Edna Lewis' 2-Ingredient Sauteed Scallions Deserve A Spot On Your Plate

For anyone unfamiliar, Edna Lewis was a renowned American chef who is known for refining and championing Southern cooking. In her lifetime, she published four cookbooks on the subject of Southern cuisine, including "The Taste of Country Cooking," which was released in 1976. "The Taste of Country Cooking" features recipes for every season, from "A Late Spring Dinner with Spring-Hatched Chicken" to "Christmas Breakfast."

One of the recipes, "An Early Spring Dinner of Veal, Scallions, and the First Berries" features a two-ingredient side dish that everyone should know about — it includes just scallions and butter. That's right, you don't even need to season them — Lewis even specifies that "no salt or pepper will be needed" for this recipe.

To make the simple yet delicious side, you'll need three tablespoons of unsalted butter and four bunches of scallions. Lewis says that she uses thin scallions (the size of a pencil), so if yours are thicker, then you may need less than four bunches — you can either slice thicker scallions in half or just leave them as is. Start by heating three tablespoons of unsalted butter in a skillet over medium heat. Next, add four bunches of cleaned scallions into the skillet and cover with the lid. After a few minutes, flip the scallions and cook for another two to three minutes. Once the time is up, the flavorful and buttery scallions will be ready for indulging.

The buttery scallions make for a perfect side for just about any entree out there, but if you need a place to start, in the cookbook, Edna Lewis recommends pairing them with veal, as well as "mutton, steak, and chops." To stick with a veal entree, you can turn to our recipe for a crispy baked veal parmesan — the simplicity of the scallions is a perfect match for this more complex dish.

When it comes to choosing a steak dish, there are an abundance of recipes to choose from, so you can really just go with your favorite. Perhaps you want to pair the scallions with an oven to cast iron reverse sear steak or a coffee-rubbed steak. If you're more in the mood for pork, you can pair the scallions with creamy smothered pork chops or, for a spicier alternative, chipotle-adobo pork chops. Finally, while mutton isn't a meat commonly found at the grocery store, you can pair the scallions with the closest meat to mutton: lamb. You could opt for a mustard-crusted rack of lamb or a red-wine braised lamb neck.

Of course, none of Lewis's suggestions are vegetarian-friendly, so if you're looking for a meatless entree to serve alongside the scallions, we'll have to veer away from her suggestions. A couple of great options include a tofu steak or a hearty black bean burger if you're looking for a healthier side alternative than the typical fries.