Environmentally Correct Shrimp

There's more scrutiny over a simple plate of shrimp than ever.There are questions about its' origins , and its' impact on the environment. what about overfarming and its' impact on other species? Most importantly what the right kind to eat and will it increase or decrease our carbon footprint on the planet.

Melissa Clark discussed these points in her article along with recipes in today's New York Times Food section.The author of the issues weekly A Good Appetite has unearthed some eye opening facts on American's favorite seafood. we eat more of it now than ever, with forty-nine per cent of families eating it in 2018. It used to be a luxury food, only being seen at weddings, usually next to caviar. Now it's affordable with some shrimp going for $5.97 a pound.The problem is that the popularity comes with a cost.Farmed shrimp, what most of us eat , originates from mostly from Southeast Asia, namely Vietnam. Workers are basically slave laborers harvesting disease ridden crustaceans from antibiotic swamps (!) amongst dead mangroves in some cases. Some of the shrimp also come from India and South America. There are facilities that do have transparency , don't misuse antibiotics and overcrowd their ponds. American shrimp farms are rare , with only one percent of all shrimp coming from the US. A new company Tru shrimp, out of Balaton Minnesota is working to improve water recirculating systems. That means no antibiotics in the water and more shrimp being raised here, not abroad. This will lessen our carbon footprint.

Then there is wild shrimp. It is fresh caught , a delicacy only available to those living along the coast. Ms. Clark went to Galveston, Texas , home to many shrimpers. She met with fisherman, Buddy Guidan, who has been shrimping for forty years. He is successful, with a fleet of forty boats, a retail store, Katie's seafood Market and a restaurant, Katie's seafood House. They shared boiled shrimp   - an entirely different eating experience. The meat has a firm, plump texture with a saline taste similar to lobster.It was like heaven to her,especially with the shrimp being dipped in melted butter. Unfortunately this may be a thing of the past. The number of wild shrimp is finite and fragile. Our appetite for it will not stop , meaning it could be on the endangered species list. We've over fished areas where they were rampant, off the coasts of  California, Maine, Washington and Oregon. There are few exceptions such as wild Alaskan spot prawns which are popular right now with West Coast chefs. Right now all the wild caught ones are from the Gulf of Mexico, and off the coasts of the Carolinas and Georgia. Another problem is outfitting the shrimp nets to not include turtles. Keep in mind that wild shrimp can also be chemically treated too to preserve them. some boats have plate freezers which freeze the shrimp without any interference, yielding a much more delicious crustacean.

Knowing all this should we eat more shrimp? My advice is to cut down on it if you care about the environment and the species' future. Make it for a special meal with family and / or friends. Treat it as something rare.

Sweet Swamp Honey

Say "swamp" and either alligators or bogs come to mind. Yet honey is also a "swamp thing" and bee keepers are wading through not only marshy land but bad weather conditions to harvest it. Why do they do it?It's a lucrative market for it and aficionados crave it.

Kim Severson,a regular contributor to the New York Times Food section, traveled down to the Georgia and Florida Panhandle swamps for this fascinating article. These dark and murky places yield up a sunny golden honey that is growing in popularity. it comes from bees harvesting the tupelo gum tree that usually grows profusely along the Chipola and Apalachicola Rivers. The tree's blooms are these little  pom-poms of frail, fragile flowers. because of this, Tupelo honey is one of the most expensive honeys out there. The cheapest is eleven dollars a bottle while the most is an eye opening twenty-six. Connoisseurs compare the flavor to first cinnamon and anise with finishing notes of jasmine and something citrusy such as tangerine rind. Eating one spoonful is impossible. Tupelo lovers usually have two or three of the light buttery gold syrup. What can be made with it? Namely biscuits (and it would be interesting to mix it into butter.) You can try it as a glaze for salmon or as an ingredient for dip for shrimp.It could work as part of a salad dressing , thanks to the sweet and tangerine taste.

Tupelo honey has always been considered the champagne of the honey. There are several reasons for this. One  is there's  only a small window of harvesting, namely three weeks. It just ended. It had been a bad one thanks to the trees being damaged back in October by Hurricane Michael, the first hurricane five to hit the US. wooden bee boxes were smashed to smithereens or blown away. Trees were bent , leaves were blown away. Blooms started five months early if they started at all. The land
where they grow is going to get scarce thanks to developers looking into housing. Then there is the battle between Florida and Georgia over water use. When all these factors kick in, the champagne of honeys will likely be the price of Dom Perignon. The Savannah Bee Company sells the stuff for 100 dollars a bottle, namely at Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus.Some of the companies, like Lanier run by the third generation cultivate the honey and sell it direct. Others sell it to Brandon Tai who pitches in to help make it. He also produces sourwood honey which has a flavor that hints of gingerbread and caramel. Some of the bees move around, thanks to beekeeper, Frederick Merriam Jr, move them to Maine to pollinate his blueberry crop after the Tupelo harvest season.Still, it will never be as reasonably priced as California based honeys.

Tupelo honey is a gourmet's treat. The harvest has been through a lot but if there are tupelo trees there will always be the treat.The expensive price tag is worth it,

Fun Summer Drinking

Warm weather means thirst. Nothing quenches it more  than a cooling cocktail, mocktail or glass of wine,.A chilled glass could accompany a barbecue or  just a sultry night spent with friends.Luckily there are a variety of libations that will work perfectly to satisfy.

Alison Roman wrote about this the other day in Wednesday's New York Times Food section. She gives some interesting flavor combos for summer mocktails. One of the most important factors to consider is not making the drink too sweet.It should mimic a cocktail with ingredients that nuance the harder stuff and mimic the heat. John deBary, the bar director at the famed Momufuko, believes this is what makes faux drinks just as zingy as the real things. He also adds vinegar (!) to the mixtures because it adds salinity and acidity - the same aspects that make up regular alcohol.Ms. Roman gives a recipe, hibiscus fizz, that combines unfiltered apple cider vinegar with hibiscus tea , agave nectar or honey and soda water. Another mocktail salted lemon ginger spritzer has ginger kombuicha  A more refreshing one combines cucumbers and tonic water to taste. To give it  a more realistic flavor, a few drops of  Peychaud bitters, a gentian based tonic is stirred in. . Other ideas include a Virgin Mary, a Bloody Mary without the vodka and a fizzy lemonade made with fresh squeezed lemons and San Pelligrino. water mixed with a simple sugar.

For those of you who want a kick then think rose.Eric Asimov mentioned this in his Pour Column.It is officially the wine of summer despite it being an anemic version of more robust reds and whites.
It is made en masse, and many roses do not have memorable flavors or notes. Yet there are some good ones out there. costing anywhere from fifteen to twenty dollars. One of the best is Idlewild Mendocino, County, The Flower, Flora and Fauna, made of dolcetto, nebbolo and barbera, It's the perfect barbecue pour because it's more savory than sweet, despite the fruity, sweet citrussy smell. For a true fruity wine, go for Jean-Paul Brun Beaujolais Rose le Rose d'Folie. ,The core ingredient is gamay grapes, the deep purple ones used for red wines. Another summery fruity rose is from the Wolffer Estate on Long Island's South Fork. Their's is peachy  and well balanced with a note of anise. Soak sliced fresh peaches in it for a truly decadent warm night dessert or snack. Want exotic? Then go for  the Georgian, from the country of Georgia, Pheasant's Tears which \is fermented in ancient amphora like vessels line with beeswax and buried underground. The aroma is one of flowers and herbs and is low in alcohol.

Summer drinking should be like the season itself. Light and airy, I  should also combat the heat with refreshing flavors and a smooth chilled texture.

The Future Of Our Imports

What will the  new administration be like for food importers and overseas growers? It's going to be a tough time however long it lasts. What should we do? That's a good question and there's not a solid answer.

This blog has stayed away from all things political - that's not my direction with it. I write about trends and recipes, nutrition and new products However with the new American administration, Americans are going to be hurt by certain bans, Our fruits and vegetables that come in from Mexico will now be higher in price thanks to our president wanting to build a wall on our border  with the Mexicans paying for it. How does that affect us?  Mexican farmers will charge more for the vegetables they grow. That means tomatoes and avocados will cost more and to many families that means going without. Some fruits such as strawberries will also be in the crossfires along with bananas and raspberries. The Chihuahua region gives the US most of it' pecans, contrary to the popular belief that they come from Georgia. Pecans are usually used in pies around the holidays so many  home chefs and bakers won't be that affected by them. Restaurants, however, do use them, namely in salads and some chicken dishes. This will increase in pricing. with the larger chains and smaller, privately owned ones.

Beer drinkers will also be affected. Corona and Dos Equis both come from there as does tequila. These along with drinks made with them, across the US will also go up in price thanks to the building of this "wall". Agave syrup, now popular with hipsters and health, will also be affected. Organic agave is expensive enough with prices ranging from eleven  dollars to fifteen may go up  in pricing starting at sixteen at the cheapest and twenty at the most expensive. If all this occurs what can we do? Luckily the US has some great summer harvests with fruits and vegetables coming in from all areas of the US. The winter will be a little more trickier. We'll have to rely on Hawaii, California, and Florida for produce. Americans will probably be returning to  using Georgia raised pecans. Since New Mexico and Arizona have the same kind of desert conditions as most of Mexico, they can be the producers of both agave syrup and even tequila.  We can also protest the wall and stop all this nonsense too.

Hopefully, this new president  will renege on his pledge to "build that wall". It will not only create animosity with the Mexicans but also hurt our trade and eating habits. He should come to his senses and realize a wall is not the answer.

Pecan The Perfect Holiday Nut

Pecans are tasty.Their rich buttery flavor makes them  the perfect add in for both savory and sweet recipes.Use them in everything from snacks to hors d' oeuvres , from stuffings to pies. They are versatile  - the perfect ingredient for upcoming holidays.

Pecans have been around since pre-Columbian days, the name coming from the Algonquin language. The indigenous Americans foraged them and the nuts were an excellent source of energy. They could sustain tribes five times more than wild fowl and there was no preparation.The Spanish were the first Europeans to try them and brought the nuts and seeds back to Europe.In America, Georgia and Texas have the best , with the two states being rivals in producing the best tasting ones. Pecans are an excellent source of both manganese and folic acid as well as magnesium and phosphorous. Be careful though with them, Ten pieces are around one hundred calories and are very high in fat.Pecans can last two to four weeks in a pantry and nine months in the fridge. They're excellent for freezing , lasting up to two years in the freezer. Should you get the shelled or unshelled ones? That's up to you. Of course just shelled ones taste better but there's some work in cracking open the shells and then discarding them. If you opt for this kind, just be careful. The last thing you need is friends and family cracking a tooth or cutting their gums on an errant shell fragment . The nuts should be carefully sifted through before using them in any recipe.

Pecans are a great way to open any holiday dinner or party. Salted ones are super easy to make.It's tossing the nuts with melted butter and sea salt and then baking them on a cookie sheet for 15 minutes in a 325 F. oven. Add cayenne for color and heat or even turmeric for savory spiciness.  Chopped pecans can be added to cream cheese for a nutty spread on crackers or slices of toasted baguette.Combine roasted ones with blue cheese to create a topping that will go well with grapes.Pecans are a buttery and crunchy addition to traditional stuffing recipes. Try them and cranberries in filling for a savory and sweet mix or with apples for a crunchy textured one.They're also great rounding out side dishes. Pair them with roasted beets for a sweet textured salad, perfect not just with turkey but also ith  roast beef and chicken. Butternut squash benefits from them and onions, in a yummy saute.Of course, the best way to have pecans for dessert is in a tasty ooey gooey pie. Nothing beats a slice of pecan pie with a big puff of whipped cream. They can also star in cookies too. A holiday treat is a butter pecan cookie or a chocolate chip one studded with pecan bits. Pecan bars are another holiday sweet along with pecan clusters. This last is super easy to make. Just melt chocolate  in the microwave, then mix in pecan bits and chill on a greased cookie sheet.

Pecans are the most versatile holiday ingredient. Try them to open a party or to finish a meal. Try them in savory or sweet recipes. They are a treat both in taste and use.

Masala Explained

Masala is a staple in Indian cooking.It is a blend of various spices that vary from region to region and family to family. Getting the right flavor can be tricky.However , with practice even American home chefs can create the perfect masala. Once made it can be added to anything from barbecue  to even mashed potatoes.

Kim Severson wrote about the classic flavoring in yesterday's New York Times Food section. She had help thanks to Raghavan Iyer who has written books and conducted demonstrations on how to cook food of the Subcontinent. She caught him as he was giving advice and lessons to the cafeteria cooks at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.Mr Iyer goes to various campuses , both academic and corporate to teach cooks and workers how to cook Indian food. it is popular now thanks to a large influx of Indian workers and students.It also makes a nice change from the usual cafeteria food too.lt does have to be made according to the original recipe due to cultural awareness. Teaching how to make any ethnic meal properly is valuable and important in respecting the various cultures that make up the country.Many cafeteria workers, like home chefs, have no idea what to do with the wide array of spices that are vital in Indian cuisine. Mr. Iyers demystifies that , explaining how one kind of spice can be prepared three different ways.

Masala is an easy prep, once home chefs get the hang of making it.The trickiest part, according to Mr. Iyer is getting the yellow split peas and spices called for the recipe.It requires fresh curry leaves which can easily be bought at Indian and international markets. They are not required but do add an anise like flavor to the mix.  Home chefs can customize the recipe to their tastes. The recipe given is sambhar masala from Southern India  and is Mr Iyer's mother-in-law's recipe. It is a melange of different seeds, from the common such as cumin, poppy, coriander and mustard to the exotic fenugreek. Curry leaves are added, and again, no sweat if they can;t be found.There are also Thai or cayenne chilis added for heat and cinnamon for sweetness. They have to be cooked with sesame oil until the split peas turn brown and the mustard seeds pop. Half the mixture is then put into a spice or coffee grinder.Grind until the texture is like that of finely ground pepper. It can be stored for up to two months,It is versatile. It can be made into a quick curry if it's added to shrimp and coconut milk or make grilled veggies more exotic. Mr. Iyers likes to add it and clarified butter or ghee to mashed potatoes.Home chefs can try it with anythig , from kebobs, to roasts for a true Indian flavor.

Home chefs will love cooking with masala once they deconstruct it. It's a spice mix that's rapidly gaining fans and favor  thanks to its' versatility.Make it and liven up any dish with its' smokey, sweet fieriness.

Things Go Better With Coke

Cocoa Cola has been a summer standard for more than one hundred years. Who hasn't enjoyed a summer sitting by the beach or the pool with a can of it? Or made Coke ice pops or a Coke float?

This iconic drink started in 1885 , possibly as a competitor to an Italian coca wine, Vin Mariani. It was first made in Columbus, prohibition was launched through some of Georgia's counties and that's when Coke became carbonated. Its' early use was more for medicinal , claiming to cure everything from headaches impotence to addiction. It was also sold as a syrup to squelch nausea and calm upset stomachs. (in fact Coke is still used for that purpose today. I you feel a little queasy, COLA Coke over crushed ice really helps). It's iconic lettering was there from the very beginning thanks to Pemberton's bookkeeper, Frank Mason Robinson who designed it. it was a copy of the flowery cursive handwriting known as Spencerian script , popular of the times. The bottle as we know it was designed by Earl R. Dean in 1915.

Throughout the decades there have been many recipes involving Coke. There's the famous Coca Cola cake frosted with Coca Cola icing. This is a devil's food with the drink's added sweetness. Some barbecuers like to make a Coke marinade because they say it tenderizes the meat and leaves that sugary taste. You can also use it to make a teriyaki chicken or even throw a cup into a meat loaf mix to flavor it. Coke can even be used in a dressing for a sweet slaw or a different tasting salad dressing. Mostly it's use d in desserts, whether in ice creams or in pies. cakes and breads. I wonder if there's a Coca Cola cookie out there. Now that would be neat.

Coke has gone with our troops in war and celebrated our most glorious events as a country. It's our first party drink and the drink that gets us through a rough day. It really is a part of the American way of living.