A Yankee in a Southern Kitchen

Asparagus are in abundance now. I am grateful for this. They are on the top of the vegetable list for me. Not being able to wait till Sunday to sample the asparagus I purchased from the farmers market. I quickly sauteed a few stalks trimmed of their tough ends having cut them into two inch sections, then cooking in a little butter with salt & pepper. They are simply wonderful cooked this way only hours from being picked. It’s almost as if I can taste the earth they came from, they were that fresh.

For some odd reason my trip to the market and the taste and smell of the fresh asparagus reminded me of a story my parents tell. This story is my second clue that being in the kitchen is where I belong, where I fit in. The first clue is that; my favorite childhood toy was Mud-pies & other Recipes; a book I still have in my possession. The only childhood toy I have I might add. This book is smudged with tiny fingerprints as a mark to remind me that as a young cook giving my hand to Dandelion Soup & Grass Salad. Spending a lot of time outdoors perfecting my cooking skills, I turned out some pretty good meals for my dolls and stuffed animals.

New Jersey was home for me, a beautiful state that gets a bad rap and is the blunt of a lot of unfair jokes from the rest of the world. Growing up in the country with rolling fields, horses and a huge garden in the backyard was special.

Well it seems that my parents and their friends decided to fly to Martha’s Vineyard in their own plane for a lobster dinner one day. They were close enough as it was a relatively short flight between states. Twelve years of age at time qualified me for baby sitting my younger brother and sister. I was also years ahead of my age. A serious grown-up kid was a pretty good description of me.

Half way through my parents meal a fog set in over Martha’s Vineyard. My parents waited in hopes that it would pass through so that they could return home. The fog wasn’t about to budge. As hard as they tried they couldn’t find an adult to spend the night with us. A twelve year old, even a responsible one didn’t have over-night babysitting privleges . I vaguely remember being a little insulted at the suggestion that I needed assistance. Didn’t they know that I was managing just fine, taking very good care of my little brother and sister? As it turned out, they couldn’t find someone to stay with us. So I got to be in charge till they came home inspite of their efforts.

The next day the fog lifted and my parents returned home mid-afternoon;the story goes like this. They walked into the house and to their surprise they found me in the kitchen. The kitchen was stocked with a huge assortment of homemade provisions; eight loaves of bread, chocolate chip and oatmeal cookies, cupcakes and a few other things to feed us. All in all, enough food for 10 siblings to eat for a week!

They were surprised beyond words, because no one ever showed me how to cook or bake. Apparently I had picked this up watching my mother from the sidelines without her knowledge and mine for that matter.

Mind you that we didn’t need the food, as I imagine my mother had already made bread and trust me the refrigerator was full with enough food for two weeks.

Cooking and baking wasn’t required for my night of babysitting, but that didn’t stop me from giving a hand to culinary wonders. I provided my brother and sister with food to keep them happy for the night. I suspect I was providing myself with something I had needed too. A chance to do my thing in the kitchen, alone.

This is perhaps one of my favorite childhood stories. The confidence, the innocence ,the wonder of it all makes me feel good. Once again, the kitchen is the place where I find a clue as to who I was and still am. The kitchen shaped me as a child and continues to shape me now some 40 years later.

It is a sweet story of a little girl who had a chance to shine and come into her own in the kitchen. I might add I did well. The bread did rise, not bad for the first try. The cake and cookies were enjoyed by my brother and sister for days. They ate well and I was nourished by more than the food that I too had enjoyed.

Farmer’s Market produce in hand with Scout watching from the sidelines made a good day. This is a wonderful salad, simple ingredients with a vinegrette that just highlighted the taste of the chicken, asparagus, arugula, field greens, and sweet spring onions that are now in season.

This recipe is courtesy of Damon Lee Fowler, author of New Southern Kitchen a wonderful cookbook armed with lots of good information about Southern cooking. Damon even talks about picking fresh white asparagus in his back yard with his mother, and when she isn’t looking eating the asparagus from the garden without cooking, butter, salt & pepper. He says, you will never taste anything else like it. Now, by hook or by crook next spring I am going to try asparagus that way. I followed his directions for the dressing, but adapted the salad part to suit my taste. At a reader’s suggestion I entered this recipe in the Nutriferia roundup.

Chicken, Asparagus and Pecan Salad

Honey-Lemon Bourbon Vinaigrette

Damon Lee Fowler

For the vinaigrette:

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon bourbon (optional)

1/2 teaspoon salt

Freshly milled pepper

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon finely chopped chives

1 tablespoon finely chopped thyme

• In a glass or stainless steel bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, honey, bourbon, mustard and salt.
• Add several liberal grindings of fresh pepper and whisk it in.
• Gradually add oil, a spoonful at at time, until it is incorporated and emulsified.
• Whisk in chives and thyme and set aside for at least 20 minutes.
• Taste and adjust the seasoning and whisk till incorporated.

Chicken, Asparagus, Pecan Salad- Adapted

1 1/2 lbs fresh asparagus trimmed, cut into 2 inch sections

4 chicken breasts cooked and cubed

4 spring onions sliced ( I used red & green )

1/2 cup sliced toasted pecans

Arugula & mixed field greens

• Prepare asparagus: Wash, trim cut into 2 inch lengths reserving tops. Cook ends 1 minute or so till still quit crisp. When ends are almost done add the tops and cook 30 seconds if that. My asparagus were thin, so adjust acccordingly.
• Drain asparagus and rinse in cold water to stop cooking. Drain on paper towels and set in refrigerator to chill for an hour or so.
• Toss chicken, sliced onions and asparagus in enough dressing to lightly coat. You don’t need much of the dressing and do not want to drown out the taste of the asparagus, go lightly.
• Arrange a bed of mixed field greens and arugula on plates.
• Mound asparagus and chicken mixture on top in center.
• Sprinkle toasted pecans on top.
• Drizzle a little of the vinaigrette around edges of salad.

This was served with the leftover cornmeal muffins I had made the day before. They were reheated and were good the second day. The combination of the salad and savory muffin were a hit with the husband who is starting to take a little notice as to what is going on the kitchen. My muffins as you can well see stuck to the tin. Trust me, even though not perfect to the eye. The taste can’t be beat. My Tomato-Basil Soup post contains the recipe for the perfect cornmeal muffin courtesy of Scott Peacock & Edna Lewis, The Gift of Southern Cooking.

More on that tomorrow. I don’t want to give anything away. But let’s just say he complimented me on the dish I will be sharing with you tomorrow. The compliment came in the middle of a good shot while watching The Masters golf tournament yesterday. Golf is his favorite sport. Yep, someone is taking a little notice…………..