Tag Archive for: FIG

Charleston- Best City in the World!

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Conde Nast Traveler just named Charleston, SC the best city in the world (http://www.cntraveler.com/readers-choice-awards/top-cities-in-the-world-charleston-cape-town-bangkok-vancouver-photos#slide=1). Pretty impressive, and I completely agree, and I am not surprised.  Where else could my sweet Walker play on Civil War cannons looking out over the harbor- this city is amazing.  It is actually surprising how long it has taken for people to acknowledge this fact, a fact we in Charleston have known for quite a while.  And Between Mike Lata of FIG, Sean Brock of Husk, Ken Vedrinski of Lucca, Craig Deihl of Cypress and on and on, Charleston is also in my opinion the best food city in the world.  While the amazing food aspect of Charleston is relatively new- like in the last 15 years, the best parts of Charleston, the charm, the quaintness, and the history have always been here.  If you haven’t been to Charleston, you should.  Here is a very old school Charleston Shrimp and Grits recipe that would win Charleston awards even if it was a hole in the ground!  Very proud of my city.

Old Charleston Style Shrimp & Grits

Ingredients:

1 cup coarsely ground grits
3 cups water
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups half-and-half
 2 pounds uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
salt to taste
1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
1 lemon, juiced
1 pound andouille sausage, cut into 1/4 inch slices
5 slices bacon
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

Directions:

Bring water, grits, and salt to a boil in a heavy saucepan with a lid. Stir in half-and-half and simmer until grits are thickened and tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Set aside and keep warm.
Sprinkle shrimp with salt and cayenne pepper; drizzle with lemon juice. Set aside in a bowl.
Place andouille sausage slices in a large skillet over medium heat; fry sausage until browned, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove skillet from heat.
Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Retain bacon drippings in skillet. Transfer bacon slices to paper towels, let cool, and crumble.
Cook and stir green, red, and yellow bell peppers, onion, and garlic in the bacon drippings until the onion is translucent, about 8 minutes.
Stir shrimp and cooked vegetables into the andouille sausage and mix to combine.
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat; stir in flour to make a smooth paste. Turn heat to low and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is medium brown in color, 8 to 10 minutes. Watch carefully, mixture burns easily.
Pour the butter-flour mixture into the skillet with andouille sausage, shrimp, and vegetables. Place the skillet over medium heat and pour in chicken broth, bacon and Worcestershire sauce, cooking and stirring until the sauce thickens and the shrimp become opaque and bright pink, about 8 minutes.
Just before serving, mix sharp Cheddar cheese into grits until melted and grits are creamy and light yellow. Serve shrimp mixture over cheese grits.

Lowcountry Local First Field Feast- Food is Good

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We went to the 4th annual Lowcountry Local First Field Feast on Sunday, and it was as expected- AMAZING!! The setting was spectacular out at Rosebank Farm on Wadmalaw Island.  The tent  was set up by the river, we enjoyed cocktails on the lawn with Long Miles played, and then we moseyed down to the dock for a cool breeze and a raw bar.  I had gone over the menu when we arrived, and by the time we sat down, I almost couldn’t contain my excitement for the meal.   Fire charred bread was served with pumpkin seed condiment and a yogurt dip.  We snacked on this yumminess while introductions and thank yous were given, and then we heard from the farmer about the cow named Link that we were about to enjoy.  Okra soup followed, and then we were onto the meat.  Plate after plate of the best meat and sauces and vegetables and beans came out of the side yard where it was all prepared by Chef Mike Lata and his unbelievable staff from FIG (which stands for Food Is Good and they are so right).  I am in awe of this group.  It was a little warm on Sunday, the bugs were out, and the serving staff from FIG had been there all day on their day off no less.  While they passed around the drinks and appetizers, helped cook and serve us all dinner (and there were about 180 of us), dealt with the rain that came pouring down right after the soup course- they all smiled, were cheerful, were the best wait staff I have ever seen.  I could not be more impressed.  Now, I need to make special mention of dessert.  Because I am still dreaming about it.  On the menu, it just said Sea Island Milk Candy.  I was curious.  When dessert was served, it was cream stuffed crepes with a caramel sauce that was just special.  I don’t want to even degrade it by superfluous adjectives.  It was just special. This is by far and away my favorite event in Charleston, and if you are ever able to go, I would jump on the tickets as fast as possible, and if you can’t make it, then you should just eat at FIG because it is the next best thing.

Charleston Wine and Food Festival

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Charleston Wine and Food Festival starts this Thursday, and I am going to Texas this weekend.  While I am very excited to go to Houston to see Radiohead in concert and see some friends we haven’t seen in a very long time, I am so bummed to miss the festival.  Thanks to my awesome friend at Le Creuset, Corby and I got totally hooked up last year with some passes to the Chef’s event on Thursday night and to the tents on Saturday.  We have also been to the BBQ finale on Sunday for the last two years which is incredible.  Check out the full list of all the fun things going on here www.charlestonwineandfood.com.   Just a word of advice if you do go to the BBQ event on Sunday, we tried every station, and there are about 15 all serving different style BBQ with sides and even some with dessert, in about 20 minutes.  I thought after that 20 minutes that I was going to die as I had just consumed about 30,000 calories, had a whole pig in my stomach, and a couple of beers to top it off.  So, I suggest, if you go, you may take it easy and don’t try all the stations at once.

But back to Houston, or as Corby likes to call it “Ground Control”- we get in Saturday around noon and Radiohead starts at 7:30 I think.  Radiohead is Corby’s favorite band. I really haven’t listened to them that much- the end of their songs seems a little screamy to me, but I am not a music buff in any way, shape or form, so what do I know.  Anyway, we are going to go to The Ginger Man (www.gingermanpub.com) because Corby loves it, but any suggestions for awesome Mexican food would be greatly appreciated.  Yay Mexican food- yay queso!   I don’t really have much else for now, as I am just waiting for the weekend, and it’s Tuesday.  But, I saw in Esquire Magazine that they featured a breakfast casserole by the amazing Mike Lata of FIG.  Here is the link http://www.esquire.com/features/food-drink/the-community-cookbook/breakfast-casserole-recipe-0312– it looks yummy!

Feast in the Field

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Last night we went to a Feast in the Field event sponsored by Low Country Local First, FIG, and Garden and Gun Magazine. The setting was a beautiful spot on the river called Dirthugger Farm with lighted Live Oak trees, Spanish moss, and a sunset that was breathtaking.  The food was even better.  Passed hors d’oeurves were deep fried stone crab balls, chicken liver pate, and oysters (because as everybody knows, October 1st is the official day you can start harvesting local oysters here in Charleston).  The bluegrass band was fantastic, and they were giving boat rides on Scout crafts.  The whole evening was magical.  Dinner was family style and started off with Virginal Sheep’s Mil Ricotta and Oregano Grilled Sourdough bread- amazing!  I actually kept the bowl of the ricotta next to me, and continued to eat it for the whole night with everything else that was served.  At the same time, they brought out Escabeche of White Shrimp with Fall Vegetables and Fresh Ginger.  It was gone before I could get a good picture. The Porchetta Tomato Celery Heart Lemon Confit was divine as was the Butter Pea “Pasta e Fagioli”.  I could have eaten just that (and of course the ricotta) all night.  The Wood Grilled Keegan Filion Farms Chicken Al Mattone with Charred Lemon Jus and Dirthugger Bread Salad was if possible even better.

The evening was topped off with Pear Tartatin with Honey Syrup and Pistachio Creme and the Board of Lowcountry Local First gathering with Chef Mike Lata for a photograph in the live oak tree!

For good measure, here is the sunset and the river.  It was such a fun evening, and I can’t wait for next year!