Customer Reviews

The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook: Stories and Recipes for Southerners and Would-be Southerners

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The Lee Bros. Cookbook is really inspiring--it makes me want to take the day off and go crabbing, mix up a frosty pitcher of mint julips for my friends, or drink a whole glass of buttermilk (like my Grandpa used to do). It makes me--a New Yorker via Southern California--want to go to the South! Right now, this very minute. The recipes are welcoming, homey, conjure images of grandma's kitchen (Grandma was from Chicago but made a mean fried chicken and biscuit). They are also elegant in their simplicity, in their respect for pure, fresh ingredients--and completely unpretentious. The book includes a long, affectionate mediation on grits (a much maligned delicious food): lemon grits, herb grits blue cheese grits!!! It is truly grit-tastic. Vegetarians who love Southern food--take heart--this book loves you: collards, okra,field peas, squash,jerusalem artichokes and ramps! The buttermilk lime dressing and pimento cheese sandwiches are killer. And of course, there is plenty of meat--things like hot-pepper roasted duck and fiery BBQ pork tenderloin, not to mention the classic--fried chicken.

And something else that is great about this book--and really rare in a cookbook--is that it is a pleasure to read (don't worry--there are also plenty of lovely pictures). I found myself curling up in bed with it in the evening to read all the text. The stories in the book are both historical--contextualizing the amazing variety of Southern food and the origins of regional favorites--as well as personal, quirky recollections about the connections between place, food, people and memory. This book has lots of unabashed red-hot food-love and heaps of heart and soul.

`The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook' by South Carolinian / New Yorkers, Matt Lee and Ted Lee weighs in at the top of my list for best `practical' go to book for Southern cooking. That approbation is with the understanding that I have not finished looking yet, but this one is a strong early candidate. At the moment, the best competition is the far more general `James Beard's American Cookery'.

One may guess from the number of restaurateur's endorsing blurbs on the back jacket that our two Southern gentlemen are not themselves restrauranteurs, and in direct competition with Bobby Flay, Mario Batali, and especially fellow southerner, Frank Stitt. The brothers Lee are actually the L. L. Bean for purveying southern cuisine staples, beginning with their dear boiled peanuts. Their `day job' also happens to be culinary travel writers for many of the bigger names in New York culinary journalism such as `The New York Times', `Travel + Leisure', `Martha Stewart Living', and `Food and Wine'. They also have an hour show on Martha Stewart's Sirius Radio channel. Which is surprising, as there is no evidence of any reference to Ms. Martha in the acknowledgments, introduction, or index.

Since these gentlemen are neither restaurateurs nor professional chefs in any capacity, and learned how to cook out of personal necessity, the title of the book reflecting a `personal' cookbook is probably as accurate as one may hope. The book is composed exclusively of recipes the boys have cooked themselves, or cribbed from friends or relatives' cooking. This source is broadened and made more professional by the fact that the recipes have been collected and edited for the last ten (10) to twelve (12) years with an eye to professional publication in these very same august publications.

My overall impression of the book is that while our lads range pretty widely across `the old south', from Virginia to southern Florida to Cajun country to the Ozarks, they stay true to traditions of those sources while still making all recipes doable in a modern American kitchen. This means that the very traditional Carolina barbecue will rival those done in a smoker, but no smoke is needed to cook their recipe. Of course, their center of gravity is in the Carolina low country, so most recipes are very similar to those from the same region, such as Paula Deen and Mrs. Wilkes of Savannah and James Villas (and mother). And, their book is a superior reference for practical Southern cooking than either of these three, due to a combination of authenticity, range, and variety of approaches to the same dish. I am surprised, however, at the appearance of some dishes such as chow-chow and hot bacon dressing which I have always associated with the Pennsylvania Dutch cuisine. But there they are! I guess pickled vegetables and bacon fat are pretty universal in American cookery.

This last comment needs exegesis. For several recipes, the boys give us two different versions of a basic, important recipe, such as gumbo or braised collard greens. The first and more traditional recipe is the `Sunday' version, requiring several hours to cook to a tee. The second version is the `Tuesday' version which is much faster, but with a result which comes close to the longer result. I think it's a minor point, but I find it interesting that the boys' local farmers market opens on Tuesday, thus creating the best weekday to do recipes requiring fresh, traditional ingredients.

Aside from range and `options', the Lees also give us more elaborate recipes than Deen or Wilkes. They also give us a lot more `local color' in sidebars on locations, ingredients, and the provenance of recipes. This is the basis of their subtitle that declares that the book has `Stories and Recipes for Southerners and would-be Southerners'. I must point out, however, that for in depth research on important southern dishes, the august Jim Villas' articles on classic Southern dishes, especially in `Stalking the Green Fairy' are superior essays on the issues regarding a certain basic dishes such as the pimento cheese spread and Brunswick stew.

The thing which had me fall in love with this book is the emphasis the authors gave to auxiliary dishes and preparations such as beverages, relishes, spreads and dips, and appetizers. Just as in computer system design and virtually every other major human endeavor, the secret to great productivity is `modularity', the ability to make preparations that will store well and serve in many different roles. One of the more useful aspects of the book are the little asides showing one how to make good use of various leftovers. One of my favorite discoveries in this book was a recipe for (country) ham pate, something my mother made for me when I was in grade school, and mysteriously stopped making when I got to college. One minor point on which someone more expert than I should take issue is the lumping together of American country hams and European cured hams such as Proscuitto. My hunch is that while there is some family resemblence between them, the differences are important as well. I believe they are not interchangeable in many recipes, certainly not in classic Italian recipes.

Another valuable aside is the `What to Drink' recommendation associated with all the `entrée' recipes. This is not limited to wine, and it is certainly not limited to either European or California wines. It covers the entire range of potables from sweet iced tea to beer to sour mash whiskey.

My favorite discovery is the recipe for the buttery bread, `Sally Lunn', where the name is believed to be a corruption of the French `soleil et lune'. The bread is similar to brioche, but does not require the overnight rising of classic brioche. This means one can make a traditional buttery bread from start to finish in one day.

In spite of the book's heft, it should be equally at home by the armchair and in the kitchen.

Writing and cooking have long flourished in the South, and both skills are on display in The Lee Brother's Southern Cookbook. This is a mammoth production --589 pages and loads of color photos -with the heft of a physics textbook and the scope of an encyclopedia. The Lees' style, however, is anything but burdensome. In and among their enormous selection of recipes they provide narration and storytelling that makes this work culinary literature. The Lees manage to cover most of the basics--from mint juleps to grits--while adding many fascinating dishes to the repertoire. In so doing, they often break old rules and invent others, calling recipes "suggestive architecture" that invites personalized attention. The brothers are rule breakers themselves, with no native roots or southern grandma to provide them with credentials: "The Lowcountry is where we learned to cook, the place we call home, and where, in 1980--exactly fourteen years before we tried peddling boiled peanuts in New York City--we first got turned on to regional food, when our parents left the Big Apple for Charleston, Yes, folks, we were born in New York." No matter; here, nurture triumphs. The Lee brothers approach their subject with the zeal of converts, and their enthusiasm is magnified by their skill as writers, and years of experience as two of the leading food writers in the country.
Some of the Lees' recipes, like "Sunday Fried Chicken" may compel the reader immediately to the kitchen; others, like "Francisco's Tractor-Disk Wok Venison" seem more apt for special occasions. The Lee's variations on the southern theme are always interesting and carefully considered. You might not at first think a recipe for "Watermelon Sake" just the thing for a southern cookbook, but the Lee brothers point out that the Charleston area was once the center of American rice production, so why not celebrate the watermelon, southern history and the current availability of good sake all at the same time?
Many cookbooks are helpful; a few are fun. This one is both. As southern cooking continues its renaissance, publication of this book will be seen as a watershed event. Buyers might want to make sure their copy is a first edition.

You don't have to be Southern - after all the authors aren't, not really - to love this book. From its paean to boiled peanuts to the primer on country hams (mold is good), the Lee brothers first book is a big fat gem of lively writing, good-natured chauvinism and unpretentious thoroughness.

Native New Yorkers who spent their formative years in North Carolina and now divide their time between Charleston and New York (lugging their country ham in a stainless steel suitcase), the Lees demystify grits, okra, collard greens and the many varieties of field peas. They offer traditional specialties - Sunday Gumbo, Sunday Fried Chicken - and quicker streamlined versions - Tuesday Gumbo, Tuesday Fried Chicken.

From Edisto River Oyster Shooters to French Squab Purloo and Kentucky Burgoo they celebrate regional specialties and pay homage to individual inspirations in dishes like Best Family Farm Corn-Bread Salad and Fish Stew Man's Red Fish Stew.

The well-organized recipes, loosely grouped by course, generally feed six and variations and leftover suggestions are offered where appropriate. Interspersed throughout are nuggets on sources (stone ground grits really do make a difference), techniques (washing and cutting collards) and ingredients (Jerusalem artichokes, growing okra) as well as stories about people and food they've met up with along the way.

Food writers for the New York Times and mail order entrepreneurs, the Lees have hit the road running with this stellar book debut.

-- Portsmouth Herald

I travel a lot and my favorite restaurant in the country is Zingerman's Roadhouse in Ann Arbor, MI. When they say "quality American food," they really mean it. Since Zingerman's, I have fallen hard for pulled pork, grits and collard greens. It was also at Zingerman's that I was introduced to the Lee Bros. cookbook.

The recipes here are very good. The stories are pleasant. You've heard all that before. It's all true. But you must be forewarned, this is not a simple Betty Crocker cookbook that you got when you first got married.

To follow along, requires some work and planning - not to mention spices (smoked paprika) and sweeteners (sorghum) that are hard to find.

Take, for instance the Red Rice recipe. It is FANTASTIC. But one of the key ingredients is the Lee Brothers "Tuesday Chicken Broth". Well, the Tuesday Chicken Broth takes time to make (you've got canned broth with celery, onions, and parsley boiled together for 15 minutes or so). And if you want to make it correctly (and I recommend you do), you need to make "Lee Bros. Shrimp Boil" seasoning to add to the Chicken Broth. Well, shrimp boil is kosher salt, peppercorns, and dried basil leaves crunched all together in a mortar. It's great, but it takes time.

Many of the recipes call for these broths (beef, chicken, pork or shrimp), and should be kept at the ready (or made)if you want to fully take advantage of this book.

So, if you bake a chicken, keep the carcass and make Sunday Chicken broth and freeze it for later use. If you cook a pork shoulder, keep the bone and make pork broth and freeze it. You will need these down the road if you want to keep using this book. That's why I call it a way of life

I really appreciate the practical suggestions for left-overs. That Red Rice in an omelet is really special. I would have never guessed how good it could be.

Buy it. Just be warned! It does take time.

I am a southerner and I know good southern food, and I am for the most part disappointed with this book. Although some of the general ideas are interesting--pairing Spanish cava with country ham, for instance--the recipes often have serious problems.

To make good watermelon rind pickles, it is important to soak the rinds in saltwater overnight. If you don't, the rind will be bitter. The Lee brothers skip this step, and the combination of the sweet syrup and the bitter rind tastes medicinal. The use of ginger, rather than the more traditional cinnamon and cloves, makes it even more medicinal. I wound up throwing my pickles out and doing them over with a tried-and-true James Beard recipe.

The Lee Brothers suggest eating country ham raw, as you would jamon serrano--but country ham is not jamon serrano and is not well suited to eating raw.

The field pea salad recipe--something "caviar"--would be excellent, but they tell you to boil the peas for only ten minutes, and field peas boiled for only ten minutes will be starchy.

The cheese straws are good, and I'm going to try other recipes in the book--but I'm certainly going to test them before I give any dinner parties.

Bless their hearts, they state early on in the book that they didn't have a southern grandma - let me tell you, they needed one. While some of the recipes appear to have promise, I'm not loving what I've tried. The buttermilk sweet potato pie is a sour (not tart, sour) fluffy travesty. The directions for cleaning and preparing collards are the most labor intensive I've ever heard of. I'm southern, with a southern mama and grandmama, this is how it's done: Hold the leaf in one hand and fold it along the stem so the top sides are together, then pull the leaf away from the stem with your other hand, all the parts of the veins that are too tough to eat will come away with the stem. Roll several leaves together like a cigar and slice in two inch pieces. Fill your sink with water, put the collards in and swish them around, remove them, empty the sink and refill, repeat twice. No need to cut the stem out of each collard or hand wash each leaf. Collards are come, and come again plants. Most growers are going to sell cut leaves, that way they can continue to harvest from the plant. If you're buying roots and stalk, you're paying for a lot of roughage you can't eat. And putting your fried okra in the oven - never. It's just going to get soft, so forget the cute little cones to surprise your guests with. Put it in a basket with some newspaper or paper towels. The recipe directions are also off, don't put the cornmeal dredge in the bowl with the okra and eggs. Remove the okra from the eggs with a slotted spoon and place it in the dredge a little at a time. And NEVER eat country ham raw. These are just a few of the things I've noticed that seem not so well thought out.

All in all, the book seems more for would-be-southerners than the genuine article. I might suggest Bon Appetit, Y'all by Virginia Willis, Screen Doors and Sweet Tea by Martha Hall Foose, anything with Edna Lewis' name on it, and A Love Affair with Southern Cooking by Jean Anderson (not a born and bred southerner, but she gets it right).

Happy cooking.

After just making the comforting Harlem Meatloaf and the dreamy Macaroni & Cheese on a cold windy Illinois night, I'm going to purchase two more copies for my two children's college kitchens. The book is so wonderfully written with a clarity and ease that will help my kids gain the fundamentals of cooking and the basic understanding of why cooking can be such a joy. The Lee Bothers have created a true classic that will be passed down through the generations.

As a southern cook myself, I found this book an excellent and beautiful additon to my collection of cookbooks. I consider myself a serious foodie and I am particularly interested in my own regional cuisine. I would recommend this as an excellent resource both for serious cooks and beginners alike. All of the recipes I have tried so far have been excellent. In particular the fried apples with bourbon are excellent and everyone who has tried them has raved.

The Lee Bros Southern Cookbook may be the only Southern cookbook you'll ever need. The boys offer hundreds of great recipes and funny anecdotes, but to be honest, the book could have used more photos. It's often quite helpful to see a picture of what you're trying to cook in a cookbook so you can get an idea of what the finished product is supposed to look like. Granted, the book does HAVE photos, but only inserted at intervals throughout the text like those movie stills you get in movie tie-in novelizations. The problem with this is that the photo of the dish you're trying to cook may be several dozen pages away from the page the actual recipe's on, forcing you to have to flip back and forth, which is not always easy when you've got your hands full in the kitchen. [..]

Those points aside, the brothers' book is hard to fault. You get quantity AND
quality here, in spades. The boys have managed to modernize many classic Southern recipes while still maintaining the integrity of them. For some recipes, they've tossed out unhealthy (and franky, gross) ingredients like marshmallows (who in their right mind would use marshmallows in a SALAD?) and replaced them with healthier, tastier alternatives (like avocado, which offers the same creaminess and texture). These guys are smart, creative, and ebullient about food, and their enthusiasm is contagious. I can't wait to really start exploring their book in depth, but it may take me years to fully do so.