Watts Consulting

More than you ever wanted to know about Alabama native Joe Watts

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Trip to the Black Belt

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Enjoyed a late morning drive down Highway 5 to Marion, Alabama this past Wednesday. Met with the Cahaba Trace Commission to discuss scenic byways and their possible interest in having a section of their route designated as a byway. We met over lunch at a restaurant (Lottties, I think is the name) right off the courthouse square in Marion. What a beautiful courthouse, too. The food was actually good: fried okra, cole slaw and grilled pork chops. No bread, though. I think the large crowd had them a bit off their game.

Had an opportunity to meet with Nisa Miranda of the University of Alabama Economic Development Institute briefly. We discussed www.alabamasfrontporches.com for a few minutes before she headed off to Camden and then to Ezell’s in Lavaca (the cole slaw is much better at Ezells).

 

Quick Job for my friends at AccuPrint, Downtown Birmingham

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A quick postcard for my friends at AccuPrint. I’ve been working with AccuPrint since 1998 or so. Maybe before then. I got to know them when I was working with the Cahaba Group of the Sierra Club. I’ve continued to use them for much of my printing work. They are typically very fast and always entertaining. Best of all, they really are a family-owned and operated business. The dogwood blooms are particularly beautiful. Photo taken along Highland Avenue (unfortunately, the dogwoods by our house didn’t fare well during last summer’s brutal drought, so they are just barely alive and certainly not blooming).

 

Another Sourdough Pizza

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Well, I’ve been making pizzas for about 5 years now, with a lot more pizzas made in the last two years. I’m still working on getting the dough and the toppings perfect (I’ve gotten the dough to a place where I feel pretty comfortable serving it to anyone, though). I’m always tinkering with the proportions of different types of flour, but have a pretty good handle on what needs to go in to make it good. Lately, I’ve been tinkering with the oven temperature and the time. I’m not completely set on either yet. Some suggest a really high oven temperature, and that seems to work better. Lower oven temps seem to make the dough a bit tender and fluffy.

As to toppings, those are up to your imagination. I’m convinced that fresh mozzarella is almost always better (unless you use the smoked mozzarella like I used in my Three Mushroom Pizza the other day. Red and yellow peppers (I’ve been getting mounds of these from Grow Alabama lately) add lots of color and flavor. This pizza had the fresh mozzarella, Parmesan, and feta along with red and yellow peppers, red onion, garlic and olive oil.

Not my best, but very tasty.

Shrimp and Pasta Dish

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I made a tasty shrimp and pasta dish tonight.It included the following:

3/4 lb fresh peeled and deveined shrimp
1 lemon
1 garlic clove, minced
large pinch Italian seasoning
red pepper flakes
freshly ground black pepper
salt
olive  oil

2 shallots
2 garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup sliced sundried tomatoes
splash white wine
olive oil
3/4 pound small asparagus

1/3 lb cooked small penne pasta

shrimp-2.jpgIn a bowl, combine juice and zest of one lemon, 1 tablespoon olive oil, Italian herbs, pepper flakes, minced garlic clove and salt and pepper to taste. Toss shrimp and let marinade for about 30 minutes.

Saute garlic and shallots until soft and golden (about 3 minutes). Add yellow bell pepper. Saute for 5 minutes. Add asparagus and cook for 1-2 minutes. Set aside.

Saute shrimp until done. (I used a cast iron skillet to really sear the shrimp a bit.) Add remaining marinade and let come to boil.

Toss vegetables and shrimp with pasta. Serve with fresh bread. Serves 2 to 3.