Miller Union has become one of Atlanta’s most talked about restaurants, featured in national magazines, such as Bon Appetit and Food & Wine, and beloved of Martha Stewart.
In large part, that’s due to the cooking of chef/owner Steven Satterfield, who tweaks Southern traditions like the meat-and-three with sophisticated twists.
But what really defines the Miller Union menu is Satterfield’s obsession with the freshest seasonal produce. And that may be most purely displayed in the vegetable plate he offers every day at lunch and dinner.
“Miller Union is very much rooted in curating good produce,” Satterfield said. “We want to show that off. And what better way than to make it the center of a plate.”
Satterfield’s family roots are in Georgia and North Carolina and that’s where he often turns for inspiration.
“The vegetable plate as supper is a very old Southern concept,” Satterfield said. “It stems from times when vegetables were bountiful and meat was hard to come by.
“My grandmother grew up in the mountains in Asheville and that’s how we ate when we were at her house. We might have some biscuits or pickles, but it was mostly fresh vegetables. And you never left the table hungry. It was just good food.”
In honor of summer, we asked Satterfield to put together a few vegetable recipes. He came up with five different dishes, using seasonal produce to make a vegetable plate with several unexpected touches.
On the plate: pickled beets with ginger; heirloom tomatoes with basil and local feta cheese; extra crispy fried okra; creamy succotash with sweet corn and shelled field peas; and pan-fried zucchini brightened with garlic and mint.
“These things are simple on their own,” Satterfield said. “But when you put them all together, it’s a pretty amazing looking plate with all sorts of different colors, textures, temperatures and flavors.”
Just as Miller Union makes a business out of finding the best seasonal vegetables, Satterfield encourages home cooks to do the same.
“Produce drives me to cook and I want to share that experience,” he said.
To that end, he’s working on a book he calls “a field guide to Southern produce” that will include a green market shopping guide.
“The message is to shop for fresh vegetables at your local green market or sign-up for a farm box or grow your own at a community garden,” Satterfield said.
Recipes
These recipes from Miller Union chef/owner Steven Satterfield feature fresh summer vegetables, abundant in farm boxes, at markets and growing in home gardens right now. Try them as side dishes or put them together for an updated take on the great Southern vegetable plate.
~ Bob Townsend, for the AJC
Pickled Beets
Hands on time: 45 minutes Total time: 9 hours, 45 minutes, including roasting and refrigerating beets Makes: 2 quarts
This elevated version of an old Southern classic is a little less sweet and ginger adds snap. The beets can be roasted ahead of time and pickled days before you serve them.
10-12 medium-sized red, pink, or yellow beets, washed, stems trimmed and greens removed.
Salt, pepper and olive oil for roasting
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons yellow mustard seeds
1 teaspoon whole allspice
1/4 teaspoon whole cloves
1 1/4 cups white wine vinegar
1 1/4 cups water
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons kosher salt, or more to taste
1 inch knob of ginger, sliced
Preheat oven to 350. Place beets in a shallow roasting pan and coat lightly with olive oil. Pour 1/4 inch of water in the bottom of the pan and sprinkle beets with salt and pepper. Cover with parchment paper and foil and wrap tightly around the lip of the roasting pan. Roast beets until tender, about one hour. Peel while warm, but cool enough to handle. If pickling multiple varieties of beets, roast each variety in a separate pan and do not mix after peeling. Cut the peeled beets into wedges. Transfer to separate non-reactive containers.
In a small bowl, stir coriander seeds, yellow mustard seeds, whole allspice and whole cloves together. Sprinkle beets with the spice mixture, dividing evenly.
In a medium saucepan over high heat, stir vinegar, water, sugar, salt and ginger together and bring to a boil. Immediately pour brine over beets, dividing evenly. Let cool completely. Cover each container, and refrigerate 8 to 10 hours. Serve cold or at room temperature. Pickled beets can be refrigerated, covered, up to 3 weeks.
Per 1/4-cup serving: 20 calories (percent of calories from fat, 5), trace protein, 5 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, trace fat (no saturated fat), no cholesterol, 373 milligrams sodium.
Heirloom Tomatoes With Basil and Feta
Hands on: 15 minutes Total time: 15 minutes Serves: 6
This is an amazing, unadulterated way to eat summer tomatoes. The classic combination of sweet basil with the sharp bite of fresh watercress is nicely balanced with creamy young feta from Atlanta’s Decimal Place Farm (available at metro farmers markets and select stores, such as Rainbow Grocery in Decatur).
3 pounds mixed heirloom tomatoes
1 teaspoon Maldon or other sea salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3-4 leaves fresh basil, torn or roughly chopped
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
¼ pound Decimal Place Farm or other goat’s milk feta cheese
Small handful of watercress
Trim and slice tomatoes into various cuts and place into a medium sized mixing bowl. Add salt, pepper, basil and olive oil and toss gently until combined. Garnish with crumbled feta and fresh sprigs of watercress and serve immediately.
Per serving: 107 calories (percent of calories from fat, 48), 4 grams protein, 10 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 6 grams fat (3 grams saturated), 17 milligrams cholesterol, 585 milligrams sodium.
Fried Okra
Hands on time: 30 minutes Total time: 45 minutes, including 15 minutes for soaking Serves: 4
“This is hands down the best fried okra technique I've found,” Satterfield declared. The water method brings out the okra's stickiness and helps the coating cling. For extra crunch, J.T. Pollard fine white cornmeal from Alabama (available at DeKalb Farmers Market) is a must for this recipe, Satterfield said.
1 cup room temperature water
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups J.T. Pollard fine or extra fine white cornmeal
5 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 pound fresh okra, smallest size preferred, washed
6 quarts canola oil or peanut oil
Salt to taste
Trim the tops off of the okra and slice them in half, lengthwise. Place the trimmed okra in a shallow dish and pour the water over it, then sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt. Allow to soak for 10-15 minutes. While the okra is soaking, attach a fry thermometer to a Dutch oven or wide saucepot, add oil and heat to 350. In a medium bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, cornstarch and sea salt and set aside. After the okra has rested in the water, gently agitate and stir the okra around until the water thickens and becomes slimy. Pull the okra from the dish and allow it to drain in your fingers for a few seconds, and then drop into the cornmeal mixture. Toss evenly to coat well and then using a wire mesh sifter, sift the excess dredge off of the okra, being careful not to knock off too much coating. Drop into the hot oil in small batches and fry until crisp and golden, about 5 minutes. Place hot okra on paper towels to drain and sprinkle with a little kosher salt or flaky sea salt. Serve immediately.
Per serving: 504 calories (percent of calories from fat, 50), 7 grams protein, 56 grams carbohydrates, 8 grams fiber, 28 grams fat (2 grams saturated), no cholesterol, 953 milligrams sodium.
Succotash
Hands on: 45 minutes Total time: 45 minutes Serves: 6
This creamy, flavorful version of the summertime favorite adds a bit of country ham for seasoning and fresh herbs get tossed in at the last minute, which really makes it special.
2 cups Kosher salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons finely diced Vidalia onions
2 cups of blanched field peas or butter beans
2 cups sweet corn, cut off the cob
¼ cup fresh cream
¼ cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon country ham, thinly sliced and chopped
1 teaspoon chopped tarragon
1 teaspoon chopped parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
To cook the peas/beans: Blanching is a technique that involves cooking in boiling water and then shocking in ice water. In a 6 quart stockpot, bring 1 gallon of water and 1 cup of kosher salt to a rapid boil. Drop the peas into the boiling water. It’s important not to overcrowd the pot so that the peas can move around freely. They will likely give off a lot of foam, which should be skimmed off the top with a spoon and discarded. Ready an ice bath with 1 gallon of ice water and 1 cup of kosher salt. Taste the peas frequently, straight out of the boiling water, and when tender and no longer chalky, quickly remove and drop into the ice bath to stop the cooking. Drain and reserve.
To make the succotash: In a large saute pan, heat butter until foamy and add Vidalia onions. Cook until onions are tender but do not brown. Add peas, corn, cream and stock. Cook until cream and stock have reduced and vegetables are well coated, about 5 minutes. Add ham, tarragon and parsley, season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.
Per serving: 181 calories (percent of calories from fat, 51), 5 grams protein, 19 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams fiber, 11 grams fat (6 grams saturated), 30 milligrams cholesterol, 196 milligrams sodium.
Zucchini With Garlic and Mint
Hands on: 30 minutes Total time: 45 minutes, including time for resting Serves: 6 -- 8
Pan-fried in olive oil, tossed in a light vinaigrette and brightened with fresh mint, this dish is great with meaty zucchini but works with any sort of summer squash.
8 small zucchini squash washed and cut lengthwise into 1/2 inch wide pieces. If squashes are long, cut to 3-4 inch in length, so they are a manageable size.
Kosher salt to cover zucchini, roughly 1 tablespoon
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil divided (1/4 cup for vinaigrette, plus 1/4 cup for skillet)
3-4 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon champagne or white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon local honey
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 large handful fresh mint, torn or roughly chopped
Place the zucchini spears on a wire rack and lightly season all over with Kosher salt. Allow to rest for 30 minutes (this will draw some of the water out of the squash and also serve as extra seasoning for the dish).
To make the vinaigrette: In a small pan over medium heat add 1/4 cup olive oil, garlic and crushed red pepper. As soon as the garlic starts to bubble, remove from heat and set aside. When the garlic and chile oil has cooled, pour it into a small bowl and whisk together with the lemon juice, honey, champagne vinegar and sea salt.
To fry the zucchini: Pat the zucchini dry and heat a large cast iron skillet to medium low. Add the remaining olive oil and zucchini and sear on all sides until browned. Turn off heat, remove zucchini from pan and allow to cool. When completely cooled, toss gently with the vinaigrette and garnish with fresh mint. Serve warm, room temperature or chilled.
Per serving: 153 calories (percent of calories from fat, 76), 2 grams protein, 7 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 14 grams fat (2 grams saturated), no cholesterol, 242 milligrams sodium.
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