Connie Blalock, left, and Paula Hunt Hughes.
Photo by Shaun Chavis.

By Shaun Chavis

Good home cooks fill our tummies and make meals memorable. They serve as stewards of local cuisine and culture.

Not only are these three women excellent home cooks, but they are also people who make an impact on foodways in Birmingham and across Alabama, creating food loved by many.

• Connie Blalock compiles cookbooks for Alagasco, 10 so far, filled with recipes from Alabama chefs and amateurs. (Many recipes appear on inserts in the utility’s billing statements.) “Once, we tried to take those recipes out; we thought people didn’t use them,” she says. “The phones rang off the hook!” The Bluff Park resident uses jalapeños often in her cooking, as in Cedar-Plank Salmon with Cilantro Pesto (recipe below).

• Paula Hunt Hughes loves baking cookies for friends. But she says her God-given passion is feeding Birmingham’s homeless. On Thursdays, she cooks enough meals at her South East Lake home to feed breakfast to 75 people in Linn Park downtown. (They love her sausage-cheese muffins, a recipe found on her food blog, Let’s Eat.) Later this year, she and her friend Lisa Latham plan to open Grace’s Kitchen, a pay-as-you-can restaurant. “We want to serve people with dignity and create a sense of community,” Hughes says.

• For Helen McEwen, selling packaged grits and fresh eggs is the family business at McEwen and Sons. The company plans to sell locally raised grass-fed beef in Birmingham soon. “Alabama’s got to be able to feed itself,” said McEwen, an advocate of local food. At home in Wilsonville, her husband Frank grows the produce she uses not only for family meals but also her fabled dinner parties. Her secret? “Start impressive, end impressive!”

• • •

Cedar Plank-Grilled Salmon with Cilantro Pesto
(adapted from an Alagasco recipe)

• Preparation time: 10 minutes, plus time to prepare grill and planks
• Cooking time: 8 to 12 minutes
• Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus additional for salmon
• 1 cup packed cilantro leaves and smaller stems
• 1 clove garlic, peeled
• 1/4 cup pepitas or pumpkin seeds, lightly toasted
• Juice of 1/2 lime (or more to taste)
• Minced jalapeño (to taste; start with half a pepper)
• Salt, to taste (start with 1/2 teaspoon)
• Ground black pepper, to taste (start with 1/4 teaspoon)
• Four 4-ounce salmon filets

Also:

• Cedar planks

Preheat grill; use indirect heat, keeping temperature at 350 degrees or lower. Prepare cedar planks according to the package directions.

Blend olive oil, cilantro, garlic and pumpkin seeds in a blender until completely smooth. Stir in lime juice and minced jalapeño. Stir in salt and pepper to taste. Transfer cilantro pesto to an airtight container; store in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Brush salmon filets with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place salmon on planks, place planks on grill and close lid, turning it into a smoker. Cook until salmon reaches desired doneness. (Generally, allow 4 to 6 minutes for each 1/2 inch of thickness.) Remove salmon from the planks with a spatula.

Using tongs, plunge planks into a bucket of cold water. (They could be re-used, but check package directions.)

Serve salmon filets with cilantro pesto sauce.

• • •

Who’s your favorite home cook, and why? Tell us in the comments below.

• • •

Shaun Chavis (@shaunchavis) is the co-founder of Birmingham’s Foodie Book Club, and a food journalist whose work has appeared in “Cornbread Nation 4: The Best of Southern Food Writing,” eGullet and Friends Journal. In the fall, she will teach a course on food and literature at Samford University’s Samford After Sundown.

• • •

Hungry for more? Check out the menu of Birmingham’s Best Eats!

Back to the country,
over dusty roads they drive
to go home and mourn.

• • •

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Rickwood Field celebrates its 100th anniversary today, a significant milestone not only for our national pastime but also for America’s oldest ballpark.

Sportswriter and Birmingham native Allen Barra wrote “Rickwood Field: A Century in America’s Oldest Ballpark” [aff. link] to mark the occasion. Rickwood has seen its share of history: Among the legends who played there were Hank Aaron, Dizzy Dean, Willie Mays, Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Satchel Paige and Jackie Robinson.

The field opens at 2 p.m. today for an anniversary celebration, with tours, exhibits and a short game. The program starts at 3, with the game starting at 4:30. The event is free.

Video: Photographer Bill Chapman discusses
shooting the Rickwood Classic over the years.

Also:

• Bhamwiki: Rickwood Field
• Birmingham News feature on Rickwood Field
• New York Times feature on Rickwood Field

A lunchtime treat: Shaun Chavis of the Foodie Book Club and Jason Horn of the Messy Epicure will chat live at noon CDT about Birmingham’s Best Eats, including your thoughts on local dining, food, recipes and more.

We’ll be here for the full hour, so join us.

Full transcript, after the jump …

(more…)

By Elisa Muñoz

Panko-crusted chicken with arugula-basil pesto is my go-to recipe.

This easy meal impresses every time, with its powerful punch of flavors and textures from the breaded chicken and the spicy/sweet pesto. (The pesto can be made ahead to make things easier.) It’s also incredibly filling and satisfying.

The abundance of basil and spicy arugula makes this a great summertime dish. Add a bit of red wine, some crusty French bread, along with an interesting dining partner and good tunes for a terrific evening.

• • •

Panko-crusted chicken with arugula-basil pesto

• Preparation time: 30 minutes
• Cooking time: 20 minutes
• Servings: 2

Ingredients

For pesto:

• 1 cup fresh arugula (we used Jones Valley Urban Farm)
• 1 cup fresh basil (also Jones Valley Urban Farm)
• 1/3 cup pine nuts (toast for 2 minutes in the oven)
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

For chicken:

• 2 chicken breasts
• 1 egg
• 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
• Salt, pepper, basil, oregano to taste
• 1/4 cup oil (we used canola)

Optional:

• Pasta

For garnish:

• 1 cup arugula
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Pesto: Combine arugula, basil, pine nuts and garlic in a food processor. Pulse until chunky and combined. Slowly add olive oil while processor is running until everything is combined, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the cheese, salt, pepper and lemon juice and pulse three to four more times until it is incorporated. (Unused pesto can be kept in the freezer or the refrigerator for later use.)

Chicken: Using a meat mallet, pound the meat to about 1/4-inch thick. (Instead, we covered the chicken with wax paper and slammed a heavy skillet against them.) Whisk the egg in a bowl and set aside. Combine breadcrumbs, cheese and seasonings on a plate or shallow bowl, mixing well. Dredge chicken breasts in egg, then the breadcrumb mixture, coating thoroughly. Heat a skillet to medium and warm oil until water pops in it. Carefully lower the chicken into the skillet. Cook on each side for about 4 minutes, until fully cooked.

Suggestion: Cook two servings of pasta (we used penne). Drain. Add 2 tablespoons pesto, stirring to cover pasta. On a plate, pile half the arugula, half the pasta and a chicken breast, then top with some Parmesan; repeat for second plate.

• • •

Also:

• Birmingham Bargain Mom’s list of area farmers’ markets, plus bonus list.
• Greater Birmingham Community Food Partners’ list of area farmers’ markets.

• • •

Elisa Muñoz is an avid cyclist and a food activist. In addition to founding and helping run the Bici Bicycle Cooperative, she is the program coordinator for Greater Birmingham Community Food Partners. Her thoughts on cycling and life in Birmingham can be found on Bike Skirt (@bikeskirt), a blog she co-writes.
• • •

Hungry for more? Check out the menu of Birmingham’s Best Eats!

Coming soon: Some team
wins title. New fall color.
We all get fatter.

• • •

Read more haiku.

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As part of our special Birmingham’s Best Eats series, a couple of our bloggers will chat live with you the eating public. Join Shaun Chavis of the Foodie Book Club and Jason Horn of the Messy Epicure for a fun discussion on local food, restaurants, recipes and more.

We’ll take your questions and your suggestions for the hourlong chat. Join us at noon CDT Wednesday. (If you need an e-mail reminder, just drop your e-mail address in the form below.)

• • •

Hungry for more? Check out the menu of Birmingham’s Best Eats!

Crawfish étouffée on white cheddar-Parmesan grits
at Dyron’s Lowcountry in Mountain Brook. Photo by
Virginia Jones, Birmingham Daily Photo.

By Deborah Lockridge

During a recent morning meeting at an Atlanta hotel, I watched a colleague from the Southwest slurp up the grits from the breakfast bar with relish. Looking at the thin, pale, watery gruel, I told him to come to Birmingham to enjoy some real grits.

Here, after all, is where this Missouri-bred girl learned to love grits. It started with the decadent baked grits appetizer at Highlands Bar and Grill on Southside. I learned how to cook grits at home, and I discovered McEwen and Sons’ stone-ground grits, which I now ship to out-of-state grits lovers.

Many local restaurants serve up dinner-worthy grits dishes, but Dyron’s Lowcountry in Mountain Brook has gone far beyond, featuring five grits bar selections on its menu ($9 to $16 for lunch, $14 to $24 for dinner).

Dyron’s version of classic Southern shrimp and grits includes fresh Gulf shrimp, applewood-smoked bacon, garlic and lemon. The crab cake sits atop roasted grits with beurre blanc, while the buttermilk fried chicken rests on roasted red pepper grits. And let’s not forget the slow-braised pork cheeks on blue cheese grits.

My favorite is the Creole-style crawfish étouffée with andouille sausage, both on white cheddar-Parmesan grits.

Diners can enjoy plenty more at Dyron’s. Favorites include West Indies salad ($14), house smoked trout ($13) and Peace Maker Po’Boy with oysters ($10).

For more, see the extended post on Bhamdining.com.

• • •

Dyron’s Lowcountry

• 121 Oak St., Mountain Brook [map]
• (205) 834-8257
• Dyronslowcountry.com
• Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday and 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday

• • •

Also:

• Ham-Wrapped Fried Oysters, recipe from Dyron’s Lowcountry executive chef Phillip Baio.
• Birmingham News Q&A with owner Dyron Powell

• • •

Deborah Lockridge (@DLinBham) is a freelance writer and editor who founded Bhamdining.com (with husband Evan) to offer an independent source of information on local restaurants, back before anyone had heard of blogs or social networking.

• • •

Hungry for more? Check out the menu of Birmingham’s Best Eats!

Virtual corners
let people pitch an endless
loop of things to buy.

• • •

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Organic Harvest in Hoover has the best selection
of gluten-free groceries in the Birmingham area.
Photos by Sean Kelley.

By Sean Kelley

Finding gluten-free alternatives to breads and pastas hasn’t always been easy for Birmingham residents with celiac disease or wheat allergies. When our son was diagnosed in 2008 with a wheat allergy, we struggled to find gluten-free options, making most of his baked goods from scratch.

But going gluten-free in the Magic City is finally becoming easier.

Area supermarkets carry some gluten-free packaged and frozen foods as well as gluten-free flours and baking mixes from Bob’s Red Mill and Pamela’s Products. Often, we buy our pancake and bread mixes at Publix and rice noodles from Walmart.

For a better selection, we visit Whole Foods in Mountain Brook, which has its own selection under its Gluten-Free Bakehouse label. We also shop at two locally owned stores: Golden Temple in Five Points South and Hoover, for rice bread in the freezer and baking mixes on the shelves; and Organic Harvest in Hoover, with the most extensive line of products, including cereals, cookies and breads.

Gluten-free mixes for baked goods fill the shelves
at Organic Harvest.

Organic Harvest also offers gluten-free wraps in its cafe, one of a few restaurants with true alternatives. Several chains in town do offer gluten-free menus, such as Firebirds, Mellow Mushroom and P.F. Chang’s.

Mellow Mushroom offers a gluten-free crust on its menu.

We took our son to Mellow Mushroom’s Southside location recently for a Hawaiian pizza. The restaurant began offering a gluten-free crust this year.

“We’re all eating the same pizza,” he remarked.

For a kid who often doesn’t get to eat the same food as everyone else, having another option was quite a treat.

Have a gluten-free favorite in the Birmingham area? Share it in the comments below.

• • •

Also:

• Birmingham Celiac Disease Support Group
• Urbanspoon’s list of gluten-free restaurants in Birmingham.

• • •

Sean Kelley (@seankelley) is a Birmingham health writer and food lover as well as writer, editor and online content manager for Everwell.

• • •

Hungry for more? Check out the menu of Birmingham’s Best Eats!

The nighttime chirping
calls not for a mate, but for
climatic relief.

• • •

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By Celeste Ward

Before Giada, Ina, Paula or Emeril came along, one original stood out: Julia Child.

Her wit, her charm and that unmistakable voice: She was truly a force in the kitchen. In celebration of her 98th birthday today, we present one of Child’s most beloved recipes, Chicken Breasts with Mushrooms and Cream. Caution: You might find yourself unabashedly licking the sauce off your plate!

She taught me to never give up, no matter how difficult the recipe — or life in general — seems. While watching her TV show, “The French Chef” [aff. link], you can’t help but smile. Those early episodes aired unedited, so viewers witnessed a down-to-earth, endearing chef, mistakes and all! So many watching fell in love with her charming demeanor.

Video: Julia Child shows how to make an omelette
on an episode of “The French Chef.”

Child discovered herself and her love for cooking in Paris. The food, people, culture and joie de vivre completely enamored me on my first visit and continues to influence my cooking.

In her memoir, “My Life in France” [aff. link], she quoted one of her teachers, chef Max Bugnard. It reminds me of why I love to cook.

“You never forget a beautiful thing that you have made … Even after you eat it, it stays with you, always.”

• • •

Let’s celebrate Julia Child’s birthday with one of her
most incredible dishes, Chicken with Mushrooms and Cream.
Photo by Celeste Ward

Chicken Breasts with Mushrooms and Cream
(Supremes de Volaille aux Champignons)
(from “Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. I” [aff. link],
by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle and Simone Beck)

• Preparation time: 15 minutes
• Cooking time: 30 minutes
• Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 4 supremes (boneless, skinless chicken breasts)
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Big pinch white pepper
• 5 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon minced shallot
• 1/4 lb. diced or sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

For the sauce:

• 1/4 cup white or brown stock or canned beef bouillon
• 1/4 cup port, Madeira or dry white vermouth
• 1 cup whipping cream
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Rub chicken breasts with drops of lemon juice (save some for the sauce), and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.

Heat butter in a heavy, 10-inch oven-proof casserole, until foaming. Stir in minced shallots, and sauté a moment without browning. Stir in the mushrooms, and sauté lightly for a minute or two without browning. Sprinkle with salt.

Quickly roll chicken breasts in butter mixture, and lay a sheet of buttered wax paper over them, then cover casserole and place in hot oven. After 6 minutes, touch top of chicken. If still soft, return to oven for a moment. The meat is done when springy to the touch.

(Note: Although Child suggests to check the chicken after only 6 minutes, I cooked it for 30 to 40 minutes to ensure safety. Use a meat thermometer to check for correct temperature before serving.)

Remove the chicken to a warm platter (leave mushrooms in the pot), and cover while making the sauce (2 to 3 minutes).

Sauce: Pour the stock and wine in the casserole with the cooking butter and mushrooms. Boil down quickly over high heat until liquid is syrupy. Stir in the cream, and boil down again over high heat until cream has thickened slightly. Off heat, taste for seasoning, and add drops of lemon juice to taste. Pour the sauce over the chicken, sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately.

• • •

Also:

• Profile of Julia Child by Vanity Fair contributing editor and Birmingham native Laura Jacobs.
• Birmingham’s Plain Chicken tries Julia Child’s quiche recipe.
• Playing host to Julia Child in 1973 in Birmingham.
• Cooking Channel celebrates Child’s birthday all week, with a featured photo from Celeste Ward.

• • •

Celeste Ward is a Birmingham blogger passionate about food and photography. Her food blog Sugar and Spice by Celeste, founded in 2007, has been featured on the Cooking Channel website and AL.com.

• • •

Hungry for more? Check out the menu of Birmingham’s Best Eats!

Have folks forgotten
how to be good? Or were they
never so inclined?

• • •

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Racks and racks of ribs at the ready at Golden Rule Bar-B-Q.
Photos by Eat Birmingham.

By Eat Birmingham

It was fun to watch someone experience Golden Rule Bar-B-Q for the first time.

We went to the original Irondale location for dinner with a first-timer in tow. This restaurant is the real deal, serving barbecue from the heart.

Our guest ordered pork ribs ($9.99), and I ordered the chopped pork sandwich ($3.39 for regular size). We both ordered fries as our side dish. Our companion confessed that she had never ordered ribs in a restaurant.

“Why now?” I said.

“Are you smelling what I’m smelling?” she said. “How can I not?”

She had never been wiling to commit to that amount of messiness in one meal … but on this day, her resistance was gone.

Pork ribs.

Chopped pork sandwich, with fries.

Our food arrived quickly. The ribs were perfectly prepared by first smoking, then moved to front of house where they were roasted over a hickory pit. The sandwich began as roasted pork butt then sliced and chopped after our order was yelled to the pit crew.

Fries are whole, skin-on potatoes sliced on the spot and cooked. We like dipping them in the white sauce, and we taught our guest the art of flavor layering by dipping the ribs in it as well.

Golden Rule’s current location of some 30 years,
after several moves in its 119-year history.

• • •

Golden Rule Bar-B-Q

• 2506 Crestwood Blvd., Irondale
• (205) 956-2678
• Goldenrulebbq.com
• Hours: 10:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 10:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday-Saturday

• • •

Also:

• Southern Barbecue Trail: Oral history of Golden Rule from Michael Matsos, owner from 1969 to 2009
• Birmingham News: “Golden Rule owners sell name, most of their restaurants”

• • •

Eat Birmingham (@EatBHM) writes about eating in Birmingham and the relationships people have with food, because of food and around food on her site, Eat Birmingham.

• • •

Hungry for more? Check out the menu of Birmingham’s Best Eats!

The streets aren’t safe. The
homes, unprotected. Would a
lawman scare off crooks?

• • •

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