The Lee Bros. Simple Fresh Southern_ Knockout Dishes With Down-Home Flavor - Matt Lee [41]
Much of the art of the vegetable side dish is attained through trial and error, finding the grace notes that work best. We tried dozens of variations to discover that tarragon works beautifully with braised carrots, mint is perfect with a mix of root vegetables, and toasted sesame seeds (what we call “benne” in Charleston) are fantastic paired with the subtle sweetness of baked squash.
RECIPES
Squash Half-Moons with Butter, Sesame, and Salt
Collard Greens with Poblano Chiles and Chorizo
Skillet Green Beans with Orange
Spinach with Collards Seasoning
Lemon-Glazed Sweet Potatoes
Pimento-Cheese Potato Gratin
Toasted Rice and Peas “Hoppin’ John”
Roasted Parsnips with Mint
Roasted New Potatoes with Country Ham and Chiles
Braised Carrots with Tarragon and Lime
Smoked Cauliflower
Roasted Zucchini with Toasted Pecans and Lemon
SQUASH HALF-MOONS WITH BUTTER, SESAME, AND SALT
serves 6 • TIME: 40 minutes
Dad’s acorn squash (halves roasted with a pat of butter, a squeeze of lemon, and some salt in the middle) was one of the highlights of the winter season, and though it would be hard to improve on that, we’ve discovered a few tricks that elevate the dish to something we’re proud to serve at a midwinter dinner party or a holiday feast. Toasted sesame seeds sprinkled over the top, and warm spices blended into the melted butter, add some nutty intrigue and complement the flavor of the squash beautifully. (See photograph.)
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon, garam masala, curry powder, or your own blend of wintery spices
Two 1½-pound acorn or kabocha squash
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons sesame seeds
1 Heat the oven to 425°F, with a rack positioned in the middle of the oven.
2 Heat the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. When the froth on the butter begins to subside, thoroughly whisk in the cinnamon or other spices. Remove from the heat.
3 Cut each squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Then slice each half lengthwise into 3 half-moon-shaped slices of roughly equal size. You should have 12 wedges total.
4 Place the squash half-moons, flesh side up, on a roasting pan or baking sheet, baste them with the spiced butter and season them with 1 teaspoon of the salt. Bake for about 35 minutes, or until the squash begins to brown at the upper corners and yields easily to a knife.
5 While the squash bakes, heat a dry skillet over high heat. Add the sesame seeds and toast them, stirring them occasionally, until you just notice their color beginning to darken, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the sesame seeds to a small bowl and set aside.
6 When the squash is ready, reheat the butter until it’s hot. Baste each squash slice with the spiced butter, and then sprinkle them generously with the toasted sesame seeds and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Serve immediately.
COLLARD GREENS WITH POBLANO CHILES AND CHORIZO
serves 4 • TIME: 5 minutes preparation, 15 minutes cooking
We’ve always enjoyed cooking with fresh hot chiles, but we tended to use them simply as seasoning—a mere accent—until the summer of 2004, when we met Erik Lopez. At the time, Lopez was the 25-year-old kitchen steward of the four-star New York restaurant Daniel, and we were reporting our first “The Industry” column for the New York Times. We love interviewing people with interesting jobs in the food industry, jobs that you may never have imagined existed.
We shadowed Lopez through 3 long days as he hustled around the network of basement kitchens and sub-basement storerooms. The best part of his day—and ours, as it turned out—was the “family meal,” the staff meal typically prepared on the fly from whatever