Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving Friends!

One Pan Roast Chicken and Potatoes

If it's cold outside 

and you want a warm, 

hearty meal 

without putting forth too much effort, 

do this:

Place a fresh, 

whole bird 

(thanks East Fork Farm) 

in a large cast iron skillet. 

Coat it with coarse sea salt

 and many turns

 fresh black pepper. 

Then turn it over to a hot oven. 

Surround chicken with potatoes halfway 

through baking, 

drizzle with olive oil, 

and bake until all contents are golden.

Transfer the whole pan 

to the center of the dinner table, 

sprinkle with fresh rosemary, 

uncork a good bottle, 

and enjoy. 

Asheville Keeps Alive Sweet Sorghum Syrup Tradition

Sweet sorghum syrup from Double Tree Farm can be used on flapjacks or in cornbread. / Rachel Brownlee / Special to the Citizen-Times

Written by

Rachel Brownlee

Citizen-Times correspondent

• FILED UNDER

• Living

Where to buy sorghum

Call Cathy Bennett at 380-2254. She can arrange a drop off in Asheville at one of the weekly tailgate markets. Quantities are limited.

Of the few southern states known for producing sorghum, North Carolina is still standing strong.

Here in Western Nprth Carolina, the tradition of making sorghum syrup is being kept alive by a handful of old-timers and homesteaders with access to antique cane mills and plenty of helping hands. Much like the culture of maple sugaring, making sweet sorghum syrup (or sorghum molasses) is a time-consuming, communal affair.

Popular for its agricultural durability in tropical and subtropical regions, Sorghum bicolor (of the sugar cane family) is grown worldwide for its use as grain, silage, ethanol and syrup production. Its multipurpose characteristics have made sorghum a favored choice in rural and low-income regions with its drought tolerance and nutritional stability, acquiring deep roots in Appalachian history.

Due to its labor-intensive nature, sorghum syrup production declined greatly after World War II when able-bodied farm hands became scarce. Currently, only one million gallons are produced within the U.S. annually, compared to more than 20 million during the turn of the century.

Alongside a few local producers (including Flying Cloud Farm in Fairview) Cathy Bennett, owner of Double Tree Farm in Marshall, produces and mills sweet sorghum as part of an annual tradition, using draft horses to power her mill.

She said the decision to make sorghum syrup is an extension of her choice to farm with draft horses. “When people see that you farm with horses in the country, they want to talk to you about old traditions,” she said. “I was curious about their recollections of making molasses, so in 1998, when I was living and farming in Greeneville, Tenn., I decided to grow some.”

Following a move to Madison County a couple of years later, Bennett continued to make molasses with volunteer help and borrowed equipment. Later, Double Tree Farm erected their own facility. “It was helpful, too, that people were interested in buying it. We cannot make enough,” she said.

The sorghum stalks are prepared by stripping their leaves before being cut down and relocated to the milling site where the seed heads are then removed. Prior to harvest, the mill must be set up and firewood collected.

“There are lots of details that go into getting ready to make syrup,” said Bennett. Lining up help and making an order for jars is just part of the process. Once the sorghum stalks are pressed by the mill to release their sweet, green-tinted juices (it takes about 10 gallons of juice to produce one gallon of syrup), the juice is simmered over a wood-fueled fire in a large, shallow vat, requiring constant tending and skimming until it cooks down into a rich, dark syrup. Often this is a ritual requiring a full day or weekend entirely devoted to the event.

At Double Tree, sorghum seeds are sown in May or early June and often in succession to stagger the harvest. Draft horses are used to cultivate the plantings. Harvest and syrup making takes place in September and October, when the weather turns crisp. “The cooking day can be lots of fun if people come over to help,” Bennett said. “Usually friends come and play music and the children can ride the horse that is powering the cane mill. There is a festive feeling when we are cooking molasses.”

When asked how she most enjoys the final product, Bennett has a long list. Aside from keeping a jar of it on the table to use on the fly, she tops everything from cornbread to oatmeal with the sweet syrup. Highlights include sorghum syrup as a replacement for Karo in homemade caramels and pecan pie, and as the special coating for salty-sweet popcorn. Bennett even uses it when brining meats. “Really, I put it on everything,” she said. “It’s the secret ingredient. Some people claim it’s a superfood — whatever that is — but I believe it.”

Sorghum is special not only for its many culinary uses, but because it represents a time passed, one fully dependent on community. It speaks to the satisfaction of old-fashioned hard work, and to the sweet rewards of keeping tradition.

SORGHUM SKILLET CORNBREAD

1 cup quality corn meal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon aluminum-free baking powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup sorghum syrup
1 egg
5 tablespoons butter

Preheat oven to 400. Heat a 100-inch cast iron skillet in oven with the butter.

Mix dry ingredients together in a medium miking bowl. Whisk together the buttermilk, sorghum and egg in a separate bowl. Remove skillet from oven and add melted butter to wet ingredients once slightly cooled. Mix buttermilk mixture into dry mixture. Gently blend with a rubber spatula. Pour batter into hot skillet and bake until golden, about 20 minutes. Slice and serve with additional butter and sorghum molasses.

Tomato Garlic Braised Chicken with Kale

Chicken thighs are tender and hold more flavor than the white meat sections of the bird. Cuts with the bone-in are excellent for a slow braise, allowing the fats and marrow to render the meat into supple forkfuls. A hefty amount of garlic with fresh tomatoes and white wine is basically all you need for this dish. The beauty is in the simplicity. Just allow chicken to slowly simmer until you are ready for supper, throw some fresh kale over the top of the dish, and you have a one-pot meal fit for your most treasured guests.



Tomato Garlic Braised Chicken with Kale:
*3-4 whole chicken legs
*1 sweet onion, peeled and sliced
*1 garlic bulb, cloves peeled and coarsely chopped
*2 fresh tomatoes, cored and chopped (you can substitute about 1 1/2 cup marinara sauce if good tomatoes cannot be easily sourced)
*1 1/2 cups white wine
*sea salt and pepper
*rosemary
*1 bunch fresh kale, ribs removed, coarsely chopped

Place a shallow braising pan over medium high heat. Coat with butter or olive oil. Rinse chicken legs and pat dry with paper towels. Season liberally with sea salt and pepper. Sear legs in pan until well browned on each side. Remove from pan and transfer to a plate. Set aside.
Reduce heat to mediem. Add onions. Saute until clear and aromatic, about 3 minutes. Add the chopped garlic. Saute for additional 2 minutes before adding tomatoes. Allow to cook about 3 minutes then pour in wine. Allow liquid to slightly reduce for 2 minutes. Return chicken to pan. Reduce heat to lowest stovetop setting, sprinkle chicken with rosemary sprigs, and cover.
Braise for at least 3 hours or up to 5. Remove chicken from pan and transfer to a serving dish. Increase heat to medium, and place chopped kale in braising liquids a few minutes before serving. Cover and wilt. Serve alongside chicken. Spoon leftover cooking liquid over chicken after kale is removed from pan.