Fred Thompson’s Southern Sides

Book excerpt: Side dishes are the very heart and soul of southern cuisine. So proclaims Fred Thompson in this heartfelt love letter to the marvelous foods on the side of the plate. From traditional, like Pableaux's Red Beans and Rice, to contemporary, like Scuppernong-Glazed Carrots, Thompson's 250 recipes recommend the virtues of the utterly simple and the totally unexpected. Fred Thompson's Southern Sides celebrates the sheer joy of cooking and eating these old and new classic dishes. Exploring the importance of side dishes in the cuisine of the American South, Thompson suggests that if you look closely enough, you can find a historical tale of family, culture, and ethnicity in one awesome recipe after another. Twelve richly illustrated chapters feature a full array of produce, grains and beans, fish and meats, and more. The recipes are enhanced by Thompson's amusing observations, tales of southern living and eating, and straightforward cooking tips. Thompson also provides menus for special occasions throughout the year--for Thanksgiving, you may want to include Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes with Sage, Sorghum, and Black Walnuts.