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http://www.booksamillion.com/p/BTC-Old-Fashioned-Grocery-Cookbook/Alexe-Van-Beuren/9780385345002?id=5942124487330http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780385345002http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/isbn9780385345002http://books.google.com/books?id=nT34AAAAQBAJ&dq=b.t.c.+old-fashioned&hl=en&sa=X&ei=Iv4ZU-_GBKnF0AGxl4CQDQ&ved=0CCsQ6AEwAAhttp://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-btc-old-fashioned-grocery-cookbook-alexe-van-beuren/1115810036?ean=9780385345002http://www.amazon.com/The-B-T-C-Old-Fashioned-Grocery-Cookbook/dp/0385345003/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1394212348&sr=8-1&keywords=b.t.c.

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Copyright 2014 by Alexe van Beuren

Photographs copyright 2014 by Ed

Anderson

All rights reserved.

Published in the United States by Clarkson

Potter/Publishers, an imprint of the Crown

Publishing Group, a division of RandomHouse LLC, a Penguin Random H ouse

Company, New York.

www.crownpublishing.com

www.clarksonpotter.com

CLARKSON POTTER is a trademark and

POTTER with colophon is a registered

trademark of Random House LLC.

The B.T.C. tomato logo design is by Coulter

Fussell and painted by Bill Warren.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-

Publication Data

Van Beuren, Alexe.

The B.T.C. old-fashioned grocery

cookbook / Alexe van Beuren ; with recipes

by Dixie Grimes.

pages cm

Includes bibliographical references and

index. 1. Cooking, AmericanSouthern style.

2. B.T.C. Old-Fashioned Grocery. 3. Water

Valley, Miss.Social life and customs. I.

Grimes, Dixie. II. Title. III. Title: BTC old-

fashioned grocery cookbook.

TX715.2.S68V35 2013

641.5975dc23 2013019690

ISBN 978-0-385-34500-2

eBook ISBN 978-0-385-34501-9

Printed in Hong Kong

Book design by Marysarah Quinn

Cover design by Marysarah Quinn

Cover photographs by Ed Anderson

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

First Edition

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C.O.N.T.E.N.T.S

knowingandremembering 8

welcome to theb.t.c. 11

breakfast14

soupsforeveryseason42

salads78

spreadsandsandwichfixings 110

casseroles 132

mains156

sides 178

southernsweetthangs200

notes22 9

acknowledgments 23 5

index23 6

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Knowing and Remembering

WHEN WE WERE FIRST APPROACHEDaboutputting together a cookbook, Dixie and I were

a little hesitant. For one thing, it seemed awfully pre-

sumptuous: We are (still) a new business, fighting for

survival in our dusty small town, hauling watermelons

in a station wagon, and cooking on two battered elec-

tric stoves. Plus, were pretty busy, and carving time to

write a book out of our precious spare time seemed

like a daunting undertaking.

But we chose to write the book. And the big rea-

son we were all fired up to do so wasnt necessarily thefood (though Dixies food is awesome) or the acclaim

(we have no aspirations beyond making a living) but

something more elemental that burns in our hearts

every single day: We love Water Valley. This town

has given us everything we ever wanted, and just

about every day, something magical happens here.

Its a special place, the likes of which do not exist just

anywhere, in our country of interstates, suburbs, and

chain restaurants. Granted, its not perfect. The aver-age income is low. I sure would like the city to repair

the sidewalks and plant some trees. The school sys-

tem is not nationally acclaimed. But regardless, this

town provides a rich and storied life for almost every

inhabitant, from the teenagers who work in the B.T.C.

after school to the elderly who meet at the drugstore

for early-morning coffee and Christian fellowship. This

town promises to know you, through your struggles

and your triumphs, and when you have passed on, itwill remember you. Knowing and rememberingisnt

that what we all yearn for these days?

With that in mind, we agreed to the word revivalin

the title. Lets be clear: My small grocery has not saved

Water Valley. The industrial car plant down the road

that employs hundreds does a lot more for folks in

this town than my small store can. We have enriched

Water Valley, but we have not revived it. Water Valley

was here before the B.T.C., and hopefully it will be

here after us (at least a century from now, as I haveevery intent that the B.T.C. stay open for decades

upon decades).

No. The B.T.C. did not revive Water Valley.

Instead, Water Valley has revived us. My family and

Dixie and Cora and the other myriad souls who have

opened up small businesses on Main Street are living

lives that would not be possible anywhere else. Small

business ownership is possible without a lot of capi-

tal, with virtually no tourism, in the kind of town wheresomeone from the courthouse calls you to remind you

to pay your taxes; the UPS man delivers your pack-

ages to where he knows youre at rather than what the

address may say; and the ladies at the drugstore will

gladly hold your baby if you need to, say, give a radio

interview.

We live in a town of Southern revival. And every

day (mostly), we give thanks.

8

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112 the b.t.c. old-fashioned grocery cookbook

Red Rindpimento cheese

makes 4 cups

Pimento cheese deserves a book of its own in the South. Just about every-

body down here grew up eating it. There are mass-produced tubs in the

grocery stores (skip those) and every lady has her own recipe. Coras mother

puts sweet pickle and egg in hers. Coulter uses red bell peppers. As for Dixie,

she actually disliked it as a child. Miss Vetra filled celery sticks and made tea

sandwiches with it for church functions, and Dixie always gave it a pass.

Decades later, with mature taste buds, Dixie was making her grand-

mothers traditional pimento at homeand enjoying it. This recipe employs

no exotic additions. Dixie recommends mixing it with your hands to get it to

the perfect texture. It is wonderful on crackers and makes a fantastic sand-

wich, whether warm, cold, with bacon, with chicken breast and coleslaw and

pickles, grilled, broiled, on toasted bread, soft bread, or croissant. There may

indeed be no wrong way to eat pimento cheese.

Kagan and I were recently at one of Yalos art openings, crammed into

its former barbershop space with dozens of other people, most of whom we

knew. We were in the far back, where Coulter and Megan keep their own

works and works-in-progress, and Kagan was spreading pimento cheese onto

crackers and eating them in the company of Coulters circus animal series

(a bear balanced on a ball gazed at ussomewhat hungrily). Kagan took a

big bite and then said around a mouthful, If anyone had told me ten years

ago Id be at an art show in Mississippi eating pimento cheese and liking it, I

wouldnt have believed them.

Then he left me in the company of the bear to search for boiled peanuts.

In a medium bowl, combine the cheese, pimientos, mayonnaise,

Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, granulated onion, granulatedgarlic, mustard, paprika, white pepper, and sugar. Using your

hands, mix thoroughly until creamy. Season with salt to taste.

Refrigerate for 4 hours before serving.

The pimento cheese will keep in an airtight container in the

refrigerator for 7 days.

1 pound red rind hoop cheese,shredded (4 cups)

cup chopped pimientos

cup Hellmanns mayonnaise

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Dash of Tabasco sauce

1 teaspoon granulated onion

1 teaspoon granulated garlic

teaspoon dry mustard

teaspoon sweet paprika

teaspoon white pepper

Pinch of sugar

Salt

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casseroles151

chicken,

asparagus,

andmushroom

casserole

serves 6

This casserole is sophisticated enough for a holiday but simple enough that

even dedicated nongourmands will enjoy it. Dixie made it last summer for

the Rotary Club and we still have Rotarians coming in to scan the casserole

selection for this particular dish.

Preheat the oven to 350F. Spray a 9 13-inch baking dish with

nonstick cooking spray.

In a large skillet set over medium heat, melt the butter until it just

starts to bubble, and then add the mushrooms, asparagus, and

garlic. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables are soft, 10 minutes.

Whisk in the flour and cook until it becomes golden brown,

3 minutes. Slowly whisk in the Madeira until smooth. Whisk inthe stock and cook until smooth and thickened, about 15 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the chicken, rice, thyme,

tarragon, salt, and white pepper. Scoop the mixture into the

prepared baking dish.

Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and cook until

browned on top, 15 more minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes before

serving.

cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

1 cup sliced shiitake mushrooms

bunch asparagus, chopped

(1 cup)1 garlic clove, minced

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

cup Madeira

1 cup Chicken Stock, homemade(page 45) or store-bought

2 cups shredded meat from1 Boiled Chicken (page 45)

1 cup cooked white rice1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

1 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon

1 teaspoon kosher salt

teaspoon white pepper

Note

This casserole will keep in the freezerfor up to 3 months. For best results,

freeze it before baking; thaw overnight

in the refrigerator, and then bake

according to the recipe.

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