Chef Matthew McClure will soon be en route to the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival ready to represent 21c and The Hive for a few days dedicated to some of our favorite cuisine. In case you can’t make the festival this year, we’ve got another recipe that’s so good, you’ll swear you’re there.
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This Trail Mix recipe first received big attention when Garden and Gun decided to feature this unexpected bar snack:
“Nothing against a bowlful of pretzels, but today’s elevated cocktails deserve a slightly more inspired culinary partner. Matthew McClure, head chef of the Hive restaurant and bar in Bentonville, Arkansas, agrees. A throwback to a time when bar snacks merited the same considered panache as the drinks they cushioned, his Arkansas Trail Mix combines house-made cheese straws with a slew of local add-ins: candied black walnuts and pecans, and flash-fried soybeans and black-eyed peas. “Creating the recipe was a very thoughtful and methodical process,” McClure says. “I wanted to give people a snack that told the story of Arkansas.” Mix up a batch his way, or build a custom blend using McClure’s cheese straws as a base and layering in your own native ingredients on top. Either way, you’ll come up with a snack that satisfies well beyond the bar.”
Arkansas Trail Mix
Ingredients
Crunchy Black-Eyed peas
Candied Pecans
Candied Black Walnuts
Crunchy Soybeans
Cheese Straws
Preparation:
Toss all items together in a large bowl.
Crunchy Black-Eyed Peas
Ingredients
½ cup dried black-eyed peas (soak in water until hydrated)
1 carrot, peeled and cut into thirds
½ yellow onion, cut into thirds
1 stalk celery, cut into thirds
Kosher Salt
Lemon zest
Smoked paprika
Preparation
Cook peas covered in water with celery, carrots, and onions until tender; cool in liquid, then strain. Heat vegetable oil to 325 degrees, and fry peas until crispy. Toss the peas with salt, lemon zest, and paprika, and cool in a single layer on a baking sheet.
Candied Spiced Pecans
Ingredients
1 ½ quart heavy syrup
3 cups raw, shelled pecans
Cayenne pepper (to taste but this gets hot fast)
Kosher salt
Preparation
In a medium saucepan, bring heavy syrup to boil with pecans. Reduce heat and simmer gently for 30-45 minutes. Strain syrup and allow the pecans to cool for about 5 minutes. Heat vegetable oil to 325 degrees and fry pecans until they just start to toast. Remove and toss with kosher salt and cayenne pepper, then spread in a single layer on a baking sheet, giving them a gentle shake every few minutes to prevent sticking.
Candied Black Walnuts
Ingredients
1½ quart heavy syrup
3 cups raw, shelled black walnuts
Kosher salt
Preparation
In a medium saucepan, bring heavy syrup to boil with pecans. Reduce heat and simmer gently for 30-45 minutes. Strain syrup and allow the pecans to cool for about 5 minutes. Heat vegetable oil to 325 degrees and fry pecans until they just start to toast. Remove and toss with kosher salt, then spread in a single layer on a baking sheet, giving them a gentle shake every few minutes to prevent sticking.
Crunchy Soybeans
Ingredients
1 cup of dried soybeans
2 quarts water
Paprika
Kosher salt
Lemon zest
Preparation
Soak soybeans in cold water overnight. Strain excess water from the soybeans and let beans dry for 3-5 minutes. Heat vegetable oil to 325 degrees, and fry soybeans for about 5 minutes, or until the beans begin to toast. Toss soybeans with salt and lemon zest, and cool.
Cheese Straws
Ingredients
8 oz. shredded sharp cheddar cheese, room temperature
¼ cup softened butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine cheese and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on medium with a paddle attachment until thoroughly blended. In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt, and cayenne, and whisk together. Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter and cheese, and continue to beat until no longer crumbly. Roll the dough to ¼-inch thickness, then cut into ½-inch by 4½-inch straws. Place straws 1 inch apart on a parchment-covered tray. Bake for 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely.