Gianna Sobol - True Blood: Eats, Drinks, and Bites from Bon Temps

by Maryann Forrester

Makes about 2 dozen, 6 to 8 servings

Poor Sam. He's so worried that "his people" in "his bar" in "his town" are somehow going to get hurt while they're simply submitting to all their most natural urges. So what? They're drinking, dancing, and nearly having sex on the pool table. They're enjoying themselvessomething that Sam doesn't really know how to do. It's a shame. Someone who makes hush puppies this good should know a thing or two about getting down and dirty.

1. 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2. 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon double-acting baking powder
3. 1/2 teaspoonsalt
4. 11/2 cupswhite cornmeal
5. 2 large eggs
6. 3/4 to 1 cup buttermilk
7. 1 tablespoon finely chopped green onion (white part only)
8. 1 teaspoon minced garlic
9. Lard or vegetable oil for deep-frying
10. Salt and freshly ground black pepper for dusting (optional)

Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt and sift them into a large mixing bowl. Add the cornmeal and stir to blend. Add the eggs, one a time, beating well with a wooden spoon until the mixture is smooth.

Pour in 3/4 cup of the buttermilk and stir until it is completely absorbed. If the batter is dense and thick, add more buttermilk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the batter holds its shape in a spoon. Add the green onion and garlic, and stir to blend.

Melt enough lard to get a depth of about 2 inches in a deep, heavy pot or electric fryer and heat until it registers 360F on a deep-fry thermometer. Scoop rounded tablespoons of the batter and drop, four or five at a time, into the hot oil. Fry, turning, to brown evenly, about 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels. While hot, dust the hush puppies with salt and pepper if you wish. Keep warm in a low oven while you fry the rest. Serve warm.

Alan Ball is the creator, writer, and producer of the HBO original series True Blood . Ball also created, wrote, and produced the HBO series Six Feet Under , and wrote the screenplays for the Academy Awardwinning film American Beauty and critically acclaimed independent film Towelhead , which he also directed. His work has received widespread praise, earning him an Academy Award, as well as multiple Emmys and Golden Globes. Though he now lives and works in Los Angeles, he has deep Southern roots, having grown up eating good Southern food in Marietta, Georgia.

Gianna Sobol is an associate producer on HBO's hit show True Blood . She writes for HBO.com and edits the New York Times bestselling True Blood graphic novels.

Benjamin Hayes is the writers' assistant for HBO's True Blood and an independent screenwriter.

Karen Sommer Shalett is the editor in chief of DC magazine . The former Louisiana resident was a lifestyle editor at New Orleans' Times-Picayune .

Marcelle Bienvenu is a Louisiana native and cooking school teacher, who has written and tested recipes for many cookbooks, including the bestselling New Orleans heritage cookbook Cookin' Up a Storm , published by Chronicle Books.

Alex Farnum is a food and lifestyle photographer based on the West Coast.

by Sam Merlotte

Makes 8 servings

I was seventeen years old and running scared; could you blame me? My parents abandoned me, I had nothin' to eat and no one to turn to, and no clue what was happenin' to my body. So with my luck, the one house I broke in to was Maryann's. She was sexy as all get out and when she asked me into her bed, hell, of course I went. But you never get somethin' for nothin' in this world, and while she claims to forgive the $100,000 I stole, I just want her to finish up her order, red beans and rice included, and get the hell outta my bar. For good.

• 1 pounddried red kidney beans, rinsed
  and sorted
• 2 tablespoonsbacon fat or vegetable oil
• 1 cupchopped onion
• 1/2 cupchopped green bell pepper
• 1/2 cupchopped celery
• 1 teaspoonsalt
• 1/2 teaspooncayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoonfreshly ground black pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• 8 ouncesboiled ham, cubed
• 8 ouncessmoked sausage, such as andouille
  or kielbasa, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• 4 ouncessalt pork, chopped
• Cooked ricefor serving
• 2 tablespoonsminced green onion (green part only)
• 2 tablespoonsminced fresh flat-leaf parsley

Put the beans in a bowl and add water to cover by about 2 inches. Let soak overnight at room temperature. Drain the beans
and set aside.

Heat the bacon fat in a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, celery, salt, cayenne, and black pepper and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are soft and golden, 8 to 10 minutes.

Add the bay leaves, ham, sausage, and salt pork, and cook, stirring, until the meat is lightly browned, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the beans and enough water to cover them by about 1 inch. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender, about 2 hours. Add more water if the mixture becomes dry and thick.

With the back of a wooden spoon, mash about half of the mixture against the side of the pot. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is creamy and the beans are very soft, 30 to 45 minutes more. Add more water if it becomes too thick. The mixture should be soupy, but not watery. Discard the bay leaves. Serve the beans over the rice and garnish with green onion and parsley.

by Arlene Fowler Bellefleur

Makes 4 servings

After Daphne died, all I wanted to do was serve the customers their grilled chicken sandwiches, or whatever, and get on to the next table. But all day long, one customer after another, sick buz-zards if you ask me, were wantin' to see the freezer where they found poor Daphne with her heart cut right outta her. Sure, Daphne was clumsy, stupid, and mean, but I wouldn't wish that kinda death on anyone. And anyway, it wasn't a freezer; it was a walk-in refrigerator.

• 1 tablespoonWorcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoonsoy sauce
• 1 tablespoonwhite wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoonTabasco sauce
• 1 teaspoonsalt
• 1/2 teaspooncayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoongarlic powder
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 6 ounces each)
• 4 onion rolls, split in half and lightly toasted
• Mayonnaise and/or Creole mustard
• Sliced dill pickles (optional)

In a small bowl, combine the Worcestershire, soy sauce, vinegar, Tabasco, salt, cayenne, and garlic powder in a small bowl and whisk to make a marinade.

Arrange the chicken breasts in one layer in a shallow bowl and pour in the marinade, turning the breasts to coat evenly. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, turning the breasts at 15-minute intervals.

Prepare a grill for a medium-hot fire. Place the breasts on the grill, close the lid, and cook until the juices run clear, 8 to 10 minutes on each side.