From the Southern Table

Honey-and-sumac-glazed Quail

Paul Knipple — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 06:17:22 +0000

When we initially started work on The World in a Skillet, we wrote a lot of great material, but it quickly became obvious that if we were to include everything we had originally hoped to include, no one would be able to lift the finished book. This recipe was inspired by the research we did on the Middle East. Unfortunately, we didn’t have room for it in the book.

Sumac may not be a part of your spice rack, but it should be. It imparts a pleasantly tart flavor to food. Native Americans used sumac in a drink that was similar to lemonade. It’s not unreasonable to think that they would have used it to season their food. In this recipe, honey counters some of the tartness of the sumac, while also making for a nice glaze.

On the other side of the world, you’ll also find sumac used as a tart enhancement in Middle Eastern food, and it’s a common ingredient in the spice blend za-atar.

Honey-and-sumac-glazed Quail

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 4 main dish servings

Ingredients

8 quail, split and flattened
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 teaspoons dried sumac powder, divided
4 tablespoons unsalted butter (½ stick)
4 tablespoons honey, raw honey if available

Instructions

Combine the salt, pepper, and 1 teaspoon of sumac powder in a small bowl. Sprinkle both sides of the birds with the seasonings.
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat until it foams and just begins to brown, about 2 minutes. Carefully add the quail to the skillet, skin-side down. Work in batches if necessary to prevent crowding the skillet. Cook the quail for 6 minutes, without turning, until the skin is golden brown.
While the quail are cooking, combine the remaining 2 teaspoons of sumac powder with the honey in a small bowl.
Turn the birds in the skillet and brush the skin-side of the birds with the honey mixture.
Continue cooking the quail until the juices run clear, about 4 minutes longer. Remove the skillet from the heat and let the quail rest, covered, for about 10 minutes.
Serve with rice or potatoes and a green salad.

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Kitchen Passport

If quail aren’t readily available to you, feel free to substitute 4 Cornish game hens. The glaze is also wonderful over chicken, turkey, or pork. The honey-sumac blend works with grilling as well and is great stirred into plain Greek yogurt.

Sumac is a beautiful purplish-red powder that can make intriguing sweets that can test your tasters’ palates. Pair it with the color and flavor of pomegranates. Add a pinch to chicken salad with grapes and almonds. Sprinkle lightly over grilled fish.

Post from: From the Southern Table
(C) 2012 Paul and Angela Knipple

Honey-and-sumac-glazed Quail

Horchata (Cinnamon Rice Milk)

Paul Knipple — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 05:43:31 +0000

When we initially started work on The World in a Skillet, we wrote a lot of great material, but it quickly became obvious that if we were to include everything we had originally hoped to include, no one would be able to lift the finished book. This is a recipe that Pepe Magallanes of Las Tortugas shared with us. Unfortunately, we didn’t have room for it in the book.

In a column in the New York Times, food writer John T. Edge called horchata the “new sweet tea for a multi-cultural South.” It definitely has some of the same appeal as our beloved sweet tea. It’s been around for a long time, it’s very refreshing on a hot day, and it imparts a sense of place at the first icy sip. It’s also becoming a favorite beverage for Southerners of every age.

Pepe and Jonathan Magallanes of Las Tortugas Deli Mexicana serve gallons of horchata to their patrons every day. One special difference in their version is the use of toasted cinnamon. Toasting changes the flavor by bringing out more of the cinnamon’s essential oils. That difference adds layers of complexity that you can’t help but notice.

Horchata (Cinnamon Rice Milk)

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 10 hours

Total Time: 10 hours, 20 minutes

Yield: 1/2 gallon

Ingredients

1 cup uncooked white rice
3/4 cup raw sugar
2 tablespoons honey
1 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 ounce stick Mexican cinnamon (about 1 4-inch stick)

Instructions

Place the rice in a large bowl. Add 3 cups of water to cover the rice and allow it to soak for at least 8 hours or overnight.
Puree the rice and soaking water in a food processor or blender until the mixture is smooth. Strain the rice and water through a fine mesh sieve into a 1/2-gallon container.
Return any rice particles caught in the strainer to the soaking bowl and add at least 1 cup of water to cover the rice a second time. Allow the rice to soak for 1 minute.
Strain the water from the second soaking into a food processor. Add the sugar and honey, and pulse until the sugar has dissolved.
Add the mixture to the 1/2-gallon container along with the milk and vanilla extract.
Separate the stick cinnamon into thin layers. Break the layers into pieces no larger than 1/2-inch by 1/4-inch. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cinnamon pieces and toast, moving constantly, for 4 to 5 minutes or until half of the cinnamon has turned a dark brown.
Crush the toasted cinnamon in a mortar and pestle and add to the 1/2-gallon container.
Add water to the mixture to make 1/2 gallon. Stir well to combine. Seal the container and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Strain and serve over ice.

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Kitchen Passport

Try using Carolina Gold rice in your horchata for a slightly nuttier flavor and gorgeous yellow color.

While it is certainly delicious without it, homemade horchata is even better when paired with that old Southern favorite, bourbon. It’s a match made in heaven. The creaminess of the horchata takes the bite out of the bourbon while the bourbon adds a rich caramel overtone that cuts the sweetness of the horchata. It’s reminiscent of the Southern classic, milk punch, but it’s just different enough to stand apart. You could also use rum, preferably dark, or cognac to spike this drink. We add rye whiskey and a few drops of Xocolatl Mole™ Bitters to create our original cocktail, The El Señor John T.

Post from: From the Southern Table
(C) 2012 Paul and Angela Knipple

Horchata (Cinnamon Rice Milk)

Carbonnades Flamandes (Belgian-Style Beef and Beer Stew)

Paul Knipple — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 08:10:10 +0000

Cross-posted from the official The World in a Skillet website.

When we initially started work on The World in a Skillet, we planned to devote a great deal more space to the history of immigration in the South. We wrote a lot of great material, but it quickly became obvious that if we were to include everything we had originally hoped to include, no one would be able to lift the finished book. This is a recipe that didn’t make it into the book. It was inspired by one of the subjects in our chapter on Europe.

Carbonnades Flamandes is Belgian comfort food. This simple stew of beef and onions simmered in beer is a classic dish that has stayed the same for centuries. The combination of beer and slow cooking tenderizes lesser cuts of beef and creates a hearty stew that will make any Belgian feel immediately at home.

In Belgium, chefs sometimes add a piece of gingerbread smeared with spicy mustard to the pot while the dish is cooking to add sweetness and spice while thickening the stew. Since gingerbread isn’t always easy to come by, we add the mustard and spices on their own.

What comes out of the oven is beef and onion stew transformed. The spices create an aroma that perfumes the kitchen. The onions will have melted to thicken the rich gravy, and the meat will be meltingly tender. This is the sort of dish that encourages sopping and instantly creates that sense of comfort that only a warm bowl of stew can create.

Carbonnades Flamandes (Belgian-Style Beef and Beer Stew)

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours, 40 minutes

Total Time: 4 hours

Yield: 4 to 6 main dish servings

Ingredients

2 pounds beef stew meat, cubed
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup beef stock
2 slices bacon, chopped
4 medium onions, sliced into thin rings
1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 12-ounce bottle Belgian ale
1 1/2 cups beef stock
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tablespoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tablespoon ginger, ground
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
8 medium waxy potatoes, boiled and quartered
Fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or oven-proof pot over medium heat. Season the cubed stew meat with salt and pepper and add to the pot, working in batches if necessary to prevent crowding in the pot. Cook the meat for 3 to 5 minutes or until browned on all sides. Transfer the browned meat to a bowl.
Deglaze the pot by adding 1/2 cup of beef stock to the hot pot and scraping loose any browned pieces of meat. Add the liquid and loosened bits to the bowl of meat.
Add the chopped bacon to the skillet, cooking for 10 minutes or until crisped. Transfer the cooked bacon to the bowl of meat with a slotted spoon, reserving the bacon drippings in the pot.
Add the onions to the bacon drippings and cook for 5 minutes. Add the brown sugar to the onions and continue cooking the onions, stirring frequently, for an additional 10 minutes, or until the onions are soft and slightly browned. Sprinkle the flour over the onions and stir well to combine. Add the meats and juices reserved in the bowl to the onions. Increase the heat to medium-high.
Add the Belgian ale and beef stock to the meat and onions. Add the bay leaf, thyme, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and ginger to the mixture, stirring well to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil, then cover the pot and transfer to the preheated oven. Cook slowly in the oven for 2 hours or until the meat is tender and the liquid has thickened.
Stir in the mustard just prior to serving. Serve over boiled potatoes and sprinkle with fresh parsley.

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Kitchen Passport
While this stew is wonderfully rich when made with beef, it’s also wonderful when made with pork. You could also consider using this preparation for a rabbit stew. The slow cooking will ensure that the rabbit remains tender and flavorful.

Post from: From the Southern Table
(C) 2012 Paul and Angela Knipple

Carbonnades Flamandes (Belgian-Style Beef and Beer Stew)

Pozole Blanco (Pork and Hominy Stew)

Paul Knipple — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 10:08:42 +0000

Cross-posted from the official The World in a Skillet website.

When we initially started work on The World in a Skillet, we wrote a lot of great material, but it quickly became obvious that if we were to include everything we had originally hoped to include, no one would be able to lift the finished book. This is a recipe that didn’t make it into the book from one of the subjects in our chapter on Mexico.

Pozole has been a part of the Mexican diet since pre-Columbian times. While “pozole” is the name of this hearty soup, the soup is based on “posole,” or hominy. While the meat and accompaniments may differ across the regions of Mexico, the posole in the soup is a constant.

As Armando Rodriguez of Mobile, Alabama, tells us, pozole is a common dish in Mexican home kitchens. He grew up on pozole and still eats it often in his home today. It’s easy to see why. This simple recipe creates a hearty stew that offers great variety and all of the components of comfort food.

The flavor of hominy is such an important part of this stew. It brings the flavors of corn, but it also brings the Southern flavor of grits to the mix. Since ground hominy is the base for corn tortillas, you’ll notice the flavor of them even if you’ve never eaten hominy.

Pozole Blanco (Pork and Hominy Stew)

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes

Total Time: 3 hours

Yield: 8 main dish servings

Ingredients

2 pounds pork shoulder or loin
1 bay leaf
1 head garlic, split into peeled cloves
1 large white onion, quartered
1 gallon water
1 (28-ounce) can white or yellow hominy corn, drained
Salt

Garnishes:

Cabbage, shredded
White onion, diced
Radishes, thinly sliced
Limes, cut into wedges
Cilantro
Avocado, diced
Mexican oregano, dried
Crushed red chile flakes
Corn tortillas

Instructions

Place the pork in a large stockpot along with the bay leaf, garlic, and the quartered onion. Cover the pork with the gallon of water and bring to a boil over medium--high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer the pork for 2 hours.
Strain out the bay leaf and garlic and discard. Strain out the pork and allow it to cool enough to handle, reserving the broth. Shred the pork and add the meat to the broth with the drained hominy and return to a simmer for another 30 minutes.
Season to taste with salt.
Serve with garnishes so that diners can add them at the table.

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Kitchen Passport
If pozole blanco is a little too mild for your tastes, Armando recommends his family’s variation. Grind 1 dried ancho chile in a blender with 2 or 3 whole cloves. Add this to the pozole when you add the hominy. If this still seems mild to you, add some cayenne pepper to spice it up or a second ground ancho chile.

Post from: From the Southern Table
(C) 2012 Paul and Angela Knipple

Pozole Blanco (Pork and Hominy Stew)

East Tennessee Caramel Popcorn

Angela Knipple — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 15:00:03 +0000

We’ve been traveling across our state a lot this year, and two of our favorite Tennessee products have to be country ham and sorghum molasses (or sorghum syrup or sweet sorghum — whatever you want to call it). For a Christmas snack, we decided to put those flavors together, and they’re very happy that way.

East Tennessee Caramel Popcorn

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

4 ounces country ham
1 stick unsalted butter
1 1/2 cup sorghum molasses
6 cups popped popcorn

Instructions

Slice the ham as thinly as possible. If you can see through it, you've got it about right. Try not to snack on too much.
Mince the sliced ham.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, cook the ham as you would bacon. You want to render as much of the fat from the ham as possible and slightly crisp the ham, about 5 minutes. Drain the cooked ham on a paper towel-lined plate. Leave any grease still in the pan.
With the heat still on medium, add the stick of butter. Because country ham is salty, using unsalted butter is a must. Allow the butter to melt, about three minutes.
Add the sorghum molasses and begin stirring until the syrup mixture comes to a rolling boil. Continue cooking, stirring constantly, until a caramel forms that is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon or leave a clear path when you drag a spoon through it along the bottom of the pan, about 10 minutes. Remove the caramel from the heat, and work quickly to add it to the popcorn while it is still hot.
Pour about half of the popcorn in a large mixing bowl. Add half of the fried ham and half of the prepared caramel. Using tongs or buttered hands, toss the popcorn to blend the ham and caramel through evenly. Add the rest of the popcorn, ham, and caramel and repeat. Expect some popcorn balls to naturally form.
Let the caramel popcorn rest for 5 minutes before enjoying.

Notes

We love country ham from Allan Benton in Madisonville. If you can't get to country ham near you, don't worry - he ships. We used sorghum from Muddy Pond, a Mennonite community in north Middle Tennessee. While you can find sorghum in most country stores and even some supermarkets, again, don't worry - Muddy Pond will ship directly to your door. Feel free to add toasted nuts to the popcorn. We recommend red-skin peanuts or pecans.

You're going to be working with sticky sugar that is very hot. If it splashes on your bare skin, immediately place the affected area under cold running water until the caramel cools enough to pull away. It probably won't happen, and it won't kill you if it does, but it will hurt if it does, and you should be prepared and have some aloe on hand. We also recommend using silicon spoons and tongs to make your cleanup easier. These are our favorites.

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East Tennessee Caramel Popcorn

Hot and Numbing Rabbit

Paul Knipple — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 17:20:32 +0000

Cross-posted from the official The World in a Skillet website. We are posting what we call “deleted scenes” recipes, recipes that are great but that we didn’t have room for in the book. Become a fan of our Facebook page and get a look at the recipes two weeks early.

Hot and Numbing Rabbit

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Yield: 4 main dish servings

Ingredients

For the marinade:

1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon cold water
1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce

For the sauce:

½ teaspoon cornstarch
3 tablespoons cold water
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
½ teaspoon chili oil

For the main dish:

12 ounces boneless rabbit (meat from 1 26-ounce whole rabbit) or 4 boneless chicken thighs, cubed
1 ¼ cups peanut or canola oil
¼ cup peanuts
1 dried Tsin Tsin chili, seeded and chopped
1 teaspoon dried chili flakes
3 scallions, sliced thin
¼ teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
2 teaspoons whole Szechuan peppercorns, crushed
1 teaspoon sesame oil

To serve:

Cooked white rice

Instructions

To prepare the marinade:

In a small bowl, blend together the cornstarch and cold water until no lumps remain.
Stir the Shaoxing wine and light and dark soy sauces into the cornstarch and water mixture.
Stir the cubed rabbit into the marinade to rest while you are preparing the remaining ingredients.

To prepare the sauce:

In a small bowl, blend together the cornstarch and cold water until no lumps remain.
Stir the soy sauce, rice vinegar, and chili oil into the cornstarch mixture, combining thoroughly.

To prepare the dish:

Heat the oil in a wok over high heat.
Carefully add the marinated meat to the hot oil and fry for 30 seconds. Remove the meat from the wok and allow the oil to reheat.
Return the meat to the hot oil and fry for 3 minutes or until golden.
Remove the meat from the wok and carefully drain all but 3 tablespoons of the oil. Return the wok to high heat.
Working quickly and stirring constantly, add the peanuts, scallions, ginger, chopped chili, chili flakes, and Szechuan peppercorns to the hot oil, cooking just until toasted, no more than 30 seconds.
Return the meat to the wok and stir into the pepper and scallion mixture.
Carefully add the sauce to the wok and stir to coat the meat.
Add the sesame oil to the meat and stir to combine.
Serve with cooked white rice.

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Kitchen Passport
This is a great recipe to play with balance. Try varying the heat by changing the amounts of hot chilies and Szechuan peppercorns. Try varying the salty-sweet balance by playing with the soy sauce and sweet Shaoxing wine amounts. While this recipe specifies rabbit or chicken, the same seasonings and preparation are equally great when prepared with thin slices of lean pork or beef. Serve the pork or beef rolled in a thin pancake with fresh cilantro instead of with rice.

Post from: From the Southern Table
(C) 2012 Paul and Angela Knipple

Hot and Numbing Rabbit

Writing a Book: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Paul Knipple — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 17:00:45 +0000

Writing our first book, The World in a Skillet, was a great experience. We met wonderful people and ate their delicious food. Now with our second book, Farm Fresh Tennessee, we are meeting even more people and our experiences with them are more participatory. All in all, it has been a fantastic experience.

If there is anything bad, it is the tremendous amount of time we have spent on the road away from our family, which of course includes our pets. So far, there hasn’t been anything ugly, but last weekend may have finally given me something.

The Good

Driving down Steep Rock Hill Road, we got to the intersection at Hardscrabble Lane (No, really, those are the real names.) and saw this in the road:

He got out of the way of our car, but after we passed, I looked in the rear view mirror and saw him just lie down on the lines in the middle of the road. Of course we turned around and went back. He had no tag or collar and he hadn’t been neutered, so we didn’t think he had a home. The absence of nearby houses made us pretty sure. No problem, a stop at the pet store for a collar, a leash, food, and bowls, and he had a home. Since Angela used cheese and crackers to lure an initially shy puppy, his name is Nabs. (Please tell me I’m not going to have to put a glossary on the blog.)

The Bad

Okay, this isn’t really bad, but I need something to help complete my triptych. Since I already complained about long drives, I might as well talk about mountain roads. Our best (worst?) experience has been a 1.5 lane gravel road, a hairpin turn, and an oncoming dump truck. Thank goodness the Prius is small.

On this trip, we encountered a sign that read “Switchbacks next 11 miles: Truckers consider turning around for an alternate route.” Three more “All hope abandon” signs later, and we hit the turns. And the fog. 11 miles later, we drove into the lovely, flat town of Shady Valley, Tennessee. A mile later, as we left Shady Valley, “Switchbacks next 11 miles: Truckers consider turning around for an alternate route.” I think the valley is shady because the sun is scared to come over those roads.

So if there was anything even close to bad (And there wasn’t. We laughed the whole way.), it would be this curve:

followed by this curve:

in this weather:

The Ugly

This is the ugly:

Yes, that’s my belly. And no, that’s not the ugly part. That little red bullseye is a characteristic sign of Lyme disease. According to the CDC and my doctor, I’m not going to die. I get a strong round of doxycycline — “Be careful taking this. It can eat a hole in your esophagus.” Oh, joy.

Ironically, Good led to Ugly. Poor Nabs was covered in ticks. We washed him in flea and tick shampoo as soon as we got home, but that still left plenty of time on the way home for me to get a dread disease. Just my luck. Oh well. If I go to my reward, at least Angela got a replacement for me out of the deal. Plus she gets all the royalties. Hey, put down those insurance forms…

Post from: From the Southern Table
(C) 2012 Paul and Angela Knipple

Writing a Book: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Basic to Brilliant, Y’all

Angela Knipple — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 02:12:38 +0000

Welcome to our dish for the Virtual Potluck with Virginia Willis. Buy Virginia’s book then fill out this form to get a personalized bookplate from Virginia.

Is it wrong to start this by saying that I really love Basic to Brilliant, Y’all? Because I do. Virginia Willis subtitled this book 150 Refined Southern Recipes and Ways to Dress Them Up for Company, and that’s exactly what they are. They’re all great recipes that will make for wonderful meals on your table. That’s the Basic part. Virginia brings the Brilliant part in by giving you a variation or add-on that will turn that better-than-everyday meal into something you’d be proud to serve to anyone on any occasion or to make leftovers into something special.

Virginia shows her heart through these recipes. In her introduction to the Fish and Shellfish section, she talks about going to the beach as a little girl and transitions that into talking about the seafood industry in the South and how important it is to support the industry in the Gulf. The stories she gives along with the recipes give you glimpses into her childhood, her life in France, and some of the challenges that have come along in her career. Mixed in you’ll find Virginia’s answers and advice on questions dealing with everything from choosing the right salt to freezing casseroles to storing fresh mussels.

Behind all these recipes and stories is what really makes this a special book, simply, Virginia herself. Her wit, wisdom, and Southern charm come through loud and clear. And the book is as beautiful as the lady who wrote it. The photos will make your mouth water.

Now, about the food.

We made (Actually, it was Patric who made it because he’s useful that way.) Mama’s Spaghetti Bolognese with Venison first. We sat down and had our first bites. And my dear sweet son promptly said, “I love this spaghetti. This is the best meat sauce ever. Um… I mean, I like yours, Mom, and, um… yours is just as good but different?” Don’t worry. He lived long enough to wolf the spaghetti down before there were any pictures, but that was okay, because I had another recipe in mind to share anyway, but I’m sure Virginia will like knowing that her sauce is the best ever, and that’s just fine by me.

The recipe I really wanted to do was her Mama’s Fried Quail with Cream Gravy. I love quail. They’re one of those things that I wouldn’t eat as a child (along with duck after a traumatizing buckshot incident) but found the value of as an adult. The only real thing to worry about when cooking them is to not overdo it. There’s really not that much meat on there, and it doesn’t take long for them to end up dry and flavorless. But use Virginia’s techniques and times, and you won’t have a problem. These were wonderful.

Paul isn’t a big fan of Dijon mustard, but Patric and I are, so he had to eat it anyway and smile about it. Not really. He liked it more than he had expected. But if someone in your house doesn’t, I think it would be fine to decrease the amount, use a different mustard, or just add a few dashes of hot sauce to the gravy instead.

Disclaimer: We received this book as a free review copy from the publisher.

Mama's Fried Quail with Cream Gravy

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

To make the recipe brilliant, make Virginia's warm mustard relish: Heat 1 tablespoon canola oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon each yellow and brown mustard seeds. When they start to pop and release their aroma, about 5 seconds, add 3 onions, preferably Vidalia, sliced and season with coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft, 15 to 20 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high. Add 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vinegar is reduced and the onions are a deep golden brown, about 15 minutes more. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper. Makes 1 cup. Serve a dollop of the warm mustard relish with the quail and gravy.

Ingredients

10 whole quail
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 sprig thyme, plus more to garnish
1 cup homemade chicken stock or reduced-fat low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream, half-and-half, or whole milk
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Pat the quail dry; tie the legs together with kitchen twine. Season with salt and pepper. Place the flour in a shallow bowl and season with salt and pepper. One at a time, dredge the quail in the flour, then shake to remove any excess flour.
Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon each of the butter and oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Without crowding and working in batches with the remaining butter and oil, add the quail and sear on both sides until deep brown, about 3 minutes per side. Sprinkle the thyme over the birds and transfer the skillet with all the quail to the oven.
Roast until cooked through but still pink, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the quail to a warm platter; tent with aluminum foil to keep warm.
Place the skillet on the stovetop over high heat. Add the stock and cream. Stir with a wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits from the skillet. Bring to a boil. Decrease the heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 10 minutes. Whisk in the mustard. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper.
Pour the gravy over the quail. Garnish with thyme; serve immediately.

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(C) 2012 Paul and Angela Knipple

Basic to Brilliant, Y’all

Bitters: A Spirited History of a Classic Cure-All

Paul Knipple — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 21:22:19 +0000

Before I embark on a review of Bitters: A Spirited History of a Classic Cure-All, with Cocktails, Recipes, and Formulas I must admit to two things. First, I am proud to call the author, Brad Thomas Parsons, a friend. Angela and I lost our chicken-on-a-stick virginity with him and the Homesick Texan at the Southern Foodways Alliance Symposium. Appropriately enough, the theme that year was drinkways.

Second, I am not much of a drinker. Any halfway intelligent and conscientious eater could potentially review a cookbook or a restaurant. How, though, can a cheap-date near teetotaller like myself possibly review this book? I can answer that question — and honestly, give my entire review — with a single word, transformative.

Since I received Bitters, I have purchased a cocktail shaker and both Angostura and Peychaud’s bitters. I have ordered hard-to-find bitters online. (I mourn all the bitters I can’t afford. Yet.) I have finally cracked open a bottle of Woodford Reserve bourbon. I have made my own cocktails at home. To sum things up, Brad’s book has me really excited.

And the thrill is not just for the novice drinker. Anyone with an appreciation of a pleasant adult beverage will enjoy the book. You will learn the history of bitters, how they began their resurgence, who is making the finest craft bitters today, and even how to make your own bitters.

Oh, and there are enough drink recipes to keep you shaken and stirred for some time to come.

We started with a classic, the old fashioned. Given our limited collection of ingredients, we won’t be rushing through all the drinks right away, but I already know that we will be acquiring more. I see a bottle of rye in our near future.

I am really going to enjoy having this book, and you will too, whether you’re just starting to spread your cocktail wings or looking to expand your repertoire. Either way, cheers!

Disclaimer: We received this book as a free review copy from the publisher.

Old-Fashioned

Serving Size: 1 drink

Eight parts rye or bourbon to one part simple syrup seemed like a lot of alcohol to me, but the syrup is a potent sweetener. I didn't add quite enough Angostura my first time. If you're a novice like me, I recommend sipping from your mixing glass the way you would taste from the pot. You can also add an extra drop or two to your glass if you have invested in bottles with droppers like I plan to.

Ingredients

2 ounces rye or bourbon
1/4 ounce simple syrup
3 dashes Angostura or other aromatic bitters
Garnish: thick piece of lemon or orange zest

Instructions

Combine the rye or bourbon, simple syrup, and bitters in a mixing glass filled with ice.
Stir until chilled and strain into a chilled double old-fashioned glass filled with large pieces of cracked ice or a large ice cube.
Garnish with the lemon or orange zest.

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Bitters: A Spirited History of a Classic Cure-All

The Casserole Queens Cookbook

Paul Knipple — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 22:22:42 +0000

“A casserole cookbook?”

Angela was bemused when she opened the mail and found The Casserole Queens Cookbook: Put Some Lovin’ in Your Oven with 100 Easy One-Dish Recipes by Crystal Cook and Sandy Pollock published by Clarkson Potter. Still, it wasn’t long before she had flipped through the book and found at least half a dozen recipes she wanted to try.

Cook and Pollock started a business delivering casseroles in Austin. Over the years, their business grew as did their fame, including an appearance on Throwdown! with Bobby Flay. Flay provided a blurb for the front cover, while our friend Martha Foose blurbs on the back. Martha compares Cook and Pollock to hip home-ec teachers who even provide “an apron pattern right off the bat.” This is one of the rare occasions where Martha misses the mark, though. The first recipe is for the margaritas they were drinking when they came up with the idea for their business. Sorry, Martha, but margaritas top aprons every time. This book really has potential.

For me, a good cookbook goes beyond being a collection of recipes. There must either be a lesson involved or a riveting story. The book does have cute snippets of stories, but its strong point is as a teaching tool. Yeah, okay, like Angela said, “casseroles?” Sure, casseroles are easy. You just mix up some stuff, put it in a pan, and stick it in the oven. But if it’s that easy, why don’t more people do it?

The Casserole Queens teach you how to stock your pantry to make sure you have ingredients for easy-to-make dishes on hand always. They teach you about the gadgets that are worthwhile kitchen additions. Best of all, they give you a simple but invaluable introduction to cooking techniques that will make your food taste great. I’m particularly glad that they talk about putting salt in the water when you blanch your vegetables and cook your pasta. I’m a firm believer that that touch of salt up front is far better for you than salting for flavor at the table.

Yeah, but what about the recipes? Here again the Casserole Queens did well. Casseroles do bring to mind spiral-bound church cookbooks and cream of mushroom soup, and that sort of thing is included with flair. The first recipe we looked at — and made — was the Keep Austin Weird Spam Casserole. We had to make that.

Beyond the kitsch is a collection of gourmet recipes ranging from osso bucco to lobster. Sides, desserts, and breakfasts are included as well. Again, it’s the little extras that make this a winner. Of course you can open a can of cream of mushroom soup for your casserole, or you can make your own with the recipe given. You can also make your own salsa verde, pizza dough, or pickled jalapeños (I can hear Austin singing just thinking about those.). Many of the items you need can be made from scratch if you want, but there’s no shame it taking the easy way as long as you can bring your family to the table.

The only negative I could mention is that many of these casseroles aren’t really one dish meals. Like anything else, there’s always something. Starchy vegetables and pasta need to be precooked; eggs need to be beaten. You’re going to have an extra dish to wash. But don’t sweat it. These dishes are worth it.

Disclaimer: We received this book as a free review copy from the publisher.

The Casserole Queens

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 55 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes

Yield: 6 servings`

I don't like cooking spray, so I coated my dish very lightly with butter instead. We had multiple varieties of paprika on the shelf, so we chose to use a half-sharp variety. Sweet paprika would be nice, and smoked paprika would add a whole different dimension of flavor. Cream of mushroom soup would be good for the liquid if you don't care for the flavor of celery. A cheese sauce would be a great replacement, too. You might also consider adding a touch of garlic, toasted onion, cayenne pepper, or any salt-free herb blend. SPAM is salty on its own, so you don't need to add more salt. I would have preferred the SPAM to be in smaller pieces throughout the dish instead of the slices.

Ingredients

2 pounds russet potatoes, thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon salt
Cooking spray
1/2 cup sliced onions
1 (12-ounce) can SPAM
1 10 3/4-ounce) can cream of celery soup
1 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
Paprika

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350.
Put the potatoes in a saucepan with 2 cups of water and the salt. Cover the pan and set it over high heat. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 to 8 minutes. Drain well and set aside.
Lightly coat a 9 x 13-inch casserole dish with cooking spray. Put half of the potatoes in the pan and cover with onion. Cut the SPAM into 14 slices and layer 9 slices over the onion. Top with the remaining potatoes.
Combine the soup, milk, and green pepper, and pour over the casserole. Sprinkle with paprika and top the dish with the remaining 5 slices of SPAM. Bake for about 45 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.

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The Casserole Queens Cookbook