Varmint

Oh my god! This is the best piece I've read on eGullet in some time!! Yeah, Peter Mayle can have Provence, Frances Mayes has Tuscany, and you have Mongolia. Fantastic writing and photos. Can't wait to see more, Ellen. And I'm glad you're home safe and sound. Makes Nepal seem like a walk in Central Park, eh?

Magnolia Grill has some fantastic food. I wish I could join y'all, but I'll be tending the pig, so think of me!

Thank you so much for participating in this outstanding Q&A, Ms. White. I'm glad that the members here are loading you up with great questions about soul food, which is very near and dear to my heart. When I venture through the various farmers markets here in North Carolina, I love the variety of greens that are offered. Mustard greens, collards, turnip greens, beet greens, and more. This may be a question more appropriate for our online cooking class, but I'd love to hear your thoughts about the varieties of greens, what you like to serve them with, methods of cooking, and your favorites. All greens are not alike, and we really need to learn how to cook them (and serve them) based on their unique flavors. Thanks!

Unless you're doing a big whole hog, which is an entirely different situation. I'll be cooking all night (with the assistance of many helpers, of course), but the first 4 hours will be at a very low heat.

That's because she's a local! Thanks for the catch. =Mark (2) Hjshorter (4 + 2 kids) Jaymes (1) Marlene (2) Mummer (1) Malawry (1) Ladybug (2 + 3 kids) ZebA (2) Perlow (2) Helenas (2) Varmint (2 + 4 kids) Tarka (2) (England!) Holly Moore (1) Weka (3-4) Blondie (2) Edemuth (1) Maggiethecat (1) Ditsydine (2) Tommy (2) Joler (4) Aurora (1) Timothy Davis (2) Dave the Cook Hungry Chris (2) Katie Loeb (1) Lissome (1) Guajolote (1) We'll get an equal number of non-eGullet folks. I assure you that most of them are far more fun than me, which ain't saying a whole lot. As far as the hotel rooms are concerned, I think we're OK. Jaymes???

Here's the current list of confirmed eGullet attendees: =Mark (2) Hjshorter (4 + 2 kids) Jaymes (1) Marlene (2) Mummer (1) Malawry (1) Ladybug (2 + 3 kids) ZebA (2) Perlow (2) Helenas (2) Varmint (2 + 4 kids) Tarka (2) (England!) Holly Moore (1) Weka (3-4) Blondie (2) Edemuth (1) Maggiethecat (1) Ditsydine (2) Tommy (2) Joler (4) Aurora (1) Ditsydine (2) Timothy Davis Dave the Cook Hungry Chris (2) Katie Loeb (1) Lissome (1) Guajolote (1)

She does not, but again, please do not worry about what Mrs. V eats or does not eat. She eats dead animal flesh if the dead animal had fins or feathers. This isn't an ethical or moral issue. It's really one of taste -- she lost the taste for beef, veal, pork, lamb, rabbit, goat some time ago (before I met her). If the dish has some red meat in it, she'll eat around it if she has to. I hope I'm not off as callous with respect to my attitude regarding my wife's eating habits, as nothing could be further from the truth. I thoroughly respect them. However, this is the way she approaches every meal -- she doesn't want others to worry about her preferences. If there's a good seafood dish, let's get it. Same with chicken, duck and vegetables. However, if there's great pork, beef and other mammalian dishes, let's get those, too!!!

Our experience has been very, very limited. Chinese restaurants here have the usual Sino-American fare that you'll find across the country. From what I've heard about Sweet n Tart (and what I've seen on their menu), they have lots of interesting dishes that would not be too bizarre for us bumpkins. I'd generally shy away from dishes that are primarily offal or have very pungent (i.e., "sweat socks smell") aromas. Thanks again. Oh, I assume we're talking about the restaurant and not the Cafe.

Dumpling- 12:30 should be fine as our dinner reservations that night aren't until 8:00. Mrs. Varmint will try most things, but she does have this peculiar "problem" of not eating red meat (and I still married her!!!!). Don't worry about that, however, as there will be plenty of options for her in this type of setting. Please don't go to too much trouble planning this. It seems as if we'll have a fairly small crowd, so for the most part, we can just play things by ear. I just wanted to make sure that this was a "go." Thanks a ton.

Mmmm, RK ("Road Kill") Stew.

Lotsa veggies are good. I'm not so sure on the cabbage, though. I've never really seen a stew with cabbage, but that shouldn't prevent us from trying it. Scraping the cobs would be helpful, as that adds some additional thickener.

One thing that I do with the chicken is to pull the white meat into threads -- that thickens up the stew, keeps the protein level high, and the dryness of the chicken is less noticeable. Adding bigger chunks of dark meat would help for sure. Duck would help, as would Sam's idea of using older hens. I think Jeffrey Steingarten wrote about the merits of stewing hens. Brunswick stew is generally bland. I like the idea of adding lots of depth to the overall flavor without adding "foreign" flavors. If you've never had the standard Brunswick stew, try to think of Campbell's vegetable soup (not vegetable beef, but just their plain vegetarian vegetable soup with the alphabet noodles). That's the standard, and it really sucks. However, by working from that palette, you can expand and intensify the flavors. I like the use of the organs and gizzards, but hopefully, they will just become "mystery meat" in the final product. Tomatoes are essential. It may not be traditional, but adding some roasted beef bones early on may be helpful. I'll ask around to see if I can find any venison chuck roasts, as that might be helpful. This will be pretty damn awesome!

I'm trying to get my itinerary worked out (we must keep to schedule now, mustn't we), so I was wondering where we are on this. Dumpling? Please help this poor North Carolinian!

And, of course, if you're ever in the mood for upscale dining in Asheville, be sure to check out Gabrielle's at the Richmond Hill Inn. Our user cookperrync is the chef there, and he is doing great things in his kitchen. He's developed super ties with local organic farmers and food producers in the mountains, so be sure to check them out. Just ignore the fact that they have a "Pianist-In-Residence." Ugh. http://www.richmondhillinn.com/dining.html

That looks delicious, Dean. Brunswick Stew has a much thicker consistency than what you made. It truly is a "stew" rather than a "soup." A lot of that may have been due to the shortened cooking time. And I love your sous chef! The L'il Varmints provide some good help from time to time!

Man, is that ever the story of MY life. I love you, Jaymes!!!!!

I'm going to Babbo in a few weeks, so if you PM me your name, I'll impersonate you and see how they treat me!

There's no inhumane way to dispose of elves. Trolls are even worse, but they're a bit too gamey.

One of the problems with making a stew for over 100 guests is the cost. Rabbit, pheasant and other sorts of interesting woodland creatures would be tasty, but can be cost prohibitive in a hurry. This is simple food, and I have no desire to turn it into something exotic. Fucking tasty, yes. But it's still Brunswick Stew.

Dave- Sounds like a very strong beginning. I agree with everything you're doing. The recipe you have may be the perfect stew, but I wouldn't go to a veggy stock too soon. You can make a quick stock through the poaching of the meat. Adding some other red meat would work. Try some different forms of acid -- the tomatoes alone may be insufficient. This may be a situation where the acid and sugar (if added) balance each other and give the dish a bit more depth. However, because the slaw and pork will both have vinegar-based sauces, I'd be sure to avoid making the stew very acidic. Looking forward to the first results.

I'd also add that Brunswick Stew is a widespread southern dish. Check out this thread if you don't agree: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=ST...ST&f=3&t=26832&

Then, of course, the problems of fat men with cleavage. Very, very troublesome.

I find it hilarious when businessmen tuck their tie in their shirt or throw it over their shoulder when they eat. Heaven forbid they pay 4 bucks to get their tie dry-cleaned. Hell, I'd rather have the food land on the tie, as it would be far less noticeable than the food on my shirt. Consider the tie a very narrow bib.

Careful, now. At least we don't spill on ourselves every time we eat.

Sissy boy. We'll get possum instead then. Or coon. Y'all could just bring down some of your pigeons, too.