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Pat Branning’s Carolina Cooking: From farm to feast

Pat Branning’s Carolina Cooking

From farm to feast

Its summertime and all the foods I adore are plentiful and in season. Sweet corn, lush tomatoes, fresh herbs, green beans, juicy peaches, berries and watermelon and so much more. They’re just waiting to be showcased in delicious main dishes, sides and desserts. Between my neighborhood farmer’s market, roadside stands, local farms and the local market, I am good to go.

On these hot summer nights, break out the party lights, fire up the grill and savor all the season has in store. An overflowing garden is the perfect excuse for a party. Southern Style Barbecued Chicken, grilled corn on the cob and a luscious Greek tomato salad with chickpeas can be ready in no time at all.

In my experience, not as a barbecue champ, but as a dinner guest, chicken is the most abused food on the grill. The secret to great barbecued chicken, one with moist, tender meat and smoky skin, is to lower the heat and leave the sauce off until the last few minutes of cooking. Most of the flavor comes through from marinating the meat overnight. Next, the smoke of the fire will fully permeate the meat during the long, slow cooking process. With low heat, and no sauce until late in the game, you don’t have to keep moving chicken pieces around trying to stave off the inevitable flare-ups.

Using a temperature of about 250 degrees, the chicken will take about 2½ hours to cook through. Slather on the sauce when the chicken is cooked. It needs only about 5 minutes to adhere nicely and since the fire isn’t really hot, the chicken never gets that charred look, just a beautiful shine.

Checking through the many recipes for grilled chicken I’ve used throughout the years, I’ll share the one that has stood the test of time. It’s inspired by Ina Garten, one of my favorite cooks.

Southern Style Barbecued Chicken

2 chickens, quartered with backs removed
1 recipe for Barbecue Sauce

Marinate the chickens in 2/3 of the barbecue sauce for a few hours or overnight in the refrigerator. Drain off the marinade and discard. Place the chicken quarters on the grill, skin side down, and cook for about 1 hour, turning once or twice to cook evenly on both sides. Continue cooking for about another 1 to 1 ½ hours. The chicken quarters are done when you insert a knife between a leg and thigh and the juices run clear. Baste with the remaining sauce during the last five minutes of cooking.

Barbecue Sauce

1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves minced garlic
½ cup vegetable oil
1 cup tomato paste
1 cup cider vinegar
1 cup honey
½ cup Worcestershire sauce
1 cup Dijon mustard
½ cup soy sauce
1 cup hoisin sauce (found in the Oriental section of the market)
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
A pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

In a large saucepan on low heat, sauté the onions and garlic with the vegetable oil for 15 minutes. Onions should be translucent but not browned. Add the tomato paste, vinegar, honey, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, chili powder, cumin, and red pepper flakes. Simmer uncovered on low heat for 30 minutes. Use at once or store in the refrigerator.

Yields: 1 1/2 quarts.

Grilled Corn on the Cob

Select fresh corn with bright green husks and plump kernels. Pull back the husks without removing them from the stalk. You want at least two layers of husks. Remove the silk underneath the husks. Then fold the husks back over the corn.

Soaking the corn before you grill ensures that the corn will stay moist and will help keep the corn from burning. The wet husks also create more smoke when grilled, giving the corn more flavor. Toss corn on the grill over medium high heat for 15 minutes or until husks are charred, turning halfway through the cooking time.

Cool for a few minutes, then husk. Top with your favorite toppings such as butter or cheese.

Greek Salad with Chickpeas

For the salad:
6 cups mixed greens
2 vine ripe tomatoes, halved and quartered
½ cup canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
¼ cup red onion, sliced thin
1/8 cup green olives sliced
Garnish with feta cheese

For the dressing:
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

To make the salad, mix together the greens, tomatoes, chickpeas, olives and onion. Set aside.

Make the dressing by mixing together the vinegar and honey. Pour in the oil in a slow steady stream, whisking constantly until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper. Pour dressing over the salad just before serving and toss gently. Garnish with feta cheese on the top.

Yields: 4 servings.

Pat Branning, the former women’s editor for WSB, Atlanta, is food editor for The Beaufort Tribune. She and her husband, Cloide, work together to help the underserved and uninsured in health care through a nonprofit organization called Wellness4America. Her new book of Lowcountry recipes, “Shrimp, Collards and Grits, recipes from the creeks and gardens of the South Carolina Lowcountry”, is available at bookstores in Beaufort and on Hilton Head. The website is www.mycarolinacooking.com.

Click here for more information about Pat Branning’s new cookbook.

Related posts:

1. Pat Branning’s Carolina Cooking: Summer survival with Seared Scallop Salad
2. Pat Branning’s Carolina Cooking: Hunting Island Flank Steak
3. Pat Branning’s Carolina Cooking: It’s just peachy in South Carolina
4. Pat Branning’s Carolina cooking: Chechessee standing rib roast for Christmas dinner
5. Pat Branning’s Carolina cooking: This Valentine dinner

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