Lowcountry Cuisine Hammock Coast 2020 Spring

LC 54 www.LowcountryCuisineMag.com | www.MountPleasantRestaurant.com | www.CharlestonRecipes.com lowcountry cuisine T hese days, the space in my cookbook collection is limited, and every year or so I sift through and shake out the non-essentials that grace my shelves. I love a good cookbook, but with the convenience of finding recipes online, the need of one in my life now falls into three categories: go-to classics for quick reference of quintessential favorites (the likes of “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” and my old culinary arts textbook), family heirlooms and handed-down recipes and, last but not least, picturesque coffee table-worthy books. Perhaps Sean Brock channeled my inner cookbook spirit, because his new book, “SOUTH: Essential Recipes and New Explorations,” falls into all three. “SOUTH” is one of those books that you proudly display on your coffee table or leave on the counter for guests to ooh and ahh over at your next dinner party. If the lure of its juxtaposing matte hardback and half- jacket depicting Brock’s tattooed arm – a colorful sleeve of vegetables – holding a handful of just-picked garden bounty is not enough, perhaps it’s what’s inside that really counts. Brock has not only gifted home cooks with recipes steeped in Southern history, but he shares his take on the delicious pastime in a way that ties history to each one. This is not a book detailing every way to fry your meal, as Southern food is often mocked. Brock explains the whys and hows – why food here is the way it is and how it got that way. And most importantly, how it should be. He was gracious enough to share this recipe for shrimp and grits – including his grits recipe – that you’ll find in “SOUTH.” Excerpted from “South” by Sean Brock (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2019. TRADITIONAL SHRIMP AND GRITS This is shrimp and grits at its simplest. It’s a quick, easy, one-pan dish, and it is the only way I cook shrimp and grits at home. The recipe is a tribute to the late chef Bill Neal, of Crook’s Corner in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. He was one of the first chefs to celebrate the dish and elevate it into the realm of the restaurant. Bill’s vision made it possible for chefs, including me, to serve shrimp and grits in restaurants all over the South. Making this dish is my chance to pay back that debt. Serves 6 as an appetizer, 4 as a main course • ½ cup all-purpose flour • 1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning • 1 teaspoon canola oil • 2 ounces country ham, preferably Bob Wood’s, cut into ¼-inch dice • 1 pound 21–25-count shrimp, preferably local, peeled and deveined • 4 ounces small button mushrooms, washed, dried, and quartered • ¼ cup thinly sliced scallions • ½ cup Vegetable Stock • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice • 1 recipe Stovetop Grits (see next recipe), just cooked and still warm Sean Brock.