Cook of the Month

Alabamians are lucky to live in a state where the bounty of available fresh seafood is the envy of chefs and home cooks alike. “There are roughly 23 types of Alabama seafood available to consumers in our state, from oysters, shrimp and crab to fin fish of all shapes and sizes,” says Tommy Cauthen, marketing director for Alabama Gulf Seafood. Although the group hasn’t done any scientific polling, his opinion that shrimp would likely be the favorite of that group. “Nearly every restaurant has a shrimp po’boy,” says Cauthen. “I always try to make sure they are Gulf shrimp.” Alabama seafood is revered by commercial and home chefs simply because it’s harvested from waters off our state’s coast, “which means it’s a fresher product than other seafood options that might be available,” he says. “Fresher naturally tastes better! It is harvested in a sustainable manner and inspected for safety. The variety is such that everyone can find a favorite.” Many types of seafood are great candidates for cooking on the grill, according to the Alabama Cooperative Extension System. Among them are amberjack, bluefish, catfish, cobia, dolphin (mahi mahi), drum, grouper, king mackerel, rainbow trout, shark, snapper, Spanish mackerel, striped bass, swordfish, triggerfish and tuna. Clams, mussels, oysters and scallops can also be grilled, as can softshell crabs, lobster tails and shrimp. When cooking seafood at home, the Extension System recommends purchasing fish the day it’s going to be used. When that’s not possible, take care to appropriately refrigerate or freeze seafood until it’s ready to be cooked. Another key point to remember is not to overcook seafood, because when cooked properly, fish should be moist and flavorful. In addition to the recipes on our pages, you can find more recipes at eatalabamaseafood.com and recipes, cooking and freezing tips at aces.edu.

Louisiana Crab Cakes are a wonderful addition to any seafood meal. Flaky crab coupled with fresh veggies keep true to the Southern favorite. The slightly spicy chili sauce is so good you’ll want to put it on everything on your plate!

Brooke Burks

Louisiana Crab Cakes

1 pound lump crab meat (can be imitation) 2 tablespoons butter 1/2 cup chopped onion 2 tablespoons minced garlic 1/2 cup chopped celery 1 tablespoon dried parsley 1/2 cup chopped bell pepper, any color 2 teaspoons Creole seasoning 1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning 2 teaspoons dried basil 1 teaspoon dried dill 1/2 teaspoon thyme 2 eggs, beaten 10 crushed butter crackers 4 tablespoons canola oil 3 tablespoons flour 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Sauce: 1 cup mayonnaise 1 tablespoon sweet chili sauce 1 teaspoon smoked paprika 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon chili powder

In a large skillet, cook onion, celery and bell pepper in 2 tablespoons of butter until tender at medium heat. Add minced garlic, parsley, Creole seasoning, Old Bay seasoning, basil, salt, pepper, dill and thyme. Cook just until fragrant. About 1-2 minutes. Cool and place mixture in a large bowl. Stir in beaten eggs. Gently fold in crabmeat, flour and crushed crackers. Mix just until combined. In a small bowl, combine ingredients for sauce and mix well. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Heat canola oil in the same skillet at low to medium heat. Form cakes out of the crab mixture and place in pan or mold in pan to keep them together. Cook 3-5 minutes per side until done. Remove and drain to cool. Serve with sauce and enjoy!

Shrimp and Grits

4 strips of bacon 1 medium yellow onion, chopped 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled, and deveined

Sea salt

Black pepper 1 tablespoon seafood seasoning (Old Bay) 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, divided 1 tablespoon garlic powder 1/4 cup canola oil 1 cup hot water 2 cups quick-cooking grits

Water to boil grits 1/2 cup green onion, diced

In cast iron skillet, cook bacon until crisp, set aside bacon and drippings. Add onion to pan and cook until tender. Sprinkle shrimp with salt and pepper, then sprinkle with 1/4 c flour, garlic powder and seafood seasoning, toss well and set aside. Meanwhile bring water to a boil, seasoning water with salt. Add grits stirring constantly, reduce heat. After 5 minutes cover and let simmer until thickened. Turn skillet up to medium high, add canola oil, when skillet is hot add 1/4 cup of the flour along with onions, brown. Add shrimp and crumbled bacon. Slowly whisk in water (I sometimes add a little milk). Let come to rolling boil, stir well until gravy turns thick and brown. Serve over grits, garnish with green onions. Cook’s note: I sometimes add other veggies such as bell peppers or celery.

Angela Bradley North Alabama EC

Cook of the Month: Becky Chappelle, Cullman EC

Crab Quiche

1 deep dish pie shell 1 tablespoon butter or margarine 2 tablespoons green onion, minced 1/4 cup pimento, minced 1/2 teaspoon parsley, minced 1 6-ounce can white crabmeat 1 tablespoon flour 11/2 cups shredded Swiss cheese, divided 4 large eggs Dash of hot sauce 1 cup evaporated milk, undiluted 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper

Bake crust at 400 degrees until barely tan on edges of crust, usually 10-12 minutes. Lower heat to 350 degrees. Remove crust and line with 3/4 cup shredded cheese. Over medium heat, melt butter and sauté onions for about 2 minutes until tender. In medium bowl combine flour, crabmeat, pimento, green onions, parsley, salt and pepper. Beat eggs with milk until combined, add a dash of hot sauce. Add to crabmeat mixture and pour into crust. Top with rest of cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until brown on top. Serves 6.

PHOTO BY BROOKE ECHOLS Crab Quiche

1 rotisserie chicken 1 8-ounce package frozen crawfish tails 1 8-ounce package frozen raw shrimp (no tail, no head and shelled) 1 package of at least 6 links

Conecuh sausage 1 8-ounce package frozen cut okra 1 green bell pepper 1 medium onion 3 8-ounce cans diced tomatoes 6 8-ounce cans chicken broth

Tony Chacheree Cajun Seasoning 2 whole bay leaves

Rue: 1 cup vegetable oil 1/4 cup plain flour

Skin and debone rotisserie chicken. Set white and dark meat aside in a bowl and disscard the rest. Open Frozen shrimp and cut shrimp in half and set aside in a bowl. Open frozen Crawfish tails and set aside in a bowl. Dice up Conecuh Sausage. Set aside. Dice up Bell-pepper and set aside. Dice up Onion and set aside. Bring Chicken broth to a boil and lower heat down to medium. Add chicken, sausage, crawfish tail, frozen okra, bell pepper, onion, tomatoes and bay leaves to broth and stir. Simmer and stir for 30 minutes. In the meantime make your rue. Pour vegetable oil in skillet and heat on medium until it sizzles. Add flour a tablespoon at a time and whisk it around in the hot grease. Whisk and stir until the concoction resembles a caramel color thin gravy. Remove rue from heat. Add shrimp to gumbo and simmer until shrimp is pink. Add hot rue to gumbo and stir until the gumbo thickens. Add Cajun Season to taste and stir. Serve on a big scoop of yellow or white rice.

Sharon Smith Central Alabama EC

Shrimp Deluxe

6 ounces cream cheese 1 ounce blue cheese 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 6-8 drops Tabasco 3 tablespoons (or more) milk 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 pound cleaned, cooked or steamed shrimp

Lemon wedges for garnish (optional)

Combine all ingredients except shrimp, and blend until smooth. Pour over shrimp and toss lightly to coat shrimp evenly. Divide into individual casseroles. Bake 15 minutes at 375 degrees. Garnish with lemon wedges if desired.

Allison Law Alabama Living

Hickory Smoked Seared Scallops

1 pound large scallops 1/4 cup white wine 1/2 stick butter 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped 1 teaspoon garlic, minced 1 lemon

Salt

Pepper

In a charcoal grill build a fire with hickory wood. Let it burn down to white hot ash. In a large iron skillet add white wine, butter, parsley, garlic. Place skillet directly on the white ash base. Once skillet is hot add scallops and sear 3 minutes a side. Remove scallops and plate them topping with squeezed lemon juice and salt , pepper to taste.

Kirk Vantrease Cullman EC

Eating seafood is good for you

• Wild-caught Alabama Gulf Seafood is a natural product high in omega-3 fatty acids, which help prevent heart disease. • Fish and shellfish are an excellent source of protein. A 6oz serving of seafood is more than 100 percent of the protein adults need in their daily diets. • All fish are great sources of Vitamin B, phosphorous, potassium, selenium, and other minerals. Fattier fish like tuna and seatrout contain lots of Vitamin D as well, and oysters are great sources of iron, zinc, copper, iodine, and magnesium. • It’s also low in fat and calories!

Shrimp and Clam Chowder

1 pound bacon 1 onion, chopped 4 cups potatoes, chopped 2 cups heavy cream 4 bottles Bumblebee brand clam juice 4 cans Bumblebee brand chopped clams, with juice 2 bags small frozen, uncooked shrimp 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour 2 cups milk

Salt and pepper, to taste

Cook chowder in a stock pot. Fry bacon, crumble into pieces and set aside. Save bacon drippings. Chop onion, then saute' in drippings. Add clam juice and chopped potatoes to pot. Simmer on medium-low heat for 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Add clams with their juice and heavy cream to pot. In a separate bowl, whisk milk and flour until smooth as possible, adding to pot after. Stir slowly until it starts to thicken. Add bacon crumbles and shrimp last, (still frozen), and stir the pot until the shrimp turn pink, then serve.

Leigh Ann Purvis

Shrimp and Clam Chowder

Holiday Cookie

CONTEST

Calling all bakers! Do you have a favorite holiday cookie recipe or special cookies you take to all the holiday parties and cookie exchanges? Share your favorite holiday cookie recipes with us for a chance to win! Enter online at www.alabamaliving.com. Each entry must include your name, address and phone number as well as the name of your electric cooperative. Entries may also be mailed to Alabama Living Cookie Contest, PO Box 244014, Montgomery, AL 36124. Entry dead-

line is September 3, 2021.

PHOTO BY BROOKE ECHOLS

to the winning

Please send us your original

recipes, developed by you or family members. You may adapt a recipe from another source by changing as little as the amount of one ingredient. Cook of the Month winners will receive $50, and may win “Cook of the Month” only once per calendar year. To be eligible, submissions must include a name, phone number, mailing address and co-op name. Alabama Living reserves the right to reprint recipes in our other publications.

50$ Cook of the Month!

Themes and Deadlines:

November: Cauliflower | August 6 December : Holiday Cookie Contest | September 3 January: Homemade Breads | October 1

3 ways to submit:

Online: alabamaliving.coop Email: recipes@alabamaliving.coop Mail: Recipes, P.O. Box 244014 Montgomery, AL 36124

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Meat the enemy

Last month I wrote about the Fourth of July, the sacrifices so many people have made to gain and keep our freedom, and the importance of the holiday other than BBQs and cookouts. This month I will continue with the Fourth of July theme but from the angle of BBQs, cookouts and hamburgers.

We usually spend the Fourth of July with our girls and grandkids, but this year we weren’t able to get together. However, we kept our tradition of hamburgers and baked beans. We have had grilled hamburgers on the Fourth for years, and we enjoyed doing it again this year.

However, our tradition may be in jeopardy. A recent University of Michigan study argues that to cut greenhouse emissions to the level required to control climate change, Americans will have to severely reduce consumption of red meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, dairy and animal-based fats.

I have written two articles in the past about the liberal attack on steaks and red meat – remember Big Mike’s Bean House and Big Mike’s Bean House, Revisited? I received replies that were to the effect of, “that couldn’t ever happen” and “they won’t take my steaks.” The articles were written in fun, but they were serious in the context that a growing portion of our society is really, really concerned about the potential catastrophes of carbon emissions and climate change resulting from meat consumption.

I challenge you to name a recent Biden administrative action that does not reference climate change. Almost every news event is linked to climate change. One report claimed the condo building collapse in Miami was caused by the rising seas due to climate change.

This week, Oregon Governor Kate Brown warned: “that events like the Pacific Northwest heatwave could be a harbinger of things to come if politicians do not urgently confront the issue of climate change.”

Progressive Democrats in Congress have threatened to withhold support of President Joe Biden’s infrastructure proposals if their demands about climate policy are not addressed.

A recent Wall Street Journal article cited claims from the United Nations Environmental Agency’s newsletter that “…every bite of burger boosts harmful greenhouse gases.” According to that same WSJ article, a U.N tweet from last summer warned, “The meat industry is responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions than the world’s biggest oil companies.”

Furthermore, the article also cites an assertion from Greenpeace’s website that eating meat “makes the planet sick. The livestock sector….generates as much greenhouse gas emissions as all cars, trucks, and automobiles combined.” (Of course, saying cars, trucks and automobiles may be redundant).

The Biden administration has acknowledged that its climate targets require “the U.S. to reduce carbon emissions from agriculture.” When asked if she favored changing dietary guidelines to reduce the consumption of red meat in light of its impact on climate change, Vice President Kamala Harris stated, “The balance that we have to strike here, frankly, is about what government can and should do around creating incentives and then banning certain behaviors.”

To be fair, Vice President Harris also told CNN, “I love cheeseburgers from time to time.” Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, despite declaring “Meatless Mondays” in the U.S. Department of Agriculture(USDA)’s cafeterias, said, “There is no effort designed to limit people’s intake of beef coming out of President Biden’s White House or USDA.”

Big things change in little ways. Water erodes rock until it is gone. C.S. Lewis wrote, “The Devil believes the safest road to hell is the gradual one – the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.”

One study is not science, but this is not the first nor only study that finds that producing and eating red meat promotes climate change. Some progressives even labeled the study fake news about evil liberals. But we have continually been told that the science is over and if the science says eating red meat causes climate change and dooms the planet, are our Fourth of July hamburgers done, too?

So long as studies keep coming, as long as politicians keep stressing creating incentives and banning behaviors, as long as teen environmental activists like Sweden’s Greta Thunberg demand that immediate and radical political change be taken to save the future for children… as water erodes rock, how far behind can real political action be?

Old Scranton Joe looks like he enjoys a good hamburger on the Fourth of July. A spokesperson even posted a picture of him grilling steaks on a campaign stop. But President Joe may listen to those around him too much. He may have been pumping gas when he said no more fracking on federal lands.

Be careful of little changes. Be careful of the gentle slope, the soft underfoot of a gradual road to hell. Hold the Fourth of July dear.

I hope you have a good month.

Gary Smith is President and CEO of PowerSouth Energy Cooperative.

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