Deep Run Roots: Stories and Recipes from My Corner of the South

On the heels of her Peabody award–winning PBS show, A Chef’s Life, restaurateur Howard (Chef and The Farmer) shares personal stories and 240 recipes inspired by fare from her hometown of Deep Run, N.C., in this outstanding debut. Returning home following a Manhattan culinary career, Howard reacquaints herself with regional dishes and ingredients of her youth, discovering a vibrant, multi-generational farm-to-table world. In odes to 25 local ingredients such as dried corn, watermelon, pecans, peanuts, beans and peas, sausage, and collards, recipes combine Howard’s food memories with “modern sensibilities” and wisdom gained in professional kitchens. Fans of Southern cooking will find plenty of catfish, corn cakes, cast-iron skillet dishes, and cooking-with-Grandma stories—but it’s not all biscuits and gravy. Recipes elevate fried green tomatoes with curried peach preserves and buttermilk whipped feta; okra gets tempura batter and tangy ranch dressing ice cream; oysters are transformed into a citrusy apple and scallion ceviche; and marinated turnips are dressed with orange, pumpkin seeds, and ginger-orange vinaigrette. Going beyond the glories of grits, Howard’s text is storytelling at its best, rich in mouthwatering detail and reminiscences, though at times her lively anecdotes obscure the recipe directions. This tribute to her family roots is destined to become an enduring classic. (Oct.)