Deep South Dining

In less than two weeks Thanksgiving 2020 will be among us. Set to be different, like most everything this year, Malcolm and Carol share their thoughts about the perfect Thanksgiving plate. Does it include white meat or dark meat? How about canned cranberry sauce? And don't forget about the always debatable list of best Thanksgiving side dishes. With a few funny Thanksgiving memories from listeners to round out the show, this episode is full of thanks and great recipes for all.

(Cotton Country Collection, Monroe, Louisiana)

• 3 cups sweet potatoes (about 4 good-sized ones)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/3 cup milk

• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 cup chopped pecans

Casserole: Boil and mash potatoes. Mix in sugar, butter, eggs, vanilla and milk. Put in 13 x 9 inch baking dish. 

Topping: Melt butter and mix in remaining ingredients. Sprinkle on top of potato mixture. Bake 25 minutes at 350 degrees. Serves 10-12

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Okra is a great southern delicacy, but is also one of the most misunderstood vegetables around. These two views of okra caused author Chris Smith to write the book, The Whole Okra: A Seed to Stem Celebration. After a 2006 trip to the US from his native land of England, Chris was fascinated with this wonder plant that often gets reduced to being fried or stewed, but is capable of so much more. Malcolm and Carol chat with Chris about his okra journey and also get a history lesson about the beloved Fighting Okra of Delta State University (Cleveland, MS) from archivist Emily Jones.

(Recipe by Vivian Howard as found in The Whole Okra: A Seed to Stem Celebration by Chris Smith)

• 1 pound okra (453g; 20-25 pods), split or quartered lengthwise
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 10 turns of the pepper mill or 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, toss the okra with the olive oil, coriander, salt and pepper.
3. Spread the okra onto your largest baking pan, or two pans if necessary. What's important is that the okra have plenty of room to spread out. If they are piled on top of each other, they will steam, not roast.
4. Slide the pan onto the middle rack of the preheated oven. After 10 minutes, toss the okra gently with a spatula and rotate your pans if you are using two. Cook an additional 10 to 15 minutes.
5. When okra is done, it will be brown and crispy in a lot of places but shouldn’t smell burnt. Serve warm or at room temperature as a snack.

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Deep South Dining is all about the culture of southern flavor. Defined by dishes like grits, catfish, and fried chicken many people would not place cheesecake among the greats of southern culinary heritage. Pastry chef Shaun Davis of Cotton Blues Kitchen & Marketplace is trying to change that with his cheesecakes that are Mississippi inspired and New York Approved. He joins the show and talks about the latest with the Cotton Blues Cheesecake but not before Malcolm and Carol go down the pumpkin spice rabbit hole.

Show Links

Cotton Blues Kitchen and Marketplace

Goldbelly.com

Culinary School Hacks

(Courtesy of Fresh Tastes)

• 2 sticks butter, softened
• 1.5 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 3 cups flour
• red food coloring
• yellow food coloring

1. Cream together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and continue to beat until incorporated.
2. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Add dry ingredients to the butter sugar mixture and mix until a soft dough just forms.
3. Remove dough from mixer bowl and separate into three equal pieces (use a food scale to weigh each piece if you want to be exact!). Mix together a little bit of red and yellow food coloring to make orange and then add the orange coloring to one of the dough pieces. Make another dough piece yellow and leave the third plain.
4. Place a piece of plastic wrap or tin foil inside a loaf pan and pat down the white dough inside. Place the orange dough on top (pat down firmly) followed by the yellow dough. Remove dough from pan, wrap up in either tin foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or for at least four hours.
5. When you are ready to bake your cookies, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Cut 1/4th inch slices down the width of the dough. Continue cutting each slice into small triangles.
6. Place triangles on a lined baking sheet and bake for 6-8 minutes until tops are puffy and bottoms are golden.

Yield: 5 dozen tiny cookies

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For this special "Drive Time" edition of Deep South Dining Malcolm and Carol share the details of their Fine Tuning magazine cover shoot and respond to listener emails.

To show your support for Deep South Dining and MPB Think Radio visit our website, MPBonline.org or call 1-888-372-4483.

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Chef Nick Wallace is one of our favorite guest here on Deep South Dining. Not only does his Mississippi roots shine in the food he prepares but his genuine caring for people can be summed up as true southern hospitality. Today Malcolm and Carol catch up with Nick about his latest partnerships with Dole and Nova Nordik that keep uplifting his mission of access to healthy meals for children and families. Also they talk about his latest restaurant endeavours in Natchez and how the pandemic really took a toll on his mental health. But before the conversation with Nick Wallace, Carol brings you into her kitchen where she and Malcolm prepared a special lunch for the Mississippi Arts Commission virtual conference.

Show Links

Arts Now - State Arts Conference- Lunch with Carol Puckett and Malcolm White

NIck Wallace Culinary

(from NickWallaceCulinary.com)

• 4-pound catfish fillets
• 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons grated pecorino cheese
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano and basil
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse or ground black pepper
• 2 large eggs beaten
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• Nonstick Spray

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Grab a shallow pan, sheet pan
3. Coat the inside of the baking pan with nonstick pan spray.
4. In a pie pan or shallow dish, mix the breadcrumbs, cheese, spices, salt and pepper; set it aside.
5. In another pan or dish, combine the egg and the milk.
6. Dip each fish fillet in the milk mixture.
7. Coat each fish in the crumb mixture on both sides.
8. Arrange the fillets in one layer in the baking pan. Bake them for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork, or the internal temperature reaches a minimum of 145°F with a food thermometer.

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On this edition of Deep South Dining Malcolm and Carol spend some time with our friends on the Mississippi coast. Jessie Zenor from the Greenhouse on Porter joins the show to talk about their simple yet interesting approach to biscuit making and why opening a second location during the pandemic was not the smartest thing to do. Also food writer and photographer Julian Brunt calls in to talk about the always tasty coastal food scene and the impressive amount of restaurants opening up during these uncertain times.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• ¾ tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 1 stick cold butter
• 1 cup full fat buttermilk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, mix flour, baking powder, salt & pepper.
3. Chop cold stick of butter into half inch cubes. Using your fingers, squish the butter into the flour mixture until the largest pieces are about the size of peas.
4. Stir in the buttermilk, mixing only until the dough comes together, careful to not overwork the biscuit dough.
5. Dump the dough onto a floured surface and roughly shape into a square about an inch thick. Cut into 9 pieces.
6. Place biscuits on a parchment lined pan and bake about 10 minutes, or until golden brown.

Serve with any topping you can dream up!

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Football is back in Mississippi, but the pregame ritual of tailgating will be everything but traditional this year. Yet the one constant is that a good game deserves good food. Oxford based chef John Currence wants to make sure your home tailgate this year is just as delicious and festive with his latest cookbook, Tailgreat: How To Crush It At Tailgating. He joins the show and talks about how he never experienced tailgating in his hometown of New Orleans, the evolution of the Grove, and how he has managed during the COVID pandemic. Also Carol celebrated Malcolm on his retirement from the Mississippi Arts Commision.

Ingredients

• ¼ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil*
• 1½ tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. MSG, such as Accent
• 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 2 tbsp. red pepper flakes
• 1 tbsp. lemon pepper
• 2 (1-oz.) packages buttermilk ranch dressing powder
• 1 (1-lb.) box saltine-like (aka soda) crackers

*For more spice, substitute 1 to 2 tbsp. chili oil instead of olive oil

Directions

1. In a 2-gallon freezer bag, combine the olive oils, garlic powder, onion powder, MSG, cayenne, red pepper flakes, lemon pepper, and ranch dressing powder. Seal the top and shake gently but thoroughly to combine well. Add the crackers to the bag and mix until the crackers are evenly dressed. Allow the bag to sit in the refrigerator overnight before finishing the crackers.
2. Preheat oven to 275°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
3. Remove the crackers from the bag and lay them out in a single layer on the prepared sheets. Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden and fragrant. Store, refrigerated, in zip-top bags for up to 3 weeks.

Ingredients

• 1½ cups mayonnaise, preferably Blue Plate
• ½ cup buttermilk
• 2 tbsp. hot sauce, preferably Crystal
• 1 cup minced celery
• ¾ cup grated sweet yellow onion
• 1 tbsp. red pepper flakes
• 2½ tsp. salt
• 1½ tbsp. black pepper
• 7 cups finely diced leftover fried chicken, including the skin and fried bits

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine the mayonnaise, buttermilk, hot sauce, celery, onion, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper, stirring to blend well. Add in the chicken and stir until fully coated. Refrigerate overnight. Serve cold with the Alabama firecrackers.

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More than just a place to eat, local restaurants are gathering places for friends and a vital business for the local economy. Today Malcolm and Carol talk with restaurant owner Jeff Good about the affect COVID-19 had on hid business and the way he managing these uncertain times. Also with the fall season making its arrival Felder Rushing (The Gestalt Gardener) joins the show to talk about your fall vegetable garden. Let’s eat y'all!    

(as mentioned by Carol during the show)

INGREDIENTS

• 4 tablespoons/56 grams butter, melted, plus more for the dish
• 5 Fuyu persimmons (about 2 1/4 pounds), trimmed and chopped
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 cups/400 grams sugar
• 1 teaspoon/8 grams baking soda
• 1 cup/240 milliliters buttermilk
• 1 ½ cups/190 grams all-purpose flour
• 2 ½ teaspoons/12 grams baking powder
• 1 cup/240 milliliters heavy cream
• ¼ teaspoon/ 1 1/2 grams salt
• ½ teaspoon/3 milliliters vanilla extract
•  Dash of cinnamon

PREPARATION

1. Heat oven to 325 degrees and butter a 2-quart baking dish. Purée persimmons in a food processor or blender until smooth. Strain pulp through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl, using the back of a spoon or a spatula to push purée through. Measure out 2 cups of pulp (discard remaining pulp).
2. Combine eggs, sugar and persimmon pulp in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until well mixed. Stir baking soda into buttermilk, then add to persimmon mixture and beat to combine.
3. In a separate bowl, sift together flour and baking powder. Beat flour mixture into persimmon mixture in 3 batches, alternating with the cream, beginning and ending with the flour.
4. Stir in melted butter, salt, vanilla and cinnamon. Transfer batter to prepared dish and bake until pudding is set, 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes.

Link: http://nyti.ms/1tb0EGa

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Most people, if asked, have one person in their social circle that can be counted for good barbecue. And they are probably known as the "BBQ Guy". But on Deep South Dining we have our resident "BBQ Girl", Trudy Fisher! Always at the ready for a good grilling conversation Trudy joins Malcolm and Carol for a discussion about good 'Que and the sauce that brings it home. With many styles and variations BBQ sauce has something for everyone. Even dry rub for those that do not want wet meat. Let's eat y'all!

•1 oz unsalted butter

•1/2 large sweet onion, finely chopped

•1 tsp black pepper

•2 tsp kosher salt

•2 minced garlic cloves

•2 cup tomato sauce

•3/4 cup apple cider vinegar

•1/3 cup molasses

•3 Tbs yellow mustard

•2 Tbs Worcestershire

•2 Tbs light brown sugar

•1 Tbs Crystal hot sauce

Melt butter and add pepper and 1 tsp of the salt.   Add onions, then garlic and cook for 1 minute.  Stir in tomato sauce, vinegar, molasses, mustard, and sugar and transfer to a blender. Add remaining  salt and hot sauce and pulse until smooth.

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