A New Year. A New Vision

Travel with me Down Southern Roads to Delicious Destinations

A New Year. A New Vision.

Welcome to my newsletter from a Southern girl who loves to share her stories from decades of living and loving the Lowcountry of South Carolina, a place that echoes on in the hearts of all who experience it.

Special thanks to artist Paula Holtzclaw for her painting Trilogy.

Most of my days begin just before the rising of the sun, in that brief time when the first rays of light start to streak across the sky. By the time most of the world is stirring, I have gone through several cups of coffee. Across the street, St. Helena’s church bells, circa 1712, strike 6 and echo across our sleepy town.

I write from a small 1930s vintage brick home on a quiet street in the heart of Beaufort, South Carolina. It’s perfect.  From here, I can inhale the aroma of pluff mud and feel salt breezes as the tide goes out. Even on the dreariest January day, a walk to the waterfront is as restorative as watching a sunrise over the great salt marsh in all its crimson and golden splendor.

The year is now new, this day is new, and the world is made fresh again. None of us are living in eternity.  We have only these moments in time that melt away like snowflakes. By now, I’ve made a list of the people and places I intend to introduce you to in the weeks and months ahead. The list is long, and the excitement of new beginnings and new places stirs my imagination. I’ve written seven books on the wonders of living along these salt-misted shores, and now I want something new. I believe I love to do things I don’t know how to do. It’s scary, but I love to take on things that always give me a chance to learn.

 By the time the first of the daffodils peek out of the ground in early February, I’ll be ready. I’ve learned not to live beyond the present but to embrace January's bleak, stormy days. 

Who Am I?

Through the years, I’ve been a joyful food historian and teller of tales, enthusiastic about preserving our vanishing traditions and our seafood industry and honoring those unsung heroes who labor each day to bring us the bounty from the sea. I’ve spent many hours leaning against a railing somewhere waiting for a shrimp boat to come in, afternoons parked by the saltwater edge of South Carolina eating a shrimp burger with a Coke and french fries on the hood of my car.

This is the land of beach dives, cinder block fish houses, and seafood shacks. I love them all. 

I’ve compiled my stories from decades of life in the Lowcountry and cherished recipes into seven beautiful coffee table books under the brand Shrimp, Collards, and Grits sold in gift shops across the South, Cracker Barrel Country Stores, and Barnes and Noble. My contributions have appeared in Charleston Style and Design, The Local Palate, Deep South, Hilton Head Islands’ first magazine from the 80s, The Islander, and many local newspapers and periodicals. I have been the editor of my own magazine, which was sold in Whole Foods Markets, Wegmans, Barnes and Noble, and on newsstands from here to Texas.

It’s time for a new beginning.

The best part of living and loving the Lowcountry is you.  Meeting or chatting with any one of you is as invigorating as receiving a giant bear hug from a loved one I haven’t seen for a long time. Books take several years to produce, but newsletters are a way for us to stay in touch throughout the weeks ahead. By the end of the year, you will have collected one big fabulous book, but you will receive it bi-monthly.

Down Southern Roads will be a newsletter enjoyed by a community of people from all walks of life from around the world who enjoy sharing travels along southern roads and discovering delicious destinations and undiscovered treasures. We will continually pursue delicious things, all-new recipes, and enchanting ideas for entertaining and memorable destinations.

Why Subscribe?

This year, I will post delicious new recipes and untold stories on my blog at www.patbranning.com and send this newsletter directly to subscribers. You will receive creative new recipes from my kitchen, the kitchens of chefs throughout the South, and untold stories of undiscovered destinations. You will receive special menus for events and holidays. I love to feature storied destinations and treasures yet to be discovered. Each recipe presented will be simple and straightforward. I encourage readers to share their own photographs of their recipes and give us a review.  That way, we become an interactive community of those who inspire each other and love the pursuit of all things beautiful and delicious. Let’s connect as we search for the authentic South.

 I love the idea that we can now share stories, recipes, and experiences about real life in real-time. 

My special thanks to artist Paula Holtzclaw, who graciously created the cover for my latest book, The Anniversary Editions of Shrimp, Collards, and Grits. Her work, Trilogy, is at the top of this page.

My latest edition is now available on my website, www.patbranning.com

Here’s to 2024!!!

Let’s get started with Soups to keep you cozy all winter long.

Sometimes, all you need is a comforting bowl of soup. Recipe by Pat Branning

Lentil Soup with Chard, Kale, and Garlic

Cold Weather Lentil Soup with Chard, Kale, and Garlic; delicious, hearty, and soul-warming.

Before you start thinking this soup will require a day in the kitchen using 8 prep bowls and every pot and pan in the cabinet to make a single soup, it will not. Everything is cooked in one wonderful stockpot.

I look forward to winter every sticky, steaming summer, but when the thermometer on my porch reads below 40, I shiver, hurry inside, and start thinking of cozy, comforting soups. While most of the nation is under a blanket of snow with arctic-like temperatures, this brittle South Carolina cold snap sends me into the kitchen, stirring and simmering a delicious pot of this magical elixir. On days like this, one requires one's own comforting meal. I’ve chosen to make Lentil and Chard Soup because it is one of the most delicious, nutritious, hearty soups with sizzling garlic oil on top - perfect for a frigid January day.

The fine art of soup making that soothes the soul and nourishes the body:

I believe soup making is one of the most gratifying experiences of all in the vast spectrum of culinary activities. The process of stirring and simmering brings forth the nurturing instincts inside every soup maker. It nourishes the soul in truly magical ways. One of the things I love most about living in this corner of the South is the spectacular array of abundantly grown vegetables available the year around.

Every Saturday, they are displayed on rickety tables throughout the morning at the Port Royal Farmers Market. This time of year, it’s hard to resist the spinach, chard, and kale fresh from the gardens of the Lowcountry. I have never tasted more intensely flavored and perfect vegetables anywhere in the world. They concentrate the earthy taste of our salt-misted shores and refresh us like the froth of our ocean waves. Use the freshest ingredients you can find, and this soup will be irresistible.

One ingredient that makes this soup very special - is San Marzano tomatoes. Have you heard of them? They are considered the Ferrari or Prada of canned tomato varieties, and I say they are worth the price.

How are San Marzano Tomatoes Differerent? It’s a type of tomato grown in the Campania region in Italy. Top chefs, Italian cooks, and food aficionados widely recognize them as the gold standard for taste.

Suggestion: enjoy bowls of happiness in front of a crackling fire.

Serves 6-8

Lentils are available in a variety of colors with various nuances of flavor. I’ve experimented with most and love green the best. However, if they are not available, others will be just fine.

• 1/2 cup olive oil, divided

• 1 medium onion, diced

• 2 celery ribs, sliced or diced

• 2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into half-moons or diced

• 4 cloves garlic, sliced (reserve half for later in the recipe)

• Kosher salt

• A pinch of crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

• 1 cup green lentils, sorted and rinsed

• 2 bay leaves

• 1 28-ounce can of crushed San Marzano tomatoes

• 6 cups water

• Freshly ground black pepper

• 3 to 4 cups shredded or thinly ribboned Swiss chard leaves, spinach or kale or any combination

• Grated Pecorino Romano cheese to finish

• 2 large links of sweet Italian sausage, optional

• On the stove: Heat 1/4 cup olive oil (enough to generously coat the bottom of the pot) in a large pot on medium to medium-high heat. When hot, add the optional sausage, breaking it up with a wooden spoon until it starts to brown, about five minutes. Add the onion, celery, carrots, first two garlic cloves, a pinch of salt, and a pinch of red pepper flakes if you like your soup spicy. Cook with the sausage until the vegetables soften for another 5 minutes. Add the lentils, bay leaves, tomatoes, 6 cups water, more salt, and black pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer and allow to cook until the lentils are tender about 40 minutes. (It might be necessary to add more water if the soup gets too thick, though we preferred ours on the thick side.)
  Once the lentils are cooked, add the chard, spinach, or kale and cook until the leaves are tender, just a few more minutes. Discard the bay leaves.

Just before serving: Divide the soup into bowls and add the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil and 2 garlic cloves to a skillet over medium heat until the garlic softens. This is a game-changer. Drizzled this over the soup bowls and top with fresh Romano. Keep any leftovers in the fridge for several days or freeze.

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