Nicki Pendleton Wood - Southern Cooking for Company: More than 200 Southern Hospitality Secrets and Show-Off Recipes

When Sonia Chopra of Atlanta, Georgia, serves hot or spicy foods, especially to guests who may not be acclimated to them, she offers cool, fruity drinks, like this lightly sweet sangria. Its a natural with her Green Tomato Pakoras ( ).

SIMPLE SYRUP

cup sugar

2 tablespoons water

SANGRIA

1 (750-ml) bottle white wine

1 cup orange-flavored cognac (such as Grand Marnier)

cup fresh mint leaves

1 ripe mango, pitted, peeled, and sliced

2 peaches, pitted and sliced

For the Simple Syrup, combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan. Heat over low heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. (Or combine sugar and water in a microwaveable cup. Stir well. Microwave 2 minutes. Stir again. Repeat until sugar is dissolved.) Let cool.

For the Sangria, combine the Simple Syrup, wine, and cognac in a pitcher. Stir in the mint, mango, and peaches. Refrigerate until serving time. Serve over ice (if desired) in wine glasses or tall glasses.

Makes 5 servings

Brian Geiger of Charlottesville, Virginia, learned a basic math lesson once when cooking for a crowd, and it has served him well ever since. Remember that increasing the amount of food is likely going to increase the cooking time significantly, he says. When I made a barbecued brisket for a party once, I figured that, since we were cooking two briskets instead of one larger one, it would be easier than cooking a larger brisket. But it still added hours to the cooking time. There was an emergency run to the store to get additional ready-to-eat food while we finished cooking the briskets one at a time. Unless you have two ovens, dont expect a doubled recipe to take the same amount of time as the original.

1 (4- to 6-pound) chicken, cut into pieces, or the equivalent

2 cups buttermilk, more as needed

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon kosher salt

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 teaspoons chipotle chili powder

1 teaspoon dried oregano

About 1 cups shortening for frying

Place the chicken in a large bowl and cover with the buttermilk. Soak for about 1 hour. Combine the flour, salt, garlic powder, chili powder, and oregano in a shallow bowl.

Set up a wire rack over a baking sheet. Remove a piece of chicken from the buttermilk and let most of the buttermilk drip back into the bowl. Dredge the chicken piece in the flour mixture, tapping off any excess. Place the chicken piece on the rack. Repeat with the remaining chicken pieces.

Heat the shortening in a heavy frying pan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat until it reaches 365 degrees. Carefully place the chicken in the oil. Fry until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Turn and cook 10 minutes longer, or until cooked through. Drain on a clean rack set over newspaper or paper towels.

Makes 4 to 5 servings

Kat Riehle says it helps the flow of entertaining to assign roles for herself and her husband when they have guests over to their small New York City apartment. So when Riehle cooks, her husband takes the coats and fills drink orders, and vice versa. I think it makes everyone feel welcome to be greeted with a drink, rather than walking in on two crazy people bumping into each other in a tiny kitchen, frantically attempting to get food on a table, she says.

DOUGH

2 cups all-purpose flour

teaspoon salt

13 tablespoons (1 stick plus 5 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, diced

6 tablespoons sour cream

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

cup ice water

1 large egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water

FILLING

Olive oil

to cup diced thick-cut bacon

1 onion, finely chopped

1 carrot, finely chopped

1 celery stalk, finely chopped

Pinch of hot red pepper flakes

Salt to taste

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 cups thinly sliced kale leaves

Ground black pepper to taste

SAUCE

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 cups sodium-free or low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth

Salt and pepper to taste

2 cups cooked or canned white beans

To make the dough combine the flour and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter and work it into the flour with a pastry blender or your hands until the mixture resembles small pebbles. Break up the pebbles, and keep rubbing in the butter bits until they are tiny.

In a small bowl mix the sour cream, vinegar, and water. Add to the flour mixture. Knead the dough until it forms a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap, flatten a bit, and refrigerate for at least 40 minutes.

To make the filling heat a splash of olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until crisp. Drain on paper towels and crumble. Place the bacon in a medium bowl. Add more olive oil to the pan. Add the onions, carrot, celery, pepper flakes, and a pinch of salt, and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Add the kale and cook until it is wilted. Season with more salt and pepper. Add the vegetables to the bacon.

To make the sauce, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until the flour is browned. Whisk in the broth, a little at a time, mixing completely between additions. Scrape up any bits from the bottom of the pan and mix in. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer the sauce until it thickens, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the beans, vegetables, and bacon, and mix well.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Set 4 ovenproof bowls on a baking sheet. Divide the filling among the bowls. Divide the dough into four pieces, and roll into rounds that will cover the bowls with a little overhang. Brush the rims of the bowls with some of the egg-water mixture. Drape a pastry round over the top of each bowl, pressing it gently so it will adhere. Brush the dough rounds with the egg-water mixture. Use a small, sharp knife to cut a few vents in the dough.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the tops are lightly browned and the filling is bubbling.

Makes 4 servings

One of Beverly Mais most memorable dinner parties at her Kirkwood, Missouri, home was during the brief recession in the 1960s. I made big pots of vegetable, beef, and bean soup. We held the party in our basement, where we have a small kitchen, and served the soup from the pots on the stove. Everyone lined up and ladled out their portion. We lit some antique oil lamps and put out red-checked paper tablecloths. Everyone had a good time, which just shows you dont have to spend a lot to entertain, she says.

cup, plus 3 tablespoons, all-purpose flour, divided

1 teaspoon salt

teaspoon curry powder

teaspoon paprika

teaspoon ground black pepper

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

7 tablespoons butter, divided

cup chopped green onion

2 medium tomatoes, sliced

1 (4-ounce) jar button mushrooms, drained (reserve liquid)

1 cup boiling chicken bouillon

Hot cooked rice

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl mix together cup of the flour, the salt, curry powder, paprika, and pepper. Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture, shaking to remove excess flour. Heat 4 tablespoons of the butter in an ovenproof skillet. Add the chicken to the pan and brown on both sides. Put the pan in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and reduce the heat to 325 degrees.