Investigation: A Best New Restaurant in Davidson, NC?!

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A few weeks ago, I picked up the September issue of bon appetit eager for the reveal of America’s Best New Restaurants. As I flipped through in the office at lunch, I saw what I had more or less expected. Petit Trois in Los Angeles, Semilla in Brooklyn. Yes, yes… I have been reading blogs all year. I am on Instagram. I have seen this before…

And then. #7. Kindred. I looked at the location, stopped dead in my tracks and let out a scream that reverberated through the entire office. Davidson, NC?! WHAT?!? The tiny college town I spent four years in with only as many dining options as I could count on one hand?!? Has a top 10 restaurant?!

And then I remembered that for months, friends in the Charlotte area had been talking about some place called Kindred on Main Street. And they had been making regular pilgrimages 30 miles north to eat there. And apparently they were on to something and I was a total snob for writing them off.

Unable to get on a flight down to North Carolina anytime soon and desperate to see what the buzz was about, I quickly got to work re-creating the recipe for Eggplant and Country Ham Ragu using my fresh tomato sauce, which I had rather conveniently, although unknowingly, made the night before. 

I’ll level and say that this isn’t really a lunch hack and it’s better suited for dinner at home, but I was too proud of my college town’s achievement not to put this out in the world.

This recipe blew my mind. It starts out all sweet and innocent and then you read through the ingredient list. Eggplant. Ham. Chipotle chiles in adobo?! Cocoa powder?!? FISH SAUCE?!?! WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?! This can’t possibly work… But boy oh boy does it ever!

Needless to say, I’m getting myself down to North Carolina ASAP. But in the meantime, I’ll enjoy an approximation of Kindred’s stellar food from my desk.

“College Town Hero” Eggplant and Country Ham Ragu

Serves 4

- 8 tablespoons olive oil

- 1 ½ pounds eggplant cut into ½ inch dice

- 12 slices country ham or prosciutto cotto (about 3 ounces) 

- 1 small onion, finely chopped

- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped (or pressed)

- 1-2 canned chipotles chiles in adobo, finely chopped

- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

- 1 tablespoon tomato paste

- ½ cup tomato sauce (store bought is fine if you don’t have any reserved)

- 1 tablespoon fish sauce (like nam pla or nuoc nam)

- 12 ounces linguine or spaghetti

- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

- ½ cup Parmesan, finely grated

- 3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

The bulk of this recipe is making the ragu, so get out a large heavy pot (but not your pasta pot! You’ll need that later clean). Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in the pot over medium-high heat. Add half of the eggplant, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring often, until its brown and tender (about 5-8 minutes). Transfer this to a medium bowl. Heat another 3 tablespoons of oil and repeat the same process with the other half of the eggplant and transfer that to the bowl as well.

Now heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat in the pot and add the ham, onion, and garlic. Cook it, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened (about 5 minutes).

Now add the chiles, cocoa powder, and tomato paste and stir to coat the other ingredients. Cook it, stirring frequently, until the tomato paste is really dark red and the cocoa powder smells toasty (roughly 3 minutes).

Add your tomato sauce, the eggplant and 1 cup of water and scrape the bottom of the pot for browned bits. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring every so often, until the sauce is thick and the flavors have melded (around 25-30 minutes). Add the fish sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Now the easy part. Boil a large pot of water to boil. Add your pasta and cook according to the directions (which will vary by the type and quality of pasta you bought) until al dente. Drain the pasta but reserve 2 cups of the cooking liquid.

Now add the pasta to your pot with the sauce in it. Add 2 tablespoons of butter and 1 cup of the pasta water. Bring the pot to a simmer and cook, tossing frequently, until the sauce becomes glossy and coats the pasta. Add more cooking liquid if you need to (but I didn’t).

Divide the pasta up and top it with Parmesan and parley. This is spectacular hot for dinner, but it’s also really very good at room temperature for lunch! Try it both ways! You have enough.