Salt, Savor & Season

When I am done with this meal you can have my life. It is heaven. 

- Paul Prudhomme -

If cooking is in it's own way, a kind of religion, then Chef Paul Prudhomme would be my pastor (Sorry Phil!)  For my father, it was Chef Justin Wilson. These great southern chefs were made available to us via public television and the internet and other media outlets, and the virtues of their approach to food and cooking resonated heavily with us.  Perhaps it was because both were from what I consider to be one of the Meccas of food, Louisiana.  I sincerely believe that in order to be a truly well rounded and SEASONED cook, one must not simply rely on having tasted foods cooked in the traditions and styles of the most influential food regions.  I believe that taking a pilgrimage and traveling to these regions to sample the foods is irreplaceable.  Hence the otherworldly success of travel/eating/culture shows like Anthony Bourdain's Parts Unknown and Andrew Zimmern's Bizarre Foods.  My trips to Mexico have proven this theory to me.

The thing that drew me to casting my lot with Chef Paul was not just the beautiful dishes he'd create. But, his philosophy regarding flavor and particularly, seasoning. The man is reputed to have created the technique of blackening food, and he has some of the most popular seasoning blends that can be purchased pretty much everywhere.  Chef took a simple approach to a sophisticated science.  His mantra?  "Season at every step." hit home with me, and has informed my cooking ever since.  His predecessor, Justin Wilson did the same with my father and so as I learned from my father, he passed on what he took from Justin, to me.

Paul Prudhomme was my guy. So, like any good congregant, I took the opportunity to draw from the well of experiences and wisdom of my food pastor.  I listened intently and applied through trial and error the lessons he taught.  My first batch of seafood gumbo was the worst pot of goop I've ever tasted.  My second attempt at sausage and chicken gumbo was a barely edible stew of some kind.  My third pot was like a cross between some kind of maque choux and brunswick stew with bad smoked sausage, but it was the first one that I actually didn't mind eating.  That fourth pot of gumbo changed everything though. Why?  Well, in part because I'd learned what NOT to do when cooking and out of that process also came me standardizing our family's seasoning blend.  We call it "The Basic Savory" blend.  Here's how it looks.

Savory Blend

Top Left: Seasoned Salt

Top Right: Garlic Powder

Bottom Left: Black Pepper

Bottom Right: Onion Powder

The Savory Spice Blend is pretty simple, but very good.  There are a few things to take into consideration when using.  First, if you want to combine the spices into a blend in one bottle, don't add the salt.  Here's why.  Salting and seasoning are two different things.  When you go to use your spice blend, you don't want to add salt every time you decide you need to add more spice.  Salt, as they say is a flavor engine, but it's also a balancing act determining how much to use or not.  You don't want to end up with garlic/onion salt.  And for goodness sakes, NEVER buy those horrible things.  Always buy POWDER or GRANULATED versions of spices but  never, never never the salt versions.  So, if you're seasoning by sprinkling the spices individually then no worry.  Just be careful not to ruin all of your hard work, not to mention great food by over salting it!  Yes, I have done it and that's why I'm harping on it!  Moving on.

From this basic blend we add  or remove certain spices for each of our various dishes.  Shrimp Nicole (our family Cajun Shrimp) foregoes the black pepper in exchange for Old Bay and paprika however; when we are frying fish, we add the Old Bay and paprika but remove the garlic and onion.  It can be tricky!  Also the way we address the ingredients with the spices can change for each dish.  For frying chicken, we do a slurry or medium wet brine, taking out the black pepper in exchange for chili powder.

Many people's consideration of the Soul Food merits of a dish are actually based on how the food is seasoned as what determines whether it is or isn't official.  Personally, I see seasoning as a part of the greater tapestry that absent or done badly lessens food of every kind....even if the right seasoning for a particular dish is no seasoning at all.

Enjoy,

Kev

Soul Food? Comfort Food? Or Both?

Cube Steak w/Gravy

Knowledge is good currency for any number of ports.   Or, so I've begun to learn.  As for me and my siblings, we had little choice but to become critical thinkers.  Marvin Lewis Murphy   ( my father) simply did not abide dull thinkers very well.  He was adamant that the great divider and influencer of individuals was the quality of their ability to think critically.  For this great discipline that he instilled in me and my sisters, I am eternally grateful.  So then, in my quest I'm learning a great deal about how people think about....food.

As I encounter people I find that food is a fantastic common ground for conversation and so I'm taking to asking what others think makes food...Soul Food?  What I've learned is that many people consider comfort food to fit into the realm of Soul Food.

Now, I'm no stranger to comfort food i.e. that kind of dish or meal composed of rich, calorie dense, ingredients.  These are foods that are prepared so that they are browned and sauced and cheesed with deep savory flavors and plenty of fat.  By contrast it's not those gluten free, skim, lite, snappy kinds of dishes.  

Comfort food evokes a feeling of being satisfied or full.  It evokes sense memories of times and places, particularly of one's youth.  Remember how in the movie Ratatouille, how the food critic was transported back to his childhood when he tasted the little guy's dish?  Comfort food makes the diner feel a certain way and I guess that's one reason why it might be naturally equated to Soul Food.  Indeed were I forced to do a list (which I'm gonna do) of the foods AND dishes that I'd consider to be undoubtedly deserving of the moniker of Soul Food, I'm certain that many of them would also qualify as comfort foods.  I see the mesh point for the two concepts even as I see it for Soul Food and Southern Food. I also see where they diverge.   But we'll discuss that later!

One of my absolute favorite comfort foods that is common in a number of cultures in almost the same form (including some European cultures) is Smothered Cube Steaks.  These are also known as Swiss Steaks and I'm certain many  other names.    It's one of the dishes that I do quite well and frequently.  I do my smothered chops in much the same manner and will even do fried chicken the same way, on occasion.  

Other than using good technique when frying and making the gravy,  there are two, maybe three things in my opinion,  that really make this dish sink or swim.

Seasoning the meat
Seasoning the flour
Flavor of the stock

Get these three things right and you're on your way to some good Smothered Cube Steaks.   Here's how I do it:

Start the stock for the gravy.

4 to 5 cups of water
1 medium onion
1 table spoon black pepper
1 table spoon garlic powder
1 table spoon onion powder
1 table spoon dried parsley
1 cube of Knor Chicken bouillon (other brands can work but Knor is my favorite)
A few shots of your favorite hot sauce
A few dashes of worcestershire sauce
A shot or two of liquid smoke (Really, only a shot or two.  This stuff can ruin your dish if overused)

Now, a feel I must add a simplifier here.  You can always just go and buy a good chicken stock and then add most of what's on my list of ingredients to spice it up a bit.  Of course, the beauty of Soul Food cooking is that it's much like jazz in that these ingredients are only the basic notes, the scale. Feel empowered to freestyle with your spices and the amounts of each.  You know what you like and if you love a garlic heavy taste, go heavier on the garlic powder or use fresh chopped garlic instead.

Chop the onion (I do a small chop rather than  the typical rough chop generally used for making stock because I add the stock's onions to the gravy)

Combine all the ingredients into a stock pan and heat on high until it reaches a boil, then reduce the heat and let simmer very low while doing prep for the rest of the dish.  Make sure to taste your stock. If it doesn't taste like something you'd like to add noodles or rice to and eat just like that, you may have missed.  Adjust the seasoning as you prefer but remember, the longer the stock cooks the more it's flavor condenses and the more actual volume you lose.  Don't run short on stock and have to add water to your gravy.

Set the stock aside and get started on the cube steaks.  First thing's always first and once your meat removed from any packaging, let the seasoning begin.  For this dish I always use our family's basic savory seasoning (see next blog post):

Onion powder
Garlic powder
Seasoned salt
Black pepper

This goes directly on the meat.  I usually let the meat dry brine by sitting fully seasoned for at least a half hour or longer in the fridge.  When prepping a dish for the next day, I often dry brine over night.
I don't use an egg wash with cube steaks either.  I simply season my flour (savory seasoning blend) and coat the steaks in the seasoned flour, and then into a hot, oiled pan.

Once the meat is browned, set it aside and start the gravy in the pan using some of the left over oil and meat juices.  I use the very same pan.  Create your roux by adding flour and stirring until the roux color is at least that of peanut butter or darker.  A Roux blog post is coming very soon!

Once roux is the desired color, stir in the stock.  Add final seasoning to the gravy then add the cooked steaks.  I like to let this simmer together for at least 20 minutes or so.  This will reduce the gravy somewhat, making it thicker so make sure you make plenty!

In the end, I do believe that there are certain aspects of Soul Food that qualify as Comfort food and vice versa.  But, I'm convinced that Soul Food is comfort food and something more.  Let's find out what that something is, together.

Kev

Soul Food Staples: Fried Fish

Fried Whiting

I think it safe to suggest that within the culture of Soul Food that I observe and have experienced most, if not all of my life, that there are some foods that are commonly regarded to be static features. I call them, Soul Food Staples.  I'm planning a post in the very near future that examines what the hierarchy of dishes are that occupy the pantheon of foods found in Soul Food as I apprehend it.  And, I think I'll ask some of my friends from diverse backgrounds and ethnicities the same question.

But, that's not what I'm doing tonight.  Tonight I'm cooking fried fish and doing a heck of a job at it. (as you can plainly see)

I've learned that some version of breaded and fried fish finds its way onto tables in cultures all across the globe, so it's certainly not my contention that simply frying fish equals cooking Soul Food.  However, I'm also convinced by my own experiences that what many deem "Southern Fried Fish" i.e. one of a number of types of fish that is seasoned and coated in corn meal or a combination of corn flower and corn meal fall squarely onto the list of commonly accepted Soul Food dishes.

When done right, fried fish is crunchy on the outside and flaky on the inside.  The corn meal forms a crust that is golden brown and delicious, especially when its seasoned rather simply, omitting things like garlic and onion powders.  Simply seasoned, but not UN-seasoned.  Big difference.  

Season Salt, Black Pepper, Old Bay and Paprika

Frying fish can be tricky.  I for one don't like to use seasoning that will "fight" with the fish's flavor that perhaps the fish might have trouble standing up to like garlic or onion.  I've also learned that, like pork, it's much easier to over salt fish than it is beef, so I'm careful when I use salt and Old Bay together because Old Bay adds salt.  Seafood and Paprika are good buddies from way back so they do very well together.  I like to have my fillets still relatively wet and in a large bowl after I've cut them into the size pieces I'm going to fry them at.  Then, I add my seasoning to the wet fish creating a moist brine (as opposed to a wet or dry brine...we will discuss later)

Seasoned Fillets

The bowl in the picture above isn't dirty, I simply work the fillets around in the most brine to make sure all of the pieces are seasoned evenly.  (it also seems to coat the sides of the bowl quite nicely)

Again, fish can be tricky so I don't let it brine very long, mostly because it doesn't need to.  After no more than a half hour while I prepare the rest of my ingredients and get everything into place  (Mise en place) I'm ready to go.

On a side note, I'm completely open to soaking fish in milk in order to reduce/remove the "fishy" flavor.  I've done so in the past and found it to be effective if not time consuming.  But, I don't mind fish flavor for the most part.  Soaking in milk or buttermilk did actually work for me, by the way, so it's your call.  Because I don't subscribe to using an egg wash when I fry my fish, I make certain to make the moist brine good and moist.

Kev's Moist Brine For Fish

2 tbl spoons Season Salt

2 tbl spoons Old Bay

2 tbl spoons Paprika

3 tbl spoons black pepper

1/4 cup warm water

Place spices and water into large bowl and mix.  Add prepped fillets and swirl the fillets into the brine, coating them well.  Let sit for 15-30 mins

Now, as I said earlier I don't do egg wash for my fried fish.  Pork cutlets?  Definitely egg wash. But because the the fillets are wet from the brine, the seasoned corn meal/cornmeal and flour mixture will adhere nicely.  

 

I am a die hard white corn meal guy and for fish, I don't do flour in tandem with it.  I like the toasted flavor it gives when it's fried and it browns.  For me, it's also simpler to gauge doneness using white cornmeal vs yellow.  Season the corn meal with the same blend as the brine only, don't use as much.  I generally cut it all down by 2/3 for a cup of white cornmeal.

Finally, frying.  I cut my fillets into small pieces and often on a bias so that they cook quickly.  I use vegetable oil and a hot pan.  Heat your oil on medium high and when it's shimmering add coated fillets skin side up!  I leave my heat on pretty high for the whole frying but remember, deep frying is different than pan frying where the meat touches the pan and so it needs a different kind of attention to avoid burning or over cooking.

In a good hot pan, fillets this size only need to go a few minutes per side.  Remove and drain on paper towel and you've got something magical!

I think that fried perch is my absolute favorite, but I love walleye, snapper, cod and even cat fish when it's fried correctly.  When you nail it you know for sure because the coating is not a thick mess that takes away from the lovely fish underneath.  It's seasoned right and the fish flavor isn't wrestling with the spices.  Give it a try when you have some time. Total cooking time including prep was less than an hour.

Enjoy!

Something On The Inside

Fried Potatoes & Onions

There is an old, traditional song that most every black church congregation sings at one time or another.  Be they AME, Holiness (Postolic), Baptist et al.  It's a song that says "Something on the Inside, working on the outside...brought about a change in my life."

That old song is about transformation and manifestation.  It suggests that the most impactful aspect of one's existence isn't the outer self, but is in fact the self of the inner man (or woman) that informs all that we see, hear and perceive about a person or thing.  And that there is something intrinsic within that is really the driving force behind that which is without.  It talks about the soul and spirit.

I happen to think that perhaps this principal is at work in food as well.  Particularly Soul Food.

Because the goal of every cook is to transform the ingredients into a whole that is better than the sum of the  individual parts, I think that there is some quality that is imparted into each dish that is beyond the physical ingredients.  Be it knowledge, experience, skill, know how, training, technique or just a method that has been handed down for generations. It could also be a family philosophy as to what makes a meal and what makes a meal taste...right.  All of these things are intrinsic.  Internal.  Immaterial influencers that determine the outcome of a dish.  But, do they also determine the genre that the dish fits into?  I think at the very least, partly.

I often wonder if its even possible  by technique alone  to develop flavors that are particular to a specific type of food  while not using any of the traditional ingredients?  I don't think that it is and if it is attempted the chef may well come away with a tasty meal or dish but miss the mark on their attempt to replicate the flavors of a region or a culture that are inherent in it's food.  Thai food with no lemon grass, basil, curry, coconut milk?  Sure all of these could be replaced, but do you have a finished product that is Thai food?   So, technique absent corresponding ingredients is like a soul without a body.  Without the body you have a ghost.  Absent the soul, you have a golem.  Neither of these are good.  Who wants to eat a golem?

I do think that like the old song says, the change (transformation of the ingredients) comes from the work that is accomplished both inside and outside.  Soul and body.  Technique and Ingredients.

I also think at the very least, these things are worth considering.  Me? I'll be considering them over a plate of fried potatoes and onions.  A Midwestern Soul Food classic.  Feel free to join me.

Kev

Fried Potatoes & Onions Recipe

Ingredients:

4 medium or 2 large Potatoes (whatever type you like, these are Yukon Gold pictured)

Half Onion (White or Yellow)

2 scallions

5-6 strips of bacon or qt cup of olive oil (vegetarian)

2 tbl spns Season Salt, Black Pepper, Garlic Powder & Onion Powder (when cooking these vegetarian, I add chilli powder to get the smokiness that the bacon gives.

Fry bacon strips until crispy making sure to render out as much fat as possible.  Set strips aside and reserve the bacon fat for frying.

Rinse and chop potatoes into cubes.  I like to cut them in half length wise then cube each half.  You can decide the size of the cubes but remember, the smaller the pieces, the quicker they will cook.  Also, try to make the cubes as uniform in size as possible so that they cook at about the same rate.

In a bowl add the seasonings to the potatoes and toss thoroughly while the pan with bacon grease is on medium high to high heat.  Once the bacon grease is smoking pretty good, add the seasoned potatoes, carefully.  You want the pan very hot at the start!

Let the potatoes brown for at least three to four minutes then toss or flip them periodically to cook and develop color and texture on each of the sides.  Feel free to add more seasoning but be careful with the salt since the bacon grease will impart some of it's own.

Slice the onion in half length wise and then, flat side down, chop it into strings cutting on the long side.  Chop the scallions (use white and green) and add once the potatoes have browned on almost all sides.  Toss or fold in the onions and scallions, mixing them into the potatoes.  Reduce heat so as not to burn the onions.  Taste frequently and season to taste.

Once the potatoes are brown and a little crispy on all sides but soft inside and the onions have cooked, you're done.  Crumble up the bacon and add it in or have it as your meal's meat.  I eat it while I'm cooking, like an appetizer!

I like to use lots of black pepper for this dish, but you're free to get your spices on the way that works best for you.  Sit back, drink a Coke (my drink of choice) and...

Enjoy,

Kev

What Makes It Soul Food?

Pan Fried Pork Chops

What is it?  What is the attribute that when found in a culinary creation that places it into the incredibly unique category of Soul Food?  What are the requirements?  What are it's earmarks?

Is it a specific set of ingredients?  Most if not all good chefs or even good cooks for that matter will tell you that the quality of their finished creations relies heavily on the quality of the ingredients that they get to use in it's cooking.  So, is that where we find that particular element that makes Soul Food so magical?  The ingredients?

Or, is it the preparation?  The fact is that chefs and cooks are like architects or artists.  In fact, they are artists.  Give the architect a list of materials to build from and they will build you the house that they see...the one that comes from within them...from their talent or their preferences or even their limitations. Give the same building materials to a different architect and you get a completely different house.  Same goes with cooks.  Give any ten the same ingredients and let them run wild and what you get in the end may be similar, but is more likely to be all but completely different.  Their variances in preparation having been influenced in this case not by their ingredients in the least, but by WHO they are and WHAT their skills are or perhaps are not.

Scalloped Potatoes

So then, is it the chef?

Can only certain people with certain experiences and certain likes or certain training or ethnic backgrounds from certain places...can they be the quotient that is most important in making food into Soul Food?

Is it where you're from?  Is it spices and seasonings?  Is it necessity or history that informs what kinds of foods can be called Soul Food?

Is it love?  Is it passion?  These, like spices of the physical kind can season a meal or a dish in a way that only they can.

Is it how the food tastes or how eating it makes you feel?

Is Soul Food to be found in only one culture or does every community have their own Soul Food?

Shrimp Nicole

What is it?  I sincerely and genuinely want...need to know.

Why? Because I love food.  Food is, for me...family.  It is fellowship.  It is as sincere an expression of love and caring and provision as  man can give to man as to sit them down and present them with a meal that is crafted with their well being in mind.  It is an invitation to sit and talk and slow down and converse and share and be well.  It is history of my family, a tapestry of moments together over the years that is captured in a smell and a taste and a spice or a flavor.  It is my mother's dressing and gravy at Thanksgiving.  It is my father's red beans and rice.  It is my sister's mac and cheese and my baby sister's fresh green beans full of smoked jowl.  It's my nephew's shrimp and grits and my grandmother's prune cake.  It's my uncle Bobby's ribs and my great grand mother Primm's home made rolls.

Why do I need to know?  So that I can find it and keep it alive.  So that I can give it to my daughters and my grand sons.  So that I can honor my dad who left my family a legacy of appreciation of how a meal that is done well is an expression of deepest affection.  We call it, one of the ways of "showing your love."

I believe that I'm not alone in this.  I believe that so many others all over the world share a like passion for the food that they call Soul Food.  Food that is part of the backdrop of their lives and their childhood.  Food that tells the story of who your people are and of where it is that you come from. Food that reminds us of times and places and people that matter most.

Where is the Soul of Soul Food?  What is it?  How can I grab hold of it and share it?

That's what I'm here to find out.  I'd love it if you joined me.

Kevin