The New New Southern Basics: Traditional Southern Food for Today

Feeling that ""most people, southerners included, had no idea of the rich heritage behind their everyday food,"" author and restaurateur Stamps compiled The New Southern Basics; this second edition adds 80 pages, but follows the same format as its well-received predecessor. The majority of Stamps' reliable southern standards are hard to find fault with: everything from condiments like the spicy, vinegary chow-chow, baked goods like hot water corn bread and highly ritualized dishes such as the beloved Low Country Boil, a feast of boiled shrimp, sausage, corn and potatoes, is solid and tasty. Chapters on sweets ring nostalgic, with recipes for classics like Peanut Butter and Divinity Fudge, chess pie and classic popcorn balls. A few recipes, such as Sundried Tomato and White Bean Hummus and Spinach Souffle seem regionally jarring, and the substitution of water for milk or cream in the Chicken Fried Steak gravy borders on heresy. Still, most of her selections, including four takes on sweet potatoes (baked, roasted, fried and mashed), should provide more than enough go-to recipes for cooks on either side of the Mason-Dixon line.