NC Made Cookbook Club: Deep Run Roots
NC Made Cookbook Club with Deep Run Roots
Our third edition of the NC Made Cookbook Club was a feast for the mouth and the eyes, fixed from the gorgeously illustrated pages of Vivian Howard's encyclopedic cookbook Deep Run Roots.
Vivian Howard is probably best known for her Peabody-, Emmy-, and James Beard Award-winning television show A Chef's Life that takes place in her hometown of Deep Run and in Kinston, where she runs her popular restaurant Chef & the Farmer. Her cuisine focuses on local ingredients, exalting the produce and regional foods that she grew up with. Her comprehensive cookbook is broken down by ingredient -- approaching something like watermelon literally eight different ways, from Watermelon Rind Pickles to Pork Shoulder in Red Curry-Braised Watermelon (mind blown emoji) -- and sprinkled with amusing stories about her roots in Lenoir County, a region known for its collard greens and pork production.
Nicole's brother-in-law, Tommy, and niece, Jordan, joined us this time; they are native to Deep Run and were excited to help. We all contributed dishes to the menu, and everything turned out beautifully. The Party Magnet Cheese Ball was especially good, and the Collard Salad has already become a staple in our house (tastes just as nice with kale too). But it felt like we barely scratched the surface! There were so many other intriguing recipes to choose from, we may have to (dramatic pause) go for round two! Until then, here's our menu:
Vivian Howard is probably best known for her Peabody-, Emmy-, and James Beard Award-winning television show A Chef's Life that takes place in her hometown of Deep Run and in Kinston, where she runs her popular restaurant Chef & the Farmer. Her cuisine focuses on local ingredients, exalting the produce and regional foods that she grew up with. Her comprehensive cookbook is broken down by ingredient -- approaching something like watermelon literally eight different ways, from Watermelon Rind Pickles to Pork Shoulder in Red Curry-Braised Watermelon (mind blown emoji) -- and sprinkled with amusing stories about her roots in Lenoir County, a region known for its collard greens and pork production.
Nicole's brother-in-law, Tommy, and niece, Jordan, joined us this time; they are native to Deep Run and were excited to help. We all contributed dishes to the menu, and everything turned out beautifully. The Party Magnet Cheese Ball was especially good, and the Collard Salad has already become a staple in our house (tastes just as nice with kale too). But it felt like we barely scratched the surface! There were so many other intriguing recipes to choose from, we may have to (dramatic pause) go for round two! Until then, here's our menu:
Appetizer: Party Magnet Cheese Ball
Main: Blueberry BBQ Chicken
Side/Salad: Collard, Carrot, and Raisin Salad
Bread: Mom's Cornpone
Dessert: B&S Applejacks
Party Magnet Cheese Ball
The Full Spread
Collard, Carrot, and Raisin Salad
Deep Run Roots Plated
B&S Applejacks
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Read more about how we started the NC Made Cookbook Club and see our past entries here and here.
Looking for more delicious and easy southern-inspired recipes? Check out our popular Coke 'n' Peanuts Sheet Cake or our insanely good Country Ham Biscuits with Brown Sugar Butter.