Author: Debbi Covington

Charlie Brown’s pal, Linus van Pelt, was right! There’s something incredible about pumpkins in the fall. Luckily, you don’t have to stay up all night in the pumpkin patch to find a great pumpkin recipe. Five fantastic ones are right here! Pumpkins are a great addition to salads, soups, entrees and desserts. When buying a pumpkin, keep in mind that pumpkins grown and harvested for jack-o’-lanterns have less edible flesh than cooking pumpkins. Look for varieties that have been raised specifically for cooking. Select small, round, plump pumpkins that are 2 to 5 pounds, heavy for their size and blemish-free.  Store pumpkins away from direct sunlight for up to a month or keep them chilled until ready to use. Scoop out the flesh for recipes and save the seeds for roasting.

 Eggplant is in season and it’s quite abundant at all of the farmers’ markets. This time of year they’re plump and firm and perfect! The eggplant (aka aubergine) is a member of the nightshade family. They’re very filling, supply few calories and contain virtually no fat. Their meaty texture makes eggplant a wonderful vegetarian main-dish choice.  When shopping, look for a well-rounded eggplant with a smooth and uniformly colored skin. Tan patches, scars or bruises on the skin indicate decay which will appear as discolorations in the flesh beneath. A good eggplant will feel fairly heavy, a light one may be woody. A medium-sized eggplant, 3 to 6-inches in diameter, is likely to be young, sweet and tender. Be sure to cook eggplant in a glass baking dish. Aluminum pans will cause them to discolor.

  In this week’s issue, I’ve teamed with L.A. Plume to share our entertaining ideas. Ms. Plume is imparting her wisdom with regard to entertaining etiquette and I’m providing the recipes! Believe it or not, when Vince and I have a rare weekend off we almost always invite friends to our house for dinner or hors d’oeuvres. Even though in most cases, our unsuspecting pals are guinea pigs for tasting my new recipes, it’s always a lot of fun! My favorite way to entertain is simple and stress-free. The hosts get to have as much fun as (if not more than) the guests.

 True barbeque fighting is not for the faint-of-heart! It’s a never-ending battle. Which is best – eastern North Carolina vinegar and pepper, western North Carolina tomato sauce or South Carolina spicy mustard sauce? Folks with an opinion on the matter are dead set in their ways. Don’t waste your breath on the discussion. Over the years I’ve had to listen to other people’s thoughts on the subject, even when I happen to know for a fact that vinegar and pepper is the only way to cook pork barbeque. The best thing too do when you find yourself in the middle of a barbeque argument is to keep your mouth shut and smile. Still, everyone will agree that pork barbeque is mighty fine eating! One of the great things about pork barbeque is that it’s not fancy food.

If variety is the spice of life, then feta is the cheese – at least in this week’s recipes! Feta is a brined curd cheese that’s traditionally made in Greece. It’s an aged crumbly cheese, commonly produced in blocks and has a slightly grainy texture. The Greek word “feta” comes from the Italian word “fetta” which means “slice.” Feta was introduced into the Greek language in the 17th century. Opinions vary whether it refers to the method of cutting the cheese in slices to serve on a plate or slicing the cheese to put it into barrels. Traditionally, feta is made in the lower Balkan peninsula from sheep’s milk. Goat’s milk has been used in recent times. Feta is delicious as a table cheese, in salads, and with pastries in baking. It can also be served cooked or grilled and adds a salty alternative to other cheeses in a variety of dishes.

When the Lowcountry heat and humidity sets in, I crave foods that are sweet and cold. And when it comes to frozen desserts only one thing comes to mind – ice cream! You may not know this, but ice cream has been around way longer than electricity. Both Alexander the Great and Roman emperor Nero Claudius Caesar used to ask for snow flavored with fruit juice and honey. Marco Polo actually revolutionized ice cream when he tasted the frozen dessert that historians say closely resembles contemporary sherbet and took the recipe to Italy.

Grilled shrimp is a great summer meal! It’s easy to cook and quite tasty, too. Getting the shrimp ready for the grill is just as important as the actual grilling.  That’s where this week’s recipes come in. They’re all marinades for grilled shrimp. You can use whatever type of shrimp you’d like — white, brown or tiger. For grilled shrimp recipes, stay away from the small shrimp. Large, extra large and jumbo are easy to work with and go on skewers nicely. Cooking the shrimp on skewers makes them easier to control on the grill and easier to cook. If you use two skewers for each serving, run one skewer through the head end and another through the tail end of each shrimp. That way, you won’t have ‘spinning shrimp’ when you turn the skewers on the grill.

Who doesn’t love a grilled cheese sandwich? The most basic recipe requires only three ingredients – cheese, butter and bread.  There are zillions of variations on the classic. You’re limited only by your imagination and whatever you happen to have in your pantry. Toasted golden in a hot skillet or browned to melty perfection under the broiler, the hallmark of a good grilled cheese sandwich is crunchy on the outside and oozing on the inside. It’s the ultimate comfort food! Breakfast, lunch, dinner or midnight snack – it’s always a great time for a grilled cheese sandwich! The recipes this week are delicious creations that will satisfy your grilled cheese cravings and will hopefully spark your creativity. Smile and say “cheese!”

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