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In Pursuit of Flavor

The Beloved Classic Cookbook from the Acclaimed Author of The Taste of Country Cooking

Author Edna Lewis
Foreword by Mashama Bailey
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The classic cookbook from “the first lady of Southern cooking” (NPR), featuring a new foreword by the James Beard Award–winning chef Mashama Bailey

Decades before cornbread, shrimp and grits, and peach cobbler were mainstays on menus everywhere, Edna Lewis was pioneering the celebration of seasonal food as a distinctly American cuisine.
 
In this James Beard Foundation Cookbook Hall of Fame-inducted cookbook, Miss Lewis (as she was almost universally known) shares the recipes of her childhood, spent in a Virginia farming community founded by her grandfather and his friends after emancipation, as well as those that made her one of the most revered American chefs of all time. Interspersed throughout are personal anecdotes, cooking insights, notes on important Southern ingredients, and personally developed techniques for maximizing flavor.
 
Across six charmingly illustrated chapters—From the Gardens and Orchards; From the Farmyard; From the Lakes, Steams, and Oceans; For the Cupboard; From the Bread Oven and Griddle; and The Taste of Old-fashioned Desserts—encompassing almost 200 recipes, Miss Lewis captures the spirit of the South. From Whipped Cornmeal with Okra; Pan-Braised Spareribs; and Benne Seed Biscuits to Thirteen-Bean Soup; Pumpkin with Sautéed Onions and Herbs; a Salad of Whole Tomatoes Garnished with Green Beans and Scallions; and Raspberry Pie Garnished with Whipped Cream, In Pursuit of Flavor is a modern classic and a timeless compendium of Southern cooking at its very best.
“Lewis’s food is both subtle and elegant, made with the confidence and grace that arose from over a half-century in the kitchen. . . . Even 30 years later, Edna Lewis . . . teaches us that ‘good food simply and lovingly prepared’ will never go out of style, while reminding us that the passionate pursuit of flavor can make for one hell of a life.” —The New York Times Book Review

In Pursuit of Flavor was my introduction to Ms. Lewis and the first African American cookbook I ever owned. It continues to fire a passion for ingredients and the joy of the journey of putting together a meal like no other work. This is culinary elegance to dance by.” —Michael W. Twitty, author of The Cooking Gene: A Journey Through African American Culinary History in the Old South

"As a young child obsessed with cookbooks, reading Miss Edna Lewis's work felt like finding my way home for the first time. As an adult who makes cookbooks, her work continues to be my north star. Her voice, her life, her beautiful and appealing recipes, and her legacy are right there in her books and it's so exciting to see the renewed energy around In Pursuit of Flavor. If you're new to Miss Lewis, get ready to meet an icon." Julia Turshen, author of Now & Again, Feed the Resistance, and Small Victories, and founder of Equity at The Table

"Timeless . . . [this] beautiful new edition includes charming illustrations and a foreword by Savannah chef Mashama Bailey, who helms The Grey." —Southern Living

“This is a quiet book. A gentle book. A book that belongs on your kitchen shelf. From whipped cornmeal with okra, to red rice that recalls a Jolof dish, to rabbit fried in butter perfumed with country ham, this revived classic reminds us of Edna Lewis’s genius.” —John T. Edge, author The Potlikker Papers: A Food History of the Modern South

“With In Pursuit of Flavor, Miss Lewis showcases her expertise and techniques by taking us on a journey through her childhood. She brings to life the entire farmland as it was seen by someone who lived off the land. She picks fruits and vegetables and shows us how to prepare them for the cupboard. She shows us how to preserve the bounty of the season for later. She takes us to the river and creeks to teach us about the local catches.” —Mashama Bailey (from the Foreword)

"I have seen no better representation of open-mindedness and the all-embracing impulse than in Edna Lewis’s cookbook In Pursuit of Flavor. . . . [Lewis] is renowned (sainted, even, and deservedly so) as the cornerstone of African-American cooking and Southern foodways. For her role in that there are no plaudits too great. She is the sine qua non.” —Max Watman, The Daily Beast

“The clean, seasonal, rustic, and thoroughly nostalgic tone of this book, even soaked in corn pudding and brisket gravy, is a distillation of Southern cooking at its best.” —Jonathan Gold, LA Weekly
 
“If you want to understand American food, you must first take the full measure of Southern cooking. And in order to do that, you have to spend time with Miss Lewis, one of the few cooks who belongs to the pantheon of American culture. Like Aretha Franklin singing gospel, Miss Lewis was both the inheritor of a great tradition and its most talented practitioner. Her books are national treasures, and In Pursuit of Flavor is the overlooked gem in the treasury.” —Kevin West, author of Saving the Season 

"[Lewis] knew every trick in the book (because she wrote it): Season she-crab soup with roe. Punch up cheese straws with extra-sharp cheddar and cayenne. Balance a salad with both bitter and sweet greens." —Garden & Gun
© John T. Hill

Edna Lewis was born in 1916 in Freetown, Virginia, a farming community founded after the Civil War by freed slaves (among them her grandfather) and for many years lived and cooked in New York City. She was the recipient of numerous awards, including the inaugural James Beard Living Legend and Southern Foodways Alliance (SFA) Lifetime Achievement Awards, the Grande Dame des Dames d’Escoffier International, and the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) Lifetime Achievement Award. Her books were inducted into the James Beard Foundation Cookbook Hall of Fame, and she was commemorated with a United States Postal Service postage stamp. Miss Lewis was the author of The Edna Lewis Cookbook, The Taste of Country Cooking, In Pursuit of Flavor, and, with Scott Peacock, The Gift of Southern Cooking. She died in February 2006.

View titles by Edna Lewis
Potatoes Baked with Virginia Ham
SERVES 4
Potatoes are one of the few vegetables that are good in all seasons—although in the summer when they are freshly dug from the garden, they taste especially delicious. Besides the familiar varieties such as Idaho, russet, and cobbler, there are new kinds of potatoes in the markets. Most have similar flavor and some, such as small explorer potatoes, can be added whole and unpeeled to soups and stews. Recently I found a yellow potato at New York’s Greenmar­ket that had a slightly different texture and a heartier flavor than most white potatoes. I have also tried blue-skinned potatoes, which look pretty and taste just about the same as any other potato. Use any white potato for this recipe, which makes a good supper dish.
 
½ clove garlic
2 tablespoons melted butter
5 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
2 cups julienned Virginia ham
2 cups heavy cream
½ cup bread crumbs
 
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Crush the garlic and stir it with 1 tablespoon of the melted butter. Rub an 8-inch square pan, 2 inches deep, with the butter. Layer the potatoes in the pan and season them lightly with salt, pepper, and some chopped parsley. Next, sprinkle a handful of ham over the potatoes. Repeat the layering until the pan is full and the top layer is potatoes. Add the cream, which should be nearly level with the top layer of potatoes.
3. Cover and bake for 45 minutes. Toss the bread crumbs with the other tablespoon of melted butter. Take the pan from the oven and distribute the bread crumbs evenly over the potatoes. Continue baking, uncovered, for 5 to 10 minutes, until the bread crumbs are browned.
 
Black-eyed Peas in Tomato and Onion Sauce
SERVES 4
A few years ago I decided to try cooking black-eyed peas this way instead of with a piece of pork, as everyone else does. I think the tomatoes and onions, garlic and parsley and olive oil give the peas a real interesting flavor—which, after all, they need. Black-eyed peas are a little dull, as are all dried beans.
 
1 cup black-eyed peas
4 cups cold water
½ cup high-quality light olive oil
One medium onion (about 6 ounces), chopped
½ teaspoon crushed garlic
1¾ cups tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and cut into pieces
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
 
1. To prepare, pick over the peas, removing the discolored ones or stones that are often found. Wash in cold water and then place in a large pot with the water. (The peas will expand and cook more uniformly if they are not crowded in the pot.) Cook over medium-high heat for 30 minutes, then test the peas. If they are tender but still firm and have no raw taste, drain them and immediately run cold water over to stop the cooking and keep them from falling apart. Drain and set aside until needed. (If they are not quite ready, cook them for another 10 minutes and test them again. Depending on how dried out they are, black-eyed peas cook at different rates. Do not overcook them—they will cook a bit more once they are in the sauce. They should be served whole in the sauce and not mushy.)
2. Heat a 9-inch skillet until hot, then add the olive oil. Add the onion, sauté a minute, then add the garlic and the prepared tomatoes, and cook the mixture slowly for 30 minutes. Stir often during cooking. Add the black-eyed peas, mix well, and season with salt and pepper—the peas should be well seasoned. Cook gently for 10 minutes more, then add the parsley. Spoon the beans into a casserole and set in a warm place until ready to serve. The dish can be reheated in the oven. Serve hot but not overcooked.
 
Panfried Quail with Country Ham
SERVES 4
Quail are delightful little birds that you never have to worry about being tough. If you buy them fresh, let them age for a day or two to tenderize them. Quail are getting easier and easier to find in supermarkets and local butcher shops, and although many are sold frozen and are quite good, they are best fresh. You can also buy them from game bird farms that raise them for home buyers and restaurants. As with pheasant, I usually ask the butcher or game bird farmer to leave the feathers on the bird and the innards intact because this improves their flavor as they age. But most cooks would probably want to have the birds plucked and cleaned, which certainly is easier and does not make such a difference in flavor that I would advise against it.
 
I sauté quail on top of the stove in a covered pan to keep them moist, but they also do well roasted, if covered. Quail are good to make for guests because they “hold” in the pan for 15 or 20 minutes without drying out, which gives you time to get the rest of the meal organized. For this dish I call for fresh white grape juice, which adds good tart flavor. Fresh grape juice is simple to make if you have a vegetable mill or potato ricer, but do not try to make it in a blender. The blender does not extract the juice, it just purées the fruit.
 
1 cup white grapes (to make ¼–⅓ cup grape juice)
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
8 quail, split and flattened
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
½ pound Virginia ham, cut into 2 by ¼-inch matchsticks
 
1. First, make the fresh white grape juice. Crush the cup of grapes with a pestle, then put through a sieve or vegetable mill to extract the juice, or use a potato ricer.
2. Combine the salt, pepper, and thyme, crushing the thyme with your finger­tips. Sprinkle both sides of the birds with the seasonings.
3. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat until it foams and just begins to brown. Add the quail, skin side down. Sprinkle with ham, cover, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the skin is golden brown. Turn the birds and continue cooking, covered, until the juices run clear, about 4 minutes longer. Take the pan from the heat and let the quail rest, covered, for about 10 minutes. Arrange the quail on a platter and sprinkle the ham from the pan over them.
4. Pour the fat from the pan. Add the grape juice (you can also use water, if you prefer), and bring to a boil. Cook for 1 minute, scraping the browned bits from the bottom to deglaze the pan. Pour over the quail and serve.
 
Red Snapper with Olive Mayonnaise
SERVES 4
Red snapper is one of my favorite fish, but I find it tastes different depend­ing on where it is caught. The snapper from the Gulf of Mexico does not have exactly the same flavor as the snapper caught off the Carolina coast and while both are good, I prefer the Gulf fish. The flesh of Gulf snapper is a little darker. Both are meaty, tasty fish that lose their bright red color during cook­ing. I like to cook them quickly after they have marinated in lemon juice for about an hour. I think the fast cooking in a hot skillet really brings out the good flavor of snapper. Black olive purée is sold in jars in Italian markets and specialty stores, but if you can’t find it you can make your own by puréeing pitted Mediterranean black olives.
 
2 pounds red snapper, bones removed and split in half
Juice of ½ to 1 lemon
6 tablespoons butter
½ teaspoon chopped garlic
½ cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons puréed Mediterranean olives
 
1. Put the snapper in a glass or ceramic dish cut side up, and squeeze the juice of half a lemon over the fish. You may need to use a whole lemon, depending on the size of the fish and the lemon. Leave the fish to marinate at room tempera­ture for 1 hour, spooning lemon juice over it now and again.
2. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
3. Heat the butter in a heavy ovenproof skillet until foaming. Add the garlic before the butter browns. When the butter begins to brown, put the fish in the pan, cut side down. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes over high heat, until nicely browned. Turn the fish over and put the entire pan in the hot oven. Cook for about 8 minutes, until flaky but not overcooked. Combine the mayonnaise with the puréed olives and additional lemon juice to taste. Serve this with the hot fish.
 
Benne Seed Biscuits
Benne seeds, which are also known as sesame seeds, were brought to America long ago with the Africans. Their name derives from the Benue State of Nige­ria. The Nigerian name for this seed is beni. Slaves planted them at the ends of crop rows and around their small cabins and used them in much of their cooking. They are still extremely popular in the South and turn up in recipes for cereals, breads, cookies, and biscuits. I think their flavor is best when they are toasted, and short of burning them, the longer you toast them, the better they are. These crisp little biscuits go well with cocktails, pâtés, and soups, or anytime you would want a cracker.
 
1 cup benne seeds
3 cups flour
1½ teaspoons single-acting baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
⅔ cup lard
⅔ cup milk
Salt
 
1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
2. Put the benne seeds in a shallow pan in the preheated oven. Look at them after 5 minutes to check on the color—they should be the color of butter­scotch and they should have a delicious toasted smell. If not ready, shake the pan and return them to the oven for 1 to 2 minutes—but watch carefully.
3. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Add the lard and work the mixture with a pastry blender or your fingertips until it has the tex­ture of cornmeal. Add the milk and mix well. Mix in the benne seeds. Place the dough on a floured surface, knead for a few seconds, and shape into a ball. Roll the dough out until it is about the thickness of a nickel. Using a 2-inch biscuit cutter, stamp out rounds and lay them on an ungreased baking sheet or a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for about 12 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with a little bit of salt, and serve hot. You may store the cooled biscuits in an airtight tin or jar and reheat them before serving.
 
Raspberry Pie Garnished with Whipped Cream
For this pie, you need 3 pints of raspberries, because raspberries cook down so much. The juice from the berries is used as a glaze and the whole thing is pretty and sweet and really delicious, especially when served with whipped cream. I specify organic raspberries simply because I think they taste better.
 
When I make the buttery crust that I think tastes best with light-tasting fruits and berries, I do something that might be too fussy for most cooks. You don’t have to do it, but it makes a nice crust. I chop up the butter, put it in the freezer, and let it get really frozen. I then take 1 cup of flour and cut in the frozen butter, mixing it in well—you have to work really fast before the but­ter softens too much. When this mixture is fine enough, similar to cornmeal, I add the rest of the flour and proceed with the recipe. The crust is nice and light and good with berry and lemon meringue pies.
 
 
BUTTER PIE PASTRY
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
Scant teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) firmly chilled or frozen butter, cut into small pieces
¼ cup ice water
 
PIE FILLING
3 pints raspberries, organic if possible
½ cup sugar
About 1 cup sweetened whipped cream
 
9-inch pie plate
 
1. To make the pie pastry: Put the flour, salt, and butter in a mixing bowl. Blend well with a pastry blender or the tips of your fingers, until the mixture is the texture of cornmeal. Add the ice water, mix quickly, and shape the dough into a ball. Dust the dough lightly with flour and shape into a flat cake. Wrap in wax paper and put in the refrigerator to rest for 30 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
3. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and divide it into 2 unequal pieces. Roll the larger piece out and press it into a 9-inch pie dish; trim the edges. Roll out the second piece of dough into a 7-inch circle and trim the edges in a zigzag design. Stamp out a 2-inch circle from the center of the top crust, using a round cookie cutter. Put the top crust in a pie plate and bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Lift the crust from the pie plate and cool on a wire rack.
4. Before baking the bottom shell, prick the surface without piercing all the way through to the pie plate. This will prevent the pastry from puffing up. Check the pastry after 10 minutes of baking. Prick any puffed‑up places and continue to cook until lightly browned. Cool before filling.
5. To make the filling: Pick the raspberries over, looking for any moldy ones or stems. Do not wash the berries or they will become soggy. Put the berries in a wide ovenproof dish in a single layer. Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of the sugar over them and set them in a preheated 375°F. oven for 12 to 13 minutes. This should be time enough for the berries to bleed and give out the right amount of juice.
6. Remove the berries from the oven and cool. Then lift each berry onto another dish and scrape the juice from the ovenproof dish into a stainless steel saucepan. Add the remaining sugar and set the pan over a medium burner. Cook for 12 to 13 minutes, until the juice is reduced to a thick syrup. Remove this from the stove and hold until you are ready to assemble the pie.
7. Brush the bottom of the cooled pie shell with some of the heavy syrup. Line the shell with a single layer of raspberries. Reserve 8 or 9 berries. Pile up the rest of the raspberries in the shell to make a thick pie. Spoon the syrup glaze over the berries, making sure to coat all of them. Position the pastry top over the berries. Fill in the stamped-out center with the reserved berries and spoon glaze over them. Serve sweetened whipped cream on the side.

About

The classic cookbook from “the first lady of Southern cooking” (NPR), featuring a new foreword by the James Beard Award–winning chef Mashama Bailey

Decades before cornbread, shrimp and grits, and peach cobbler were mainstays on menus everywhere, Edna Lewis was pioneering the celebration of seasonal food as a distinctly American cuisine.
 
In this James Beard Foundation Cookbook Hall of Fame-inducted cookbook, Miss Lewis (as she was almost universally known) shares the recipes of her childhood, spent in a Virginia farming community founded by her grandfather and his friends after emancipation, as well as those that made her one of the most revered American chefs of all time. Interspersed throughout are personal anecdotes, cooking insights, notes on important Southern ingredients, and personally developed techniques for maximizing flavor.
 
Across six charmingly illustrated chapters—From the Gardens and Orchards; From the Farmyard; From the Lakes, Steams, and Oceans; For the Cupboard; From the Bread Oven and Griddle; and The Taste of Old-fashioned Desserts—encompassing almost 200 recipes, Miss Lewis captures the spirit of the South. From Whipped Cornmeal with Okra; Pan-Braised Spareribs; and Benne Seed Biscuits to Thirteen-Bean Soup; Pumpkin with Sautéed Onions and Herbs; a Salad of Whole Tomatoes Garnished with Green Beans and Scallions; and Raspberry Pie Garnished with Whipped Cream, In Pursuit of Flavor is a modern classic and a timeless compendium of Southern cooking at its very best.

Praise

“Lewis’s food is both subtle and elegant, made with the confidence and grace that arose from over a half-century in the kitchen. . . . Even 30 years later, Edna Lewis . . . teaches us that ‘good food simply and lovingly prepared’ will never go out of style, while reminding us that the passionate pursuit of flavor can make for one hell of a life.” —The New York Times Book Review

In Pursuit of Flavor was my introduction to Ms. Lewis and the first African American cookbook I ever owned. It continues to fire a passion for ingredients and the joy of the journey of putting together a meal like no other work. This is culinary elegance to dance by.” —Michael W. Twitty, author of The Cooking Gene: A Journey Through African American Culinary History in the Old South

"As a young child obsessed with cookbooks, reading Miss Edna Lewis's work felt like finding my way home for the first time. As an adult who makes cookbooks, her work continues to be my north star. Her voice, her life, her beautiful and appealing recipes, and her legacy are right there in her books and it's so exciting to see the renewed energy around In Pursuit of Flavor. If you're new to Miss Lewis, get ready to meet an icon." Julia Turshen, author of Now & Again, Feed the Resistance, and Small Victories, and founder of Equity at The Table

"Timeless . . . [this] beautiful new edition includes charming illustrations and a foreword by Savannah chef Mashama Bailey, who helms The Grey." —Southern Living

“This is a quiet book. A gentle book. A book that belongs on your kitchen shelf. From whipped cornmeal with okra, to red rice that recalls a Jolof dish, to rabbit fried in butter perfumed with country ham, this revived classic reminds us of Edna Lewis’s genius.” —John T. Edge, author The Potlikker Papers: A Food History of the Modern South

“With In Pursuit of Flavor, Miss Lewis showcases her expertise and techniques by taking us on a journey through her childhood. She brings to life the entire farmland as it was seen by someone who lived off the land. She picks fruits and vegetables and shows us how to prepare them for the cupboard. She shows us how to preserve the bounty of the season for later. She takes us to the river and creeks to teach us about the local catches.” —Mashama Bailey (from the Foreword)

"I have seen no better representation of open-mindedness and the all-embracing impulse than in Edna Lewis’s cookbook In Pursuit of Flavor. . . . [Lewis] is renowned (sainted, even, and deservedly so) as the cornerstone of African-American cooking and Southern foodways. For her role in that there are no plaudits too great. She is the sine qua non.” —Max Watman, The Daily Beast

“The clean, seasonal, rustic, and thoroughly nostalgic tone of this book, even soaked in corn pudding and brisket gravy, is a distillation of Southern cooking at its best.” —Jonathan Gold, LA Weekly
 
“If you want to understand American food, you must first take the full measure of Southern cooking. And in order to do that, you have to spend time with Miss Lewis, one of the few cooks who belongs to the pantheon of American culture. Like Aretha Franklin singing gospel, Miss Lewis was both the inheritor of a great tradition and its most talented practitioner. Her books are national treasures, and In Pursuit of Flavor is the overlooked gem in the treasury.” —Kevin West, author of Saving the Season 

"[Lewis] knew every trick in the book (because she wrote it): Season she-crab soup with roe. Punch up cheese straws with extra-sharp cheddar and cayenne. Balance a salad with both bitter and sweet greens." —Garden & Gun

Author

© John T. Hill

Edna Lewis was born in 1916 in Freetown, Virginia, a farming community founded after the Civil War by freed slaves (among them her grandfather) and for many years lived and cooked in New York City. She was the recipient of numerous awards, including the inaugural James Beard Living Legend and Southern Foodways Alliance (SFA) Lifetime Achievement Awards, the Grande Dame des Dames d’Escoffier International, and the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) Lifetime Achievement Award. Her books were inducted into the James Beard Foundation Cookbook Hall of Fame, and she was commemorated with a United States Postal Service postage stamp. Miss Lewis was the author of The Edna Lewis Cookbook, The Taste of Country Cooking, In Pursuit of Flavor, and, with Scott Peacock, The Gift of Southern Cooking. She died in February 2006.

View titles by Edna Lewis

Excerpt

Potatoes Baked with Virginia Ham
SERVES 4
Potatoes are one of the few vegetables that are good in all seasons—although in the summer when they are freshly dug from the garden, they taste especially delicious. Besides the familiar varieties such as Idaho, russet, and cobbler, there are new kinds of potatoes in the markets. Most have similar flavor and some, such as small explorer potatoes, can be added whole and unpeeled to soups and stews. Recently I found a yellow potato at New York’s Greenmar­ket that had a slightly different texture and a heartier flavor than most white potatoes. I have also tried blue-skinned potatoes, which look pretty and taste just about the same as any other potato. Use any white potato for this recipe, which makes a good supper dish.
 
½ clove garlic
2 tablespoons melted butter
5 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
2 cups julienned Virginia ham
2 cups heavy cream
½ cup bread crumbs
 
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Crush the garlic and stir it with 1 tablespoon of the melted butter. Rub an 8-inch square pan, 2 inches deep, with the butter. Layer the potatoes in the pan and season them lightly with salt, pepper, and some chopped parsley. Next, sprinkle a handful of ham over the potatoes. Repeat the layering until the pan is full and the top layer is potatoes. Add the cream, which should be nearly level with the top layer of potatoes.
3. Cover and bake for 45 minutes. Toss the bread crumbs with the other tablespoon of melted butter. Take the pan from the oven and distribute the bread crumbs evenly over the potatoes. Continue baking, uncovered, for 5 to 10 minutes, until the bread crumbs are browned.
 
Black-eyed Peas in Tomato and Onion Sauce
SERVES 4
A few years ago I decided to try cooking black-eyed peas this way instead of with a piece of pork, as everyone else does. I think the tomatoes and onions, garlic and parsley and olive oil give the peas a real interesting flavor—which, after all, they need. Black-eyed peas are a little dull, as are all dried beans.
 
1 cup black-eyed peas
4 cups cold water
½ cup high-quality light olive oil
One medium onion (about 6 ounces), chopped
½ teaspoon crushed garlic
1¾ cups tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and cut into pieces
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
 
1. To prepare, pick over the peas, removing the discolored ones or stones that are often found. Wash in cold water and then place in a large pot with the water. (The peas will expand and cook more uniformly if they are not crowded in the pot.) Cook over medium-high heat for 30 minutes, then test the peas. If they are tender but still firm and have no raw taste, drain them and immediately run cold water over to stop the cooking and keep them from falling apart. Drain and set aside until needed. (If they are not quite ready, cook them for another 10 minutes and test them again. Depending on how dried out they are, black-eyed peas cook at different rates. Do not overcook them—they will cook a bit more once they are in the sauce. They should be served whole in the sauce and not mushy.)
2. Heat a 9-inch skillet until hot, then add the olive oil. Add the onion, sauté a minute, then add the garlic and the prepared tomatoes, and cook the mixture slowly for 30 minutes. Stir often during cooking. Add the black-eyed peas, mix well, and season with salt and pepper—the peas should be well seasoned. Cook gently for 10 minutes more, then add the parsley. Spoon the beans into a casserole and set in a warm place until ready to serve. The dish can be reheated in the oven. Serve hot but not overcooked.
 
Panfried Quail with Country Ham
SERVES 4
Quail are delightful little birds that you never have to worry about being tough. If you buy them fresh, let them age for a day or two to tenderize them. Quail are getting easier and easier to find in supermarkets and local butcher shops, and although many are sold frozen and are quite good, they are best fresh. You can also buy them from game bird farms that raise them for home buyers and restaurants. As with pheasant, I usually ask the butcher or game bird farmer to leave the feathers on the bird and the innards intact because this improves their flavor as they age. But most cooks would probably want to have the birds plucked and cleaned, which certainly is easier and does not make such a difference in flavor that I would advise against it.
 
I sauté quail on top of the stove in a covered pan to keep them moist, but they also do well roasted, if covered. Quail are good to make for guests because they “hold” in the pan for 15 or 20 minutes without drying out, which gives you time to get the rest of the meal organized. For this dish I call for fresh white grape juice, which adds good tart flavor. Fresh grape juice is simple to make if you have a vegetable mill or potato ricer, but do not try to make it in a blender. The blender does not extract the juice, it just purées the fruit.
 
1 cup white grapes (to make ¼–⅓ cup grape juice)
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
8 quail, split and flattened
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
½ pound Virginia ham, cut into 2 by ¼-inch matchsticks
 
1. First, make the fresh white grape juice. Crush the cup of grapes with a pestle, then put through a sieve or vegetable mill to extract the juice, or use a potato ricer.
2. Combine the salt, pepper, and thyme, crushing the thyme with your finger­tips. Sprinkle both sides of the birds with the seasonings.
3. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat until it foams and just begins to brown. Add the quail, skin side down. Sprinkle with ham, cover, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the skin is golden brown. Turn the birds and continue cooking, covered, until the juices run clear, about 4 minutes longer. Take the pan from the heat and let the quail rest, covered, for about 10 minutes. Arrange the quail on a platter and sprinkle the ham from the pan over them.
4. Pour the fat from the pan. Add the grape juice (you can also use water, if you prefer), and bring to a boil. Cook for 1 minute, scraping the browned bits from the bottom to deglaze the pan. Pour over the quail and serve.
 
Red Snapper with Olive Mayonnaise
SERVES 4
Red snapper is one of my favorite fish, but I find it tastes different depend­ing on where it is caught. The snapper from the Gulf of Mexico does not have exactly the same flavor as the snapper caught off the Carolina coast and while both are good, I prefer the Gulf fish. The flesh of Gulf snapper is a little darker. Both are meaty, tasty fish that lose their bright red color during cook­ing. I like to cook them quickly after they have marinated in lemon juice for about an hour. I think the fast cooking in a hot skillet really brings out the good flavor of snapper. Black olive purée is sold in jars in Italian markets and specialty stores, but if you can’t find it you can make your own by puréeing pitted Mediterranean black olives.
 
2 pounds red snapper, bones removed and split in half
Juice of ½ to 1 lemon
6 tablespoons butter
½ teaspoon chopped garlic
½ cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons puréed Mediterranean olives
 
1. Put the snapper in a glass or ceramic dish cut side up, and squeeze the juice of half a lemon over the fish. You may need to use a whole lemon, depending on the size of the fish and the lemon. Leave the fish to marinate at room tempera­ture for 1 hour, spooning lemon juice over it now and again.
2. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
3. Heat the butter in a heavy ovenproof skillet until foaming. Add the garlic before the butter browns. When the butter begins to brown, put the fish in the pan, cut side down. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes over high heat, until nicely browned. Turn the fish over and put the entire pan in the hot oven. Cook for about 8 minutes, until flaky but not overcooked. Combine the mayonnaise with the puréed olives and additional lemon juice to taste. Serve this with the hot fish.
 
Benne Seed Biscuits
Benne seeds, which are also known as sesame seeds, were brought to America long ago with the Africans. Their name derives from the Benue State of Nige­ria. The Nigerian name for this seed is beni. Slaves planted them at the ends of crop rows and around their small cabins and used them in much of their cooking. They are still extremely popular in the South and turn up in recipes for cereals, breads, cookies, and biscuits. I think their flavor is best when they are toasted, and short of burning them, the longer you toast them, the better they are. These crisp little biscuits go well with cocktails, pâtés, and soups, or anytime you would want a cracker.
 
1 cup benne seeds
3 cups flour
1½ teaspoons single-acting baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
⅔ cup lard
⅔ cup milk
Salt
 
1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
2. Put the benne seeds in a shallow pan in the preheated oven. Look at them after 5 minutes to check on the color—they should be the color of butter­scotch and they should have a delicious toasted smell. If not ready, shake the pan and return them to the oven for 1 to 2 minutes—but watch carefully.
3. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Add the lard and work the mixture with a pastry blender or your fingertips until it has the tex­ture of cornmeal. Add the milk and mix well. Mix in the benne seeds. Place the dough on a floured surface, knead for a few seconds, and shape into a ball. Roll the dough out until it is about the thickness of a nickel. Using a 2-inch biscuit cutter, stamp out rounds and lay them on an ungreased baking sheet or a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for about 12 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with a little bit of salt, and serve hot. You may store the cooled biscuits in an airtight tin or jar and reheat them before serving.
 
Raspberry Pie Garnished with Whipped Cream
For this pie, you need 3 pints of raspberries, because raspberries cook down so much. The juice from the berries is used as a glaze and the whole thing is pretty and sweet and really delicious, especially when served with whipped cream. I specify organic raspberries simply because I think they taste better.
 
When I make the buttery crust that I think tastes best with light-tasting fruits and berries, I do something that might be too fussy for most cooks. You don’t have to do it, but it makes a nice crust. I chop up the butter, put it in the freezer, and let it get really frozen. I then take 1 cup of flour and cut in the frozen butter, mixing it in well—you have to work really fast before the but­ter softens too much. When this mixture is fine enough, similar to cornmeal, I add the rest of the flour and proceed with the recipe. The crust is nice and light and good with berry and lemon meringue pies.
 
 
BUTTER PIE PASTRY
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
Scant teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) firmly chilled or frozen butter, cut into small pieces
¼ cup ice water
 
PIE FILLING
3 pints raspberries, organic if possible
½ cup sugar
About 1 cup sweetened whipped cream
 
9-inch pie plate
 
1. To make the pie pastry: Put the flour, salt, and butter in a mixing bowl. Blend well with a pastry blender or the tips of your fingers, until the mixture is the texture of cornmeal. Add the ice water, mix quickly, and shape the dough into a ball. Dust the dough lightly with flour and shape into a flat cake. Wrap in wax paper and put in the refrigerator to rest for 30 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
3. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and divide it into 2 unequal pieces. Roll the larger piece out and press it into a 9-inch pie dish; trim the edges. Roll out the second piece of dough into a 7-inch circle and trim the edges in a zigzag design. Stamp out a 2-inch circle from the center of the top crust, using a round cookie cutter. Put the top crust in a pie plate and bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Lift the crust from the pie plate and cool on a wire rack.
4. Before baking the bottom shell, prick the surface without piercing all the way through to the pie plate. This will prevent the pastry from puffing up. Check the pastry after 10 minutes of baking. Prick any puffed‑up places and continue to cook until lightly browned. Cool before filling.
5. To make the filling: Pick the raspberries over, looking for any moldy ones or stems. Do not wash the berries or they will become soggy. Put the berries in a wide ovenproof dish in a single layer. Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of the sugar over them and set them in a preheated 375°F. oven for 12 to 13 minutes. This should be time enough for the berries to bleed and give out the right amount of juice.
6. Remove the berries from the oven and cool. Then lift each berry onto another dish and scrape the juice from the ovenproof dish into a stainless steel saucepan. Add the remaining sugar and set the pan over a medium burner. Cook for 12 to 13 minutes, until the juice is reduced to a thick syrup. Remove this from the stove and hold until you are ready to assemble the pie.
7. Brush the bottom of the cooled pie shell with some of the heavy syrup. Line the shell with a single layer of raspberries. Reserve 8 or 9 berries. Pile up the rest of the raspberries in the shell to make a thick pie. Spoon the syrup glaze over the berries, making sure to coat all of them. Position the pastry top over the berries. Fill in the stamped-out center with the reserved berries and spoon glaze over them. Serve sweetened whipped cream on the side.