Saturday, September 29, 2012
Cajun recipes
DESSERTS
LOUISIANA PRALINES
2 cups light brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 cup water
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon vanilla
1.5 cups chopped pecans
.5 cup pecan halves
In a heavy bottomed pan, combine sugars, water and cream. Cook and stir until soft ball stage (238 degrees). Remove from heat, whip heavy cream for 10 to 15 minutes, add nuts and vanilla. Drop by spoonfuls on to buttered pan or parchment. Cool, wrap in plastic.
PEACHES PATTY ANN
12 oz can peaches
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmet
4 oz butter
4 oz sugar
2 oz peach snapps or peach liquor
ice cream
Melt butter and add sugar, cook 3 minutes. Strain peaches - add juice, simmer. Add cinnamon, nutmeg and peaches. Simmer for 2 minutes. Add peach snapps and serve over ice cream.
COFFEE SMOOTHER
1/2 cup brewed coffee
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup chocolate ice cream
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/4 ice cubes
Place all ingredients in blender and puree until smooth!
CAJUN SEASONING MIX
Combine all the following ingredients in mixing bowl, mix thoroughly with wire whisk. Store in tightly covered glass jar and use as needed.
1/4 cup salt
1/4 cup paprika
3 tablespoons cayenne papper
2 tablespoons onion powder
1 1/2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh ground black pepper
1 tablespoon white pepper
2 teaspoons dried sweet basil
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon dry hot mustard
1/2 teaspoon ground bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon filé powder (dried, ground-up sassafras leaves... acquired taste... I left it out)
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground thyme
1/4 teaspoon rosemary
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon cumin powder
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground tarragon (I also left this out)
MAIN COURSE DISHES
DAUBE
1 large (5-6 lbs) roast, doesn't have to be a tender cut
6 cloves garlic, cut in half
1 medium shallt, cut into 8 pieces
1 whole cayenne pepper, cut into 6 pieces (I didn't add this)
1/2 pound andouille sausage, cut into small pieces
2 teaspoons Cajun Seasoning Mix
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup flour, all purpose
2 large onions, chopped
2 large bell peppers, chopped
1 cup celery, minced
3 tablespoons garlic, minced
1 cup carrots, minced
1 cup stewed tomatoes
1 cup dry red wine
1 teaspoon Tabasco Sauce
2 cups beef stock (see note on Beef Stock)
1/2 cup parsley, minced
Place roast on cutting board and cut slits one at a time into meat with knife. Open holes with fingers; stuff garlic, shallot, cayenne, and andouille into holes untill all stuffing pieces are used. Season roast well with Cajun Seasoning Mix. Don't worry about closing holes, when you brown and sear the meat the holes will close naturally.
In large, heavy pot add vegetable oil and let it get hot. Whne oil starts to smoke add roast, carefully taking care not to splatter the oil. Brown the roast on all sides, making sure a dark brown crust starts to form on all sides of the roast.
When roast is completely brown, remove and set aside. Add flour to pot and cook, stirring constandtly, until the roux that is made becomes a dark reddish brown, about 12 minutes over medium-high heat.
When the colour is reached, quickly add onions, bell peppers, celery, garlic and carrots and sauté in the roux for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add tomatoes and sauté for 3 more minutes. Add wine, Tabasco and beef stock and cook, stirring constatnly, until the mixture is smooth. Add parsley to liquid and stir it through.
Put roast back in pot, cover, reduce heat and cook for 2 1/2 hours or until roast is very tender. Before serving, sample juice and adjust seasonsing to taste. We thickened the sauce with corn startch.
Slice roast (as able) and serve at once over white rice or mashed potatoes.
Cooking for a long time brings out the full flavours. This meat can be made in advance and refrigerated or even freezed (defrosted in fridge). Reheat in covered pan in oven at 350 or on top of stove over low heat.
Beef Stock
You can used canned beef stock or make your own, which I did.
I used a beef bone with a bit of meat that I had saved in the freezer. To this I added:
14 cups water
2 large onions, chopped
3 stalks celery, broken
4 carrots, broken
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3 whole bay leaves
2 teaspoon whole black pepper corns
1/4 bunch fresh parsley with stems on
1/2 cup green onion tops, chopped
1/2 medium turnip, chopped
2 tablespoons cabbage, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
3 stems fresh basil (I used 1 tablespoon dried)
2 sprigs fresh thyme (I used 1 teaspoon dried)
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
Bring the bone and meat to a boil in water, then add the remaining ingredients. Simmer for a couple of hours; if water level drops addd a little more. Cool. Strain broth and keep broth only. Put in fridge. As fat rises to top, remove. You can freeze portions for later use.
(More flavourful if it sits for a while and is even delicious at room temperature)
1 3.5-4 pound chicken, ROASTED FIRST
2 medium onions – 1 quartered, 1 diced small
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 pound smoked sausage, diced
2 tablespoons butter
1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced
2 small jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
1 bunch scallions (green onions) white and green parts thinly sliced
3 celery stalks, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon Cajun Seasoning Mix
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 ½ cups long-grain rice, rinsed
Pick all meat from chicken and discard skin, use hands to shred into pieces or chop if you prefer. Save all juice and fat from roasting pan and set aside. Refrigerate chicken until needed.
Place carcass, quartered onion, extra vegetable trimming into large pot to make broth. Add 10 cups water, bring to boil, reduce heat, simmer for 1 hour. Strain broth and discard solids. You should have 6 cups broth.
Heat oil in cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, add sausage and sear until the sausage starts to colour. Parts will begin to stick to pan, when a good coating is stuck to pan pour in ¼ cup chicken broth and scrape it loose. Let this cook until all liquid has evaporated. Transfer sausage to plate and set aside.
Return pan to heat and add butter. When melted add diced onion and cook 10 minutes until it’s a nice deep brown colour. Halfway through the onion should start to stick to pan, deglaze with ¼ cup broth and let this reduce until skillet is dry. When onion starts to tick again, add ½ cup broth. When this is almost gone, add bell peppers, jalapenos, scallions, celery, garlic, spice mix, salt, bay leaves, oregano and tomato paste. Cook vegetables for 10 minutes, stirring often, until they start to stick to skillet. Deglaze with another ¼ cup broth and reduce again until dry, then add shredded chicken, sausage, 1 cup broth, and juices from chicken and reduce again by half.
Transfer vegetable mixture to heavy-bottomed pot and add rice and remaining 4 cups broth. This mixture needs lots of room so rice cooks evenly. Cook, covered, over low heat for 40 minutes.
Remove pot from heat and keep covered for 10 minutes more. When Jambalaya is done, transfer to casserole dish and serve. (Leaving it in the pot will lead to overcooking.)
REDFISH
(If you can't find Redfish, red snapper or salmon also works)
6 (7oz) fillets of redfish
1/2 cup good quality extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
4 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
1 tablespoon coarse sea salt
1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley
Lemon
Rinse fish fillets and pat dry with paper towels. Place fillets in dish, drizzle with half the olive oil on all sides. Sprinkle fillets with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Use fingers to distribute evenly if needed. Set aside to marinate while you heat up the grill.
Fire up grill to medium-high. Place fish in fish basket, cover grill and cook fish without moving for 5 minutes. Turn over and cook for another 3-4 minutes until just cooked through (will flake easily when tested with a paring knife).
Transfer fillets to warm serving plate and top with parsley, a little olive oil, and lemon juice as desired.
SMOTHERED COLLARD GREENS
2 bunches Collard greens
6-8 strips bacon, cut in ½ inch pieces (I used chunk bacon for little cubes)
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Several dashes hot sauce
¼ cup cider vinegar
1 cup chicken broth
Collard greens should not be yellowish, or thin and papery but should be vibrant, healthy looking and have good moisture content. Strip stems from leaves of collards, tear leaves into 2-3 inch pieces; wash greens in plenty of cold water. Discard stems.
Heat bacon in large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat until not quite crisp, about 5 minutes. Add onion and cook for another 3 minutes. Add garlic, salt, sugar, pepper, hot sauce and cook an additional 2 minutes. Add vinegar and bring to simmer, cook until reduced by half, 4-5 minutes.
Add washed greens and broth and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, partially covered, for 30-35 minutes (or longer if needed) until greens are very tender. If pot appears to be drying out, add a bit of water to prevent greens from sticking.
Serve greens with generous ladle of the fragrant juices.
Can be served over rice or potatoes or cornbread.
GREEN BEANS WITH BACON AND ONION
4 strips thick sliced bacon (or use chunk bacon cut into little cubes)
1 small onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 pounds green beans, trimmed and halved
4 cups chicken broth and/or water, plus more as needed
1 teaspoon salt
ground black pepper
hot pepper vinegar, as desired
Heat bacon in large thick bottomed pot over medium-high heat until lightly browned but still tender. Add onion and sauté until tender, 6-8 minutes. Add garlic and sauté 1 minute more.
Add green beans and enough broth or water to just cover, bring to boil, reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 30-35 minutes, until beans are very tended and have melted into the cooking liquid. Season beans with salt, pepper, and hot pepper vinegar.
6 large russet potatoes (about 4 pounds)
¾ cup half and half cream
1 teaspoon salt
¼- ½ teaspoon ground white pepper
Note: best when potatoes are slightly overcooked –should look light and starchy and should crumble when pressed, not wet and dense.
Cut butter into ½ inch pieces and set aside to soften at room temperature.
Peel potatoes and cut into /4 inch cubes. Place in a pot and cover with water. Bring to boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 20-25 minutes until a chunk of potato crumbles with gently pressed with fork.
Drain in colander, let air-dry for 5 minutes until they start to look chalky on the outside. Put pot aside with lid on to keep warm.
Meanwhile, in a small pan gently heat cream until just warmed through, remove from heat.
Return potatoes to same pot (should still be warm so as not to cool down potatoes). Add softened butter and let sit for a minutes. Add salt and pepper. Using whisk, smash potatoes in up-and-down motion to begin mashing. Once butter is somewhat mixed in, add warm cream and continue to mash gently moving whisk side-to-side and around the pot. Mix only until potatoes look smooth, then stop. Mashing should take only 20 seconds total. (Note: many people over mash and get gummy potatoes.)
Serve immediately, or cover to keep warm until ready to serve.
LOUISIANA PRALINES
2 cups light brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 cup water
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon vanilla
1.5 cups chopped pecans
.5 cup pecan halves
In a heavy bottomed pan, combine sugars, water and cream. Cook and stir until soft ball stage (238 degrees). Remove from heat, whip heavy cream for 10 to 15 minutes, add nuts and vanilla. Drop by spoonfuls on to buttered pan or parchment. Cool, wrap in plastic.
PEACHES PATTY ANN
12 oz can peaches
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmet
4 oz butter
4 oz sugar
2 oz peach snapps or peach liquor
ice cream
Melt butter and add sugar, cook 3 minutes. Strain peaches - add juice, simmer. Add cinnamon, nutmeg and peaches. Simmer for 2 minutes. Add peach snapps and serve over ice cream.
COFFEE SMOOTHER
1/2 cup brewed coffee
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup chocolate ice cream
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/4 ice cubes
Place all ingredients in blender and puree until smooth!
CAJUN SEASONING MIX
Combine all the following ingredients in mixing bowl, mix thoroughly with wire whisk. Store in tightly covered glass jar and use as needed.
1/4 cup salt
1/4 cup paprika
3 tablespoons cayenne papper
2 tablespoons onion powder
1 1/2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh ground black pepper
1 tablespoon white pepper
2 teaspoons dried sweet basil
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon dry hot mustard
1/2 teaspoon ground bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon filé powder (dried, ground-up sassafras leaves... acquired taste... I left it out)
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground thyme
1/4 teaspoon rosemary
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon cumin powder
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground tarragon (I also left this out)
MAIN COURSE DISHES
DAUBE
1 large (5-6 lbs) roast, doesn't have to be a tender cut
6 cloves garlic, cut in half
1 medium shallt, cut into 8 pieces
1 whole cayenne pepper, cut into 6 pieces (I didn't add this)
1/2 pound andouille sausage, cut into small pieces
2 teaspoons Cajun Seasoning Mix
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup flour, all purpose
2 large onions, chopped
2 large bell peppers, chopped
1 cup celery, minced
3 tablespoons garlic, minced
1 cup carrots, minced
1 cup stewed tomatoes
1 cup dry red wine
1 teaspoon Tabasco Sauce
2 cups beef stock (see note on Beef Stock)
1/2 cup parsley, minced
Place roast on cutting board and cut slits one at a time into meat with knife. Open holes with fingers; stuff garlic, shallot, cayenne, and andouille into holes untill all stuffing pieces are used. Season roast well with Cajun Seasoning Mix. Don't worry about closing holes, when you brown and sear the meat the holes will close naturally.
In large, heavy pot add vegetable oil and let it get hot. Whne oil starts to smoke add roast, carefully taking care not to splatter the oil. Brown the roast on all sides, making sure a dark brown crust starts to form on all sides of the roast.
When roast is completely brown, remove and set aside. Add flour to pot and cook, stirring constandtly, until the roux that is made becomes a dark reddish brown, about 12 minutes over medium-high heat.
When the colour is reached, quickly add onions, bell peppers, celery, garlic and carrots and sauté in the roux for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add tomatoes and sauté for 3 more minutes. Add wine, Tabasco and beef stock and cook, stirring constatnly, until the mixture is smooth. Add parsley to liquid and stir it through.
Put roast back in pot, cover, reduce heat and cook for 2 1/2 hours or until roast is very tender. Before serving, sample juice and adjust seasonsing to taste. We thickened the sauce with corn startch.
Slice roast (as able) and serve at once over white rice or mashed potatoes.
Cooking for a long time brings out the full flavours. This meat can be made in advance and refrigerated or even freezed (defrosted in fridge). Reheat in covered pan in oven at 350 or on top of stove over low heat.
Beef Stock
You can used canned beef stock or make your own, which I did.
I used a beef bone with a bit of meat that I had saved in the freezer. To this I added:
14 cups water
2 large onions, chopped
3 stalks celery, broken
4 carrots, broken
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3 whole bay leaves
2 teaspoon whole black pepper corns
1/4 bunch fresh parsley with stems on
1/2 cup green onion tops, chopped
1/2 medium turnip, chopped
2 tablespoons cabbage, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
3 stems fresh basil (I used 1 tablespoon dried)
2 sprigs fresh thyme (I used 1 teaspoon dried)
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
Bring the bone and meat to a boil in water, then add the remaining ingredients. Simmer for a couple of hours; if water level drops addd a little more. Cool. Strain broth and keep broth only. Put in fridge. As fat rises to top, remove. You can freeze portions for later use.
OLD SCHOOL CHICKEN AND SAUSAGE JAMBALAYA
Note: difference between Creole and Cajun Jambalaya is
that Creole is cooked in a tomatoey sauce and may include shrimp. Cajun is
simpler and more rustic.(More flavourful if it sits for a while and is even delicious at room temperature)
1 3.5-4 pound chicken, ROASTED FIRST
2 medium onions – 1 quartered, 1 diced small
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 pound smoked sausage, diced
2 tablespoons butter
1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced
2 small jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
1 bunch scallions (green onions) white and green parts thinly sliced
3 celery stalks, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon Cajun Seasoning Mix
5 bay leaves
2 teaspoons dried oregano2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 ½ cups long-grain rice, rinsed
Pick all meat from chicken and discard skin, use hands to shred into pieces or chop if you prefer. Save all juice and fat from roasting pan and set aside. Refrigerate chicken until needed.
Place carcass, quartered onion, extra vegetable trimming into large pot to make broth. Add 10 cups water, bring to boil, reduce heat, simmer for 1 hour. Strain broth and discard solids. You should have 6 cups broth.
Heat oil in cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, add sausage and sear until the sausage starts to colour. Parts will begin to stick to pan, when a good coating is stuck to pan pour in ¼ cup chicken broth and scrape it loose. Let this cook until all liquid has evaporated. Transfer sausage to plate and set aside.
Return pan to heat and add butter. When melted add diced onion and cook 10 minutes until it’s a nice deep brown colour. Halfway through the onion should start to stick to pan, deglaze with ¼ cup broth and let this reduce until skillet is dry. When onion starts to tick again, add ½ cup broth. When this is almost gone, add bell peppers, jalapenos, scallions, celery, garlic, spice mix, salt, bay leaves, oregano and tomato paste. Cook vegetables for 10 minutes, stirring often, until they start to stick to skillet. Deglaze with another ¼ cup broth and reduce again until dry, then add shredded chicken, sausage, 1 cup broth, and juices from chicken and reduce again by half.
Transfer vegetable mixture to heavy-bottomed pot and add rice and remaining 4 cups broth. This mixture needs lots of room so rice cooks evenly. Cook, covered, over low heat for 40 minutes.
Remove pot from heat and keep covered for 10 minutes more. When Jambalaya is done, transfer to casserole dish and serve. (Leaving it in the pot will lead to overcooking.)
REDFISH
(If you can't find Redfish, red snapper or salmon also works)
6 (7oz) fillets of redfish
1/2 cup good quality extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
4 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
1 tablespoon coarse sea salt
1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley
Lemon
Rinse fish fillets and pat dry with paper towels. Place fillets in dish, drizzle with half the olive oil on all sides. Sprinkle fillets with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Use fingers to distribute evenly if needed. Set aside to marinate while you heat up the grill.
Fire up grill to medium-high. Place fish in fish basket, cover grill and cook fish without moving for 5 minutes. Turn over and cook for another 3-4 minutes until just cooked through (will flake easily when tested with a paring knife).
Transfer fillets to warm serving plate and top with parsley, a little olive oil, and lemon juice as desired.
2 bunches Collard greens
6-8 strips bacon, cut in ½ inch pieces (I used chunk bacon for little cubes)
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Several dashes hot sauce
¼ cup cider vinegar
1 cup chicken broth
Collard greens should not be yellowish, or thin and papery but should be vibrant, healthy looking and have good moisture content. Strip stems from leaves of collards, tear leaves into 2-3 inch pieces; wash greens in plenty of cold water. Discard stems.
Heat bacon in large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat until not quite crisp, about 5 minutes. Add onion and cook for another 3 minutes. Add garlic, salt, sugar, pepper, hot sauce and cook an additional 2 minutes. Add vinegar and bring to simmer, cook until reduced by half, 4-5 minutes.
Add washed greens and broth and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, partially covered, for 30-35 minutes (or longer if needed) until greens are very tender. If pot appears to be drying out, add a bit of water to prevent greens from sticking.
Serve greens with generous ladle of the fragrant juices.
Can be served over rice or potatoes or cornbread.
GREEN BEANS WITH BACON AND ONION
4 strips thick sliced bacon (or use chunk bacon cut into little cubes)
1 small onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 pounds green beans, trimmed and halved
4 cups chicken broth and/or water, plus more as needed
1 teaspoon salt
ground black pepper
hot pepper vinegar, as desired
Heat bacon in large thick bottomed pot over medium-high heat until lightly browned but still tender. Add onion and sauté until tender, 6-8 minutes. Add garlic and sauté 1 minute more.
Add green beans and enough broth or water to just cover, bring to boil, reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 30-35 minutes, until beans are very tended and have melted into the cooking liquid. Season beans with salt, pepper, and hot pepper vinegar.
PERFECT MASHED POTATOES
½ pound butter (!!) aka 1 cup6 large russet potatoes (about 4 pounds)
¾ cup half and half cream
1 teaspoon salt
¼- ½ teaspoon ground white pepper
Note: best when potatoes are slightly overcooked –should look light and starchy and should crumble when pressed, not wet and dense.
Cut butter into ½ inch pieces and set aside to soften at room temperature.
Peel potatoes and cut into /4 inch cubes. Place in a pot and cover with water. Bring to boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 20-25 minutes until a chunk of potato crumbles with gently pressed with fork.
Drain in colander, let air-dry for 5 minutes until they start to look chalky on the outside. Put pot aside with lid on to keep warm.
Meanwhile, in a small pan gently heat cream until just warmed through, remove from heat.
Return potatoes to same pot (should still be warm so as not to cool down potatoes). Add softened butter and let sit for a minutes. Add salt and pepper. Using whisk, smash potatoes in up-and-down motion to begin mashing. Once butter is somewhat mixed in, add warm cream and continue to mash gently moving whisk side-to-side and around the pot. Mix only until potatoes look smooth, then stop. Mashing should take only 20 seconds total. (Note: many people over mash and get gummy potatoes.)
Serve immediately, or cover to keep warm until ready to serve.
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