No Reservations
Favorite restaurant fare in your own kitchenBy Amelia Rasmus
It’s Friday evening, and there’s nothing you want more than a beautiful dinner from one of the Triangle’s finest dining establishments.
There’s only one problem: After a long week at the office, you just can’t bring yourself to take off those bunny slippers!
What’s a gal to do?
Cancel the pizza delivery, put on PJ’s and get out the pots and pans, because collected in a recent cookbook are signature recipes from some of the state’s landmark restaurants.
The following dishes from “North Carolina’s Historic Restaurants and Their Recipes” can help you bring a taste of the Triangle right into your own home:
Anotherthyme's Greek Chicken
Second Empire's Columbia River King Salmon
Tupelo's
Balsamic- and Tupelo-Honey-Glazed Pork Chops
Carolina CrossRoads'
Sea Scallops
The Fearrington House Restaurant's
Black Truffle Navy Bean Soup
The Angus Barn's Mashed Potatoes Web Extra!
Seaboard Café 's Tarragon Chicken Salad Web Extra!
Pop's Trattoria's Big Bowl of Mussels Web Extra!
North Carolina’s Historic Restaurants and Their Recipes
By Dawn O’BrienPublished by John F. Blair
For more information, or to order this book go to: www.blairpub.com/cookbooks/northcarolina'shistoricrestaurants.htm or call: (800) 222-9796
Greek Chicken
Ingredients
Marinade
2-1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
2-1/2 tablespoons oregano
2-1/2 tablespoons marjoram
2-1/2 tablespoons basil
2-1/2 tablespoons thyme
2-1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
2-1/2 tablespoons minced, fresh rosemary
2-1/2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon pepper
Zest of 1 large lemon
3/4 cup olive oil
Balsamic Vinaigrette
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
4 tablespoons minced shallots
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3/4 cup walnut oil
Chicken
4 small, skinless, boneless chicken breasts
6 tablespoons feta cheese
4 Roma tomatoes
1 tablespoon garlic butter
4 cups fresh spinach
Method
For the marinade, combine all the marinade ingredients except oil. Slowly pour in oil, mixing thoroughly to combine. Set aside.
For the Balsamic Vinaigrette, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet and sauté next 6 ingredients until heated thoroughly.
Remove from heat and let cool.
Place sautéed ingredients in a stainless-steel bowl.
Whisk in walnut oil and remaining olive oil in a slow, steady stream to emulsify. Set aside.
For the chicken, place the breasts between 2 sheets of wax paper and pound twice gently with a meat mallet.
Pour 1/2 of the marinade on 4 plates and place the chicken on top.
Brush the chicken with the remaining marinade.
Refrigerate at least 2 hours.
Crumble feta cheese and reserve.
Slice tomatoes in thirds, lengthwise.
Put garlic butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add spinach and stir until wilted. Keep warm.
Grill chicken over medium heat; don’t overcook.
Slice each chicken breast into 5 pieces.
To serve, divide spinach among 4 plates. Alternate chicken, feta and tomato across the plate.
Sprinkle with Balsamic Vinaigrette and serve.
Makes 4 servings.
Second Empire Restaurant and Tavern - Raleigh
Columbia River King Salmon
Ingredients
Capers and Red Pepper Emulsion Sauce
1 teaspoon chopped shallots
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon chopped, roasted bell pepper
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon Italian herbs
Salmon
2 (8-ounce) king salmon
fillets
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
For the sauce, put shallots, garlic and bell pepper in a food processor and blend with chicken broth.
Add white wine a little at a time. Add oil in a thin stream very slowly.
Add herbs, blend into an emulsion and set aside.
For the fish, use a large, cast-iron skillet to sauté the salmon in butter until brown on both sides.
Spoon the capers and red pepper sauce over the salmon and finish under the broiler until done.
Drizzle with additional sauce to serve.
Makes 2 servings.
Tupelo’s Restaurant and Bar - Hillsborough
Balsamic- and Tupelo-Honey-Glazed Pork Chops
Ingredients
2 cups balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup tupelo honey or clover honey
4 center-cut pork chops
Salt and pepper
Creole seasoning
Method
Put vinegar in a saucepan and reduce to 1 cup over medium-high heat.
Lower heat to medium-low and stir in honey. Stir 5 or 6 minutes until mixture begins to reach a syrupy consistency. Remove from heat.
Cut the fat from pork chops and season with salt and pepper and a light dusting of Creole seasoning.
Place about 2 tablespoons balsamic mixture on top of each pork chop.
Grill pork on both sides just until grill marks appear.
Remove from the grill and place on a baking tray.
Bake in a 400-degree oven about 13 minutes.
Makes 4 servings.
Carolina CrossRoads at The Carolina Inn - Chapel Hill
Sea Scallops
Ingredients
5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon diced country ham
1/2 cup sweet white corn, cut from the cob
1 cup butter beans
1/2 cup diced tomatoes
2 minced shallots
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon butter
Salt and pepper to taste
16 large sea scallops
4 sprigs parsley
2 sprigs thyme
2 sprigs tarragon
Method
Put 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium-size heavy-bottomed sauté pan over medium-high heat.
Add ham and sauté until browned.
Add corn, butter beans, tomatoes, shallots and garlic; cook approximately 2 minutes, or until tomatoes release liquid.
Add butter, salt and pepper and toss to incorporate. Set aside; keep warm.
Put 2 tablespoons olive oil in a cast-iron skillet. Sear the scallops over medium-high heat. Set aside; keep warm.
Spoon succotash mixture evenly into the center of 4 pre-warmed dishes.
Place scallops in the center of succotash.
Combine parsley, thyme and tarragon in a small bowl. Season with 1 tablespoon olive oil and place atop scallops.
Makes 4 servings.
The Fearrington House Restaurant & Country Inn - Pittsboro
Black Truffle Navy Bean Soup
Ingredients
1 cup navy beans, rinsed
3 slices smoked bacon, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 small carrot, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
6 cups chicken stock
Salt and pepper to taste
Black truffle oil
Method
Soak beans overnight and discard the water.
Render bacon in a skillet until done. Dry with paper towel, then dice.
Saute onions, carrots and celery in bacon grease until soft. Puree in a food processor and return to the pot.
Add the beans and stock and cook over medium or medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until beans are soft.
Puree, season with salt and pepper and add drops of black truffle oil or similar substitute.
Makes 6 to 8 servings.
Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
3 pounds Red Bliss potatoes
1 cup butter, softened
1-1/2 cups sour cream
1/2 cup bacon bits
1/2 cup chives
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup Parmesan, grated
Method
Boil potatoes in lightly salted water until very tender. Drain and smash.
Add butter, sour cream, bacon bits, chives and salt and pepper.
Place in a baking dish and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees until the top has browned.
Makes 6 to 8 servings.
Tarragon Chicken Salad
Ingredients
1-1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cut into bite-size pieces
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 rib celery, cut into 1-inch-long strips
1/2 tablespoon crumbled, dried tarragon
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
Salt and pepper to taste
20 to 25 white grapes
Method
Place chicken in a medium-sized bowl. Whisk sour cream and mayonnaise together and pour over the chicken.
Add celery, tarragon, walnuts and salt and pepper. Toss until well combined.
Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours.
Garnish with grapes.
Makes 6 to 8 servings.
Big Bowl of Mussels
Ingredients
2 pounds mussels
2 tablespoons sliced garlic
2 tablespoons sliced shallots
Pinch of crushed, red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup white wine
Salt and pepper to taste
Pinch of Italian parsley
Method
When purchasing mussels, select those with tightly closed shells or those that snap shut when tapped. Otherwise, they're not alive or fresh.
Toast garlic, shallots and pepper flakes together.
Melt butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
Add tomatoes, chicken stock, wine, salt and pepper and mussels. Lower the heat to medium and cook until all the mussels have opened.
Garnish with parsley.
Makes 2 servings.