Shrimp Creole

I posted the original recipe from Louisiana Cookin' Magazine.  In typical style, I changed it up and my changes are posted below.








1 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2½ cups finely chopped onion
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 bunches green onion, green parts finely chopped, white parts roughly chopped
½ large green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
3 fresh bay leaves
¼ teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
Juice of ½ large lemon
2½ cups water
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons salt
2½ pounds large fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined
Cooked long-grain white rice, for serving
Garnish: chopped green onion

Instructions

1. In a large heavy saucepan over medium-low heat, add oil; stir in flour, stirring constantly until a peanut butter-colored roux forms (10 mins in my cast iron skillet). Reduce heat to low and add onion, garlic, green onion, and bell pepper. Stir well, and cook until softened, 4 to 6 minutes.
2. Stir in tomato sauce, thyme, bay leaves, oregano, and lemon juice. Increase heat to medium, and bring sauce to a simmer. Add 2½ cups water, cayenne, and salt, and simmer until thickened, 30 to 45 minutes.
3. Gently stir in shrimp, reduce heat to a gentle simmer, and cook, covered, about 20 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes more. Remove and discard bay leaves. Serve over rice with green onion, if desired.

I liked this recipe but it needed something more.  I purchased some boneless, skinless chicken thighs and fried them up in the oil first.  I coated them with flour and about 2 - 3 tablespoon of cayenne, garlic powder and seasoning salt.  After frying, I added a little more oil to the pot then began making the roux as directed.

I diced then added the chicken at the end of step 2.

These changes made the roux spicier and added more bulk/less soupy to the meal.  Serve with French bread.  

Southern Living King Cake

I'm trying to find the perfect recipe and this one is it.  Now I need to learn to make it look pretty.  The yeast really rose and make the cake big and wider than anticipated.  Bread flour really makes all the difference.

1 (16-ounce) container sour cream 

1/3 cup sugar 

1/4 cup butter 

1 teaspoon salt 

2 (1/4-ounce) envelopes active dry yeast

1/2 cup warm water (100° to 110°)

1 tablespoon sugar 

2 large eggs, lightly beaten 

6 to 6 1/2 cups bread flour

1/3 cup butter, softened 

1/2 cup sugar 

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Glaze

Melt together 2 tablespoons milk, 3 tablespoons butter,few drops of vanilla.  Add about 2 cups powdered sugar til it makes a thick glaze.

Purple-, green-, and gold-tinted sparkling sugar sprinkles 

 

Cook first 4 ingredients in a medium saucepan over low heat, stirring often, until butter melts. Set aside, and cool mixture to 100° to 110°.

Stir together yeast, 1/2 cup warm water, and 1 tablespoon sugar in a 1-cup glass measuring cup; let stand 5 minutes.

Beat sour cream mixture, yeast mixture, eggs, and 2 cups flour at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer until smooth. I use my dough hook in my KitchenAid mixer.  Reduce speed to low, and gradually add enough remaining flour (4 to 4 1/2 cups) until a soft dough forms.  Keep beating for 5 mins.

Place in a well-greased bowl, turning to grease top.

Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 1 hour or until dough is doubled in bulk.
Punch down dough, and divide in half. Roll each portion into a 22- x 12-inch rectangle. Spread 1/3 cup softened butter evenly on each rectangle, leaving a 1-inch border. Stir together 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon, and sprinkle evenly over butter on each rectangle.

Roll up each dough rectangle, jelly-roll fashion, starting at 1 long side. Place one dough roll, seam side down, on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bring ends of roll together to form an oval ring, moistening and pinching edges together to seal. Repeat with second dough roll.

Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 20 to 30 minutes or until doubled in bulk.
Bake at 375° for 14 to 16 minutes or until golden. Slightly cool cakes on pans on wire racks (about 10 minutes). Drizzle Creamy Glaze evenly over warm cakes; sprinkle with colored sugars, alternating colors and forming bands. Let cool completely.

Cajun Mac and Cheese

It's almost tailgating season at the Ray household, so I've been trying out some new recipes.  This one comes from Louisiana Cookin magazine.  My mom is too ill to cook (or even read for that matter) so every month dad just hands them off to me.  This is a definite keeper for the LSU game.






14 oz Andouille sausage, cut into chunks
1 cup chopped red pepper
1 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teasp Cajun seasoning
1 quart whole milk
16 oz American Cheese (I get the Kraft brand and peel the plastic off each slice)
3 cups shredded mild cheddar cheese
16 oz elbow pasta, cooked.

In a large skillet, brown the sausage over medium heat.  Add red and green peppers and cook until tender.  Sprikle the flour and cajun seasoning and stir constantly.  (this makes a Roux for you non-cajun cooks).

Gradually add milk while still stirring.  Add the cheeses letting them melt before adding more.  Dump in the pasta and stir till all mixed and creamy.  Serve immediately.

Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya

This is an amazing recipe and really is simple to make.  You don't have to worry about the cayanne being too strong, it will dilute as it cooks.  Serve with French bread and cold beer.  

6 chicken thighs (or if you have leftover chicken from a rotisserie chicken you can use that instead and skip the 3 paragraphs, just coat well with cayanne)
cayenne pepper, to taste
1/4 cup peanut oil
flour to coat chicken
salt
black pepper
garlic powder
 
3 large white onions, chopped (DO NOT use a food processor)
5 stalks celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped fine
1/2 bell pepper, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoon rosemary
1 teaspoon thyme
handful chopped parsley
1/2 package Hillshire Polish kielbasa (or other smoked sausage), sliced and quartered
2 cups white rice (not instant), washed
12 ounces beer, warm
2 1/2 cups water

DIRECTIONS:

Wash the chicken and place it skin side down on a plate (you can remove the skin if you want).  Coat the chicken with cayenne pepper until very red (I use a LOT of Cayenne in mine). Don't worry about getting it too hot, since this is the majority of the pepper you are going to add and it will cook into the rest of the dish. Turn the chicken pieces over and lightly coat the skin side. Let sit for 15 minutes or so to soak it all up.

Heat the oil in the bottom of a large heavy cast iron or aluminum pot (don't use thin aluminum or stainless steel since the rice will tend to stick and burn if you're not really careful). Place the flour in a paper bag or large bowl. Season the flour lightly with salt, cayenne pepper, black pepper, garlic powder. Place a couple of pieces of chicken at a time into the bag and shake to coat.

Fry the chicken in the oil until golden brown. Don't worry about cooking it all the way through. Remove the chicken.

Place the onions, celery, garlic and bell pepper into the pot along with a bit more oil if necessary and saute them until the onions are transparent, scraping the bottom of the pot often.  I like to make the onions very crispy and caramelized.  Add the rosemary, thyme and parsley and cook for a minute.

Place the sausage slices, chicken, and a little water into the pot and mix well with the vegetables. Turn heat low, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes (until the chicken is tender). Stir the mixture frequently, always scraping the bottom to keep things from burning (break the chicken up a bit with the spatula as it cooks. It should break up naturally as the dish cooks, but this just helps things a little).

When the chicken is cooked, add the washed rice and stir it into everything for a couple of minutes. Pour the warm beer and the water in and stir things for another minute or so. Taste it at this point and adjust the salt if necessary. Now, keeping the heat low, cover the pot and cook until the rice is tender (anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour). Stir the mixture every now and then, scraping the bottom of the pot.