Twenty Bag | Apr 14
Collards, arugula, beets, curly parsley, Marsh Hen Mill Jimmy Red Grits, spring shallots and Hickory Bluff strawberries—what a fair weather celebration!
A hefty bunch of collards brings a healthy boost to this week’s Bag—delicious and packed with nutrition, the Towles farm’s harvest of the nutrition-packed greens arrives just in time for the renewal the spring season provides. I’ve been prepping them Southern style, with a touch of heat and apple cider vinegar, for years—this recipe is easy and always a hit.
Our friends at Marsh Hen Mill have again added Jimmy Red Grits to the bag—lucky us! This heirloom variety was researched by renowned Southern chef/ food historian Sean Brock for the menu of the original Husk restaurant in Charleston, and is one of his favorite things to eat. The obvious pairing—local shrimp! Saute the cleaned shrimp in a little butter and a dash of hot sauce for breakfast shrimp and grits I remember the men’s club prepared for Stella Maris church fund raisers. Chef Micah Garrison’s recipe is a heftier version fit for the dinner table.
Spring shallots are the young bulbs of what will later mature into full-sized shallots with papery skins. Use their zippy oniony flavor to spice up a salad of arugula + mixed greens tossed with a bit of chopped parsley and a classic French vinaigrette. Or sub the more tender of the green stems for the leeks in my easy cheese quiche. If a baked ham is in your plan for the holiday table, save leftover meat—all you need is about a quarter pound—to chop up and fold into the quiche custard. Mmmm!
My recipe for linguine and white wine clam sauce is another dandy way to make the most of the flavorful parsley. Store it, as per my usual, in a sturdy cup filled with water in the refrigerator. Refrigerate everything else, separately, in reusable bags or containers. Yes, the bag o’ grits too.
If you manage to not gobble down all those oh-so-sweet strawberries, bake a classic white cake and scatter them, thinly sliced, between the whipped cream-slathered layers—save a few for decorating the top!
