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First local cooking show coming to Morganton cable

Photo Contributed by Andy Hern

Mary Erwin, left, prepares a red wine reduction during filming of her new television program, "Culinary Delights with Mary," from her kitchen in Morganton as commentator Mary Ellen Harkins watches.

By Julie N. Chang | The News Herald

Published: January 29, 2010

MORGANTON - A new show is about to appear on City of Morganton Public Antenna System's local channel. It features a home-grown cook with a mission.

"Culinary Delights with Mary" will appear at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Saturdays beginning this weekend.
Morganton native Mary Erwin says she will bring more than just meals to the table. Mary Ellen Harkins will join her as a co-host.

Erwin said she hopes to accomplish several things with her show, among them creating and cooking nutritious meals on a budget. Emphasis will be placed on using kitchen staples and preparing meals in 30 minutes. Viewers at home can obtain recipes for upcoming episodes and cook along with Erwin.

"If you know the techniques of cooking, you can cook anything in the world," she said.

A Johnson & Wales University graduate, Erwin is trained in fine dining. She prefers Mediterranean and French cuisines, but Erwin hasn't placed limitations on her show's offerings. Upcoming episodes include crawfish etouffee and vegetarian dishes.

Erwin said some episodes will include guests on the set, which is Erwin's personal kitchen. Guests will be encouraged to bring recipes Erwin can prepare.

Erwin was a dishwasher at Ham's restaurant in Morganton where she "fell in love with the kitchen." From there she moved to doing prep work, which inspired her to seek a culinary degree.

"(Cooking) became my passion," Erwin said. "The kitchen is my playground and the utensils are my toys."

After graduation, Erwin returned home and was a cook at Churchill's Restaurant from April until earlier this month.

A few weeks ago Erwin's friend Lee Anderson suggested she host a cooking show on Morganton's local channel. CoMPAS Cable approved her show and the concept quickly moved to Erwin's front burner.
CoMPAS Cable General Manager Bill Harkins said this is the first cooking show on the local channel, which runs a variety of programming.

Harkins said most of the shows focus on non-profit organizations or events, but anyone with a television show idea can approach CoMPAS.

"We intend to fill channel 2 with as much local programming as possible," Harkins said.
CoMPAS tapes, edits and airs footage, but doesn't pay for the programming.

For her part, Erwin said she intends to put on an informative and fun show that will help people learn how to cook.

"My drive, my motivation behind all this, is to help people," Erwin said. "I'm here to cook. That's my passion. That's what I love."

Erwin said she plans to donate food prepared on the show to local shelters or charities.
For information on how to be a guest, contact Mary Erwin at leilaerwin@yahoo.com.

You can cook along with Mary Erwin on Feb. 6 as she prepares crawfish etouffee. The recipe follows:
1 stick unsalted butter
1 large Spanish onion
3 bell peppers (one red, one yellow, one green)
1 cup celery
3 cans Rotel tomatoes(original). If you prefer hot spice, use Rotel with jalapenos
2 cans cream of shrimp soup
2 lbs. fresh crawfish tails (Louisiana if possible, product of China will do)
TT (to taste) cayenne pepper
TT cajun seasoning
TT salt
TT pepper
TT garlic powder

Garnish:
green onion or parsley

Directions:
Make dark brown roux in large saute pan. Add diced onion and bell peppers. Saute vegetables until wilted, about 20 minutes on medium heat.
Add Rotel tomatoes to pepper mixture and cook an additional 5-10 minutes. Add cans of soup, stirring continually for 5 minutes. Finally, depending on weight by ounce per tail, add crawfish tails and cook 2-5 minutes. Do not overcook; it will toughen meat. Season to taste. Turn heat to low simmer until ready to plate. Apply garnish.
Serve over rice.