by Edward Lee
2Pour 2 inches of oil into a heavy pot and heat to 350°F. Working in batches, dip the okra in the batter, let the excess drip off (a long wooden skewer is perfect for dipping, so you don’t get your fingers covered in batter), and gently lower it into the hot oil. Fry until golden, about 2 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain and sprinkle with a little salt. Let the oil return to 350°F between batches.
3Serve hot, with the rémoulade for dipping.
When deep-frying, use a wide, deep pot, and work in batches. If you want to keep the fried okra warm while you’re working on the next batches, put it on an unlined baking sheet in a 175°F oven; it will stay crisp until you’re ready to serve.
Roasted Okra and Cauliflower Salad
Don’t be put off by what you’ve heard about the sliminess of okra. That “slime,” which is actually called mucilage, covers the seed pods and is released when the okra is cut into. Roasting okra in the dry high heat of your oven renders it tender while minimizing the mucilage. The cumin here gives the okra and cauliflower a spicy floral note, which is balanced by the sweetness of the dried apricots. / Feeds 6 to 8 as a side dish
½ head (about 10 ounces) cauliflower, cut into small florets
8 ounces okra, trimmed (see note) and halved lengthwise
2 teaspoons olive oil
1½ teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
5 dried apricots, thinly sliced
¼ cup chopped roasted cashews
Grated zest of 1 orange (1 teaspoon)
Juice of ½ orange
1Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2Place the cauliflower on one baking sheet and the okra on another. Drizzle 1 teaspoon of the olive oil over the cauliflower, sprinkle with ¾ teaspoon of the cumin and ½ teaspoon of the salt, and toss well. Repeat with the okra and the remaining 1 teaspoon oil, ¾ teaspoon cumin, and ½ teaspoon salt. Spread out the cauliflower and okra.
3Place both pans in the oven and bake the okra for about 10 minutes, the cauliflower for about 25 minutes. They are done when they are soft, slightly shriveled, and just a little browned around the edges. Transfer the okra to a large bowl, then add the cauliflower when it is done.
4Add the dried apricots, cashews, orange zest, and juice and toss well. (The salad can be kept warm in a 200°F oven until ready to eat.)
5Serve in warm bowls.
Make this during the height of okra season, late spring to summer. Pick small, tender okra; when okra is young and fresh, there’s no need to trim the tops—they are soft enough to eat.
Edamame Hummus
My chef de cuisine at 610 Magnolia, Nick Sullivan, came up with this dish when we were searching for an accompaniment to our braised beef short ribs. It’s been a favorite at the restaurant ever since. It’s also great paired with grilled kalbi, ham hocks, or any other slow-braised meat. We don’t puree the hummus until it’s smooth; we leave it lumpy and textured, so you can still taste the edamame. This is also great as a healthy snack, served with some raw vegetables. / Feeds 6 to 8 as a side dish
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 cups shelled cooked edamame (see note)
1 cup water
½ cup tahini (see note, page 236)
½ cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallot and garlic and sauté for 2 minutes, or until soft. Add the edamame and cook for 2 minutes. Add the water, tahini, lemon juice, soy sauce, salt, and cumin, stir, and bring to a simmer. Simmer gently for 6 minutes.
2Transfer the contents of the pan to a food processor and process until you have a thick, crumbly puree. You can keep this warm in a pot on the stove until ready to serve, or serve at room temperature.
You can find shelled frozen edamame at Asian markets and gourmet stores. They are cooked and ready to eat. Unlike other beans, soybeans hold their texture and flavor even after being frozen.
Collards and Kimchi
The most rewarding dishes to me are the ones that coax complex flavors from the humblest of ingredients. My first vinegary, salty bite of braised collards was a revelation. It took me back to the experience of eating cabbage kimchi, another precious dish that arose from poverty but has come to impress even the most sophisticated palates. I love these intense flavors from two cultures that are worlds apart, and somehow they work together harmoniously, as if they belong together.
Collards and Kimchi goes nicely with roast lamb or fried chicken. / Feeds 6 to 8 as a side dish
1 tablespoon lard or bacon fat
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 cup chopped onions
1½ cups diced country ham (about 10 ounces)
1½ pounds collard greens, washed, stemmed, and coarsely chopped
2½ cups chicken stock
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1½ tablespoons apple cider vinegar
8 ounces (1¼ cups) Red Cabbage–Bacon Kimchi (page 166), or store-bought (see note), chopped
1Heat the lard and butter in a medium pot over high heat. Once the butter starts to foam, add the onions and sauté for 5 minutes, or until they get a little color. Add the ham and cook for 3 minutes, until it is crispy but not too brown. Add the collards, chicken stock, and soy sauce, cover, and cook over medium heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste the collards: They should be tender but still have a little chew to them.
2Add the vinegar to the greens and cook for 1 minute.
3Toss the kimchi into the pot with the greens. Mix together, and serve immediately, juices and all.
If you’re buying premade kimchi from an Asian market, pick one that is well ripened. Look for cabbage that is almost translucent and notice a smell. Ripe kimchi can smell pungent and sour even through a glass jar.
Kabocha Squash Mac ’n’ Cheese with Pork Rind Crust
Who doesn’t love mac ’n’ cheese? My version is satisfyingly familiar but elegant enough that you won’t have to share it with your kids. If you don’t like pork rinds, you can substitute bread crumbs for the topping. But if you have any sense of what is good in this world, you’ll never reach for bread crumbs to make a crunchy topping again. I know there’s a lot of pork rinds in this book (as in my life), but I figure, hey, if you find something you like, you should stick with it.
Serve this with fried chicken, or at any meal where you want lots of sides. / Feeds 8 to 10 as a side dish
1 small kabocha squash (about 1½ pounds)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
12 ounces elbow macaroni
1½ cups whole milk
1 cup chicken stock
3 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated
3 ounces Colby cheese, grated
3 ounces Pecorino Romano cheese, grated
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ teaspoon grated nutmeg
5 tablespoons crushed pork rinds (see note)
2 teaspoons black sesame seeds
1Preheat the oven to 375°F. Butter a 4-inch-deep 9-by-12-inch baking dish or casserole.
2Peel and halve the squash. Scrape out the seeds and membranes and cut into rough 1-inch cubes. Place them on a baking sheet, toss with the olive oil, and season with a little salt and pepper. Spread them out on the baking sheet and bake for about 25 minutes, or until the squash is fork-tender.
3Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the elbow macaroni and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until cooked but still with a slight resistance to it. Drain the macaroni in a colander and cool under cold
running water. Set aside.
4Transfer the cooked squash to a blender, add the milk, chicken stock, three cheeses, and the butter, and blend on high to a smooth puree. Add 2 teaspoons salt, ¾ teaspoon pepper, and the nutmeg and pulse to mix. Transfer the squash puree to a bowl, add the elbow macaroni, and mix thoroughly.
5Transfer the mixture to the buttered baking dish. Sprinkle the pork rinds and sesame seeds over the top. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
6Remove the foil, and continue baking until the mac ’n’ cheese is lightly browned and crisp on top, another 25 to 30 minutes.
You can find pork rinds at any supermarket or gas station. Empty the package into a food processor and blend for a minute, or crush the pork rinds with your hands into a large bowl.
Spoonbread with Kale and Bacon
As the name suggests, this dish is best eaten with a spoon, and you’ve got to eat it while it is piping hot. Spoonbread is somewhere between a bread and a custard, and it’s one of those recipes that demands a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet. It just won’t work without one. And you’ll get better results making spoonbread in a few 6-inch cast-iron skillets than one large one. Maybe this recipe is a good reason to buy some of those little skillets—they are so darn cute. / Makes three 6-inch spoonbreads or one 14-inch spoonbread; feeds up to 10 people
8 ounces bacon, diced
⅓ cup chopped onion
4 ounces kale, cleaned, stemmed, and coarsely chopped
3 cups whole milk
1¼ cups white cornmeal
3 large eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for the skillet(s)
1¾ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat and add the bacon. Cook for 2 minutes, until the fat is beginning to render and the bacon is lightly crisped, then add the onions and sauté for 3 minutes, or until the onions are soft. Add the kale and sauté for 10 minutes, or until the kale is tender. Remove from the heat and set aside.
2Preheat the oven to 400°F.
3Bring the milk to a gentle boil in a small pot over medium heat. Stir the cornmeal into the boiling milk and cook, stirring constantly, until thick, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat, transfer to a bowl, and allow to cool.
4Add the eggs, butter, baking powder, and salt to the cornmeal and beat with a hand mixer on medium speed for 6 minutes, until all the ingredients are thoroughly mixed together and the eggs have stiffened the batter slightly. Fold in the bacon and kale.
5Heat a teaspoon of butter in each of three 6-inch cast-iron skillets, or heat 2 teaspoons butter in a 14-inch cast-iron skillet, over high for 2 minutes, or until the butter foams. Pour the batter into the hot skillet(s), transfer to the oven, and bake for 15 to 18 minutes for 3 small pans, 22 to 24 minutes for 1 large pan. Serve the spoonbread in the pan(s) hot from the oven.
Spoonbread will deflate and turn rubbery if it sits. Serve it right out of the oven. The spoonbread won’t have another life as leftovers, so make just what you will need for a meal.
Creamed Corn and Mushroom Congee
What I love about rice is that it can be cooked into so many different textures, and all of them are good. When slow-cooked (as in risotto), rice absorbs flavor but still retains a bite. It can be fried to a crunchy outer layer that gives way to a fluffy soft center. But perhaps the most comforting incarnation of all is when rice is cooked until it dissolves into a creamy porridge. Congee is traditionally a Chinese breakfast dish, but with the addition of fresh corn and mushrooms, it works brilliantly as a comforting first course or a very different side dish.
I love this on the first cold day of autumn, with a glass of Buffalo Bill’s Pumpkin Ale. / Feeds 6 as a starter or side dish
¾ cup jasmine rice
8 cups water
1½ teaspoons fish sauce
2 cups corn kernels
4 ounces shiitake mushroom caps, trimmed and thinly sliced
1½ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon soy sauce
1 large egg
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger (use a Microplane)
1 large garlic clove, grated (use a Microplane)
Garnish
Asian sesame oil
Crushed peanuts
1In a large pot, combine the rice, water, and fish sauce and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat to a simmer, partially cover with a lid, and cook, stirring often, for 45 minutes.
2Add the corn, mushrooms, salt, pepper, and soy sauce to the rice, stir well, and cook for another 20 minutes. If the rice gets dry and sticky, add a little more water to the pot. The congee should be loose and shiny, like a porridge.
3When the congee is ready, turn off the heat, add the egg to the rice, and stir vigorously. Add the lemon zest and juice, ginger, and garlic and stir well.
4Spoon the congee into small bowls. Drizzle a little sesame oil and sprinkle a few crushed peanuts over the top of each bowl and serve hot.
Parsnip and black pepper Biscuits
A good biscuit, buttery and light, can make the meal, but biscuits can sometimes be bland without the ladleful of gravy that usually accompanies them. Try this version for a biscuit that’s floral and spicy and complex enough to be served without gravy. It ain’t a breakfast biscuit, for sure. It wants to hang with the dinner crowd. Serve it with melted butter or a little honey brushed over the top. / Makes 10 to 12 biscuits
Parsnip Puree
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
12 ounces parsnips, peeled and finely chopped
½ cup water
½ cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons honey
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Biscuits
2 cups all-purpose flour
2½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
6 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
¼ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
Melted butter or honey for serving
1To make the parsnip puree: Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat until melted and frothy. Add the parsnips and cook for about 8 minutes, until nicely browned and tender. Deglaze the pan with the water and use a wooden spoon to scrape up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the buttermilk, honey, and salt to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes.
2Transfer the mixture to a blender and blend on high for 2 minutes, or until smooth. Add more water if needed to make a smooth puree. Pour into a bowl and chill in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
3Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
4To make the biscuits: Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the chilled butter quickly with your fingers (or use your food processor and pulse about 10 times to make a crumbly mix). Chill for about 10 minutes.
5Add 1 cup of the chilled parsnip puree and the pepper to the dough and gently knead just until combined. (Store leftover parsnip puree covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.) Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough to about ½ inch thick. Dust the top of the dough with flour and fold it crosswise into thirds. Roll the dough again to about ½ inch thick. Cut out biscuits with a 2-inch biscuit cutter to get 10 to 12 rounds. Place the dough rounds 1 inch apart on a baking sheet.
6Bake the biscuits for 12 minutes, or until golden. Remove and cool for 2 minutes on a wire rack.
7Serve the biscuits warm, with melted butter or honey dripping over the tops.
You can find parsnips year-round at the grocery store or farmers’ market. Choose parsnips that are firm and fragrant;
they should smell floral, with a hint of licorice. If they’re sold in a bag, pinch a little hole in it and take a sniff. Avoid parsnips that smell musty or moldy.
Lardo Cornbread
Cornbread is a matter of controversy in my house. I know enough not to add sugar to the batter; but my wife always drizzles sorghum or maple syrup on it. “That’s different,” she says. Because I find most cornbread a little dry, I add so much fat to the batter that you don’t miss the sugar. “That’s cheating,” she says, as she pinches the last crumbs of this cornbread into her mouth. I can’t win. / Feeds up to 10
2 cups yellow cornmeal
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon baking soda
¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon corn oil
3 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
2½ cups buttermilk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
6 ounces lardo (see note), diced small
6 ounces aged sharp cheddar cheese, grated
Unsalted butter for serving
1Preheat oven to 400°F.
2In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
3In a medium bowl, mix together the ¼ cup oil, eggs, yolk, buttermilk, and melted butter. Pour into the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon. Fold in the lardo and cheese.
4Heat a 12-inch cast-iron skillet over high heat until very hot. Add the tablespoon of corn oil to the skillet and swirl it around to coat the bottom. Pour the cornbread batter into the skillet and cook on high heat for 2 minutes.