I was born and raised in Connecticut. I grew up spending summers in Vermont, weekends on Block Island, Christmas in New Hampshire. Lobster rolls, whoopie pies, and great sourdough bread bowls filled with clam chowder (the New England kind, don't even get me started on Manhattan clam "chowder") were a fixture of my culinary upbringing.
In 2006 I came south, to North Carolina, to attend college. I'd never had sweet tea, let alone collards, okra, or biscuits and gravy. To me a cafeteria was something you find in a school or hospital; I had no idea they could actually be restaurants as well. I dove in headfirst, spending many a Sunday morning "recovering" (ahem) at Waffle House, eating my weight in biscuits on a weekly basis, and consuming more barbecue than should be legal.
Here I find myself, at the beginning of 2013, still in love with southern food and cooking. I love the crunchy skin of properly fried chicken, the creamy goodness of a bowl of grits, and most of all the way the South puts the pig up on a pedestal. I can whip up a batch of biscuits with my eyes closed, and my sausage gravy is top-notch, if I do say so myself. Still, though, there are things that I'm missing. I only just had my first bite of brunswick stew (with squirrel!) recently, I've never been to a K&W, and I've yet to try hoppin' john.
I invite you, fellow CHOP NC'ers and readers alike, to join me on my journey as I cook my way through some of the South's most iconic recipes. You can expect me to tackle things like Country Ham with Redeye Gravy, Fried Okra, and greens of all stripes and sizes. If I can get my hands on some squirrel I'll even attempt a true Brunswick Stew. I also invite you to send me your treasured recipes - your grandmother's famous pecan pie recipe perhaps. I'll give 'em a whirl, and you can see what its like to approach a recipe from a new point of view.
This is a Connecticut Yankee in a Southern Kitchen, and hopefully when all is said and done I'll be able to whip a Sunday spread worthy of a Baptist preacher!
(Although, I still can't stand sweet tea.)
In 2006 I came south, to North Carolina, to attend college. I'd never had sweet tea, let alone collards, okra, or biscuits and gravy. To me a cafeteria was something you find in a school or hospital; I had no idea they could actually be restaurants as well. I dove in headfirst, spending many a Sunday morning "recovering" (ahem) at Waffle House, eating my weight in biscuits on a weekly basis, and consuming more barbecue than should be legal.
Here I find myself, at the beginning of 2013, still in love with southern food and cooking. I love the crunchy skin of properly fried chicken, the creamy goodness of a bowl of grits, and most of all the way the South puts the pig up on a pedestal. I can whip up a batch of biscuits with my eyes closed, and my sausage gravy is top-notch, if I do say so myself. Still, though, there are things that I'm missing. I only just had my first bite of brunswick stew (with squirrel!) recently, I've never been to a K&W, and I've yet to try hoppin' john.
I invite you, fellow CHOP NC'ers and readers alike, to join me on my journey as I cook my way through some of the South's most iconic recipes. You can expect me to tackle things like Country Ham with Redeye Gravy, Fried Okra, and greens of all stripes and sizes. If I can get my hands on some squirrel I'll even attempt a true Brunswick Stew. I also invite you to send me your treasured recipes - your grandmother's famous pecan pie recipe perhaps. I'll give 'em a whirl, and you can see what its like to approach a recipe from a new point of view.
This is a Connecticut Yankee in a Southern Kitchen, and hopefully when all is said and done I'll be able to whip a Sunday spread worthy of a Baptist preacher!
(Although, I still can't stand sweet tea.)
The Connecticut Yankee, better known as Matt, is the voice behind Green Eats Blog.
Have a recipe you'd like me to try? E-mail me at matt@greeneatsblog.com!
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