North Carolina cookbook offers crab recipes

smcclanahan

Last Wednesday evening, our family, along with our pastor and his wife, attended the fund-raising dinner at Broadway United Methodist Church in Scott City. While we enjoyed our delicious meal of chicken noodle soup and chili, I noticed Larry Dunger had on an apron that read "United Methodists Make Great Cooks." How right he is.

I believe that wherever a group of United Methodists gather, there will be a great variety of delicious food.

With that in mind, my niece recently moved to Greenville, N.C. She will be employed at the First United Methodist Church in nearby Washington, N.C. When she made her introductory visit to the church last week they immediately presented her with a copy of their cookbook. It was exciting to see the regional foods featured in so many of the recipes. You've probably guessed by now that I am going to share a few of those with you today. Right from the copy of "A Gracious Plenty" are a few recipes I have chosen.

Trash

2 (10-ounce) boxes oyster crackers

1 box Chex party mix

1 box Ritz cheese party mix

1 package Goldfish party mix

1 (12 1/2 ounces) dry-roasted peanuts

1 double package Hidden Valley Ranch mix

1 3/4 cups salad oil

1 tablespoon dill

1 tablespoon garlic powder

Combine dressing mix, oil, dill and garlic powder. Pour over snack mixes, crackers and nuts in a very large pot or bowl. Stir well. Let stand for 24 hours, stirring occasionally.

Chesapeake Bay Crab Soup

4 tablespoons butter, melted

1 small onion, chopped fine

3 tablespoons flour

2 cups light cream or half and half

2 cups milk

1 pound backfin crab meat

2 tablespoons sherry

Salt and pepper, to taste

Sauté onion in butter until translucent. Stir in flour. Add cream and milk. Simmer 5 minutes over medium heat. Add crab meat, sherry and seasonings. Heat through.

Shrimp and Crab Casserole

1/4 stick margarine, melted

1 cup boiled shrimp, peeled and diced

1 pound crab claw meat

1 stalk celery, chopped fine

2 slices bread, moistened and drained

1 tablespoon catsup

Paprika, to taste

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 small onion, chopped

1 cup packaged dressing (stuffing mix)

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

3 tablespoons sour cream

Additional margarine

Pour melted margarine in bottom of casserole dish. Mix all other ingredients, except dressing (stuffing mix). Pour in dish. Top with dressing and dot with additional margarine. Sprinkle paprika on top. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes. Yields 6 to 8 servings.

Crab Casserole

1 pound crab meat

2 cans cream of celery soup

3 hard-boiled eggs

4 tablespoons green pepper, diced

4 tablespoons onion, diced

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon prepared mustard

1 cup bread crumbs

4 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup grated cheese

Brown onions and pepper in 2 tablespoons butter. Remove to large bowl. Break up 1 1/2 slices bread to use on top and in mixture. Mix all ingredients, crab last, in a bowl. Pour into a buttered 3-quart baking dish. Top with half the bread crumbs and bake, uncovered, 25 minutes at 350 degrees.

Barbecue Game Fish

2 tablespoons Special Seasoning Mix, recipe follows

2 (8-ounce) fish steaks or pieces

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) melted butter

Lemon wedges, for garnish

Rub seasoning mix gently into fish. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Oil cooking surface. Grill fish for 5 to 10 minutes on each side until almost flaking or opaque. Brush on melted butter and remove from grill. Use lemon wedges as garnish.

Special Seasoning Mix, Dry Rub

2 tablespoons salt

1 1/4 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon lemon pepper

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Pinch cinnamon

Pinch Accent

Combine all ingredients. Store in cool, dry place (refrigerator works well). Use as a dry rub on all types of meat. Also good to add to sauces, gravies, vegetables, chili, stews and just about everything.

Ham and Collard Soup

1 package frozen collards

2 pounds ham steak, chopped

2 tablespoons hot sauce

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 medium onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, chopped

1 cup bow-tie pasta

7 red potatoes, diced

3 cans chicken broth

1 can black-eyed peas, drained

1 can field peas, drained

2 cans crowder peas, drained

2 cups water

2 tablespoons white vinegar

Salt and pepper, to taste

Toss together ham and hot sauce. Cook in hot olive oil in large pot until browned. Add onion and garlic. Cook until tender. Stir in collards, potatoes, chicken broth, black-eyed peas, field peas, crowder peas, water, vinegar, salt and pepper. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes. Add bow-tie pasta and simmer 15 minutes.

As you can see, regional cooking can be very interesting. In the main dish section there was recipe after recipe for crab or shrimp dishes. In this book, the cooks use crab and shrimp like we use chicken here in our area.

I hope you enjoyed our little adventure to the eastern United States. But until I am overrun with crab and shrimp, I guess I will stick to chicken and cook it in just any way imaginable.

Have a terrific week, and until next time, happy cooking.

Susan McClanahan is administrator at the Cape Girardeau Senior Center. Send recipes to her at smcclanahan@semissourian.com or by mail at P.O. Box 699, Cape Girardeau, Mo. 63701. Recipes published have not been kitchen-tested by the Southeast Missourian staff.