This is doro wat, arguably the national dish of Ethiopia, and a dish close to my heart. I once worked in an Ethiopian restaurant called the Horn of Africa in Madison, Wisconsin. This was by far the most popular dish. It is normally done with old chickens, and pheasants or grouse are great alternatives.
White chili is one of those Tex-Mex hybrids that you won’t find in Mexico, or even very often in Texas. It seems to be a Northern adaptation of traditional chili, with white beans and chicken as its base. It’s good with pheasant or any other white meat.
Tarragon was made for chicken and mushrooms. Its muted aniseed flavour is somehow both bold and gentle; the sponginess of the mushrooms just soaks up the tarragon and their earthiness marries with it beautifully. The second wonder of this dish is its simplicity – just throw everything into the pan, place the chicken on top and roast.
Panades are savory bread puddings, but instead of being moistened with egg, milk, or cream, as is traditional, here a Mediterranean mix of grated tomatoes and olive oil does the trick, making for a complex casserole.
These are appropriately yummy morning, noon, and night. Serve them at breakfast, brunch, cocktail hour, or dinner with a homemade aioli, sour cream or hot pepper jelly. You may have your own favorite gristmill for good grits, but we are very partial to Louismill Smoked Yellow Corn City Grits, which lend another nuanced smokiness in addition to the country ham.
Lots of Southern shrimp and grits recipes call for the addition of bacon, but we like the aromatic smell and taste of Louisiana Tasso, a Creole ham that you’ll find as the foundation (along with the Holy Trinity of sautéed onions, peppers, and celery) of any respectable gumbo or jambalaya. This recipe is actually a riff on redeye gravy, an old Southern gravy using coffee and country ham. We serve these to thousands of guests each Derby at Churchill Downs.
Henry Bain was one of the first employees of Louisville’s exclusive Pendennis Club, which was founded in 1881. According to the legend, his first job was to run the elevator, but he ended up as the headwaiter and established himself forever in Kentucky history with his signature namesake sauce. He created it to accompany steaks and wild game. The club eventually bottled and sold the sauce, and today it’s made, bottled, and distributed by Louisville’s Bourbon Barrel Foods. This is the official recipe created by Bain, and it is delicious alongside everything from roast turkey to grilled hamburgers. You can also pour it over cream cheese and serve it with crackers as an appetizer. This recipe makes a large amount, so put it in jars and give it as gifts to friends and family. It’s a wonderful little taste of Kentucky. Serve this recipe when you really want to impress.
Julie Powell, of the movie Julie & Julia, is a food blogger determined to cook through the entirety of Julia Child’s classic cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking in one year. The climax of this feat is her attempt at boeuf bourguignon, a dish so important and representative of the intricacies of traditional French cuisine that she decides to serve it to her first food critic. It’s a classic that’s hard to improve on, but we’ve included a pressure cooker version of Ms. Child’s signature dish, which saves time without compromising flavor. [Ed. Note: learn more about Andrew Rea's obsession with recreating famous food from movies and television here.]
"Tamal en cazuela is our ultimate comfort food," insists Acela Matamoros, one of Cuba's top cooking teachers and food historians. A kind of Cuban polenta -- or a stove-top tamal -- at its most basic, tamal en cazuela can be just a soft mush of water, cornmeal, and salt, sometimes eaten with milk and a sprinkle of sugar. Other versions use grated corn or the strained "milk" of the corn puree, which thickens when cooked. The flavorings range from classic pork, such as here, to chicken to seafood. This recipe, using pork ribs and a combination of grated corn and some cornmeal to thicken it, is easy and fairly quick but delivers plenty of that comforting, grandmotherly flavor.
Roasting mushrooms gives them a great, meaty texture that is perfect for this grilled cheese sandwich. This takes more time, but – trust us – the flavor is far more intense.