Roll Tide Cheese Grits Casserole

Carol, a superb cook and friend of family in Tuscaloosa (Roll Tide), Alabama, shared her recipe for a cheese grits casserole with me several years ago. I loved it then and filed it away in our "keeper" file. A lock box might have been more appropriate. I returned to it recently when feeding some 20-something types in town doing volunteer work and it worked like a charm. Keep this one as an ace-in-the-hole recipe.

Along with this cheese grits casserole I served my take on smoked brisket that I had smoked and slow cooked for over 14 hours. More on that later.

Carol's recipe calls for white 'quick grits' which produces a remarkable result. I am known to break the rules on occasion, however, and I call for yellow stone-ground grits instead. The food science literature agrees that: the less you do to a grain, the higher the fiber content and attendant health benefits. I try to take the healthy route, but I must say that it also tastes better and has more texture. Plus, I like yellow.

Parts of this recipe will raise a "tsk,tsk" from some of my foodie friends. My advice is to relax, follow the recipe and enjoy some good old Southern comfort food that will melt in your mouth.

ROLL TIDE CHEESE GRITS CASSEROLE

Put 4 cups of water on to boil. Liberally salt it with a three finger pinch and a half of salt. Throw in a hit of cajun seasoning. After it comes to a boil, gradually stir in 1 cup of yellow stone-grond grits. Cook according to package directions stirring occasionally to stop clumping. When grits lose their soupy quality and begin to coalesce add the following:

1/2 stick of butter or margarine (trans-fat free)
3/4 cup of sharp cheddar, broken into pieces
1/2 of 1-pound package of Velveeta (you may use the fat reduced version), in chunks

Add 1/2 cup of milk and 2 eggs, separately (not mixed together)

Cook until the grits thicken.

Pour into an 8 x 8 casserole dish and cook in a pre-heated oven at 325 degrees until the surface becomes golden to early brown. Remove and let it sit for five minutes. Serve with Crystal Hot Sauce.

RUBY'S RESTAURANT MENU (GAINESVILLE FL). Click on image to enlarge it

RUBY'S RESTAURANT IS THE GEM OF GAINESVILLE RESTAURANTS

Ruby's Restaurant located at 308 NW 5th Avenue (378-0490)is flat out my favorite restaurant in Gainesville and I recommend that you rush over and support this local business. I guarantee you will love their food. The first time I visited Ruby's I felt like Columbus when he first eyeballed the New World through his hand telescope. I was on to something very important. I felt like I had struck gold.

Once in a very, very rare while, I taste a dish in a restaurant that is so good on return visits I am incapable of ordering anything else on the menu. That experience has happened not once, not twice, but three times at Ruby's. Three of Ruby's signature dishes (there are more I have not tried yet) are Dirty Rice w/ Shrimp, Blueberry De-Lite, and their Gator Burgers. "Mercy," and a shake of the head is always my reaction after the first bite of each.

The Dirty Rice with Shrimp is a Louisiana inspired plate of rice and meat with beautiful seared and seasoned shrimp on top. I may never get past this dish when presented the menu. It is tasty and no one else in town has undertaken it. I will go back again and again for this spicy rice dish.

I am not really a dessert person but a taste of the Blueberry De-Lite is as fine a dessert as there is on the planet. New Orleans' Commander's Palace's bread souffle with whisky sauce has a challenger. The De-Lite has a crunch crust on the bottom with layers of pudding, cream cheese, blueberries, whipped cream and nuts. I try not to lead you into sin, but dive in on this one.

The Gator Burger is a show stopper. I was expecting your basic good small restaurant burger. Instead I saw them put the one pound patty on the grill. It looked like a frisbee. The burger came out perfectly cooked on Texas toast. I immediately knew that it was beyond my capacity so I cut it in half and saved the other half for a buddy at the office who loves fine burgers. I can not even imagine what the Double Gator Burger must look like.

Ruby's is owned by Ruby and Johnny Moore. Both come from families of fine cooks. If I were to label Ruby's, I would call it progressive home cooking. The Moores have put together a menu that pulls from African-American cooking traditions (the motherlode of Southern foodways) and takes that cuisine to the next level with unique twists and turns that make their dishes always tasty and often intriguing. Imagination and love are clearly at work at Ruby's. Their son, Johnny Jr., works in the restaurant and charms each customer with his enthusiasm for his parent's cooking. Give Ruby's a try. You will not be disappointed.

A Democratic Convention delegate's video blog

A friend of mine, Susan Bottcher, is a delegate to the Democratic Convention and, after persistent pestering from yours truly and others, has initiated a video blog that she will update daily from the convention. The following link should take you to Susan's blog that will serve to interpret the happenings in Denver:
http://bucknakedpolitics.typepad.com/buck_naked_politics/2008/08/conventional-ex.html

PURE HOMEMADE SIN PASSES 2000 HITS

I want to thank my readers and hope that you will bring some more into the fold. I have a number of ideas in the works for this blog and, after campaign season ends, will be posting at a faster clip than my current weekly renderings.

Thanks again.


Jim

How can anyone pass up Aunt Bettye Sue's Dixie Relish that appeared in today's Times-Picayune?

Check this out and I bet you will do what I just did. You will run to your cupboard to see if you have pint jars available and ready for canning. Mercy, Percy!http://blog.nola.com/judywalker/2008/08/aunt_bettye_sues_dixie_version.html

Publix: buy more produce locally

My local supermarket around the corner from my house, Publix, is a fine grocery chain with a fatal flaw.

Publix buys very little local produce and other perishable products and, more often than not, ships all these goods to my store in Gainesville, Florida from points in the US as far away as California. As I have mentioned before, I am amazed to regularly see California produce in my Publix that was shipped across country at enormous expense in fuel and to my modest financial resources.

Seeing California citrus in my Publix's produce section during prime Florida citrus season really sets me off. It is an astonishing waste of fuel and an insult to Floridians by a homegrown, Florida-based company. It is not enough for Publix to be a homegrown Florida company. they need to buy locally too.

The August 6, 2008 edition of the New York Times has an article entitled, Supermarket Chains Narrow Their Sights by Marian Burros (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/06/dining/06local.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&ref=dining. I highly recommend Burros' article and hope that higher ups at Publix will take heed to the message that Burros delivers.

Ms.Burros writes about national and regional chains that are waking up to the benefits of buying closer to home to reduce fuel consumption, provide a fresher product, support local farmers, and meet the rising demand from consumers for locally produced agricultural goods.

Grocery chains like New York state's Wegman's (the finest grocery store in the USA in my book, www.wegmans.com) have developed long-term relations with New York and regional farmers to provide produce that, in their stores, takes my breath away with freshness and variety. According to Burros, Wal-Mart (of all chains) has decided to spend $400 million dollars to provide more local produce in their many stores across the country.

Both of these food sellers have opted out of the insane cycle of shipping produce across country on a chronically regular basis. Burros points out that "in some cases, the cost of freight is more than the cost of the goods themselves."

I buy from local farmers via farmers'markets and a superb Gainesville owned grocery, Wards. Wards is committed to providing fresh goods sold to them by companies and farmers who share a similar zip code to Gainesville.

I urge Publix to go with the flow and change its wasteful habit. Publix needs to rise to the standard of New York's Wegman's or Gainesville's Ward's. Publix is too fine of a chain to allow this business flaw to continue.

I am a regular Publix shopper, but folks at Publix can do better. I hope and trust that they will. Publix: Be a better neighbor to Floridians and we will reward you for it.

New Steve Cropper/Felix Cavaliere album cooks big-time

I highly recommend the new album, Nudge It Up a Notch, by Steve Cropper and Felix Cavaliere. Cropper, of course, is the guitarist for Booker T and the MG's and co-author of many hits including Midnight Hour and Knock On Wood. Cavaliere was the lead singer and monster writer for the Rascals, one of my favorite bands of all-time.

Needless to say, these guys have mega-watt credentials and this collaboration is very satisfying. The production is a live-in-the-studio feel with a fabulous rhythm section and back up vocalists. Almost like Al Green's band meets Booker T and the Rascals. Gas up the Olds (better yet, take the bus or ride your bike) and buy this one.

New York Times article, "The Return of the Lost Tomato," is a must-read

The New York Times on Wednesday has a separate section, Dining Out, that is a must-read for any follower of food. Today's issue touched on a subject dear to my heart, New Jersey tomatoes. I grew up in the summers on the Jersey shore in Ocean City, NJ and came to love the tomatoes grown in that area.

Today's article (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/23/dining/23toma.html?_r=1&ref=dining&oref=slogin) by Julia Moskin is a feast to a tomato lover's eyes and I highly recommend you read it. The article deals with a hybrid developed at Rutgers, the Ramapo, that had nearly disappeared but is being returned to use there.

The article reinforces what I have been writing about in this blog about the benefits of growing produce locally. The writer points out that tomatoes in recent decades have been bred for shipping with "thick skins and tough walls." Mr. Gary Ibsen of California when interviewed by the writer stated that "...now that shipping is so expensive, I think everything is going to change again. You're going to see a lot more local tomatoes everywhere."

The article points out that it costs $10,000 to ship tomatoes across country. Can you imagine what it costs to ship citrus from California to Florida? Are you listening Publix?

For the record, New Jersey needs to know there is competition out there. Anyone who has tasted an Alabama Sand Mountain tomato has had their own occasion to taste divinity in the same league with Jersey tomatoes.

I recommend you read the New York Times every Wednesday. The Dining Out section is a treasure.

Alachua County Farmers' Market Busy This Morning

With increased awareness to buying locally, our farmers' markets are busy, busy, busy. The farmers' market up by the Highway Patrol station was just that. This morning, I arrived about 10:45 and the parking lot was full and vendor's supplies were beginning to run thin. One vendor had been selling greens, but was sold out. I saw lots of tomatoes, okra, local eggplant, acorn squash, butternut squash, and ample offerings of plants. The opportunities to buy low priced, high quality produce are many.

Certainly, buying locally allows the consumer to purchase a fresher product with less energy being expended it to bring it to the customer. A paraphrasing of a line from John Hartford's music says it well. "It's good for the country, good for the nation, ain't nothing like that sweet sensation"... of buying home-grown Florida produce.

To magnify why buying locally is a smart way to shop, take a look at products sold in the produce sections of many conventional grocery chains. Try to get a sense of how far those items were shipped before it reached your hands. You will be shocked particularly when there are ample supplies closer to the store that would put money into the local economy, use less energy to deliver to the customer, and be of higher quality and taste.

My pet peeve is when Publix ships California citrus across the country to sell in Florida, a leading citrus producer. Give me a break.........

RECIPE: WALHALLA PIMENTO CHEESE

WALHALLA SC PIMENTO CHEESE

My friend, Paul, is an aficionado of Southern cooking and resides with his wife, Carol, in Walhalla, SC. When the county decided to place road signs on the driveway roads abutting the county's paved road, they were asked to submit their choice of a name for their drive. Paul's nomination was Psycho Path, but his choice was vetoed by Carol.

A renaissance man, Paul’s recipe for pimento cheese is a sure thing if you are planning on feeding Yankee guests who need remedial guidance in the ways of Southern cooking.

Soon after Paul and Carol sent the recipe, they prepared for a “pig pickin’” to honor 5 retiring Home Extension agents. The party menu included barbecue pork, slaw, beans, hand cranked ice cream, watermelon, and cantaloupe with pimento cheese sandwiches as appetizers. Paul wrote that “This will be a knowledgeable crowd, but we won’t lose any sleep worrying that the pimento cheese won’t stand up to close scrutiny.”

I bet.

Ingredients:

2 parts sharp yellow cheddar
1 part sharp white cheddar
drained pimentos, chopped
mayonnaise, Duke’s or Hellman’s
freshly ground black pepper, coarse


Preparation:

In his note to me with this recipe, he wrote the following instructions:

“If the cheese is well-chilled, a food processor will do a good job of grating the cheese. Turn the cheese into a large bowl and add the chopped pimentos. The size of the particles is still being debated and may never be decided.
Add mayo and pepper and begin to blend, adding more mayo and pepper as needed, which is also a matter of some debate.
Sometimes (if my wife isn’t looking) I add a bit of French’s mustard, sometimes a dash of Tabasco, never both.
Cover and chill overnight.”

Don't miss the June 17th article on a visit to Emeril's in NOLA (copy and paste to your browser). Read it and weep ...

http://www.gumbopages.com/looka/archive/2008-06.html#17

The Southern Foodways Alliance: a god-send for revering and preserving Southern food-ways

I would be remiss to not urge you, even nag you, to become familiar with the Southern Foodways Alliance (SFA), a subset of the University of Mississippi's Institute for Southern Culture (http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/south/). Both organizations have produced projects, films, and books of merit about southern culture and, in particular, its cuisines. The Encyclopedia of Southern Culture was my first foray into their organizations and I regularly use the SFA web site, http://www.southernfoodways.com/. Also, check out the four volumes of Cornbread Nation, http://southernfoodways.com/cornbread_nation.shtml,

John T. Edge and John Edgerton have long been leaders of the alliance and any of their publications are also highly recommended.

Good reading to you.

J.M. Smucker Co., new owners of White Lily respond to my constructively critical e-mail

With a tradition of excellence that spans our more than 110 years of heritage, we take seriously our role as stewards of our high-quality brands. We acquired the White Lily brand in 2006 from C.H. Guenther & Sons, Inc. Guenther retained ownership of the Knoxville milling facility in addition to their other U.S. milling locations.
Throughout its history the ownership of the White Lily brand has changed hands numerous times. Since we acquired the White Lily brand our primary goal has been to restore and return the brand's historic standard of excellence. As part of these efforts we recently moved production of White Lily to a premier milling operation. This fifth generation family milling operation has served as a secondary miller of White Lily for generations. We took great care to maintain White Lily's unique recipe and production processes, including the use of only the same soft red winter wheat which was primarily sourced from Ohio, Michigan and Indiana throughout the history of the brand. In fact, the current milling operation is located in the heart of soft red winter wheat country which means the wheat will move from field to milling more quickly than when it was produced in Tennessee.
Further, there have been no changes to the product specifications or milling process and our experience and testing demonstrates the product consistently delivers the high quality performance consumers demand of White Lily products.
We are proud to include White Lily in our family of brands and you have our commitment that we will continue to be guided by our respect for White Lily's historic standard of excellence and the deep loyalty of its consumers. You can continue to trust in the uniqueness of White Lily flour and depend on it to help you create cherished meals.
Sincerely,Debbie SparrowConsumer Relations Representative
Ref # 8009069

Check out site dedicated to buying local, Florida seafood

I happened upon an ad on television from the seafood marketing folks in the Florida ag department. I highly recommend that you check out their web site, http://www.fl-seafood.com./

The site seeks to educate and stimulate Florida consumers to buy locally just as you all are doing with local produced vegetables at local farmers' markets. To patronize the local seafood industry is good for our economy and insures your fish has not been shipped inordinate distances reducing its freshness. International dumping of seafood from overseas has raised serious concerns about the safety of those seafoods. Eleviate those concerns by being sure you know where your seafood was swimming last night.

Make use of this site to find vendors and restaurants that serve Florida seafood. Check out the recipes and other information that will help you bring home the safest, tastiest, and freshest product. You may be pleasantly surprised that a government site can be this valuable.

This summer, my recommendation is to: GO NATIVE and go to http://www.fl-seafood.com/.

COMPANY MESSES WITH A HALLOWED FLOUR

Not since Coca-Cola devised a new recipe thinking that they knew what was best for their loyal customers has a company failed as a steward of a fine product. Today's New York Times article on the closing of the Knoxville mill that produces White Lily flour is a must read for any serious baker.

Take heed and let them know what you think of the closing and the errosive effect on the quality of this product that has been cherished by generations of Southern bakers.

To read the article: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/18/dining/18flour.html?_r=1&ref=dining&oref=slogin

ALL MY ROADS LEAD TO NEW ORLEANS

As far as I am concerned all of my culinary roads lead to New Orleans' cuisines.

I heartily recommend that you read the dining column in the New Orleans Times-Picayune located at www.nola.com/dining. Judy Walker, the food editor, and Marcelle Bienvenu (pictured above respectively) have long written rich articles on their local cuisines and their works printed in the local paper always amaze me and remind why I love the cooking of Louisiana.

As New Orleans reconstructs its infrastructure its library of recipes is also being remembered and re-collected by hook or crook. Many recipes were lost in the flood and, through the efforts of Walker and Bienvenu, people around the country have tapped into their files, notes, and shoeboxes to provide those missing links to New Orleans that could have been lost forever.

I have just subscribed to their weekly e-mail newsletter and I am relieved that I will not lose touch with their efforts and take on Louisiana cuisine.

Captain Yogi's Fish Shanty/ Canandaigua Lake, NY

My wife and I first visited Captain Yogi's Fish Shanty, on the road running along the eastern shore of Canandaigua Lake in western NY state, during the Thanksgiving holiday, 1999. To say we were immediately smitten is an understatement.

Captain Yogi's, then owned by the good Captain and his wife, Admiral Lois, served marvelous fish fries to neighbors enjoying summers on the lake, a reprieve from western New York's long, cold winters. At first sighting, the shanty could be a beach-side Jimmy Buffet place, but you will find no traces of Southern accents here, just tasty New England-style seafood. Their restaurant is a 33 year tradition for lake dwellers and they claim to have served 2 1/2 million clam strip dinners since June 5, 1975. OK, the Captain probably never liked math in school.

The Captain, a jolly big man wins over his customers with his delicious food and kindly manner. His becurled wife, Lois, is a "piece of work" who is full of personality, a fine manager of the business, and has some sort of special aura that I can not define for you. For many years, she and her husband have made their dedicated customers feel at home and relaxed by greeting each one like a long-lost relative. Fun is the name of the game in Captain Yogi's and tasty food is the main product.

The torch has been passed to new owners, Nancy and Jeff, so the Captain and Lois can take life easy from the long hours that the restaurant business requires. When we there last week, Lois had dropped in and we were very, very happy to see her. The Captain was not there as he was "probably playing cards." I would bet he is the kindliest card shark on Canandaigua Lake.

I have surveyed the many dishes coming out of the kitchen ranging from clam baskets, to New England clam chowder, broiled scallops, baked flounder, crab cakes, scallop asiago, hamburgers, grilled cheese sandwiches, and......yes......peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

To be honest, I have tasted none of the above. I always order the fried haddock and fries with the goodie bar (a very diverse salad bar). Further, I informed the new owners that I do not expect to advance past that dish. It is perfectly prepared and I fully intend to order the same thing everytime I visit Captain Yogi's. If they remove the fish fry from the menu, they should prepare themselves for a renactment of the Civil War within their restaurant.

The main chef is still in place. He cooks with clean, fresh, hot oil and the fried items come out golden, crisp, without a hint of grease. This guy knows exactly what he is doing and the proof is in the tasty dishes he turns out. Also, Captain Yogi's has the friendliest waitresses who greet everyone as if they were bringing you into their own homes.

The chef and the waitresses have worked for the Captain and Lois for years, a good sign that suggests stability and quality in this business. Everything is prepared to order and there is no fast food here. Be prepared to stay awhile and enjoy delicious food and a fun atmosphere.

Yankees have a thing about sitting outdoors. Most smart Floridians do not sit outside in the summer. The weather in western NY is usually suitable for outdoor dining, but I prefer to sit inside when I can. Now that we have a dog, however, those days are over. They were very nice to bring a water bowl and allowed us to dine in their outside court yard. My pup approved.

Lastly to the good Captain and his Admiral, Lois: your customers love you and your food. You can leave the business, but you will never leave our hearts. To the new owners, Nancy and Jeff, we wish you good luck and smooth sailing.

One last note: the county is dry so adult beverage drinking is not allowed.

New Postings to Go Up Next Week

I am on the road in western New York state and can not upload photos from my digital cam. They tell me it is too old. I bought it in 1999. Nine years does not seem that long to me, but it does to photo shops.

I will start uploading information, recipes, video, and photos when I return home early in the week.

Pardon the interruption.

Be Sure to Check Out My Favorite Links

One benefit of the several blogs I read (over and above their content) are the links that they recommend. I have found many new surprises that I return to over and again.

Check out my Favorite Links to see if there is anything there that you might enjoy.