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Charlie Martin of Dorsey learned to make Chicken Pie from his grandmother, Kaye Martin. See his recipes, Page 9A.
Charlie Martin of Dorsey learned to make Chicken Pie from his grandmother, Kaye Martin. See his recipes, Page 9A.
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DORSEY – When Charlie Martin was in elementary school, he'd go to his grandmother's house every week and ask the exact same question: "Will you cook me a chicken pie?"
By the time he was 7, he was in the kitchen alongside her, learning how to make that chicken pie. After a half-dozen lessons, he was baking them on his own.
"When I was 8, I started grilling whatever I could, just to see how it would turn out," said Martin, 15. "After I showed my folks a few times that I could cook, they started trusting me to do it on my own."
Martin said when he was about 9, and out of school for the summer, he'd stay up until 11:30 or midnight and get bored. So he'd head into the kitchen and cook a full meal.
"Then I'd wake my parents up to see if they wanted to taste it," he said. "I'd say, 'please, please, please' until they tried at least one bite of it."
Martin is a sophomore at Itawamba Agricultural High School in Fulton, where he plays right tackle and middle linebacker for the football team and is an outfielder and pitcher for the baseball team.
His mother, Kristi, has Black Sheep Boutique in Tupelo and his father, Grant, is the principal at Dorsey Attendance Center. He has four brothers – Noah, Braeden, Sam and Will.
Martin learned to make chocolate gravy from his maternal grandmother, Linda Shackelford Greene of Tupelo, but the majority of his culinary skills came from his paternal grandmother, Kaye Martin, who lives across the street.
"Nana taught me literally everything about cooking," Martin said. "I learned about grilling from YouTube and watching MasterChef Canada. Soon enough, I got pretty good at it."
Martin started out grilling chicken and steaks, but now he likes to grill fish and vegetables.
"You have to get fish to the perfect temperature," he said. "I like to do salmon, snapper, triggerfish and catfish. I'm a big-time deep-sea fisherman, so every time we go to the beach, I bring some back up here."
For years, Martin avoided vegetables.
"I used to hate them," he said. "Then I figured out they're good for you. Now, I grill mushrooms, onions, squash, zucchini, peppers. I don't think you can go wrong with a jalapeño pepper."
Martin also likes to bake cupcakes, muffins and casseroles, and he makes his own pasta from flour and egg yolks.
"My friends think it's cool that I like to cook," he said. "Most of them can only cook things in the microwave. My mom says cooking is a good way to pick up girls, but I haven't seen any evidence of that yet."
DO YOU KNOW A GOOD COOK? Send your nominations to Ginna Parsons, Cook of the Week, P.O. Box 909, Tupelo, MS 38802. Or you can call (662) 678-1581 or email them to ginna.parsons@journalinc.com.
4 pounds boneless chuck or blade roast, trimmed of excess fat
8 cloves garlic, smashed, or 2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 pound baby potatoes, white or Yukon gold
4 large carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 stalks celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley, for garnish
Heat oil in a large skillet or pan over high heat. Season roast with a good amount of salt and pepper. Sear on all sides until browned, about 5 to 6 minutes a side. Transfer roast to a 6-quart slow cooker.
Add the onions, garlic, potatoes, carrots, celery, vinegar, mustard, brown sugar, thyme and bouillon. Season with salt and pepper. Whisk the broth and flour together to make a slurry and pour into the slow-cooker.
Cook on low for 8 hours, or until the meat is tender and falling apart and the vegetables are soft. Adjust seasonings.
Slice meat, garnish with parsley and drizzle with gravy.
2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
1 (4-pound) whole chicken, cut up*
4 cups vegetable shortening or oil
Combine paprika, black pepper, garlic powder, oregano and cayenne in a small bowl and mix thoroughly with a fork.
Whisk the buttermilk, egg, 1 tablespoon salt, and 2 tablespoons of the spice mixture in a large bowl. Add the chicken pieces and toss and turn to coat. Transfer the contents of the bowl to a ziptop gallon freezer bag and refrigerate at least 4 hours, and up to overnight, flipping the bag occasionally to redistribute the contents and coat the chicken evenly.
Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, 2 teaspoons salt, and the remaining spice mixture in a large bowl. Add 3 tablespoons of the marinade from the ziptop bag and work it into the flour with your fingertips. Remove one piece of chicken from the bag, allowing excess buttermilk to drip off, drop the chicken into the flour mixture, and toss to coat. Continue adding chicken pieces to the flour mixture one at a time until they are all in the bowl. Toss the chicken until every piece is thoroughly coated, pressing with your hands to get the flour to adhere in a thick layer.
Heat the shortening or oil to 350 degrees in a 12-inch straight-sided deep cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Adjust the heat as necessary to maintain the temperature, being careful not to let the fat get any hotter.
One piece at a time, transfer the coated chicken to a fine-mesh strainer and shake to remove excess flour. Transfer to a wire rack set on a rimmed baking sheet. Once all the chicken pieces are coated, place skin side down in the hot oil. The temperature should drop to 300 degrees; adjust the heat to maintain the temperature at 300 degrees for the duration of the cooking. Fry the chicken until it’s a deep golden brown on the first side, about 6 minutes; do not move the chicken or start checking for doneness until it has fried for at least 3 minutes, or you may knock off the coating. Carefully flip the chicken pieces with tongs and cook until the second side is golden brown, about 4 minutes longer.
Transfer cooked chicken pieces onto a wire rack and let it sit for about 10 minutes.
*Note: You can also use 3 1/2 pounds of bone-in, skin-on breasts, legs, drumsticks and/or wings.
1 pound cooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
4 whole plum tomatoes, seeds removed and diced
2 whole jalapeño peppers, seeds and veins removed, minced
1 cup diced jicama, or diced peeled apple
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1 avocado, pitted, peeled and diced
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
Chop the shrimp into half-inch pieces and transfer to a bowl. Set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon, lime and orange juices to combine. Pour 1/2 cup of the citrus juice over the shrimp and toss to combine. Allow the shrimp to marinade in the juice for 15 minutes.
Add the tomato, jalapeño, jicama (or apple), cilantro and red onion to the shrimp. Toss the ingredients to combine and allow to marinate for an additional 10 minutes. Stir in the avocado and remaining citrus juices.
Season the ceviche with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve with tortilla chips, if desired.
1 can cream of chicken soup
Boil chicken breasts until tender. When chicken is cool enough to handle, debone it and place chicken pieces in the bottom of a greased casserole. Pour melted margarine over chicken.
Combine flour and milk and pour over chicken. Combine chicken soup and broth and pour over all. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
1 (8-ounce) block cream cheese, softened
1 pound ground mild breakfast sausage, cooked and drained
Combine softened cream cheese and cooked sausage and place in bottom of a greased 9x13-inch casserole. Unroll the crescents and place on top, pinching seams together. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.
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