Southern Tastes: Veggies

By Jennifer Biggs on May 8, 2013 10:36 AM

From today's Food section:

Next week is all about meat -- we know what the third weekend in May brings. But this week, our Southern Tastes panelists tell us about their favorite vegetables as our friends Justin Fox Burks and Amy Lawrence from the popular blog chubbyvegetarian.blogspot.com launch their first cookbook, "The Southern Vegetarian." Sign on to our Facebook page at facebook.com/sotastes and tell us about your favorite vegetables.

Steve Conley, WKQK 94.1 personality

How good is eggplant Parmesan? I made some the other night, and my daughter Aimee scarfed it down, then asked, "Daddy, is there meat in this?" So easy and so delicious. And if you really want easy, Costco sells two eggplant parm dinners in a foil tub for less than $10, and it's darn close to as good as mine.

Martha Foose, cookbook author

Spaghetti squash with pesto from "A Southerly Course" is a go-to for me -- especially if I have a mixed crowd of vegetarians and nonvegetarians.

Frank Grisanti, Frank Grisanti Restaurant

My favorite vegetarian dish is fresh eggplant and fried green tomato Parmesan served on fresh sauteed spinach with marinara sauce. Different flavors and textures makes for a super dish.

Margot McNeeley, Project Green Fork

As a non-meat eater, I rely on vegetables for every meal. But I don't like all vegetables (I know, what nerve, right?), and it seems that the ones I don't like are the ones many restaurants put on their menu, like zucchini. Yuck. My all-time favorite has to be potatoes. Guess it's the Irish in me, but I could eat them everyday, every meal. Of course, I don't, or I'd bigger than a house. My other favorite less-starchy vegetables are Brussels sprouts, beets and uncooked carrots. I'm a huge fan of The Chubby Vegetarian blog and can't wait to get my hands on the book!

Ron Childers, WMC-TV 5 personality

Ahhh . this brings back fond memories of the Babylon Café in Midtown back in the late '80s/early '90s. I could be a vegetarian if I could make those dishes every day. I remember their quesadilla "done up." Amazing with the black beans and homemade tahini. My absolute favorite!

Lauren Boggs McHugh, Huey's

I really like a baked potato with butter, cheese and either black beans or kidney beans. I also enjoy a mixed greens salad with kidney beans, boiled eggs, shredded jack cheese, avocado, tomatoes, cucumber and celery, topped with homemade vinaigrette. Of course, more often, I eat a Huey's veggie burger or black bean burger, which can be dressed like any Huey burger.

Melissa Petersen, Edible Memphis

I don't think it's in the book, but Justin's version of the cashew noodle salad from Whole Foods is a favorite vegetarian dish. I add a little sauteed broccolini to make it a meal. However, I also adore anything with beets ... or cauliflower ... or fava beans.

Ben Smith, Tsunami

My wife, Colleen, who does most of the menu planning at home, always includes at least one vegetarian meal a week. By not making a big deal about it with the kids, we hope to instill in them the importance of a well-rounded diet that doesn't always have to include an animal base protein. We focus on flavor first and foremost. And as long as we are using fresh, local in-season produce, we know that the nutritional aspect just naturally follows. After years of making spontaneous meals out of whatever ingredients I bring home from work, Colleen has gotten very good at the "Mystery Basket" challenge. I reckon she could teach the folks on "Chopped" a thing or two. Here's a vegetarian dish I like to dredge up when grilling season starts up again (see recipe at end of questions).

John Vergos, Rendezvous

My vegetarian daughter turned us all on to veggie sprinkles as a substitute for ground beef in tacos, enchiladas, and even spaghetti sauce.

Kat Gordon, Muddy's Bake Shop

I adore everything I've ever cooked from Deborah Madison's "Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone." One of my favorite veggie-yummies is lemon asparagus linguine with fresh thyme. Also, pretty much any kind of lentil soup, roasted winter vegetables (dash of sea salt, olive oil, and chopped fresh herbs -- so easy and delicious), Brussels sprouts, and frittatas. I heart fruits and veggies!

Jennifer Chandler, cookbook author

Love my veggies! And I am so excited to get a copy of "The Southern Vegetarian"! Justin photographed my last book, and during that process I got to eat some of his yummy meatless dishes. In fact, he and my friend Nevada Presley of Get Fresh Memphis inspired me to go meatless for a month back in September. After that month, I felt great and now try to eat vegetarian several days a week. I post a "Meatless Monday" recipe every Monday on my blog, cookwithjennifer.com. I would have to say that veggie burgers are one of my family's favorite meatless meals. Here's my version of my friend Nevada's Black Bean Burger recipe (see it below). My kids love it with guacamole on top!

Black Bean Burgers

Serves 4.

1 can (15-ounce) black beans, drained and rinsed

1/4 cup finely diced green bell pepper (about 1/2 green pepper)

1/4 cup finely diced yellow onion (about 1/2 small onion)

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 egg

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 1/2 tablespoons cumin

1 teaspoon hot sauce

1/2 cup rolled oats

Vegetable oil, for the grates

4 hamburger buns, split

2 ripe avocados, pits removed and sliced

In a medium bowl mash the black beans with a fork until thick and pasty. Place the green bell pepper, onion, and garlic in food processor and process until puréed. Place the mixture into a fine mesh strainer over a bowl and press to strain the liquid. Add to the beans and stir to combine.

In a small bowl stir together the egg, chili powder, cumin, and hot sauce. Add the egg mixture and the oats to the beans and stir until the mixture is sticky and holds together. Divide into four patties, each about 3/4-inch thick. Cover, place in the refrigerator, and chill for at least an hour and as long as overnight.

Preheat a clean grill to medium high for 8 to 10 minutes with the lid closed. Lightly brush the grates with oil.

Place the burgers on the grill. Close the lid and cook, turning once, until golden brown and warmed through, about 5 to 6 minutes on each side. About 1 minute before the burgers are done, place the buns, cut-side down, on the grill and cook until lightly toasted.

To serve, place each burger inside a bun and garnish with avocado slices. Serve immediately. Note: Do not be tempted to skip the step of draining the puréed vegetables. That extra moisture makes the black bean burgers too sticky to be grilled.

Source: Jennifer Chandler

Szechwan Eggplant

Serves 6.

4 pounds eggplant

2 teaspoons Szechwan pepper salt (see note)

1/2 cup soy sauce

¼ cup rice vinegar

2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

¼ cup fresh chopped ginger

2 tablespoons chopped garlic

1 teaspoon chili flakes

¼ cup peanut oil

Cut the eggplant into 1/2-inch slices if using large ones. Or cut in half lengthwise if using Asian eggplant. Mix the Szechwan pepper salt with the remaining ingredients and toss well. Allow to sit for a few minutes then grill over a medium hot grill until tender, but still al dente.

Save the excess marinade and toss the grilled eggplant in that just before serving. Note: To make the Szechwan pepper salt, place equal parts kosher salt and Szechwan peppercorns in a dry skillet. Lightly toast over medium heat, tossing the pan, until aromatic and just beginning to smoke.

Source: Ben Smith

Southern Tastes Panel: MIM countries

By Jennifer Biggs on May 1, 2013 8:03 AM

I want all the Southern Tastes Facebook followers to be able to read what our panelists have to say, so I'll post their responses here, on Whining & Dining. Feel free to comment here or on the Facebook page.

Southern Tastes Panel: MIM countries

Staff Reports

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

This year, Memphis in May honors Sweden, and we'll take advantage of the opportunity to learn that not all Swedish food comes in a tube, like the caviar spread sold at Ikea. Southern Tastes panelist Melissa Petersen tells us all about it in today's lead story. Of all the honored MIM countries, which do you remember mostly for the great food? We asked our panelists, and this is what they said. Go to facebook.com/sotastes to tell us your favorites from years past -- and which country you'd like to see honored in years to come.

Benjamin Carter, wine-by-benito.blogspot.com

Australia in 1985 was my favorite. That was the year that the barbecue entries in the "Anything But" category read like a PBS nature special on Aussie wildlife. At the tender age of 8, it had not occurred to me that people ate kangaroos and crocodiles, but I was fascinated. It was a great year for a kid, playing with boomerangs and singing "Waltzing Matilda" in choir.

Kelly English, Restaurant Iris, Kelly English Steakhouse

I wish I would have been here for Israel and Morocco. The "cradle of food," so to speak.

Glenda Hastings, Napa Café

India!!!! I can't remember which year it was -- sometime in the last 10 years, I think. There is nothing like great Indian food. Nothing! It's funny that I feel that way now, because as a preteen I would hold my breath when I went to one of my good friends' house (his family was from India) because the spices were so pungent, and they were always cooking up a storm. I'd give anything to go back to those days. I would eat at his house every night!

Jimmy Gentry, Paradox Catering

Even though the North portion is not really a great subject of late, I would have to go with Korea. For a variety of reasons: Nothing is better than a good hot pot on a cold day (except maybe pho), kimchee, and all those side dishes you always get. Plus, Alia, my better half, is from there. Then I would have to say India, from 2000. Just some really great flavors, all that curry, and dark spice.

Steve Conley, WKQK 94.1 personality

I loved the year of Tunisia, in 2010, primarily because my buddy Jim Holt, during his diplomatic visit, brought me an array of spices from a Tunisian market: harissa, different curries, three kinds of paprika and some other Tunisian spice blends. Some I've cooked with, and others I'm trying to figure out what to do with them.

Angela Moon, Kirby Wines & Liquors

The rich spices of Tunisia (2010) and Morocco (1999) like cumin, coriander, saffron, chilies, dried ginger, cinnamon and paprika, as well as the vegetables and couscous, harira and spicy harissa are what draws me to choose these two countries. I had my first "real" Moroccan food at a small place in Paris, where a piping hot tagine sat before us, the waiter ladled a rich chicken broth laced with harissa over our food. I now cook as much with these spices as possible.

Marissa Baggett, cookbook author

Turkey jumps out at me.

Jason Severs, Bari, 3 Angels Diner

I think I'd have to go with Spain as well, but Thailand is pretty good too!

Paul Knipple, cookbook author

For culture and cuisine, I loved Spain and have always wanted to visit. The big cuisine of the pampas of Argentina is a favorite of mine as well.

Ron Childers, WMC-TV personality

Being of Hispanic descent, I was a little partial to Mexico in '84. Then again, I'm always in the mood for some good Mexican food.

John Vergos, The Rendezvous

I was always upset they never honored Greece. I guess now is not a good time.

Kat Gordon, Muddy's Bake Shop

Thailand!

South's Tastiest Town

By Jennifer Biggs on January 16, 2013 10:38 AM

I'm so excited that Memphis is named one of Southern Living's "South's Tastiest Towns." The town with the most votes wins, and right now we're in third place, behind Durham and Asheville, N.C.

Come on. Let's vote!

Here's the link to voting for Memphis: http://www.southernliving.com/travel/souths-tastiest-towns-memphis-00417000081030/

And here's the story. Be sure to come to Hog & Hominy Thursday from 4-7 p.m. for a Get Out the Vote party. Details are at the end of the story.

By Jennifer Biggs

Paula Disbrowe is no stranger to Memphis. The travel editor of Southern Living magazine co-wrote Pat and Gina Neely's first cookbook, "Down Home with the Neelys." "I mostly remember a lot of delicious breakfasts, perfect biscuits," she said.

This was before she began leading the charge for the magazine's annual "South's Tastiest Towns" contest, an online competition that lets voters decide which of 10 towns nominated by the magazine editors is, in fact, the tastiest. Vote at southernliving.com, once per day per e-mail address; click on the link for "South's Tastiest Towns."

Memphis is competing against New Orleans, Atlanta, Miami, Austin, Texas, and two towns in each of the Carolinas: Greenville and Charleston, S.C., and Asheville and Durham, N.C. The latter two have been leading since voting began Jan. 10. At press time, Memphis was shifting between third and fourth place, neck and neck with New Orleans.Yep. New Orleans -- which was beaten last year by Lafayette, La.

"This is all about rallying around the home team," Disbrowe said. "When I was in Lafayette last year, I couldn't go in a restaurant without seeing 'Geaux Vote' on a menu."

A Get Out the Vote party will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday at Hog & Hominy, 707 W. Brookhaven Circle in East Memphis. Happy hour specials include $1 off draft beer and well drinks, and light hors d'oeuvres will be provided. Computers will be set up so that votes can be cast during the party.

Other parties will follow at other places.

"They say that being nominated is an honor in itself, which is true," said Patrick Reilly, chef/owner of The Majestic Grille and the president of the Memphis Restaurant Association. "It's going to take some effort to win this. The important message is that people vote every single day. Do it first thing in the morning."

But, he said, winning is more than just taking the honor.

"Winning is indicative of the enthusiasm of this city," he said.

"We have this positive karmatic flow," said Kelly English, the chef/owner of Restaurant Iris whom Disbrowe sees as the pioneer who put Memphis in the national spotlight. In 2009, English was named one of the 10 Best New Chefs by Food and Wine magazine.

English said Memphis' small-town feel is one of the things that makes it special.

"One of the great things is that Memphis supports what local people do," he said. "That's one of the things that struck me from the day we opened."

Disbrowe, who is also a cookbook author who lives in Austin, Texas, said that her city and Memphis suffer from the same ailment: People think it's all about the barbecue.

"What's happening in Memphis goes beyond people's preconceived notion of ribs and home-style favorites," she said.

Memphis made the cut this year; Nashville didn't.

"Obviously, Nashville is a very exciting city right now," she said. "We felt like Nashville has a lot of sparkle and shine now."

Yet Memphis has something else.

"It's the soul of what's happening in Memphis," she said. "It's a better story to offer our readers.

"It's the growth of a culinary community."

Reilly points out that Memphis has long had a solid base of good restaurants of all varieties, and names Jose Gutierrez, Erling Jensen and Wally Joe, along with chefs at The Peabody such as pastry chef Konrad Spitzbart, as early community leaders.

"More recently, there's this, almost like an incubator of creativity that's come up in the past few years," he said.

Restaurateurs support one another; they share a vision of a vibrant food community that will attract national attention. In 2012, they came together to cook for LeBonAppetit, which paired local chefs with prestigious chefs from around the country for a benefit dinner. Cochon 555 hosted an event in Memphis in February, and the Cochon Heritage Barbecue launched here over Labor Day weekend.

"There's so much togetherness and camaraderie in the community," English said. "We eat in each other's restaurants. They come to Iris; we go there. Our restaurants are filled with the personalities of the people making the food, and we all like to be part of it. That's when you know you've got a food town, when you go to other restaurants because you love to."

The February issue of Southern Living, which provides more information about each of the cities, comes out Friday. Voting goes through Feb. 28, and the winner will be announced in the May issue.

"Then we'll have a big party in the winning town," Disbrowe said.

Get Out the Vote Party

For: Southern Living's "South's Tastiest Towns"

When: Thursday, 4-7 p.m.

Where: Hog & Hominy, 707 W. Brookhaven Circle

More information: Enjoy snacks prepared by chefs Andy Ticer and Michael Hudman, provided by the Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau and Memphis Restaurant Association; happy hour specials; and meet local chefs and food personalities.

Big Bad Pop-ups in Oxford

By Jennifer Biggs on January 9, 2013 10:34 AM

Here's my story from today's paper about the big bad fun coming up in Oxford, starting tonight. Here's the menu for the first week. Eli Kirshtein of Atlanta (and "Top Chef") is preparing Israeli street food. Who's going?

eli menu.jpg By Jennifer Biggs

John Currence is a James Beard Award-winning chef, and City Grocery, his Oxford flagship restaurant, is well-known among his colleagues across the country as a bastion of Southern cooking.Currence has closed it for about six weeks, in part because of them. He's doing a massive kitchen renovation.

"This is long overdue. Since I started doing a guest chef series about two years ago, I've felt this acute embarrassment when people come to cook," he said. "Right now, we're down to dirt floors and brick walls."

This is not to say he's taking a vacation, though. Besides operating three other restaurants in Oxford -- Bouré, Big Bad Breakfast and Snackbar -- as well as writing, preparing for the upcoming birth of his first child and running his catering company, Currence decided to use the City Grocery down time to host more guest chefs. This time, there's a twist:

Street food.

Working from the catering kitchen, which seats about 50, Currence will host Eli Kirshtein of Atlanta Wednesday through Saturday; Andy Ticer and Michael Hudman of Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen and Hog & Hominy in Memphis

Jan. 23-26; and Kelly English of Restaurant Iris in Memphis Jan. 30 through Feb. 2. The staff of City Grocery will do the cooking Jan. 16-19. The series is called Big Bad Pop-ups, named after the phenomenon of temporary restaurants called pop-ups."The entire month is a study of different street foods," Currence said.

Think food truck food, but on a plate, served on a table.

"The tables will actually be in the kitchen," Currence said. "We'll take it from the line, turn around and hand it right to the table.

"We wanted to do something affordable and something different. Jesse (Houston, chef de cuisine) and I talked about it and he had these great, grandiose ideas. We whittled it down."

Kirshtein, who has the kitchen this week, is a "Top Chef" celebrity from Atlanta. He'll feature Israeli street food.

"Eli is very aware of and into his Jewish heritage," Currence said. "It comes across in his food."

He'll prepare 10 items, including falafel, lamb schwarma, hummus and Turkish hummus, which contains butter in addition to the traditional olive oil. He's making a dessert of macerated persimmon yogurt mousse with date honey and pistachios.

Next week, the City Grocery team will cook an Americana theme.

"Our menu is huge," Currence said. "We have 17 items, things like burgers and hot dogs, some kind of shrimp or lobster corn dog."

Items will be priced a la carte, and Currence says a diner can expect to have a full meal for about $20 each week.

Ticer and Hudman will give Southern food an Italian twist, and English, like Currence a New Orleans native, is going with Louisiana "truck stop" food. "Dirty, filthy Louisiana street food," English said.

He'll have a boudin hot dog, served with choucroute, an Alsatian sauerkraut heavy with caraway; gumbo z'herbes, catfish sauce piquant, and "some things you wouldn't expect."

One of those is yaka mein.

"It's like lo mein, but you only find it in Chinese and Vietnamese restaurants in New Orleans," he said. "It's even got its own Wikipedia page" (which attributes its origin to the short-lived Chinatown in New Orleans).

English is particularly proud of his po'boy, which he's calling the Johnny Snack.

"It's roasted pork with Swiss cheese, covered in oxtail gravy," he said.

It's a homecoming of sorts for English, who attended Ole Miss before going to the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., where he and Kirshtein were in the same graduating class.

"I'm always excited to go to Oxford, and to get to go and work with the City Grocery guys is even better," he said.

As for Currence, he's planning on a fun month.

"I wanted chefs that were close enough that it wouldn't be a huge inconvenience for them to come," he said. "But mostly, I invited these guys because they're people I admire and enjoy being around."

Big Bad Pop-ups: a series of guest chef, street-food theme dinners

Where: 1005 N. Lamar, Oxford, Miss.

When: Wednesday through Saturday, 5:30-10:30 p.m., Jan. 9 through Feb. 2. Chef lineup is Eli Kirshtein of Atlanta, cooking Israeli street food, Wednesday through Saturday; the staff of City Grocery, Jan. 16-19, cooking American classics such as burgers and hot dogs; Andy Ticer and Michael Hudman of Memphis Jan. 23-26, cooking Southern food with an Italian influence; and Kelly English of Memphis, cooking Louisiana "truck stop" food Jan. 30 through Feb. 2.

For more information: Go to facebook.com/citygrocery or citygroceryonline.com.

Macaron Prosecco Tasting

By Jennifer Biggs on December 20, 2012 4:58 PM

Join Angela Moon with Kirby Wines & Liquors and me tonight at 7 p.m. We'll be drinking a festive Italian bubbly, and we'd love to visit with you. See you then.

Continue reading »

Panda Express

By Jennifer Biggs on December 10, 2012 12:03 PM

panda express.JPG I'm no fan of most of the "fast-casual" restaurant where you walk through the line, pick your food and have it waiting for you at the end. A cafeteria has its place, but it's a cafeteria. Still, I love Panda Express and have been several times to the one that opened a couple of months ago on Germantown Parkway.

The Black Pepper Chicken is my favorite dish. You order two entrees at Panda Express, so I usually get two BPCs with a side of vegetables, make rice at home (I like basmati or jasmine), then make three or even four meals from the one order, which costs around $7.50. I freeze them as small meals and grab them to take to work on busy days, because here's the great thing: The BPC has around 220 calories per order. (The fried stuff in the back clamshell is no healthier than any other fried Chinese food.)

It's a chain, but now and again I indulge. (Speaking of chains, I grabbed a quick meal with my daughter in Nashville last weekend and we ate at the Cheesecake Factory because she only had an hour for lunch. My salmon was great, and the menu at that place is huge.)

The Divining Rod wine tasting with Marc Mondavi

By Jennifer Biggs on December 6, 2012 8:00 AM

divining rod.jpg How lucky we are to have Marc Mondavi joining us for our wine tasting at 7 p.m. on Dec. 6. I'm going to put links here for the tech sheets and a link to the website, so you can learn a little more about the wines before we taste.

Here's something impressive: Marc Mondavi is a water witch--he can douse for water. They say his skill at this is mighty impressive, and he'll tell us about that, too. You can noodle around here http://www.thediviningrod.com/ (look under the "story") to get some background.

Link to the cabernet sauvignon tech sheet: http://www.thediviningrod.com/product-i14456-c0-2010_Alexander_Valley_Cabernet_Sauvignon.aspx

To the chardonnay tech sheet: http://www.thediviningrod.com/product-i14457-c0-2010_Santa_Lucia_Highlands_Chardonnay.aspx

Join us tonight--we'll have a great time.

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A special wine tasting Dec. 6

By Jennifer Biggs on November 29, 2012 1:26 PM

First--we're moving the wine tastings back to Thursday, starting next week.

Second, Marc Mondavi will be online with us next week to talk about two of his wines, The Divining Rod Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 and Chardonnay 2010. Pick up either or both and sign on at 7 p..m. on THURSDAY, Dec. 6, to talk with Marc about his wines.

Here's a link to the book about how he divines for water.

http://publ.com/rfVQrcp#/18/

For newbies: You go buy the wine at your favorite store (the major ones should have this). Go home, grab a bite to eat or put on your slippers--whatever you want to do, because you're in your own home--and sign on here at 7 p.m. to join the conversation.

Come see us on Facebook

By Jennifer Biggs on November 28, 2012 10:45 AM

I have plans for Whining & Dining, but having a plan and having time to implement it are two different things. This site will remain and it will be active again in the weeks to come, and it's still the place for our wine tastings, too.

Meanwhile, join us at www.facebook.com/sotastes. There are several posts most days, links to our stories and to other stories we think you'll like, and you can comment and interact with other readers.

Today -- like most Wednesdays -- we're givng away free cookbooks. Come on over and join in.

Cline Ancient Vines Zinfandel 2010 tasting

By Jennifer Biggs on November 7, 2012 4:12 PM

I had this wine with gumbo a few weeks ago, then with a spicy chili this past weekend. Great match with both, and I'm looking forward to trying it tonight with crawfish etouffee. Be here at 7 p.m. today and lift your glass with me and with Angela Moon with Kirby Wines & Liquor.

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Southern Tastes Panel: MIM countries

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