With the rising popularity of the “Farm to Table” movement and along side it star chefs like Sean Brock, Kevin Gillespie, and John Besh all promoting the concept in different ways, their influences have started to change the way I utilize local ingredients at home. Mostly it means considering a broader scope of fresh, seasonal, ingredients and trying to utilize as much of it as possible without waste. Learning to cook seasonally and locally has Southerners really considering our roots and a return to a society based around knowing and understanding where our food comes from, and if possible meeting the person responsible for producing it. Thinking about all this and the holidays inspired me to explore a Roasted Leg of Lamb for a nice change of pace.
Cranberries are a staple at most American family’s Thanksgiving tables. The form in which the cranberries appear varies from family to family. For example, my Northern Yankee family eats their cranberries boiled in water until they are saucy and sweetened with sugar. My Southern in-laws eat their cranberries with oranges and pineapples set in gelatin. With that being said, I don’t know what made me throw Fontina cheese, candied walnuts, and a tube of crescent rolls into my grocery cart alongside the bag of cranberries. Perhaps it could be that I was craving cheese? Or maybe it was because the nuts and crescent rolls were on sale? Whatever the reason, I am very happy with the choice of ingredients that helped showcase my delectable little cranberries.
We had a really great opportunity this month to sit down with Executive Chef Chip Ulbrich of South City Kitchen. If your not familiar with South City Kitchen, it’s a great Southern style restaurant with two locations in and around the Atlanta,GA area known for dishes like their Fried Chicken and Fried Green Tomatoes. Chef Chip spent some time showing us how to cook Collard Greens in less than 30 minutes that are flavorful, full of texture and easy to prepare. He gave us every instruction we needed to make this fool proof. So if you’re looking for a modern way of cooking Southern Style Collard Greens Chef Chip’s recipe will point you in in the right culinary direction. Stay Hungry Ya’ll !
-The Hungry Southerner
This is the first of a 2 part series with Chef Chip Ulbrich. Check back soon for our interview with him in this month’s Local, Fresh, Sustainable Series where we talk about what South City Kitchen is doing with local farmers and ingredients and what they have coming for Thanksgiving.
I’m quite particular when it comes to cookbooks, especially Southern cookbooks. For instance, my favorite most recently purchased book is John Besh’s “My New Orleans”. It’s a beautiful compilation of amazing images, stories and delicately executed recipes. It seems to me everyone these days has turned around and published a cookbook, most of those books being just down right awful. Southern My Way : Simple Recipes, Fresh Flavors by Gena Knox thankfully is not one of those books.
Until I met my husband, I thought that everyone liked pumpkin. There is nothing like a big piece of pumpkin pie smothered with homemade whipped cream after a 1000 calorie feast on Thanksgiving, haha. No really, though. Pumpkin pie always has and always will round out my meal on the fourth Thursday in November… it’s just not right if it doesn’t.
The Hungry Southerner 