Willis Virginia - Home plate cooking: everyday Southern cuisine with a fresh twist

HOME PLATE
COOKING

HOME PLATE
COOKING

HOME
PLATE

MARVIN WOODS

and Virginia Willis

TM, Photos, SM and 2004 Turner Regional Entertainment Network, Inc.
A Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved.

No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical,
photocopy, recording, or any otherexcept for brief quotations in
printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

The authors and publisher of this book assume no liability for, and are
released by readers from, any injury or damage resulting from the strict
adherence to, or deviation from, the directions and/or recipes herein.

Photo Credits
Mark Hill: back cover and pages
Kyle Christy: front cover, author photo, and pages
Nathan Bolster: page
Edward M. PioRoda: pages
Greg Miller: pages

Food stylist: Sara Levy
Assistant food stylists: Gena Berry, Rebecca Lang, and Michele Philips

Published by Rutledge Hill Press, a Division of Thomas Nelson, Inc.,
P.O. Box 141000, Nashville, Tennessee, 37214.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Woods,Marvin.
Home plate cooking : everyday Southern cuisine with a healthy twist / Marvin Woods & Virginia Willis.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 1-4016-0202-9 (hardcover)
1. Cookery, AmericanSouthern style. I.Willis,Virginia, 1966 II. Title.
TX715.2.S68W656 2004
641.5975dc22
2004016258

Printed in the United States of America

04 05 06 07 089 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

From the crew in the kitchen to the folks watching at home,
without your support, Home Plate would not be possible.

This book is dedicated to you.

From left to right (1st row): Judy Sellner, Thelma Spight-Paschal, Virginia Willis,Marvin Woods,Michael Thomas, Elizabeth Palmer, Dee Samantha Enzmann, Jessica Keeley Neal, Julie Roseman,Stephanie Stephens, Cynthia Wong, Dolores Brown; (2nd row): Bryan Hartness, Tom Williams,Ralph Prado, David Dyche, Lisa Osborne, Gena Berry, Stephanie Smithmyer, Carol Rich;(3rd row): Gary Shaw, Craig Waller,Monte Johnson, Ross Hansberger, Jose Sanchez, Paul Cornwall,Jamie Murff, John McCurry, Jeffrey Noe, Clifford Stroud, Donna Stazzone, Jerry Taylor;(4th row): Tony Newman, Bob Simmons, Al Eastman.

CONTENTS

ABOVE ALL OTHER INFLUENCES, I thank God for the many blessings that have brought me to this point. None of what Ive experienced would exist without Gods presence in my life.

There are also many people whose support I continue to rely on. In order for any individual to get through or truly shine on center stage, there is usually a group of people that believes in and supports him or her every step of the journey; I am no different. Therefore, I would like to thank and acknowledge key players at Turner South and Home Plate whose work makes this all possible: David Rudolph, John Parry,Mike Thomas, Veronica Sheehan, Virginia Willis, Thelma Paschal, Jamie Murff, Tom Williams,Monty Johnson, Al Eastman, Cliff Stroud,Wally, Tony (Hottub) Rob, Jose, David, Irene Foran, Sarah Hamilton, Nyssa Greene,Craig McMahon,Kyle Christy,Mark Hill, Edward M. Pio Roda, Nathan Bolster, Greg Miller, and Bill Taft. To the wonderful kitchen crew who continues to excel and put it all together: Gena Berry, Judy Sellner, Claire Perez, Samantha Enzmann, Bryan Hartness, Jessica Keely Neal,Vanessa Parker,Carol Rich, Julie Roseman, Claire Sellner, Stephanie Smithmyer, Stephanie Stephens, and Cynthia Wong. I must also include a special thank you to Cheryl Galway, Russ Benblatt,Mark Kempf, and the rest of the crew at Whole Foods; it is a tremendous pleasure to work with all of you.Huge thanks to Jan Walters and Karen Kelsh and all the folks at the KitchenAid Insperience Studio. Big shout out to my cookin cousin Quito Mckenna and the Viking folks, A. J. and Sally Doloris; thanks for your support.

I am honored and proud to be loved by my family and close friends who keep it real and continue to support me in many ways: my wife and children, Petra,Chris, and Madison and my extended family, Terry, Monica, Raul,Aunt Flo,Aunt Rose,Aunt Margie,Vi,Cyndi Long,Kenny Hart,Uncle Charlie, Bayrob,Melodi, Cabiria, Lafern, and Mark. To my super star staff at restaurant MWoods in Miami, thank you for your hard work and dedication to being the best.

Last but definitely not least, I must acknowledge where the teaching and true support started; big thanks to my mom and dad, to my sisters Leslie, Lyn, and Erika, and to my nephews Manny and Kyle. Thank you seems like its not enough! I am truly blessed and so grateful to have this many people with me in my journey.

IF YOURE OLD ENOUGH to buy this cookbook, youre old enough to appreciate how different the world is now compared to twenty years ago when I was growing up. A quick look around and Im sure youll agree that times have really changed. Fifteen years ago the notion of a television network devoting time to food simply did not exist. American pop culture did not include familiarity with the names of top-notch chefs like Emeril Lagasse or Wolfgang Puck. Ten years ago, beyond Betty Crocker and Julia Child, big name chefs were largely unknown. Even on cable television networks (when cable meant more than twenty channels but not yet one hundred), food-related commercials consisted of restaurants and an occasional cooking appliance being sold for $19.99 on late night TV. Back then, food was entertaining only in infomercials. Today, Home Plate broadcasts to millions of homes, making us one of the highly rated shows on Turner South! And its not just me; theres Emeril Live,Hot Off the Grill with Bobby Flay, Sara Moulton, Jamie Oliver,Iron Chef, and the list goes on and on. Yes, in the new millennium most Americans have heard of these shows, and many more watch them religiously, discussing their likes and dislikes around the water cooler. People are more interested in food preparation than ever, and they see television as a great way to learn about it.

So, who is Marvin Woods? Some of you are already aware of my up north upbringing. You know the Howell Townshipsmall-rural-Jersey-townstory about the parents raised in the South and about the many summers I spent there as a child. But you may not know that Ive enjoyed everything about food since, and because of, those days, from the aromas swirling around in the North Carolina humid waft of August to the spice from the sauces that would make you sweat while you licked your fingertips. More please! There was plenty, and you could have as much as you wanted until you were full as a tick as my grandmother would say. The sound of forks clicking against plates was usually a background rhythm for Remember that time... stories that made us laugh. No, Im not a born-and-bred southerner but Im as close as a born northerner can get to being one. This cookbook reflects my appreciation for a rich southern heritage.

Home Plate has brought the best of all of my worlds together. It is an opportunity to do what I love: cook, teach, and laugh. As many of you know, our show highlights a range of southern cuisine from buttermilk biscuits and skillet cornbread to brunswick stew and upside-down pear cake. And because southern food culture is so malleable, our options are endless, and we never get bored. During each episode I have the pleasure of teaching our viewers a new term or technique to enhance what many of them innately know from experience in their own kitchen. On the show, I like to call this droppin knowledge.And believe me, nothing gives me more pleasure than hearing veteran southern cooks like my grandmother and mother use terms like braised or crusting something in panko because theyve heard them on