I Made a Top 6 List!

So yeah, I'm a little bit excited here, since I've been blogging for about a year and half, which ain't nothing in the big blogosphere picture. In fact, I did this whole blogging thing totally backwards by starting out as a journalist and author only to transition into blogging. Why the hell did you do that, you ask? Partly because print pubs don't pay jack anymore, but mostly because I love having the freedom to control my own content. The feeling is akin to hitting a nude beach for the first time and stripping off your top. It's frightening, exhilarating, even a bit chilly in parts. Most of all, it's kinda dirty, yet still tolerated by the prudish. Note: I may or may not be speaking from experience here, so let me just plead the fif.

Food writer Robey Martin, of Richmond, VA alt weekly extraordinaire Style Weekly, recently listed Fatback and Foie Gras as one of her "Six suggestions for a new year of eating in Richmond" along with the ubiquitous Matt the Marinara, who always seems to have his finger on the pulse of something uber-tasty and off the traditional eats radar. I love hitting up his blog as well as his tumblr to get a sense of where and what he's been eating lately. His rec's almost always end up making my short list, and oogling his shots of that never ending meal at Jose Andre's Minibar helped me to kill a solid half day.

Speaking of food porny photos, Tim Vidra of the blog E.A.T. was also mentioned in the Style article, and not only is his photography sinfully delicious, but he's got some darned good recipes in there, many of which are rather close to my heart as you'll see.

I highly recommend giving both of these gents a visit.

In the meantime, here's an excerpt from Robey's article (she is also a reviewer, by the way):

6. Read your local food writers. Kendra Bailey Morris churns local daily. She's readily available for questions on how to make the best tater-tot casserole or other Southern staple. Matt Sadler's new Tumblr, (keeping it local even on platform) tells about his travels and how they rate to where he lives. Tim Vidra, unfailingly makes me want to jump through my screen into his food pictorials. He can't get any more local unless he becomes a plant.

Read the full article here. Pin It Now!

Southern Collard Greens with Ham Hocks

Yesterday, while working on a recipe for BBQ'd Meatloaf for Food Republic, I got an overwhelming hankering for a pot of greens to go with it. Perhaps it's the cool weather coming on or the fact that I might be a tad iron deficient, but whatever the reason, I just had to have some.

So I hit the store, grabbed a bag of mixed greens and a couple of hams hocks and set out to simmer a pot 'o greens to go with my meatloaf. After finding inspiration from Susan Russo's recipe for Southern-Style Greens, which was originally published on NPR as part of her take on a non-Southerner getting her first taste of Southern cooking (and greens), I thought it's about time I work on my own version.

Surprisingly, I've never published a recipe for greens. There's a recipe for slow-cooked kale in fatback in my book, but not collards or any mix thereof and definitely not anything involving ham hocks. I grew up eating all kinds of slow-cooked vegetables, and as Susan mentions, often they were more "browns" than greens. When it came to cooking greens in our house, it was all about the fatback, which while mighty tasty in its own right, never offered that signature smoked hammy flavor I crave in my greens, so after playing around with a couple of combinations including chicken broth, no chicken broth, lots of cider vinegar or less, cayenne or none, and of course, a ham hock, I settled on this recipe for a pot 'o greens, which not only is the perfect accompaniment for a big slab of meatloaf, but might even win over a couple more non-Southerners.

Pot 'O Greens with Ham Hocks

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large ham hock
1 large garlic clove, smashed
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 16-ounce bag of pre-washed and cut collards or mixed greens of choice (or wash and slice you're own)
3 tablespoons cider vinegar (adjust this to your liking)
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt, to taste
Generous amount of freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Toppings can include: more cider vinegar, hot sauce, minced onions, crumbled bacon, hot pepper vinegar or chow chow relish

In a large pot, heat your oil. Add ham hock and toss it around a bit. Add garlic and cook for one minute, being careful not to burn. Add chicken broth, greens, vinegar and cayenne. Bring up to a gentle boil. Add salt and black pepper. Then cover and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour or until greens are tender to your liking.

Serve in bowls with wedges of warm cornbread (I'm a fan of my dad's country grit bread) and whatever toppings you want. Be sure to spoon extra pot likker into each of the bowls just before serving.

©2011 Fatback and Foie Gras. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission Pin It Now!

Pimento Cheese Recipe

Photo Kendra Bailey Morris

I know, I know. More pimento cheese...but I can't help it. Pimento cheese is just so darn tasty and it's so easy to make your own instead of shelling out $5 or $6 bucks for a container of that heavily mayonnaised stuff at the store.

There's no doubt that many cooks have placed their own unique spin on this classic combination of cheese, mayo and pimentos, but I am still a go-with-the-classics kinda gal. Over the years, I've tweaked this recipe over and over, and what I've found is that using as little mayo as possible while bumping up the flavor with pimento juice (along with the chopped pimentos) really makes a difference. This, and the addition of a generous pinch of cayenne pepper and freshly ground black pepper is all you need to elevate this spread to something swoon worthy.

Photo Kendra Bailey Morris

For more on tricks and tips to making pimento cheese along with my family's recipe, check out my original post on Food Republic, and while we're at it, how do you like to make your pimento cheese? What's your secret to making this spread swoon-worthy?

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THIS IS WHY I STARTED A BLOG

Photo Tim Morris

...because for some sick twisted reason, I am obsessed with products like this. Perhaps it's the fact that, not only does this diminutive plastic package contain bits and pieces of deep-fried fatback, but it boasts the coup de grace of convenience store munchies, "with skin attached", as if plain, fried fat just isn't enough.

Roadside pit stops get even better when one can dive into this bag of coronary heart disease for only .99 cents. So, if you ever find yourself high-tailing it up Interstate 95 through the Roanoke Rapids area of North Carolina (where this fine photo was snapped by my dear husband) be sure to stop in the local BP station and grab a bag of Carolina Country Snacks, whose tagline proudly reads, "Old Time Fatback, like Mama used to pan fry!" and get cracklin'.

Oh yeah, don't forget to wash down your rinds with an icy bottle of Cheerwine, which in IMHO, is the single best sugar-laden soda South of the Mason-Dixon line. For those of you who have yet to try this Carolina staple, the best way to describe it is as the bastard love child that resulted from a drunken one-nighter between a can of Cherry Coke and a Dr. Pepper.

Hungry yet? Or better yet, mortified? Pin It Now!

Carolina-Style Steamed Shrimp with Spicy Cocktail Sauce

Perfect with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc overlooking the Pamlico Sound.

Sorry, but Summer ain't over yet, at least not in my book. While I am happy to be done with "most" of the searing hot temps in our part of the woods, I'm not giving up on dining al fresco, not until the first frost. At our house, having dinner on the back deck is where it's at. Whether we're grilling NY Strips with blue cheese wedge salads, slow-cooking barbecued ribs or searing veggie kabobs, you can bet that most of the time, some seriously good culinary action is happening right in our backyard.  

Sometimes we'll do it up steamed crabby style alongside plenty of cheap beer and drawn butter, while other times dinner is simply one, big sausage fest.

Yeah, I got crabs

Boerewors sausage from Grayhaven Winery's South African Food Fest

The important part is that we're outside, savoring the last of what summer has to offer, and what better way to give this season a big, fat send-off than the make a classic Carolina-Style Steamed Shrimp. If you've ever had the chance to visit the North Carolina coast, and if you're even luckier to have tasted your way down 95 South, you may already know that when it comes to steamed Carolina Shrimp, everyone's version is the best, and they're often surprisingly varied.

For example, on the coastal island of Hatteras, most locals prefer their steamed shrimp rather unadulterated, sauteing them shell-on in a dry pan without any seasoning whatsoever. Only after the cooking process do additions such as Old Bay, hot sauce or butter enter the mix. After sampling my fare share of this local delicacy, I can attest to the fact, that when it comes to these uniquely sweet crustaceans, less is most definitely more.

However, if you keep driving south and head to the Wrightsville Beach area of North Carolina, you may find yourself staring into a gargantuan, steamy pot of shell-on shrimp, Kielbasa sausage, potatoes and corn simmering elegantly in a broth accented with lemon, onion, garlic, Old Bay, cayenne pepper and Tabasco with the whole shebang eventually being dumped onto a table spread with newspapers. Life gets even better if the chef happens to throw in a steamed crab or two.

Your shrimp method and/or madness is totally up to you, but what's important, other than working with the freshest crustaceans you can find, is that you enjoy all this deliciousness outdoors in all it's ten napkin glory. 

Below is my take on a classic Carolina-style steamed shrimp in a basic beer and cider vinegar broth (we Southerners love our cider vinegar) but feel free to tweak this one out with a couple of sausages, corn and/or quartered potatoes (just be sure to add the shrimp last, after your taters are tender, so as not to overcook them). In order to prevent overcooking your shrimp in general, take the pot off the heat just as your shrimp begin to curl, and if you're working with a large amount, be sure to give the pot a good stir every now and then, so the shrimp on the bottom eventually make their way off the direct heat.

Finally, don't forget the cocktail sauce (as you can see, I like that spiced up, too) along with plenty of drawn butter and extra lemon wedges. Now, go get your last taste of Summer.

Photo Kendra Bailey Morris

Carolina-Style Peel and Eat Shrimp with Spicy Cocktail Sauce

Capture the last of summer with this easy, made-to-enjoy-outdoors steamed shrimp recipe. Serve your shrimp with grilled corn and a crisp-n-light beer such as Blue Mountain Brewery's Blue Mountain Lager.

Serves 4

1 cup water
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1 cup beer (not dark beer)
4 tablespoons Old Bay Seasoning, divided (2 tablespoons reserved)
2 bay leaves
1 small onion, quartered
2 celery rib, cut into 2 inch pieces
1 1emon, sliced in half
2 pounds large shrimp, shell-on

Bring all of your ingredients except shrimp to a boil in a shallow saucepan.  Cook for 8-10 minutes.  Next, add your shrimp, cover and cook until your shrimp are just pink (be careful not to overcook them). Remove shrimp to a bowl with a slotted spoon and toss with the reserved 2 tablespoons of Old Bay. Serve shrimp with lemon wedges, hot sauce, spicy cocktail sauce, additional Old Bay Seasoning and plenty of napkins.

Spicy Cocktail Sauce
Makes 1 cup

1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup chili sauce
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
1 teaspoon hot sauce, optional
Salt and pepper, to taste

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and chill.


©2010 Fatback and Foie Gras. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission Pin It Now!

Fish Bites, Remoulade and Roadhouse Dives: this is Hatteras

Grouper Bites with Spicy Remoulade Hatteras Island, N.C.

Hatteras Island, North Carolina is its own kinda vacation spot. If you've got a big-ass truck, are addicted to saltwater fishing, divey food joints, spectacular sunsets, and prefer to spend the majority of your time sans shoes, shirt or make-up, you need to come here. If you're looking for crowded beaches with lots of nightlife, frozen seafood buffets, dolphin watch tours, water parks and high rise hotels, this ain't your place.

To give this proper perspective, nightlife in Hatteras pretty much consists of the moon-- staring at the moon, commenting on the tides, and watching out for shooting stars, all while imbibing whatever adult beverages you've got stashed in the fridge. While there are a few spots for late-night evening activities, there's not a single high-rise hotel on the entire island, and you can dolphin-watch for free from any nearby beach, which also doubles as its own natural water park, where fishing, kayaking or sleeping the day away is a must. It's quiet here, blissfully so, and it's the kind of place where the sounds of lapping waves, calling gulls and crickets lull you off to sleep instead of honking horns, drunken street brawls or worse, some teenagers' radio blasting The Jonas Brothers off in the distance.

All of this Hatteras magic takes place, of course, after you've spent the last hour or two staring at one of these:

Evening sunset on Canadian Hole, Hatteras Island

When it comes to eats, stash your shoes, slip on your flip flops and head to the nearest hole-in-the-wall such as Pop's Raw Bar & Restaurant in Buxton, where vacationers and locals happily mix. Pop's is a no-frills kinda joint where locally caught seafood is served up unadulterated on paper plates alongside plenty of ice cold beer. The bar is nearly always full here and is the perfect spot to share a tall fish tale or a bit of local gossip.

While the fact that Pop's defines what is so appealing about Hatteras Island (i.e. the kick off your shoes and stay a while roadhouse vibe) this joint also offers up some seriously good food. Since Pop's is a haven for the hardcore angler, you can bet they serve only the freshest catch. During the summer months, you're looking at steamed, spiced shrimp with drawn butter (the best we had on the island), grouper bites with an array of dipping sauces (from homemade tartar to cocktail) fried clam, oyster and crab cake sandwiches, all served with a big pile of freshly grated slaw, French fries and oniony hush puppies. Oh yeah, and really, really cold beer.

If you're not catching anything yourself and are craving a mess of fresh seafood, grab some to go and head back at your rental. For super-fresh local-caught fish, shrimp, clams etc...I must recommend Risky Business Seafood at Oden's Dock in Hatteras where you can get your shrimp steamed and spiced to order, a couple of their hand pressed crab cakes, or if you come after 4pm, perhaps some tuna, Wahoo, Red Drum or Mahi straight off the boats.

Guys cleaning Mahi

When it comes to enjoying a little taste of Hatteras at home, try your hand at making a batch of fish bites with tartar or spicy remoulade. Feel free to use my recipe for cornmeal dusted flounder and instead of frying up your fish as a large filet cut it into smaller bite-size chunks and shallow fry those. Add a homemade tartar or remoulade dipping sauce (see recipe below) along with a couple squeezes if lemon and you are good to go. Finally, grab a cold one, kick back and share your latest tall fish tale while starting at the moon, the stars or if you're lucky enough, a peaceful orange sunset.

Kickin’ Remoulade Dipping Sauce

Serve this sassy dipping sauce with a big pile of fish bites. While most any chunky, flaky white fish will do, I recommend using either Rockfish, Mahi, Grouper or Flounder.

3/4 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon stone ground mustard
3 tablespoons minced sweet pickle

1 tablespoon minced parsley, plus more for garnish
2 tablespoons minced red onion 
1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 minced green onion, both white and green parts
1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
Salt and Pepper
Cayenne pepper, to taste

Old Bay, to taste
Tabasco sauce, to taste

Mix all of your ingredients together in a medium sized bowl. Top with additional minced parsley.  Best made a day ahead. Serve with fish bites or any fried seafood.

Makes approximately 1 cup of dipping sauce.

©2010 Fatback and Foie Gras. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission

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Gone Fishing!

We're busting out our saltwater poles and heading to the shore.  If we're lucky, our catch will look something like this:

or this:

Only the inshore/offshore fishing gods know for sure.

In the meantime, keep an eye out for a couple of recipes and, of course, plenty of tall fishing tails! Pin It Now!

Golden Cornmeal-Crusted Quick-Fry Flounder

Kendra Bailey Morris

So, last night the hubby and I had a hankering for a big piece of fresh fish and the conversation went like this,

Hubs: "What you want for dinner?
Me: "Man, I would love a big piece of fresh fish."
Hubs: "Aww yeee. Do it."

So, off we set to our favorite place in the Richmond area to buy fish Yellow Umbrella Seafood where we know we will get the freshest goodies in town. When it comes to fresh seafood, like many people, I'm a stickler and I don't mind paying top dollar to get what I want. While our first preference is to catch our dinner...

Fishing in Avon, Hatteras Island, NC

and then whip up a little ditty back at the homestead...

unless we're pirating another family's vacation home in the OBX, the majority of the time, we are left to purchase our saltwater treats.

When it comes to fishing, fish and all the jazz, I like to keep things simple, especially when you're working with seafood that was pulled from the water merely hours  before. This stuff is so fresh, so packed with the essence of the sea, it would be a culinary crime to over season, over flavor or generally overdo it in any way. This is why, when I can get my hands on a hunk of fresh flounder, Virginia-caught rockfish, mahi or Wahoo, I ain't messing with it.  Give me some cornmeal, milk (or buttermilk), a vat of Crisco and a cast iron pot, and I'll make you dinner.

My dad is a fried seafood expert, and I learned from him the art of lightly dusting my fish, oysters, shrimp, etc... in real stone ground cornmeal (not the super fine stuff, by the way) that he would buy up in cases from an old gristmill on the Blue Ridge Parkway, Mabry Mill. Mabry Mill makes real deal cornmeal that's packed with just enough to the tooth crunch that it livens up any standard breading.

Dipped in milk and then dredged in a mixture of self-rising cornbread mix (for fluff) and stone ground cornmeal, we fry our fish exclusively Crisco in cast iron. With that in mind, let me suggest that if you choose to make this recipe at home, and are one those people who happen to have an aversion to shortening (as some people do...wha?) might I suggest two options for you: get the heck over it and stick to steaming your fish.

This recipe is fried goodness in all its glory, so either dive in head first and enjoy the ride or hop off the boat.

Golden Cornmeal-Crusted Quick-Fry Flounder
Adapted from "White Trash Gatherings: From-Scratch Cooking for Down-Home Entertaining, Ten Speed Press, 2006)

Serves 4

1/2 cup white stone ground cornmeal
1/3 cup yellow self-rising cornbread mix
Pinch of salt (and/or Old Bay)
3/4 cup milk (or buttermilk)
One pound fresh flounder (or other white fish)
Shortening, for frying

Preheat a large cast iron pan to medium-high.  Add about a 1/4 inch of melted shortening to the pan. In a medium flat-bottomed bowl, mix cornmeal and cornbread mix.  Add a little salt and/or Old Bay.  Pour milk in a separate flat pan. Place flounder in milk and soak for a few minutes. Then dredge in cornmeal mixture.  Fry fish skin-side down in hot oil until crunchy and crispy. Drain on paper towels and season with a little more salt.

Serve your fish with homemade tartar sauce.

Note: This fish recipe is excellent for fish sandwiches (on a roll with lettuce, tomato and tartar) or stuffed inside a warm soft flour tortilla topped with crunchy slaw, pico de gallo, a squeeze of fresh lime and Mexican crema. Pin It Now!

Marinated Bean Salad Stands Up to Summer's Heat

Kendra Bailey Morris

I suppose it's the searing temperatures that have left me with cold salads on the brain -- cider slaw, potato salad, pasta salad. Not only are these summery dishes easy to make, but they're just made to stand beside a platter of pulled pork barbecue or a freshly grilled burger. And, when it comes to hosting an afternoon picnic, cold salads are not only super-portable, but they get better with age, making them an ideal do-ahead food.

One of my all-time favorite cold salad dishes is bean salad. It's refreshingly piquant and healthy.

Whether you prefer your bean salad as a three-way or five-way, this is a side dish that not only keeps the whole gang happy, but has a lasting shelf life and gets better with time. From beachside barbecues to family reunions, a big bowl of marinated bean salad is built to satisfy and last.

The jury is still out on how many beans actually make for a classic bean salad. The Internet runs amok with three-bean salads using red pinto beans, yellow wax beans and green beans. Others prefer a four or five-bean salad with the addition of black beans, cannellini beans or chickpeas. Debates further continue between those who insist on using fresh green beans versus canned and drained. Toss in a difference of opinion when it comes to herbs and spices (dill versus basil versus cilantro) and you're faced with an overwhelming surplus of options.

Kendra Bailey Morris

I prefer to go classic with a mixture of green, wax and pinto beans. But the many other variations that make their way onto the dinner table shouldn't be discounted.

A Mexican bean salad is a great alternative to the traditional and makes an excellent accompaniment to grilled steak fajitas or fish tacos. Often including freshly shucked corn, black beans, minced cilantro and lime juice (instead of or in addition to vinegar), a Mexican bean salad is well worth the effort.

Black-eyed pea salads are another way to use those beans. This gem is made with onion, celery and bell peppers and gets plenty of spunk from the addition of cayenne pepper. All you need is a piece of freshly grilled catfish and some sweetened cornbread to complete this comforting meal.

And we can't leave off Italy. White bean salad is another favorite. Made from cannellini beans (a large white bean), red onion, red wine vinegar, fresh parsley and plenty of extra-virgin olive oil, this side can easily be turned into a full-fledged entrée. Just add a piece of grilled tuna or some canned white tuna packed in olive oil.

Because most bean salads are simple to make and tend to involve similar ingredients (beans, oil, vinegar and/or sugar) much of your success lies in the little things. Here are a few tips to make the most of your next bean salad.

If you decide to use fresh green or wax beans instead of canned, be sure to lightly blanch them in salted water for just a minute or two (once they hit the marinade, they will soften even more). Be sure to plunge them into ice water to stop the cooking process.

When it comes to canned beans, instead of using the lid of the can to drain (which will smash them in no time), drain the beans in a colander, running them under water to remove as much of the bean "goo" as you can.

If you're watching your sugar and/or calories, simply use less sugar and oil and more fresh herbs, garlic or onions. Adding a couple tablespoons of honey instead of sugar is another way to add a touch of sweetness without the refined sugar factor.

Finally, this salad is meant to be marinated for a long time -- at least 24 hours -- so plan ahead. I make mine at least two days ahead since it will keep for up to a week and simply get better with time. Also, be sure to stir the bean mixture periodically (at least every several hours) so the marinade permeates as much of the salad ingredients as possible.

Kendra Bailey Morris

KB's Summertime Five-Bean Salad
Makes 8 to 10 servings.

One 15-ounce can cut green beans, drained
One 15-ounce can yellow wax beans, drained
One 15-ounce garbanzo beans, drained
One 15-ounce black beans, rinsed and drained
One 15-ounce kidney beans, rinsed and drained
One large green bell pepper, diced
One large onion, sliced thin
2/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup white wine vinegar (cider vinegar works well, too)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
Freshly chopped dill, to taste

In a large bowl, mix beans, green pepper and onions. In a separate bowl, whisk sugar, vinegar, oil, garlic salt and black pepper until the sugar is dissolved. Pour dressing over beans and toss well. Cover and store in the fridge at least 24 hours. Stir bean mixture from time to time during this period to make sure the dressing evenly coats the salad. -- Kendra Bailey Morris

Note: This article originally appeared in The Richmond Times Dispatch  as part of Kendra's weekly food and cooking column The Accidental Chef. Kendra Bailey Morris is a Richmond-based food writer, culinary instructor and author of "White Trash Gatherings: From-Scratch Cooking for Down-Home Entertaining" (Ten Speed Press). Send ideas, tips or culinary questions to info@theaccidentalchef.com or chime in on www.twitter.com/accidental_chef.

©2010 Fatback and Foie Gras. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission Pin It Now!