Back Home with the Neelys: Comfort Food from Our Southern Kitchen to Yours
“With the Southerner’s enviable knack for storytelling, the Neelys also fill the pages with stories about Mama Daisy . . . Mama Reena . . . and Daddy Milton . . .”
Restaurateurs and Food Network celebrities Pat and Gina Neely have written a new cookbook, Back Home with the Neelys, with 100 recipes representing a fuss-free approach to Southern comfort foods.
There’s roasted chicken, homemade fish sticks, mashed cauliflower (with cheddar and chives), crunchy fried okra and even deep-fried pickles. The yummy desserts range from a sinful chocolate cake to a simple peach ice cream. Southern-inspired cocktails include Gina’s Green Tomato Sangria and a minty Memphis Mojito.
Back Home with the Neelys is organized in a straightforward manner starting with a chapter titled Jams, Preserves, and Biscuits (featuring a stellar recipe for buttermilk biscuits) and ending with a chapter on Gina’s Southern Cocktails. In between, you’ll find chapters on appetizers, salads, side dishes, sandwiches, and sweets. Spending most of your time in chapters titled Meats and Smoked and Grilled is most rewarding.
Owners of newly opened Neely’s Barbecue Parlor in New York City, Pat and Gina cut their teeth making some of the best ’que in what’s known as The Barbeque Capital of the World: Memphis. Pay particular attention to the rubs, marinades, and mops. Brown sugar, apple-cider vinegar, paprika, garlic and cayenne pepper are the stars in these simple-to-follow recipes.
And Pat says that his and Gina’s appreciation for down-home cooking goes back to the wonderful memories of growing up in Memphis during a time when everyone has a back-yard garden. “As a child . . . there was nothing better than stepping outside and picking what was ripe that day,” he says. Today, the Neeleys still look for “the big flavor payoffs that these ingredients . . . are known to deliver.”
With the Southerner’s enviable knack for storytelling, the Neelys also fill the pages with stories about Mama Daisy (Pat’s grandmother also known as the “Biscuit Queen”); Mama Reena (a true “Southern church lady” who was famous for her fresh-fruit ice cream); and Daddy Milton who created his own grill by mounting an old hot-water tank onto legs, cutting an opening in the side and fitting it with grates. Many of their made-from-scratch recipes are featured in the book.
Here are the recipes I made:
Kale Salad with Chopped Almonds, Feta, and Champagne Vinaigrette (page 79)
Smoked Sausage Shrimp and Grits (page 112)
Smoked and Spicy Chicken Wings (page 123)
Mama Daisy’s Chocolate Cake (page 175)
Here’s the result:
These recipes are simple, short, and adaptable (for example, I didn’t have almonds on hand for the kale salad, so I used pecans, and it turned out just great). And you don’t need to know any French culinary techniques or own any fancy equipment. You’ll need a wire whisk, a blender, a cast iron pan, a reliable grill—all the ingredients you already probably have in your pantry . . . and a hand-crank ice cream maker.