• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

By Root 202 0

bird (the typical southern protein) so it could serve as a vegetarian main dish or as a side dish when some form of meat is already on the menu. And we wanted it to be every bit as luscious as the squab purloo from our first cookbook. This version features the meaty flavor of cremini mushrooms and poblano chiles, together with bright, fresh okra, but it works well with any number of veggie combinations, so long as the basic volume of vegetables remains the same. This dish is a perfect home for those three Brussels sprouts in the vegetable drawer, or that half an eggplant, or the last ear of corn (a dose of natural sweetness in the purloo is nice). Put the carrot half in there too, along with the celery tops.

8 ounces cremini mushrooms, trimmed and quartered (about 3 cups)

8 ounces okra, stems trimmed, pods sliced in half lengthwise (about 2 cups)

3 poblano peppers or 1 large green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and diced (about 2 cups)

2 teaspoons kosher salt

3 tablespoons peanut or other vegetable oil

2 medium yellow onions, diced (about 2 cups)

1 cup basmati rice, rinsed and drained

3 tablespoons chopped garlic (about 6 cloves), optional

2 large tomatoes, diced (about 3 cups), with any liquid

¼ teaspoon crushed dried red chile flakes

¼ teaspoon dried thyme leaves

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 bay leaves

¼ cup dry white wine

2 cups vegetable broth, homemade or store-bought

1 Heat the oven to 375°F, with a rack positioned in the top third of the oven.

2 Toss the mushrooms, okra, poblanos, and 1 teaspoon of the salt together in a mixing bowl, and reserve.

3 Pour the oil into a heavy-bottomed 3-quart Dutch oven or ovenproof pot set over medium-high heat. When the oil starts to shimmer, add the onions and remaining 1 teaspoon salt, and sauté, stirring occasionally, until they just begin to acquire some golden color, about 6 minutes. Add the rice and garlic, and stir constantly for about 2 minutes, until the rice smells toasty and the garlic begins to brown. Add the chopped tomatoes, with any liquid that collected beneath them, and the chile flakes, thyme, black pepper, and bay leaves. Stir constantly for about 2 minutes, until the tomatoes are well incorporated and beginning to dissolve. Add the white wine and the broth, and use a wooden spoon to stir up any caramelized garlic sticking to the bottom of the pot. At this point the contents of the pot will resemble a watery tomato stew.

4 In thirds, gently fold the mushrooms, okra, and poblanos into the pot. It may seem like too much vegetable matter, but fret not—it will cook down and reduce, releasing liquid in the process. When the liquid returns to a simmer, cover the pot and place it in the oven. Bake for 20 minutes without opening the door.

5 Transfer the pot to a trivet, but leave it covered (don’t peek!) and undisturbed for 10 minutes. Then ring the dinner bell.

AUSTIN-STYLE BRUNCH: GREENS AND EGGS MIGAS

serves 4 • TIME: 25 minutes preparation, 10 minutes cooking

Every southern city worth its salt has at least one culinary icon. Charleston’s got a few: shrimp and grits, she-crab soup, benne wafers. Austin, Texas, has barbecued sausage and migas, a Tex-Mex entrant in the comfort-food canon that’s served without fanfare at countless diners, family restaurants, and greasy spoons, but that also gets interpreted by fancy-pants chefs all over the Lone Star State.

Migas means “crumbs” in Spanish, and the roots of the dish can be traced to the Old World, specifically to Portugal and Spain. Popular legend has it that the migas we know and love—a fry-up of eggs, onions, fresh chiles, and tortilla chips, typically sluiced with a tomato salsa—was introduced to the United States by Mexican immigrants to Texas, who needed to make use of stale corn tortillas they couldn’t bear to discard.

However the dish came about, migas is a dynamite hangover remedy and brunch dish. In our kitchen, we lay migas over Collard Greens with Poblano Chiles and Chorizo, and it’s a powerful restorative at breakfast time or at any time of