Thanks to FlipKey.com for inviting me to be a guest blogger with an insider's view to Savannah visitors who are curious about the local food scene.
Of course, I always wish there was more room, but you can read the piece here and get a good look at the fine dining to little dives that we can choose from in this rapidly growing culinary destination.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Sunday, February 26, 2012
This week's newsletter...
...is online!
Filled with foodie news, tasting events and more, if you're not a subscriber, you can view the savannahfoodie.com newsletter online here.
Monday, February 20, 2012
'The Lodge Cast Iron Cookbook" is part collection of love letters, part primer and user guide
By Tim A. Rutherford
Love, that inherently human emotion reserved for the collision of common interests, pheromone-induced chemistry and unerring friendship.
I have that kind of love. And I also have another kind of love: One that that is fired by the chemistry, stalwart consistency and generation-spanning resilience of cast iron cookware.
I learned my first cooking lessons standing on an old, chrome and vinyl dining chair in front of my grandmother's stove. My first dishes were fried bacon or sausage and eggs in a Griswold cast iron skillet that had been a wedding gift to her.
That was the frying pan. There was also the cornbread pan -- a similarly sized skillet that was so perfectly seasoned that it rivaled today's high tech non-stick surfaces.
I still have both wonderful skillets. And, yes, the cornbread skillet is still reserved for cornbread. A pone turns out perfectly without sticking and cloaked in a crispy, golden brown crust.
As I began acquiring my own cookware, I trolled auctions and yard sales looking for cast iron. I poured over every "dollar box" and pile of rusty hardware I could find, then scouring off layers of thick rust and re-seasoning cast off Dutch ovens, corn stick pans and muffin pans, knowing that beneath the rust and the $2 price tag was a work of culinary art. These poorly cared for vessels still had plenty of life and the ability to render subtle and mouthwatering nuances to any food that found its way atop the sizzling hot cast iron.
Along the way, I discovered cast iron by French foundries Le Crueset and Staub and, of course, the wonderful American artistry of Lodge Manufacturing Company.
Englishman Joseph Lodge chose tiny South Pittsburgh, Tenn., as the company's headquarters in 1896. The company has survived and continually innovated to become the lone domestic manufacturer of cookware in America today.
As home cooks evolved and left the kitchen for the workplace, care for traditional cast iron became a deterrent to using cast iron. Modern home cooks needed easy care surfaces, without worrying about seasoning and cleaning. Lodge answered that call early in this decade with its foundry-seasoned cookware -- and a new generation of cast iron cookware devotees was secured.
Why I love cast iron cookware
For me, nothing surpasses cast iron for creation of fond -- the crunchy bits that remain in the pan after browning that add flavor to a recipe. It's the perfect surface for searing, for holding steady heat for braising, roasting and baking.
One of my prized Lodge pieces, a huge skillet that will easily accommodate four to five roasting chickens, was the centerpiece of a cooking demonstration that converted nearly every member of the class to cast iron.
I was preparing a roasted chicken recipe from Chef Thomas Keller's "Bouchon" cookbook. The directions called for searing the chicken in a hot pan, then moving the trussed bird to a preheated 450-degree oven for 45 minutes of roasting. The class had nearly 30 participants, and I had four birds browning away in my big Lodge skillet.
The electric oven had pre-heated and I was just preparing to transfer the birds to the oven when the power went out. I put the skillet in the oven with a remote control thermometer in the chicken and closed the door.
With a pre-heated skillet, a pre-heated oven and a thermometer that allowed me to monitor temperature without opening the doors, those four chickens roasted in exactly the same amount of time -- without the oven heating element ever coming on again. I think everyone in the class that night took home Lodge cookware.
I use the cookware for everything: Bean soups and stews, baking cobblers, biscuits and cornbread and searing steaks, chicken and chops.
The cast iron primer
You can get even more ideas in the recently published "Lodge Cast Iron Cookbook."
The cookbook gives a brief backgrounder on the company and history of Lodge but wastes no time getting to a collection of more than 200 recipes that range across breakfast, soups and stews, main courses and desserts. Along the way, beautiful color photographs depict several dishes and there are plenty of sidebars to address things like making a roux or digging your own backyard bean hole -- a staple of my Scouting days.
You will learn about caring for your cast iron and read more than one love note from cast iron aficionados. This is a cookbook with highly accessible ingredients -- not a cookbook for culinary snobs. It's the basics for people who love -- or want to learn to love -- cast iron cookware, whether in the modern kitchen, over a backyard grill or a crackling campfire.
There is a cornbread recipe for every occasion -- not surprising given that the company hosts the annual National Cornbread Festival. The berry cobbler recipe is nearly identical to one I've used for more than 20 years -- and the soups, stews and gumbo recipes are as heart-warming to read as they are rib-sticking main dishes.
It seems fitting to include a regional dish from the cookbook -- the popular Savannah Red Rice.
This version of the classic rice dish (which, in its turn, is a southern coastal interpretation of paella) is from Steven Satterfield, executive chef/owner of Miller Union in Atlanta.
There are a few points that are crucial to the final flavor of the dish.
The first is using Carolina Gold rice, an heirloom variety of long-grain rice that is hand-harvested by its producer Anson Mills (buy it online at ansonmills.com).
Sautéing the rice in fat for a good 5 minutes helps to deeply infuse flavor into the individual grains. Lastly, no peeking while the rice is cooking—the covered cast iron pot is key to the development of a delicious crust on the bottom.
Steven likes to serve this with a green salad and roasted okra.
Serves 6
Ingredients
4 tablespoons bacon drippings
5 tablespoons butter
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 cup diced celery (inner leaves included)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons plus
1 teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste
2 cups canned organic whole plum tomatoes (with their juice), chopped
2 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons pepper vinegar or cider vinegar (if you use cider vinegar, add a pinch of red pepper flakes)
1 1/4 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
2 bay leaves
2 dried chiles d’arbol, chopped, or pinch of red pepper flakes
2 cups raw Carolina Gold long-grain rice
1/2 pound andouille or chorizo sausage, grilled and sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 pound shrimp (preferably fresh), peeled, deveined, and cut into bite-size pieces
Directions
1. Heat 2 tablespoons each of the bacon drippings and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until foamy. Add the onion, celery, garlic, and 1 tablespoon of the salt and cook, stirring, until the onion and garlic are tender. Add the tomatoes, stock, vinegar, another tablespoon of the salt, 1 teaspoon of the pepper, the thyme, bay leaves, and chiles and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, tasting for seasoning.
2. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons bacon drippings and 2 tablespoons of the butter together in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat until foamy. Add the rice and cook, stirring frequently, until it is opaque, 5 to 6 minutes. This step is very important to the final flavor of the dish, so don’t stint on the time but also don’t let the rice burn.
3. Add 4 cups of the tomato mixture to the rice, stir to combine, and cover. Set a timer and cook the rice for 25 minutes over very low heat. DO NOT LIFT THE LID. After 25 minutes, turn off the heat and let the rice sit for 5 more minutes. AGAIN, DO NOT LIFT THE LID. In the meantime, add the sausage to the remaining tomato mixture in the saucepan, cover, and keep warm over very low heat.
4. While the rice is sitting, melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter in a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat until foamy. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring, until just cooked through; add the remaining 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add the shrimp to the sausage and tomato mixture and stir to combine.
5. Pour the shrimp and sausage mixture over the rice. Gently fluff the rice (you don’t want to break the grains) to combine. Serve immediately.
Recipe courtesy of "The Lodge Cast Iron Cookbook"
Love, that inherently human emotion reserved for the collision of common interests, pheromone-induced chemistry and unerring friendship.
I have that kind of love. And I also have another kind of love: One that that is fired by the chemistry, stalwart consistency and generation-spanning resilience of cast iron cookware.
 |
| My basic cornbread in a cast iron skillet that is now serving a third generation. |
That was the frying pan. There was also the cornbread pan -- a similarly sized skillet that was so perfectly seasoned that it rivaled today's high tech non-stick surfaces.
I still have both wonderful skillets. And, yes, the cornbread skillet is still reserved for cornbread. A pone turns out perfectly without sticking and cloaked in a crispy, golden brown crust.
As I began acquiring my own cookware, I trolled auctions and yard sales looking for cast iron. I poured over every "dollar box" and pile of rusty hardware I could find, then scouring off layers of thick rust and re-seasoning cast off Dutch ovens, corn stick pans and muffin pans, knowing that beneath the rust and the $2 price tag was a work of culinary art. These poorly cared for vessels still had plenty of life and the ability to render subtle and mouthwatering nuances to any food that found its way atop the sizzling hot cast iron.
Along the way, I discovered cast iron by French foundries Le Crueset and Staub and, of course, the wonderful American artistry of Lodge Manufacturing Company.
Englishman Joseph Lodge chose tiny South Pittsburgh, Tenn., as the company's headquarters in 1896. The company has survived and continually innovated to become the lone domestic manufacturer of cookware in America today.
As home cooks evolved and left the kitchen for the workplace, care for traditional cast iron became a deterrent to using cast iron. Modern home cooks needed easy care surfaces, without worrying about seasoning and cleaning. Lodge answered that call early in this decade with its foundry-seasoned cookware -- and a new generation of cast iron cookware devotees was secured.
Why I love cast iron cookware
For me, nothing surpasses cast iron for creation of fond -- the crunchy bits that remain in the pan after browning that add flavor to a recipe. It's the perfect surface for searing, for holding steady heat for braising, roasting and baking.
One of my prized Lodge pieces, a huge skillet that will easily accommodate four to five roasting chickens, was the centerpiece of a cooking demonstration that converted nearly every member of the class to cast iron.
I was preparing a roasted chicken recipe from Chef Thomas Keller's "Bouchon" cookbook. The directions called for searing the chicken in a hot pan, then moving the trussed bird to a preheated 450-degree oven for 45 minutes of roasting. The class had nearly 30 participants, and I had four birds browning away in my big Lodge skillet.
The electric oven had pre-heated and I was just preparing to transfer the birds to the oven when the power went out. I put the skillet in the oven with a remote control thermometer in the chicken and closed the door.
With a pre-heated skillet, a pre-heated oven and a thermometer that allowed me to monitor temperature without opening the doors, those four chickens roasted in exactly the same amount of time -- without the oven heating element ever coming on again. I think everyone in the class that night took home Lodge cookware.
I use the cookware for everything: Bean soups and stews, baking cobblers, biscuits and cornbread and searing steaks, chicken and chops.
The cast iron primer
You can get even more ideas in the recently published "Lodge Cast Iron Cookbook."
The cookbook gives a brief backgrounder on the company and history of Lodge but wastes no time getting to a collection of more than 200 recipes that range across breakfast, soups and stews, main courses and desserts. Along the way, beautiful color photographs depict several dishes and there are plenty of sidebars to address things like making a roux or digging your own backyard bean hole -- a staple of my Scouting days.
You will learn about caring for your cast iron and read more than one love note from cast iron aficionados. This is a cookbook with highly accessible ingredients -- not a cookbook for culinary snobs. It's the basics for people who love -- or want to learn to love -- cast iron cookware, whether in the modern kitchen, over a backyard grill or a crackling campfire.
There is a cornbread recipe for every occasion -- not surprising given that the company hosts the annual National Cornbread Festival. The berry cobbler recipe is nearly identical to one I've used for more than 20 years -- and the soups, stews and gumbo recipes are as heart-warming to read as they are rib-sticking main dishes.
It seems fitting to include a regional dish from the cookbook -- the popular Savannah Red Rice.
Enjoy!
Savannah Red Rice
 |
| Chef Steven Satterfield's Savannah Red Rice. |
The first is using Carolina Gold rice, an heirloom variety of long-grain rice that is hand-harvested by its producer Anson Mills (buy it online at ansonmills.com).
Sautéing the rice in fat for a good 5 minutes helps to deeply infuse flavor into the individual grains. Lastly, no peeking while the rice is cooking—the covered cast iron pot is key to the development of a delicious crust on the bottom.
Steven likes to serve this with a green salad and roasted okra.
Serves 6
Ingredients
4 tablespoons bacon drippings
5 tablespoons butter
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 cup diced celery (inner leaves included)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons plus
1 teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste
2 cups canned organic whole plum tomatoes (with their juice), chopped
2 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons pepper vinegar or cider vinegar (if you use cider vinegar, add a pinch of red pepper flakes)
1 1/4 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
2 bay leaves
2 dried chiles d’arbol, chopped, or pinch of red pepper flakes
2 cups raw Carolina Gold long-grain rice
1/2 pound andouille or chorizo sausage, grilled and sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 pound shrimp (preferably fresh), peeled, deveined, and cut into bite-size pieces
Directions
1. Heat 2 tablespoons each of the bacon drippings and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until foamy. Add the onion, celery, garlic, and 1 tablespoon of the salt and cook, stirring, until the onion and garlic are tender. Add the tomatoes, stock, vinegar, another tablespoon of the salt, 1 teaspoon of the pepper, the thyme, bay leaves, and chiles and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, tasting for seasoning.
2. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons bacon drippings and 2 tablespoons of the butter together in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat until foamy. Add the rice and cook, stirring frequently, until it is opaque, 5 to 6 minutes. This step is very important to the final flavor of the dish, so don’t stint on the time but also don’t let the rice burn.
3. Add 4 cups of the tomato mixture to the rice, stir to combine, and cover. Set a timer and cook the rice for 25 minutes over very low heat. DO NOT LIFT THE LID. After 25 minutes, turn off the heat and let the rice sit for 5 more minutes. AGAIN, DO NOT LIFT THE LID. In the meantime, add the sausage to the remaining tomato mixture in the saucepan, cover, and keep warm over very low heat.
4. While the rice is sitting, melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter in a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat until foamy. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring, until just cooked through; add the remaining 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add the shrimp to the sausage and tomato mixture and stir to combine.
5. Pour the shrimp and sausage mixture over the rice. Gently fluff the rice (you don’t want to break the grains) to combine. Serve immediately.
Recipe courtesy of "The Lodge Cast Iron Cookbook"
Sunday, February 19, 2012
QVC unveils Cheryl & Griffith Day's
"Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook"
"Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook"
Sunday, Feb. 26, noon-5 p.m.
Cheryl Day, who
co-authored the cookbook with her husband Griffith, will join a QVC host
during this national launch of "The Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook."
The approachable, easy-to-read cookbook coincides withe bakery's 10th
anniversary. Insider recipes for the bakery's famed cupcakes, banana
pudding and cookies are among the book's more than 100 recipes.
View the Amazon pre-order page and watch a video about the book here.
Friday, February 17, 2012
'Table for Two' author offering cooking tips at Southern Women's Show
St. Augustine-based chef and author Warren Casterson knows a thing or two about cooking for a mob. He and his wife raised five children -- and that amounts to a table full of food at every meal.
As Casterson and his wife approach the empty nester years -- something many of his friends are already experiencing -- it became apparent that the former way of cooking and shopping just wouldnl't work any longer. His first cookbook, "Table for Two" was born.
Casterson is doing demonstrations at the Southern Women's Show on Feb. 17-19 at the Savannah International Tade and Convention Center.
"I'll be cooking shrimp scampi," Casterson said. "It's frugal, fun and fresh -- and only has four or five ingredients."
That simple formula is the basis for the book and it's upcoming sequel, "Table for Two: Back for Seconds."
"The books contain a lot of simple recipes, with ingredients that are accessible at the grocery store," Casterson explained. "Many can be prepared in less than 10 minutes."
Casterson will demonstrate once each day during the three-day show. For a full schedule of events and other information, go online by clicking here.
Casterson is doing demonstrations at the Southern Women's Show on Feb. 17-19 at the Savannah International Tade and Convention Center.
"I'll be cooking shrimp scampi," Casterson said. "It's frugal, fun and fresh -- and only has four or five ingredients."
That simple formula is the basis for the book and it's upcoming sequel, "Table for Two: Back for Seconds."
"The books contain a lot of simple recipes, with ingredients that are accessible at the grocery store," Casterson explained. "Many can be prepared in less than 10 minutes."
Casterson will demonstrate once each day during the three-day show. For a full schedule of events and other information, go online by clicking here.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Win Tickets to the Southern Women's Show, Feb. 17-19, at Savannah International Trade Center
It's the 9th year for this fun, information-packed weekend at the Savannah International Trade & Convention Center.
Of course, there is plenty of shopping, but also cooking demonstrations, runway fashion shows and informative lectures.
I'll be giving away five pairs of tickets -- you can be a winner! Here's how to enter:
"The Real Housewives of New Jersey" star Teresa
Giudice will be making her first visit to Savannah. Let's give her a warm, Southern welcome by suggesting the best restaurants for her to dine in while visiting.
Post your suggestions to savannahfoodie.com Facebook page -- I'll draw from the posts, notify you via Facebook -- and you can pick up tickets at "will call" in the trade center.
You can learn more about the show by visiting the website, and here are the Top 10 reason promoters suggest for getting the most out of the weekend:
1. Dish with Teresa Giudice.
Table flipping Real Housewives of New Jersey and Celebrity Apprentice
hopeful Teresa Giudice is bringing some Jersey sass and sharing
behind-the-scenes secrets on Sunday, February 19. As a New York Times
best-selling author, "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" star Teresa
Giudice is emerging as a burgeoning businesswoman through her
irresistible Italian-based cookbooks and forthcoming business ventures.
Initially launched into the spotlight through her participation on
Bravo's "The Real Housewives of New Jersey," Teresa has delivered high
ratings for the series in which she stars with her friends and family –
and “frenemies”.
2. Star Studded Cooking Stage.
Top Chefs-in-training won’t want to miss visiting the Cooking Stage to
learn from the best in the biz. The culinary line-up includes Next Food Network Star’s Orchid Paulmeier, Celebrity Chef Charles Mattocks (as seen on The Dr. Oz Show), Chef Warren Caterson (Table for Two), Chef Joe Randall and more.
3. Doctors in the House. Adding to the slate of special guests are two high profile medical experts. Dr. Jennifer Berman, urologist
and pioneer in the field of female urology and sexual medicine, who
co-founded the Female Sexual Medicine Center at the University of
California, Los Angeles, and serves as director of female urology and
sexual medicine at the Rodeo Drive Women’s Health Center in Beverly
Hills. She’ll be answering questions on the Fashion & Entertainment
Stage at 1:00pm on Saturday. In addition, Dr. Sherry, featured on the
VH1 series Braxton Family Values, will share her expertise. She
is a licensed clinical psychologist, media personality, motivational
speaker, and author of the sensational book The Single Married Woman. Her
work has encompassed everyone from celebrities in the entertainment,
news, and sports arena to the individual on the street corner.
4. Balance Your Life Pavilion. The popular morning television show, The Balancing Act
on Lifetime Television will come to life with a large “show within the
show” pavilion including features on fashion, beauty, health, family and
all aspects of a woman’s life. Stop by the pavilion to enjoy
entertainment at the Balance Your Life Stage, share secrets on how you
balance your busy life with the show’s hosts on camera, and stroll
through exhibits for valuable information and giveaways.
5. Project Runway.
Throughout the show, the Fashion and Entertainment Stage hosts runway
shows showcasing the latest fashion trends for winter and spring 2012.
Guests can pick out their fave looks, then check out the show floor to
find them – with many unique boutiques offering clothes and accessories
for $25 or less.
6. Fun and Games.
The price of admission at the show includes several chances for guests
to go home a winner. Join the team from Y 107 daily at the Balance Your
Life Stage to play Pick Your Purse Bingo. Winners get
the choice of three mystery bags provided by Tanger Outlets including
Saks, Vince Camuto, and DKNY. Good detectives will also be on the hunt
for one of 93 goodies hidden around the show by E93. Thirty-one gifts
will be hidden prior to the start of each show day.
7. Ride and Drive.
Guests thinking about a new set of wheels will want to make a pit stop
at the Chevy Ride and Drive, located in parking lot adjacent to the show
entrance. Chevrolet will bring their hottest vehicles including the
Camaro Convertible, Cruze Eco, Equinox and more. Anyone who takes them
for a spin gets a free $10 Starbucks gift card.
8. Pampering and Makeovers.
What would a perfect girl’s day out be without a little pampering?
Throughout the show, guests can indulge in massages, manicures,
haircuts, blow outs and more. Show guests can find the newest fragrances
and makeup palettes for Spring in the Belk Pavilion.
9. Hot Hunks on a Mission. Help
raise money for the Southeastern Firefighters Burn Foundation by
supporting the Southside Fire Department when they take to the runway
for the popular firefighter fashion show.
10. Park and Ride. A new feature of the show is a special shuttle running from the offsite parking on weekends courtesy of Old Savannah Tours.
Show
hours are Friday 10 a.m.–8 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. and Sunday
11 a.m.–5 p.m. Admission is $9 at the door, $5 for children 6–12 years
old and free for children under 6 years of age. Readmission tickets are
$5. Advanced discount tickets can be purchased at area Kroger stores for
$7 each. For group discount tickets and more information, call (800)
849-0248 or visit www.SouthernWomensShow.com. Show sponsors are Memorial University Medical Center, Chevrolet, Savannah Morning News, Kroger and WTOC 11.
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