North Carolina’s foothills are known for foods that tempt the taste buds.
By Janet Groene, F47166
November 2015
November 2015
Pioneers from the original American colonies found a paradise in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, a region called the Piedmont. Today the area around Morganton, North Carolina, lures motorhome travelers with scenic drives, a wine trail featuring five boutique wineries, state parks with leafy campsites, small-town festivals, and farm markets that spill over with local produce. Here are recipes to try while exploring the Catawba Valley Wine Trail (www.catawbavalleywinetrail.com).
Hard Cider Gravy
North Carolina’s Piedmont is apple country. That means cider, both fresh and fermented. Hard cider is a popular quaff in the region’s brewpubs. It’s also sold in bottles or cans in specialty shops such as Morganton’s Brown Mountain Bottleworks. You can add a piquant tang to roasted chicken, turkey, or another bird by adding hard cider to the gravy.
1/2 stick butter
1 teaspoon chicken base or bouillon
1/3 cup flour
1 cup hard cider
2 or 3 cups chicken broth
Salt, pepper to taste
Melt the butter and stir in the chicken base or bouillon and flour until the mixture is light brown. Over medium heat, slowly stir in the cider and broth until the gravy is smooth and as thick as desired. Makes about 3 cups gravy.
North Carolina Dirt
This dry crumble topping transforms dishes such as macaroni and cheese, salads, buttered noodles, omelets, poached fish, and steamed vegetables. It’s best made in a blender or food processor.
3 slices dark bread, such as pumpernickel
1 small can chopped ripe olives, well drained
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons chopped, roasted nuts such as pecans, hazelnuts, or pistachios
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
Process everything until it’s crumbly. Refrigerate for up to one week. Makes about 1 1/2 cups. Sprinkle over the dish of choice.
Brindletown Apple Butter Bisque
Now little more than a memory in Burke County, Brindletown was a boomtown during North Carolina’s brief gold rush in the 1800s. Today it’s surrounded by historic cemeteries that are sought out by travelers who are seeking family histories. Pick up a supply of homemade apple butter at the Morganton farmers market and keep it in the pantry to make this special recipe for a simple supper. Serve it in mugs alongside hot cheese sandwiches made with sharp cheddar and chewy peasant bread.
1 cinnamon spice tea bag, such as Constant Comment brand
1 cup boiling water
2 cups apple butter (16-ounce jar)
1 cup sour cream (low-fat or no-fat)
4 cinnamon sticks (optional)
Steep the tea bag in boiling water in a two-quart saucepan for 10 to 20 minutes. Discard the tea bag. Whisk in the apple butter over low heat. Whisk in the sour cream and heat the soup, but do not boil it. Serve in mugs with cinnamon stick stirrers. Makes 4 cups of soup.
Waldensian “Soup”
Seeking religious freedom, in 1893 a group of pre-Reformation Protestants from Italy called Waldenses came to the foothills of North Carolina and settled on slopes that were much like those of their homeland. Today, Valdese is a quiet village that hosts the annual Waldensian Festival and an outdoor drama, “From This Day Forward,” which tells the story of the Christian sect’s new beginnings in America.
Because the movement was founded on faith and poverty, this simple dish was standard fare. It’s surprisingly good and a snap to make, but it’s not really a soup.
1 pound of bread sticks or coarse peasant bread
1/2 stick butter
1/2 cup grated Parmesan or other hard, dry cheese
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 32-ounce carton chicken broth
Cut the bread into bite-size bits. Melt the butter and brown the bread in it. Stir in the cheese and spices. Cover the mixture with broth and cook it over low heat, stirring until the broth is absorbed. If you like, brown it under the broiler. Makes four servings.
Alternative method: Prepare the dish as above. In a buttered baking dish, layer it alternately with shredded cabbage. Add another cup of broth. Cover and bake for 45 to 60 minutes or until the cabbage is tender.
Piedmont Slaw
When barbecue is ordered in the Piedmont region, it’s almost always served with coleslaw. It’s also likely that the slaw dressing will be red, not a white mayonnaise mix. Each restaurant has its secret recipe, including a method for chopping the cabbage. Here’s my version.
1 16-ounce bag chopped cabbage for coleslaw
1 small sweet onion, finely diced
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
In a bowl, sprinkle the cabbage and onion with sugar, salt, and pepper. Cover the bowl and set it aside for an hour to allow the sugar to melt. Whisk together the Tabasco sauce, ketchup, vegetable oil, and vinegar, and toss with the cabbage. Serve at once or chill. Stir before serving. Makes six to eight servings.
North Carolina Barbecue Sauce
The locals live and breathe barbecue. At the famous J.D.’s Smokehouse in the town of Rutherford College, about 10 miles east of Morganton, smoke rises as people line up for eat-in and take-out barbecue pork, chicken, and beef ribs, as well as jalapeno grits, bodacious bowls of beans, and so much more. The barbecue recipe is a secret, and it involves not just the rub but also the types of wood used in the fire. Here’s my slow-cooker version of a Tar Heel barbecue sauce.
Dry ingredients:
1 tablespoon each dry mustard, paprika, cayenne pepper, black pepper, celery seed, and onion powder
2 teaspoons apple pie spice mix
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
Wet ingredients:
4 cups cold water
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 cup white vinegar
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
In a slow-cooker pan, combine the dry ingredients well. Whisk in the wet ingredients, starting with water. Cook on low heat for six to eight hours, stirring after the first hour. Makes about 1 1/2 quarts of sauce. Barbecue meat your own way. When finished, slather the meat with this sauce and serve more on the side for dipping.
Mountain Catfish
The Piedmont’s lakes and streams are sources for freshwater catches such as striped bass and plump catfish. Plan for about a half-pound of catfish per serving.
1/4 cup each of low-sodium soy sauce, olive oil, hot sauce, and steak sauce
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
2 to 3 pounds catfish fillets
Flour
Oil for frying
Whisk together the liquids, tomato sauce, pepper, and garlic salt to make a sauce. Set aside. Dredge the catfish in flour, shake off the excess, and brown one side in hot oil. Turn and brush with the just-prepared sauce while the other side browns. Turn and brush with more sauce until the fish is cooked through. Remove the fish from the skillet, add sauce to the skillet, and bring it to a boil. Spoon warm sauce over crisp fish and a side of creamy grits. Makes four to six servings.
North Carolina Sandhills Peach Freeze
Famous Chappell peaches are grown in North Carolina’s Sandhills region, east of Charlotte. If you can’t get fresh peaches, buy them canned and use the juice from the can instead of nectar.
Butter to grease pan
1 12-ounce store-bought angel food cake
1 12-ounce can peach or apricot nectar OR fruit juice
4 to 6 peaches, peeled and cut up OR 2 cups canned peaches, cut up
1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream
Cut the cake into bite-size pieces. Let the ice cream soften just enough to be spreadable. If you’re using the juice from canned peaches, add fruit juice to make a total of 12 ounces (1 1/2 cups) of liquid.
Put half of the cake pieces in a buttered 9-inch-by-13-inch pan. Drizzle the pieces with half of the liquid. Top the cake pieces with cut-up peaches. Spoon ice cream evenly over the peaches. Top the ice cream with the remaining cake pieces and drizzle with the remaining liquid. Cover with plastic wrap and press the surface gently to compact the layers. Freeze until it’s solid. Makes 10 to 12 servings.
Coca-Cola Cake
For many people in the southern United States, Coca-Cola and Dr Pepper are second only to sweet tea as beverage favorites for every meal, including breakfast. This cake needs no frosting, so it’s a good choice for bake-and-take.
Butter for greasing pan
1 box chocolate cake mix
3 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup cola
1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows
Set the oven to 350 degrees and butter a 9-inch-by-13-inch pan. Whisk together the cake mix, eggs, oil, and cola. Fold in the marshmallows and bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until the cake is springy to the touch. Makes 12 portions.
To make a glaze, add cola teaspoon by teaspoon to powdered sugar, stirring well between each addition. When it reaches the right consistency, drizzle or spread it over the cooled cake.
Tar Heel Pie
Many states lay claim to “mud” pies. Here’s a Carolina version easy enough to whip up in the RV.
1 unbaked pie pastry
1 cup real chocolate bits
1 stick butter
1 cup pecan halves
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup pancake syrup or light corn syrup
3 eggs
Set the oven to 350 degrees. Unroll the pastry into a pie plate and flute the edges. In a microwave oven, heat the butter and chocolate bits until they melt, stirring every 30 seconds. (Caution! Chocolate burns easily.) Set the mixture aside. Scatter the pecans in the pie shell. In a bowl, whisk the vanilla, syrup, and eggs. Whisk in the melted chocolate and butter. Pour the mixture into the pie shell and bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until set, as for custard. Allow it to cool before cutting. Makes six to eight servings.