THE OUTER BANKS

NO HATTERAS BLUES

There's nothing like traveling over 70 miles of highway, mostly surrounded by high sand dunes, live oaks and red cedars, to feel like you're going to the end of the earth. As we left the bustle of Duck, Kill Devil Hills, and Nags Head, through the Pea Island reserve, past the Bodie Island lighthouse, my pulse was slowing and a smile was showing. After a few pleasant hours signing my book, THE OUTER BANKS COOKBOOK, and a live broadcast with Moose on the local radio station at Waves, off we went to a favorite respite in Hatteras, right on the marina dock. I like working vacations like this.

The charter boat business has been slower than usual, but some folks are still enjoying a fishing foray to the Gulf Stream, what captains call "The Yellow Brick Road" for the amber sargassum that floats en masse, providing a nice shelter for wahoo and dolphinfish, this weekend's Catch of the Day. Mahi Mahi, Hawaiian for "strong-strong," is the more commercial name for dolphinfish so that it won't be confused with Flipper.

BUY FRESH, EAT LOCAL

Friday, I gave a cooking demonstration at the Duck town park, using mahi mahi in three recipes from my first publication, THE OUTER BANKS COOKBOOK. We grilled filets and served them with a pineapple salsa. We deep-fried some nuggets, according to a recipe shared with me by Capt Ernie Foster of the Albatross fleet in Hatteras. Then I sauteed some nice chunks in soy sauce, honey and fresh ginger and garlic. All three ways were quite tasty, my audience agreed.

Mahi mahi is a sweet fish. Before it's cleaned, it looks as though it has run into a wall, with a very snubbed nose. Gorgeous rainbow colors glisten along its spine, and those colors change from purple and green in the water to yellow and blue while on the dock.

We found Capt Ernie in his porch swing at his charter house on the dock, reading , as homework, the latest from author Jared Diamond. Ernie had gone to Vancouver to represent the local fishermen and to learn about Canada's ways to regulate the fishing industry. He wasn't too happy with where he sees US and state government regulations headed.

It's more imperative than ever for us, as consumers, to eat local, and buy local. Ask your fishmonger if the fish and shrimp were gathered in waters at least near our state's coast, NOT imported from Asia. Eat at restaurants who still care that the fish they serve is from local waters, caught by local fishermen on day boats, like Basnight's Lone Cedar on the Nags Head Causeway, or Cafe Atlantic or Pony Island on Ocracoke. You can taste the difference in freshness, and eating locally helps the local economy, not some foreign conglomerate.

RECIPE

Try the recipe below. If you buy the fillets already cleaned, it's FAST FOOD, served over orzo or rice.

SWEET GINGER AND SOY GLAZED DOLPHINFISH, from THE OUTER BANKS COOKBOOK: Recipes & Traditions from NC's Barrier Islands, 2008, ThreeForks, an imprint of Globe Pequot Press.

1/4 cup soy sauce

juice and zest from 2 limes (about 3 tablespoons)

2 tablespoons honey

1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 tablespoon dark sesame oil

1-inch cube of fresh gingerroot, minced (about 2 tablepsoons)

1 tablespoon minced garlic

four 4 to 6 ounce dolphinfish filets, skinned (or grouper, wahoo, or tilapia)

1. In a small bowl, mix together the soy sauce, lime juice and zest, honey and cayenne.

2. In a large saute pan, heat both oils. When hot, add ginger and garlic, stirring constantly so garlic doesn't burn, for just one minute. Stir in soy sauce mixture and bring to a boil.

3. Carefully add fish filets, skinned-side down, and cover the pan. Cook for abut 4 minutes.

4. Turn the filets over, and cook for an additional 2 to 5 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish.

5. To serve, place fish on plate over rice or orzo. Drizzle with the sauce, and serve immediately.

Serves four.

ODE TO LARD

ODE TO LARD

Isn't that one of the most beautiful things you've ever seen? A quart of pure, unadulterated, snow white lard, an amazing gift from a gifted baker.

Blasphemous to my quest for healthy living?

I think not. An indulgence, for sure. Lard, however, contains much less cholesterol than butter. Doesn't exactly make it good for you, though, does it? What fat does? As Julia Child said, "moderation." I eat fried chicken maybe twice a year, so big deal.

The big deal with this lard, however,was from whence it came. Fat from a whole pig was rendered low and slow - over two hours - in a baker's huge, outdoor brick bread oven. The pig had spent many happy hours foraging in an open pasture setting, NOT stuffed and fed grain inside a vastly crowded barn. Pasture-raised pigs tend to sport more fat, due in part from their breed and partly from their diet. Thus, there was an abundance of fat for the baker to deal with after he had slow roasted a very succulent loin of pork.

This generous man had prepared jars of this beautifully rendered lard and sold a few at the market, only to be given "cease and desist" orders from the Food Police since he did not have the proper permits for dealing with animals, only baked goods.

So when I visited during the annual Appalachian Sustainable Agricultural Project's farm tour, he confessed to baking more than bread. After I waxed poetic about flaky pie crusts and lard, he went inside and retrieved the above jar of beautiful lard, and with a wink, gallantly offered it to me. What a gift and an honor.

"Try frying chicken," he said. "It'll be the best you ever had."

So out came my grandmother's cast iron skillet and two plump chickens which I, raised right as a Southern girl, actually remembered how to cut up into frying pieces. I melted the lard, shook the chicken pieces in seasoned flour, and fried away, just like my grandmother had done. A huge after effect was all the grease splatters. I'm still cleaning.

But my Fourth of July chicken was the best ever. Crisp and succulent. My father gave it his blessing.

Now I can't wait to make a pie crust.

SQUASHZINNIE

Okay, so it's not the real name of this half and half veggie, but I can't remember.

But its taste was quite memorable.

Thinly sliced, then sauteed in olive oil until just tender, seasoned with salt and pepper and a sprinkling of fresh thyme and oregano, it was delicious.

Summer squash qualifies, in my book, as FAST FOOD. Quickly slice or chop, then slowly saute. Or, split in halves or quarters and heat over a grill until just tender, which takes less than five minutes. It's amenable to onions, garlic and strong herbs, or just fine with a sprinkling of salt and pepper.

Easy and fast. And, available at your local farmers market. These were purchased Saturday morning at the North Hills Farmers Market. Maybe it was the bluegrass band playing in the square that the squash responded to.

OLD GOATS

I LOVE OLD GOATS

Including my father, and my husband, and my father-in-law.......They may be old goats but they are fine examples of loving, supportive men, and FATHERS. And so for FATHER'S DAY, here are some great ways to use goat cheese, or chevre. (And forgive my hiatus from this blog. My father is now, sadly, under Hospice care.)

Easy: HERBED CHEVRE as a dip for French Breakfast radishes, chilled cucumber slices, pita chips

As a topping for CLAM FRITTERS:

This is an old-time recipe from the Outer Banks. These fritters are more like pancakes, rather than like tubular hushpuppies. My friend Della Basnight, from Manteo, tells me she loved them served with applesauce. They'd be great with a dollop of sour cream or creme fraiche plopped on top. However, I'm lactose-intolerant, so I use herbed chevre. And it's marvelous. These make great appetizers to pass around, perhaps with some chilled Prosecco?

Making these is not rocket science. You basically want to blend in just enough flour until you've got a pancake batter-like consistency.

2 cups chopped clams (about 1 pint, or two small cans)

1 egg, beaten

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

about 1/2 cup flour

about 1/4 cup canola or corn oil

1. Drain clams and reserve the juice. (If you have to chop the clams, use a blender.)

2. In a medium bowl, stir together the egg, salt and pepper. Add as much flour as needed top hold the mixture together. If needed, reserved clam juice can also thing the batter. Stir in clams.

3> Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large frying pan (cast iron works great). When hot, drop batter by large spoonfuls to form 2- to 3-inch circles.

4. Flip fritters as soon as bottom side begins to turn a golden color, and brown on the other side.

5. Serve immediately, with a dollop of softened butter, cream cheese, creme fraiche or herbed chevre.

YIELD: 6 appetizers, or about 18 fritters

From THE OUTER BANKS COOKBOOK: Recipes & Traditions from NC's Barrier Islands, by Elizabeth Wiegand, 2008, Globe Pequot Press

~~~~

Another way to use Chevre....as a topping for FRIED GREEN TOMATOES

Two baseball-sized, hard green tomatoes had my name on them at the Farmers Market last week.

So here's what you do for FRIED GREEN TOMATOES (again, not rocket science):

Slice the tomatoes, thick.

Beat an egg in a small dish.

Pour some cornmeal into another dish.

Heat some canola oil in a skillet.

When it's hot, dip the tomato slices into the beaten egg, then coat each side by pressing into the cornmeal.

Fry for about 2 minutes or until golden brown, then flip and repeat. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve the FRIED GREEN TOMATOES on top of lightly dressed greens. Place a dollop of chevre on top of each slice.

Enjoy this Southern comfort!

SPRING GREENS

FARMERS MARKETS ARE NOW OPEN!

KOMATSUNA, also known as Japanese spinach, is just one of the more interesting veggies you'll find at farmers markets this spring.  Greens are an easy grow and a good sell for NC farmers, and jump start the hearts of veggie lovers like myself.

Komatsuna is one of the many Asian greens and vegetables grown by Haruka and Jason Oatis, on their Edible Earthscape Farm in Moncure, in Chatham County.  Before coming to North Carolina, they farmed in Japan and now use many of the techniques learned there on their sustainable farm.  Bamboo provides poles for vines and water conveyors.  They use a "chicken tractor." 

 At the bustling North Hills farmers market last Saturday, Haruka was demonstrating how to lightly saute the coarsely chopped green with shiitakes and garlic, like you can do with Swiss chard and other greens.

Beets, turnips, arugula, mizune, fresh eggs, honey, chevre from Celebrity Dairy in Siler City, and even fish from Southport, were available.  And strawberries!!  Babies were out in strollers and toddlers danced to the live blue grass band playing on the grassy quad.  The fellow selling roses had a long line....it was the day before Mother's Day, after all.

My message to you?  Get thee to a farmers market on Saturday morning.  Take small bills and some change.  Carry your own tote sacks.  Put an ice chest in the trunk for your purchases.  It's one of the most enjoyable things to do on a weekend, AND, you will contribute to the local economy, by buying LOCAL.  Keep your food dollars in the neighborhood, and chat with the grower.  It makes a difference when you put faces on the food you eat.  

STRAWBERRY ALERT!   A market vendor told me today that strawberries will have an extremely short season this year because of all the rain.  So buy now!  I hope she's wrong.  I love strawberries, and have yet to make jam or freeze some. 

RECIPE:  SAUTEED GREENS with SHIITAKES & GARLIC

I bought a bunch of beautiful, red-stemmed Swiss chard that just begged for a light saute.  It was a perfect foil for the very mild grouper we grilled.  The shiitakes came from the SPAIN FARM in Raleigh.  

bunch of greens - Swiss chard, Komatsuna, red kale or other milder greens

3 to 5 shiitake mushrooms

2 or 3 bulbs of spring onions, thinly sliced

2 or 3 cloves of garlic, minced

2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

1.  Wash greens and spin or pat dry.  Cut off stiff ends.  Coarsely chop the leaves.

2.  Gently clean the shiitakes with a damp towel, cut off the stem, esp. if it's rather tough.  Then thinly slice the mushrooms.

3.  Heat olive oil over medium high heat, then add mushrooms.  Stir and saute until almost tender, about 3 to 5 minutes.  Add onions, stir and saute for another minute or so.  Then add garlic and stir.

4.  Add greens, and gently fold the greens with the mushrooms, onions and garlic.  Continue to saute for just a minute or two more, or until the greens are wilted yet still a bit crisp-tender.

5.  Take off heat, and add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve immediately.

MAY DAYS

A few ideas for the month of May....

From Slow Food Asheville - Take a walk on the wild side, then feast!

Wildflower Walk at Max Patch

Sunday, May 17, 2009 
Hike starts at 2:00

Join us for a great time on this one-hour hike through beautiful Max Patch bald as we look at beautiful and unusual wildflowers. We’ll start out at Kanati Lodge B&B (see directions below). Your host for this hike is David and Jeanne Kendall and the hike will be led by Renee Fortner. Renee is the Assistant Supervisor of Landscaping at Warren Wilson College. In her spare time, Renee hikes the mountains around Asheville with a plant ID book in hand. It was a previous job at the Botanical Gardens in Asheville that sparked her interest in all plants native to North Carolina...yes even poison ivy (birds love the berries)!

Bring food to share (see what is local) and together we’ll have a pot-latch for after the hike! This hike benefits our School Garden Program (See the announcement in the newsletter or on our website) and we are asking for a $10 per person donation! (kids free!!!)

Here's the link, if you'd like to join them.  Also read about the great food projects they have!

http://www.slowfoodasheville.org/Events.htm

MOTHER'S DAY

I have always gotten such a kick out of Mother's Day, from the time our three were wee mess makers in the kitchen, to now, when they are good cooks and bigger mess makers.

Chocolate always scores, in my book.

So does breakfast in bed.

With coffee first, of course.

Here's a good idea for MOTHER'S DAY PRESENT.....and a luscious North Carolina product:

	artisan chocolates & pastries handcrafted with love in asheville, nc
Happy Mothers Day! To get our chocolates to your mamas, where they belong, order online by May 5 for a timely delivery.  htpp://www.frenchbroadchocolates.com GATHER YE CHILDREN AROUND MOM IN BED . . . Mother's Day Recipes......Crabmeat Omelet, a favorite recipe of this mom's, from THE OUTER BANKS COOKBOOK:  Recipe & Traditions from NC's Barrier Islands. .  Add sliced fresh, local sliced strawberries to the plate, and I guarantee Mom will be happy! 4 tablespoons butter, divided;  1/3 pound crabmeat (about 1 cup);  sprinkle of Old Bay seasoning;  1 tablespoon chopped chives;  4 eggs;  salt and pepper to taste In a saute pan, melt 2 tablespoons butter.  Add crabmeat and sprinkle with Old Bay and chives.  Gently stir crabmeat until heated through, then place in a small bowl.  In another small bowl, beat eggs together with a fork until creamy and frothy.  Melt remaining butter in the same saute pan over medium high heat, and swirl to coat the bottom and sides of pan.  Add eggs, and season with salt and pepper to taste.  When mixture has become slightly cooked on the bottom, tilt pan and allow the moist eggs to run beneath the cooked eggs, or if you are skilled, flip the omelet over. Add crabmeat to the center, and fold over the two edges.  Remove immediately.  Divide omelet half, and slide onto warmed plates.  Sprinkle with more Old Bay if desired.  Two servings

PORTABLE FEASTS

Marinated Margarita Shrimp with Asparagus & Roasted Red Peppers over Cheese Grits Cakes aboard Lagniappe on the Chesapeake

CAROLINA FOODIE GOES SAILING and so do NC foods!

Springtime beckons even the grouchiest of us to get outside and play.  Tent camping, backpacking, biking and picnics at the park are among my favorite activities.  And last weekend, sailing on the Chesapeake was an offer we couldn't refuse, since we don't have a sailboat ourselves.  But we're both willing and not entirely clueless crew.

And I enjoy the challenge of packing portable feasts.  So from my freezer I pulled frozen peaches from the NC State Farmers Market, Dan Finch's blueberries, and the homemade granola I've shared with you.  That was a terrific breakfast, along with coffee, overlooking a gunkhole in the West River below Annapolis.

For one dinner, I packed two pounds of NC green-tailed shrimp from my freezer.  Before leaving home, I made the cheese grits cakes and pre-cooked the asparagus and red pepper.  That makes on-board cooking - or at camp or picnic table grill - a lot easier and less messy.  About half an hour before grilling, I added the pre-made Margarita marinade to the zippered bag.  We heated up the grits, asparagus and peppers in foil packets on the grill, then wrapped them in some kitchen towels to keep them warm, and then grilled the shrimp.

All that was left was to open a bottle - or two - of a very nice pinot noir.  We weren't driving, or dragging anchor, for that matter!

RECIPE - MARGARITA GRILLED SHRIMP with ASPARAGUS and RED PEPPERS on CHEESE GRITS CAKES

 

FOR THE SHRIMP:

2 pounds large shrimp, peeled

1/4 cup tequila

2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice

zest of one lemon or lime

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon salt

ground pepper to taste

2 tablespoons olive or canola oil

Mix all ingredients together in a small jar.  Shake.  Refrigerate if not using right away.

FOR THE ASPARAGUS:

Place about 1 pound asparagus in a saute pan.  Cover with cold water.  Place over medium high heat.  As soon as the water comes to a boil, drain the asparagus, and plunge into a ice water bath to stop the cooking and seal the bright, green color.  When cool, drain and pat dry.

FOR THE RED PEPPERS:

Place 1 or 2 red bell peppers on a baking sheet covered with foil.  Put under a pre-heated broiler, turning until all sides are blackened.  Remove from oven, and gather the foil up to cover the peppers.  Allow to cool.  Peel blackened skin away, and remove stem and seeds.  Slice into thin slivers.

ADDITIONAL ACCOMPANIMENT:  2 to 4 tablespoons grated Parmesan/Asiago cheese

CHEESE GRITS CAKES:

2 cups water

1 cup milk (or you may skip milk and use a total of 3 cups water)

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup stone-ground grits (yellow or white)

3 eggs

1 cup grated cheese (Parmesan or Asiago or combo)

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a shallow 10 x 15 in. baking pan with foil, then lightly spray with oil/nonstick spray.

Bring water and milk to a boil in a large saucepan.  Toss in the salt.  While stirring constantly, whisk in the grits, slowly, in a steady stream.  Lower heat to a simmer and stir occasionally.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, beat eggs, then add cheese and cayenne pepper.

When grits are thick and most of the water absorbed (about 10 to 15 minutes), add a spoonful or two of grits to egg mixture and stir.  Then add egg mixture to the grits in the pan, and stir until cheese is melted.

Pour mixture into prepared pan, and spread to about an inch thickness.  

Bake for about 20 to 30 minutes, or until semi-firm to the touch.

Cool, then refrigerate for at least one hour.  You may cut out rounds, or other shapes.

TO ASSEMBLE THE DISH:  

Place the marinated shrimp on skewers.  Heat all ingredients, and grill the shrimp for about five minutes, or until pink and firm.

Use the grits cake as the bottom layer.  Arrange asparagus over the grits cake, then red pepper slices.  Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.  Place shrimp skewers over top.  Enjoy!

Recipes adapted from THE OUTER BANKS COOKBOOK:  Recipes & Traditions from NC's Barrier Islands by Elizabeth Wiegand, Globe Pequot Press, 2008.  Available at major bookstores and online.

FIRE ON THE ROCK

Chef Bill Greene, of Artisanal in Boone, confers with his sous chef 

FIRE ON THE ROCK

Iron Chef, watch out.  North Carolina has the best chef competition going, held the last few springs in Blowing Rock, but coming to the rest of the state next year.

FIRE ON THE ROCK is the culmination of 16 chefs from the High Country competing during the month of March for one of 8 coveted spots in the final heats. The RULES?  They could bring $100 worth of food in their bag of tricks.  Each heat provided a secret ingredient that must be used in each of the three dishes they would prepare in 50 minutes.  Baskets full of NC veggies - peppers, apples, onions, mushrooms, sweet potatoes, red and yellow potatoes and heirloom tomatoes grown in a hot house were also available for the chefs to use.

Honey, leafy greens, corn and corn products, and striped bass were the secret ingredients from NC in the four elimination rounds held on Sat.

The audience watched, smelled and cheered, while a lucky 5 purchased a spot at the Chef's Table to dine on each of the 3 dishes both chefs created during their heat.  Judges also tasted and ranked each dish.

CAROLINA FOODIE TORTURE 

So we in the audience salivated as each dish was presented.

Yucca-encrusted striped bass, then presented in the next dish in a tortilla with avocado, mango and chipotle salsa, then a ceviche with heart of palm, caper and grapefruit were presented by the only female chef, Marietta DeBriere, chef of the Blowing Rock Country Club and a native of Puerto Rico who definitely cooks with a Latin flare.

Chef Chuck Nelson of The Table at Crestwood used duck fat to saute the striped bass.  He also wrapped a filet around julienned red and yellow peppers sprinkled with balsamic vinegar, tying the bundle with a long green chive.  another dish stacked the fish with heirloom tomato, a sweet potato slice roasted with balsamic vinegar, with fried wantons on top.  

Bill Greene of Artisanal blanched, then gave native NC ramps a cold water bath, which he sprinkled over roasted corn chowder; another used sweet corn and habanero sauce with pork. HIs challenger, James Welch of Crippens, did a rosemary cheesy polenta, also a corn succotash with pork.

The next heat had Michael Barbato of Chetola's Manor House and Guy Branaman tossing leafy collards, kale and cabbage with apples, onions, bacon, peppers and shitakes to serve with NC pork or chicken.

The surprise ingredient for the last heat was honey.  Chayote squash, julienned leeks, carrots and parsnips, diced heirlom tomatoes, as well as the honey, were used with honey pecan glazed chicken, and a steak.  Both chose to do sweets - a honey blueberry cobbler with a honey creme anglaise, and a blackberry honey gastric served over chicken.  One judge, restaurant reviewer John Batchelor, exclaimed, "You need to count how many toes are curling!"

Each heat had a declared winner.  But competitors for the final heat, held on Sunday, were determined by the total number of points given each chef by the judges.  

THE THROW DOWN

Celebrity chef Carla Hall Lyons of Alchemy Caterers in Washington, DC, the People's Choice winner and self-proclaimed "'Al Gore' Iron Chef," joined the Judges Table for the final THROW DOWN between Bill Greene of Artisanal, and Dominic  Geraghty of The Hounds' Ear Club. 

The secret ingredient?  Carolina Blue Crab.  The first of the season, alive and fiesty.

Tossed into boiling water, it was a scramble to clean enough crabs and then cook, within 50 minutes.  

Chicken thighs were wrapped around crabmeat by Dominic.  He prepared a crab bisque with a basil chiffonade.  "Fireworks" coleslaw with a little "zip and a zap" formed a bed for more crabmeat.

Meanwhile, Bill Green served thinly sliced Kobe beef with crab and a homemade hollandaise sauce with asparagus.  A Kobe Oscar?  Then a Napoleon stack of veggies and crab,  and finally, a gazpacho  with mache and crab.

THE WINNERS!!!

Unbelievably, it was a tie.  Both chefs received 255 points.  The other chefs were only separated by 7 points.

Close?  You bet. 

What was amazing to this Carolina Foodie was watching the chefs think on their feet, using ingredients they had on hand, to present such beautiful and amazing dishes in such a short time.

Next time, I'm buying a seat at the Chef's Table.