Southern Supper with a Pittsburgh Foodie

Southern Supper with a Pittsburgh Foodie

by

Deborah Fagan Carpenter

Pittsburgh food writer and passionate cook, Nancy Hanst may be a grits and greens convert. Visiting in Memphis for the winter months, Nancy has been cooking nonstop with her niece, who’s reaping the benefit of her Aunt’s wealth of food knowledge, and, eating some pretty fine meals. My first encounter with this charming foodie was at the Grove Grill Restaurant, where she enjoyed their shrimp and grits, with a side of collards. So, when I asked Nancy if she’d be willing to cook some southern recipes, I was only slightly surprised when collards and cheese grits were two of the dishes she chose to make.

Grove Grill Shrimp ‘n Grits and Collards

When Nancy Hanst married her husband, Jim, in 1962, she was 33 and barely acquainted with the moving parts of a kitchen. She’d been too active and interested in other quests before that, and cooking wasn’t on her radar. Jim, however, was an avid cook, so Nancy began to learn from him and to realize the great pleasure cooking could generate. Simultaneously, her competitive nature kicked in. She became a devoted fan of Julia Child’s television show, and Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking.” was her first food bible.

Early on, Nancy’s enthusiasm for cooking alongside Jim and sharing what they’d concocted with their plethora of friends led her to begin keeping a food diary. The little notebooks that now number well into the 50s were not only a way of recording what she and Jim had eaten each day, but also the source of the recipes used, and to whom they had served what. The latter prevented her from serving the same meal to her guests—even though many of them would have likely been delighted with a repeat meal or two. Her love of travel was an additional incentive, a way to remember the cuisine and the customs, the people she was traveling with, and the beauty and diversity of the places she visited.

The food journals eventually led Nancy to write a food column for the Pittsburgh Press, and after its closing, she continued her freelance writing for many years for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Her weekly articles about what she was cooking or canning included recipes she’d chosen from her vast collection of cookbooks written by prominent chefs and the methods she’d used. Nancy would share interesting tidbits about the people they entertained, so that in time her readers came to recognize some of their names, which fueled their interest in her column.

Nancy tasting her homemade marshmallows

Last week Nancy honored my request to put her expert touch on some southern dishes, and happily, I was invited to enjoy the fruits of her labor—one of which included fruit. Working from Virginia Willis’s, Bon Appetit, Y’all, Nancy choreographed a perfectly paired three-course southern meal. There was a carrot and beet salad with a lemon vinaigrette dressing as a first course, stone-ground grits with mushrooms and country ham, and a trio of greens as a main dish, and shortcakes and berries for dessert.

I had a delightful afternoon watching Nancy having so much fun doing what she loves and at which she is clearly skillful. Every step was taken with careful attention, patience, and pleasure, and she was unhurried and appeared completely stress-free under my scrutiny. She was unflustered during the tedious process of chopping and mashing the garlic cloves into a smooth paste. And, although the original recipe for the beets called for chopping them in the Cuisinart, Nancy took the time to grate them on a box grater, preferring the texture that method created, and also wanting to get a bit of liquid. The carrots and beets were a refreshing accompaniment to the greens and grits, and despite Willis’s instructions to mix the two before serving, Nancy chose to keep the vegetables separate because it was such a nice presentation.

Carrot and Beet Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

Apparently, Nancy never throws anything away, so although the greens’ recipe called for using a combination of collards, mustard, and turnip greens, she used the tops of the beets plus dandelions in the place of the mustards and turnips. The dandelions gave the slightest bitter edge to the dish, and it did seem a shame to pitch those beautiful beet tops, which added another layer of flavor. She insisted the greens be chiffonaded, just as Willis’s recipe instructed, but honestly, before watching Nancy prepare them, I would have probably just pulled them into pieces and been done with it. I confess that I have since cooked collards, and I was inspired by Nancy’s attention to detail to chiffonade the leaves.

Collards and Cheese Grits with Mushrooms and Country Ham

Willis’s recipe for the grits called for removing the sautéed mushrooms and the lightly browned country ham from the heat onto a plate. Still, Nancy insists that both need to be covered so that they remain hot before spooning them onto the finished grits. The grits, served alongside the greens, was a fantastic main course.

The dessert was what Willis called shortbread, but it was actually sweetened biscuits served with berries and whipped cream. The recipe called for strawberries, but Nancy chose blackberries just because they were her preference. The name of Willis’s dessert was Brown Sugar Shortcakes, although the recipe called for granulated sugar, not brown. Nancy chose to use brown sugar instead, but she felt that the biscuits were a little tough, and she attributed that to the use of the brown over the granulated.

Dessert Biscuits with Blackberries and Whipped Cream

To say that cooking is a hobby for Nancy Hanst would be a glaring inaccuracy. Cooking and sharing her enthusiasm for the process is a way of life for her, and she has no intention of cutting back on her culinary undertakings. When she returns to Pittsburgh in the early Spring, Nancy will be moving into a retirement community, but rest assured, her new digs will include a fully functional kitchen.

My sincere thanks to Nancy Hanst for sharing her vast cooking knowledge, her stories about the interesting people she’s entertained, recollections of her travels, and most of all, her generous spirit. Bon Appetit, Nancy!

(The recipes aren’t included here but can be found in Virginia Willis’s, Bon Appetit, Y’all, available on Amazon or at many bookstores.)

Photos: Deborah Fagan Carpenter