Over the summer, in the hot, hot weather, I had a few people over for a last minute meal. I couldn’t bring myself to cook much, so I decided to make a big salad. Another last minute decision was to lay out my ingredients on a big platter rather than toss it it in a bowl. It seemed more substantial somehow. It got raves, so I made it several other times and posted as … [Read more...] about Muffaletta Cobb Salad
Fruit and Vegetables
Butternut and Fennel Soup
I read recipes all the time – from magazines, online and books. I cut out the ones the interest me or pin them to a board or mark them with little sticky note flags. Then this happens to me. Something sticks in my mind and the next time I am at the grocery (which is several times a week) I think oh! I want to make that recipe I saw…but I don’t precisely remember what all it … [Read more...] about Butternut and Fennel Soup
Collard and Cornbread Pudding
Any Southerner will tell you that you must eat greens on New Year’s day. It insures prosperity in the year to come (and black eyed peas) for luck. And if you got a big pot of greens to serve up, you just have to have some cornbread to go with it. So here, I have combined the two into a lovely casserole in the style of a savory bread pudding. Frozen chopped greens are a perfect … [Read more...] about Collard and Cornbread Pudding
Sweet Potato Skordalia
I first had sweet potato skordalia in Birmingham, Alabama at a meal during a Southern Foodways Alliance event prepared by Tim Hontza’a of Johnny’s in Homewood. The whole “Greek and three” meal was fantastic, but I was enchanted by the little dab of sweet potato skordalia on the edge of the plate. It was the perfect combination of classic Greek cooking with Southern sensibility. … [Read more...] about Sweet Potato Skordalia
Sweet Potato and Country Ham Gratin
Sometimes, the side dishes are the best part of the meal. That’s where this comes from. I had a meal restaurant meal that was generally unremarkable, but for a dish ordered for the table as something of an afterthought. It inspired me. That dish was a slightly overwrought, oddly-shaped plate with a small swipe of béchamel sauce topped with roasted sweet potatoes and a … [Read more...] about Sweet Potato and Country Ham Gratin
