The Sylvan Heights Waterfowl Park in Scotland Neck was our first destination when we got on the road Friday morning. You may not have known, because I sure didn’t, but Sylvan Heights is home to the world’s largest collection of waterfowl, and is one of the premiere captive-breeding organizations for many critically endangered waterfowl species. I cannot say enough good things about Sylvan Heights – it is a fantastic experience in which the whole family can partake. I’ll let some of my photos do the talking (and check out the YouTube video at the end of the post).

I’m Tippi Hedren!

Feeding Flamingos

The endangered Hawaiian Nene Goose

Me attempting to kiss a flamingo

I named this crazy guy Paco – he followed us for quite a while.

Leaving Sylvan Heights Waterfowl Park and Scotland Neck, we made the 25 minute journey south to our destination for the night, Tarboro, and the Main Street Inn. Tarboro is a quintessential Southern town – large homes with expansive porches cluster around the historic Town Commons. Tarboro’s Commons is one of only two remaining originally-chartered town commons in the United States, the other being the Boston Commons. If you are a fan of traditional Southern architecture and gardening, take a stroll through some of the neighborhoods surrounding the commons to check out the houses; virtually every single one of them is a registered historic home.

Photo courtesy The Main Street Inn

We arrived a bit early and headed out to lunch at Abrams Bar-B-Q, a short jaunt off the Town Commons. Our waitress asked if we wanted the lunch buffet, we said yes, and we never looked back. When it comes to buffets, my skills are what some would politely call “lacking”. I tend to hit the fried foods first, and hit them hard, leaving very little room in my stomach for anything else. This day I somehow mustered my self-control and managed to try a little bit of everything. After my fourth trip to the buffet line I was appropriately sated, and I even had room for an extra piece of fried chicken! Besides the chicken, the barbecue itself was delicious, as were the lima beans and hush puppies. Abrams was buzzing with families of all shapes and sizes; it seemed to be the social equivalent of the diners of my New England youth. Everyone knew someone, and everyone was there to eat.

Plate 1 of 4 at Abrams Bar-B-Q

Our accommodations for the night had been recommended to me by Inez Ribustello, one half of the husband and wife team behind On The Square (our destination for dinner later that evening). I cannot thank Inez enough for steering us to Denise and her gorgeous bed & breakfast. She was full of energy and incredibly welcoming, even though I had messed up my timetable and showed up an hour before check in! Our room on the top floor of the historic home was light and airy, with a gorgeous claw-footed soaking tub and multiple window benches drenched in sunlight. After a short nap (and a trip to the grocery store for wine and champagne), we dressed and made the short jaunt to On The Square for our dinner.

And the dinner! Oh, the dinner! From the candles to the wine to the intimate feel of the restaurant, everything was amazing. I have been wanting to visit On The Square ever since I met Inez and her husband Stephen at an event almost three years ago. Stephen’s food wowed me then, Inez was a gem, and I vowed to make it out to Tarboro to their restaurant. Cut to me sitting in a booth, sipping a glass of wine and perusing the menu as I made good that on vow. I ordered the Fried Chicken Livers to start and ended up getting the NC Softshell Crab for dinner. Leland ordered the lamb, as he is wont to do, and we both ended up sharing the carrot cake for dessert. All of it was fabulous, and as a softshell crab virgin I was so pleased that I not only enjoyed my dish but devoured every last delectable scrap of the creature! [Apologies for the graininess of the photos. I refuse to use flash in a restaurant out of respect for the establishment and the other diners.]

Fried chicken livers

Fried NC Softshell Crab

Carrot Cake

The next morning we enjoyed coffee on the porch of the Inn before sitting down to the delicious breakfast Denise had prepared for us – steak quesadillas, scrambled eggs, and the biggest piece of Key Lime Pie I had ever seen! Denise told us that her daddy always had dessert with his breakfast, a tradition she has implemented at The Main Street Inn and of which I heartily approve.

Coffee + Rocking Chair + Sunny Porch = Happy Matthew

One of the best B&B breakfasts I’ve ever had!

As we said our goodbyes and turned the car towards Durham and home, I was struck that all of this fun was only a short drive from the Triangle, and yet I rarely hear people talk about Tarboro or Eastern North Carolina as a viable dining and entertainment destination. Perhaps we get so blinded by the amazing offerings we have here at home that we are unable to see what lies just beyond the horizon. Whatever the case, I say bust out your suitcase, hop in the car, and head east! You’ll find fun, food, and plenty of Southern Hospitality to keep you occupied, I can promise you that.

GO

• Sylvan Heights Waterfowl Park, Scotland Neck. www.shwpark.com for hours and tickets.

STAY

• The Main Street Inn, Tarboro. www.mainstreetinn.biz. 252-823-3221

EAT

• Abrams Bar-B-Q. 609 West Wilson Street, Tarboro. 252-823-1778
• On The Square. 115 E. James Street, Tarboro. Lunch Mon-Fri, Dinner Thurs-Sat. Reservations recommended for dinner. 252-823-8268

It really is the season to stir-fry. As spring turns into summer the bounty at the farmers’ markets seem to grow before our eyes, and the possibilities become almost overwhelming. Sure that corn looks good, but what do you do with it? Grill the ears? Corn pudding? Corn bread? Creamy corn soup? And then there are those beans. And chard. And garlic, new potatoes, broccoli…..

This is the point where I grab your hands, pull you into a quiet corner, and in between your hyperventilating and that crazed, lustful look you’re giving those zucchini, I say simply, “turn to your wok.”

Turn to your wok. It’s that easy.

Virtually everything you find at market this time of year can be stir-fried. Its a simple, no-frills way to put a delicious, healthy meal on the table in minutes that also stays true to the seasonal integrity of the ingredients. I stir-fry greens, squash, baby potatoes in their skins, garlic scapes, and more. I never have to worry about coming up with new and innovative ways to use up my haul from the farmers’ market because I know that with my wok at hand, and a few ingredients from my pantry, I can basically make something up on the fly.

That is where this recipe for Stir-Friend Spicy Broccoli and Cauliflower came from. I went to the market with the intention of picking up some garlic and onions for a cooking demonstration I’m giving this weekend (read more about my upcoming demos on the Green Eats Events page) and ended up being seduced by some gorgeous broccoli and cauliflower from my friend Jeffry of Seeing Stars Farm. Without knowing what I would do with them (but with faith in my wok) I bought them and never looked back.

At home the next day, as I prepared for lunch, I pulled out the broccoli and cauliflower with the intention of doing some simple and quick that stayed true to the vegetables. Always a fan of a little heat, I grabbed my jar of chili-garlic sauce from the fridge along with some soy sauce, snatched up a small shallot from the basket on my counter, and….stopped. Nothing else was needed. A quick blanch of the veg and a simple chop of the shallot and  I was ready to go.

This is why I love stir-frying, and why I have become a wok evangelist. This simple, ancient piece of cookware allows you to transform beautiful, fresh ingredients into something ethereal and delicious in a matter of minutes. No turning on the oven, no complicated recipes that require hours of baking or simmering, no multiple pots and pans to wash. Just one wok and a few pantry staples and you are good to go.

So you can use this recipe, or better yet come up with your own. Go to your local farmers’ market and just see what looks good. Don’t worry about recipes, just follow your instinct. With a few minutes thought and a few more minutes work you can have an incredible meal on your plate in no time.

Just turn to your wok.

Want to learn more about stir-frying? Join Wok Wednesdays, an online cooking group I lead. We are cooking our way through Grace Young’s Stir-Frying to the Sky’s Edge, a must-have cookbook for any stir-fry enthusiast. You can also join the Wok Wednesdays Facebook Group!

Here on the blog you can expect two to three new posts a month, but for more informal (and regular) posts you should definitely check out my Facebook page. Here are some recent things you might have missed:

• A traditional Russian recipe for Tvorog (Russian cottage cheese) from the blog MangoTomato
• A piece from the Washington Post outlining 2013 kitchen design trends
• An article on Durham’s soon-to-open Rose’s Meat Market & Sweet Shop
• This photo of my tomato-biscuit sandwich made in celebration of National Biscuit Day

For more casual conversation, great information on upcoming events and interesting news articles, and lots of mouthwatering photos, make sure you “like” Green Eats Blog on Facebook!

http://www.facebook.com/GreenEatsBlog

Most every year, on Christmas Eve, you could find Nancy and William Suitt in the kitchen of their farmhouse in rural Orange County; William would be shucking oysters for oyster stew while Miss Nannie, as she was known, prepared her famous coconut cake. The other 364 days of the year would be spent running the family dairy (later to become Mapleview Dairy), but on Christmas Eve the focus was on the coconut cake. Nannie baked one for each of her three daughters every year. As those daughters grew and had families of their own, Nannie’s grandchildren would gather in the farmhouse over holidays and summer vacations to enjoy her homecooked treats; biscuits prepared on the fly in a giant wooden flour bowl, eggs scrambled right in the skillet so that there were both white and yellow bits in the fluffy finished product, and of course cakes, cookies, and pies.

Continue reading NCHRP: Coconut Cake

Stir-Fried Chili Scallops

(This is an excerpt from a post on the Wok Wednesdays blog.)

Today, May 16th, marks the one year anniversary of the start of Wok Wednesdays. From our very first recipe (Stir-Fried Garlic Spinach) we’ve learning the wonders of the wok with help from our stir-fry guru Grace Young and her fantastic cookbook, Stir-Frying to the Sky’s Edge. Here’s a snapshot of where we stand today:

• Over 150 members of Wok Wednesdays, following along and cooking with us here on the blog and in our Facebook group.
• 24 recipes from Stir-Frying to the Sky’s Edge made, including Chinese Burmese Chili Chicken, Salt and Pepper Dry-Fried Shrimp, and Stir-Fried Cucumber and Pork with Golden Garlic.
• Two “Choose your Own Wok Adventure” days that led to creations like Hot Pepper Beef with Chinese Egg Noodles, Baby Corn, Quail Eggs, and Mushrooms and Steamed & Tea-Smoked Seafood.
• 13 giveaways for prizes including brand new woks, cutting boards, Szechuan peppercorns, and a signed copy of Stir-Frying to the Sky’s Edge.
• Countless delicious memories!

Continue reading the full post on the Wok Wednesdays blog.

The 2013 James Beard Foundation Awards ceremony is upon us, and I feel that this is an appropriate time to put voice to feelings I’ve had for a few years now. The JBFA, as they’ve come to be known, are the self-proclaimed “Oscars” of the food world; a Who’s Who of dining, the Glitterati of the Galley. For a foundation whose core mission is to “celebrate, nurture, and preserve America’s culinary heritage and future” they do seem to spend an inordinate amount of time focused on food celebrity.

But here I am, already veering into criticism before I’ve even made my point. Truth be told I hold no grudge against the James Beard Foundation or their annual awards. I honestly love the fact that chefs, restaurateurs, writers, and food entrepreneurs are feted in a manner deserving of their contributions to society. My worry is that we are turning these folks into celebrities, and that by equating the JBFA with the Oscars, we play up the finished product without recognition of the work that went into its creation.

Oh boy, this post is going to get me in trouble.

Let me cut to the point. For every high-profile chef there is an army of kitchen staff behind the scenes making the machine run. Any chef worth his or her salt will readily acknowledge this; in fact those are the chefs I most admire. The ones who praise and empower their teams, and attribute their success not only to their own personal talent but to that of their staff. We have many chefs here in the Triangle who actively acknowledge, promote, and praise their teams; Amy Tornquist, Andrea Reusing, Bill Smith, Matt Kelly, and Ashley Christensen all come to mind (and that list is far from exclusive). My fear with these award ceremonies is that the general public will begin to idolize chefs, writers,and restaurateurs, without even realizing that it takes a village to raise that child. For every face you see on Iron Chef America, Chopped, or your morning news segment, there is a sous-chef, pastry chef, line cook, prep cook, garde manger, recipe tester, editor, and (most importantly) dishwasher behind the scenes making the magic happen.

Awards will be given out tomorrow, and again on May 6th. Best Chef Midwest. Best International Cookbook. Best Restaurant Design. The list goes on. Every nominee has deservedly earned his or her place on the list. But as you watch (or if you watch, or even pay the slightest bit of attention), keep in mind that for every winner there is a unseen, unknown, oft-unheralded team of men and women who work tirelessly night after night to prep, cook, serve, clean, write about, promote, design, and present the food that America loves and has come to celebrate. 

They deserve an award too.

http://wokwednesdays.wordpress.com

Wok Wednesdays Facebook Group

Chef Chad Michael McIntyre is hosting an exclusive dinner on the grounds of Raleigh City Farm to help launch the fundraising campaign. With seating limited to only 20 people, and a menu that includes smoked duck mortadella and slow-braised local chicken over herb cream polenta, this is a dinner that promises to wow. Tickets are $250, with the entire proceeds counting as a donation to the Kickstarter campaign.

Click here for more information, and check out the video below to see what Chef McIntyre is up to with The Market.

From the moment I walked into the kitchen Jennie was exactly the person I thought she would be from reading her blog – welcoming, bubbly, and engaging. I wasn’t at an event so much as a lunch with friends. She wanted to know just as much about our lives and what we did as we wanted to know about her food and her cookbook. Like any good Italian, Jennie encouraged us to dig in to the food straight away.

And what good food it was! The homemade ricotta was a dream; I had to stop myself from scooping out an entire mouthful. The fennel salad was delicious, as was the panzanella. The revelation for me were the lentil meatballs – they were SO DAMN TASTY! It was a hearty and filling meal…without a speck of meat to be found. I loved the idea of the meatless “meat”balls, and Jennie recommended making a big batch and keeping them in the freezer for a quick and easy weeknight meal when paired with her 20 Minute Marinara.

As we sipped on homemade pink lemonade and nibbled on the [addicting] chocolate cupcakes, it occured to me that just a few short years ago a lunch like this would have never happened. Were it not for the internet, and blogging, Jennie might never have even written a cookbook. She probably never would have met and become close friends with Ilina (another blogger I adore), and I wouldn’t be sitting in Ilina’s living room chatting with Jennie and a bunch of other bloggers while we enjoyed a delicious, made-from-scratch lunch. That is the beauty of the internet, and of blogging. You create new communities for yourself, and find friends in far-flung places.

I left the lunch not only with a new friend in Jennie, but a renewed sense of why I do what I do here at Green Eats. I blog because not only do I love food and the stories around it, but I love sharing those stories with others. I love the community I’ve created for myself through this blog, both here in North Carolina and in far-flung places like California, New York, and the UK.

So thank you Jennie. Thank you for lunch. Thank you for writing a cookbook that not only contains amazing recipes but also manages to encapsulate my entire philosophy of cooking. Most of all, thank you for blogging.

For me the pleasure in asparagus is derived from its fleeting presence at market and in stores. I’m not talking about the thick, woody California or Mexico asparagus that you can find year-round these days; I’m referring to the thin, wispy, so-good-you-can-eat-it-raw asparagus that you know was cut from the field that morning or the evening before. Like cherries, strawberries, or ramps, truly fresh asparagus is one of those luxuries of spring that help clear the winter doldrums from your head.

My favorite way to prepare asparagus is by roasting it. A few minutes in a screaming hot oven, doused in olive oil and salt, is all it takes to prepare what I would consider the perfect asparagus. From there you can dress it up as you wish; a squirt of lemon juice is nice, or perhaps some shaved parmesan. If you really are looking to gild the lily then you can go for the ultimate in asparagus elegance and prepare my Roast Asparagus wrapped in Prosciutto with Garlic Toast, Poached Egg, and Hollandaise. With only a few minutes and very little effort you can plate up a dish for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or even a light supper that will showcase the best of spring and leave your guests impressed.

Roasted Asparagus on Garlic Toast with Prosciutto, Poached Egg, & Hollandaise

This is a great way to showcase asparagus; atop garlicky toast and topped with rich prosciutto a silky poached egg. If you are feeling especially decadent you can drizzle the whole thing with Hollandaise sauce, or you can omit it for a lighter dish.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 bunch fresh asparagus
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp coarse sea salt
• 1/4 lb Prosciutto di Parma
• 4 eggs
• 1 loaf crusty peasant bread
• 1 clove garlic, peeled
• Hollandaise sauce (optional, recipe and ingredients follow)

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 425F. Cut 4 slices of bread from your loaf and set aside. Fill a medium saucepan with water to a depth of about 3 inches and bring to the barest of simmers. Fill a medium bowl with cold water and place off to the side, near the saucepan.
2. Prepare your asparagus – rinse in cold water and snap off any woody ends. If the asparagus is especially tough, you can peel off the outer skin using an asparagus peeler. Arrange the asparagus in a single layer on a baking sheet. Drizzle with the 2 Tbsp olive oil and 1 Tbsp salt. Toss to coat.
3. Put the asparagus into the preheated oven and roast for 15 minutes, shaking the pan once to turn the asparagus. You can also toast the bread in the oven at this time or use a toaster.
4. While the asparagus roasts, poach the eggs. You can use handy poach pods – just float the poach pods in the simmering water, gently crack an egg and pour into the pod, cover the pot and let poach for 4-6 minutes or until the whites are cooked through, then gently remove from the pods into the bowl of cold water. You can also poach the eggs in the water itself. Add a splash of vinegar to the water (to help set the whites) and slowly slip in each egg. I like to crack the eggs into a small bowl first and then gently add them to the water one at a time. Poach for about 4 minutes before carefully removing with a slotted spoon. As the eggs finish poaching place them into the bowl of cold water to stop the cooking. Turn off the heat but leave the pan of hot water on the stove.
5. Assemble your plates – place a piece of toast on each plate. Take the peeled garlic clove and rub into the surface of each piece of toast to give it a slight garlicky flavor. Divide the asparagus between the four plates and place atop each piece of toast. Gently fold a piece of prosciutto over the top of each group of asparagus. Gently slip the poached eggs back into the pot of hot water for about 30 seconds to warm through, and then place atop the prosciutto. Drizzle with hollandaise (if using) and serve immediately.

Hollandaise Sauce

I have been using Julia Child’s recipe for Hollandaise Sauce for the better part of a decade and it has yet to fail me. I’ve included it below, with slight adaptations. Feel free to adjust the lemon juice or vinegar to suit your tastes, and I also sometimes throw in some fresh herbs like thyme or chopped basil to jazz it up.