Cajun Food Where You Find It
Cajun French: bourrer (boor-ā) – stuff
Leftover beans and rice again. What can we combine them with this time? We enjoy stuffed grape leaves for snacks. The last ones we purchased had very tough leaves so we had been using the stuffing in dishes. Mayonnaise was used as the binder and a stuffing for Jalapenos was beginning. The mayonnaise also gives a richness to the peppers. This dish is a great snack or side for a salad.
Mais C’est Bon!
Cajun French: l’huite (l’ū-eet) – oyster
Fresh Louisiana oysters are salty sweet and taste like no other oysters. When we purchased the oysters, we knew how we wanted to cook them, simply in olive oil with pasta. Avocado oil was used to give the dish a buttery taste and it adds richness. This dish is easy to prepare but makes a gourmet meal.
Mais C’est Bon!
Cajun French: la chevrette (la shuv-ret) – shrimp
Pasta is a staple in our pantry and we are always looking for ways to make a pasta dish interesting. What was to be just another tomato sauce and pasta evolved into a dish with depth of flavor. There was fresh corn in the refrigerator so that went in. Laurie had Kipper Snacks for lunch and one was left, so it was mashed and into the sauce it went along with red wine. The sauce is full of flavor with a depth of richness.
Mais C’est Bon!
Enjoy!! Continue reading “Shrimp Pasta”
Cajun French: le riz (lu ree) – rice
Leftover beans and rice – what to do? We were looking for something other than just beans and rice. Think Mujadarrah with a Cajun twist. Instead of lentils, we have Colorado River Beans and rice cooked with arugula.
Mais C’est Bon!
Cajun French: la breme (la brem) – eggplant
Eggplant is a vegetable we enjoy using in various ways. Not sure how we wanted to use the one we purchased at the farmers market, so we started brainstorming. What else had we purchased or had on hand that we could incorporate? After some discussion, we decided on a casserole using seafood – shrimp and crab. The fresh peppers were abundant this week and we had a variety so in they went. The mayonnaise was used not only as a binding but also for flavor enhancement. Although the recipe is easy, the results are a casserole with a richness to be enjoyed.
Mais C’est Bon!
Cajun French: Cuire (kū-eer) – bake
So many ways to make pizza with varied ingredients, the options are limitless. The pizza could be very healthy or a heart attack on a plate and everything in between. Our pizza du jour is made using flatbread with olive oil and lots of garlic and we build from there. The garlic is roasted in the olive oil, yes we like garlic. Have fun with the pizza; try different ingredients with different combinations. Some will be great others not to be tried again. But that is the fun of cooking especially cooking with family and friends.
Mais C’est Bon!
Cajun French: la feve (la fev) – bean
Walking into Let It Grow in Cortez, CO a combination coffee house, plant nursery, market and café, we saw a large display of dried beans. Always attracted to beans of every type, we headed over and were amazed with the variety and names. Colorado River, Zuni Gold, Mortgage Lifter, Anasazi, Pinkeye and Cranberry were just a few of the beans available. Continue reading “Colorado River Bean Salad”
Cajun French: le “spinach” (lu “spinach”) – spinach
Having fresh vegetables that needed cooking, we decided to make Veggie Rice. Sauté vegetables over rice was the plan but as always the plan evolved. Rice was cooked with fresh rosemary then combined with the vegetables and almond butter was added. Wow! The almond butter added a richness and the aroma made our mouths water.
Mais C’est Bon!
Cajun French: l’asperge (l’as-pairj) – asparagus
Fresh leeks were in our market basket this week, so we decided to make a dish focusing on the leeks. At least that is how it started. The dish evolved to include pine nuts and watercress. In the end we had a thick sauce to mix with penne, top with cheese and enjoy.
Mais C’est Bon!
Enjoy!! Continue reading “Nutty Penne”
Cajun French: la moutarde (la moo-tard) – mustard
Fresh Louisiana wild caught catfish – nothing like its sweet taste. We purchased catfish from Outlaw Katfish at the Red Stick Farmers Market and were ready for some of that sweetness. We wanted to try something different and our herb garden was calling us. Fresh tarragon and Creole mustard – yes! We made a paste using the mustard as a base and rubbed one side of the fish. The fish was served with our Rice with Broccoli Flowers.
Mais C’est Bon!
