Good food, good friends: what makes us 'goodliest'

A friend of my mother’s, Annie Cutler, teaches Advanced English and journalism at Northside High School and has been “teacher of the year.” She is very active in her church.

I have found Annie to be a lovely introverted lady and I have never seen her when she didn't look her best. My mother is correct; Annie does indeed look like a Coco Chanel model. Yet it's not her good looks or beautiful clothes that got my attention. It was her innocent heart. She is a kind and very considerate lady.

In talking with her I learned that she is also a good cook. During a sickness, she fixed a wonderful soup for me to eat. I thought it was superb.

Later she told me that she had won a national cooking award for that very soup. I immediately asked for her recipe and now I'm going to share it with you. This soup will quickly become a household favorite.

Annie said, “Believe it or not, this recipe won the Armour Star Cook-off in Little Rock, Ark. I was competing with several (20 or so) professional chefs and restaurant owners. Needless to say, I was totally bumfuzzled by the results. I guess it was a “comfort food” year.”

Triple A Potato Soup

Warning: This is not a low-fat recipe!

4 cups diced potatoes

1 cup chopped onion

1 1/2 cups chopped carrots

1 1/2 cups chopped celery

1 stick butter (or margarine, but, as Annie says, “let's face it; butter's better.”)

6 chicken bouillon cubes

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups more or less ham (or chicken or crab)

1 1/2 cups milk

1 cup diced Velveeta cheese

2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese

1/4 cup flour

1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard

Salt and pepper to taste

Smashed bacon

Pinch of parsley

Cover this with 4 cups of water. Cook until tender. Add milk, Velveeta cheese, grated sharp cheddar cheese and flour mixed with enough broth to make a paste.

At this point, you must stir constantly using low heat.

Add dry mustard and salt and pepper to taste (you might not need much salt if you use ham). Bring to a slow boil, and serve. Garnish with smashed bacon and parsley.

Annie's husband is a "man for all seasons"; a true “Renaissance” man in every respect. His name is Doug Cutler. Doug can do many things exceptionally well. He is a true extrovert in the full meaning of the word. Cooking is something that Doug does very well.

He could easily be a great chef. Believe me when I say that Paula Dean doesn't have a thing on Doug. Doug is so talented that it's hard to pick any one subject or share just one recipe from his collection. Today, I want to share his recipe for oyster stew.

Simply Delicious Oyster Stew

1 gallon fresh shucked oysters and liquid

2 quarts heavy whipping cream (no substitute)

1 1/2 sticks butter

Juice of two good size lemons

1 large onion, finely chopped

4 ribs of celery, finely chopped

1 can cream of mushroom soup

Scant half cup of triple sifted flour

2 heaping tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Coarse ground black pepper, to taste

Lawry's Seasoned Salt, to taste

Cayenne pepper, to taste

Chopped chives, to taste (dried are fine)

Sweet sherry, to taste

Drain oysters and reserve the liquid. In a heavy pot, bring the liquid to a boil and continue cooking until reduced by half.

Add 1 quart heavy cream and simmer very slowly. Meanwhile, in another pan, sauté onion and celery in the butter until tender and translucent. Add the flour to the onion/celery mixture and stir to form a thick roux.

Slowly add the other quart of cream while stirring.

Continue stirring until smooth and thick. Add this mixture to the oyster liquid and stir until thoroughly incorporated. Add oysters, lemon juice, can of soup, Worcestershire sauce, good dollop of sherry, good pinch of cayenne pepper, seasoned salt and coarse pepper to taste.

Simmer, stirring constantly, until oysters curl (about ten minutes). Garnish with chopped chives if desired.

This stew may be made one or two days in advance as flavor improves with age. Doug recommends that if you want a nice, complete meal serve a salad as an accompaniment to the stew. His recipe for vinaigrette follows.

Doug's Vinaigrette

2 parts good quality olive oil

1 part balsamic vinegar

Pinch of salt

Large pinch of coarse black pepper

Good squeeze of lemon juice (1/2 lemon)

1 heaping tablespoon of sugar (or more if preferred)

1 tablespoon of dried basil

1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder

Shake thoroughly and pour over salad. Toss well and enjoy! Doug and Annie Cutler are two classic examples of an Inner Banks couple. They and others like them make the Inner Banks what it is today. The Inner Banks is truly “the goodliest land.”

I have received many letters and emails from readers that have tried my roast turkey and baked ham in a blanket as well as the different pie, cake, dressing, bread and salad recipes.

I welcome your comments. If you have any recipes to share or good stories of local people that make this a special place, please send those to me as well.

Eddy Browning writes from the Edenton area. His food column is a weekly feature for the Sun Journal.