Be proud of your culinary history, South Carolina, for we have given the world no small number of delicious and iconic dishes. This month, we offer you four Carolina classics but encourage you to experiment with—and share—your own preferred ingredients and methods.
Photo by Iuliia Nedrygailova
CHICKEN BOG
SERVES 6
1 whole chicken (3–4 pounds), skin on, cut into pieces
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, sliced
2 celery stalks, sliced and including leaves
3 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
3 cups chicken stock
½ pound Andouille sausage, sliced ½-inch thick
1 cup long grain rice
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
2 scallions, sliced
1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley, for garnish
In a Dutch oven or large stockpot, add chicken, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, salt and pepper. Cover with water and, over medium-high heat, bring to a boil. Reduce to medium-low and simmer until chicken is cooked, about 40 to 45 minutes. Remove chicken to a cutting board and cool slightly. Discard cooking liquid and vegetables. Remove the skin and bones from chicken and discard. Cut chicken into bite-size pieces.
Wipe clean Dutch oven and add stock, chicken, sausage, rice, seasoning and scallions. On medium-low heat, cook for 20–25 minutes. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook, stirring often, until rice is tender, 10–20 minutes longer. Garnish with parsley and serve directly from pot, if desired.
She Crab Soup
Photo by Gwénaël Le Vot
SERVES 6–8
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 shallots, small diced
1 stalk celery, small diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
Kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper
Pinch, nutmeg
1 quart (4 cups) half-and-half
1 pint (2 cups) heavy cream
1 cup clam juice (more if needed to thin mixture)
½ cup sherry, divided
1 tablespoon fresh chopped dill
½ tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon pepper sauce
1 pound lump crabmeat, divided
Fresh chopped chives, for garnish
In a Dutch oven over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in flour with a flat whisk until mixture resembles wet sand. Add shallots, celery, garlic, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Continue to cook and stir for 3 to 4 minutes. Gradually whisk in half-and-half until the mixture is smooth, then stir in heavy cream and crab juice. Bring to a simmer. Pour in half of the sherry, then add dill, Worcestershire sauce and pepper sauce. Stir, cover and simmer until soup is reduced by one-third, about 30 minutes. Add ¾ pound crabmeat and simmer for an additional 10 minutes. If soup is too thick, add more clam juice until you achieve the desired consistency.
To serve, ladle soup into bowls and divide the remaining crabmeat on top. Garnish with chives and finish with a drizzle of the remaining sherry.
Chef’s tip
Making a light roux. The main thing to remember when making a roux—butter and flour—is to stir it constantly. A flat whisk is the best tool for this task. Constantly whisking the mixture will not allow it to burn or turn brown. This process only takes about 3–4 minutes, depending on how high your stove temperature is set. Do not turn your back on this process as it requires your constant attention!
Frogmore Stew (Lowcountry Boil)
Photo by Gina Moore
SERVES 12
1 gallon water (more if needed to cover ingredients)
1 onion, peeled and quartered
1 lemon, quartered
½ cup Old Bay seasoning
2 pounds small new potatoes
2 pounds smoked sausage, cut into 2-inch pieces
8–10 ears fresh corn, cleaned and cut into 3 or 4 pieces
3–4 pounds fresh shrimp, unpeeled
Cocktail sauce, optional
Melted butter, optional
In a large stockpot over high heat, add water, onion, lemon and seasoning. Bring to a boil. Add potatoes, reduce heat to medium and cook for 15 minutes. Add sausage and corn and cook for 10 minutes. Add shrimp and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until pink. Drain and transfer to a large platter or bowl. Serve with cocktail sauce and butter, if desired.
Charleston Red Rice and Beans
Photo by Karen Hermann
SERVES 8–10 (AS A SIDE, LESS IF AS AN ENTRÉE)
Cooking spray
4 slices bacon, cut crosswise into ½-inch pieces
8 ounces smoked sausage, cut horizontally into quarters and diced
1 large sweet onion (Vidalia or Spanish), diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 15-ounce can fire-roasted tomatoes
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
Kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper
1–2 teaspoons sugar (according to taste)
2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
Dash hot pepper sauce
2 cups long grain rice, rinsed until clear
1 16-ounce can red beans, rinsed and drained, optional
2 cups chicken stock or water
Chopped parsley, for garnish
Red pepper flakes, for garnish, optional
Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a 2-quart (9-by-13-inch) baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook bacon pieces until just short of crispy. Remove from skillet and drain on a paper towel. Reduce heat to medium. Add sausage, onions, celery and bell pepper; cook until vegetables are tender. Add garlic and cook an additional minute. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, salt, pepper, sugar, seasoning and pepper sauce. Bring to a light boil, stir and cook 3–4 minutes.
Add mixture to prepared baking dish. Add rice, bacon and beans and mix thoroughly and spread evenly in dish. Pour in stock. Cover pan tightly with foil and bake for about 40 minutes. Remove from oven, fluff rice and return to oven, uncovered, and cook an additional 10–15 minutes until rice is done and all liquid is evaporated.
Remove dish from oven. Garnish with parsley and pepper flakes and serve.
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