The Key Ingredient

Food Series / 3 Seasons

Renowned food writer and cooking teacher Sheri Castle celebrates local ingredients, tracing their journeys from source to kitchen. Sheri introduces us to local farmers, growers, fishermen and chefs and shares approachable home cooking recipes and tips.

26m 46s / TV-G

Red Rice with Shrimp and Smoked Sausage | Kitchen Recipe

6m 3s

Sheri Castle shares her recipe for Low Country–style red rice with shrimp and sausage. Made with long-grain white rice, this dish takes its name from the deep red color it gets from the tomatoey shrimp stock used as the cooking liquid.

Preview | The Nice Thing About Rice

30s

Sheri Castle shares recipes for Low Country–style red rice with shrimp and sausage as well as rice and garden peas in Parmesan broth. She visits Lee’s One Fortune Farm to see how it grows heirloom rice in the mountains, and then cooks with chef Ricky Moore for his “church lady good” rice and summer-squash gratin. Sheri also shares a tip on how to select the perfect rice for a recipe.

Rice and Garden Peas in Parmesan Broth | Kitchen Recipe

5m 2s

Inspired by the Italian dish “risi e bisi,” Sheri Castle’s creamy rice and garden peas in Parmesan broth shows just how impressive and comforting a simple rice dish can be.

Granola Porridge with Blueberries and Cream | Kitchen Recipe

6m 38s

Sheri Castle’s recipe for granola porridge with warm maple cream is as easy as it is decadent. A big scoop of nutty granola adds a welcome crunch, and the warm maple cream is the perfect topper.

Fresh Blueberry Pie | Cook Along with Johnny Burleson

6m 5s

Sheri Castle joins Johnny Burleson of Old Orchard Creek Farm to bake a classic blueberry pie. This timeless dessert is made from a handwritten recipe by Swansie Shepherd, a member of the family who once lived on the land and planted the blueberry bushes.

Preview | Finding Our Blueberry Thrill

30s

Sheri Castle heads to Old Orchard Creek Farm in Lansing, NC, to find fresh blueberries. She picks blue beauties with owners Walter Clark and Johnny Burleson and helps make a farmhouse blueberry pie. She shows us how to make blueberry parfaits with pistachio crumble and granola porridge with warm maple cream, and offers a hint about washing and freezing fresh blueberries.

Country Ham Salad | Kitchen Recipe

4m 43s

Sheri serves up a delicious country ham salad that is full of flavor. Her take on this old recipe is the perfect way to use up the last trimmings of a whole country ham that’s delicious all the way to the bone.

Country Ham, Peach and Lemony Ricotta Salad | Kitchen Recipe

6m 30s

Food writer Sheri Castle shares an easy recipe for a gorgeous country ham, fresh peach and lemony ricotta salad. This showstopper dish looks impressive, but you’ll be ready to whisk it to the table in just a few minutes.

Field Trip to Benton’s Smoky Mountain Country Hams

4m 31s

Food writer Sheri Castle heads to Madisonville, Tennessee, to visit the King of Country Ham, Allan Benton. He shows Sheri a few secrets on how he makes his legendary Smoky Mountain hams and bacon.

Preview | Country Ham Is King

30s

Sheri creates a country ham salad and a peach and lemony ricotta salad. She heads to Madisonville, Tennessee, to meet Allan Benton, the King of Country Ham, who shares secrets about his legendary Smoky Mountain hams and bacon. Allan and his wife, Sharon, make two-ingredient biscuits and red-eye gravy, and Sheri gives a tip on using all the parts of a country ham.

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