For most of my life, a taco was ground meat, a package of seasoning and hard shells from the box, with lots of cheese and maybe a little lettuce on top. And I will tell you, I have nothing against that version. But in the last few years, there has been a proliferation of Mexican restaurants in Memphis that serve what is considered more authentic Mexican food. And I haven’t … [Read more...] about Smoky Beef Tacos
Beef
Royal Crown Short Ribs
Cooking with cola is a Southern tradition undoubtedly dates back to the days when the first glass bottles clinked onto the shelves of the Piggly Wiggly and the Jitney Jungle. Frankly, in most parts of the South, cola means Atlanta’s own Coca-Cola, or as we call it Co-cola. I love to cook with cola, from rich chocolaty co-cola cakes to ribs cooked in root beer. I have even … [Read more...] about Royal Crown Short Ribs
Bacon Cheeseburger Soup
There is magic in soup. A beautiful kitchen alchemy in which a few simple ingredients are magically transformed into culinary precious treasure. There is nothing to me more satisfying than hefting the weight of my good enameled cast-iron Dutch oven from its special nook and placing it on the burner, ready to start my experiments, ready to create. Soup runs from the sublime … [Read more...] about Bacon Cheeseburger Soup
Tourtière – French Canadian Meat Pie
I am tempted to say that this is an old family recipe, but my family has no connection with French Canadians whatsoever. But it is a recipe my family has been making for years. The story goes like this: my grandparents had tourtière on a trip to Canada, and enjoyed it so much, that my aunt wrote to Gourmet magazine to ask for a recipe. Gourmet did not print her request in … [Read more...] about Tourtière – French Canadian Meat Pie
Garlic Scape Beef Satay
This year, for the first time, I noticed vendors at the local farmers market selling garlic scapes. Garlic scapes are the greens that shoot off the top of a variety of garlic. They have a milder, garlicky flavor. They are long, green, and have a bulbous head at the top. I had heard of scapes, but never used them and as I am intrigued by anything garlic related, I bought a … [Read more...] about Garlic Scape Beef Satay
