Secco's Brand New Menu: Here's What You're In For

Squid ink bucatini with baby shrimp, red chili pepper,  pistachio and shrimp head sauce

Full Disclaimer: My husband Tim and I are regulars at Secco Wine Bar, and I've been pals with owner Julia Battaglini since we were English majors way back when at VCU, so when she asked me to help spread the word on Secco's new menu as well as their chalkboard-only wine and beer menu (a.k.a Hayyy Chardonnay!) I didn't hesitate because a.) that's what friends are for, and b.) I love my hometown of RVA. So here goes a little unfettered promotion all in the name of showcasing the awesomeness that is Richmond, Virginia's ever-changing restaurant scene.

To start.

That wildly colorful dish posted above is a house-made squid ink pasta with baby shrimp, red chili's and pistachio, and it is just one of the many new dishes featured on Secco Wine Bar's brand spanking new menu. It's no shocker that Executive Chef Tim Bereika has mastered the art of making fresh pasta, but Secco's new menu also boasts many familiar items like those addictive fried chickpeas with aleppo pepper, fried Castelvetrano olives and a house-made charcuterie board along with some reasonably priced larger plates like whole fried branzino with roasted potatoes and salsa verde as well as an herb crusted sirloin steak with arugula salad, pecorino toscano and lemon oil (all of the meats come from Virginia native Dave Matthews' grass-fed beef farm, Best of What's Around FYI). Secco continues to offer their 5-course chefs tasting menu (available Sunday-Wednesday) which is a steal for $28 bucks. Throw in a stellar rotating wine and beer (and sherry) list and there's no reason you shouldn't eat here at least once.

To help usher you folks in the door with even more gusto, I've created a little photo essay of some of the dishes I've sampled at Secco over the years. Note: many of these dishes remain on the new menu in some seasonal incarnation since Chef Bereika often culls locally from regional farms and producers. All of these pics were taken with my iPhone 4 which can rock some food photos.

Fresh burrata cheese with heirloom cherry tomatoes and fresh herbs.

Foie pot de creme with kirschwasser jelly.

Ricotta and Tuscan kale filled pasta with toasted almonds, citrus butter and fennel pollen.

Panna cotta with orange zest, smoked walnuts and bourbon soaked raisins.

House made pumpkin ravioli with amaretti cookies and sage.

Had enough yet? Just go there people. For real.

All photos and text ©2013 Fatback and Foie Gras. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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Slow Cooker Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash Recipe

Naturally sweet acorn squash meets salty breakfast sausage, walnuts, molasses and apple cider for a super-easy, satisfying crockpot meal. All you need to round out this hearty one-pot dish is a green salad and some dinner rolls.

Check out my full video demonstration for this recipe as part of The Virginia Farm Bureau's bi-monthly cooking show "Heart of the Home". I've also pasted the recipe below. Enjoy!

Crockpot Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash Recipe

Serves 4-6

2 medium acorn squash
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 pound sage breakfast sausage
½ cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
½ cup plain breadcrumbs
¼ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1 large egg, beaten
¼ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon black pepper
¼ cup molasses
½ cup apple cider or apple juice

Slice stems off the squash, and scoop out the seeds. Slice off a small piece from the bottom of each squash so it will sit level in your slow cooker. Brush the edges and insides of each squash with olive oil.

In a sauté pan crumble and brown the sausage. Drain the sausage, and place it in a large bowl. Remove half of the drippings from the pan, and then cook the onion and garlic in the remaining fat until softened. Add the onion and garlic to the sausage. Mix in breadcrumbs, walnuts, egg, salt and pepper. Fill the squash with the sausage mixture.

Use cooking spray to coat a piece of heavy-duty foil that’s large enough to cover the whole inside of your slow cooker. Place the squash cut side up on the foil and brush the exposed flesh with the molasses. Pour the cider down the sides of the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.

Remove squash to a cutting board by lifting it up by the foil, and cut in halves or quarters. Serve as a side dish, or as a main dish with a green salad and rolls.

All photos and text ©2013 Fatback and Foie Gras. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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Buttermilk Fried Chicken and Gravy Recipe

Fried chicken is one of those recipes that people feel really strongly about. Some say deep fry it while others insist that shallow frying in cast iron is the only way. Some folks swear that the only oil to fry chicken in is Crisco while others fry it in everything from peanut oil to butter to that ever-present Southern staple: lard. Then of course, there's the brine, which can mean soaking your cut-up bird in buttermilk, plain old salted water or more involved salt water mixtures using rosemary, lemons and garlic.

Whatever your poison, one thing's for certain-- fried chicken done up right is the greasy nectar of the gods. Crunchy, crispy and a bit salty on the outside while crazy juicy and tender on the inside, fresh-from-the-pan fried chicken simply can't be beat.

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Years ago, my mom taught me her recipe for frying chicken, and it's definitely one of the good ones. Like many recipes, the brine we use to marinate our chicken is pure buttermilk and nothing else, and the bird is ideally soaked in it overnight. This is a crucial step for moist and tender chicken, so don't skip it. When it comes to breading, we insist on flour and basic seasonings all the way, and when it's frying time mom always uses her favorite grease combo consisting of equal parts shortening and butter which makes for extra crispy fried chicken. I like to add a tablespoon of bacon grease to the frying oil as well for even more punch.

So, here it is, our family recipe for fried chicken. Mom always served her chicken with milk gravy, but I've included my recipe for a basic pan gravy made with a chicken stock. You could definitely substitute milk for the chicken stock here. Serve your fried chicken with mashed potatoes or cornbread dressing (pictured above and recipe coming later FYI) and of course, a big pitcher of sweet tea. Enjoy!

Mom's Buttermilk Fried Chicken and Gravy Recipe

While a cast iron skillet is preferred for this recipe, an electric fry pan or large non-stick pan works just as well.

Serves 4-6

1 whole fryer chicken, cut into even pieces (about 3-4 pounds)
2 cups buttermilk
All-purpose flour for coating (about 2 cups)
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning blend
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup shortening
1 tablespoon bacon grease, optional
Additional salt and pepper, to taste

For the gravy:

4 tablespoons leftover pan drippings
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth or whole milk (if you want cream gravy)
Salt to taste
Lots and lots of black pepper (this is a Southern thing!)

Pour the buttermilk into a large bowl or plastic bag and add the chicken pieces, making sure they are coated well. Cover and refrigerate for several hours, preferably overnight. Take a large paper bag and add in the flour, salt, pepper, Cajun seasoning and cayenne. Remove the chicken from the buttermilk and place it in the paper bag. Shake the bag well to coat all the pieces of chicken evenly.

Melt the butter and the shortening in a large cast iron skillet. Heat your pan to medium-high, being careful not to burn the butter. When your pan is hot, add the chicken and brown it well on all sides, about 10-12 minutes. Then reduce the heat to medium-low. Place a cover over the chicken and continue to cook another 25-30 minutes or until the juices run clear. Uncover and continue to cook another 5-10 minutes on medium or until the chicken becomes nice and crispy. Remove chicken to a rack and drain. Season with additional salt and pepper, if desired.

Pour off all but 4 tablespoons of the leftover drippings (discard the rest or save in your lard tin). Be sure to keep all the crispy goody bits on the bottom of the pan. They add a ton of flavor. Add the flour to the pan and whisk it over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes. Then, gradually whisk in the chicken broth (or milk) and continue to cook stirring constantly for 3-4 minutes or until your gravy has thickened. If your gravy is too thick, feel free to thin it out with some more chicken stock, milk or a little water. Reduce the heat to low and season the gravy with salt and black pepper, the more pepper the better.

Serve fried chicken with gravy, mashed potatoes or cornbread dressing.

All photos and text ©2013 Fatback and Foie Gras. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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Preview of The Southern Slow Cooker Cookbook

I'm very excited to announce that as of yesterday, "The Southern Slow Cooker" has officially gone to print! It's been one heck of a whirlwind ride this past year, and pretty amazing to think that it was right around this time last year that I was feverishly penning a book proposal for Ten Speed Press with the hopes that it would be me they wanted to write this book. Then it was contracts, negotiations, recipe development, writing, research, recipe testing, testing and more testing, no sleep, and a whole lot of leftover food to contend with along with a couple of extra pounds free of charge for the whole family. And here we are...all finished. Holy time warp. From here on, it's all anticipation until that August release date!

I'm so pleased with how everything turned out. Photographer Erin Kunkel took some lovely photos, and as you can see from the little preview of the full front and back cover, Ten Speed Press has one stellar design and editing team. I'd also like to give a special thanks to two amazing ladies who were kind of enough to pen a few glowing words after taking the time to read through the galley copies; Southern cookbook authors, food experts, and all around cool ladies Virginia Willis and Martha Foose. Thank you both so very much.

So, here it is. If you're a slow cooker/crockpot cooking lover already, I hope you'll pre-order a copy. If you're not yet a fan of slow cooker cooking, I hope this book might just change your mind :)

My best to everyone, and sorry for the tiny print!

Kendra

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Southern Strawberry Jell-O Salad Recipe

Jell-O salads taste best at church potlucks for some reason.

I grew up on Jell-O salads (a.k.a "gelatin salads", "molded salads" or just plain "salads"). Whatever you choose to call them, Jell-O salads made with some kind of flavored gelatin, canned fruit, whipping cream and often cream cheese and/or Dream Whip whipped topping are a Southern food staple found on many holiday dinner tables, church potluck spreads, covered dish gatherings, and frequently appear at traditional dinner on the grounds.

Jell-O salads are funny things. While not technically a salad per se (as in the healthy green stuff) or even really a first course, Jell-O salads are more often than not lumped into the salad chapter of old church and community cookbooks. This is probably because we Southerner's honestly view Jell-O salads as simply some kind of salad that counts as a vegetable.

Those of you (all three of you, that is) who follow my blog know by now that I have a bit of an addiction to collecting vintage cookbooks. In addition to the stacks that have been passed down to me by my granny's, my mom and family friends, I've also collected quite a few books from yard sales, consignment stores and estate sales. One of my favorite cookbook's is "Green Springs Country Cooking" (1975), a "treasury of old family recipes contributed by friends and members of Historic Green Springs", which is a historic landmark located in Louisa County, Virginia.

In this lovely book, which is a community cookbook in its purest form with recipes proudly donated by members of Green Springs National Landmark, is a wonderful collection of Southern recipes by way of central Virginia. From classics like Hot Virginia Dip, old fashioned Virginia batter bread and Country Captain to squirrel stew, Depression cake (a type of spice cake), and "Virginia-style" tomato aspic, this cookbook is a wealth of classic, old-school, home-spun Southern cooking. There's even recipes for homemade soap, how to roast a whole hog, make your own parsnip wine as well as whipping up your own moonshine with the disclaimer, "Check with your local sheriff before setting up a still." Sage advice. But the very best part of this cookbook in my opinion is that all of the recipes are in the original handwriting of their creators.

In a food world where shiny, food-porny photos must dominate nearly every page of any cookbook hoping to sell its weight in recipe gold, I find books like Green Springs Country Cooking, which harken back to what really matters when it comes to preserving and sharing recipes as well as honoring our Southern oldways through both oral and written tradition immensely refreshing. This book has nary a single photo in it yet it's my go-to when I cook at home. As I sift through more and more community and church cookbooks like Green Springs, I'm discovering that those slick, fancy pants cookbooks made up mostly of photos are exactly that. I much prefer books filled with recipes, tried and true ones created with pride, and ones that I'll actually make on a regular basis.

Speaking of recipes, here's one for a classic strawberry Jell-O salad recipe as it appears in the Green Springs book and this one was contributed by Mrs. Lelia D. Bickers of Standardsville, Virginia. I'm thinking this recipe would be a great addition to any Easter dinner table, and just think how proud you'd be making Mrs. Bickers by serving it.

Strawberry Jell-O Salad Recipe

From "Green Springs Country Cooking" (1975)

Note: I am reprinting the recipe exactly as appears in the cookbook. Home cooks should note that in true Southern cooking form, there is a bit of ambiguity here when it comes to sizes and amounts :)

2 boxes strawberry Jell-O

2 cups hot water

1 large package of frozen or fresh strawberries

1 large can crushed pineapple (with juice)
1/2 pound miniature marshmallows
1/2 pint whipping cream or 1 package Dream Whip
1 large package cream cheese, softened (I am assuming this is 8 ounces)

Chopped walnuts

Dissolve Jell-O in hot water, add strawberries, pineapple and marshmallows. Mix and chill until set. Beat cream or Dream Whip until stiff; add softened cream cheese. Mix until smooth and spread over the Jell-O mixture. Sprinkle top with nuts.

Recipe by Mrs. Lelia D. Bickers

All photos and text ©2013 Fatback and Foie Gras. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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