by Kate Turgeon Watson | Oct 28, 2015 | Eat, November 2015
North Carolina has a rich history of peanut farming. Wade Ellison, admittedly, doesn’t know much of it. A Washington state native, he moved to Tarboro, N.C. 19 years ago. It wasn’t long before a farmer friend gave him some still-on-the-vine, green peanuts. Ellison had no idea what to do with them.
Today’s a different story. Ellison is boiling well enough to feed large parties.
His top tips for boiling peanuts?
1. Start with green peanuts if possible. Keep them in a cool, dark place, wash and cook within a week of picking. If green peanuts aren’t available, raw (dry) peanuts are a close second and work well if they’re soaked in water overnight to put moisture back in.
2. Once peanuts are in the pot (or turkey fryer if you’re Ellison and dealing with 25 pounds), boil for about an hour and a half in salt water, he says. (He uses rock salt.) Don’t get carried away adding salt as they cook. Instead, boil for about 1.5 hours or to desired tenderness. Then turn the heat off and let ‘em sit, soaking up the salty water. Keep sampling the peanuts until they reach desired salt level. (It could take up to 3 hours.)
Taste test
“You know, they’re not good if you don’t open ‘em up and get squirted half the time,” he laughs. “They’re kind of juicy. That’s what you want. Soaking is the key to that.”
Serve ‘em: If you don’t serve them hot, cold rinse before you store. You can refrigerate for a few days or freeze for up to six months in freezer bags. Later, heat them up in salted water and serve for the big game! For a group of 10, you’ll need about five pounds of peanuts. And still look to boil for time mentioned above; cook time is the same no matter the quantity.
by Kate Turgeon Watson | Oct 28, 2015 | Eat, November 2015
Chef Jason Smith is known for his cracklin’ pork shank, fresh salmon salad and $9 lunch meatloaf from a wood-fire grill.
But on Tuesday nights the flavor profile is cheesy. And it’s more mac-and-cheese than goat cheese guacamole. That’s because Tuesdays often mean daddy-daughter dates for Smith, 41, and his daughter Sutton, 7. Maybe they venture to one of Smith’s restaurants — 18 Seaboard, Cantina 18 and Harvest 18. Or maybe they hit some “non-18” spots such as Players’ Retreat and Sardi’s Den.
No matter where they are, it’s not unusual for fellow diners to ask him if he’s “checking out the competition.”
Absolutely not.
“I will say no. I am just having a good time … out, having fun. Are you kidding me?” he laughs.
Maybe it’s the white chef’s coat with the small, embroidered state flag or the way he constantly credits others, including his wife Lauren, staff and local purveyors, but it’s easy to believe him.
He’s also having a big year. In a few months his first restaurant, Seaboard 18, will turn 10. His second – and busiest – restaurant, Cantina 18, will reopen by December with a fresh design, newly white-washed and exposed brick walls (circa 1959), accordion windows, a horseshoe bar, pressed bamboo floors and 2,000 additional square feet.
“It’s gonna be the same old Cantina. It was working great,” Smith says. “We are just expanding and freshening … the entire concept [at Cantina 18] is driven on fresh food. We are farm to fork, chef driven and Southwest.”
Smith, who is also dad to 3-year-old son Lawson, will soon begin his role as board chair of the Downtown Raleigh Alliance. It’s a natural fit for the man whose father (an attorney) and grandfathers (a machinist and a firefighter) all worked in downtown Raleigh, too.
The eldest of four children, Smith’s Raleigh roots go even deeper. He was born at Rex Hospital, at its former location on St. Mary’s Street. And, just after high school, his first job in the restaurant business was at 42nd Street Oyster Bar. (He also worked in Durham, New York City and Charleston before opening his own restaurant.)
“I love comfort food. [With 18 Seaboard] I wanted to do sensible and Southern with contemporary nuances,” he said. “I didn’t want the restaurant to be an intellectual test. I wanted it to be a place people could make memories or entertain clients … [a place that’s] approachable and fun.”
by Kate Turgeon Watson | Sep 29, 2015 | Eat, October 2015
Barbecue fans
Check out these early October eats during the World of Bluegrass Street Festival:
Friday, October 2, 5-9 p.m.
N.C. Barbecue Experience Dinner with Matthew Register of Southern Smoke at Cabarrus Crossroads
Saturday, October 3, 11 a.m-until
Championship barbecue sandwiches for sale, benefiting Inter-Faith Food Shuttle at Cabarrus Crossroads
Saturday, October 3, 5-9 p.m.
N.C. Barbecue Experience Dinner with Linwood Parker of White Swan at Cabarrus Crossroads
by Kate Turgeon Watson | Sep 24, 2015 | Eat, October 2015
You’ve got one hour. Why waste time staring down the office microwave as a frozen meal goes round and round? Circle food trucks instead! Raleigh Magazine rounded up a few of the most popular Raleigh food trucks. Don’t see your favorite truck? Email us at [email protected]. (For an October listing with dinner times, visit raleighmag.com.)
Cousins Maine Lobster
@CMLobsterRAL
Sat. 10/3, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Greenway Club at Falls River
Wed. 10/7, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
3201 Beechleaf Ct. Highwoods,
Tower Two
Fri. 10/30, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Blue Ridge Road, The Atrium
Valentino’s
(meatballs & NY eats)
@ValentinoTruck
Fri. 10/2, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Common Oaks Lunch, 11410 Common Oaks Dr.
Wed. 10/7, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Six Forks Lunch, 4700 Homewood Ct.
Th. 10/22, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
N.C. Education Lottery,
2100 Yonkers Rd.
Soomsoom Pita Pockets
@SoomsoomPita
Fri. 10/30, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Trinity Place, 1201 Edwards Mill Rd.
Philly’s Cheesesteaks
Mon. 10/5, 10/12, 10/19, 10/26,
11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Qualcomm, 8041 Arco Corporation Dr.
PhoNomenal Dumpling Truck
@PhoNomDumplings
Th. 10/29, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Trinity Place, 1201 Edwards Mill Rd.
Even more food trucks! It’s the Food Truck Rodeo!
It’s a foodie’s dream: 50 food trucks covering 11 city blocks.
Bring friends and an appetite.
Downtown Raleigh Food Truck Rodeo
Fayetteville Street
Sun. 10/11, 1 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Dates and times subject to change.
And, in food truck news . . .
Last month, after being presented with a petition signed by 1,600 Raleigh residents, the City Council voted unanimously to allow food trucks to operate in some mixed-use neighborhoods, including:
• Brier Creek
• Five Points
• Mordecai
by Kate Turgeon Watson | Sep 24, 2015 | Do, October 2015
This summer, Kathryn Lindquist, 23, logged 850 miles to raise money for the museum at Camp Taccoa at Currahee, Georgia, where U.S. paratroopers trained for WWII. From June 6th to August 8th, she retraced the route soldiers took from Normandy, France to the Eagle’s Nest in Berchtesgaden, Germany. Lindquist, who works at Raleigh’s Fleet Feet, talked with Raleigh Magazine about going the distance.
The Eagle’s Nest
RM: How did you train?
Most of my training occurred on soft ground to minimize impact. Three times a week, to increase mileage and get myself used to running on tired legs, I’d run in the morning and at night on the treadmill at an 8 percent incline. Each week I’d increase my training volume by 10 percent, until by the last week of May, I peaked at 85 miles per week.
RM: You traveled with two scientists. What were they tracking? What did they notice?
My calorie intake, weight and the way I performed in correlation with what I ate. We noticed a positive reaction to eggs. When we had eggs for dinner, I performed better and was more focused the next day. They noticed that I’d been consuming only about 60 percent of my recommended protein, which slowed recovery.
The finish.
RM: You mentioned an injury. What happened?
On day six I was running the cliffs of Normandy. The coastline is rocky, and the beaches back up to massive vertical cliffs. The ground is sandy and gave away under my left foot. I turned it and strained my Achilles Tendon at its attachment point close to my heel. Rest wasn’t an option. We applied Kinesiology tape and magnesium oil. For two weeks, I couldn’t run more than 4 miles without suffering. I wasn’t sure if that accident had ended my journey. Then, almost overnight, the pain went away.
RM: Did you wear the same type of running shoe the whole time?
No. I rotated between pairs. Each had a different purpose … two pairs of Maximalist, high cushioned Hokas; the Bondi 3 and Stinson Lite, for long days on the road; the Salomon S-Lab Sense 3 to get me through the trails along the coastline of France, the Ardennes Forest in Belgium and the Alps of Germany and the Brooks Launch 2, which was my workhorse.
RM: What did this do to your body?
The worst thing? I broke down the fat pads on the bottom of my feet. I must stay in cushioned shoes at all times. But I’m strong and my muscle balance is phenomenal. I did some VO2 Max testing which helps determine the amount of oxygen your body is capable of using in one minute. I’m in the 80th percentile, just a step below elite endurance athletes.
Lindquist’s stats
Average miles per day: 14.17
Uphill Route Percentage: 45.2 percent
Flat Route Percentage: 9.2 percent
Downhill Route Percentage: 45.5 percent
Steepest Uphill: +34.6 percent
Total ascent: 48,195 feet
Number of days: 60
