Cooking with Cat Cora

Cat Cora of Jackson is a regular on the Food Network.

It's late afternoon and lingering sunrays are dancing off the white columns of the Annandale Country Club. Dressed in starched chef's whites, Cat Cora matches the ambience of the elegant surroundings with her stylishly-streaked blond hair, intense brown eyes and pencil-thin figure.

She settles into a chair overlooking the manicured greens and extends her hand with the same sharp precision as when she wields a cleaver on Iron Chef.

"Hi, I'm Cat," she says with a smile that lights up her tanned face.

Her warm greeting is in sharp contrast to the cool professionalism she displays while chopping sea urchin and other "secret ingredients" at the speed of light on the fast-paced Food Network show.

Fast-paced also describes the life of the Jackson native quickly conquering almost every aspect of the nation's food and restaurant industry.

Cora is the only woman chef during the history of the Food Network's popular Iron Chef show and is executive chef of Bon Appetit magazine.

She has authored several popular cookbooks, including Cat Cora's Kitchen, which contains many of her Jackson family's favorite recipes, and Cooking from the Hip. A new cookbook is currently in the works, with a 2009 release date.

Another new project is the launch of a restaurant, CCQ, scheduled to open in 2009 in California. CCQ - a shortened version of "Cat Cora's BBQ" - will combine barbecue flavors, sauces and techniques from around the globe.

Despite thousands of television appearances and cooking demonstrations in every corner of the globe, memories of childhood tea parties and baking cookies in her mother's kitchen are ones she still enjoys recounting.

"Ever since I was little I was involved in some way with food," she said. "I loved to host tea parties and bake cookies or roll grape leaves for church events. Most of my childhood memories growing up in Jackson center around food, family gatherings and all the warmth and excitement that comes with gathering around the dinner table."

Regular visits to Jackson's Continental and Shamrock restaurants, owned by her godfather, Peter Costas, provided the impetus for Cora's early infatuation with food.

While she has fond memories of cooking with her mother, Virginia, and grandmother, Alma, it was Costas who taught the fledgling chef to make her signature dish.

"When I was about 13, I really became interested in cooking, and Peter Costas taught me how to make roast chicken. I invited my godparents over and prepared dinner for them. I think it turned out well," she said, looking to her mother for confirmation.

Virginia Cora is happy to pick up the story, obviously now a part of Cora family history.

"It was a delicious chicken dinner served with root vegetables that were cooked to perfection. We knew right then that she was going to be a great cook," she said, glancing with pride at her famous daughter.

Food is part of Cora's heritage, dating back to her grandfather's Lexington restaurant. Growing up, her family's Greek and Southern heritage created a delightful combination of food on the family's dinner table.

Favorite dishes prepared by her mother and grandmother, both excellent cooks she says, were chicken kapana and spanakopites.

Cora credits the early exposure to different cultures, cuisines and spices with providing the inspiration for many of her recipes and training for future "Iron Chef" challenges.

The sociability of cooking side-by-side with her grandmother is also a fond memory.

"My grandmother Alma liked to nurture others through her cooking and make it a family activity," said Cora. "And I still enjoy cooking with other people around me."

Following the success of her first dinner party, 15-year-old Cora designed a business plan for a restaurant and presented it to her father.

She now laughs at her aplomb, but says the plan is still in the back of her mind.

"My dream has always been to use my Greek influences to open a restaurant that I could name after my father," Cora said. "I still plan to get around to that someday when the time is right."

Timing has definitely helped shape Cora's career. A chance meeting with Julia Child following an appearance by the legendary chef in Natchez set the course for her future.

"I heard Julia Child was coming to Natchez and I really wanted to go," said Cora, stopping to ask her mother, "'Mom, did you go with me?'" After being reminded that "No, Grandma went with you," Cora picked up the story.

"After she spoke, I went up to her and told her I wanted to be a chef. It was unbelievable, but she sat down and talked to me for a long time. Her handlers were going crazy, but she wanted to give me the advice she felt I needed."

That advice included graduating from culinary school, which Cora did. After graduating from the University of Southern Mississippi, she went to the American Culinary Institute. She then won a scholarship to study with Child at her Cambridge, Mass., home.

Cora credits her mentor's early influence with setting the course for her future. It also provided an example she follows today as her celebrity attracts other fledgling chefs.

"The fact that she took the time to sit down and spend time with a girl from Jackson, Miss., is so amazing. I always think of that experience as I meet young people today," she said. "I try to do the same thing that she did for me, hoping that my advice and story will somehow inspire them."

Working with another strong woman also provided some indelible memories.

"I was scheduled to appear on Martha Stewart's show and was preparing some Cornish hens beforehand. Martha came up and looked over my shoulder and the first thing she said was, 'Oh, so you're trussing that Cornish hen?' She and I got along well; she really liked Greek food, so we talked about that a lot.

She was really friendly and talked to me even during the breaks."

Today, Cora's business obligations and personal appearances keep her away from Jackson for "way too much of the time," she says.

During her visit home this summer, she visited two favorite restaurants, Jackson's Nagoya and Pan-Asia in Ridgeland.

At home in California, she enjoys simple food that often includes "spaghetti and meat sauce, bleu cheese salad and garlic bread." Ice cream and cupcakes are sweets that are hard to turn down, she said.

"You have to remember that chefs are always tasting different flavors ranging from spicy to savory to sweet. When we are not working, we want to relax and enjoy simple comfort foods like everyone else," she said.

Now the mother of two young boys, Cora follows her mother and grandmother's advice in serving simple, healthy foods to her own children.

"When my brothers and I were growing up, we didn't eat fast food. For one thing, we couldn't afford it," she said. "The only time we got to have sodas was when our parents went out and the babysitter came over. It was a special occasion and that's how I want my children to view foods that are not as healthy."

Following are two of Cat Cora's favorite family recipes:

Classic Greek Roasted Chicken with Lemon and Herbs

Cat's Note: This is the first recipe I perfected. My godfather, Peter Costas of Jackson taught me to prepare it when I was 13.

Ingredients:

1 chicken (3.2 pounds), preferably free range

1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for greasing (one and one half)

1 lemon, halved

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (one half)

1 tablespoon roughly chopped mixed herbs such as marjoram, rosemary, thyme and sage

3 large garlic cloves, slightly broken

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Remove the giblets and the neck from the body cavity of the chicken. (You can use these pieces to make stock for a quick gravy or other uses or discard them).

Trim the tips of the wings and the skin at both ends of the bird. Rinse inside and out, pat dry with paper towels.

Rub the chicken on all sides with the olive oil, then squeeze the lemon over the chicken. Rub in the salt, pepper and herb mixture on the outside of the chicken, and then place a pinch of each in the cavity along with the juiced halves of the lemon and the garlic.

Place in a lightly oiled roasting pan and roast, uncovered, until the juices run clear from a leg when pierced in the thickest part, about 45 minutes.

Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before carving.

Cat Cora's Crispy "Fried" Chicken

Cat's Note: This chicken tastes fried but is minus the grease. The secret is to lock in the moisture by dredging the chicken pieces in flour and dipping them into buttermilk that you've spiced up with paprika, cayenne, mustard and sage. Then you roll the pieces in crushed cornflakes.

If you're cooking with kids, the fewer spices you'll need to add, because kids' palates are sensitive. For very small children, omit the spices entirely or add just a hint. If the kids eat it, you can try adding a little more spice the next time you make it.

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup light buttermilk (one half)

1- 2 - to 3-pound fryer, cut into pieces (2 breasts, 2 thighs, 2 legs, 2 wings)

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional) (one eighth)

1/2 cup all-purpose flour (one half)

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage or 1/2 teaspoon ground sage (one half and one half)

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (one fourth)

2 cups cornflakes

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Pour the olive oil into a baking pan large enough to hold the chicken pieces in a single layer without crowding. Using your fingers, rub the oil over the dish so that it's completely, but lightly, coated.

Rinse the chicken in cold water and pat dry. In a wide bowl or on a large plate, season the flour with the salt and pepper. Dredge each chicken piece in the flour until it's completely coated. Tap the chicken against the side of the bowl to loosen any excess flour and set the pieces aside. Discard the flour.

Crush the cornflakes by placing them in a big resealable plastic bag, carefully pressing the bag to push out the air. Seal the bag (leaving as little air inside as possible) and crush the flakes using a rolling pin.

Pour the crushed flakes into a wide bowl or onto a large plate.

In a bowl large enough to dip the chicken pieces, mix the buttermilk, mustard, cayenne (if using), paprika and sage. Give each floured chicken piece a good buttermilk bath all over, then roll in the crushed flakes.

Arrange the chicken pieces in the prepared baking pan. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, lower the heat to 375 degrees and bake for another 25 to 30 minutes, until cooked through and crispy. (The juices should run clear when the meat is pierced with a knife.) Serve.

Recipes from "Cook From the Hip With Cat Cora."