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These amazing recipes (below) were developed by the award-winning cookbook author, Damon Lee Fowler. Bookmark this page and visit often as we will be adding new recipes every week.
Also, be sure to check out three of Damon Lee Fowler’s most popular cookbooks. All are available for sale at the Salt Table shops and online. And, all three are autographed.
Damon Lee Fowler (left) recently held a booksigning at The Salt Table shops in Savannah and Pooler Georgia. Carol and Dave are very proud to host such a prolific and notable cookbook author. His books are available in the shops and online. These books are also autographed by Damon.
About the Author: Damon Lee Fowler is a culinary historian, cooking teacher and food writer. A nationally recognized authority on Southern cooking, he is the author of nine cookbooks, including Classical Southern Cooking, Beans, Greens, & Sweet Georgia Peaches, Savannah Chef’s Table, Essentials of Southern Cooking and, most recently, Ham: A Savor the South Cookbook. He has written historical commentary on a number of historical cookbooks and was editor and recipe developer for Dining At Monticello for the Thomas Jefferson Foundation. He is the featured food writer for the Savannah Morning News and has written for such national publications as Bon Appetit, Food & Wine, Garden & Gun, Relish and Local Palate. He lives, eats, and writes in Savannah, Georgia.
Salt Table’s Savannah Spanish Moss or All ‘Round Good Grinder Blend
A Holiday breakfast or brunch standard, a strata is really nothing more than a savory bread pudding. It also makes a lovely supper dish for any chilly evening throughout the year. The Salt Table’s Savannah Spanish Moss Blend makes seasoning it a snap. Another perfect match for it is the ever-popular All ‘Round Good Grinder Blend, which is delightful with ham and eggs. You can add a little chopped fresh oregano to freshen the flavors, but it really doesn’t need it.
Serves 6 to 8
INGREDIENTS:
9 slices firm, home-style white bread
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ medium red bell pepper, stems, core and membranes removed, diced
½ medium green bell pepper, stems, core and membranes removed, diced
8 ounces brown (crimini or baby bella) mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 cup sliced green onions, both white and green parts
1½ cups diced cooked ham
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar, Gruyere, or Swiss cheese
Cut the bread into large dice (some cut enough for the top layer into decorative shapes with a cookie cutter). Butter a 9×13-inch casserole and put in half the bread.
Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Add the peppers and sauté 4 minutes. Add the mushrooms and raise the heat to medium high. Sauté until they’re opaque, about 3 minutes, then add the green onions and ham and toss until hot, about a minute. Turn off the heat.
Scatter the ham, pepper, mushrooms, and green onions mixture over the bread in the casserole dish. Season well with Spanish Moss Blend. Sprinkle half of both cheeses evenly over it and top with the remaining bread.
Whisk together the eggs and milk and 2 teaspoons (or to taste) Spanish Moss Blend. Pour this over the entire casserole, cover with plastic wrap, and let it sit until the bread has fully absorbed the custard, about 30 minutes, or refrigerate it overnight. Let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking.
Preheat the oven to 375° F. Uncover the strata and bake until it’s almost set, about 30-35 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and bake until golden and firm at the center, about 15-20 minutes longer. Let it rest 10 minutes before cutting.
This is perfect for holiday entertaining or to warm up a blustery night with the family. The Salt Table’s Savannah Summer Salt and Taco Seasoning simplify the flavorings and make putting it together a snap.
Serves 6-8
INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
1 pound ground beef chuck, preferably from grass-fed cattle
1-2 ripe tomatoes, cored, seeded, and chopped, optional
2-3 Jalapeno peppers stemmed, cored, seeded and diced, optional
HOW TO MAKE IT:
Warm the oil in a 10-inch skillet or sauté pan over medium heat. Crumble in the beef, raise the heat to medium-high, and sauté, tossing or stirring occasionally, until it has lost its raw, red color and is beginning to brown. Remove it from the pan and add the onion. Sauté until it is golden and softened, about 4 minutes.
Return the beef to the pan. Season well with Summer Salt and Taco Seasoning. Add the tomatoes, chili sauce, and broth and bring it to a simmer. Adjust the heat to a slow simmer and let it cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thick and the beef is tender, about an hour—longer won’t hurt it.
When ready to serve, stir in the cheese and transfer to a warm serving dish, chafing dish, or slow cooker set on low. Garnish if liked with tomato and jalapeno peppers (or a milder pepper if you prefer) and serve with corn or tortilla chips. You may also offer the dip plain with tortilla chips and serve the cheese and optional garnishes on the side, to be added by each guest.
This is great for novices, especially with The Salt Table’s Savannah Spanish Moss Blend: Once the onion and celery are chopped, it’s all just dumped together, mixed, and baked. There’s no sautéing or precooking involved. You can even omit the eggs if you want the dressing to be a little looser.
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350° F. Put the butter into a 9-inch-square baking pan or dish and put the dish in the oven until the butter just melted.
Put the crumbs in a large mixing bowl. Swirl the melted butter in the pan to coat it, then pour the butter over crumbs. Add the onion and celery and season well with about 1 tablespoon of Spanish Moss Blend. If you like, you may add chopped fresh sage for a fresh, brighter flavor. Toss until well mixed. Wet it well with broth—not so it’s soggy—but wet and yet still a little loose. Mix well, taste, and adjust the Spanish Moss Blend. Add the eggs and toss again until crumbs are evenly coated, adding a little more broth if the dressing is still too loose.
Pour the dressing into the buttered pan and pat it flat. Bake until center is set and top golden brown, about 45 minutes. To give it the texture of stuffing, before putting it in to bake, baste with some of the turkey’s drippings and cover with foil. Let it sit for 10 minutes before serving.
This venerable Southern classic is a standard for any hostess worth her iced tea. The best cheese for these is an old, super-sharp cheddar, the kind that will practically take the roof off your mouth. If you can’t get such wonders, mixing in a bit of Parmigiano-Reggiano gives it just the right kick. Most recipes call for both salt and cayenne: Since The Salt Table’s Sriracha Sea Salt is both in one, the seasoning is a little easier, a welcome thing with our busy holiday schedules!
In a food processor fitted with a steel blade or with a mixer, cream the cheese and butter until fluffy and smooth.
Add the Sriracha Sea Salt, and flour and process or work it into a smooth dough. Taste and adjust the salt to suit you. Gather it into a ball, cover with plastic wrap, and chill at least half an hour or up to 1 hour, but don’t let it get completely hard. If you make it ahead to bake later, let it soften at room temperature for about half an hour, so that it’s still cool but pliable.
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat it to 325° F. Put the dough into a cookie press fitted with the star die and press it out onto an un-greased baking sheet into narrow 2½-inch straws, leaving about ½ inch between. Or lightly flour a work surface and roll it out a little less than ¼ inch thick. Cut with a knife or a zigzag pastry wheel into ½-inch by 2½-inch strips, or with small cookie cutters into decorative shapes, laying them on the baking sheet as you go.
Bake for about 18 to 20 minutes, being careful not to let them brown on top. The bottoms should be golden but the tops and sides should not color. Cool on the pan before transferring them to an airtight storage container.
Adapted from Essentials of Southern Cooking by Damon Lee Fowler especially for The Salt Table’s Sriracha Sea Salt, by permission of the author.
These can be roasted without blanching but that speeds up the roasting and helps keep the sprouts from being tough. Plus it can be done a day or two ahead. If you really don’t have time to blanch the vegetables ahead, add 15-25 minutes to the roasting time. The Salt Table’s Smoked Bacon Sea Salt really makes these brussels sprouts sparkle.
Trim the cut ends of the sprouts and pull off any loose leaves. Cut them in half lengthwise.
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add a handful salt, stir, and add the sprouts. Cook 2 minutes, drain, and rinse under cold running water. This can be done 1-2 days ahead.
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 425° F. Rub a large, rimmed baking sheet with oil. Spread sprouts and onion over the pan, drizzle them lightly with oil, and toss to coat. Spread them evenly and season well with Smoked Bacon Sea Salt (about 1-1½ teaspoons) and pepper, both to taste.
Roast, stirring occasionally, until the sprouts are tender and lightly browned, about 20-25 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Serve hot.
Tybee Island Coastal Blend (or River Street Cobblestone Blend, or Southern Herb Garden Blend)
Ripe tomatoes filled with local shrimp and crab and baked are an old Lowcountry-Savannah favorite in the summer, when all the ingredients are seasonal and at their most flavorful. They’re pretty simple to make, but even simpler with The Salt Table’s Tybee Island Coastal Grinder Blend. Other great seasonings for them are River Street Cobblestone Blend and Southern Herb Garden Blend.
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS:
4 large ripe tomatoes
Kosher salt
½ pound small to medium shrimp
½ pound (1 tightly packed cup) picked crabmeat
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
½ cup minced yellow onion (about half a medium onion)
Cut ¼-inch from the stem end of the tomatoes, scoop out and discard their seeds, and carefully scoop out the inner pulp with a sharp spoon or melon baller, leaving the outer walls of each tomato intact. Roughly chop the pulp. Lightly salt the shells and invert them over a colander for 30 minutes.
Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil and add the shrimp. As soon as they’re curled and pink, about a minute or less, immediately drain them. Rinse them under cold running water, peel, and if they aren’t very small, cut them into 2 or 3 pieces. Pick over the crabmeat for bits of shell.
Put 2 tablespoons butter and the onion in a sauté pan over medium heat and sauté, tossing, until the onion is translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the tomato pulp and cook until it is beginning to break down and its juices are thick, about 4 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the coarse cracker crumbs, crab, and shrimp and toss to mix. Season well Tybee Island Coastal Blend.
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat it to 375° F. Bring a teakettle full of water to a rolling boil. Butter a 9-inch casserole. Pat the inside of the tomato shells dry and put them in the casserole, open side up. Divide the filling among them, mounding it on top.
Wipe out the pan in which the filling was made and add the remaining tablespoon of butter. Melt it over low heat, add the fine crumbs, and toss until the butter is evenly absorbed. Turn off the heat and sprinkle the buttered crumbs over the tops of the tomatoes. Carefully pour boiling water around them until it comes not quite halfway up their sides. Bake until the tomatoes are barely cooked and the filling is hot through, about 20 minutes.
Stuffed yellow crookneck squash was a specialty of my maternal grandmother. Her stuffing was a simple mixture of the chopped pulp, soft breadcrumbs (sometimes from leftover biscuits), chopped green onion, egg, and seasonings. Later on, she began adding dried herbs. They’re a snap with The Salt Table’s Leek, Chive, and Onion Seasoning and Dip Blend: there’s no onion to chop and the seasonings are all blended into one jar. They would also great with Southern Herb Garden Blend.
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350° F. Put the squash into a heavy-bottomed 4-quart pot and add enough water to cover them by 1 inch. Lift out the squash, cover, and bring the water to a boil over high heat. Meanwhile, scrub the squash under cold running water. Put them in the pot, cover, and let it come back to a boil. Uncover, adjust the heat to a simmer, and cook until squash are nearly tender, about 10 minutes.
Remove them with a slotted spoon or frying skimmer to a cutting board so they lie flat without rolling, and let them cool enough to handle. Slice off but reserve about 1/4 inch of the top side of each. Using a melon baller or small, sharp-edged spoon, carefully scoop out the center pulp of each, leaving about 1/4 inch of outer flesh intact, taking care not to puncture shell. Squeeze the excess moisture from the pulp and chop it along with the reserved top slices.
Put them into a mixing bowl, add the soft crumbs, and 1 tablespoon of Leek, Chive, and Onion Blend. Mix well, taste and adjust the seasoning blend, then add the eggs and mix well.
Lightly grease a rimmed baking sheet or wide, shallow casserole, and arrange the squash shells on it open side up, not touching. Lightly season with Himalayan Pink Salt. Divide the filling among them, carefully packing it and mounding it up on top. Dot their tops with butter and bake in center of oven until the filling is set and the tops are lightly browned, about 30 minutes. Let them rest for 10 minutes if serving hot or let them cool to room
If using canned sweet potatoes, skip to step 2. Put the fresh sweet potatoes in a heavy-bottomed saucepan with just enough water to barely cover them. Add a pinch of salt, ¼ cup of the sugar, and bring them to a boil over medium heat. Adjust the heat to a simmer and cook until they’re barely tender, about 10 minutes.
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350° F. Butter a 9-by-13-inch casserole dish.
Spread the potatoes over the dish and drizzle with reserved cooking liquid or juice. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons Cinnamon Sugar (or to taste) and generously with about a cup of brown sugar. If liked, add a light grating of nutmeg. Dot with butter and bake, basting occasionally, until glazed, about 30-45 minutes. Let the potatoes settle for 5-10 minutes before serving.
The Salt Table’s Cinnamon Sugar melts into the cranberries better than using ground cinnamon by itself, for a clearer sauce and brighter cinnamon flavor. This makes a great condiment not only for the Thanksgiving Turkey, but for any roast pork, game (such as venison), or spooned into baked and split sweet potatoes. It’s even great slathered onto breakfast toast!
Zest of half an orange, removed in 1-2 large pieces with a vegetable peeler
1 ounce (2 tablespoons) bourbon
HOW TO MAKE IT:
Wash the berries well in cold water and drain in a colander. Put them into a stainless-steel or enamel-lined heavy-bottomed pot. Add half a cup of water, both sugars, and the pieces of zest. Stir well and bring it to a simmer over medium heat.
Adjust the heat to a steady simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the berries “pop” and are tender and transparent, about 10-15 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the bourbon. Let it cool slightly, then remove and discard the orange zest and pour it into a clean pint jar or glass bowl. Allow to cool completely, cover tightly, and refrigerate until needed. Let it warm to room temperature before serving or gently reheat over low heat, stirring often, and serve warm.
Bacon makes everything better, but it can be messy and too much of it isn’t great for our arteries. Fortunately, The Salt Table has Smoked Bacon Sea Salt lends that bacon flavor without the fuss and cholesterol!
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS:
1 pound haricots verts (small, slender green beans)
Salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 medium yellow onions, trimmed, split lengthwise, peeled, and thinly sliced
Put 1-2 inches of water in a wide, deep lidded skillet. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Meanwhile, trim the stem end of the beans and, if needed, string them. Rinse well under cold running water and drain. When the water is boiling, uncover the pan and add a rounded tablespoon of salt to the water, then carefully add the beans. Cover and bring it back to a boil. Uncover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the beans are crisp-tender but still bright green, about 5-6 minutes.
Drain the beans into a colander and rinse them thoroughly under cold running water to arrest the cooking. Set them aside. Wipe out the pan in which the beans cooked and put in the butter and onions. Return it to medium heat and sauté the onions, stirring and tossing often, until they’re a rich golden color. Return the beans to the pan and season liberally with Smoked Bacon Salt and pepper. Continue sautéing, tossing often, until the beans are done to your taste, about 2 minutes longer. Turn them out into a serving dish, sprinkle with parsley if liked, and serve hot.
Recipe by Damon Lee Fowler, featuring
