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Chef John Currence to Appear on Top Chef Masters April 6

30 Mar

Chef John Currence fans will be excited to hear that the owner of the City Grocery Restaurant Group will be competing against 11 other top chefs in Season 3 of Top Chef Masters, beginning Wednesday, April 6 on Bravo.

The charity Currence will be competing for is No Kid Hungry, as this season chefs will have the chance to win $100,000 for the charity of their choice.

Find more information on Bravo and see the video preview here.

In the meantime, interested in some Currence recipes? Find them in the September 2010 issue of Food & Wine.

St. Patty’s Cabbage Recipe

16 Mar

For St. Patrick’s Day, Beth Ziegenhorn from YAC submitted a story and cabbage recipe for EatingOxford.com readers.

Tradition – Shmadition

 By Beth Ziegenhorn

How to be Meatless on the Greenest Day of the Year.

I’ve recently challenged myself by becoming a vegetarian, but just for the span of the next 40 days. St. Patrick’s Day is my dilemma because it just doesn’t seem like March 17th without corned beef and cabbage. Then I got to thinking about it: What made corned beef and cabbage popular in the first place, anyway? How does one eat cabbage without corned beef? Why would someone want to eat cabbage?

Well, for one, corned beef and cabbage is an Americanized version of the St. Patrick’s Day meal. Brief history lesson: corned beef was made popular in New York bars when it was offered as a “free lunch” to Irish construction workers who were building NYC in the early 20th century. To get this “free lunch” you had to buy a couple of beers or shots of whiskey. That’s how corned beef became known as an Irish food.

Since corned beef and cabbage is now this staple to Americanized-St. Patty’s Day, it still feels necessary to at least eat some cabbage. The good thing is, cabbage is a great source of vitamin C, fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. It’s also great for weight loss. The only cabbage recipes that I would use come from community cookbooks, and Square Table Cookbook has a smashing Red Cabbage Casserole that’s beyond easy to make and could double as a wonderful accompaniment to corned beef.

Red Cabbage Casserole

(Makes 6 servings)

  • 1 medium red cabbage, shredded
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 3 medium apples, peeled, cored and chopped
  • ¼ cup red wine vinegar
  • ¼ cup water
  • 2 tablespoons firmly packed dark brown sugar
  • Freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except butter. Place in a large buttered casserole. Dot with butter. Cover and bake for two hours.

*Permission to use the Red Cabbage Casserole recipe granted by the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council. Square Table Cookbook is a community cookbook and a fundraiser for the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council and can be ordered at www.oxfordarts.com/shop. For more recipes check out: aroundthesquaretable.blogspot.com.

Oxford School District Recipes

13 Mar

Sometimes I come across recipes in interesting places.

A couple of weeks ago I found a link to a recipe page on the Oxford School District site. Surprisingly, it wasn’t filled with recipes for corn dogs and tator tots, but rather some pretty tasty sounding dishes. The Cilantro-Chipotle Tilapia recipe below is one of many. Visit the site to peruse more.

My only question is, are the students in Oxford being offered these meals for lunch? If so, I think I may need to go back to school!

Cilantro-Chipotle Tilapia

Recipe by H. Richmond Smith II

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups chopped cilantro
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 tablespoon chopped canned chipotles in adobo sauce
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  • 4 tilapia fillets (6 ounces each)

Preparation

  1. Preheat broiler.
  2. Purée cilantro, oil and chiles with some adobo sauce, water, cumin, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper in a blender until smooth, then coat fish with sauce.
  3. Line rack of a broiler pan with foil, then broil fish 3 to 4 inches from heat until just cooked through, 6 to 9 minutes.

Bon Voyage, Erika!

2 Mar

I recently learned that Waltz on The Square head chef Erika Lipe is moving to Georgia and will only be cooking at Waltz from now through Saturday. While the current crew will take over for her until a new chef is in place, I’m sure many locals will miss Erika’s eclectic flair for creating new menu items each season. Best of luck in all your future menus, Erika!

The recipe below is one that Erika provided for The Oxford Eagle a few months back that you can try at home.

Lime Cilantro Soup with Quinoa

By Chef Erika Lipe

  • 2 quarts homemade or low-sodium chicken stock
  • 1 cup quinoa, rinsed (available at the Farmer’s Market)
  • Zest of 1/2 lime, plus the juice of 2-3 limes
  • 4 ounces chopped cilantro
  • 2 teaspoons soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon granulated roasted garlic
  • 1 Tablespoon dried minced onion
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 Tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 3 Tablespoons water

In a large saucepan, combine stock and quinoa. Bring this to a boil, then simmer uncovered about 30 minutes until the quinoa opens (it will look like a fiddlehead fern in a tiny curl). Add remaining ingredients, minus the cornstarch mixture, and simmer until some of the cilantro ceases to float. Increase heat slightly and rapidly stir in the cornstarch slurry. This will give the soup a nice “coat-the-spoon” texture. Serve or keep up to four days.

Recipe: Bottletree Bakery Chess Pie

16 Feb

Every now and then I like to share an Oxford recipe that I come across. I found the following recipe for Bottletree Bakery Chess Pie on FoodNetwork.com. Enjoy!

Bottletree Chess Pie

Recipe courtesy Cynthia Gerlach

  • Prep Time: 20 min
  • Inactive Prep Time: 8 min
  • Cook Time: 45 min
  • Level: Intermediate
  • Serves: 1 (9-inch) pie

Ingredients

 Crust:

  • 3 ounces cream cheese
  • 1 stick unsalted butter
  • 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

Filling:

  • 1 cup butter, at room temperature
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 8 egg yolks
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoons cornmeal

Directions

To make the crust: With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and butter until well combined. Add flour and mix until dough forms a ball. Pat into a 9-inch pie pan. Chill. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. To make the filling: With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar. Add egg yolks. Slowly add water, vanilla, and vinegar with the mixer on medium speed. Add flour and cornmeal. Pour into prepared crust and bake for 45 minutes or until set. Chill overnight.

Have a recipe from a local restaurant you’d like to share with EatingOxford.com readers? Email me at foodie@eatingoxford.com.

Sweet Potato Festival Saturday, Nov. 6

5 Nov

Credit: vardamansweetpotatofestival.org

Saturday’s Sweet Potato Festival is not in Oxford.

However, the 37th annual event that takes place just under an hour’s drive away in Vardaman, Mississippi, is one of the most tasty events of the season. I look forward to it every year and can’t wait to pick up some deliciously inventive treats at the sweet potato tasting booth. Plus, being in the Sweet Potato Capital of the World, the pies are guaranteed to be good!

There are several days of activities, but tomorrow’s lineup seems to offer the most bang for your buck (admission is free). See the full schedule here and check below for an easy Vardaman sweet potato recipe.

Sweet Potato Sausage Balls

  • 1 lb. sausage
  • 3 c. Bisquick
  • 2 c. cooked and mashed sweet potato
  • 1 c. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Combine all ingredients, roll into balls and place on greased sheet pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until brown.

Fun Halloween Recipes

29 Oct

credit: Taste of Home

Halloween is right around the corner and there are so many fun recipes floating around the Internet that I had to share some with you. Let me know if you try any of these–and where the party is!

I posted my favorite recipe at the bottom and have included links to others.

credit: Taste of Home

 These Ghost Cookies are a snap to make, and who doesn’t love a Nutter Butter?

  • 1 pound white candy coating, coarsely chopped
  • 1 package (1 pound) Nutter Butter peanut butter cookies
  • Miniature semisweet chocolate chips

In a microwave-safe bowl, melt candy coating, stirring occasionally. Dip cookies into coating, covering completely. Place on waxed paper. Brush ends with a pastry brush dipped in coating where fingers touched cookies. While coating is still warm, place two chips on each cookie for eyes. Let stand until set. Store in an airtight container. Yield: about 3 dozen.

Southern Foodways Alliance Recipe

22 Oct

credit: lickmyspoon.com

The Southern Foodways Alliance Symposium is in full swing this weekend here in Oxford. Guest chefs were seen whipping up prix fixe menus at SnackBar and City Grocery tonight to whet the appetites of visiting foodies from around the country.

Now, to get you geared up for the gluttony ahead, the Southern Foodways Alliance offers up the following recipe:

White Lily 2010 SFA Symposium Recipe
Sweet Potato / True Yam Biscuits

Yewande Komolafe, a talented pastry chef of Nigerian origin, raised in Atlanta, and now living in New York City – where she works in the test kitchen at Saveur magazine – has conceived a couple of recipes that show how an enterprising cook can adapt true African yams for Southern kitchens.

At the 2010 Southern Foodways Symposium, Yewande’s sweet potato biscuits will be served with her own pepper jelly. Tucked inside will be sock sausage, smoked by Tyler Brown of the Hermitage Hotel in Nashville. When you try this at home, country ham works just as well as sock sausage.

Southern Sweet Potato Biscuits

Heat oven to 400°.  Using a fork, poke holes all over 2 medium sweet potatoes and wrap in foil.  Place on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour until a toothpick or a fork goes right through.  Remove from the oven and let cool.  Peel the skin off and mash the sweet potatoes. Leave slightly chunky.

2 medium white-fleshed sweet potatoes (yielding 1½ cups mashed sweet potatoes)
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 stick butter, cold
2 ½ cups White Lily all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ cup cold buttermilk
1 egg, beaten

Heat oven to 400°.  In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and brown sugar, and use a whisk to fully incorporate.  Add the cold butter, and, using your fingers, break apart the butter pieces and incorporate into the rest of the ingredients until pea size pieces form.  Add the mashed yams and the cold buttermilk.  Use a rubber spatula to mix the ingredients until just combined.

Turn the dough out onto a well floured surface, pat into a single mass, and roll out 1 inch thick. Using a 2¼ inch round cookie cutter, cut out rounds from the dough and transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet.   Re-roll the scraps and cut out more biscuits until all the dough is used. Add a little water to the beaten egg and brush the tops of the biscuits with the egg wash.  Place in the oven and bake till golden brown, 15 – 20 minutes.  Serve while still warm with a hot pepper jelly and slices of country ham or smoked sock sausage.

Makes 6 Biscuits

True African Yam Biscuits: A Variation

In addition to the ingredients above you’ll need:
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt to taste
Instead of the sweet potatoes, source 1 small (8-to 10-inch long) African yam

Preheat oven to 425°.  Cut the yam into 1½ inch slices, discarding  both end pieces.  Using a paring knife, peel off the thick layer of outside skin, and immediately drop the slices into a bowl of water to rinse and prevent oxidization.  Cut each slice into ½ inch cubes and keep completely covered with water.

Cookbook Signing October 12

12 Oct

Christy Jordan will be at Off Square Books tonight at 5:00 p.m. to discuss her new cookbook Southern Plate.

Aunt Sue’s Poundcake, a tall glass of fresh lemonade, a porch swing, and the comforting sounds of home and family are all a part of Southern Plate and the foundations of the life Christy Jordan knows best.

In her words, “Money doesn’t make you rich. I come from a long line of people who were financially poor, but richer than Midas in every way that mattered.” When she first started her website, Christy never imagined that she would have thousands of followers and fans, and that a book would be forthcoming. But none of these successes have changed her style of cooking, or her attitude about good southern food-it’s simple, inexpensive, and wonderful to eat! Christy shares her cooking and her family on Southerplate.com, which gives visitors a sense of actually joining together at the table.

Apple Season

4 Oct

photo: Andrew Crowley

The following story and recipe was submitted to EatingOxford.com by Beth Ziegenhorn, operations coordinator for The Yoknapatawpha Arts Council:

CRUNCH

It’s officially fall. So what’s so great about fall? Apples! It is absolutely apple season. We all feel it, the brisk cool air that hits your nostrils on a fall morning. That certain dampness that makes you grab your sweater on your way to work, even though you know it will be a high of 98 degrees later on because of the Mississippi sun. I am thankful for it every day I wake up, mainly because that brisk air in the morning reminds me of that crisp taste of my favorite fruit.

I’ve told at least six of my friends by now that it’s apple season and they just look at me and say, “oh?” and shrug off, what I felt, was stimulating news. Apples are something to be excited about; healthdiaries.com says that a medium sized apple contains only 80 calories. That’s 80 calories containing fiber, antioxidants, water and sugar. Be picky if you want, because there are 2,500 varieties of apples grown in the United States every year. We’ve apparently been eating them for a long time anyway; Archaeologists actually have evidence of people eating apples as far back as 6500 B.C.

So since it’s apple season, and it is absolutely worth celebrating, I’ve decided to reach out and share my favorite apple recipe with you. Using my community’s Square Table Cookbook, I was able to quench my crunch with its Crunchy Apple Walnut Salad. If you ask me–apples are the only way to bring in the fall season.

Crunchy Apple Walnut Salad*

DRESSING

  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons apple juice
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic white vinegar
  • ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • Freshly ground pepper to taste

 SALAD

  • 2 Braeburn or Fuji apples cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 6 cups red leaf lettuce or other salad greens
  • ¼ cup chopped walnuts
  • Parmesan cheese, grated

For dressing, in a jar, combine ingredients and shake well.

For salad, in a serving bowl, combine apples, salad greens and walnuts. Pour dressing over salad and toss. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Makes 6-8 servings 

*Permission to use the Crunchy Apple Walnut Salad recipe granted by the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council. Square Table Cookbook is a community cookbook and a fundraiser for the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council and can be ordered on their website http://www.oxfordarts.com/. For more recipes from Square Table Cookbook check out: aroundthesquaretable.blogspot.com

–Have an Oxford food story or recipe you’d like to share with EatingOxford.com readers? Contact me at foodie@eatingoxford.com.

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