recipes of the day 04/29/04......tribute to the roux....

Dutch Oven Italian Sausage & Chicken Pasta
YIELDS: 6–8 Servings

COMMENT:
It seems that everyone in south Louisiana cooks Jambalaya for tailgating parties. In this recipe, the great flavor of jambalaya is unaltered, but a twist is added by using pasta instead of rice. Keep all of those tummies full during the game with this great combination of sausage, chicken and tasso.

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound fresh Italian sausage, links cut in half
1 rotisserie-style whole chicken, boned and shredded
½ pound turkey tasso, ½-inch diced
12 ounces penne pasta
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup sliced garlic
½ cup diced onions
¼ cup diced celery
¼ cup diced red bell peppers
¼ cup diced yellow bell peppers
½ cup diced fresh tomatoes
2 tbsps flour
1 quart chicken stock
1 tbsp chopped thyme
2 tbsps chopped basil
¼ cup sliced green onions
salt and black pepper to taste
Creole seasoning to taste

METHOD:
In a large cast iron Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook 3–5 minutes or until browned. Add garlic and sauté until golden brown around the edges. Add onions, celery, bell peppers and tasso. Sauté 3–5 minutes or until vegetables are wilted. Blend in tomatoes. Sprinkle in flour and whisk constantly until white roux is achieved. Add stock, one ladle at a time, until all has been incorporated. Season with thyme, basil, salt, pepper and Creole seasoning. Bring mixture to a rolling boil, reduce to simmer and cook 5 minutes. Stir in chicken and mix well. Add green onions then fold in raw pasta. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook 20–25 minutes or until pasta is al dente and liquid has been absorbed. When ready to serve, transfer pasta to a decorative platter and arrange additional pieces of sausage and chicken across the top as garnish.

 

"Stirrin' It Up" Shrimp Viala
SERVES: 6

COMMENT:
This unique shrimp presentation was created at Lafitte’s Landing for use during the height of the white shrimp season. The dish was named in honor of J. P. Viala, builder of Viala Plantation, the former home of Lafitte's Landing Restaurant.

INGREDIENTS:

3 dozen 21-25 count shrimp, peeled and de-veined
¼ cup olive oil
4 garlic cloves, sliced
¼ cup chopped green onions
¼ cup sliced mushrooms
¼ cup diced red bell pepper
¼ cup diced yellow bell pepper
¼ cup diced green bell pepper
½ cup diced Creole tomatoes
2 ½ tbsps flour
1 oz dry white wine
2 ½ cups hot shellfish or chicken stock
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp parsley
salt and cracked black pepper, to taste

METHOD:
In a heavy-bottomed sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Sauté garlic, green onions and mushrooms approximately 2 minutes, or until vegetables are wilted. Add red, yellow and green bell pepper and tomatoes, cook 1 additional minute. Add shrimp and stir fry into vegetables until shrimp begin to turn pink and curl, approximately 2 minutes. Sprinkle in flour and blend well to create a white roux. The flour will absorb most of the liquids in the pan and act as a thickening agent for the sauce. Deglaze with white wine and add 2 cups hot stock, whisking well into seasoning mixture. Add lemon juice and parsley and season to taste using salt and cracked pepper. Cook until sauce is thickened and shrimp are done, but not over cooked, 2 to 3 minutes. Additional stock may be added, should sauce become too thick. This dish may be served in an au gratin dish or heated chafing dish with garlic croutons.

 

Shrimp and Catfish Fricassee

Yields: 6-8 Servings

Comment:
A fricassee, or stew, can be made with any mixture of available ingredients. There are many combinations in Louisiana fricassees from seafood and meat to vegetables and game. In the city of Chalmette, the hunters and trappers combine blue channel catfish with river shrimp to create an incomparable fricassee.

Ingredients:

1 pound peeled river or gulf shrimp
3 pounds cubed catfish
1 cup oil
1 cup flour
1 cup diced onions
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced bell peppers
2 tbsps minced garlic
1 tbsp minced cayenne peppers
4 bay leaves
pinch of thyme
pinch of basil
3 quarts fish stock (see recipe)
1 cup chopped parsley
1 cup sliced green onions
6 eggs
salt and cracked pepper to taste
Louisiana hot sauce to taste

Method:
In a 2-gallon heavy-bottomed stockpot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Sprinkle in flour and whisk constantly until dark brown roux is achieved (see roux techniques). Should black specks appear, discard and begin again. Add onions, celery, bell peppers and garlic. Sauté 3-5 minutes or until vegetables are wilted. Blend in cayenne peppers, bay leaves, thyme and basil. Stir approximately 2 cups of cubed fish into roux. Slowly add fish stock, one ladle at a time, until a rich stew consistency is achieved. Reserve remaining stock for later use. Remember, the remaining fish are 90% water and will thin the stew considerably when added. You may wish to keep the stew a little thicker until the remaining fish are added. Bring to a rolling boil, reduce to simmer and cook approximately 30 minutes. Stir in remaining fish, shrimp, parsley and green onions and continue to cook 10-15 minutes or until fish is tender. Crack the eggs into the simmering stew and allow to poach for 10 minutes. Season to taste using salt, pepper and hot sauce. Serve over steamed rice or pasta.

 

Shrimp Creole this one is chef john folse's version....
SERVES: 6

COMMENT:
Without a doubt, this is the most famous dish in the city of New Orleans. As common as red beans and rice on Monday, the shrimp Creole can be found on any table in Louisiana for Friday lunch.

INGREDIENTS:

3 pounds 21-25 count shrimp, peeled and de-veined
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup flour
1 cup chopped onions
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped bell pepper
2 tbsps diced garlic
2 cups tomato sauce
1 cup diced tomatoes
1-1/2 quarts shellfish stock(see recipe)
1 cup chopped green onions
½ cup chopped parsley
salt and cracked black pepper to taste
dash of Louisiana Gold Pepper Sauce

METHOD:
The flavor of this dish will be greatly enhanced by the use of a rich shrimp stock. This may be done by boiling the shrimp shells in shellfish stock to achieve a concentrated flavor. In a two gallon heavy-bottomed sauce pan, heat oil over medium high heat. Using a wire whisk, add flour, stirring constantly, until light brown roux is achieved. Add onions, celery, bell pepper and garlic and sauté until vegetables are wilted, approximately three to five minutes. Add tomato sauce and diced tomatoes and blend well into roux mixture. Slowly add shellfish stock, a little at a time, stirring constantly until sauce-like consistency is achieved. Allow to cook approximately fifteen minutes, stirring occasionally. Add stock should mixture become too thick. Add shrimp, green onions and parsley and continue to cook five additional minutes. Season to taste using salt and black pepper. Serve over hot white rice using a dash of Louisiana Gold.

 

Crab Newburg
SERVES: 4 - 6

COMMENT:
If you have fresh crab shells, to create a highly flavorful seafood stock, simmer them along with 1 quartered onion, 1 stalk of celery and 4 cloves crushed garlic for 1 hour. Strain the stock through fine cheese cloth or a sieve.

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound jumbo lump crabmeat
1/4 pound butter
5 shallots, finely chopped
1/2 cup onion, diced
1/4 cup red bell pepper, finely diced
1 tbsp garlic, minced
3 tbsp flour
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 cups seafood stock
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 sprig tarragon, chopped
1/4 cup parsley, chopped

METHOD:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. In a heavy-bottomed sauté pan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add shallots, onion, bell pepper and garlic. Sauté until vegetables are wilted, approximately 3 - 5 minutes. Sprinkle flour over seasoning mixture and blend well to create a white roux. Do not brown. Deglaze with white wine. Add heavy cream; add stock as needed. Reduce temperature. Add tomato sauce, tarragon and parsley. Season to taste using salt and pepper. Continue to blend, cooking 3 - 5 additional minutes. Place crabmeat, picked through to remove any shells, into a Pyrex baking dish or 6 individual ramekins. Top with sauce and bake until bubbly.

 

Crawfish Andouille Fettuccini
Yields: 6 Servings

Comment:
This sauce was derived from my good friend, Pete Hilzim, who created recipe called Crawfish Monica. Chef Hilzim traditionally serves the dish with crêpes or over pasta. This version calls for pasta, but you may uses crêpes if you wish.

Ingredients:

2 pounds crawfish tails, cooked
½ cup diced andouille sausage
1 pound fettuccini noodles, cooked
¼ pound butter
2 tbsps chopped garlic
½ cup diced onions
¼ cup diced celery
¼ cup diced red bell peppers
¼ cup diced green bell peppers
1 cup sliced mushrooms
½ cup diced tomatoes
¾ cup flour
1 quart crawfish stock (see method below)
or 1 quart water seasoned with chicken bouillon
¼ cup dry white wine
1 tbsp lemon juice
¼ cup tomato sauce
1½ cups heavy whipping cream
1 tsp chopped basil
1 tsp chopped tarragon
2 tbsps chopped parsley
¼ cup sliced green onions
salt and black pepper to taste

Method:
In a heavy-bottomed 3½-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add garlic, onions, celery, bell peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes and andouille. Sauté for 5 minutes or until vegetables are wilted. Sprinkle in flour and blend well. Whisk in crawfish stock, white wine, lemon juice and tomato sauce. Whisk well until all is blended. Bring to a simmer and hold for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add crawfish tails and cream. Return to simmer and cook 10 minutes. Add basil, tarragon, parsley and green onions. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and toss with pasta.

 

here is chef john folse's tips on making all kinds of roux.....great material.

"What I love about cooking is that after a hard day, there is something comforting about the fact that if you melt butter and add flour and then hot stock, it will get thick! It's a sure thing in a world where nothing else is sure, it's a certainty, the stock will thicken!"
Nora Ephron

Stocks may be thickened by means of reductions, eggs, butter, vegetable purees, cream, foie gras, various starches and even blood. In classical French cuisine, the roux is the primary thickening agent. Equal parts of butter and flour are well blended over heat to create a roux. This process may produce rouxs of different colors and thickening capabilities depending on the cook's need. In Cajun and Creole cuisine, the roux has been raised to a new dimension never before experienced in other forms of cooking.

Butter, lard, peanut oil, bacon fat and even duck fat have been used in combination with flour to produce as many taste and color variations as there are cooks in South Louisiana. In classical cuisine, the brown roux is used for brown sauce, the blonde roux for veloutes and the white roux is used for bechamels. In Creole cuisine, a brown roux is made from butter or bacon fat and is used to thicken gumbos and stews requiring a light touch. The Cajuns, on the other hand, are the originators of the most unique rouxs in modern cookery.

The Cajun dark brown roux is best made with vegetable oil, although in the past, it was thought imperative that only animal fat be used. The flour and oil are cooked together until the roux reaches a caramel color. This roux has less thickening power. Thus, the thickening capabilities of the dark roux are diminished. The dark brown roux is the secret to traditional Cajun food because of the richness and depth it adds to the dish. Butter is used in classical and Creole rouxs, however, the Cajuns use only vegetable oil or lard to produce their lighter colored roux. Tan in appearance, these light rouxs are used primarily with vegetables and light meat dishes.

Nothing in Cajun country has a greater aroma than a light brown roux simmering with onions, celery, bell pepper and garlic. On many occasions growing up in South Louisiana, my hunger was satisfied with a touch of this vegetable seasoned roux spread on a piece of French Bread. Certain gumbos are further thickened, in Bayou country, with either okra or file powder.
Considering the variations in cooking time and fats or oils, the number of different roux possibilities are infinite. I will attempt to delineate six such rouxs, three used in classical cuisine, one used in Creole cooking and two that are strictly Cajun.

Oil-Less Roux

2 cups all purpose flour

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spread flour evenly across the bottom of a 15-inch cast iron skillet. Bake, stirring occasionally, for approximately 1 hour. Make sure to stir well around the edges of the skillet so flour does not scorch. Cook flour until light or dark color is achieved, depending on use. The roux will become darker when liquid is added. When desired color is reached, cool on a large cookie sheet, stirring occasionally. Store in a sealed jar for future use. 1 cup of oil-less roux will thicken 1 ½ quarts of stock to a proper gumbo consistency.

NOTE: I recommend oil-less roux manufactured and sold by Bruce Foods and Savoie’s. Bruce Foods is located in New Iberia, Louisiana (318) 365-8101 and Savoie’s is located in Opelousas, Louisiana (318) 942-7241.

THE BROWN ROUX

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour

In a heavy bottom sauté pan, melt butter over medium high heat. Using a wooden roux spoon, add flour, stirring constantly until flour becomes light brown. You must continue stirring during the cooking process, as flour will tend to scorch as browning process proceeds. Should black specks appear in the roux, discard and begin again. This volume of roux will thicken three cups of stock to sauce consistency.

THE BLONDE BUTTER ROUX

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour

In a heavy bottom sauté pan, melt butter over medium high heat. Proceed exactly as in the brown roux recipe, however, only cook to the pale gold state. This roux is popular in Creole cooking and will thicken three cups of stock to a sauce consistency.

THE WHITE BUTTER ROUX

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour

In a heavy bottom sauté pan, melt butter over medium high heat. Proceed exactly as in the blonde roux recipe, however, only cook until the flour and butter are well blended and bubbly. Do not brown. This classical style roux is popular in Creole cooking and will thicken three cups of stock to a sauce consistency.

THE CREOLE ROUX

The Creole roux can be made with lightly salted butter, bacon drippings or lard. As with everything regarding food in Louisiana, whenever someone attempts to reduce this wealth of food lore to written material, an argument breaks out. Let's just say that Creole rouxs vary in color the same as Classical and Cajun ones. The Creoles, however, did have in their pantry, butter for the roux, whereas any butter a Cajun had would be saved for a biscuit or cornbread and
never put in the black iron pot for a roux.

If a comparison statement can be made, it would be that generally speaking, Creole roux is darker in color than the classical French brown roux it descended from but not as dark as the Cajun dark roux.

THE LIGHT BROWN CAJUN ROUX

1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup flour

In a black iron pot or skillet, heat the oil over medium high heat to approximately 300 degrees F. Using a wooden roux spoon, slowly add the flour, stirring constantly until the roux is peanut butter in color, approximately two minutes. This roux is normally used to thicken vegetable dishes such as corn maque choux (shrimp, corn and tomato stew) or butter beans with ham. If
using this roux to thicken an etouffee, it will thicken approximately two quarts of liquid. If used to thicken seafood gumbo, it will thicken approximately two and a half quarts of stock.

THE DARK BROWN CAJUN ROUX

1 cup oil
1/2 cup flour

Proceed as you would in the light brown Cajun roux recipe but continue cooking until the roux is the color of a light caramel. This roux should almost be twice as dark as the light brown roux but not as dark as chocolate. You should remember that the darker the roux gets, the less thickening power it holds and the roux tends to become bitter. This roux is used most often in sauce piquantes, crawfish bisques and gumbos. However, it is perfectly normal to use the dark brown roux in any dish in Cajun cooking.

This roux gives food such a rich character that I sometimes make shrimp and corn bisque with it, as well as a river road seafood gumbo that will knock your socks off. Slow cooking is essential to achieve that dark, rich color.

Some time ago, I was discussing the origin of the dark roux with my good friend, Angus McIntosh, a chef and aspiring Cajun. I've always contended that because the Cajuns cooked in black iron pots over open fires using lard as a base, the dark roux was discovered by accident when the fire got too hot and the flour over-browned. With their lean pantries in mind, the Cajuns kept the roux instead of discarding it. They enjoyed the flavor and kept doing it that way. Classical cookbooks written as far back as the mid-1500s state that roux is derived from the French word "rouge" meaning "red" or "reddish" in color. Thus, the origin of the name. Angus felt that it developed during the Cajun's less affluent years as a means of enriching a soup or stew with flavor when the pantry was not as full but the number of chairs at the table were many. Either way, if properly done, the dark Cajun roux enriches food with color and flavor that is so fantastic it could only be Cajun.


Table of Sauce and Soup Consistencies
Using The Roux of Cajun and Creole Cooking

THE BUTTER BASE ROUXS
(The Classical and Creole Rouxs)

1 cup butter 1 cup flour

This recipe will thicken the following:

6 cups stock to a thick white sauce consistency.
8 cups stock to a concentrated soup consistency.
10 cups stock to a thick soup consistency.
12 cups stock to a perfect Louisiana gumbo consistency.
14 cups stock to a light gumbo consistency.

THE OIL BASE ROUXS
(The Cajun Rouxs)

1 cup vegetable oil 1 cup flour

Cooked at 300 degrees F. for three to five minutes, this recipe will thicken the following:

6 cups stock to a thick brown sauce consistency.
8 cups stock to a thick gumbo consistency.
10 cups stock to a perfect Louisiana gumbo consistency.
12 cups stock to a light gumbo consistency.

It should be noted that the butter or oil base rouxs may be made well in advance, cooled, separated into half cup portions and placed in the refrigerator or freezer. The roux will keep well for months and always be available to you should an emergency arise.

 

this is a very cool soup recipe that got 5 stars by the folks posting at "all recipes".

Reuben Soup
Submitted by: Holly

Avg. Member Rating:
*****
• 16 Ratings
• 14 Reviews

ingredients:

1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped celery
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups water
4 cubes beef bouillon
8 ounces shredded corned beef
1 cup sauerkraut, drained
3 cups half-and-half cream
3 cups shredded Swiss cheese
8 slices rye bread, toasted and cut into triangles

directions:

1 In a large saucepan, cook onion and celery in butter until tender; stir in flour until smooth. Gradually stir in water and bouillon, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 5 minutes.
2 Stir in corned beef, sauerkraut, cream, and 1 cup of the cheese. Cook and stir for 30 minutes or until slightly thickened.
3 Preheat broiler.
4 Ladle soup into 8 ovenproof bowls. Top each serving with a slice of bread and sprinkle 1/4 cup of the cheese on top of each slice of bread. Place in oven under broiler until the cheese melts and lightly browns.


Makes 8 servings

 

BIG DADDY'S CRAWFISH STEW

This recipe is for the day after you have a crawfish boil and you don't know what to do with the leftovers!!!

About 2 lbs Peeled crawfish tails
5-6 Cups cooked rice
3 lg. onions (chopped)
Fresh French Bread
2 lg. bell peppers (chopped)
2 Stalks celery (chopped)
1-1/2 cups plain flour
3 cloves garlic (chopped fine)
1-1/2 Cups vegetable oil or lard
Potatoes, carrots, corn and mushrooms from crawfish boil
Tabasco Sauce
Zatarain's crab boil
Tony Chachere's Seasoning

***NOTE***

If you don't have leftovers from a crawfish boil (Too Bad) you can use crawfish tails from the market, or fresh shrimp.

Peel the leftover crawfish and put the shells in a stock pot. Add water enough to cover the shells, bring to a boil and lower heat to a simmer. Let simmer for about 40 minutes. This is your crawfish stock.

Next you have to make your roux. In a black iron or heavy aluminum pot add 1 1/2 cups of vegetable oil or hog lard and heat to about 300ºF (don't let it smoke). Add 1 1/2 cups of plain flour (Be careful, it's very hot). Stir until chocolate in color. Let it cool and put in a dish.

In the same pot add about 1/4 cup of oil and heat on medium fire. Add onions, bell peppers, celery and garlic. Sauté until very limp. Add about 3 cups of water from the crawfish stock (be sure to strain). Bring to a boil, turn heat down to med-low. Slowly stir in the roux to mix well and let it cook about an hour (stir occasionally). Taste it 30 minutes into the process and add salt and pepper and Tabasco.

After the hour is up add the potatoes, carrots, corn and mushrooms, then, cook for about twenty minutes. Add the crawfish tails and cook for another 15 minutes.

If the sauce is too thin add a tablespoon of cornstarch dissolved in water at a time (stirring in between adds) until the sauce is like you want it. Cook another 15 minutes and start tasting.

 

Ruby's Christmas Oyster Gumbo

Submitted by: C. Daigle
Bayou Blue - Lafourche Parish, LA - USA

Description:
An old Christmas tradition in “Ruby [my mother-in-law's]" home is now a Christmas tradition in our home. This makes a huge pot of gumbo and it does freeze very well, that is, if you have any left. We start eating it on Christmas Eve night and it's usually all gone the day after Christmas. "Mom" told me that when she was a young child, around the holidays, the seafood man would pass in a wagon pulled by a horse in the rural community of Bayou Blue near Houma, LA. They would sometimes purchase whatever he had to sell that day. Around Christmas, her mother would get a gallon of oysters for the gumbo. "That was when a gallon was really a gallon", she told me. She didn't recall if her mother, "Granny" to us, came up with the recipe or if it came from Granny's grandmother. Regardless of who started the tradition it has been gratefully continued in our family. Mom made this recipe especially for me since I had attempted it a couple of times and my results fell very short of her excellent gumbo.

Ingredients:

1 cup oil
1 & 3/4 cup plain flour
2 or 3 large onions, chopped
1 & 1/2 cup chopped celery
1 green bell pepper, chopped
water or chicken broth
1 to 2 gallons oysters and juice
1 cup chopped green onion tops
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 tablespoon gumbo filé
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In at least a 12 quart pot make a roux of flour and oil until the color of peanut butter, no darker. Add onion and cook 15 to 20 minutes longer. Roux will darken more. Stir often. Add celery and green pepper and cook 15 minutes. Add about 1 quart of water or broth and stir to thicken gravy. Slow simmer, covered, as long as it takes for seasonings to nearly disintegrate, about 45 to 50 minutes, stirring occasionally. Note: Gravy will decrease in volume. Drain oysters and hold the juice on the side. Add oysters to pot and 'smother', covered, about 15 minutes. Add oyster juice, water and/or broth to make gumbo consistency. (I nearly fill the pot). Taste and add salt, pepper and hot sauce, if desired. Heat the pot to simmering, cover, and simmer 5 minutes. Turn off the heat; add green onion tops, parsley, and sprinkle filé over the top. DO NOT STIR FOR AT LEAST 30 MINUTES.

Makes 12 quarts.

Serve over hot rice.

Notes:

1. If you wash the oysters, save the water and strain along with any oyster juice and use as part of the liquid of the gumbo. I use an old clean stocking to strain.

2. If you use the two gallons of oysters, you should increase the other ingredients a little and the size of the pot.

3. The gumbo will be a light color. If you want to cheat, you can add Kitchen Bouquet to make it darker. It does not affect the taste.

4. Stirring while the pot is too hot with the filé added can make the gumbo have a slimy consistency. Let the pot cool a little before stirring.

Number Of Servings: Depends on how cold it is outside.