Summer in coastal North Carolina means great watermelons. If you want a great watermelon recipe, here it is. 

Refreshing Watermelon Punch

When I was growing up on the farm my father had three rows of watermelons that were at least a city block long. That was a lot of watermelons. In July and August we would drive the pickup truck into the field and load all the watermelons into the back. We brought them to the house and laid them under the pecan trees that are still here. Every afternoon, we would stop work and come and cut a watermelon, eat what we wanted and then take the remains to the cows and the mules. Click here to get the Watermelon Punch Recipe

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Rockfish or Catfish Stew

Here’s a rustic recipe that captures the spirit of “use what you catch”

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American southern

Author: Chloe Tuttle

Equipment

• 1 large stew pot

Ingredients

• 1 qt water
• 3 bunches green onions chopped, reserve 1 cup
• 2 sweet onions diced
• 4 small Thai hot, red peppers, or other small hot peppers crushed
• 1 lb. bacon fried and crumbled, reserved
• 1/2 lb. fat back cut into cubes and fried
• 5 baking potatoes peeled and diced
• 5 cups catfish cut into bite-size pieces, about 3 lbs.
• 10 boiled eggs peeled and diced
• salt and pepper to taste

Cornmeal Dumplings

• 1 1/2 cup white corn meal non-self-rising
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons flour All Purpose
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• dash salt
• warm water enough to make a stiff paste

Instructions

• Put water, 2 cups of the chopped, green onions, sliced onions, red peppers, bacon drippings, fatback and drippings into a large stew pot. Cook uncovered over medium heat until onions dissolve, about 30 minutes.
• Add baking potatoes to the pot. Make a layer of catfish on top of the potatoes. Add dumplings (recipe below) on top of the catfish. Do not stir. You can shake the pot.
• When pot contents are done, remove from heat. Combine eggs, reserved bacon, reserved cup of green onion tops, salt and pepper. Pour evenly over contents of pot and cover pot. Let stand 30 minutes. When serving, gently spoon out in sections because the stew will be in layers.

Cornmeal Dumplings

• Stir together corn meal, flour, sugar and salt. Slowly add enough warm water until you can form small balls about the size of a walnut. Dough will be a very stiff paste. Flatten dumplings to be the size of a fifty-cent piece.
• Place dumplings on top of potatoes and catfish. Cover and simmer but do NOT stir. Keep enough water in pot to avoid sticking and shake pot occasionally.

Notes

Note: fatback is the same as salt pork, sometimes referred to as “streak of lean, streak of fat“. This is readily available in any grocery store south of that famed Mason-Dixon Line. (South of Virginia, and more realistically, south of Richmond)  If unavailable, very thick sliced bacon with skin may be substituted.

Carolyn said that cooking is part art. The amount of water to add to the pot and the dumplings is a matter of judgment. Make sure the water does not boil out because the stew will burn.  Also, gently shake the pot from time to time to make sure it is not sticking. But do not stir!

 

Everyone in eastern North Carolina knows about fishing.  And we have all caught a cat fish. When I wanted a good recipe for Cat Fish Stew, I called up Carolyn Roberson who ran Roberson’s Marina. This is her recipe.

This Cat Fish Stew can also be made with any fish.

Gardner’s Creek is a slow moving, winding black-water creek in Eastern North Carolina that eventually makes its way to the Roanoke River by way of Devil’s Gut.

Slow moving Gardner’s Creek in eastern NC

Gardner’s Creek is a favorite of canoeists who enjoy its pristine beauty and the fisherman, who quietly sit in their boats waiting for that one bite that will yield the big one.

Several years ago I was at the creek and I felt like Tom Sawyer or even Huckleberry Finn as I watched the young boys, wearing cut-off jeans climb the tall trees, swing out over the creek and drop into the dark water, popping up a few feet away. I now have my inflatable Avon dinghy, with an engine of course, and whenever I have a minute I am on the creek.

Roanoke River Partners has built 12 camping platforms with names like Barred Owl Roost, Beaver Lodge and Cypress Cathedral along the Roanoke and Cashie Rivers. It is a great way to really know what happens in this part of the Great Dismal Swamp.

Roberson’s Marina is not open these days

Carolyn Roberson ran Roberson’s Marina on Gardner’s Creek, and to me she was the Keeper of the Creek. Carolyn knew and loved these waters, she and her husband Ed ran this same marina before he died. She  lost a leg, but that did not hamper her spirit. If you want to make a reservations, call Roanoke River Partners.

When I was looking for a catfish recipe, I certainly knew who to ask – it was Carolyn.

On July 18, 2007, the Washington Post ran a story about these wonderful camping platforms: “Swamp Things in North Carolina, Paddle down a Creek”, by Diane Daniel.  And if you don’t really want to sleep in the swamp on a platform, Ms. Daniel suggests staying at Big Mill Bed and Breakfast.

Carolyn Roberson of Roberson’s Marina on Gardner’s Creek knew all about this creek. Luckily for us, she cared about this fragile ecosystem. When I asked about her catfish stew she told me that you can make it with most any fish you have, even shrimp or crab meat. You eat what you catch. And folks are still catching fish with cane poles on Gardner’s Creek. Come join us at Big mill B&B; we have the poles.

Recipe from innkeeper at Big Mill Bed & Breakfast Extended Stay 252-792-8787

We no longer have overnight stays unless we have an Orphan Night. Check for vacancies.

When I lived on a sail boat, this was one of my favorite things to make. The couscous cooked by just pouring boiling water over it so it didn’t heat up the cabin. And we could add to this salad any crispy veggies that we happened to have.

It is one of those good-for–you salads and I am always surprised at how many folks have never heard of couscous. It is a great salad for picnics, dinner parties and pot luck dinners. And my men friends actually like it, even though they pretend to have never heard of it.

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This tasty Couscous Salad is a perfect picnic food

Prep Time25 minutes mins

Course: Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Keyword: couscous salad, picnic, side dish, vegan, vegetarian

Servings: 8 servings

Author: Chloe Tuttle

Ingredients

• 10 ounces plain couscous 1 box
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 spring onions and tops, chopped
• 6 radishes finely diced
• 1 small cucumber or English cucumber diced
• 1 medium red or orange sweet bell pepper diced
• 1 can chick peas 15-ounce can, drained
• 1 cup garden peas frozen
• 1 2.5 oz. can black olives drained and sliced
• 2 Tablespoons fresh parsley minced
• 2-3 leaves fresh mint minced
• 4-5 lemon juice
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 8-10 grape tomatoes halved
• 1/2 cup snow peas cut into pieces - OPTIONAL

Instructions

• Cook couscous according to package directions, adding the sea salt to the water. (If you do not have directions, do the following: Put 2 cups of water and the salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add 1 ½ cups couscous and cover. Let stand for 5 minutes and then fluff with a fork.)
• Stir in the diced onions, radishes, cucumber and pepper. Add the chick peas, garden peas and olives. Stir in the minced parsley and mint.
• Add the lemon juice and olive oil, both to taste. If needed, add more of both
• Serve chilled over a bed of leaf lettuce. Just before serving, add the halved grape tomatoes. If you plan to keep some of the salad, do not add the tomatoes to the entire salad, just to the portions that you plan to serve.
• This salad will keep for several days in the refrigerator.

You’ll find more Big Mill Bed & Breakfast recipes here and here on Chloe’s Blog.  Enjoy! Please visit us at Big Mill Bed & Breakfast in Williamston, N.C – we are still here. We now rent long term to folks who do contract work in the area.

Big Mill Bed & Breakfast    252-792-8787

Growing up on a farm in eastern North Carolina, we always had fresh, free range chicken eggs. We also had duck and guinea eggs. But we never had quiche – we just didn’t know it existed!

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Bacon Custard Quiche

Quiche is a quintessential dish, whether it's breakfast or dinner. Bacon is the perfect filling.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Keyword: bacon custard quiche, bacon custard quiche recipe

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 476kcal

Author: Chloe Tuttle

Ingredients

• 20 ounces 3-4 cups frozen shredded, potatoes , like Ore Ida Country Inn Peppers and Onions Hash Browns If you cannot find these, use plain shredded hash browns and add 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/3 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
• 4 Tablespoons butter reserve one tablespoon
• 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt divided
• 10 ounces bacon
• 1 medium sweet onion like Vidalia, diced
• 6 medium free range chicken eggs (they really are tastier)
• 1 1/2 cups Half-and-Half
• ½ teaspoon fresh ground mixed or black peppercorns
• ¼ to ½ teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
• 1 Tablespoon fresh chopped chives (if using dried chives, use less)
• 1 ½ cups grated Jarlsberg cheese or good quality Swiss

Instructions

• Thaw potatoes and drain, pressing out any excess water. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Grease or spray one 9-inch deep-dish glass quiche dish, preferably straight-sided.
• Melt butter and stir melted butter, grated Parmesan, and ½ teaspoon of the salt into the hash browns. Press the potatoes into the pans, forming a crust, making sure to press out the sides.
• Bake potato crust for 30 minutes or until it is brown.
• Remove from the oven and cool. Lower oven temperature to 350 degrees.
• Meanwhile brown the bacon in a large skillet. Remove the bacon and drain, leaving some of the drippings in the skillet. When bacon is cool, crumble it and set aside. Cook the onion in the bacon drippings until onion is transparent, but not brown. Remove from the pan and drain well, pressing out most of the liquid.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 6 eggs, 1 1/2 cup half-and-half, 1 teaspoon pepper, ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg, 1 Tablespoon chives and the remaining ½ teaspoon sea salt.
• Spread the Jarlsberg cheese over the cooled potato crust. Lay bacon and onion over the cheese, placing some on the sides of the dish. Pour the egg mixture into the dish. Fill as full as you can without overflowing.
• Place in a center rack of the oven and cook for 40-45 minutes until the custard is set or when a straw or knife inserted into the center of the quiche comes out clean.

Notes

Big Mill Bed and Breakfast near Greenville NCRecipe from Innkeeper at Big Mill Bed & Breakfast 252-792-8787

Nutrition

Calories: 476kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Cholesterol: 212mg | Sodium: 865mg | Potassium: 436mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 765IU | Vitamin C: 8.4mg | Calcium: 286mg | Iron: 1.7mg