When it comes to understanding life below the Mason-Dixon Line, you’ll always arrive at one certainty: the American South, by way of both creativity and necessity, is endlessly inventive with its food. In Down South: Bourbon, Pork, Gulf Shrimp & Second Helpings of Everything, Louisiana chef Donald Link takes this to heart and riffs on a long lineup of de rigueur favorites using the classic, sometimes exotic ingredients relied on by generations of Dixie cooks.
With that in mind, I whipped up Link’s Spaghetti with Pork Jowls and Fried Eggs for two reasons. First, it spotlights several easy but essential Southern staples – hog jowls, buttermilk, cream – which give it a characteristic richness. The recipe also neatly packages Link’s vision of Southern culinary tradition: unexpected reimaginings of familiar fare using the ingredients of his youth, some of which your average Yankee wouldn’t dirty their kid gloves with. The mingling of comfort food with Continental standards like spaghetti and panko is delightful.
Oh, and the bonus? With a little shopping finesse, you can make it out of the grocery store for under $20 and be ready to start cooking.
Start by poaching the eggs, a delicate process that can prove tricky. Try using a probe thermometer on the water first (shoot for around 190 degrees) before gently introducing the eggs with a shallow ramekin.
When it comes to frying the poached eggs, not everyone owns a deep fryer – myself included. Just use a few inches of oil in a deep cast iron skillet. And be careful once it heats up! I barely had time to flour and dip a poached egg in the wash before its predecessor had finished frying.
The rest of the prep work is straightforward. Simply chop your garlic, your hog jowls and the parsley and set them aside. Most of the flavor fine-tuning will come at the end. Pork jowls fry just like bacon – toss them in the skillet and give them a few minutes to crisp up. The rendered grease gives the sauce its rich, full flavor.
The chicken stock should salt the dish almost perfectly, but use a liberal hand with the lemon juice and red pepper flakes to give that already robust sauce a little more zing. I found it helpful to season each serving to taste.
It’s a good idea to have a partner in crime on this one to help with the deep frying, making this a perfect dish for date night at home or for entertaining a few friends.
Donald Link’s Spaghetti with Pork Jowls and Fried Eggs 4 servings
4 large eggs
½ cup distilled white vinegar
8 oz. dried spaghetti
Vegetable or peanut oil, for frying
½ cup pork jowls, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
¼ cup chicken broth
1½ cups heavy cream
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp. thinly sliced fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
½ tsp. red pepper flakes
• Fill a wide 2-quart saucepan with about 4 inches of water. Add the vinegar and bring the water to just below simmering. Prepare a bowl of ice water. Crack each egg into a small cup and slip it into the hot water; cook until the whites are just set, about 3 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the eggs to the ice water. Transfer the cooled eggs to a shallow dish lined with paper towels (or a dish towel) and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions, until al dente but not mushy; drain the noodles in a colander.
• Meanwhile, heat 4 inches of oil in a medium pot to 350 degrees.
• In a large skillet (separate from your frying pot), cook the pork jowls over medium-high heat, turning as needed until their fat has rendered and they are just starting to crisp, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Pour in the chicken broth and heavy cream and simmer to reduce until the sauce is thick enough to coat the noodles, 5 to 6 minutes.
• Put the flour, buttermilk and panko in separate wide, shallow bowls. Dredge the eggs in flour. Gently shake off the excess and dip in the buttermilk and then coat in the breadcrumbs.
• Deep-fry the eggs until nicely browned but still soft in the middle. Transfer to a paper towel, season with salt and pepper, and reserve.
• Add the pasta to the sauce and toss to coat. Finish with the parsley, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Toss until combined and heated through. Divide the pasta among serving plates, sprinkle with a pinch of red pepper flakes, and top each with a fried egg.
Reprinted with permission from Clarkson Potter What’s the best-kept secret ingredient in a regional cuisine that’s worth keeping on hand in the kitchen? Tell us about it in the comments section below for a chance to win a copy of Down South. We’ll announce the winner in next week’s By the Book column.
This article appears in April 2014.