After meeting in 1973, O’Donnell and her husband traveled across the country together with two books: "The Lord of the Rings" and a macrobiotic cookbook. She said while on the road, they would try to find Chinese restaurants to buy rice from, and her husband would challenge her to pick up a singular grain with her chopsticks.
Danny Nowell's okra a la creole
Carrboro Town Council member Danny Nowell said Chef Justin Wilson’s okra a la Creole is his go-to recipe when he wants to impress guests.
He was first introduced to the recipe as a high school student when he worked with his teacher, Charles Montague, at a Fat Tuesday film festival for Sustaining Roots Music Project, where Montague’s wife, Elizabeth Montague, made the dish.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup finely chopped onion
- 1 cup finely chopped parsley
- 1 cup finely chopped green onion
- 1 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
- 1 tablespoon crushed dried mint
- 2 cups peeled, chopped fresh tomatoes
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1 pound smoked sausage sliced ¼ inch thick
- 10 cups okra, sliced ¼ inch thick
- Salt to taste
- Hot sauce or ground cayenne pepper to taste
- In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat, sauté onions, parsley, green onions, bell peppers and mint until onions are clear.
- Stir in tomatoes, tomato sauce, garlic, soy sauce, wine and sausage and cover and cook over medium heat until it comes to a boil, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the okra, salt and hot sauce. Reduce heat to low and simmer covered, stirring occasionally until okra is tender.
Karen Stegman's sausage-cheese appetizer
Chapel Hill Town Council member Karen Stegman’s recipe for a sausage-cheese appetizer comes from her mother’s 1974 Southern Living Party Snacks cookbook.
Stegman, a vegetarian since she was 16, uses vegetarian sausage to make the dish for her get-togethers, from book clubs to elaborate Oscar parties, she said.
“They're super tasty and very, very 1970s, so it's just a favorite that I've become kind of known for by my friends and social circles,” she said.
Jason Merrill's crispy rice and egg bowl
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Carrboro Town Council member Jason Merrill shared a crispy rice and egg bowl recipe from "Smitten Kitchen" by Deb Perelman. Merrill said his partner introduced him to the Smitten Kitchen website and cookbooks.
“I really appreciate dishes that are simple, like they have a few key ingredients, and you eat it, and you can kind of taste everything, and know what everything is, and it's still just like magic when it hits your tongue,” Merrill said.
Cristóbal Palmer's soy sauce braised fish
Carrboro Town Council member Cristóbal Palmer and his spouse Jocelyn Tsai said making soy sauce braised fish, their favorite dish, is an opportunity to engage their children and support local businesses. Tsai said her mother taught her the recipe when she was a kid, and she has started teaching her own children.
Palmer said a typical Saturday afternoon for their family includes picking up fish from Tom Robinson’s Seafood on the way home after a day out.
Tom Robinson’s selection of fish reminds Tsai of the seafood she eats on her visits to Taipei, where her parents live.
Ingredients
- 1 whole fish gutted, scaled, gills removed
- Vegetable oil
- 3 to 4 slices of ginger
- Sauce (mixed)
- ¼ cup vodka or rice wine
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons of sugar
- 2 to 3 stalks of green onions, sliced
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Start your rice cooker before prepping ingredients. Rinse the fish and pat dry on a towel on both sides. Score the fish with three slices on both sides.
- Put the oil in the pan on high heat. Add ginger. Place the fish in your pan and turn the heat to medium. Leave the fish in the pan to fry undisturbed for a few minutes.
- When the edges are golden brown, flip the fish and fry it for a few more minutes. Pour the sauce mix in the pan and add green onions and chilies. Cover the pan and turn the heat on medium low until the fish is fully cooked.
- Serve immediately with rice and stir-fried vegetables.
Theodore Nollert's chalupas
Chapel Hill Town Council member Theodore Nollert shared a recipe for chalupas with homemade tortillas that his mom would cook for him when he was growing up.
“I remember happily scarfing it down after soccer practice in high school,” he said in an email to The DTH. “I've made it for many friends since and always enjoy sharing it!”
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry pinto beans
- 2 to 3 pounds pork roast
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- Chopped green chilies
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Sort and rinse the beans and place all ingredients in a heavy pot.
- Add seven cups water and simmer for about five hours, or until roast falls apart and beans are done.
- Uncover and cook for about 30 minutes until sauce is to desired thickness.
Barbara Foushee's soups
Carrboro Mayor Barbara Foushee said she does not have a set recipe because she likes to experiment. When she has time, she said she likes to bake — casseroles, quiches and breads are some of her favorites.
Braxton Foushee, her husband, is the cook of the house, she said, and his soups never disappoint.
“He's able to just kind of look through some recipe books, and he might even combine recipes and just create something totally new,” she said.
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