Cooking with "Deep Run Roots" by Vivian Howard

[blue_dolphin]

2 hours ago, Katie Meadow said:

You couldn't pay me enough to peel a quart of cherry tomatoes

 

Ha ha!  You know, I started out thinking I'd just do a cup or two.  I was mostly curious what they'd be like - it seems like such a decadent thing to do, like peeling grapes.

But it wasn't as tedious as I thought so I went ahead with the full quart.  I had a lunch scheduled where I was supposed to bring some pre-lunch nibbles and I thought these might be fun to put on a platter with some veggies and dip.  

The lunch got cancelled at the last minute so now I have more of the little cuties to play with!

[Thanks for the Crepes]

4 hours ago, blue_dolphin said:

Vivian suggests using them as part of a pickle plate and I'm afraid I'd want to put a little sigh on them that said, "Look here - I PEELED all of these dang little tomatoes for you!"

 

Well if you ever make the recipe again, you can take comfort in this quote from Marcella Hazan from her recipe for Chick-Pea Soup in "The Classic Italian Cook Book" 1973:

 

"I always peel chick-peas before using them in soup, but it is a chore, and if you'd rather put up with the peels than with the chore, you can omit it."

 

I make an escarole and chick pea soup that is delicious with just a little onion and beef broth  that was inspired by Marcella, but I do NOT peel the chick peas. Then shredded parm goes over the top for serving. I guess that makes me a slattern in @Shelby's mom's world, but I am okay with that. 

 

 

[Anna N]

3 hours ago, blue_dolphin said:

 

Ha ha!  You know, I started out thinking I'd just do a cup or two.  I was mostly curious what they'd be like - it seems like such a decadent thing to do, like peeling grapes.

But it wasn't as tedious as I thought so I went ahead with the full quart.  I had a lunch scheduled where I was supposed to bring some pre-lunch nibbles and I thought these might be fun to put on a platter with some veggies and dip.  

The lunch got cancelled at the last minute so now I have more of the little cuties to play with!

 There is a recipe kicking around that I made many years ago for  vodka soaked cherry tomatoes as an appetizer.  I've looked and looked but cannot find it. Perhaps someone else will recall it.  After all they're already peeled and that was the hardest part of that recipe. 

[milgwimper]

29 minutes ago, Anna N said:

 There is a recipe kicking around that I made many years ago for  vodka soaked cherry tomatoes as an appetizer.  I've looked and looked but cannot find it. Perhaps someone else will recall it.  After all they're already peeled and that was the hardest part of that recipe. 

 

That rings a bell unfortunately the old link doesn't work. Does either of these recipes look like your vodka spiked cherry tomatoes?

From Epicurious

Bloody mary tomatoes food network

 

 

[Anna N]

48 minutes ago, milgwimper said:

 

That rings a bell unfortunately the old link doesn't work. Does either of these recipes look like your vodka spiked cherry tomatoes?

From Epicurious

Bloody mary tomatoes food network

 

 

Nah.  I searched and searched and none of them seem to be the one.   Somehow I recollect them being in a best recipes book that used to collect all best the recipes of the year from various sources. 

 

 Edited to add that I think the Epicurious recipe comes very close and the books I am referring to were "The Best American Recipes of xxyear". 

Edited September 26, 2017 by Anna N (log)

[Shelby]

I'm so proud that all of this peeled tomato action/talk is happening 

[milgwimper]

Now that I have posted about cherry tomatoes I might have to try making these  pickled cherry tomatoes this weekend. i am not sure I will have time during the week. For now I will live vicariously through all the wonderful people peeling tomatoes.

[Katie Meadow]

On 9/23/2017 at 6:42 PM, blue_dolphin said:

Okra Oven Fries p 405 - a crispy and delicious snack.  The recipe calls for 1 lb of okra to yield 4 servings.  What you see in the photo is a small batch I cooked up with ~ 6 oz of raw okra and I'm pretty sure I could scarf up a pound's worth of these fries by myself.

 

Vivian recommends serving the Kitchen Sink Mayo or Cilantro Buttermilk, either of which would have been delicious but I had some Cesar-type dressing on hand from another dish and it did the job admirably!

 

I'm going to make this today. Any roasting tips? I must confess that I have had to doctor or adjust every one of Vivian's recipes I have made, although that isn't very many. I have the recipe for the okra but not for any dips, so I'm going to wing it with maybe some kind of spicy mayo. At the market there was a stall selling Oaxacan mole tamales. Turns out Oaxacan tamales are not my favorite kind, but they were packed with a container of outstanding vinegary hot sauce and I have enough of that elixir left over to make some kind of go-with dippy thing for my okra. 

[blue_dolphin]

4 hours ago, Katie Meadow said:

I'm going to make this today. Any roasting tips?

 

I did them in the CSO on convection bake at the specified 400°F and they took the full 25 min that was specified in the recipe. In addition to turning the pan, I also flipped the pieces around to get more even browning.

The 6 oz of okra that I cooked is absolutely the max to maintain some separation in that small oven pan so I would certainly recommend using a larger pan in a full size oven if you are doing any more than that. 

And I'd use convection if you have it as I think it helps to crisp them up. 

 

The spicy mayo sounds like a great dip for these guys. 

 

Edited to add that the one change I've made to most Deep Run Roots recipes is to start out with half of the specified amount of salt and that usually works out well for me. I generally do with with most cookbooks.  On the other hand, someone in another group said Vivian's recipes were under seasoned with respect to salt and she routinely doubles the salt!

Edited September 26, 2017 by blue_dolphin (log)

[milgwimper]

12 hours ago, Anna N said:

Nah.  I searched and searched and none of them seem to be the one.   Somehow I recollect them being in a best recipes book that used to collect all best the recipes of the year from various sources. 

 

 Edited to add that I think the Epicurious recipe comes very close and the books I am referring to were "The Best American Recipes of xxyear". 

 

I found the recipe in the  150 best American Recipes. I can't find my other books, but I do believe this is the recipe.

 

Vodka-Spiked Cherry Tomatoes with Pepper Salt

 found in 150 best American Recipes Summarized my me

 

3 pints         Firm Cherry Tomatoes

1/2 C           Vodka

3 Tbsp         White Wine Vinegar

1 tsp             Super fine (Castor?) Sugar

1 tsp.            Finely grated Lemon Zest

3 Tbsp          Kosher Salt

1  1/2 Tbsp   Coarse ground Black Pepper

 

Mark an X on the cherry tomatoes and dunk them in boiling water for 3 seconds, scoops them up and put them in a chilly ice bath. Drain, peel and set aside the tomatoes in a shallow bowl.  In another bowl whisk together Vodka, Vinegar, Lemon zest and Sugar, pour the mixture over the tomatoes coating them well. Cover and marinate 30 minutes to an hour in your refrigerator. In another small bowl mix the pepper and salt. Serve tomatoes with toothpicks for dipping in pepper salt mixture.

 

 

Edited September 27, 2017 by milgwimper
the measurement for the black pepper was incorrect (log)

[Katie Meadow]

The roasted okra was fabulous. My oven may be on the hot side; I think it would have been more perfect with either 5 minutes less or no convection. We had them with a side of grits and I wasn't watching the okra at the end--I was busy stirring my grits. I've roasted green beans this way many times at 375 F. Anyway, the okra is even better than green beans. I made two dips, mayo based, one with just hot sauce and the other with less hot sauce and smoked paprika. My husband preferred the paprika one. And like you, blue dolphin, we could have easily eaten a second tray. 

 

I realize I noted that I usually doctor Vivian's recipes, but in this case it was simple and needed nothing. And "doctoring" is not quite accurate. What I do to her recipes is often to UNfuss them or UNgild the lily. Vivian stretches my patience when she instructs to add "twenty twists" of the grinder; in that case I add a generous amount of pepper to taste. And how does she presume to know what kind of grinder I own? And does Ben stand behind her and count? Somebody stop me. She puts me is such a mood!

[Anna N]

1 hour ago, Katie Meadow said:

Vivian stretches my patience when she instructs to add "twenty twists" of the grinder; in that case I add a generous amount of pepper to taste. And how does she presume to know what kind of grinder I own? And does Ben stand behind her and count? Somebody stop me. She puts me is such a mood!

Amazing how different we each are. I was impressed by her counting the grinds. So impressed in fact that I took my own peppermill and counted the grinds and then measured the resulting pepper. I now know how many grinds to make a half teaspoon of pepper. 

[blue_dolphin]

I'm so glad the okra worked out OK!  

 

1 hour ago, Katie Meadow said:

Vivian stretches my patience when she instructs to add "twenty twists" of the grinder; in that case I add a generous amount of pepper to taste. And how does she presume to know what kind of grinder I own?

This made me laugh so loud!  I absolutely love this book's convention of giving the pepper measurements in BOTH teaspoon measurements and grinder turns.  For example, in the Okra Oven Fries recipe, it calls for 10 turns of the pepper mill or 1/4 t black pepper.  

First time I cooked from the book, I tested out my grinder and learned that it puts out about 2X the volume that Vivian uses.  As @Anna N commented, I now know that and have used that method going forward! - no more trying to eyeball 1/2 a teaspoon!  

That said, both spoon and grinder turn measurements are given throughout so the user can certainly choose which to use or to be annoyed by!

[blue_dolphin]

Fried Green Tomatoes with Curried Peach Preserves and Whipped Feta p 458

 

I really liked this.  I suspect there are those whose patience would be tried by a fried green tomato, marinated in buttermilk  coated with a crunchy breading flavored with sesame seeds, ground coriander, smoked paprika and cayenne, served on a whipped mixture of feta cheese and buttermilk with curried peach preserves on the side.   Not me!  Left on my own, I probably would have been happy with the fried tomatoes alone but the addition of the salty, creamy whipped feta and the sweet-tart-spicy preserves makes this something special. 

 

The only thing I think I"d do differently would be to serve both the preserves and the whipped feta on the side or else just eat faster  so the crispy breading on the tomatoes doesn't get soft.

 

Edited to add that I talked about the curried peach preserves in another post but I wanted to give them another shout out.  Highly recommended by me!

Edited September 30, 2017 by blue_dolphin (log)

[kayb]

I pickled mustard seeds yesterday in preparation for a riff on pickled peanut salad. A riff, because I don't like either bell pepper or celery. I'm thinking julienned carrots and maybe zucchini or cucumber, drained, instead.

 

 

[blue_dolphin]

3 minutes ago, kayb said:

I pickled mustard seeds yesterday in preparation for a riff on pickled peanut salad. A riff, because I don't like either bell pepper or celery. I'm thinking julienned carrots and maybe zucchini or cucumber, drained, instead.

 

Funny you should mention this.  I just put DRR back on the bookshelf after making the fried green tomatoes last night and caught sight of that pork chop with the pickled peanut salad on the back cover.  I said to myself, "Self, you need to make something from that peanut chapter next!"

In that photo, there's a smear of that citrus sweet potato butter - another yum!

[Shelby]

Yesterday afternoon I made the Blueberry Cobbler with a Cornmeal Sugar-Cookie Crust from page 205.

 

I used these frozen (expensive) blueberries that had gotten right before our hunter came.  

 

The recipe is very easy to follow.  I halved it.  I'm kind of sad now that I halved it because it is so freaking good.  The cookie crust is amazing.  

 

Once again, I didn't read ahead to see that she recommends leaving the berries in the sugar mixture for 2 hours or even overnight.  I did the 2 hours and that seemed perfectly fine

 

I had a bit of dough left so I threw it on the pan in the middle.  I am now eating it with coffee this morning.

 

 

 

[Katie Meadow]

Today I made Vivian's Crispy Ginger Rice with Leeks. I think I got it on line somewhere, but assume it is in the book. It's totally delicious. I used a bit more leeks than suggested (because I had some huge leeks and didn't read the ingredients list very carefully) and added Shitake mushrooms, which were also a suggested add-in. Love the crispy crunchy rice parts. Highly recommend, especially for rice junkies like myself.

[kayb]

I think my favorite recipe in the entire book -- certainly one of the most versatile -- is for Stewed Tomatoes. As my neighbor's tomatoes stubbornly continue producing, and she keeps gifting me with them, I decided I'd make a big batch of stewed tomatoes today and can them.

 

 

These 10 pints represent about a triple batch of the recipe. I cooked up to the point of adding bread crumbs, then canned and water-bath processed. When I'm ready to eat them, I can just open a jar, add the crumbs, and simmer a bit to thicken.

 

I think these, on top of grits with eggs baked in them, are just about my favorite breakfast in the world.

 

[kayb]

Think I failed to ever post the results of the peanut salad. My verdict: not nearly enough brine, resulting in a relatively bland dish. I added several tablespoons of red wine vinegar and a teaspoon or two of sugar, and that improved the taste markedly.

 

It's interesting. Don't know that I'd take the trouble to make it again. The pickled mustard seeds seemed very faint in the flavor profile. The onion and carrot sub worked nicely.

 

[curls]

For the holidays, finally getting to the party magnet -- the cheese ball!

[Smithy]

1 hour ago, curls said:

For the holidays, finally getting to the party magnet -- the cheese ball!

 

Thanks for the reminder!

[Shelby]

Ditto on the thanks.  I'm having one more Christmas next Sunday and these might be just the ticket.

[blue_dolphin]

In the category of things I never knew existed and really shouldn't be eating, I give you the Sausage Balls from Deep Run Roots p 372 with the suggested accompaniment of the Apple Mustard on p 502.

Vivian says sausage balls are a clichéd party food and often disappointing. Completely unaware of sausage balls over here so I had to try these to catch up with the rest of the planet.

I used the Maple & Sage Breakfast Sausage from The Food Lab plus a nice Cabot extra sharp cheddar and followed Vivian's recipe except for making them slightly smaller ~ 3/4oz instead of 1 oz. They are very tasty. Just enough cornmeal to hold them together. Most of the fat drains off so they don't seem greasy at all.

 

Vivian says the Apple Mustard is like an apple butter with an edge. Excellent description. It's kicked up with onion, Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, cayenne, star anise, cloves, thyme and orange slices. I only made a half recipe but I think I'll still pack it up in some little jars and waterbath process them.

Edited February 18, 2018 by blue_dolphin (log)

[Anna N]

 They look delicious. They ain’t sausage rolls. 

Oops!  I read sausage rolls and now I see sausage balls. Carry-on.

Edited February 18, 2018 by Anna N (log)