Now that spring is here, Food Pilgrim has thrown it into high gear. This post is a compendium of dishes we have shared with friends over the last several weeks and over a number of highway miles. This story is one to hang onto if you are traveling anywhere near Knoxville or Oak Ridge, Tennessee; Auburn, Alabama; Kill Devil Hills or Highlands, North Carolina; 

Let’s start with the Volunteer State. At the Tennessee Mountain Writers’ Conference in April, a group of workshop leaders almost got into trouble because we went out to lunch and made the poet Richard Hague late for his writing workshop. He was offering a session on writing poems about food, so we were just doing a little advance research. Richard presented a great workshop. Just as great were the pizzas we sampled for lunch at legendary Big Ed’s Pizza—a cavernous restaurant filled with historic photos, neon beer ads, and a frenetic team of teenagers throwing dough into the air, sliding hot pizzas out of gigantic gas powered ovens, and setting sliced pies onto red checkered tablecloths as far as the eye could see. 

Big Ed’s Veggie Pie

This is a place without pretention. Logo T-shirts are eight bucks; caps are ten. Even though Benton’s Bacon is on the toppings menu, it’s really just about freshness. I am still marveling at how flavorful the veggie pie—starring chopped green pepper. And yes, the Benton’s bacon on the meat eaters’ pie was glorious. New York style, medium thin crust: I’d go back in a skinny minute. 

Later, sitting in Richard’s workshop as he read Galway Kinnell on eating blackberries, I could still smell the Benton’s bacon on my fingertips and taste the tomato sauce tang at the back of my throat. Happy Day.

Jim Harb’s roasted oranges, carrots, and parsnips glazed with pomegranate molasses

On the way back to North Carolina from the writers’ conference, I stopped in Knoxville to visit my friend and consulting cook, Jim Harb. He prepared a feast for us in his garden that included the most amazing roasted carrots, parsnips, and oranges, glazed with pomegranate molasses and topped with fresh mint. Here is the big reveal of Jim’s secret ingredient: “I buy Cortas brand molasses. It’s a commonly or widely available brand; a product of Lebanon. Two ingredients; pomegranate concentrate and sugar; that’s all.”

Too many delectables to tell about in that one meal, but this dish knocked my socks off. I am ordering the molasses on line.

Cruze Buttermilk–the real deal

On my way out of Knoxville I also snagged some bottles of Cruze Buttermilk at Three Rivers Market, the Appalachian-owned food co-op that Jim favors.  Cruze is real churned buttermilk made right outside of town with limited distribution. It’s not the cultured buttermilk you usually find in the grocery, which has been artificially acidified–no butter involved. Cruze is thick and almost chewy. I first heard about it from Jim Harb and from Sharon Benton, bacon master Allan Benton’s wife, who said you could make biscuits without shortening if you use this buttermilk. That is true. And it makes a lovely cornbread. But I will save my words and suggest you watch this film by Joe York. Earl Cruze was made to make buttermilk and to star in this unforgettable interview.

Doing research for my next book, which I’ll talk about sometime in the future, Donna and I went to Alabama last week to see a dazzling array of rare, carnivorous pitcher plants.  After visiting the Arboretum at Auburn University, we couldn’t resist a meal at Niffer’s Place, which is advertised as having “the best cheeseburger in Alabama”—a lofty claim in a state that apparently loves its cheeseburgers. Niffer’s is a student joint, a sports bar, and the menu starts with heft–up to two pounds of meat per burger–and toppings from pineapple to pico de gallo along with a half dozen kinds of cheese to choose.  

My first clue to the overindulgence theme, however, came with the drink menu which leads with“Niffer’s fan favorite fishbowls. All contain a generous mix of vodka, gin, rum, tequila and triple sec to which we juice it up with sweet and sour, pineapple, OJ and sprite. Make it uniquely yours by adding two more flavors: Strawberry, Blue, Mango, Cherry, Raspberry, Melon, Apple, Peach, Watermelon, Banana, Blackberry, Passionfruit or Wildberry.” Yuk. A young woman was actually drinking one of these bowls for a late lunch in the booth nearest us. I ordered unsweet tea.

Donna and I cautiously settled on sharing the cheeseburger sliders—two smaller versions of the megaburgers. They were indeed fabulous: hand-made patties topped with cheddar and charcoal grilled medium well (with butter, I suspect). Butter dripping into the charcoal would account for the smoky, homecooked flavor. Okay, so can I say they deserve the title, never having eaten another cheeseburger in Alabama in my whole life? There are two other locations–in Opelika and Lake Martin–the latter spot being where a James Beard winner has a fine dining restaurant that we tried to visit, but it was closed for part of the week.

And finally, in honor of soft-shell crab season, which is now beginning to wane at the NC coast, I am proud to share below another winning video by Donna Campbell, shot near Kill Devil Hills. It’s a crab shedding its shell. That night after the filming, we ate at The Kill Devil Grill, where the crab is super fresh, sourced from the very shedder shown here. Note the clowning crab at the end, ready for his closeup. It makes me laugh every time I watch it.

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