Shopping: Fresh Market

Last weekend, I went to three grocery stores in Indianapolis: Whole Foods, Trader Joe's and Fresh Market. I was excited because the Whole Foods was a newer, flashier one than where I usually shop in the city and I had never been to a Fresh Market before. You might remember it from Top Chef Miami, it's where they bought all of their groceries.

Visually, Fresh Market is very much like Whole Foods. It was kind of like, "what store am I in?" It's very green and white, with a dash of the organic, natural. They have their own store brand and lots of wonderful produce included great buys on blood oranges and pencil thin asparagus. I was surprised to find an array of Southern delicacies including several varieties of pimento cheese and some Southern vegetables you don't see everywhere, including Silver Queen corn. Yes, Silver Queen. It's really a family joke, which won't be funny to anyone but me: my family could have an entire dinner table conversation about corn, its varieties and the subtle differences in flavor and sweetness. When I was a child, Silver Queen was one of the preferred corns.

It was a fun shopping trip and I got some delicious things: chocolate-covered pretzels with toffee bits; an indulgent chocolate coffee which is the most aromatic I have ever had; a black and white cookie; tiny, thin asparagus; and blood oranges.

Reminiscing: Food in 'To Kill a Mockingbird'

Last week, I reread To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee in order to prepare for the Swope Book Club discussion. We have a book club as part of our First Friday event and select texts related to works of art in the Museum's collection. Mockingbird was selected because of a special exhibition on view, African American Images and Artists from the Swope Collection which features an interesting painting by John McCrady called, Hush, Somebody's Calling My Name. McCrady was a Southern Regionalist and drew inspiration from the music and culture of the people around him, the title of his painting comes from a spiritual popular in the late-19th century.

John McCrady, Hush Somebody's Calling My Name, 1939
Oil and tempera on canvas
Swope Art Museum Collection, 1941.21

We had a great discussion about the painting and the book. Everyone had a lot of insight into the characters and felt very strongly about particular ones, especially Atticus and his role as 'the grounded, moral center' of the story. The narrator aside, I appreciated the balance between Calpurnia and Aunt Alexandra the most. Both women were trying to 'do the right thing' for Scout, but operating from two very different perspectives with unique motivations.

I continued to think about the book over the weekend and want to see the film again, while the text is still fresh in my mind. One thing I wish we would have discussed is the role of food in the story. It really is an important character in the book, expressing the quailities of Southern life even during an era of depression and need. What the various people eat (or don't eat in some cases) says as much about them as the delightful descriptions that Lee provides. I almost want to reread the book again, paying closer attention to the food as I go. Perhaps next year.

One of the main references to food is of course the Southern favorite, cake. Miss Maudie references her Lane Cake in this quote, "“Soon as I can get my hands clean and when Stephanie Crawford’s not looking, I’ll make him a Lane Cake. That Stephanie’s been after my recipe for thirty years, and if she thinks I’ll give it to her just because I’m staying with her she’s got
another thing coming.” Lots of people are protective of their recipes (not me!) and I have heard stories of steps or ingredients being left out of many a 'shared' recipe. Crafty.

Epicurious has a recipe for Lane Cake that looks delicious, but must be quite the undertaking.

For more information on Southern food see:
Southern Foodways Alliance

Three of my favorite books on Southern cooking:
Gift of Southern Cooking: Recipes and Revelations from Two Great Southern Cooks by Edna Lewis and Scott Peacock
The Glory of Southern Cooking by James Villas
The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook: Stories and Recipes for Southerners and Would Be Southerners by Matt Lee and Ted Lee

AND, a recent article in the New York Times about sweet tea vodka, the new house wine of the South.

Perfect Summer Meal

People often make fun of me because I seem more interested in documenting the table setting or food, rather than the guests. For this dinner I made a concerted effort to wait until everyone was seated before photographing all of the wonderful food on the table, but something went awry and I somehow didn't end up with a photo. Promise I did it.

What is the perfect summer meal, you ask? I would say that it is one made of garden-fresh produce and shared with friends. On Saturday, my parents came for a visit and we did fun things like fix my garage door and replace the lights in the garage. But, dad also brought three sacks of goodies: tomatoes, squash and okra. We had been talking about going out for dinner, but instead I put together a quick meal for friends who responded to a hasty invitation.

The menu was simple and thrown together quickly, with the centerpiece being the aforementioned vegetables. Here goes:

Olive and pickly things
Pimento cheese stuffed celery (a Southern staple)
Simple salad greens dressed with oil, red wine vinegar and garlic
Pan seared zucchini and squash
Mixed tomato salad with feta and basil, dressed with lemon olive oil and champagne vinegar
Deviled eggs
Oklahoma Hushpuppies

The last entry was really the star of the evening and is in actuality a recipe for 'okra pancakes' from Scott Peacock (what a great name) and Edna Lewis' book The Gift of Southern Cooking: Recipes and Revelations from Two Great Southern Cooks. If you aren't familiar with these two cooks, I advise you to pick up a copy of this book as both are experts on Southern cookery and have a rare friendship despite the multiple decades that separate their ages. Barb took one bite of the pancakes and said, "These are Oklahoma hushpuppies, " and I quite agree. There are many wonderful methods for preparing okra, but I think this is one of the simplest and not surisingly, most delicious. Even if you think you don't like okra, which I can't imagine, I'm sure this recipe will seduce you.

Recipe: Oklahoma Hushpuppies

1/2 cup stone-ground white cornmeal
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt, plus more for serving
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 1/2 salt (separated)
2 cups thinly sliced okra (about 1 pound)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Peanut oil, for frying

In a big yellow bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and the baking powder. Whisk to combine. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and 1/2 cup water. Stir the egg mixture into the dry ingredients.

In a small bowl season okra with remaining 1 teaspoon of salt and the pepper. Toss to combine, and fold into the batter.

Heat 1/2 to 1 inch of oil to very hot. Working in batches so as not to crowd the pan, spoon the batter by 1/8 cup into the hot oil. Fry until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Remove from oil with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with additional salt if desired, and serve immediately.

Mangez!