Category: Entree

Posted on

Shrimp, Red Cabbage & Oyster Mushrooms

Cajun French:  le chou (lu shoo) – cabbage

 

Cleaning out the frig before our weekly Red Stick Market purchases, we found red cabbage and oyster mushrooms.  What to do with them?  Shrimp in the freezer, good addition.  We decided to cook each separately and then plate together.  The sweetness of the cabbage added to the mildness of the mushrooms and the shrimp were the crowning glory.  For a meal made with clean out the frig items, it was outstanding!

Mais C’est Bon!

Enjoy!! Continue reading “Shrimp, Red Cabbage & Oyster Mushrooms”

Share
Posted on

Crab Dressing

Cajun French: la pince (la pains) – claw

 

Fresh claw crabmeat was one of our purchases at the Red Stick Farmers Market this week. Once home, we knew we had to use some of the crabmeat immediately. The crabmeat is from the Outlaw Katfish Kompany and just like their catfish; the crabmeat is sweet and melts in your mouth. With John’s creativity on overload, a crab dressing was in order. This dressing would be excellent not only on a salad, yet on fish or steak.

Mais C’est Bon!

Enjoy!! Continue reading “Crab Dressing”

Share
Posted on

Simply Catfish

Cajun French: faire la cuisine (fair la kū-zeen) – cook meals

 

Sometimes preparing a meal is not about complicated recipes and fancy presentation; it is about quality ingredients fixed simply so the true taste comes out. That is what dinner last night was all about. We had catfish filets from Outlaw Katfish Kompany and fresh broccoli from Red Stick Farmers Market. It had been a long day, we were tired and not really into fancy cooking. The catfish from Outlaw is small, sweet and melts in your mouth and we were ready.

Mais C’est Bon!

Enjoy!! Continue reading “Simply Catfish”

Share
Posted on

Shrimp Cocktail Extraordinaire

Cajun French: l’ail (l’a-ee) – garlic

 

Watching the sunset on a beach, sipping a cool, crisp glass of wine and a shrimp cocktail waiting for dinner. Dreaming of the day that will be our front yard and it will be soon! So tonight we are having the shrimp cocktail without the beach sunset or glass of wine (no wine on South Beach Phase 1). Having purchased large shrimp from the Anna Marie at the Red Stick Farmers Market, we decided a shrimp cocktail was in order. This was going to be dinner so we wanted to make the cocktail a complete meal. Searching the frig to see what was available and how the finds could be used resulted in our Shrimp Cocktail Expanded.

Mais C’est Bon!

Enjoy!! Continue reading “Shrimp Cocktail Extraordinaire”

Share
Posted on

Shrimp Grillades and Grits

Cajun French: le grue (lu grū) – grits

 

What started out as left over crawfish and carrot tops over girts for breakfast turned into Shrimp Grillades and Grits. Traditionally grillades are slow cooked meat in rich gravy. We enjoy grillades and since we no longer eat meat wanted to try shrimp grillades. Today was the day and what a dish! Another difference to the traditional grillades is the shrimp do not cook in the gravy. The shrimp are pan fried and plated in the gravy just before serving. As usual we used shrimp from the Anna Marie.  Even though this dish is very rich, it is not high fat. The richness comes from using red wine in the gravy. We plated the dish on plates with a shrimp design. Wanting to highlight the design as well as the food we plated the dish two ways.

Mais C’est Bon!

Enjoy!! Continue reading “Shrimp Grillades and Grits”

Share
Posted on

Island Pasta

Cajun French:  l’ile (l’eel) – island

 

Friday was travel day, so Thursday night supper was going to be an easy dish of mushrooms and pasta.  Yet, like most of our dishes, it evolved and evolved.  Mushrooms and garlic were cooked and pasta was cooking; then we saw the ripe avocado.  Okay that sounds good.  Here’s a fresh tomato; that sounds good also.  The dish was still easy; it just had more depth of flavor to it.

Our newest evolution – Island Pasta.

Mais C’est Bon!

Enjoy!!    Continue reading “Island Pasta”

Share
Posted on

Tenth Day of Christmas – 10 pirogue paddles

Cajun French: le riz (lu ree) – rice

 

A pirogue is a small flat bottomed boat originally made of Louisiana cypress. The pirogue is designed to move through the very shallow water of the Louisiana marshes. It can also easily be turned over to drain any water that gets in the boat. We have seen pirogues that were carved from a single cypress tree, meaning no seams. Many Cajun cooks have “pirogue paddles” to use when cooking, for stirring the pot. On the tenth day of Christmas we are going to stir up a Shrimp Creole Casserole.

John, like many Cajuns, are known to “stir the pot” having no connection to cooking. It means they like to get things going, pit one against another in fun.

Mais C’est Bon!

Enjoy! Continue reading “Tenth Day of Christmas – 10 pirogue paddles”

Share
Posted on

Ninth Day of Christmas – 9 oysters stewing

Cajun French: l’huitre (l’ū-eet) – oyster

 

In Louisiana oysters are eaten any way imaginable and then some, come up with another way and we will give it a try. Today for the ninth day of Christmas, we are sautéing oysters and serving them over orzo. Orzo may not be Cajun in the truest since, yet Cajuns take what is available and use it. We had locally made orzo from Pappardelle’s in Colorado and Louisiana oysters from Houma; so we decided to marry the two and dinner is served.

Mais C’est Bon!

Enjoy!! Continue reading “Ninth Day of Christmas – 9 oysters stewing”

Share
Posted on

Sixth Day of Christmas – 6 Cypress Knees

Cajun French: le cypre (lu seep) – cypress

 

The Bald Cypress Tree is the official tree of Louisiana. This majestic tree grows in the swamps and wetlands of Louisiana and loses its needles in the fall, giving the tree a “bald” appearance. The tree will grow in any wet area, yet the cypress in the swamps will form knees that grow up from the roots. The knees are thought to help the tree with long term survival – giving stability and aiding in oxygen.

In the Cypress Tree swamps, fishing is great and is a favorite pastime of many Cajuns. To honor this area on the sixth day of Christmas, we grilled catfish.

Mais C’est Bon!

Enjoy!! Continue reading “Sixth Day of Christmas – 6 Cypress Knees”

Share
Posted on

Fifth Day of Christmas – 5 poule d’eau

Cajun French: la poule d’eau (la pool doo) – water hen (a coot)

 

A poule d’eau is a wild game bird or small duck, a hen of the water. The bird is also known as the American Coot. These small birds are excellent for use in gumbo. No longer eating animal meat, we consider the poule d’eau in that category; we are giving you a recipe from Bayou Blue, LA. Bayou Blue is located in coastal Louisiana known for great hunting, fishing and cooking.

Mais C’est Bon!

Enjoy!! Continue reading “Fifth Day of Christmas – 5 poule d’eau”

Share
Share