I am just going to say it.

Can y’all believe we are at the END of October, already?

Next week is Halloween, y’all—I say this because I am shocked by this fact.

I guess you could say I unplugged a bit for the month of October.

Without realizing it I spent the majority of month trying to limit my internet “free-time.”

Getting back in touch with things that I need to do in order to stay inspired.

Just take a photograph.

Instead of flying past each moment knowing that you need to stop.

Stop, get out of the truck and absorb.

Figured out a way to do this, even on a crazy busy day.

Shoot just one (perhaps two) landscapes, signs, everyday life scenes that catches the eye on the regularly scheduled weekly travels.

I set a timer for 10 minutes.

Just 10 minutes to stop the truck, hike out into a field, setup the shot, quickly try to assessthe angles, lighting, color/tonality and decide that more photos are better.

Take a few careless snapshots while the timer is going off and hop back into the truck.

Drive.

It turns out the careless snapshots hurried at the end are it.

The other eight minutes?

Those moments are just enough of a warm up to let down your guard and capture a grand moment.

Other things take me by surprise.

The grand gesture that is the giving of food.

It always comes at a time when it is needed most.

Just when inspiration in the kitchen has, it appears, has all but vanished someone gives you a three pound pack of wild caught catfish.

It is in this moment you know exactly what you are supposed to do: fry them, naturally.

But instead of planning out a classic meal with hushpuppies and grits suddenly you remember there’s collard greens that were just harvested this morning.

Mushrooms from a nearby mushroom farm.

Beautiful but quickly dying green onions in the fridge.

Chicken broth, rice in the larder.

Coltrane and Hartman on a Sunday morning.

It all becomes clear: 

Rice, Mushroom + Collard green Soup w/ fried Catfish and toasted pine nuts

This a two part recipe or as I like to look at it y'all are getting a two for one deal. 

You’re Welcome.

Rice, Mushroom + Collard green soup

Prep time: 20 mins

Cook time: 30 mins

Yield: 10 cups  

2 carrots, finely chopped

2 stalks celery, finely chopped

1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped

6 cloves garlic, minced

4 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced

½ bunch parsley, finely chopped

6 sprigs fresh thyme–leaves only, finely chopped

6 sprigs fresh oregano–leaves only, finely chopped

2 dried corne de chevre peppers with seeds, chopped

9 cups chicken stock

1 cup white wine, divided

juice from one lemon

1 cup rice, rinsed. 

8 oz collard greens, stemmed and roughly chopped

1 TBSP seasoned rice vinegar

1 oz pine nuts (optional garnish)

1 oz green onions (optional garnish)

Go ahead and break a 6 to 8 quart stock pot, place it over medium heat, and drop in a few TBSP bacon grease. 

Go ahead and sauté carrots, celery, onion, garlic, mushrooms, herbs, and dried peppers. Cover and let sweat 5 minutes.

Y'all should deglaze the pot with ½ cup white wine.

Cover and let sweat for another 3 minutes until the onions are transparent.

Next add in lemon juice, chicken stock, rice, collard greens, rice vinegar, and the other ½ cup white wine.

Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium low. 

Add a bit of salt and pepper to taste about a ½ tsp of each. 

Partially cover, cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While the soup is slowly bubbling away get to moving on the catfish.

Bacon Fat Fried Catfish

(from REAL CAJUN)

Prep time: 5 mins plus 10 mins to rest. 

Cook time: 20 mins

Yield: 24 ounces fried catfish

1 cup cornmeal, yellow or white

1/3 cup all purpose flour

1 tbsp salt

¼ tsp ground black pepper

¼ tsp cayenne

1/8 tsp ground white pepper

24 oz catfish filets cut into strips

6 to 8 tbsp bacon fat

( I added ¼ tsp plain, unsalted garlic powder and onion powder as well as ground mustard to the spice mix.)

it is a good idea to have your catfish fingers, spread out in a single layer on a platter–it will be easier to season. 

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together cornmeal and flour. Set aside

Grab another small bowl and mix salt and spices together. 

Sprinkle spice mixture over the catfish fingers, allow to stand for 10 minutes, up to overnight. This creates just enough moisture for cornmeal/flour mixture cling to the fish. 

Got your 10" cast iron skillet? 

Good.

Place it over medium heat, heat bacon fat until melted.

Next, toss a few catfish fingers at time into the cornmeal and flour mixture.  Make sure they are evenly coated, shake off any excess. 

Also need to check and see if the grease is ready, sprinkle a bit of flour mixture into the grease. If it snap, crackles, and pops – y'all are good to go. 

Drop in the catfish strip, just a few minutes each side.

Drain fried strips on paper towels. 

Here’s where you can fancy it up a bit.

Toast those pine nuts in a bit of bacon grease.

Just a teeny tiny amount, enough to coat the pan. 

Never stop stirring the pine nuts–it will only take a few minutes from them to start to release their oils. You will smell them and a few seconds later they will start to brown. Remove pan from heat, scoop em out, and set aside.

Y'alls soup should be ready by now. 

Ladle a few spoons into a bowl. Top with a few strips of catfish. Garnish with toasted pine nuts and chopped green onions. 

That my friends.

That is what the grand moment of inspiration looks like. 

Let’s eat!