Preview Andrea Reusing’s Cookbook Cooking in The Moment

Andrea Reusing, chef at Chapel Hill's Lantern restaurant, has been working on a cookbook that will be released in April.  Reusing is highly celebrated, having most recently been nominated for Best Chef in the South East 2011 James Beard Award.

The book is called Cooking in the Moment: A Year of Seasonal Recipes and is designed to be approachable.  In a recent interview with Publisher's Weekly Reusing labels recent foodie trends to have resulted in "rarefied foodie-ism, it’s made people feel they need to be experts."

The book is rich with photos of our local produce and markets, there is a southern flavor layered on top of a sophisticated but simple approach to the recipies.

fried okra with indian spices and hot tomato relish

serves 4 as a small appetizer

1 teaspoon coriander seeds
¼ teaspoon fennel seeds
1 clove
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
Vegetable oil, for frying
1 large egg
¼ cup buttermilk
1 medium serrano chile, finely chopped
2 tablespoons chickpea flour
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 pints okra (just under a pound), stems removed
Sea salt, for serving
Hot Tomato Relish

In a small pan over medium heat, lightly toast the coriander, fennel, and clove until fragrant,

1 to 2 minutes. Allow to cool completely; then grind and set aside. Toast the cumin seeds in the same fashion and add them to the ground spices.

Fill a deep, heavy stockpot with about 3 inches of oil. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until a deep-fat thermometer reads 350°F.

Beat the egg in a small bowl and whisk in the buttermilk and serrano chile. In a medium bowl, combine the chickpea flour, all-purpose flour, salt, pepper, and spice mixture.

Cut the okra on a sharp diagonal into long ¼-inch-thick slices. Put the okra slices into the bowl with the flour mixture and combine, leaving a light dusting on each piece. Pour the egg mixture on top and mix with your hands, making sure to coat all surfaces. In batches, use a large slotted spoon to carefully lay loosely formed handfuls of 6 to 8 slices into the hot oil and cook for about 2 minutes, turning as necessary until the okra is golden brown and uniformly crisp. Drain on a clean brown paper bag, season with sea salt, and serve with the tomato relish.

 

Below see a sampling of the book including some of the spring and summer recipies. 

From Scribd

Follow Andrea Reusing on Twitter

Pre Order Cooking in the Moment on Amazon

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