Moving to rural North Carolina from the ever hip and haughty Vail, Colorado, was a lesson in the proper way to eat humble pie. I opened my heart and mind to things that were “precious”—a word that Southerners use interchangeably with the phrase “bless her heart.” Hell, I even added the word precious to my vocabulary. I slowed down long enough to recognize that the bag of still-warm duck livers left on my doorstep by my duck-hunting neighbor was a precious gift, that being alone in a handmade canoe as dawn broke on the river was a precious moment. And discovering that the pickles you get on the side of your North Carolina barbecue are fried—now, that that was a precious surprise!
What You Need
1(46-ounce) jar whole dill pickles, drained and patted dry
1⁄2 pound hot Italian sausage, casings removed, chopped, and fully cooked
2 cups self-rising flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling
1⁄4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1⁄2 cup buttermilk
1 cup Budweiser beer (or your choice beer)
1⁄2 teaspoon Texas Pete hot sauce
Peanut oil for deep-frying
Sweet Horseradish Dipping Sauce (recipe follows)
Slice 1/4 inch off both ends of each pickle. Working on one end of each pickle at a time, use a paring knife (working it like a corkscrew) to carefully hollow out half of the pickle. Repeat from the other end. Transfer the insides to a cutting board and finely chop.
In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the finely chopped pickles and the sausage. Stuff each hollow pickle with the sausage mixture and set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together 1 cup of the flour, the sugar, salt, and pepper. Whisk in the buttermilk, beer, and hot sauce and continue whisking until the batter is smooth. Let the mixture sit at room temperature while the oil is heating.
Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or deep-fryer to 360 ̊F. Line a baking sheet with paper towels and set aside.
Pour the remaining flour into a medium mixing bowl. Working in small batches, dredge the stuffed pickles in the flour and shake off any excess. Dip the floured pickles into the batter and shake off any excess. Gently slide the pickles into the hot oil and cook until lightly browned. Remove to the prepared baking sheet to drain. Sprinkle with salt while the pickles are hot. Serve warm with Sweet Horseradish Dipping Sauce.
Sweet Horseradish Dipping Sauce yields scant 2 1/2 cups
2 cups sour cream
1/4 cup honey
3 tablespoons prepared horseradish
Pinch of kosher salt
Combine all the ingredients in a small mixing bowl and stir well. The sauce will keep, refrigerated, for 1 week.
Flat breads are an easy intro into bread baking. Somehow, even if you think they aren’t going to work out…they always do! Here are two of my favorites.
A training bread, if you will. A soft, chewy, simple bread grilled and brought alive with the sweet heat of brown sugar and chile oil. A bread to honor flat-chested girls everywhere. I was once one of you . . . spicy, sweet, and just waiting to rise.
What you need:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil, plus more for the grill
3 cups warm water
2 1⁄2 teaspoons active dry yeast
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons salt
1⁄2 cup plain Greek yogurt
4 teaspoons chile oil (available in the international section of your grocery store)
4 teaspoons brown sugar
1⁄4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the 1 tablespoon vegetable oil with the water. Add the yeast and stir to dissolve. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
Add the all-purpose and whole wheat flours to the yeast mixture and mix on low speed just until a loose, raggedy dough forms. Cover the bowl of the mixer and let the dough rest for 20 minutes.
Add the salt and yogurt to the dough and mix for 5 minutes, until the ingredients are fully incorporated and the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl to form a loose ball. Remove the dough hook, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let rise at room temperature for 3 to 4 hours, until the dough has doubled in size.
Preheat an outdoor gas or charcoal grill to high.
Turn the dough out onto a generously floured work surface. Divide the dough into eight equal portions and roll out each portion to 1⁄4 inch thick (or press with your hands). Don’t
worry about uniformity: the less perfect, the better. Stack
the dough rounds on the bottom of an overturned baking sheet, placing a sheet of oiled plastic wrap between them so they won’t stick together.
Brush the grill liberally with oil and, working two at a time, grill the flatbreads for 2 to 3 minutes per side, until there is a nice black/brown char on the grill side and the top is puffing up. If the dough sticks to the grill when you try to turn it, the flatbread has not cooked long enough.
When the flatbreads are hot off the grill, drizzle them lightly with chile oil (a little goes a long way) and sprinkle with a little brown sugar and cheese. Serve warm.
Naan is my yeast-based guilty pleasure. Wherever I may be traveling in the world, I’m searching for this pillowy flatbread with the crisp bottom. If there is a restaurant with naan on the menu, mark my words, I will find it.
Although I have yet to taste dreamy Chef Suvir Saran’s naan (he promises to make me some one day), my favorite naan is made at a seedy back-alley restaurant in the West Indies by a guy named Sanjay (come to think of it, most of the naan bakers I’ve met are named Sanjay). I’ve been lucky enough to land on Sanjay’s island many times over the years while cooking on boats. Even luckier, he has always been around, is always wearing too much cologne, and is always willing to bake me a fresh basketful of naan—no matter what time of day. Each piece of Sanjay’s naan is the size of a roadmap, spilling over the sides of the basket of bread he brings to the table. It has the perfect charred bottom and buttery flavor . . . with just a hint of Old Spice.
Once you start baking your own naan, you’ll quickly discover what all Sanjay naan bakers already know: Naan gets better every time you make it. Like an elastic waistband, the dough is very forgiving.
What you need:
6 tablespoons clarified butter, melted
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 1⁄4 cups warm milk (110° F)
3 tablespoons plain whole-milk yogurt
1 teaspoon salt
3 to 4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted, plus more for dusting
2 tablespoons minced garlic
Use a small bit of the clarified butter to lightly grease a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the yeast, brown sugar, and milk. Briefly stir with a spoon. Let the mixture rest for 5 minutes, or until
it begins to foam. With the mixer on low speed, add the yogurt, 2 tablespoons of the clarified butter, and the salt. Add the flour, starting with 2 cups and mixing well to combine. Gradually add enough flour until the dough forms and cleanly pull away from the sides of the mixing bowl. Mix for 5 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic.
Put the dough in the greased mixing bowl, cover, and let it
rest at room temperature for 11⁄2 to 2 hours, until it has doubled in size.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into ten equal portions. Use your palms to form each into a ball. Cover the dough balls with a towel and let rest for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 500° F. Position one oven rack on the lowest level of the oven and remove or place the other rack high enough in the oven to stay out of your way. Place a baking stone (or pizza stone) on the lowest rack. Have a spray bottle of water and a cooling rack ready.
Stir the garlic into the remaining butter.
Roll each piece of dough out (or pat the dough out with your hands and fingertips) to an 8- to 10-inch circle. Pull one end of the dough to form a teardrop shape. Brush the dough lightly with the garlic butter. Working with one shaped piece of dough at a time, carefully place it on the hot baking stone and spritz the dough with water. Bake for about 4 minutes, until brown spots start to form on top and the dough begins to puff up. Remove the naan from the oven and brush again lightly with the garlic butter. Repeat the process with the remaining pieces of dough, keeping the cooked naan covered and warm until ready to serve. At my house, the naan doesn’t stand a chance of getting cold. Every piece seems to disappear as soon as it comes out of the oven.
Two hummus recipes that don’t involve a chickpea. My work here is done. Black Bean Hummus
Serves 4-6
What you need:
Juice from one lime (a juicy one)
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon tahini paste
1 garlic clove, minced
1 half jalapeno, chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Drizzle of olive oil
What to do:
In the bowl of a food processor, add the lime juice, beans, tahini, garlic, jalapeno and cumin. Process until smooth (add a little warm water to the mixture if too thick). Salt and pepper to taste and drizzle with olive oil just before serving.
Lemony Lima Bean Hummus
Serves 4-6
What you need:
Juice and zest from 1 large lemon
1 (10 ounce) bag frozen lima beans, steamed until just tender
1 tablespoon tahini paste
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
What to do:
In the bowl of a food processor, add the zest and juice, lima beans, tahini, garlic, cumin and all but 1 teaspoon olive oil. Process until smooth. Salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle with remaining olive oil just before serving.
By Libbie Summers
Assisted by David Dempsey
Photography by Chia Chong
When I first dipped my finger into a small pot of Chinese Five Spice, my mind started spinning. The blend of star anise, fennel, cinnamon, Sichuan pepper and clove is warm and sweet and just begging to be put in places that it never thought of going. Check out these five “American Hacks” using my new favorite spice.
1. Chinese Five Spice Ice Cream (vanilla ice cream with a hint of the orient) makes 1 pint
What you need:
1 pint high quality vanilla ice cream
2 teaspoons Chinese Five Spice
Ice cream cones (optional) What to do:
Remove ice cream from container into a bowl and allow to soften slightly. Add Chinese five spice and stir JUST to combine (do not thoroughly mix in). Scoop back into container and freeze completely before scooping into ice cream cones (optional). 2. Chocolate Chinese Spice Bread
(Chinese five spiced chocolate quick bread, green tea frosting) makes 1 loaf
What you need:
1 1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour
1⁄4 cup unsweetened dark cocoa powder
1 tablespoon Chinese five spice powder
1 teaspoon salt
1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1⁄2 cups packed light brown sugar
1⁄2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup apple butter (can substitute apple sauce)
1 teaspoon vanilla paste (can substitute extract)
1⁄4 cup milk
3 ounces chopped dark chocolate (your favorite brand)
Green Tea Frosting, recipe to follow What to do:
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Spray a 9×5-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray and line with a strip of parchment paper the width of your pan and long enough to hang over both sides by a couple of inches if draped across the middle (this method gives you two handles to pull the finished bread out). Set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, Chinese 5 spice, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the brown sugar and butter and blend until just combined. Add the eggs, apple butter, vanilla paste, and milk. Stir gently with a wooden spoon to combine. Stir in the flour mixture, mixing gently until combined. Fold in 1⁄2 cup of the chocolate pieces.
Divide the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the remaining 1⁄2 cup dark chocolate pieces down the center of each loaf lengthwise and pat them down into the batter to just below the surface. Bake for 60-90 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of each loaf comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for a few minutes before turning out. To turn out, grab each side of the parchment paper and lift. Let cool completely. Spoon Green Tea Frosting over, slice and serve. Green Tea Frosting
3 tablespoons milk
½ teaspoon matcha powder
1 cup confectioners sugar
Stir together all ingredients.
3. Five Spice Bugles makes five cups
What you need:
5 cups plain Bugles Snacks®
¼ cup butter, melted
1 tablespoon Chinese five spice What to do:
Preheat oven to 250ºF. Line a baking sheet with foil.
Whisk Chinese five spice into butter. Spread Bugles onto baking sheet and pour butter mixture over. Toss with hands to coat. Bake, stirring every 15 minutes, for one hour. Cool and serve.
4. Chinese Five Spicerdoodles makes 40ish cookies
What you need:
2 3/4 cups all-purpose
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla paste (can substitute vanilla extract)
3 teaspoons ground Chinese five spiceWhat to do:
Preheat oven to 400º F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt. Set aside.In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment add the butter, shortening and 1 1/2 cups sugar. Cream together. Add the eggs one at a time and mix until combined. Add the vanilla paste and mix until combined.
Add dry ingredients to the mixer and mix until just combined.
In a small bowl, stir together the remaining sugar and Chinese five spice. Shape dough into 1 1/4-inch balls and roll in the sugar mixture. Place 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet and bake until just set (about 8-10 minutes).
5. Chinese Five Spice Donut Holes (small and spicy donut poppers)
makes 100
What You Need:
2 tablespoons plus 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted, plus more for greasing
1 1⁄3 cups warm milk
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1⁄3 cup plus 1 1⁄2 cups granulated sugar
5 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 teaspoon salt
1⁄4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon Chinese five spice, divided What to do: Grease a large mixing bowl with butter and set aside. In the bowl of a standing mixer, stir together the milk, yeast, 1⁄3 cup granulated sugar, and 2 tablespoons melted butter with a spoon. Let the mixture rest for about 5 minutes, until the yeast starts to foam.
In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, salt, and nutmeg.
Fit a dough hook on the standing mixer. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs, 1 teaspoon Chinese five spice, and the flour mixture and beat for 3 minutes, until the dough is smooth and tacky and pulls away from the side of the bowl. At this point, you can adjust the dough’s texture if needed. Add a little more milk if it is too dry, or a little more flour if it is too wet; the goal is for it to be smooth and tacky. Continue mixing the dough for 5 minutes more, until it becomes smooth and shiny. Transfer the dough to the prepared mixing bowl and turn over so both sides of the dough are buttered. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise for about 1 hour, until it has doubled in size.
Line two or three baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Punch the dough down and roll it out on a lightly floured surface to 1⁄2 inch thick. Using a donut-hole cutter or a small (1-inch) ring mold, cut out circles of dough and transfer them to the baking sheets, leaving about 1 inch between the circles. Cover the tray with lightly greased plastic wrap. (At this point, you can refrigerate the donuts overnight then let them rise in the morning before baking.) Let the donuts rise for about 45 minutes, until they are puffed and nearly doubled.
Preheat the oven to 375° F. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the remaining 11⁄2 cups granulated sugar and remaining Chinese five spice and set aside. Pour the remaining 1 cup butter into a separate bowl.
Bake the donut holes for 5 to 7 minutes, until the bottoms of the donuts are just golden brown. The donuts should be pale on the top, and the insides just barely baked through. They will continue to bake after they are removed from the oven. Cool for 2 minutes, then dip them into the melted butter just to moisten and roll them in the Chinese five spice-sugar mixture to coat. Serve immediately.
Recipe and Styling by Libbie Summers
Photography by Chia Chong Food Stylist’s assistant Candace Brower Video from A Food-Inspired Life
Zing and beauty. A salad that will make you smile even on the dreariest of Winter days.
Spicy Winter Citrus Salad serves 4
Ingredients:
10 citrus fruits (grapefruit, oranges, blood oranges, clementine, lime)
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (more if you like heat)
Kosher salt
1/3 cup pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds)
Directions:
Place your cutting board on a baking sheet with sides to capture all the juices as you remove the rinds of all the fruit with a sharp knife and cut each fruit crosswise into ¼-inch rounds. Remove any visible seeds. Arrange sliced fruit on a serving platter.
In a small bowl, whisk together the reserved juices from the fruit, honey and pepper. Salt to taste. Pour mixture over the fruit. Garnish with pumpkin seeds. Serve immediately.
NOTE: For a different look to this salad, why not try segmenting your citrus. Here’s a quick fun video to show you how!
Libbie’s Food Styling Props: When the food is so beautiful, you don’t have to do much. Floral fabric is from Fabrika Fine Fabrics. Citrus salad is on a vintage meat tray picked up at Habersham Antiques Market. Bowls with silver rim from the collection of Betty Anderson. Old enamelware serving spoon from an antique shop in Montana. Velvet ribbon tied through the spoon hole brought home from Paris.
