recipes of the day 4/21/04....let's just have fun with jazz fest food.

Chicken Etouffée

Special equipment

Long handled wire whisk

Chicken

1 chicken, cut up
Seasonings for chicken pieces: kosher salt, freshly ground pepper, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, & dried thyme
2 T vegetable oil

Seasoned flour

½ c flour
1 t salt
½ cayenne red pepper (more or less depending on personal preference)
½ t black pepper
½ t white pepper
1 t garlic powder
1 t dried thyme

Etouffée sauce

Seasoned flour (above)
½ c vegetable oil (I use Canola)
½ c chopped onion
½ c chopped celery
¼ c chopped bell pepper
4-5 c (approximately) chicken stock
¼ c chopped scallions (green onions)
1 T (real) butter
Salt & pepper, to taste

Directions

General overview of the process: First you are going to season & brown chicken pieces. These will be roasted in a single layer in the oven until done. Near the end of the roasting time, you will make the sauce. To serve, just pour sauce over chicken.

Lay out chicken pieces on a tray or waxed paper. Sprinkle all pieces with each chicken seasoning in turn, first on one side then the other (salt, pepper, cayenne, garlic powder, & dried thyme). Place in a plastic freezer bag and into the refrigerator to rest at least one hour and as long as overnight.

Heat 2 T oil in a heavy dutch oven (preferably cast iron). Over medium to medium-high heat, brown seasoned chicken pieces, being careful not to crowd them. Continue in batches until all chicken pieces are browned. [Do ahead note: At this point, you can place chicken in a single layer in a shallow roasting pan and refrigerate until ready to bake. The sauce can also be made ahead and then reheated before pouring over baked chicken pieces — see instructions below.]

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place chicken pieces in a single layer in a shallow oven-proof pan. Roast for 30 minutes, or until chicken pieces are done.

Just before chicken pieces are done, or even after having removed from the oven, make the sauce. Heat oil over medium heat. When hot, add seasoned flour, and stir constantly with whisk over medium or medium low heat until the roux (oil-flour mixture) is the color of peanut butter. Add the onion, celery, and bell pepper and cook until translucent. Increase heat to high and gradually add chicken stock until mixture is at a boil and the desired consistency is reached - something like turkey or chicken gravy. Stir in scallions and simmer for 1 or 2 minutes. Adjust seasonings and add a bit more chicken stock if you believe the mixture is a bit too thick. Stir in butter until just melted.

To serve, simply pour the sauce over the roasted chicken. Or serve up individual pieces by placing a piece of chicken on the plate and drizzle with an ample amount of the sauce.

To reheat any leftovers, just warm chicken in the sauce as if a stew on top of the stove. Or bake as you would a casserole, until warmed through, in a 350 degree F oven.

 

easy, easy crawfish enchiladas:

Crawfish Cheese Enchiladas

ingredients:

20 oz. enchilada sauce, (8) 8-inch flour tortillas
12 oz. cottage cheese, 1 c. shredded Monterey Jack cheese
8 oz. sour cream, 4 T. sliced black olives
4-oz. can chopped chiles, undrained, 1 c. shredded Cheddar cheese
1 lb. Louisiana crawfish tailmeat

Garnishes (use as much as you like): sour cream, chopped green olives, chopped cilantro, chopped tomato

Spread 3/4 c. enchilada sauce evenly in a lightly greased 13" x 9" baking dish. Combine cottage cheese and next 3 ingredients (sour cream, chiles, tailmeat). Spoon about 1/3 cup mixture down center of each tortilla. Sprinkle evenly with Monterey Jack cheese. Roll up and place, seam side down in dish. Top evenly with remaining enchilada sauce. Sprinkle with olives. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle with Cheddar cheese. Garnish if desired. For a lighter diet, substitute low-fat or non-fat dairy products. Serves 4.

 

Smothered Okra is a South Louisiana favorite. This can be eaten as is, and, becomes the beginning of a Shrimp Okra or Chicken Okra Gumbo.
Ingredients:

1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 pounds okra sliced crosswise into 1/4 inch slices
2 med. chopped onions
1 chopped bell pepper
1 stalk chopped celery
Handful of chopped green onions
Pinch of garlic powder
Pinch of Thyme
Pinch of sugar
Salt, Pepper & La. Hot Sauce
1 - 2" x 2" piece of salt meat or pickled pork
2 (16 oz.) cans stewed tomatoes cut up with liquid
water or chicken broth as needed

Pour the oil into an aluminum, teflon coated or stainless steel pot (not cast iron - the okra will turn black). Add the onion, bell pepper, celery and salt meat and sauté for 10 minutes.

Add the okra and sauté until sliminess begins to disappear. Some folks add a little vinegar to help suppress the slime. Add tomatoes and continue to sauté for about an hour stirring every few minutes. As the water from the stewed tomatoes begins to evaporate add a little water at a time to keep things moist. Add remainder of ingredients and continue to cook for 30 minutes stirring frequently Cover the pot. Cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes. Reduce to low heat.

Continue cooking, with the lid on, for one and half to two hours, or until the “sliminess” has disappeared. Cook, uncovered for the last 15 minutes. The time will vary according to the tenderness of the okra. You must keep stirring or it will stick.

if you want to add some shrimp, add them in the last 10 minutes or so.

Makes about 10 servings.

 

Fried Eggplant w/ Crawfish Sauce

for the Fried Eggplant

1 large Eggplant, sliced ¼” thick
2 cups Milk
3 large Eggs
½ cup All Purpose Flour
2 cups Seasoned Bread Crumbs
2 cups Olive Oil
½ tbsp. Salt
½ tbsp. Pepper
1 cup Cheddar Cheese, grated

Mix milk and eggs together in medium bowl. Let eggplant slices soak in egg wash mixture. Place flour in medium bowl, dredge eggplant slices through flour. Dip eggplant back into egg wash. Place bread crumbs in medium bowl. Dredge eggplant slices through bread crumbs. Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat; fry eggplant until brown on each side. Remove and drain eggplant on layered paper towels. Sprinkle eggplant with salt, pepper and grated cheese.

for the Crawfish Sauce:

½ cup Onion, chopped
½ cup Dry White Wine
½ cup Green Pepper, chopped
2 tbsp. All Purpose Flour
½ cup Celery, chopped
½ cup Seafood Stock
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1 tsp. Tomato Paste
½ cup Butter, melted
2 lb. Crawfish Tails, peeled
¼ tsp. Whole Dried Thyme
½ cup Green Onions, chopped
½ tsp. Dried Basil
¼ cup Fresh Parsley, chopped
¼ tsp. Chili Powder
¼ tsp. Hot Sauce
¼ tsp. Creole Seasoning

Sauté Onion, green pepper, celery and garlic in butter until tender. Mix in thyme, basil, chili powder and Creole seasoning, stir well and cook for 15 minutes over low heat stirring occasionally. Deglaze with wine, add flour, stirring constantly to avoid lumps, cook about 5 – 10 minutes. Add seafood stock, tomato paste and crawfish tails, cover and simmer 15 minutes. Stir in green onions, parsley and hot sauce. Cover and cook five minutes. Remove from heat and let stand a few minutes before serving. Serve over fried eggplant. Enjoy!!

 

fried crab cakes:

1 lb. Crab Meat
1 tsp. Creole Seafood Seasoning
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 large egg
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. dry mustard
2 Tbsp. mayonnaise
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. Creole mustard
1 Tbsp. melted butter
1 tsp. parsley flakes

1. Combine all ingredients except crab meat. Gently fold in crab meat.

2. Shape into cakes.

3. Pan fry or bake at 375 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes until cakes are evenly browned.

Serves 4.

 

fried crawfish courtesy of the crawfish company:

Fried Crawfish


1 lb. crawfish
salt and pepper
2 eggs

milk
flour


Season cleaned crawfish tails with salt and pepper. Dip each one in mixture of beaten eggs and a little milk that has been salted. Then dip in flour that has been seasoned with salt and a little pepper (and some cayenne or other cajun spices). Deep fry in hot oil & enjoy!

 

courtesy of the crawfish company:

Alligator Sauce Piquante

5 lb Alligator meat
Cajun seasoning
1/4 c Olive Oil -- +1 tsp.
1 1/4 lb Smoked andouille sausage -- diced
1 cn Tomato Sauce -- 10oz.
1/3 c Margarine
1/3 c Dark Roux
1/4 c Chicken Base
4 c Spanish Onion -- chopped
1 c Bell Pepper -- chopped
1 c Celery -- diced
1 t Cayenne Pepper
2 T Jalapeno Pepper -- diced
1 t Sugar
2 T Garlic -- chopped
3 c Fresh mushrooms -- sliced
2 qt Water
1/2 c Green Onion Bottoms -- chopped
1/2 c Parsley -- chopped
3 c Rice -- cooked
Mixture of cornstarch and water for thickening -- optional

Rub both sides of alligator meat with Cajun seasoning and cut into 1 inch by 1 inch pieces. If possible, allow to marinate overnight. Brown alligator in olive oil over high heat. Remove from pot. Sauté andouille in same oil for 5 minutes and remove from pot. Pour tomato sauce into pot with remaining oil. Stir sauce over high heat until it is very brown, burned. Keep stirring until a thick ball of paste forms. Add margarine, roux, chicken base, onions, bell pepper, celery, cayenne pepper, jalapeno peppers and sugar. Sauté until onions are clear. Return alligator and andouille to pot. Add garlic, mushrooms and 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil and then reduce to medium heat. Cook for 1 hour, adding water as needed. Once alligator is tender, add green onions and parsley. Cornstarch mixture may be added to thicken gravy. Serve over hot cooked rice.

Chicken, squirrel, rabbit, turtle or duck may be substituted for the alligator. Regular smoked sausage may be substituted for the andouille.

 

one more from the crawfish company:

Crawfish Etouffee
makes approx. 1 gallon, 12-14 1-cup servings

1 lb. crawfish tails
crawfish fat
1/2 tbsp. flour cayenne pepper to taste
1 medium onion, chopped fine
1 to 1 1/2 sticks butter or oleo salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp. bell pepper, chopped fine
green onion tops, chopped
parsley, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
cayenne pepper to taste
2 or 3 pods garlic, chopped fine

Melt butter or oleo in skillet. Add flour and salt until blended. Add chopped onion, chopped bell pepper, and garlic, and cook until tender. Add crawfish fat and cook about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add crawfish tails and cover. Let this cook about 15 or 20 minutes on low heat, stirring occasionally. Add salt, pepper and cayenne pepper to taste, green onion tops and parsley. Simmer covered a while until seasonings blend. Serve over rice.
Yield 2-4 Servings.

Note: Water may be added after the crawfish fat, but is not neccessary.
Alligator or shrimp may be substituted for the crawfish.

 

neat shrimp creole recipe:

Shrimp Creole from McGentry

A favorite supper dish at my house that is Southern but from a different region is Shrimp Creole. I learned to make this from a friend in Baton Rouge, LA. You can substitute chicken if you like, but shrimp should be plentiful and inexpensive at the Florida coast. The last time I made this I used about a pound of shrimp, you can increase or decrease as you like. I figure a hefty handful of shrimp as a serving per person...whatever that weighs out to.... If you do chicken, I usually guestimate one generously-sized chicken breast (boneless, skinless) per person, boil chicken until done in the middle, cool, then cube. The rest of the recipe would remain the same.

1 lb. shrimp, remove tail/shells
1 large bell pepper, cored and coarsely chopped
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
garlic, oregano, cayenne pepper, crushed red pepper, basil
long grain and wild rice, prepared according to directions
1 can of kidney beans, drained
1 quart tomato sauce* (Newman's or any tomato & basil blend is good - preferably one that is very mildly seasoned)
Salt and black pepper to taste
Put shrimp in water, bring to a rolling boil and boil just long enough for shrimp to turn pink. Remove from heat, dump into a colander to drain and set aside.
In a large skillet, use a tablespoon of olive oil, sauté peppers and onions on medium high heat until just tender. Add in shrimp. Add 1 teaspoon of peppers, 1 tablespoon of each of the other seasonings listed above. Stir, then stir in tomato sauce. Stir and allow to simmer until it is gently bubbling. Add more seasonings to taste. It should be fairly pepper-hot. You can add a dash of salt or black pepper if you like.

Mix rice with kidney beans, Serve Creole over rice.

I usually make a large tossed salad and bread sticks to serve with this.

*Note from McGentry: I make my own homemade tomato sauce, so suggesting a store brand is difficult. The main thing is to stay away from the meat sauces or heavily seasoned ones, they simply aren't as good. The whole point of Creole is to balance the taste of shrimp, tomato, and the seasonings without overpowering any one item.

 

recipe from the culinary school of new orleans:

Cajun Jambalaya
Serves 20 (10 oz. Portions)

4 cups Rice
1 cup Onion (french cut)
1 oz. Green Bell Pepper (julienne)
1 oz. Red Bell Pepper (julienne)
2 oz. Green Onions
1 oz. Vegetable Oil
2 lbs. Andouille Sausage
2 lbs. Boneless Chicken Thigh Meat
1 lb. Boston Pork (diced, or ham chopped)
2 tbsp. Salt
1 tbsp. Black Pepper
1 tbsp. Garlic (granulated)
1 tbsp. Onion (granulated)
2 qts. Beef Stock
1/2 lb. Tasso
1 tsp. Cayenne
2 lbs. Crawfish Tails (Louisiana with fat)
2 cups Corn (whole kernel)

Méthode:
Season the pork and chicken with salt, black pepper, garlic and onion. Sear and brown both meats in vegetable oil until done (bottom of pan will have a gummy look). Add onions, bell peppers and sauté until browned. Add rice and stir until it turns translucent brown. The add the beef stock to the rice; bring to a boil, cover and place into a preheated oven at 375° for 20 minutes or it may be completed on the stove by reducing the heat to low to simmer covered for 20 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle green onions on top for garnish and serve.

Culinary Tip:
As a side dish the yield may be 40 servings (5 oz. portions). However, Jambalaya is commonly served as a one pot main dish. If Chinese or other than Louisiana Crawfish are used, they must be washed several times to remove the excess fat. This tends to be fishy tasting. Louisiana crawfish do not taste fishy.

snort's note: these guys wish that chinese crawfish came with fat (they are so rinsed clean it's not even funny). also, it would be nice if chinese crawfish had any flavor at all.....they must use zero (i mean zero) seasoning in their boil. how do i know this.....because i've bought them and was literally amazed.