Deep Run Roots: Stories and Recipes from My Corner of the South

Shop Notes:

I'm not sure I can add a whole lot of additional insight outside of what has already been written about this outstanding cookbook.  Part memoir and part deep and erudite culinary analysis of a small region in Eastern Carolina, the narrative is well written and the recipes are solid. 

If you find this book as excellent as I do, you might also check out Sam Jones' Whole Hog BBQ.

From the Publisher:

Vivian Howard, star of PBS's A Chef's Life, celebrates the flavors of North Carolina's coastal plain in more than 200 recipes and stories. This new classic of American country cooking proves that the food of Deep Run, North Carolina -- Vivian's home -- is as rich as any culinary tradition in the world.

Organized by ingredients with dishes suited to every skill level, from beginners to confident cooks, Deep Run Roots features time-honored simple preparations alongside extraordinary meals from her acclaimed restaurant Chef and the Farmer. Home cooks will find photographs for every single recipe. Ten years ago, Vivian opened Chef and the Farmer and put the nearby town of Kinston on the culinary map. But in a town paralyzed by recession, she couldn't hop on every new culinary trend. Instead, she focused on rural development: If you grew it, she'd buy it.

Inundated by local sweet potatoes, blueberries, shrimp, pork, and beans, Vivian learned to cook in the same way generations of Southerners before her had, relying on resourcefulness, creativity, and the traditional ways of preserving food. Deep Run Roots is the result of years of effort to discover the riches of Eastern North Carolina. Like The Fannie Farmer Cookbook, The Art of Simple Food, and The Taste of Country Cooking before it, this is a landmark work of American food writing.

Recipes include: Family favorites like Blueberry BBQ Chicken Creamed Collard-Stuffed Potatoes Fried Yams with Five-Spice Maple Bacon Candy Chicken and Rice Country-Style Pork Ribs in Red Curry-Braised Watermelon Show-stopping desserts like Warm Banana Pudding, Peaches and Cream Cake, Spreadable Cheesecake, and Pecan-Chewy Pie. You'll also find 200 more quick breakfasts, weeknight dinners, holiday centerpieces, seasonal preserves, and traditional preparations for all kinds of cooks.

One of the Best Cookbooks of 2016 --The New York Times, Bon Appetit, Amazon, Food ; Wine, Saveur, People, USA Today, Garden; Gun, Eater, Cherry Bombe, Tasting Table, Nashville Scene, Epicurious, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Library Journal, Sun News, Star Chefs, Food Republic

"This is an epic work of art.... It is stunning. It is so beautiful. And what I love best about this book is the storytelling. It's such a vivid work."― Rachael Ray

"A comprehensive, thoughtful study of the food and culture of North Carolina's coastal plain." ― The New York Times

"[Vivian's] warm banana pudding is a dream come true." ― Bon Appetit "

The book reads like a memoir, with lengthy and lush descriptions of Howard's hometown thoughts...I was prepared to pick this book based on the story... alone.... Certifiably delicious... [and] Howard's voice is folksy and endearing, and I loved her stories about her family and the Piggly Wiggly-and I wanted very badly for her to be cooking instead of me.... Gorgeously photographed, with [an] encouraging, warm voice, and scores of enticing recipes."― Emma Straub, Food52

"My favorite cookbook of the season--the one doomed to the most splatters--is Vivian Howard's Deep Run Roots... Howard cooks with what can only be called wit... but also magnificent heart.... [It] will keep your soul fed for weeks."― Jonathan Miles, Garden ; Gun