PopSugar

Black-Eyed Pea "Caviar" Is a Deep-South Delicacy

YumSugar — Mon, 18 May 2009 16:15:17 -0700

Don't let the name fool you: this "LA Caviar" is neither from Los Angeles nor made from caviar. Rather, the "LA" stands for "Lower Alabama," the coastal corner of Alabama that's home to Lulu's at Homeport Marina, a beachside restaurant owned by Jimmy Buffett's sister, Lucy Buffett. I borrowed this recipe from a Southern friend a few years back, and it's since become one of my favorite easy and healthy dips to whip up for parties.

Similar to a salsa, this chunky bean salad gets its tang from tomatoes and bell peppers, a touch of earthiness from the peas, and a delightful sweetness thanks to balsamic vinegar and sugar. To learn more and get the recipe, read more.

This dip is delicious on tortilla chips or crackers - I love to serve it with seeded flatbreads. It's a satisfying Summer dish, and since black-eyed peas are a good-luck food in the South, this makes a great New Year's Eve nibble, too.

Lulu's LA (Lower Alabama) Caviar
Lulu's at Homeport Marina via Atlanta Journal Constitution

Ingredients

3 (15-ounce) cans black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup chopped red onion
3 tablespoons chopped green bell pepper
3 tablespoons chopped red bell pepper
3 tablespoons chopped yellow bell pepper
1/2 cup quartered cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Salt and pepper

Directions

Combine black-eyed peas, onion, peppers, tomatoes, parsley, vinegar, oil and sugar
Season with salt and pepper.
Marinate for 12 to 24 hours before serving.
Serve with crackers or tortilla chips.

Serves 10.

Per serving: 203 calories, 8 grams protein, 27 grams carbohydrates, 6 grams fiber, 8 grams fat (1 gram saturated), no cholesterol, 279 milligrams sodium.

Print recipe with images | without images

Southern Side: Creamed Collard Greens

YumSugar — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:50:11 -0800

I'm a little sick of the traditional Thanksgiving meal. That's why this year I plan on serving slightly different versions of old favorites - like a turkey roulade instead of a whole roasted turkey, for instance.

Rather than the usual green bean casserole, I'm reaching for a neo-Southern riff on the creamed spinach standby, and plan on impressing guests with creamed collard greens. Unlike creamed spinach, this vegetable side isn't swimming in heavy cream; the cream adds subtle body, while smoky bacon rounds out the collards' bitter character.

But the pièce de résistance is really the crispy, cheesy crumb topping. Be sure to make a generous amount, because the more, the better. Add a new tradition to your meal when you keep reading

Name That Soul Food!

YumSugar — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 03:30:58 -0700

With the Fourth of July fast approaching, I've been in the mindset of paying homage to my favorite American foods. But as much as I love our country's biggest icons - like hot dogs and hamburgers - there's one genre of American cuisine that can't go overlooked, and that's soul food. This month is National Soul Food Month, so I thought I'd test your knowledge of traditional African-American Southern cuisine. How good are you at spotting supper with soul? Find out when you take our quiz.

stu_spivack's photostream

Take the quiz

Sunday Dinner: Cassoulet-Style Chicken Thighs

YumSugar — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 06:00:43 -0700

Filled with anticipation of the workweek, Sunday night can easily fall short of a relaxing evening. So, to keep my thoughts at bay, I'm going to prepare the ultimate in comfort food: cassoulet, a pork and bean casserole that hails from southern France.

Traditional cassoulet can be heavy and time-intensive, but I've found one that's luscious yet light - and takes less than an hour to prepare. Rather than using duck confit and pork sausage, the recipe employs boneless, skinless chicken thighs and turkey kielbasa. Interested yet? Check it out when you read more

Paula Deen's Awkward Appearance on the View

YumSugar — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 13:00:36 -0700

Food Network host Paula Deen appeared on The View this week to promote her new children's cookbook. Those who caught it know that it wasn't pretty to watch. Put the sassy Paula Deen and the straight-laced Barbara Walters together, and you get an uncomfortable dynamic.

As the ladies of The View sit behind a stupendous spread of fried chicken and other Southern comforts, Paula licks strawberry cake off her fingers and pictures of macaroni and cheese grace the background. Walters then forces the queen of Southern cuisine to answer a rather serious question:

This is a cookbook for kids. Obesity is the number one problem for kids today. Everything you have here is enormously fattening. You tell kids to have cheesecake for breakfast . . . Does it bother you that you are adding to it? No? Not at all?

Stunned, Deen bumbles something about moderation - "you know, we don't eat this every day" - to an unconvinced Walters. But Walters has a point. Not one food item in the supposedly kid-friendly spread could be considered wholesome and healthy. Yet, Barbara comes down hard on Paula. Who comes out on top? Watch the video, and weigh in on your thoughts after the jump

Paula Deen Reportedly Considering Talk-Show Gig

YumSugar — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 10:40:24 -0700

Rumors are buzzing that production giant Telepictures is looking to develop a morning show in the style of The View with none other than celebrity mom Kate Gosselin and Southern cooking queen Paula Deen.

TV host Paula Deen already has three Food Network shows under her belt: Paula's Home Cooking, Paula's Party, and Paula's Best Dishes. Although Deen signed a deal with Telepictures to host her own syndicated talk show, the series never happened. Now, industry sources say, the two are top contenders for a talk show hosted exclusively by mothers.

Telepictures' rep wouldn't confirm - or deny - speculation, although I can see how the duo might have a lot in common, considering Kate Gosselin recently penned a cookbook.

Would you tune in for a Paula Deen talk show?

Burning Question: Are Cajun and Creole Cooking the Same?

YumSugar — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 06:50:18 -0700

It's an age-old question: is there a distinction between Cajun and Creole cooking - or are they really just the same thing?

The answer is somewhere in between. Creole cooking evolved out of the cosmopolitan culture of New Orleans, a city affected by the influx of international colonists who settled there after the Louisiana Purchase. New Orleans's denizens adopted spices from Africa and the Caribbean, butter and cream from France, tomatoes from Italy, and peppers from Spain and took advantage of the abundance of oysters, shrimp, and crab abundantly available in the Gulf.

Cajun cooking developed in Louisiana's rural backcountry. Acadians drew from their French and Southern roots, cooking whatever could be farmed and trapped locally, along with other inexpensive ingredients such as crawfish, rice, beans, and pork fat. Some of Louisiana's dishes are distinctly Creole, like shrimp rémoulade. Others - take crawfish étouffée, for instance - are credited to the Cajuns. But certain dishes shared by both cuisines, such as jambalaya, possess subtler differences: the Creole version typically contains tomatoes, while its Cajun counterpart employs a roux.

Over time, as the two terms have been used more generically and interchangeably, the differences between Cajun and Creole cooking have become blurred, and food historians have taken to focusing on regional differences within the state. What's your take on Cajun versus Creole? Which do you like more?

Do You Know What's Cooking This Week?

YumSugar — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 14:30:01 -0700

We've spent most of this week mentally preparing (read: getting excited) for the long weekend. We bookmarked Chick-fil-A's holiday giveaway. We learned all sorts of fun facts about the food culture of Labor Day.

Most importantly, we geared up for tailgating season with classic seven-layer bean dip and a spicy, creamy onion dip with Southern flair. Were you paying attention? Use your noodle to find out!

Take the quiz

Killer App: Spicy Onion and Tomato Dip

YumSugar — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 08:00:22 -0700

This weekend, I'll be spending Labor Day at a friend's barbecue bash. She's already got the barbecue and its essential accoutrements entirely covered, so I've been racking my brain to come up with an appropriate contribution. I had no idea what that was going to be - until I had a lightbulb moment for the perfect pièce de résistance.Since I won't be spending the holiday with family, I figure I'll bring a bit of my family to the festivities. As a child, I hardly liked spicy food, but from the first time I watched my mother whip together this slightly cooling, slightly fiery cream dip, I was hooked. It's one part Southern, one part retro, and 10 parts addictive, whether served with Ruffles, saltines, or celery sticks. See the two-second recipe when you keep reading.

Non Voyage: A Capital Celebration Where You Need DC to Be

LilSugar — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 10:00:16 -0700

If the new administration has your family dreaming of our nation's historic roots, a trip to Washington DC is sure to inspire the next generation of public servants. We continue our week of big-city non voyages in the nation's capital with activities and food that will help families recreate the DC experience without breaking their wallets.

The National Mall is lined with some of the best museums in the world, and one of the most popular is the National Air and Space Museum. Teach your budding astronauts about the history of manned space flight and then have them create their own rocket ship that will transport them to the moon. Rockets can be built out of blocks, cardboard or with any scraps you have lying around.
The International Spy Museum is one of the most unique places to visit in DC, where children and adults alike can learn about the CIA and FBI's covert operations and the techniques used to keep the nation from harm. Recreate the experience with a backyard scavenger hunt where lil ones can search for hidden treasures and practice their detective skills. Don't forget the trench coats and magnifying glasses to make them feel official.
Even in the age of email, everybody still loves to get mail and the National Postal Museum shows kids how their letters get delivered. Visit your local post office and have the kids pick out their own stamps and mail letters to their family and friends. See if the postal workers will allow your tots to view the sorting machines in the back too.
It's hard to imagine what life was like before cars, computers and modern conveniences, but Mount Vernon, George and Martha Washington's home, does just that. Give your children the colonial experience by turning off the phone and computer for an afternoon of retro cooking with recipes from the birth of our nation, including johnny cakes, shepherd's pie and apple butter.
Washington DC brings Southern hospitality and Northern sophistication to the Mid Atlantic and the city's food reflects those cultures. President Obama has already visited the famed eatery, Ben's Chili Bowl, where the deliciousness is used to smother hot dogs, sausages and burgers, so make some of those goodies at home. The Obamas are also ushering in a new era in organic cooking at the White House so take your youngsters to the local green market or farm and let them choose the ingredients they would like to nosh on that night.