S10:E21. 5/27/2023

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Ronni Lundy’s TAO of Cornbread, Cornbread Salad, Appalachian Food and Drink event

James Beard Award-winning food writer Ronni Lundy lets us know how she makes her skillet cornbread that goes with a pot of soup beans. And she also shares with us what she calls her tao of cornbread.
Food preservationist with deep family ties to the East TN mountains and mountain cooking Shannon Walker lets us know how he makes his cornbread and his thoughts on cast iron cookware and old ways.
“Mountain Man”, Josh Lowans of Salubrious Farms, Walland, Knoxville, describes a Cornbread salad recipe that his better half Meagan makes and is his family's go-to recipe.
Logan Hull shares news of an Appalachian Food and Drink event at the Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center, in Townsend, TN, June 3, 2023.

Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center, Taste of the Smokies event: https://gsmheritagecenter.org/

Ronnie Lundy: http://www.ronnilundy.com/

Shannon Walker: On instagram @newChilhoweeVisions

Josh Lowans on instagram @ jlow_the_forage_bro

Josh Lowans’ wife Meagan’s recipe for cornbread salad:

Corn Bread Salad:

Ingredients:

1/2 pan day-old cornbread (Josh recommends using Benton's bacon lard rendered from an entire pound of Benton's bacon. Megan prefers to use Three Rivers Cornmeal)

2 - 3 really ripe tomatoes, diced
1 can of pinto beans drained, not rinsed
Fresh corn cut off of the cob
Shredded cheese of your choice
Ranch dip (make your own with herbs of your choice, sour cream, and mayonnaise)

To assemble, layer in this order:

Crumble cornbread and place in the bottom of the serving container
Layer pinto beans on top of the cornbread
Layer cut corn over the beans
Layer diced tomatoes over the corn
The layer of ranch dressing
The layer of bacon (use Benton's bacon if you can get it)
Cheese on the top

Tips: Chill for 2 hours before serving Don't use pre-made ranch dressing; it is too runny. Instead, Josh Lowans recommends using ranch dip and making your own. He suggests making it thick so the cornbread won't become soggy. It looks pretty in a clear glass serving container.

There are countless recipes for homemade ranch dressing. Ingredients are Mayonnaise, Buttermilk, Sour Cream, Black Pepper, Salt, Garlic, and Onion; options include parsley, chives, and dill.