One person's South can look so different from another's. Like every region on earth, the American South is filled with multiple geographies, peoples, and cultures. Ashleigh Shanti is a chef and writer who has most recently been working in Asheville, North Carolina. She has written a book, Our South: Black Food Through My Lens, encouraging us to join her for a culinary journey through the South.
She cites Malinda Russell as a huge influence on her culinary career. Before Edna Lewis, Russell blew people's minds with her cookbook that incorporated French and Caribbean cuisines. "I just felt like I related to Malinda Russell so much," says Shanti. "A big part of that is trying to find myself in Southern Appalachian culture and realizing there were not a lot of examples of myself. I really relate[d] to feeling unseen in that way."
While her restaurant, Good Hot Fish, lost power and was closed for six weeks after Hurricane Helene in September 2024, Shanti feels fortunate that she wasn't as affected as her neighbors. She's looking forward to the tourist season she missed as a new restaurant.
Cabbage and Mushroom Pancakes
Makes 4 pancakes
I’ve made versions of these crispy, delicate little fried cabbage pancakes at restaurants and in my very own home, where they are a breakfast staple. I’ve often watched my mom bulk them up with canned salmon and loads of the week’s forgotten vegetables. We’d eat them over bowls of hot grits or rice. To me, they are reminiscent of okonomiyaki (loosely translated as “grilled as you like it”), a popular savory pancake from southern Japan. I like to drizzle Spicy Sorghum-Miso Mustard (page 110) over them.
Ingredients
- 3⁄4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup fine yellow cornmeal 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons white miso paste
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 1 cup shredded green cabbage 1 cup shredded red cabbage
- 1 cup thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms 4 tablespoons grapeseed oil
For Serving
- Honey
- Chopped scallions Toasted benne seeds
- Flaky salt
Instructions
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In a small bowl, stir together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, and baking powder. In a large bowl, vigorously beat the eggs and miso into the buttermilk. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and whisk to combine evenly. Add the green and red cabbages and the mushrooms and toss to incorporate.
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Preheat the oven to 275°F. In a small nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the grapeseed oil over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, add 1 cup of the cabbage pancake batter and carefully press down to ensure the pancake makes contact with the bottom of the skillet all the way to its outer edges.
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Cook, undisturbed, until the bottom is gold brown, 5 to 6 minutes, then give the pan a wiggle to release the pancake. Now hold your breath as you attempt to flip the pancake: hold the pan’s handle with both hands, tilt the pan forward, and quickly flick your wrists in an upward motion to toss the pancake up and over (or simply use a spatula to flip it if this all sounds too intense).
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Cook on the second side until it’s golden brown, about 5 minutes more, then slide the pancake onto an oven-safe plate and place it in the oven.
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Repeat with the remaining oil and batter to make four pancakes total.
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Serve the pancakes hot, drizzled with honey and topped with scallions, toasted benne seeds, and flaky salt.
"It wasn't enough for someone to call me a Southern chef," says Ashleigh Shanti, who grew up in coastal Virginia and experienced more of the South by visiting relatives throughout the region. Photo by Johnny Autry.
"Our South: Black Food Through My Lens" explores the vast foodways and richness of culture. Photo courtesy of Union Square & Co.