Collard Greens. There isn’t a vegetable that reminds me of the South more. Growing up in South Carolina, with a mother from the Virginia hills, I saw plenty of collards but, my Mom always ate them cooked to death and then smothered in ketchup with a side of pinto beans. Eeew. That never looked very appetizing to me as a child. But, as an adult, I learned to love collards. (And this recipe I posted back in January was sort of a nod to Mom’s ketchup slathered greens.)

So, when I was strolling our neighborhood farmer’s market this week and spotted big bunches of organic Delvin Farm’s collards, I got really excited. We love trying new recipes and experimenting. In fact, that’s why I started blogging, so I would have a place to keep up with all of our meals we come up with. I am always seeking new ways to cook things. It keeps the whole cooking process exciting for me. I created this new way to cook collards based on an Edna Lewis recipe. I think they turned out really well and they are vegan, just in case you were wondering.

Collards
Serves 4-6
• 2 bunches collards
• 4 cups veggie broth (Seitenbacher is still my favorite!)
• ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• salt to taste
• 2-3 handfuls heirloom cherry tomatoes

Remove the greens from the large middle veins. Wash the leaves thoroughly. Tear them into bite-size pieces. Place the stock, vinegar, and collards in a large pot and heat on medium. Cook for about 45 minutes. Pour the collards into a colander but reserve ¼- ½ cup of the broth and set aside. Place the pot back on the burner on medium. Add the olive oil. Saute the onion until it begins to soften. Add the tomatoes and stir. Keep cooking until they burst open. Add the collards back to the pot with the onions and tomatoes and stir. Add a little of the reserved stock, as needed, so the collards don’t get too dry. Cook for 15-20 minutes and salt to taste. These are always good served with a little hot sauce.

Another one of my very favorite summer vegetables is yellow squash or yellow crookneck squash. This squash is so delicious sauteed with onions, peppers, and/or tomatoes. It immediately brings to mind fond memories of summer in the South. So, to serve alongside my collards, I made the following recipe, served over cheese grits. On Dolan’s last Nashville visit, we ate cheese grits for breakfast and realizing that he loves grits as much as I do, I forced him to take a bag of stone-ground grits home with him. Since I know he and Ali Marie now have a big bag of grits, I thought it best to post some recipes that  feature them. Grits aren’t just for breakfast you know.

Summer Squash with Onions & Peppers Over Stone-Ground Cheese Grits
Serves 4-6
• 3-4 pieces of Applewood Smoked Bacon (optional)
• 1-2 Tbsp Butter
• 1-2 Spring Onions, sliced (slice green tops and set aside to sprinkle on top of finished dish)
• 1 Green Bell Pepper, sliced in 1” pieces
• 1 Red Bell Pepper, sliced in 1” pieces
• 3 cloves Garlic, chopped
• 3 Garlic Scapes (if available, sliced)
• 3 Summer Squash, sliced in rounds

Heat skillet and cook the bacon, then set aside on a paper towel lined plate to cool. If you do use bacon, you can then leave the bacon drippings in the pan to saute the onion. If not, add 1 Tbsp of the butter to the pan. Saute the onion. Stir. Add the peppers and garlic. Once they begin to soften, add the scapes. Stir. Push the vegetables to the sides of the pan and add 1 Tbsp. of butter. Add the squash. Stir. Cover for a few minutes. Cook until squash begins to soften. Crumble the bacon and add to squash mixture. Serve over Cheese Grits.

Stone-Ground Cheese Grits
• 3 ½ cups Water
• 1 cup Stone-Ground Grits
• ½ cup Buttermilk
• 1 Tbsp Butter
• Tabasco, Salt, & Pepper to taste
• ½ cup Sharp Cheddar (or Beechers’ Flagship), grated

Place the water and grits in a medium sized pan. Bring to a boil. Lower temperature to low medium. Stir occasionally. Once the grits begin to thicken and absorb some of the water, add the buttermilk, butter, and seasonings. Keep stirring. Be careful not to let the grits stick to the bottom of the pan. Cook for about 20-30 minutes, depending on how gritty you want them to be. Add cheese. Stir.

This month marks what would have been Waylon Jennings’ 76th birthday. Waylon holds a very dear place in my heart. His music speaks to me and makes me super happy. Back in the day, Waylon was labeled an “outlaw” by those in the music business for doing things differently. Funny that “different” really meant that Waylon did things the way he thought was right. Things such as using his long-time musicians from his band to record his albums and blasphemous things such as securing his own recording rights. These were the sorts of things considered to be characteristic of an “outlaw” by those steeped in the music business of the Nashville Sound in the 1970’s.

Sadly, Waylon had already passed away by the time we moved to Nashville. I never got to know him but what I’ve learned about Waylon, from getting to know those close to him, is that he was a really good man with a really big heart. His spirit and his music will to continue to live on in the hearts of many.

In honor of Waylon, his unique country sound, his way of navigating the music business in Nashville, and his big heart, I want to introduce you to Sturgill Simpson. Sturgill’s first solo album was released last week. I’m really excited about his music.

Sturgill Simpson’s album release. Station Inn, Nashville, June 12, 2013.

Sturgill has an amazing, unique voice that sort of brings fellow Kentuckian, Ralph Stanley, to mind with a sound that combines bluegrass with good ol’ Waylon “Outlaw” country. He has a deep respect for real country music. And much like Waylon, Sturgill is following his own rules. He is true to his heart with a real authenticity and has little room for any music business bullshit. On top of all that, he’s a really good person. Being a part of a creative music community and getting to know all the personalities, talents, and sometimes flaws of a very interesting cast of characters, I am often reminded that it is a good idea to try to separate the art from the artist. It is always really refreshing, however,  when everything aligns and the really good music I love is creating a buzz around town, and is also being created by an equally good person. This is the case with Sturgill Simpson.

Sturgill Simpson and band. Basement, Nashville, Spring 2013.

Get to know Sturgill Simpson. He’s got a very bright future. You can purchase his album here. You can read about one of his new songs (and his grandpa) here. And here’s a great youtube live performance of his song, Water In A Well.

And, to bring it all full circle, here is Sturgill singing Waylon’s Waymore’s Blues.

Whew, we’ve had a busy spring and now the temperatures in Nashville are starting to rise. Summer is just about here. I have a few yummy recipes and food combinations to share that we stumbled upon while waiting for all the amazing Tennessee summer produce to arrive. These first couple of recipes I came across in searching for ways to use a big bag of organic pears I got on sale at our neighborhood natural foods store, The Turnip Truck. Pears are so underrated. Besides being so unique and subtly delicious, they also provide our bodies with many surprising health benefits- from protecting our hearts and controlling diabetes as they are high in fiber and have a low glycemic index, to helping prevent certain types of cancer. I sometimes forget about eating and cooking with pears. I was really happy for the reminder.

Both of these first recipes are from Bon Appetit and both are delicious, different, and got rave reviews from everyone I shared them with. I am terrible at following recipe directions and usually either make up my own or change them so much that they barely resemble the original recipe at all. With both of these, however, I stuck pretty much to the recipe. So, here they are, very closely resembling their original Bon Appetit state. I present you with- dessert first…

Oatmeal Pear Blondies
Topping
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1/4 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

Blondies
• Nonstick Vegetable Oil Spray or Butter (to line baking dish)
• 1/2 cup Unsalted Butter, cut into 1/2″ slices
• 1 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour (or 1 cup all-purpose and ½ cup whole wheat pastry flour)
• 1 cup Old-Fashioned Oats
• 2 tsp Baking Powder
• 1 tsp ground Cinnamon
• 1 tsp Sea Salt
• 1 3/4 cups (packed) Brown Sugar
• 2 Eggs
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 2 cups firm Pears, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch cubes

Combine flour, oats, brown sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. Using your fingertips, rub in butter until moist crumbs form and no dry flour remains. Cover and chill. Preheat oven to 350°. Coat a 13x9x2-inch baking dish with nonstick spray or butter and set aside. Stir butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, swirling occasionally, until melted, deep golden brown, and dark brown bits form at the bottom of pan (do not burn), 7–8 minutes. Pour into a medium bowl; let brown butter cool slightly. Whisk flour, oats, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl; set aside. Whisk brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla in another large bowl until mixture is smooth. Slowly stream brown butter into brown sugar mixture, whisking constantly; whisk until well blended. Add pears to dry ingredients; toss to coat. Stir into brown sugar mixture (batter will be thick). Using a spatula, scrape batter out of bowl and into pan. Smooth top. Scatter chilled topping over batter. Bake until golden brown, edges pull away from sides of pan, and a tester inserted into the center comes out almost clean, with a few moist crumbs attached, 30–35 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let blondie cool completely in pan. Cut into squares.

This next one was a delicious morning treat served with coffee. The black sesame paste was so unique and gave it an interesting texture and color.

Pear Black Sesame Tea Cake
• 1/2 cup Unsalted Butter, room temperature, plus more
• 1 1/2 cups plus 2 Tbsp All-Purpose Flour
• 1 cup Almond Flour or Almond Meal (I ground raw almonds and this worked just fine.)
• 2 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/2 tsp Sea Salt
• 1/2 cup Black Sesame Seeds
• 1 1/3 cups plus 2 Tbsp Sugar
• 1 Egg
• 1 Egg Yolk
• 3/4 cup Buttermilk
• 1 firm but ripe Bosc Pear, peeled, cored, cut into 1/4-inch cubes

Preheat oven to 325°. Butter one 9x5x3-inch loaf pan or six 4x2x2-inch paper or metal loaf pans. Whisk 1 1/2 cups flour, next 4 ingredients in a medium bowl. Grind sesame seeds in spice mill to form a thick paste, about 2 minutes. Using an electric mixer, beat 1/2 cup butter and 1 1/3 cups sugar in a large bowl until well combined, 2–3 minutes. Add sesame paste and beat, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl, until blended, 1–2 minutes. Add egg and egg yolk. Beat until pale and fluffy, 3–4 minutes. On low speed, beat in flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with buttermilk in 2 additions, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Toss pear with remaining 2 Tbsp. flour in a small bowl; fold into batter. Spoon batter into prepared pan; smooth top. Sprinkle with remaining 2 Tbsp. sugar. Bake until a tester comes out clean when inserted into center, about 1 hour 40 minutes for large loaf and 45–55 minutes for small loaves. Let cool in pans on a wire rack.

With pears and almonds left over, I came up with this next meal. We served it with some sweet potatoes roasted in coconut oil! Delicious!

Baked Coconut Almond Chicken
• 1 cup Raw Almonds, toasted in an iron skillet just until fragrant
• ½ cup Raw Shredded Coconut (or toasted)
• Sea Salt & Black Pepper
• 1 Egg (or Coconut Milk)
• 2 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, cut into smaller pieces
• 1-2 Tbsp Olive Oil

Preheat the oven to 375. Grind the almonds and coconut together. Pour into a bowl and mix with salt and pepper. Set aside. In another bowl, place the coconut milk or beaten egg. Pour the olive oil in the bottom of an iron skillet (or oven safe dish). Coat the chicken pieces, one by one, with the coconut milk (or egg) and then cover it with the almond mixture and place in skillet. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until chicken is golden and done on the inside.

Ginger Pear Slaw
• 1 Bartlett Pear, cored and then cut in slices and then thin 1” pieces
• 1 small Green Cabbage, thinly chopped
• 1 bunch fresh Cilantro, chopped
• 1” piece of fresh Ginger, peeled
• 1 Shallot, peeled
• Juice of 1 Lime
• ½ cup Brown Rice Vinegar
• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 Tbsp Honey
• Sea Salt & Black Pepper to taste

In a bowl, mix the pear, cabbage, and cilantro together. Mix remaining ingredients together in a food processor or blender to form the dressing. Pour over the cabbage, pear, cilantro mixture and stir.

Our friend, art lover and curator, and keyboardist extraordinaire, Jerry Dale McFadden’s band,The Mavericks have a new album out called, In Time. I recently had the pleasure of seeing them play as part of a T.V. taping at the Ryman. Unfortunately, I wasn’t allowed to take any photos but, afterwards, front man Raul Malo and guitarist Eddie Perez stepped across the alley to jump on stage at Robert’s Western World. Thank goodness for phone cameras!

Raul Malo & Eddie Perez on stage at Robert’s in Nashville- May, 2013.

I have always loved The Mavericks’ unique sound. I was so excited about their new songs and the band’s reunion this past year (after nearly 8 years). It was so great to see them and I came home and immediately purchased their new album, In Time. I am obsessed. It is a really fun album. I clean to it, cook to it, eat to it- all the while, dancing to it. I highly recommend it and if they happen to be rolling through your town, be sure to go see them live. These guys are awesome and have such great energy.

I’ll end with this youtube I found of them performing “Come Unto Me” at what looks like The Americana Music Awards at the Ryman last fall.