—and during manmade catastrophes, too. When tragedy strikes, there’s a great sense of community that grows from it. Neighborhoods, civic groups, and complete strangers rally together for a common cause, and if you look closely, you’ll find that at the very center of many efforts is food. Southerners have always had a deep-rooted connection between comfort and food; it’s why we make casseroles for the grieving and cherish meals our grandmothers made for us growing up. But when disasters occur, food becomes more…

IS THERE ANYTHING BETTER than biting into crispy, golden-brown fried chicken? Short answer? Not likely. As Southerners, we know it plays a pivotal role in our story as well as the cuisine we enjoy today. Countless restaurants across the South say they do it better than the rest, and believe us when we say that we wish we could sample some from every last spot. We picked just 10 out of a long list of favorites, so consider this our ode to the South’s best fried chicken. 1 BEASLEY’S CHICKEN + HONEY Raleigh, North Carolina With a name like that, you know what to expect from a place like Beasley’s before you even walk in the door. For lunch and dinner, the star of the show is the Quarter Fried…